Two years after the original film was such a box office blockbuster, Cheng Cheh and stars Jimmy Wang and Lisa Chiao Chiao returned for this sequel. Yet when it begins, Fang Gang (Wang) has hung up his sword and is living in peace with his wife, Xiao Man (Lisa Chiao Chiao).

There are problems in the martial world that will soon require his attention. The Eight Sword Kings are challenging the masters of all rival schools, with any who refuse to fight being outright murdered. They capture every single master and demand that if the students want their teachers back, they must all cut off their sword arms and give them to them. So one of the students does what he must and kidnaps Fang Gang’s wife to get him to return and kill every single one of the Eight Sword Kings, each of whom also brings their students to the battle.

There’s the high flying Winged Blade (Yuen Cheung-yan), the sickling carrying Hooking Blade (or Ape’s Arms King Yuan Qian, played by Lau Kar-Leung), the camouflaged Buried Blade, the spinning weapon wielding Whirling Blade (Tong Gai), the monstrous Giant Blade (Ku Feng), the smoke throwing Thunder Blade, the seductive Thousand Blade (Essie Lin Chia) and the final boss, Unseen Blade (Tien Feng, who played the One-Armed Swordsman’s master in the first movie!), along with the enforcers known as Guan Heng (Fong Yau) and Guan Shun (Wu Ma).

This being a Cheng Cheh movie, expect all the blood that Shaw Brothers could brew up, as well as numerous deaths on all sides of the battles — lots of people being impaled, which is to Cheh as eyeballs being destroyed is to Fulci — plus the weirdest and wildest weapons you’ve ever seen. You know how Mega Man had to learn how to defeat each of his enemies who all had a unique move? It started here.

The Arrow Video Shaw Scope Volume Three box set has a brand new 2K restoration of The Return of the One-Armed Swordsman as well as commentary by critic Samm Deighan and a trailer.

You can get this set from MVD.