Ninja Scroll

89%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In this anime film, Jubei, a highly skilled ninja, is coerced into slaying his own clan of warriors. After begrudgingly killing his fellow swordsmen, he becomes a roving hired assassin. During his travels, he must face off against an organization of demonic ninjas known as the Devils of Kimon, who are plotting to take power of Japan's government. The Devils will stop at nothing, and have the power to annihilate entire villages. Now, only Jubei and a shogun spy named Dakuan can stop them.

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Critics Reviews

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Henry Barnes

Guardian

A wandering ronin takes on a posse of supernatural ninjas in a whipcracking race that never lets reality get in the way of a hearty bout of blood-lettting.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 22, 2012

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Its baroque sadism and sexism hasn't aged well, but it still packs a visceral kick.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 22, 2012

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

There is so much going on here, that the film's total lack of subtext - or, more generously, its pure escapism - only sinks in afterwards. It may be a tale of sound and fury, signifying nothing - but all that demon-whupping sure is fun.

Nov 22, 2012

Full Review

Luke Owen

Flickering Myth

While it looked like a lot was happening, nothing ever seemed to progress... It gets very old very quickly and I was baffled to see at the hour mark that I’d only watched 60 minutes of the film -- it had felt like three hours.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 10, 2023

Full Review

Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

"Ninja Scroll" is a true anime/cult classic, which separates itself from the mass of similar titles due to its elaborate script, interesting though perverse characters, astonishing battles, and very graphic depiction of violence

Rated: 8/10

Sep 12, 2021

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

A genuinely great piece of animation, one of the medium's greatest achievements in the 1990s in any country.

Rated: 4.5/5

Apr 3, 2020

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Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Tonight was the first anime in the AX Anime Fest 2024 and it's Ninja Scroll 31st anniversary. This is symbolic for me because it was the first anime I ever seen that got me into anime. It looked fantastic in digital. Boobs, sex and blood, It still holds up . The music score and action is fantastic. Had a great crowd tonight . I enjoyed it as much as I did back in 1996 when I seen it. The different version of the ninjas was great. Plus had a cool q&a with Ninja Scroll director Yoshiaki Kawajiri 9.4/10 it's great and was amazing to see it again. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/13/24 Full Review Yash B "Ninja Scroll" is a special movie simply because it is the first time I went to see a movie in theaters for an anniversary re-release and I hadn't already seen it. This is a pretty cool anime movie, and its mostly because of its visual style and actions sequences. I don't feel the story or characters grabbed me in the way they should have, but I enjoyed watching this on a big screen because of the striking visuals. I also feel it is a pretty influential movie for anime and I can see how other pieces of cinema have drawn inspiration from it, and think it holds up mostly well enough for being 30 years old. Overall, it is a piece of anime history that isn't always perfect, but still very slick and with some really well-put-together action and fight scenes. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Eric G One of my favorite anime films from back in the day. The only things that really stuck out to me were the misuse of the word "reincarnation" (it should have been regeneration) and when the two main characters hang by a wire and are able to climb up it, which is just too impossible. Yes, I know lots of stuff in this film is impossible, but that wire hanging act was a bit too unbelievable. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/03/24 Full Review anthony f RoboTech and Ninja Scroll are the best. especially the story behind the animation process. period! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review Gary S A fantastic film. One of those that starts like a 100 meter dash and just keeps going. Great animation and a great story. Loved it. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/07/24 Full Review Michał Z It's a masterpiece I watched many times on VHS. Amazing level of animations, great characters, story, exciting fights. I also recommend an unofficial video for a Cradle of Filth song (Iron Maiden cover) which uses Ninja Scroll assets. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/19/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Ninja Scroll

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Cast & Crew

Yoshiaki Kawajiri Director Koichi Yamadera Jubei Kibagami Emi Shinohara Kagero Takeshi Aono Dakuan Daisuke Gôri Genma Himuro Toshihiko Seki Yurimaru

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Ninja Scroll

Ninja Scroll (1993)

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Synopsis In this anime film, Jubei, a highly skilled ninja, is coerced into slaying his own clan of warriors. After begrudgingly killing his fellow swordsmen, he becomes a roving hired assassin. During his travels, he must face off against an organization of demonic ninjas known as the Devils of Kimon, who are plotting to take power of Japan's government. The Devils will stop at nothing, and have the power to annihilate entire villages. Now, only Jubei and a shogun spy named Dakuan can stop them.

Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Producer: Haruo Sai, Masaki Sawanobori
Screenwriter: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Production Co: Madhouse Entertainment, Toho Company Ltd.
Genre: Action, Animation
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 3, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Stereo