10 Best Movies From Toho, Ranked (According To IMDb)

Toho is not a name everyone knows, but most people will probably recognize the movies this company has produced and distributed. From kaiju movies that feature Godzilla and other monsters to Akira Kurosawa’s masterpieces and Studio Ghibli’s fantastical creations – Toho has made them all.

But even though the company has worked with many notable directors (Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Masaki Kobayashi among them), not all of its movies are as widely known outside of Japan as others. Hence, this list looks at movies from Toho that have at least 50 thousand ratings on IMDb, to make the ratings more objective and highlight the best of their more widely recognized films.

10 My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – 8.2

The first of many of Hayao Miyazaki’s works on this list, My Neighbor Totoro was a huge critical and commercial success at the time of its release and has since acquired a cult following, with fans all over the world (though this is likely true for most of Miyazaki’s works).

Set in post-war rural Japan, it follows a professor’s two young daughters who navigate life as they interact with the friendly wood spirits they meet and befriend.

9 Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) – 8.2

Howl’s Moving Castle features Christian Bale as the voice of Howl in the English dubbed version of the movie – but that is obviously not the only thing the movie is notable for. Also written and directed by Miyazaki, it was a huge success and even got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Based on the novel of the same name, the movie is set in a fictional 20th-century kingdom full of magic and technology. The story follows a young woman who is cursed with an old body by an evil witch. Her only hope now is a wizard named Howl, who lives in a walking castle.

8 Yojimbo (1961) – 8.2

Like Hayao Miyazaki and Japanese animation, Akira Kurosawa has been instrumental in the development of Japanese live-action cinema – and world cinema as a whole. It’s no wonder that Yojimbo is only the first of several of his movies on this list.

The story follows a ronin (a samurai without a master) who arrives in a small town. There, two bosses of the rivaling crime clans try to hire him as their bodyguard.

7 Ran (1985) – 8.2

Along with Yojimbo, Ran is also considered one of Kurosawa’s best works and one of the greatest movies ever made. It was the most expensive Japanese movie at the time and it even won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, which was no surprise because the movie is particularly noted for its powerful use of color.

Based on William Shakespeare’s King Lear, it follows an aging warlord who decides to give up his throne and give it to his three sons, who become corrupted by their newly-found power.

6 Ikiru (1952) – 8.3

Yet another one of Kurosawa’s creations, Ikiru has been particularly praised for its themes of the inefficiency of bureaucracy, the decaying family life of the Japanese, and the process of learning how to live.

Partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, it is set in Tokyo and tells the story of a terminally ill bureaucrat who decides to embark on a final quest to find the meaning of his life.

5 Princess Mononoke (1997) – 8.4

One of Miyazaki’s most well-known works, Princess Mononoke was a huge success in every way and even held Japan’s box office record for domestic movies up until the release of Spirited Away.

Notable for its environmental themes, it is set in the 14th-16th centuries and also features fantastical elements. The main character is a young prince called Ashitaka, who meets a girl named San, who grew up with wolves, and the two become involved in a war between humans the gods of the forest.

4 Your Name (2016) – 8.4

The most recent one of the movies on this list, Your Name is not like other Studio Ghibli movies. In fact, the movie’s director, Makoto Shinkai, has been hailed as the next Miyazaki, though the director clearly stands on his own with his masterpieces that are different from Miyazaki’s works.

Set in modern Japan, it tells the story of two high-schoolers – a boy in Tokyo and a girl in a rural town – who suddenly start swapping bodies and go on to change each other’s lives.

3 Grave Of The Fireflies (1988) – 8.5

Grave of the Fireflies is considered one of the greatest anti-war movies ever made, along with being simply one of the best animated movies ever created. But unlike other Ghibli creations on this list, this movie was directed by Isao Takahata – another major director from the studio.

Based on the semi-autobiographical short story of the same name, it is set in Kobe, Japan, and tells the story of two siblings who are struggling to survive through the last several months of WWII.

2 Spirited Away (2001) – 8.6

From the Spirited Away characters to the soundtrack and the animation style – this movie has it all packed together in a nice bundle of unequaled experiences. Directed by Miyazaki, Spirited Away remains the only hand-drawn non-English-language movie to ever win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

It follows a 10-year-old girl named Chihiro who moves into a new neighborhood with her parents. Along the way, they stop by a strange tunnel that leads them to the spirit world, where Chihiro’s parents are turned into pigs. Now, the girl must find a way to save them all.

1 Seven Samurai (1954) – 8.6

Inarguably one of the best samurai movies ever made, Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has been extremely influential on the world of cinema, with numerous directors citing it as an inspiration for their movies (and sometimes even directly borrowing from it).

Set in 1586 in Japan, it tells the story of a village of farmers who decide to hire seven ronins to defend them against the bandits that promised to return to steal their crops once they have harvested them.

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