Ran, which means “chaos,” is Akira Kurosawa’s 1985 epic based loosely off Shakespeare’s King Lear. The story begins with a warlord, Ichimonji, and his three sons hunting a wild boar. The warlord kills the boar and then after falling asleep has a vision that he is wandering alone in the world. After years of contemplating giving up his authority, Ichimonji believes this vision signifies that the time is now to hand down the power to one of his sons. He gives his land and authority to Taro, his eldest son, and asks that his sons simply protect him until his dying days. The youngest son, Saburo, believes this is foolish as his brothers are not the kind of peaceful men needed to usher in a new age. Ichimonji banishes Saburo for these words, believing his youngest to be irreverent and disrespectful. Soon after Taro takes charge, we learn that Taro’s wife, Kaede, is the daughter of a family Ichimonji murdered in order to take their land and castle. Once Taro is in power, Kaede manipulates her husband to drive his father away from their castle and usurp the throne.
After getting sent away, Ichimonji seeks a home at the Second Castle with his middle son Jiro. However, Jiro seeks to overthrow Taro and strategically decides not to allow his father to enter his home. As a result, Ichimonji begins to roam the vast country with only his loyal advisor Tango and his fool, Kyoami. When they go to the Third Castle for refuge, Taro and Jiro’s armies kill every one of Ichimonji's soldiers. Jiro also has Taro killed so that he can assume the throne. In the midst of this chaos, Ichimonji goes mad and wanders out into the countryside alone.
Jiro assumes the throne, and Taro's widow, Kaede, threatens to expose his murder of Taro if he doesn’t let her stay in court and make her his wife. She seduces him and demands that he have his current wife, Lady Sué, killed. Meanwhile, Saburo learns of his father’s whereabouts and comes to rescue him. Saburo shows up with his soldiers and Jiro meets them on the battlefield with his army. Jiro allows Saburo to find their father and take him, but it is a trick to lure Saburo onto his land and kill him. Immediately after finding Ichimonji, Saburo is killed. Ichimonji dies from grief shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, Jiro’s army has been surrounded by that of Lord Ayabe, another warlord seeking to overthrow Jiro. Jiro’s right-hand man, Kurogane, looks for Kaede, who confesses that she created these situations in order to exact revenge on Ichimonji for the murder of her family. Kurogane cuts her head off, as Jiro prepares to die at the hands of Ayabe's army.
