Ninja Scroll (1993) Retrospective / Review

[@OliverHarper]

Get Ninja Scroll on Blu-ray here goo.gl/bJ8sYe Get the soundtrack to Ninja Scroll here goo.gl/RztYQd

[@TheFuriousjoegan]

If you liked this check out Basilisk.

[@brianbrooklyn3561]

Oliver Harper please do MACCross 2 or plus aka robotech

[@DSan-kl2yc]

Oliver Harper you should try sword of the stranger. It's almost a very straightforward story but works really well because it's sincere

[@sandernielsen8018]

The anime series was better.

[@Dr_Salt]

Check out Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. It was also made by Kawajiri and its style is very similar to ninja scroll. Its my favorite Kawajiri movie.

[@Thagomizer]

I love how this movie does so much with such a short running time and furious pacing. It manages to be a slick action/adventure film, a political thriller, a focused character study, and a poignant love story all within a span of less than 100 minutes.

[@TheKeithvidz]

Fantastic perspective. Sharing. Oh u got a dinosaur name.

[@adamabbas1487]

Still holds up today as one of the best animes ever made.

[@Gggmanlives]

Never forget my parents bought me this on VHS because they assumed it was harmless because it was a cartoon. I think it's in the first 5 minutes where that ninja guy gets both his arms ripped off and the ninja girl gets raped. How wrong they were...

[@Johnlindsey289]

+Gggmanlives Why would people think animation is for kids?

[@rondremolo5052]

+Johnlindsey289 in america, cartoons/animations are often regarded as child-friendly, since 99 percent of cartoons made in the west are made for all audiences

[@marcomeme4875]

Gggmanlives had a similar experience. My grandmother bought the DVD for me. Luckily I didn't have to watch it with my folks lol.

[@Nergling]

Good times!

[@drifter402]

And the stigma still lives on to this day. It's that dreaded word "cartoon" that's the source of this. Comics have the same problem hense the term "graphic novel."

[@Cheeks730]

This movie is so underrated it hurts my heart. I wish it was admired like Akira and Ghost in the shell.

[@ignacioleon4560]

It is, by the true manga anime fans that have enough intelligence to discern it's quality. When things were still mostly hand drawn, not like today. For me it's way better than Ghost in the shell n on par with Akira though different stylistically (apples n oranges).

[@bestboutgaming3212]

I'm pretty sure Ninja Scroll is viewed on the level of the other top animes. It's considered one of the top five animes of all time

[@helsquiades]

Imagine thinking this is overrated lol.

[@d-.-b3412]

@@bestboutgaming3212 What are the other 4? Berserk must be in the top 5 as well

[@DrCash7]

Stop misusing that word, "underrated." This anime is not that. It's loved by many, and has been for a long time. Just because you just discovered/re-discovered it doesn't mean it's "underrated."

[@alejandrokim8484]

2023, three decades later and this anime has no match, a true classic masterpiece!

[@valdismoon9971]

Ninja scroll An Amazing Masterpiece Everything from the start, great story beautiful soundtrack l at 62 years old still love it by far my fave.Thank you Yoshiaki Kawajiri

[@MrBmick79]

this was the first japanimation movie I ever saw and I foollishly thought they were all this good. I was wrong

[@skins4thewin]

Ninja Scroll is one of those rare cases where it stands as a truly complete work & in no way needs a sequel. It's story concludes absolutely & it is perfect just the way it is.

[@HorusHeresy1982]

"GEMMA! BURN IN YOUR GOLDEN HELLLLLLL!" Yup, still awesome :D

[@LostMercenary99]

I remember when i first saw this as a kid when it appeared on a late night run on the Sci-Fi channel back in the late 90's. Had to sneak downstairs so my mum wouldn't catch me :P It blew my god damn mind. I had never seen anything like it before and it was probably the first adult anime I ever saw.

