Japanese Heroic Aesthetic

in classic films, emphasize loyalty and duty over individuality
in more modern (post-war) films, story arcs increasingly emphasize the tension between individual sense of honor and beliefs vis-a-vie familial and national duty
reconciliation is often achieved through stoic acceptance or, in some cases, defeat; individuals rarely win out against or redefine the status quo, at best they die for something they believe in. In this, it's often more realistic, tragic, and poignant than the US heroic narrative