Fudoh: The New Generation 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Fudoh: The New Generation 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 25, 2026

Note: This film is available in 4K UHD and 1080 as part of the Underworld Chronicles: Three Yakuza Fables by Takashi Miike set from Radiance Films.

Riki Fudoh (Shosuke Tanihara) might be thought of as a precursor to Baby Assassins, at least insofar as even at a relatively tender age he's already ensconced in a life of subterfuge and revenge, not to mention the occasional hit (or several). If the demented pair at the center of the Yugo Sakamoto franchise are "employees" of a sort, Riki is more of a "sole practitioner", though he's aided and abetted by a fairly lunatic assortment of fellow high schoolers who make up his teenage yakuza assemblage. Fudoh: The New Generation is at least at times credited with being the property that firmly placed Takashi Miike on the international cinema stage, and it's not hard to see why. This is one of the best relatively early examples of what might be called "traditional" Miike hyperbolism on display, with absolutely gonzo characterizations and a glut of on screen mayhem featuring bodily immolations and other violence that admittedly is probably so cartoonish it may not totally disturb viewers, though those with squeamish sensibilities are still probably best advised to stay far, far away from the film.

To rather seriously mix cinematic genres, Predator: Badlands features a curiously similar foundational element to Fudoh: The New Generation, in that a father's execution of an older brother plays a significant role in what happens to the focal hero. This film offers a relatively early scene kind of discursively alluding to Riki's Yakuza boss father Iwao (Toru Minegishi) killing Riki's elder sibling Ryu (Kenichi Sano), albeit for convoluted reasons that might partially explain this horrifying decision. Unfortunately for both Riki and Iwao, Riki witnesses the event, and vows revenge, moving up the Yakuza ranks in a series of often bizarre assassinations to get the "Final Boss", supposedly Iwao himself.

Suffice it to say that even diehard Miike fans who have never seen Fudoh: The New Generation may be in for a slack jawed surprise or two with regard to some of the sequences featuring killings. There are several memorable moments in that regard, with both a strip club performer named Mika (Miho Nomoto) using, um, an unusual weapons placement to take out her nemeses to another completely gonzo sequence that is equally hilarious and horrifying "ball game" utilizing the decapitated head of a victim.

Miike is on hand both in a newish introduction as well as an archival interview discussing some of the background and context of Fudoh: The New Generation, including its genesis as a manga whose publication was kind of suddenly halted, leaving that version without any real ending. The "endings" here are numerous and give Fudoh: The New Generation a manic quality that certainly helped define what Miike was capable of delivering.

Fudoh: The New Generation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fudoh: The New Generation is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Radiance Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. This combo pack also includes a 1080p presentation encoded via AVC in the same aspect ratio on a separate disc. Kind of frustratingly, Radiance only sent check discs for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any information contained in an insert booklet, though if their website and the verbiage included in their Region A release of Agitator (which they sent a retail final of for review purposes) are any indication, there's probably only a generic "high definition digital transfer" description. Fudoh: The New Generation can be quite striking a lot of the time in both 1080 and 4K UHD, but this is another case where the inherently and intentionally "lo fi" appearance may mean that the 4K presentation can't help but exaggerate some these issues. The real standout in the 4K presentation is probably the palette, which gets some noticeable increases in vividness in primaries in particular (especially the all important "gore" reds). HDR (no Dolby Vision that my player detected) also observably improves the kind of delicious contrast that Miike and cinematographer Hideo Yamamoto utilize, with blacks being quite impressive. There are some noticeable deficits in shadow detail at times which the HDR grade frankly doesn't materially improve. The gritty look of the film probably only looks more gritty in 4K and HDR.

Fudoh: The New Generation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Fudoh: The New Generation features a nicely boisterous DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track in the original Japanese. The sound design can be as chaotic as the story and visuals at times, but the mono track is really well prioritized throughout. Both action scenes and "quieter" (a relative term in a Miike film) dialogue moments are all well balanced, and some of the scoring is especially vibrant and enjoyable. Optional English subtitles are available.

Fudoh: The New Generation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Introduction by Takashi Miike (HD; 5:19) is accessible under the Play Menu, and is authored to lead directly into the main feature. Subtitled in English.


• Audio Commentary by Takashi Miike and Shosuke Tanihara is subtitled in English.

1080 Disc

• Introduction by Takashi Miike (HD; 5:19) is accessible under the Play Menu, and is authored to lead directly into the main feature. Subtitled in English.


• Audio Commentary by Takashi Miike and Shosuke Tanihara is subtitled in English.


• Takashi Miike (HD; 40:39) is featured in this archival interview from 2003 tied to the film's Japanese release on DVD. Subtitled in English.


• Shosuke Tanihara (HD; 15:32) is also featured in another 2003 archival interview. Subtitled in English.

Fudoh: The New Generation 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Fudoh: The New Generation was the property that helped put Takashi Miike on the map, it should probably be mentioned that it was a map liberally slathered in blood, guts and other gore. If you're a Miike fan, you'll probably have some idea of what to expect. If you've never seen a Miike film, strap yourself in, bucko, you're in for quite a ride. Technical merits are generally solid and Radiance has aggregated some enjoyable on disc supplements. Recommended.