[@unknownninja1]

LostMercenary99 I remember doing exactly the samething as you sir lol. Back in the day when the Sci-fi channel was legit.The only bad thing about, them putting on anime so late at night on that channel, was the low ratings due to most of the potential viewership not being aware of it.

[@Iamgoldygramz]

LostMercenary99 Your commenr is Awesome and Hillarious and I shared the same "WTF am I Watching? and MY God its Amazing!"

[@himurogemma6032]

same

[@juanvalderas8163]

Omg I remember those late night anime’s on the sci-fi channel.

[@herbertsmagon5777]

@@juanvalderas8163 it took me nearly 20 years to come across the scene from Record of Lodoss war i remember as a child

[@billyheaning]

My grandmother bought this for me at a flea market in rural Tennessee. I brought it home and slid it into the VCR. I thought is was AWESOME! But then Gram came strolling into my room and saw the Rock Guy raping the girl, and my Gram about lost it. "What in the heck are you watching? Get that tape outta that VCR right now!" "But Gram, it's a cartoon! Watch." Oh, man. Famous last words. She kept watching, waited till Rock Dude died, then yanked that cassette outta my VCR and cracked it in half. "That is horrible, Billy. Filth!" She had no idea. My senior year, I went out and bought a new copy, a copy of Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Ghost in the Shell, and the DVD collections for Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop. I watched them, and she came in and said nothing. I was 18, not 12. Yeah. Thas' right. I was an adult, now!

[@nathanwhite3953]

An absolute masterpiece.

[@codekhalil6437]

One of the best reviews on all of youtube. 10

[@OliverHarper]

+The Code Thank you very much!

[@SignOfTheTimes008]

He definitely can't be human to get punched through thick solid stone, lol. I loved this movie when i first discovered, and still do! Keep up the great reviews!

[@bestboutgaming3212]

Important to note; the popular fighting game series Samurai Shodown was directly inspired by Ninja Scroll, right down to the character designs and names.

[@rotyler2177]

You have great wisdom.

[@johnlindsey6838]

Wow..love this movie..and samurai sjowdown

[@Broyale26]

Classic film. I remember Mtv had a show in the '90's called Liquid Television that featured animated short films. They opened several episodes with Ninja Scroll's beginning sequence. It intrigued me so much and two years later, I found it on VHS at a rental shop and been a fan ever since.

[@aussiecoastie72]

Ninja Scroll is my absolute favourite anime of all time . Fantastic story , and excellent animation .

[@Thedesertguy75]

It's hands down a masterpiece!! The art style, creativity, story, and characters.... damn near perfect. I also think it's the same artists that redid Vampire Hunter D (Bloodlust)

[@SavageMontreal]

One of my favourite movies of all time; it's flawless. Also one of my favourite opening scenes. Just to clarify the opening, Jubei did not say he was only out to help people (he is a mercenary after all); he was criticising the thieves for being too greedy. They were asking for 300 pieces of gold to return the sword, which is more than a poor small clan could afford. If they had asked for a more reasonable amount, like the 20 pieces of gold Jubei was receiving, the thieves may have gotten paid.

[@lankey6969]

I was 16 or 17 when I first seen Ninja Scroll. I wandered home around 3am high on acid and this was on Teletoon. Holy crap was it intense.

[@Ffeoli1039]

My highschool teacher actually let me borrow this. Definitely my favorite teacher.

[@Trid3nt861]

I remember watching this on VHS back in 96. "The way to hell is right here" *punches Jubei repeatedly in the stomach*

[@villesanti1]

For me, this is the second best anime of all time. Akira is number 1.

[@houseofzuma1033]

wow so you are the other person.....me too

[@bruceleeds7988]

for me it's the other way round...

[@erictomdavidfries6756]

Akira, Ninja Scroll, Ghost In the Shell, Fist of the North Star...in that order, best of all time.

[@wolfhowlin1859]

,

[@Skabanis]

Same here

[@1877wf]

This movie was the first "adult" themed anime I ever watched and made me a fan of anime and Japanese cinema as well. Zatoichi, Lone Wolf and Cub and Ninja Scroll! Man those were some good days!

