The history of the blind action hero, from Zatoichi to John Wick 4
The clandestine world of John Wick is populated by a seemingly never-ending array of assassins and contract killers. As the series has progressed, these violent professionals who are looking to either aid John in his ever-expanding quest for retribution or bring it to a bloody, fatal end have become increasingly memorable both as characters and as on-screen combatants. This has been accomplished by casting faces familiar to genre fans and giving numerous nods, of varying subtlety, to action films of years past.
The latest entry, John Wick: Chapter 4, continues this trend by adding martial arts superstar Donnie Yen as the newest well-dressed ass-kicker gunning for the titular former hitman. Yen’s resume, which includes starring in such modern kung fu classics as Iron Monkey, Hero, and the Ip Man tetralogy, is enough by itself to make any die-hard action lover salivate with anticipation. Adding to that excitement is the fact Donnie’s character, Caine, is paying direct tribute to an enduring archetype of the genre with 75 years of history: This gun-toting, sword-brandishing adversary to John Wick is blind.
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Where did the idea of the “blind warrior” originate in pop culture, and why does it continue to resonate with audiences? The concept first took root with a single fictional character— the blind Japanese swordsman Zatoichi. Initially introduced in 1948 as a minor figure in a single short story, nearly 15 years later the character was expanded on and brought to the silver screen with a 1962 adaptation titled The Tale of Zatoichi. The film proved so successful at the box office in its native Japan that over the next 16 years, a staggering 25 films and 100 episodes of television were produced featuring the
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