Desperate villagers hire seven samurai to protect them from the bandits.

Japanese army at the end of the war - lacking discipline and desperate on surviving.

At the end of World War 2 Japanese navy is hoping to use submarine with experimental sonar system to stop Allies from dropping any more atomic bombs.

World War 2 has ended and unit of Japanese soldiers is interned in Allied prisoners of war camp. For them the war is over, but still there are Imperial soldiers around willing to fight until death.