[@ProfSir1]

I’m mad that I didn’t know that this existed until today.

[@paradox5672]

I freaking love Ninja Scrolls. I've struggled to find anima as good as this one.

[@reydez84]

you're not gonna find anime like this anymore sadly..

[@skins4thewin]

Ninja Scroll is one of those extremely rare cases where I feel the Dub is even better than the Sub! Just compare the Jubei vs Tessai fight scene Sub and Dub and tell me the Dub isn't better. When the blade hits his face & he throws up blood, the sound in the Dub is SO much better! This is the case throughout most of the show in fact. I think they did a bang-up job on the Dub considering it's from an era where Dubs usually sucked. They clearly put more love & effort into this one than you usually see. No not all the voices are great, but the majority of them are, specially Jubei himself. His voice actor is fantastic in this.

[@kyoki86]

Yes, golden boy is also like this

[@skins4thewin]

@@kyoki86 Agreed! Another classic right there.

[@PaladinCiel]

They just don't make them like this anymore. Digitizing the animation process may have helped to lower costs and speed up production but the end result has been a palpable drop in quality in the long run. There just aren't enough animators left in the world today with skills necessary to produce a movie of this caliber anymore. Even if there was they would not be afforded the time and money necessary to to render their work properly.

[@TedShatner10]

Yes and no; while there is plenty of somewhat recent anime that demonstrate the relative decline of animation quality to serve quantity in comparison to Ninja Scroll and Akira (like Fairy Tail and Naruto) I think that the natural rawness and fluidness of good animation is creeping back into animation with Space Dandy and Tokyo Ghoul.

[@db3crashcoursecinema]

Your so right Studio-Aegis..I Guess that's why I Don't dig much ANIME in 2019..except for BERSERK,GANTZ and AFRO SAMURAII!!

[@NoxLegend1]

Is this why all anime looks like naruto and even worse chibi looking characters? I dont understand why they are in demand and styles like Ninja Scroll and Berserk kind of art isnt popular anymore. Didnt realize it took more effort and resources to create

[@NoxLegend1]

Actually, they have done it like this. Watch the new Dragon Ball Z Broly movie. Its top quality, rivaling this movie in terms of art and animation

[@Kev_pencils]

This made me miss old anime's quality a lot. And about Jubei....he's an awesome character, so sad we didn't get more of him. I kinda miss him too.

[@mrhypnagogia]

your reviews are the best ones right now in youtube

[@sfighter0085]

Awesome, I finally took some time out to watch my used copy of this movie, and I was very impressed. Yoshiaki Kawajiri really brought his A-Game to this movie, especially considering his background. Awesome action, cool characters, and top notch animation. Gema has to be one of my favorite anime villains, not for his voice, but his abilities, which made the final fight all the more awesome.

[@afrolovely]

This and Wicked City are my top two favorite anime ... and I can't bear to watch Ninja Scroll in english dub... it just feels so hokey to me. Excellent review and treatment Oliver! I enjoyed!

[@Cheeks730]

they did a poor job with the dub.

[@blackhornedmountainchicken3720]

I love wicked city as well. That and ninja scroll were the first anime films I was ever exposed to as a kid. I saw wicked city at my best friend down the streets house because he had an older brother who was into anime and I saw ninja scroll on the sci-fi channel back before it became Syfy or w.e

[@soopahsoopah]

I disagree, the english voice acting is definitely serviceable, probably one of the better english dubs.

[@MikeCain808]

Black Horned Mountain Chicken Of Doom space channel

[@ignacioleon4560]

@@soopahsoopah I agree, more than serviceable; decent.

[@sogggy]

Genma was in Ninja Scroll and the Highlander anime. 4:54

[@youreallinsane]

You're so good at making those "trailers"

[@baku5817]

please do more animated films. :(

[@OliverHarper]

Ghost in The Shell and Iron Giant will be done in time for the summer.

