Movies Like Kids Return (1996)

Kids Return is a 1996 crime, drama film from Takeshi Kitano with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The World of Kanako and Joe Bell.

Crime Drama

The World of Kanako

2014

When Kanako, a model daughter and a brilliant student, disappears, her mother asks her ex-husband, a violent former policeman, to find her. As his investigation progresses, his idealized image of Kanako cracks: the girl hides a dark life that her father can not even imagine.

6.4

MagicScore

Joe Bell

2020

The true story of a small town, working class father who embarks on a solo walk across the U.S. to crusade against bullying after his son is tormented in high school for being gay.

6.5

MagicScore

Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War

2013

Satou Ichirou once called himself 'Maryuuin Kouga' and behaved as if he were a hero in a fantasy world. His strange behavior caused his classmates to bully him and he left the school. At his new school, he tries to behave like a normal boy, but one day he meets a girl who cosplays with a blue cape. She calls herself "a researcher traveling from the outer world to search for the 'Dragon Terminal'". At first, Ichirou rejects the girl, Satou Ryouko, because her behavior reminds him of his embarrassing past, but he changes his mind after seeing her getting bullied. In order to bring Ryouko back to real life, Ichirou accepts her and his past and begins the final battle as Maryuuin Kouga.

6.4

MagicScore

Hot Gimmick: Girl Meets Boy

2019

A quiet teen's life is shaken up when she's forced to be her arrogant neighbor's slave. He loves her, but they both have a lot to learn about trust.

5.9

MagicScore

Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss

1970

A wandering tough biker girl aids a female delinquent gang in their battles against an all-male Seiyu group over a fixed boxing match.

6.0

MagicScore

The Power of One

1992

PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.

7.5

MagicScore

A Family

2021

Taken in by the yakuza at a young age, Kenji swears allegiance to his old-school boss, pledging to adhere to the family code amid ever-changing times.

7.3

MagicScore

Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Final Episode

1974

While Hirono is in prison, his rival Takeda turns his own crime organization into a political party, whose two executives stir up new tensions in their thirst for power.

7.3

MagicScore

The Blood of Wolves

2018

Set in 1988 in Hiroshima, Japan, prior to the enactment of the anti-organized crime law. A rumor exists that Detective Shogo Ogami has ties with the yakuza. He is partnered with Detective Shuichi Hioka and they investigate a missing person case involving a financial company employee. Conflicts between opposing yakuza groups become more serious.

7.2

MagicScore

#10

The Yakuza

1974

When George Tanner does business with high-ranking Yakuza Tono, Tono kidnaps his daughter, and George summons his old friend, private eye Harry Kilmer, to Japan to investigate.

7.1

MagicScore

#11

Pigs and Battleships

1961

In the city of Yokosuka, Kinta and his lover Haruko, both involved with yakuza, brave the post-occupation period with a goal to be together.

7.1

MagicScore

#12

Boiling Point

1990

Masaki, a baseball player and gas-station attendant, gets into trouble with the local Yakuza and goes to Okinawa to get a gun to defend himself. There he meets Uehara, a tough gangster, who is in serious debt to the yakuza and planning revenge.

6.9

MagicScore

#13

Outrage

2010

When a tough yakuza gangster is betrayed by his bosses, it means all out war. Bodies pile up as he takes out everyone in his way to the top in a brutal quest for revenge.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

Outrage Coda

2017

Five years after the all-out war between the Sanno and Hanabishi crime families, former yakuza boss Otomo works in South Korea for Mr. Chang, a noted fixer. When tensions rise between Chang and the Hanabishi, and Chang's life is endangered, Otomo returns to Japan to settle things once and for all.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Dead or Alive 2: Birds

2000

Two contract killers cross paths in the middle of the same job and realize they are childhood friends. Together they take a break from killing and visit the small island they once called home. After reflecting on their past lives they decided to team up and use their talents in killing for good... much to the upset of the crime syndicates.

6.8

MagicScore

#16

The Outsider

2018

A former American G.I. joins a yakuza family after his release from prison in post-World War II Osaka.

6.2

MagicScore

#17

Tattoo

2002

Marc Schrader, a rookie cop caught red-handed with drugs in a police raid of an illegal rave, joins a homicide investigation conducted by Chief Inspector Minks. The victim is a naked young woman with the skin stripped off her back, killed as she staggered into traffic. As Schrader and Minks investigate the murder, the case is complicated by a finger found in the stomach of the victim. Forensic examination proves the finger belongs to Nobert Günzel, who was previously convicted of rape and assault. The police raid Günzel’s residence, and discover a blood-stained table with restraints and bits of human flesh in his basement. They also find video equipment and preserved, tattooed skin from the victim’s back. Soon, they found dead bodies buried in the garden. Günzel then goes missing.

6.0

MagicScore

#18

The Courier

2012

A shady FBI agent recruits a courier to deliver a mysterious package to a vengeful master criminal who has recently resurfaced with a diabolical plan.

4.8

MagicScore

#19

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

2003

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

8.0

MagicScore

#20

Under the Open Sky

2021

Mikami, an ex-yakuza of middle age with most of his life in prison, gets released after serving 13 years of sentence for murder. Hoping to find his long lost mother, from whom he was separated as a child, he applies for a TV show and meets a young TV director Tsunoda. Meanwhile, he struggles to get a proper job and fit into society. His impulsive, adamant nature and ingrained beliefs cause friction in his relationship with Tsunoda and those who want to help him.

7.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Kids Return?

The top films similar to Kids Return by MovieMagicScore are The World of Kanako (6.4), Joe Bell (6.5), Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War (6.4). Each shares crime/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Kids Return worth watching?

Kids Return holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 328 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Kids Return?

Kids Return (1996) is a crime, drama film directed by Takeshi Kitano, starring Ken Kaneko, Masanobu Ando, Leo Morimoto.

Where can I find more recommendations like Kids Return?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The World of Kanako Movies like Joe Bell Movies like Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War Movies like Hot Gimmick: Girl Meets Boy Movies like Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss Movies like The Power of One

About movies like Kids Return

This ranked list pairs Kids Return (1996), a crime and drama film from Takeshi Kitano, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Ken Kaneko take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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