Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back 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).

If Wicked Priest 3: A Killer's Pilgrimage highlighted sun drenched coastal environments, Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back shifts gears and/or seasons with a largely snowbound setting as Shinkai returns to his hometown for the funeral of his mother. Unsurprisingly there's a yakuza adjacent subplot that soon ensnares the randy monk, but what really sets this installment apart is the somewhat cheeky decision to (temporarily?) blind Shinkai, which of course makes him afflicted like his recurrent nemesis Ryotatsu (Bunta Sugawara), and which of course kind of inherently brings to mind Zatoichi. What's really interesting in this outing, though, and something that's perhaps surprising, is an unexpected if short lived partnership with Ryotatsu, who reveals a kind of curious moral compass, at least within the context of how the character has behaved in the previous outings.

Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back 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 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back offers another very healthy palette, one which, like its two immediate predecessors, shies away from reds to offer a somewhat cooler ambience (no snow pun intended). There are definitely some warmer tones offered in female costumes in particular. As with the first film, there is occasional slight flicker noticeable against some backgrounds. Fine detail is typically excellent on all of the sets and costumes and once again some close-ups offer almost palpable looks at faces. Grain resolves naturally.

Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back features an LPCM Mono track in the original Japanese. Like many others in this set, the opening Toei fanfare is brash and thin sounding, but the actual film offers some nice ambient environmental wind effects at the get go which aren't hampered by some of the high frequency hiss, or at least as much if it, as is heard in other films in this set. Some of the almost Morricone adjacent scoring choices can also be a bit on the bright side, and there's occasional sibilance in the dialogue, which is nonetheless presented without any real intelligibility issues, though as with other films in this set, sync is occasionally on the loose side. Optional English subtitles are available.

Wicked Priest 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back 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 4: The Killer Priest Comes Back Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kind of oddly what would seem to provide this series with some arguably needed emotional impact, the death of Shinkai's mother, is basically just the McGuffin here, with the real energy being devoted to the "blind fighting the blind" showdown toward the end of the film. Technical merits are generally solid and the release's franchise spanning supplements are enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.