Editing Branded to Kill (section)

==Cast==
* [[Joe Shishido]] as Goro Hanada, the Number Three Killer: a hitman with a [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]] for the smell of boiling rice. He is gainfully employed by the yakuza until a butterfly lands on the barrel of his rifle during a "Devil's job". He misses his target and is marked for death—then descends into a world of alcohol and paranoia. Shishido has been called the face of Suzuki's films, owing in part to their frequent collaborations, this being among the most prominent. After middling success in Nikkatsu [[melodrama]]s he underwent [[Cheek augmentation|plastic surgery]], enlarging his cheeks several sizes. He returned to tremendous success as a [[Villain|heavy]] and, soon thereafter, a star.<ref name="Shishido">{{cite web
| last = Sharp
| first = Jasper
| author2 = Nutz, Stefan
| title = Interview: Jo Shishido and Toshio Masuda
| publisher = Midnight Eye
| date = August 2005
| url = http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/shishido_masuda.shtml
| access-date = 2007-04-15
| archive-date = 2007-03-12
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070312131342/http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/shishido_masuda.shtml
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
* [[Koji Nanbara]] as the Number One Killer: the legendary hitman whose existence remains a subject of debate. Incognito, he employs the yakuza to provide bodyguards. Later, he reappears with the intention of killing Hanada, first trapping him in an apartment, then moving in with him, before their final showdown in a public gymnasium.
* [[Isao Tamagawa]] as Michihiko Yabuhara: the yakuza boss that hires Hanada and seduces his wife. Upon the discovery that his diamond smuggling operation has been burgled, he employs Hanada to execute the guilty parties then adds him to the list when he flubs the job. His final appearance is with a bullet hole in his head.
* [[Annu Mari]] as Misako Nakajo: the [[femme fatale]] with a penchant for dead butterflies and birds. She picks Hanada up in her open top convertible when his car breaks down in the rain. Under Yabuhara's direction she enlists him to kill a foreigner. She attempts to kill Hanada but falls in love with him, which instigates her capture and use as bait by Number One. Mari has said she was experiencing suicidal urges at the time she first read the script and the character captivated her. "I loved her name, but it was her first line 'My dream is to die' that had a profound impact on me. It was like lightning."<ref name="Ryuganji"/>
* Mariko Ogawa as Mami Hanada: Hanada's wife who has a predilection towards walking around the house nude. Shortly after meeting Yabuhara she enters an affair with him. When her husband's career sours she attempts [[mariticide]] and flees—to be confronted later at Yabuhara's club. This was Mariko Ogawa's only film appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/person/p0175470.htm|title=小川万理子|trans-title=Mariko Ogawa|access-date=13 January 2013|publisher=JMDB|archive-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407100842/http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/person/p0175470.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Hiroshi Minami (actor)|Hiroshi Minami]] as Gihei Kasuga: formerly a ranked hitman who lost his nerve and took to drinking. After introducing Hanada to Yabuhara he joins the former in a dangerous chauffeur mission. His nerves get the better of him and he experiences a short-lived [[mental breakdown]].