[@baku5817]

:)

[@piccolo56000]

+Oliver Harper WOAH ! THANK you!

[@DieHardjagged]

@@OliverHarper Oh i wonder what happend, i tried looking up if GITS was on your channel, but its not. Any chance of getting it someday?

[@bgm1975]

Love Ninja Scroll. Definitely the top anime film in history. I'm surprised you didn't mention Ninja Resurrection, which was marketed at the time as a sequel to Ninja Scroll, even having a character named Jubei, though he is based on the legendary swordsman Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi and not the Jubei from Ninja Scroll. It's a really weird movie if you ever come across it. I bought it back in the late 90s only because I thought it was a Ninja Scroll sequel, and was very disappointed.

[@azforu29]

Hi dude. I know it's a old comment but I just wanted to say something about Ninja Resurrection. I love it. I have both of the white VHS copies. Very evil movies though. Satan rising from the chicks body. The kids head getting chopped off. Very dark and moody movies.

[@vaevictis_]

Omg I felt the same I was so disappointed in that movie! The pacing was so much slower than ninja scroll and it was boring aside from the over obscenity in the film. I think I ended up returning it the same day. I dont remember how, but the general idea was that it was a sequel, so I was very excited …

[@silentreactor97]

One of the greatest Anime films of all time! Pure epicness.

[@Ringolero]

We all know Jubei still hit that...that's why he said "No, it's not too late!"

[@rotyler2177]

Jubei never said that. Misquoting Ninja scroll is a serious, serious offence.

[@brettnichols9067]

Can't get enough of your reviews. Another A+

[@BigZapfer]

Loved this when I first saw it so many years ago when I was a kid. Still a classic and full on, actually a pretty deep story once you get a handle of whats going on. Also.........GHEEEEMMMMAAAA!

[@michaelh4227]

Never watched it but this honestly feels like a movie people would vaguely remember watching as a kid who stayed up way past their bedtime and is clearly watching things they aren't supposed to. I can imagine how impactful it would be as it would be during a time where anime wasn't very common in the west, and it's more mature themes may make them think that all anime would be like that. Kind of makes me wish I did watch it somehow during the 90s but maybe I did and I just have no memory of it.

[@Champion2D]

One of the funniest memories I have of this film was watching it with my mum back in the day when I was a kid. Her reaction was priceless lol Great review Ollie and thanks for showing that ninja scroll burst footage. I knew they had announced a sequel was in the works but I'd not heard much more from it nor had I seen this new footage, what a treat. I really hope they can secure funding for the sequel but unfortunately the climate for anime has changed in Japan. It's just not cost effective to make feature lengths anymore, nowadays everything needs to be serialised in order for them to really profit from it. I'm guessing that's why they made that attempt at a Ninja Scroll series in the first place.

[@OliverHarper]

In the Blu ray release there is a booklet and the director says he would love to do a sequel which obviously they set out to do but he felt he has used up a lot of his Ninja related ideas on the first movie, making a follow more difficult to realise. I really hope they can get the much needed finance from outside Japan. You watched it with your mum?. oh god. How embarrassing lol

[@laranaarana]

This is the first anime I bought in VHS. Still have it!

[@utubeisCensorred]

I loved this film as a kid. Graphic sex and violence with a good story! Anime today just doesn't have the graphic quality that these big films had. I never heard the dub before I don't think. Speaking of that AV promo clip Oliver, you should check out Venus Wars. It has an 80's film vibe that you will love and some great songs.

[@putridsunrise192]

One of the things I love about this film is that even though they dont explain the world in terms of the supernatural element or even character backstory really at all you are completely invested in whats going on. There have been only a few live action films to pull this off as effectively. Oh and Ollie you forgot to mention how much this influenced the Wachowskis, I remember them saying in an interview how they cut action scenes together is really influenced by the way Kawajiri cuts his together.

