Hissatsu Shikakenin(必殺仕掛人) is a Japanese television period drama that was broadcast in 1972–1973,it is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel Shiokinin Fujieda Baian.The original novel was in the early stages of serialization when the TV series started,so both were actually continued to write at the same time.At the time,TV historical dramas were based on the principle of punishing good and punishing evil,it was unusual for the main character to be an assassin who was paid to kill bad people,and the show was popular that made the born of the Hissatsu series.That series is basically realism and hardboiled story style,and those protagonists and most of the important characters are assassins engaged in underground business,but they still have ethical working principles:the goal of killing is to settle the grievances of the client and only kill villains without legal sanctions who are harmful to the world and people.Also,they usually investigate whether the target deserves to be killed before killing them.
Fujieda Baian,the protagonist of Hissatsu Shikakenin,is a highly skilled acupuncture practitioner who is deeply trusted by his patients,and secretly acting as a Shiokinin to receive money to kill evildoers.He combined medical skills with killing skills to a great extent,because his usual method of killing is that use needles larger than those used for medical purposes to hit the target's vitals.The medical science of the time only thought victims was acute heart failure or something,and it had the advantage of not being investigated deeply that even if the death seemed suspicious.The depiction of the killings of that show was more realistic than in subsequent installments of the series,but Fujieda once used his needles to produce supernatural effects:he used acupuncture to erase the memories of others,and revived his companion who had been tortured to death by a villain.
Fujieda Baian played by Ken Ogata.The character's signature behavior is holding his thick needle in his mouth.
Shiokinin Fujieda Baian the manga.
The killers in the series usually have a confessed profession and use the tools required by their profession or objects they like as weapons in their assassination work.Many of them are common and non-weapon use items,but those killers use them through abilities developed in their professions or even skills that are not possible in reality.Also,sometimes there are special weapons that don’t match the era.This list of unique weapons and killing skills has been continuously expanded with the addition of works,and it has become an important feature of the Hissatsu series.
One of the famous expression methods in the Hissatsu series is the use of perspective views or electrocardiograms to show the damage caused by the killers to the target's body.
Yuji from Shin Hissatsu Shigotonin.He works in shamisen house,and his signature killing way is throw the third string(the thinnest string of a shamisen) to tie around the villains' neck,then hang them in the air and let them suffocate to death with the rubbing sound of the strings.
Shikake no Tenppie from Hissatsu Karakurinin.He is a firework maker,"make me bloat" for him doesn’t just mean that stomach is bloating......
