Last week I finally got around to watching the 1985 anime The Dagger of Kamui (カムイの剣) and it was kind of amazing. Not only did it feature Hokkaido and multiple Ainu characters, it was a pretty badass ninja story, and also turns out to be something of a sprawling historical epic! Seriously, the protagonist’s story unfolds concurrent with the Boshin War, and during his journey he crosses paths with the likes of Saigo Takamori, Geronimo, and Mark mf'king Twain.

The most interesting aspect of this film is that I can see how it must have influenced ninja cinema afterward. The similarities to 1993's smash hit Ninja Scroll are numerous, especially in terms of character designs and visual aesthetics. For example, this film’s primary villain, Tenkai, is almost a dead ringer for Himuro Gemma. It almost makes The Dagger of Kamui feel like a tamed down version of the same film—if, you know, Kamui wasn't actually a decade older. As it turns out, both movies were made by the same animation studio, Madhouse, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Ninja Scroll is basically Dagger of Kamui with everything cranked up to 11.

The Ainu heritage of the protagonist, Jiro, and how Ainu culture plays into the story is refreshingly original. You just don’t see many Ainu characters in pop culture, even in Edo-era (and Ezo-era) fiction like this. Sure, much of the story takes place outside of Hokkaido, but at least you get some of it in here. Regarding future Ainu references, I feel like this film must have helped inspire the character Nakoruru from Samurai Shodown.

Nakoruru from the Samurai Shodown series.

If you do sit down to watch The Dagger of Kamui, be forewarned that it’s quite long. With a runtime of 132 minutes, it almost feels like it would have been better suited to a four-part miniseries. It’s also genuinely depressing for the most part, with almost everyone Jiro meets ending up dead, starting with his own family (twice over). Eventually the story shifts gears from a dark ninja revenge tale to cowboy western and globetrotting epic, which is more lighthearted.

The similarities between the treatment of the Ainu in northern Japan and the Native Americans of North America get referenced pretty explicitly in the film, with Jiro essentially joining Geronimo’s tribe at one point. While this seems like a particularly good way of relating Ainu culture to an American audience, I have only really seen it here. The Old West motif even sees Jiro taking part in duel with gunslingers outside of a Nevada saloon, after being told the tavern was for whites only. I know, it’s very subtle.

The ninja action is actually pretty good and sufficiently violent, though it may look dated by today’s standards. (The violence certainly looks like Sesame Street compared to Ninja Scroll’s gorefest.) The final showdown with the Big Bad is quite satisfying however, and—hey, here’s another potential reference!—it seems to have influenced the climatic battle in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

Now most importantly, if you only take away one thing from this post, let it be that The Dagger of Kamui has an incredible soundtrack! Right out of the gates, I was floored by its combination of rock rifts and tribal chants, the results of which are amazingly funky. I absolutely dig it. Apparently composer Ryudo Uzaki used Balinese kecak vocals, which is what gives the music its unique flair. Perhaps this is why the score feels so strongly reminiscent of music in the original Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, a game soundtrack that usually defies all comparison.

Do yourself a favor, and please give a few songs a quick listen. Seriously, if I ever start collecting vinyl, this one will be near the top of my list.

So that’s The Dagger of Kamui (カムイの剣). It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and it’s certainly dated—only 35 years old!—but it’s a genuinely original work that appears to have influenced far more pop culture than one would think possible. Plus it features Hokkaido, and you can never get enough Hokkaido! If you’re in the mood for an obscure anime to watch tonight, you could do far worse that this funky fresh flick.