OriginalFilmSeries

The original series of 26 films featured Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi. The first film was made in 1962 in black and white. The third film, in 1963, was the first to be filmed in color. The twenty-fifth film was made in 1973, and there was a pause of 16 years before Katsu's last film, in 1989.

The original series of movies features other popular fictional characters of the genre on two occasions: Zatoichi and the One Armed Swordsman (1971) connects with the Shaw Brothers series of Hong Kong produced movies directed by prolific director Chang Cheh. Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970) features Toshiro Mifune playing a character named Sassa who bears a striking resemblance to his role as Sanjuro from the Akira Kurosawa films Yojimbo and Sanjuro.

The series has also had wide spread influences on non-Japanese films. The 1989 film Blind Fury featuring Rutger Hauer as a blind swordsman in contemporary America is based on the screenplay of Zatoichi Challenged (1967) with elements of other films of the series.

Nevertheless, Zatoichi is but one of a surprising number of blind heroes with superhuman fighting skills that have emerged throughout history, and while predated by such characters as the pulp fiction and comic book heroes The Black Bat and Doctor Mid-Nite respectively, is followed by the likes of Daredevil. The 1970s television series Kung Fu features a blind Shaolin priest who also possesses amazing martial arts skills.