Ankokugai series

Ankokugai series (暗黒街シリーズ, Underworld series) is a Japanese neo-noir crime drama movie franchise created by Toho Studio. It lasted from 1956 to 1965 with 8 movies being produced. The first installment was The Underworld in 1956, directed by Kajirō Yamamoto and starring Kōji Tsuruta as the lead role of the main character until the third film. Then two films were released, Boss of the Underworld & The Last Gunfight, were directed by Kihachi Okamoto and instead of Tsuruta playing alone, it starring Akira Takarada and Toshiro Mifune. Then in Blueprint of Murder and Big Shots Die at Dawn, it features Yūzō Kayama, Makoto Sato, Tatsuya Mihashi, Mie Hama, Kumi Mizuno, and Yukiko Shimazaki. 
In Witness Killed, Fangs of the Underworld and Underworld Annihilation Strategy which are directed by Jun Fukuda, Tatsuya Mihashi played the lead role in three final films with Makoto Sato, Akihiko Hirata, Ichirô Nakatani, Mie Hama, Kumi Mizuno, Yosuke Natsuki, and Akiko Wakabayashi. The series was inspired on many films made by the Untied States and Europe as part of the Japanese New Wave film (along with Toei, Nikkatsu and Shochiku). 
== Films ==
* The Underworld (暗黒街, Ankoku machi) 
Release: February 26, 1956 
Director: Kajirō Yamamoto 
Writer: Ryūzō Kikushima
* Boss of the Underworld (暗黒街の顔役, Ankoku-gai no kaoyaku) 
Release: January 15, 1959 
Director: Kihachi Okamoto 
Writer: Shinichi Sekizawa
* The Last Gunfight (暗黒街の対決, Ankoku-gai no taiketsu) 
Release: March 1, 1960 
Director: Kihachi Okamoto 
Writer: Shinichi Sekizawa & Haruhiko Ōyabu (novelist)
* Blueprint of Murder (暗黒街の弾痕, Ankoku-gai no dankon) 
Release: January 3, 1961 
Director: Kihachi Okamoto 
Writer: Shinichi Sekizawa
* Big Shots Die at Dawn (顔役暁に死す, Kaoyaku akatsu kinishisu) 
Release: April 16, 1961 
Director: Kihachi Okamoto 
Writer: Shinichi Sekizawa
* Witness Killed (暗黒街撃滅命令, Ankoku-gai gekimetsu meirei) 
Release: December 17, 1961 
Director: Jun Fukuda 
Writer: Ei Ogawa
* Fangs of the Underworld (暗黒街の牙. Ankoku-gai no kiba) 
Release: December 8, 1962 
Director: Jun Fukuda 
Writer: Takashi Tsuboshima, Jun Fukuda, Ei Ogawa
* Underworld Annihilation Strategy (暗黒街全滅作戦, Ankoku-gai zenmetsu sakusen)
Release: February 14, 1965 
Director: Jun Fukuda 
Writer: Jun Fukuda, Yoshihiro Ishimatsu, Ei Ogawa