Three lowlifes kill a traveling masseur, who they think is Zatoichi. But Zatoichi finds the dying man and learns why he was killed. The masseur asks him to deliver his savings to Okumi, a circus performer in the next town.
A couple of palanquin bearers help Zatoichi and he tries to repay their kindness when they run afoul of the local gang who is trying to take over the palanquin business.
A young woman that Zatoichi is with asks him to take some money to her little blind sister in the town where he'll be going. Along the way he meets a doctor who claims he can cure blindness. Zatoichi decides to take the girl to the doctor.
Zatoichi and cheerful Senta help Kiku, pursued due to debt. They face challenges and confront a corrupt mansion, with Kiku's resilience shining through.
Five young dirt-poor villagers are determined to have a better life by any means possible. A woman of questionable motives tries to involve Zatoichi in the local gang for a cut of the action.
A gang follows Ichi into a town of his childhood trying to kill him. A woman in the gang realizes that Ichi was her childhood friend. The gang holds all the children of the town hostage to force Ichi out.
A yakuza boss who stood up to corrupt government officials wanders the country with a price on his head, guarded by his lieutenant. The lieutenant knows his boss's days are numbered and searches for a solution.
A young boy hands Ichi a note asking him to take the boy to his grandfather. They happen on the boy's father being attacked and Ichi disarms the attackers but not before the father is mortally wounded.
Zatoichi meets a boy who is going back to live at his ancestral home after both his parents died. But the boy's appearance causes confusion at the home. And Zatoichi is pursued by a single-mindedly vengeful woman.
A woman steals money and pays for her prostitute sister who is dying of tuberculosis to have a few days of rest. But greedy bosses and dishonest cops make things difficult.
A blind man accosts Zatoichi because he was mistaken for him and almost killed. The blind man's companion has some shady deal with a priest. But no one is above suspicion.
An orphan boy befriends Zatoichi and takes him home to meet his adopted family. Zatoichi's love of children brings happiness to all. However, things never go that smoothly for our hero.
