Where to watch Ikiru in the United States
Ikiru (1952) is streaming on Max. Also available to free on Kanopy.
U.S. availability last verified
Ikiru
There are eight million stories in the Naked City.
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Stream on Max
HD · Included
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You can watch Ikiru (1952) for free on Kanopy, rent on Apple TV+, or buy on Apple TV+.
Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Instead of a standard tragedy, this film finds profound, quiet joy in the struggle to leave a small mark on a rigid world. A lifetime of bureaucratic numbness dissolves into a frantic, beautiful pursuit of purpose against a ticking clock.
Trailer
Director
Akira Kurosawa
Cast
Takashi Shimura, Haruo Tanaka, Nobuo Kaneko, Bokuzen Hidari, Miki Odagiri, Shinichi Himori, Minoru Chiaki, Minosuke Yamada, Kamatari Fujiwara, Makoto Kobori
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Last verified 15 days ago
Ikiru
There are eight million stories in the Naked City.
You can watch Ikiru (1952) for free on Kanopy, rent on Apple TV+, or buy on Apple TV+.
IMDb
8.3/10
Metacritic
Director
Akira Kurosawa
Cast
Takashi Shimura, Haruo Tanaka, Nobuo Kaneko, Bokuzen Hidari, Miki Odagiri, Shinichi Himori, Minoru Chiaki, Minosuke Yamada, Kamatari Fujiwara, Makoto Kobori
7 options ranked by value · 🇺🇸 United States
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Ikiru is streaming on Max. Watch Ikiru for free on Kanopy. Ikiru is streaming on Criterion Channel. Rent Ikiru on Apple TV+. Rent Ikiru on Fandango At Home. Buy Ikiru on Apple TV+. Buy Ikiru on Fandango At Home. Ikiru is not currently available on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video. Availability last verified August 20, 2026.