Product Details

• Actors: Sonny Chiba
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Bci / Eclipse
• DVD Release Date: June 26, 2007
• Run Time: 266 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000OTHVWW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,189 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Three action packed films starring Sonny Chiba are included. This trilogy is based on the life of Chiba's mentor master Masutatsu Oyama. In Karate Bear Fighter Oyama wins the all-Japan Karate tournament but those in the conventional karate world are resentful of his skill and try to banish him. In Karate Bull Fighter Oyama denounces martial arts after killing a gang leader in a bar fight. In Karate for Life the Karate Society of Japan ostracizes Oyama after fighting both a bull and a bear. But during a promoter prearranged game where the opponents play dirty Oyama loses all self-control.System Requirements:Running Time: 266 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS UPC: 787364786794

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great thinpack box set, June 22, 2007

By 

ZZrider - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sonny Chiba - Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy (DVD)

This is a great set for Chiba fans. You can tell they put some love into it with great picture and sound. All are in widescreen and subtitled with an option for simulated 5.1 sound. For those who haven't seen these movies before it's sort of a Karate action drama based on Chiba's mentor. They're the original uncut versions so there shouldn't be anything missing. Extras are limited to trailers. I'm no expert on widescreen, color saturation or sound so purists may have another opinion. I personally love this set.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great DVD Set of Master Oyama's Movies, August 19, 2007

By 

Kenneth Buffaloe (Warrenton, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sonny Chiba - Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy (DVD)

I am a practitoner of Grand Master Mas Oyama's Kyokushin Karate for over 30 years now. Kyokushin is Japan's strongest and No. 1 style of Karate, very different from the other styles. I remember when the first movie in this triology "Kenka Karate Kyokushin Ken" was released to U.S. movie theaters under the title "Champion Of Death". Starring Japan action star Sonny Chiba, it was a big hit, particularly in drive-in movie theaters in the late 70's. I remember writing a movie review of this film when it played in my own hometown so many years ago. Later, this movie was shown on THE MOVIE CHANNEL and I had it recorded, being the only one around who had a dubbed English language copy of this movie. Eventually, "Champion Of Death" was released on video by a second rate video distribution company. My copy from TV was superior in quality to what was released, even clearer than the dvd that was later released. Now, we have the "Sonny Chiba - Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy" officially released, remastered, in wide screen format, containing all three movies in this series uncut in the original Japanese language with removable English subtitles. A dream come true and so affordable for a 3 disk boxset. I'm sure this movie trilogy was done justice because of the recent interest in action star Sonny Chiba since his appearance in the movie hit "Kill Bill Vol. One". But, whatever the reason, all Kyokushin students should grab this set while it's still available. True, it may be loosely based on Mas Oyama's life story, but it still worth owning as part of your martial arts movie collection. The third movie "Karate For Life" contains the best on screen Karate action in Sonny Chiba's entire career. I highly recommend this exciting dvd boxset. OSU!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Chiba Collection, February 12, 2009

By 

D. Brown (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sonny Chiba - Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy (DVD)

This boxset of films chronicling Oyama's trials and tribulations has more in common with the The Sister Street Fighter Collection set (also released by BCI) in that the packaging is well thought out-three discs in slim plastic cases with original poster art on the inlay on their interiors. However, the first two films-Karate Bull Fighter and Karate Bear Fighter are so identical that it becomes tedious; Oyama challenges a school, get's banished, flees to the country-side, kills an animal, and returns to kill his enemies. Karate Bull Fighter outshines Karate Bear Fighter in that the bull is real versus the hilarious man in bear suit featured in the later. The jewel in the crown is Karate For Life in which Oyama finds himself in occupied Okinawa fighting American wrestlers and takes up shelter with a rag tag lot of Okinawan youth. All three films are not as action-packed as The Street Fighter series; all involve some melodramatic love and death side stories, the same villain appears in all three films, and kids in particular spew repetitive line such a "Ojiisan" over and over (as seen in Karate For Life). All in all, this set is better than the Sonny Chiba Collectionand the The Executioner/The Executioner II: Karate Inferno double pack.