Zatoichi 21 (
Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)) was maybe the best one yet.
A Japanese Capo de tutti Capi emerges, creating a yakuza council. but guess what, HE'S BLIND TOO. Ichi and blind guy develop a rivalry. Also features a fan favorite, the lead hotguy/wild maniac from Sword of Doom making his incredible trollface:
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By this point in the series of films, Ichi is pretty well a mary sue who walks into any danger without consequence. However this is rather a burden off the film which moves at a very modern pace -- and also the fight choreography has gotten very slick by this point. Watching and comparing to the laborious American cinema of the day, I can't help but think US popcorn & action movies learned from Jap cinema. This one feels 15 years ahead of its time.
These later films have pretty baller production value, contrary to the natural suspicion arising for any 25-sequel film series thanks to their being produced by Katsu's (ichi's) own production company. This one in particular has some pretty amazing musical / pastoral scenes of Ichi wandering around observing children and wildlife. Very pretty movie.
Also, it has a plot arc involving an extremely pretty twink trying to enroll as a yakuza. He is as confused as I was at his age in a similar situation, and is insistent he wants a yakuza boss to "make him a real man". At one point Ichi, established as being able to soundly detect beautiful women with his sixth sense, mistakes the boy for the female lead (one of the very rare women Ichi has fallen for, so the logic of the movie rates the twink as a very beautiful woman). In pursuing Ichi's sponsorship the twink offers himself to Ichi. I was bracing myself for a really homophobic punchline but it never comes. They don't fuck, but have a rather passionate parting scene. This was the first overt brush with queerness since early in the films, where it was implied then retconned that Ichi's gay. This kid is the prettiest person in the movie, so slender and stylish omggggg.
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Anyway the leading ladies are all pretty amazing in this one too and the movie is very funny. I would compare it to something like big trouble in little china as to the viewing niche it fills. I feel pretty comfortable recommending this whole series now; it doesn't crap out like I was suspecting it would. 6 to go!