The Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors(1990)

series - first aired/released 1990-10-25 - audience 7.2

Directed by Satoru Utsunomiya, Shinya Ohira, Takashi Anno, Takashi Nakamura

During the war-torn feudal wars of Japan, the Awa clan faced certain extinction from a rival clan backed by demonic forces. However, a careless promise by their lord leads to both salvation and disgrace when their family dog brings back the head of the enemy warlord and insists upon marrying the lord's daughter! Their unnatural union bears fruit, but when they are both killed, the eight unborn pups are reincarnated as the eight Dog Warriors - the Hakkenden. Slowly they find each other and come together as a group. These eight warriors, who represent the eight separate aspects of the Bushido, engage in bloody battles with demonic entitles and evil samurai in the final attempt to redeem their clan!