In addition to casting leading actors such as Toshiro MIFUNE, Tatsuya NAKADAI, Mitsuru SATO, and Keiju KOBAYASHI, for supporting roles he repeatedly picked up such male actors with colorful characters like Ichiro NAKATANI, Kunie TANAKA, Yunosuke ITO, Hideyo AMAMOTO, Shin KISHIDA, Tadao NAKAMARU, Akihiko HIRATA, Minori TERADA, Hideo SUNADUKA, Daigo KUSANO, Etsushi TAKAHASHI, Hirotaro HONDA, Shigeru KAMIYAMA, Masao IMAFUKU, Masanari NIHEI, and Ittoku KISHIDA, and they are called 'Kihachi Ikka' or 'Kihachi Family.'
三船敏郎、仲代達矢、佐藤允、小林桂樹らスター俳優に加え、中谷一郎、田中邦衛、伊藤雄之助、天本英世、岸田森、中丸忠雄、平田昭彦、寺田農、砂塚秀夫、草野大悟、高橋悦史、本田博太郎、神山繁、今福将雄、二瓶正也、岸部一徳ら、脇を固める個性派男優を再三起用し、彼らは「喜八一家」、「喜八ファミリー」と呼ばれた。