According to Video Business, BCI, like FUNimation a wholly owned subsidiary of the Navarre Corporation, has acquired the video rights to the 1966 Ultraman live action 'kaiju' series. BCI, which recently purchased the Filmation catalog (see 'Navarre Aquires Rights to Filmation Catalog'), will likely release Ultraman on DVD before the end of 2006 (see 'Ultraman Series Coming to DVD').
In addition to Ultraman, BCI has also picked up the rights to the 1980 live action Shadow Warriors series starring Sonny Chiba. Shadow Warriors, which was known in Japan as Hattori Hanzo: Kage No Gundan, starred Sonny Chiba as the legendary sixteenth century ninja and swordmaker, Hattori Hanzo. Quentin Tarantino cast Chiba in Kill Bill and in a homage to Chiba's Shadow Warriors, gave Chiba's Kill Bill character the name Hattori Hanzo.
American fans of the legendary ninja swordsman are in for another treat in 2006 as Dark Horse is publishing Path of the Assassin, a manga series based on the life of Hattori Hanzo created by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, the team behind the legendary samurai manga, Lone Wolf & Cub.
