Ti år er gået siden slutningen af Bakumatsu, en æra af krig, der oplevede borgernes oprør mod Tokugawa-shogunatet. De revolutionære ønskede at skabe en tid med fred og et blomstrende land fri for undertrykkelse. Meijis nye tidsalder er kommet, men fred er endnu ikke opnået. Sværd er forbudt, men folk myrdes stadig i gaderne. Forældreløse børn af krigsveteraner har ingen steder at tage hen, mens regeringen synes tilfreds med bare at fylde deres lommer med penge.

Then Came Bronson is an American adventure/drama television series starring Michael Parks that aired on NBC from 1969 to 1970, and was produced by MGM Television. The series, created by Denne Bart Petitclerc, began with a movie pilot on Monday, March 24, 1969. The series was approved for one year and began its first run on September 17, 1969. The pilot was also released in Europe as a feature film.