Eureka! Entertainment has announced two new Blu-ray titles for UK release in March of 2024. From Japan, we have Bodyguard Kiba 1 and 2, an action-packed martial arts crime duo from 1973, directed by Takamori Ryūichi starring Sonny Chiba, and from Taiwan we have The Swordsman of all Swordsmen, a 1968 wuxia masterpiece from director Joseph Kuo.

BODYGUARD KIBA 1 AND 2 [BODIGĀDO KIBA / BODIGĀDO KIBA: HISSATSU SANKAKU TOBI] (Japan 1973) | Blu-ray | 18 March 2024 | £25.99

A double bill of Japanese martial arts mayhem starring action superstar Sonny Chiba!

Based upon the manga by celebrated writer Ikki Kajiwara, Bodyguard Kiba follows the eponymous karate master and professional bodyguard (Chiba) as he is hired to protect the mysterious Reiko (Mari Atsumi), a woman embroiled in the world of organised crime. Kiba's involvement with Reiko brings him into conflict with the yakuza, leading to a final bloody showdown. Then, in Bodyguard Kiba 2, Kiba is released from prison after taking revenge on the rival martial artists who blinded his sister Maki (Etsuko Shihomi). Back on the streets, he takes a job working for shady nightclub owner Akamatsu (Shoki Fukae), once again forcing him to take on Japan's criminal underworld.

Two riotously entertaining tales of betrayal and bloodshed from director Ryuichi Takamori, Bodyguard Kiba and Bodyguard Kiba 2 were released just a year before Sonny Chiba would find international success with his breakout hit The Street Fighter. Eureka Classics presents both films for the first time ever in the UK from new restorations.

BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Chris Malbon
• 1080p presentations of both films across two Blu-ray discs, from new restorations of the original film elements by Toei
• Original Japanese mono audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• Brand new feature length audio commentaries on both films
• The Bodyguard – alternate US version of Bodyguard Kiba
• Viva Chiba! – Brand new documentary featurette looking at Sonny Chiba's Bodyguard Kiba films
• Original theatrical trailers
• A limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing by Jasper Sharp

THE SWORDSMAN OF ALL SWORDSMEN [YI DAI JIAN WANG] (Taiwan 1968)
Limited Edition Blu-ray set | 18 March 2024 | £25.99

A tale of honour and revenge by a celebrated master of wuxia cinema, Joseph Kuo!

Having witnessed the brutal slaying of his entire family as a small child, Tsai Ying-jie (Tien Peng, A Touch of Zen) spends several years wandering in search of those responsible. After years in training, he intends to use his expert swordsmanship to exact violent revenge on Yun Chun-chung (Tsao Tsien, Dragon Inn) and his four accomplices, who murdered his father in order to obtain a legendary weapon known as the Spirit Chasing Sword. But after dispatching several rival swordsmen that stand in the way of his righteous vengeance, Tsai comes to contemplate the futile nature of revenge after Yun Chun-chung's daughter, Flying Swallow (Polly Shang-Kuan Ling-Feng, Back Alley Princess), saves his life.

Followed by The Bravest Revenge and The Ghost Hill, The Swordsman of All Swordsmen is the first entry in Joseph Kuo's Tsai Ying-jie trilogy and a landmark work in the wuxia genre. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film for the first time ever in the UK from a new 2k restoration, along with Kuo's influential kung fu masterpiece The Mystery of Chess Boxing, available ONLY in this Limited-Edition set.

[Please note that due to the only surviving materials available being a release print, The Mystery of Chess Boxing is presented with burnt-in-subtitles. To the best of Eureka's knowledge, these are the best surviving materials.]

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Limited Edition Two Disc Set [2000 copies]
• Limited Edition Bonus Disc - The Mystery of Chess Boxing
• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
• A Limited Edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on both films by James Oliver
• Limited Edition Set of facsimile lobby cards and double-sided poster featuring original release posters

• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 2K digital restoration completed by the Taiwan Film Institute 
• Original Mandarin audio
• Optional English Subtitles
• Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng and film writer John Charles (The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977–1997)
• Archival interview with director Joseph Kuo

• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray, scanned from the only known surviving print of the film supplied by collector Dan Halsted (Head Programmer at the Hollywood Theatre, Oregon) 
• Original Cantonese and "Classic" English dubbed audio options
• Brand new feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng and martial artist / filmmaker Michael Worth
• Brand new feature length audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• Limited edition reversible artwork by Darren Wheeling

All extras subject to change.