Lightning Swords of Death was one of the most popular of the long-running Japanese Sword of Vengeance series. The film's nearly unending violence is given continuity with the ongoing story of a disgraced samurai, who travels throughout the Japanese countryside with his infant son in tow. At the time of its American release, Lightning Swords of Death received extensive critical coverage because of the offbeat scenes of the samurai battling foes at every turn while pushing his child around in a primitive baby cart. For fans of the series, such quirkiness was par for the course. Hong Kong producer Run Run Shaw followed up the international success of Lightning Swords of Death with the equally fascinating Shogun Assassin.