Branded to Kill

Branded to Kill

Year: 1967

Runtime: 91 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Seijun Suzuki

ThrillerCrimeActionCrime drugs and gangstersDreamlike quirky and surreal storytelling

After botching his latest assignment, a third-ranked Japanese hit man becomes the target of another assassin.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Branded to Kill (1967)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Branded to Kill (1967). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960s

The story unfolds in the mid-1960s Japan, a period of rapid urban growth and noir-influenced crime cinema. The city’s nightlife and underworld provide a glamorous yet deadly backdrop for complex loyalties and brutal assignments. Visuals and pacing emphasize a world where power, violence and personal codes collide in stylish, dangerous fashion.

Location

Tokyo, Sagami Beach, Nagano, Misako's apartment, Yabuhara's club, breakwater, gymnasium

Tokyo anchors the action as a neon-drenched urban landscape where yakuza operate and deals go down. Sagami Beach and Nagano provide the route for a high-stakes escort, contrasting coast and inland terrain. Misako's apartment and Yabuhara's club become pressure-cookers for manipulation, while a breakwater and a gymnasium stage the climactic confrontations. The film's locations are chosen to heighten impending doom and stylized violence.

🏙️ Urban setting 🔪 Crime underworld 🗝️ Power dynamics ⚔️ Violence

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:59

Main Characters – Branded to Kill (1967)

Meet the key characters of Branded to Kill (1967), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Goro Hanada

The Japanese underworld's third-ranked hitman, known for surgical precision and a chilling calm under fire. He is drawn to an unsettling fetish involving the smell of boiling rice, hinting at a darker humanity beneath his professional exterior. He navigates betrayals and brutal ambushes with cold efficiency, while his feelings for Misako threaten to derail his code and ambitions.

🗡️ Assassin 🕶️ Cool-headed 💀 Violent

Gihei Kasuga

A former hitman turned taxi driver who recruits Hanada to return to the underworld and settle old scores. He exudes a wary confidence, but his exposure to violence leaves a lasting mark. His death marks a turning point that intensifies the struggle for power and loyalty.

🚕 Taxi Driver 🕶️ Confident 🔪 Dangerous

Misako Nakajô

A mysterious, death-wish-driven woman who lures Hanada into a dangerous relationship and a string of brutal assignments. Her allure masks strategic manipulation, and her shifting loyalties propel the plot through love, rage, and murder. Her fate intertwines with Hanada's, driving the film's emotional and moral ambiguities.

💘 Femme Fatale 🕵️‍♀️ Mystery 💔 Obsession

Michihiko Yabuhara

A powerful yakuza boss who hires Hanada and seduces Mami, symbolizing the intertwining of crime, power, and corruption. He wields influence over clubs and smuggling routes, steering events from behind a polished facade. His downfall comes as greed and betrayal destabilize the underworld's delicate balance.

💼 Crime Boss 🕶️ Influence 🗝️ Corruption

Koh

The fourth-ranked hitman whose bold schemes put him in direct conflict with Hanada. His actions escalate the blood-soaked pursuit and reveal the ruthlessness of the underworld hierarchy. His confrontation with Kasuga foreshadows the brutal costs of the life they lead.

🔪 Assassin 🧭 Strategic

Sakura

The second-ranked hitman whose ambushes heighten the tension and danger surrounding Hanada. His presence embodies the constant threat and the calculated cruelty of the job. His fate underscores the brutal efficiency of the rival faction and ends with a lethal resolution.

🔪 Rival 🕶️ Cold

Number One

The legendary No. 1 Killer, the ultimate rival who exhausts his targets before striking. His looming presence drives Hanada to endure a deadly cat-and-mouse game that tests cunning, stamina, and nerve. The climactic showdown ends in a deadly draw and a grim victory for Hanada.

🏆 The Top Killer 🗡️ Rival ⚖️ Authority

Mami Hanada

Goro Hanada's wife, who becomes entangled in power plays and manipulation, seducing and betraying her husband to secure her own position. Her attempts to burn away the past culminate in a fatal confrontation. Her presence intensifies the film's exploration of loyalty, desire, and danger.

💑 Wife 🗡️ Manipulative 🔥 Heat

Jeweler (Akira Hisamatsu)

A jeweler targeted by Hanada in a high-stakes contract, representing a facet of the crime web that extends to luxury goods and smuggling networks.

💎 Jeweler 🕵️‍♂️ Target

Jeweler (Kosuke Hisamatsu)

Another jeweler involved in the assignments, illustrating the breadth of targets within the underworld economy.

💎 Jeweler 🕵️‍♂️ Target

Optometrist

A professional victim of Hanada's assassinations, the ocularist-like target that showcases the precision and range of his scope.

👓 Optometrist 🧪 Target

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:59

Major Themes – Branded to Kill (1967)

Explore the central themes of Branded to Kill (1967), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👑 Power

Goro Hanada lives for the status of being the top killer, a position that drives every assignment and confrontation. The pursuit of Number One blurs lines between duty, pride, and personal survival. The cycles of recruitment, betrayal, and elimination reveal the hollowness of power in a world built on violence.

💘 Love and Obsession

Misako's death wish and allure pull Hanada into a dangerous orbit where affection becomes a weapon. Their volatile relationship propels the plot through double-crosses, seduction, and murderous choices. The film probes whether love can survive a life built on murder and manipulation.

🔪 Violence and Fate

The narrative is driven by calculated killings and near-misses that suggest a fate shaped by the hitmen's coded rules. Hanada's precision, the belt buckle, and the climactic duel underscore a world where violence defines destiny. Even victory is hollow, ending in loss and a deadly cycle continuing.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:59

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Branded to Kill Summary

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Branded to Kill Summary

Branded to Kill Timeline

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Branded to Kill Timeline

More About Branded to Kill

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