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Jeremy "Deathblade" Bai

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Jeremy "Deathblade" Bai

Jeremy "Deathblade" BaiJeremy "Deathblade" BaiJeremy "Deathblade" Bai

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Wuxia Movies and Book Recommendations

This is a complete list of all of the movies and books we recommend in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades. Many are direct inspiration for the dark theme of the game, but others are recommended to give a window into a specific time period or story type.


Sources: Many links here are Amazon affiliate links that will help support this site. In the past, some of the movies could be viewed for free on Amazon Prime. Since then, most have been removed from Prime, though there are still a few that you can watch for free (get a free 30-day trial if you're interested in that option). In some cases, Prime only has the dubbed English versions, so I included a few links to YouTube that have rentable versions with the original Chinese audio track and English subtitles. There are also a few links to buy certain movies for cheaper on YouTube. 


Disclaimers: 1) I try to keep these links up to date, but can't guarantee that they are. If you find mistakes, missing links, etc., please feel free to notify me via my contact page. 2) I'm personally not a big fan of English dubbing, but for many of these movies, there is no other option available.


Wuxia Crash Course 

First, check out this shortlist of our top recommendations for both novels and movies. It's perfect if you're new to the genre, want a refresher, or are interested in the specific tone we aimed for in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades.  

Novels: 

     7 Killers 

     Horizon, Bright Moon, Saber

Movies: 

     Magic Blade (1976) - DVD - Prime

     Reign of Assassins (2010) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

     Bride with White Hair (1993) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Note: Magic Blade is based on the novel Horizon, Bright Moon, Saber, making those two a perfect combination of written and cinematic inspiration.


Full movie list from the sourcebook

14 Amazons (1972) - DVD - Prime

The Assassin (2015) - Blu-ray - Prime

Bat Without Wings (1980) - DVD

Bloody Parrot (1981) - DVD

The Blade (1995) - DVD - Prime

Bodyguards and Assassins (2009) - DVD 

Bride with White Hair (1993) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Broken Oath (1977) - DVD

Chinese Ghost Story (1987) - Blu-ray - DVD

Come Drink With Me (1966) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Crippled Avengers (1978) - DVD - Prime

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Deadful Melody (1994) - DVD 

Death Duel (1977) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

The Delightful Forest (1972) - DVD - Prime

Detective Dee Series

     Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) - DVD - Prime

     Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) - DVD - YouTube (Rentable)

     Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018) - Blu-Ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

The Duel (2000) - Prime

Dragon Gate Inn (1967) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime - YouTube (Rentable)

Dragon/Wu Xia (2011) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Duel for Gold (1971) - DVD

Duel to the Death (1983) - DVD - Prime

The Fate of Lee Khan (1973) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Finger of Doom (1972) - YouTube

Fist of Legend (1994) - Blu-ray - DVD

The Four Trilogy (2012-2014)

     The Four (2012) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

     The Four II (2013) [Lawless Kingdom] - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

     The Four III (2014) [Kingdom of Blood] - DVD - Prime

     Boxed Trilogy - DVD

Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre (1978) - Prime

Hero (2002) - DVD - YouTube

Heroes Shed No Tears (1980) - Prime

House of Flying Daggers (2004) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Human Lanterns (1982) - Prime

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) - Blu-ray - DVD

Jade Dagger Ninja (1982) - DVD

     Also known as Shaolin Fox Conspiracy (1982) - DVD - Prime

Kid with the Golden Arm (1979) - DVD - Prime

Killer Clans (1976) - DVD - Prime

Killer Constable (1980) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979) - DVD - YouTube (Rentable)

Legend of the Bat (1978) - DVD

Legend of the Black Scorpion (2006) - DVD

Magic Blade (1976) - DVD - Prime

Magnificent Bodyguards (1978) - DVD - Prime

Marco Polo (1975) - Prime - YouTube (Rentable)

Masked Avengers (1981) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976) - DVD - YouTube (Rentable)

New Dragon Gate Inn (1992) a.k.a. Dragon Inn - DVD

The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Once Upon a Time in China (1991) - DVD - Prime

Opium and the Kung Fu Master (1984) - Blu-ray - DVD - YouTube (Rentable)

Reign of Assassins (2010) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

The Savage Five (1974) - Prime

Sentimental Swordsman (1977) - Prime

Soul of the Sword (1978) - Prime

Sword Master (2016) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Swordsman and the Enchantress (1978) - Prime

