Episode four follows the previous film in offering a light-hearted opening as Ichi participates in an open wrestling competition. Of course, trouble is just around the corner as a thug named Kisuke loses his life attempting to collect a bounty on Ichi. Ichi pays respects to the dead man's mother and begins to seek out the man responsible for the bounty which turns out to be a local yakuza boss and banker named Yagiri Tokyuro. Yagiri has hired a ruthless ronin named Tanakura to dispatch with Ichi. Their impending clash is complicated by the fact that Tanakura's lover is Tane, a woman who returns from Ichi's past (Zatoichi 1) and whom he still loves.

Ichi's main companion becomes Nobu, a spunky innkeeper's daughter who loves Sakichi, the hesitant heir to the Shimonida clan. Yagiri plots to kill Sakichi, take over their territory and do away with Ichi all in one fell swoop. He convinces Sakichi to lure Ichi into a run down house as Yagiri's entire clan surrounds the structure. But, the unexpected murder of Tane at the hands of the ronin sparks a fury in Ichi who charges out to lay waste to the yakuza thugs and exact revenge on Tanakura.

Featuring much of the same crew from the previous film, The Fugitive shares the same level of quality in terms of production, acting, and story. Shintaro Katsu does a terrific job of evoking child-like mirth and immediately switching to heavy sorrow. Without a doubt, this series would not be nearly as good without his increasingly rich performances.

Most of the film is shot outdoors, on location and does take good advantage of the scenery. This is highlighted at the end as bird's eye shots of Ichi struggling against a small army of yakuza in and around a pond. Up to this point, much of the film is heaped in character development and features little action. For fans of this series who appreciate the depth and range of characters present, its just as entertaining as the action. And the final match up makes up for any loss of swordplay during the bulk of the film with an incredible display of animal fury as Ichi launches himself into the center of the mob and begins cutting them down like wheat. Interestingly, this potentially gory scenario is virtually bloodless and can be compared to the sort of American Westerns being produced at the same time where a simple grasping of the chest before falling down sufficed to denote being maimed or killed.

The Fugitive succeeds in offering an entertaining continuation of the series, despite it's limited amount of action early on. The colorful actors' performances, period recreation, and depth of storytelling are maintained which makes for satisfying viewing.

"Lifes dirt sticks to everyone."- Ichi

After entering a local sumo tournament and thrashing several yakuza, Ichi is attacked by an unskilled swordsman, who informs him that there is a bounty on his head. Ichi tracks down the young mans mother and apologizes for having to kill her son. Once again, Ichi finds himself in a town with a bounty on his head and men with grudges against him. He runs into an old love, whom he did not marry because he felt he was too much of a scoundrel for her, but, he discovers that although he thought she had married a carpenter, she has married a boozing and deadly ronin named Tanakura, who has his blade skills for hire to the local gangs. He also tries to help the innkeepers daughter, Nobu, who is in love with Sakichi, a young mob boss who inherited a mantle he doesn't have the guts for and whose father ruined Nobu's father. The various forces against him lead to a final confrontation where Zatoichi's old love, her formidable husband Tanakura, Sankichi, Nobu, and a gang of yakuza converge, with Zatoichi stuck in the middle, forced and driven to fighting the entire lot.

This I think is a good example of the weakness of film series. Zatoichi: The Fugitive is a great samurai film, full of well defined characters and an interesting plot, but, unfortunately it comes after New Tale of Zatoichi which is just a superior film. Its the classic problem franchises inherit, trying to top or equal the last film. While the previous film found itself focusing quite heavily on Ichi, this time it is mixed up a little more with the women in his life and the cowardly young mob boss Sakichi. Don't misunderstand, it is a very worthy entry in the series, with some great moments, but Ichi standards like the old love and the rival ronin pale to similar old loves and rivals in the previous films Tale of Zatoichi Continues and New Tale of Zatoichi. This entry relies more on the emotion and characterizations, less on Ichi and action, with some standout moments, like Ichi and Tanakura cautiously passing one another on the inn steps, both men sensing that the other is a skilled killer, Ichi's humble flattery when he hears of how legendary his sword skills are, his defiance by going to a meeting of mob heads, all of whom want to see him dead, and the finale which has Ichi and all the principle characters in a dilapidated house surrounded by yakuza, where Ichi finally unleashes his mournful fury.