The Princess Blade
The Princess Blade

修羅雪姫
Shurayuki Hime
Lady Snowblood
Director | Shinsuke Sato |
Original Story |
Kazuo Koike Kazuo Kamimura |
Screenplay |
Shinsuke Sato Kei Kunii |
Action Director | Donnie Yen |
Stunt Coordinator |
Kenji Tanigaki Yuji Shimomura |
Special Effects Director | Shinji Higuchi |
Music | Kenji Kawai |
Photography | Taro Kawazu |
Art | Tomoyuki Maruo |
Lighting | Daisuke Nakagawa |
Editor | Hirohide Abe |
Sound | Kiyoshi Kakizawa |
Production Companies | Nikkatsu, Pioneer LDC, Tokyo Theatres, Oz, Eisei Gekijo, Sony PCL |
Release Date | December 15, 2001 |
Runtime | 93 minutes |
![]() 修羅雪姫 Shurayuki Hime Lady Snowblood |
Director | Shinsuke Sato |
Original Story |
Kazuo Koike Kazuo Kamimura |
Screenplay |
Shinsuke Sato Kei Kunii |
Action Director | Donnie Yen |
Stunt Coordinator |
Kenji Tanigaki Yuji Shimomura |
Special Effects Director | Shinji Higuchi |
Music | Kenji Kawai |
Photography | Taro Kawazu |
Art | Tomoyuki Maruo |
Lighting | Daisuke Nakagawa |
Editor | Hirohide Abe |
Sound | Kiyoshi Kakizawa |
Production Companies | Nikkatsu, Pioneer LDC, Tokyo Theatres, Oz, Eisei Gekijo, Sony PCL |
Release Date | December 15, 2001 |
Runtime | 93 minutes |
The Takemikazuchi are a roving tribe of swordsmen, living in exile in an isolated country. Byakurai is their leader, and Yuki is the heir apparent; her late mother Azora was the former queen of the tribe. Yuki meets Kuka, Azora’s old manservant, who warns Yuki that Azora was in fact killed by Byakurai when she refused to marry him, so that he could take control of the Takemikazuchi. Yuki confronts Byakurai, and is forced to flee when Byakurai tries to kill her, too. Yuki jumps aboard a passing truck driven by Takashi. When Takashi finds her in his truck, he is distrustful and tries to threaten her. Yuki overpowers him but lets him live, and they form an uneasy truce.
Yuki goes to meet Kuka again, who tells her the full story of how Azora was killed. The Takemikazuchi arrive and duel with them. Kuka is killed, and Yuki barely manages to escape. She returns to Takashi’s place gravely wounded, and Takashi tends to her. During her recovery, she and Takashi begin to bond with each other. Takashi reveals that he has a sister, Aya, who he keeps hidden in a safe room in his house. Takashi had done jail time for murdering a gang that had killed his parents, and now is determined to keep Aya safe. However, he got entangled with Kidokoro, a revolutionary, and participated in a number of terrorist plots against the dystopian government. Now Kidokoro has returned for the final stage of his plan to topple the regime. Takashi wants to leave the country with Aya, and invites Yuki to join them.
Yuki leaves the house and is immediately set upon by the Takemikazuchi. Yuki fights them off and duels with Byakurai. Yuki manages to slay Byakurai, and the remaining Takemikazuchi disband. Meanwhile, Kidokoro arrives at Takashi’s house and reveals that he has taken a plea deal with the government; they will acquiesce to his demands for reform if he sells out his terrorist network, Takashi included. Kidokoro shoots Takashi and Aya and departs. Yuki returns and comforts Takashi when he dies. Yuki resolves to use her newfound freedom to live for Takashi’s sake.
Top Billed Cast
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Rest of Cast Listed Alphabetically
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Top Billed Cast

Takashi

Yuki

Kidokoro

Aya

Soma

Kiri

Renki

Anka

Sen

Kuka

Byakurai
Rest of Cast Listed Alphabetically

Targeted Man

Azora

Matsuo