Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 2, 2026

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Wicked Priest Collection from Arrow Video.

Perhaps just a little sadly it may not seem as shocking to contemporary sensibilities to see "wicked" and "priest" combined in one title as it may have been when the films Arrow has aggregated for this collection were first released, but as a supplement featuring Matt Alt and Patrick Macias on one of the discs in Arrow's five film set of Wicked Priest offerings gets into, the original Japanese title may be a bit more nuanced, in that wicked doesn't necessarily mean "evil" or even "bad" in a traditional sense. That said, fans of this franchise might be prone to joke that you'd be hard pressed to really argue that focal monk Shinkai (Tomisaburō Wakayama) doesn't behave in ways that are not often associated with the quiet, celibate and reflective life of such an ostensible religious figure. But that said, according to the same supplement Japanese lore and legend is nonetheless evidently rife with descriptions of what might be called raucous and/or bawdy priests and/or monks. The Wicked Priest films appeared between 1968 and 1971, and were ostensibly set in an early 1920s Taishō period, even if that may or may not reflect the rise of Shinto and diminution of Buddhism during that era (as per the same aforementioned supplement). In that regard, a joke in the supplement kind of suggests it's more than obvious that the Wicked Priest films are not exactly models of a documentarian approach, but they are rowdy entertainments that helped cement the status of Wakayama, which would soon be confirmed with his breakthrough role in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Fans of this era of Japanese cinema will probably already know that Wakayama's younger brother was Shintarō Katsu who actually beat his elder sibling to superstar status courtesy of the Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman franchise. For those unacquainted with this duo, there are some fascinating rabbit holes to explore, maybe as internet palette cleansers in between the films in this set (which may contain an "in joke" or two about the brothers and the roles they played).

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage is probably one of the more gonzo Wicked Priest outings, even if it conforms to the general template all of the films in this series employ. Picking up a considerable time after the end of the second film, Shinkai is once again a wandering monk who after some interstitial adventures ends up at a coastal fishing village which is overrun with pirates (yes, you read that right). The village is mostly inhabited by women and elderly men since the able bodied males are all out making a living by fishing, and that leaves Shinkai as the sole ostensible protector of the villagers. There are a number of arguably unnecessary subplots involving various characters on both the good and bad sides of the spectrum, and once again the ever menacing Ryotatsu (Bunta Sugawara) returns for a climactic smackdown, this one especially violent on an otherwise rather picturesque beach.

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wicked Priest is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet lumps all of the films together on the page devoted to the presentations:

The films in this collection are presented in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with mono Japanese audio.

Wicked Priest was restored by Toei Company, Ltd.

Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder, Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage, WIcked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back, and Wicked Priest 5: Blood on the Commandments were restored by Arrow Films from 4K scans of the original camera negatives supplied by Toei Company, Ltd.

Restoration and color grading was completed by Heavenly Movie Company.

Audio restoration was completed by Bad Princess Productions.

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage is another presentation that is especially impressive in the palette department, with the film's coastal setting offering a lot of really scenic outdoor moments sprinkled throughout the narrative. This is somewhat in the palette wheelhouse of Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder in that greens are quite prominently featured and even some location outdoor backgrounds that are foliage free (as in a huge rock wall) can be tinged slightly with that hue. Fine detail on sets and costumes is typically excellent, and some extreme close-ups also offer very expressive facial features. Grain resolves naturally.

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage features an LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese. This gets off to probably the most bombastic start of any of the Wicked Priest films from a sound design perspective, with an arresting brass fanfare accompanying the Toei masthead which moves into frenetic brass and string scoring underneath the opening fight scene, which then leads directly into the credits and theme. If there's some very slight distortion in the midrange, it's minimal, and the music in particular sounds great throughout the film. As with others in this set, there's noticeable background hiss which can add to the overall perception of brightness or thinness. Also as with some of the other films in this set, sync is occasionally loose which I'm attributing to post looping. The most troubling thing about this track is a recurrent and quick tempo "thump" or possibly a "motorboating" sound that is especially noticeable in the earlier part of the film. Dialogue is rendered without any major issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow has packaged this release with two films each on Disc One and Disc Two, and with the fifth film and the following supplements on Disc Three:

• Composing the Gospel (HD; 20:56) is a new video essay about the venerable Isao Tomita by James Balmont.


• Taisho Troubles (HD; 20:26) is a new video essay by Jonathan Clements focusing on Wakayama and the historical context of the films.


• Offscreen Battles (HD; 31:32) is a new video essay with James Mudge offering an overview of 1960s Japanese cinema.


• Martial Arts and Super Mario Brothers (HD; 35:02) is the first of two pieces featuring Patrick Macias and Matt Alt. This one focuses on Wakayama.


• Priest or Monk (HD; 15:28) features Macias and Alt again moving on to plot points and historical context.


• Theatrical Trailers

Wicked Priest (HD; 3:13)




Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder (HD; 3:12)




Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage (HD; 3:17)




Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back (HD; 3:11)




Wicked Priest 5: Blood on the Commandments (HD; 3:25)

Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite or maybe because of the addition of the pirate element, this entry just feels slightly silly, which is not that much of a deal breaker considering the comic sensibilities of the entire franchise. Video looks great, but audio has some issues. The release's franchise spanning supplements are enjoyable for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.