The film opens as Shingen's brother, Nobukado, introduces a thief whom he spared from crucifixion, believing the thief's striking resemblance to Shingen would prove useful. Shingen's army has besieged a castle of Tokugawa Ieyasu. When Shingen visits the battlefield to hear a mysterious nightly flute player, he is shot by a sniper. Mortally wounded, he orders his generals to keep his death a secret for three years. Shingen later dies while being carried over a mountain pass, with only a small group of witnesses. Nobukado presents the thief to the generals and contrives a plan to have the kagemusha impersonate Shingen full-time. At first, even the thief is unaware of Shingen's death, until he tries to break into a huge jar, believing it to contain treasure, and instead finds the corpse. Shingen's corpse is disposed of at the bottom of Lake Suwa. At the time of burial, spies witness the disposal of the jar, and suspect the Shingen has passed away. However, the Takeda clan continues to cover up Shingen's death by saying they were making an offering of sake to the god of the lake. Spies working for Tokugawa and his ally, Oda Nobunaga, follow the Takeda army as they march home from the siege. They suspect that Shingen has been replaced, but are later convinced by the kagemusha's performance. Returning home, the kagemusha successfully fools Shingen's concubines and grandson, who seems to prefer the substitute. By imitating Shingen's gestures, the kagemusha appears to take on the attitude of a zen master, and is able to awe even the bodyguards and wakashu who know his secret. When tested, he relies on the clan motto, which identifies Shingen with an unmoving mountain.

One of the tests comes when Tokugawa and Oda Nobunaga launch an attack against Takeda territory. Shingen's son, Katsuyori, launches a counterattack against the advice of other generals. The kagemusha is forced to lead reinforcements to the Battle of Takatenjin, and inspires his troops to victory. In a fit of overconfidence, the kagemusha attempts to ride Shingen's unruly horse. When he is unable to tame the beast, he is revealed as an impostor. The thief is driven out of the palace as Katsuyori, despite being disinherited, takes over the clan. Katsuyori leads an ill-advised attack against Oda Nobunaga, who controls Kyoto, resulting in the Battle of Nagashino. Wave after wave of cavalry and infantry are cut down by volleys of musket fire, effectively wiping out the Takeda (though in reality, the clan continued under Katsuyori's leadership for years after the battle). The kagemusha, who has followed the Takeda army, witnesses the slaughter. In a final show of loyalty, he takes up a lance and makes a futile charge against Oda's fortifications. The final image is of the kagemusha's bullet-riddled body being washed away.

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