For that Kurosawa had to rely on very talented actors and he was very lucky to have more than adequate crew for the job. The top of the list is Takashi Shimura, descendant of real life samurai, who gives quiet yet powerful performance as the leader of small army; every community in the world would probably appreciate having someone like him in times of need. Seiji Myaguchi is also remarkable in the role of ascetic yet deadly samurai Kyuzo, same as Isao Kimura as young Katsushiro, forced to learn some ugly lessons in life. Yoshio Tsuchiya is great as Rikichi, hotheaded peasant who is deeply traumatised by personal tragedy. The best known of them all is, of course, Toshiro Mifune, Kurosawa's favourite actor, who gives more than memorable portrayal of Kikujiro, lowlife who begins the film as comic relief and gradually evolves into real hero.