Swordsman II (1992) - DVD

Temple of the Red Lotus Trilogy

     Temple of the Red Lotus (1965) - DVD

     The Twin Swords (1965) - Prime

     The Sword and the Lute (1967) - Prime

A Touch of Zen (1971) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

The Twin Swords (1965) - Prime

True Legend (2010) - Prime

Web of Death (1976) - Prime

What Price Honesty? (1981) - Prime

Wu Xia/Dragon (2011) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime


Fiction Books

7 Killers (unofficial translation)

Bing: From Farmer’s Son to Magistrate in Han China

Blades from the Willows

The Book and the Sword (official translation)

Condor Heroes Trilogy (unofficial translations)

     Heaven Sword Dragon Saber 

     Legend of the Condor Heroes 

     Return of the Condor Heroes 

The Deer and the Cauldron (official translation)

The Eleventh Son (official translation)

Fox Volant of Snowy Mountain (official translation)

Heroes Shed No Tears (unofficial translation)

Horizon, Bright Moon, Saber (unofficial translation)

Legend of Lu Xiaofeng (unofficial translation)

Legend of the Condor Heroes (unofficial translation)

Legends of the Condor Heroes (official translation)

     A Hero Born

     A Bond Undone

     A Snake Lies in Waiting

     A Heart Divided

Legend of the White-Haired Demoness (unofficial translation)

Return of the Condor Heroes (unofficial translation)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (official translation)

Sentimental Swordsman, Ruthless Sword (unofficial translation)

Smiling Proud Wanderer (unofficial translation)

Water Margin (Outlaws of the Marsh) (official translation)


Non-Fiction Books

China’s Examination Hell

Chinese History: A New Manual

Chinese Martial Arts Cinema: The Wuxia Tradition

Commerce and Society in Sung China

The Destruction of the Medieval Chinese Aristocracy

The Development of Chinese Martial Arts Fiction: A History of Wuxia Literature

Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China

History of Imperial China (series)

Records of the Grand Historian


Additional Personal Recommendations

The following TV shows and movies are not mentioned in Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades, but are personal favorites of mine that are also excellent representations of the genre in one way or another. This selection is more diverse than the official recommendations, with both fantasy and modern settings that surpass what we aimed for in the game.


36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) - DVD - Prime  

Ashes of Time Redux (1994) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime - YouTube (Rentable)

Brotherhood of Blades (2002) - YouTube

Butterfly Sword (Butterfly & Sword) (1993) - DVD

The Deadly Breaking Sword (1978) - Prime

Fearless (2006) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Five Deadly Venoms (1978) - DVD - Prime

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime

Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain (2006) - DVD

Fong Sai Yuk Series

     The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk (1993) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Purchasable)

     Fong Sai Yuk 2 (1993) - DVD

The Grandmaster (2013) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Have Sword Will Travel (1969) - DVD - Prime

Heaven Sword Dragon Saber 2 (1978) - Prime

Ip Man Series

     Ip Man (2008) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Purchasable)

     Ip Man 2 (2010) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Purchasable)

     Ip Man 3 (2015) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Purchasable)

     Ip Man Trilogy Boxed Set - DVD

     Ip Man 4 ( 2019) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Iron Monkey (1993) - Blu-ray - DVD

King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death) (1972) - DVD - Prime

Kung Fu Cult Master (1993) - DVD

Lady Hermit (1971) - Prime

Little Big Soldier - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Moon Warriors (1992) - Blu-ray - DVD

Painted Skin (2008) - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Return of the Condor Heroes (2006) - Prime

Return of the Sentimental Swordsman (1981) - Prime

Rise of the Legend - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

Seven Swords (2005) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Purchasable)

Sword of Swords (1968) - Prime

Sword Identity (2001) - DVD - Prime

Sword Stained With Royal Blood (1981) - Prime

Storm Riders (1998) - Blu-ray

Tai Chi Master (1993) - Blu-ray - DVD

A Touch of Zen (1971) - Blu-ray - DVD - Prime (Rentable)

The Wandering Swordsman (1970) - DVD - Prime


Man using the Raging Fire Signature Ability from Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades

Copyright © 2020-2024 Jeremy Bai - All Rights Reserved. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made from many links on this site. Join my mailing list!

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