[@Broyale26]

Agreed. You didn't wonder why the villains had their abilites, you just wanted to see how Jubei was gonna take 'em out. Its as if each devil was a stage boss on the way to the final showdown.

[@drhploveboat]

Omer Khan while they don't really explain how the villains got their powers or anything like that, world building isn't really all that necessary if you're familiar with the chambara genre. chambara is what most people in the West would consider to be the samurai genre. the film is set during the Edo Period of Japan's history, which lasted from 1603-1868. most stories in this genre tend to be set in this time period, and it really helps if you have some working knowledge of the era. thing is, there aren't as many samurai titles in anime as you might. traditionally in Japan, the genre is mainly done in live action, especially during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema. but I love this stuff, I watch samurai movies all the time.

[@Hades1980s]

Ninja Scroll is life.

[@db3crashcoursecinema]

I Agree Magnanimous Cannon Bust..right along with BERSERK!!!

[@Kusanagikaiser999]

My god so many memories, this was one of my first anime movies I saw as a teen and I still love it as much as the first time, easily one of the top 10 BEST anime movies ever made, badass, violent, sexual it have EVERYTHING a great anime suppose to have and still holds up pretty well today, hell it looks BETTER than almost any crappy anime film that came from japan today, Only a few studios have the quality for surpass this beast of a film.

[@GoatLuffy_97]

Just watched it for the first time. It's as amazing as advertising. Animation is great, the artwork is impeccable, the sound design is great, the pacing is very good, and the story is easy to follow. I'd give it a 9/10. It's not as transcendent as Ghost in the Shell 1995 or Akira, but it's still a damn good film.

[@zinny999]

one of the ALL TIME BEST action movies.

[@Pattorihanzo]

I rented this on a whim in 96 and I was hooked in the first couple of minutes. The stone devil was my favorite!

[@rotyler2177]

One time I popped into my local video store with my friend. i was a polite, very shy 16 year old but not on this day. The manager upon scanning (who was a bit of a douche) the ninja scroll vhs looked at the pc monitor and said This is the 7th time youve hired this one. I replied yeah.. and?! My friend cracked up laughing but i had a serious look on my face. Best. anime. ever.

[@alexkoronec4326]

What was wild its original title was Wind ninja chronicles.

[@krombopoulosmichael]

Loved this movie back in Highschool. I still find it to be unlike any other anime that I know of. Something about it is just.....cooler. The music, the story, the animation itself. Nothing else compares. I remember playing an arcade game called Samurai Showdown. It had several similar characters from the movie. Great retrospective Oliver. Love your channel.

[@RARufus]

Back in about 1997 I saw this on sale and picked it up. Was blown away by the quality of animation p, story, characters, pacing, etc. I was already a little familiar with the Edo period, Toyotomi and Tokugawa. I’ve seen this many times and it still blows me away today.

[@Naychurr123]

Man I love the way you edit. It's the extended trailer version of the movies you critic. Good stuff. A very good online resource

[@FelicityGemini]

as a young girl watching this, it made me feel so sad and brave at the same time. Jubie and Kagero are two characters that a wish could be together. i didnt want the story to end... i was in my feelings at 12 yrs old... geez they dont make em liek this anymore. excellent review, and i have this movie to watch anytime. last time i watched it was a few months ago. guess its time to watch again!

[@rotyler2177]

Jubei*

[@strafer8764]

Madhouse is my favorite. I like the character design much more than the big eyed neon haired characters many other studios go with. One thing I find interesting is that so few anime characters actually look Japanese. The English voice acting sucks in this movie.

[@Yu1awAngerWolf82]

Ninja Scroll, this takes my back, still an amazing anime and a great review.

[@charlesmccracken818]

Changed my whole life. Saw it on VHS when I was a sophomore in Highschool. My mom's boyfriend had a ghetto sounds system that absolutely banged.

[@Liquidgrin]

This and Devil Man are my two favorites from this time period.

[@CampingMIG]

Great review. Classic movie. Now you know what you have to do; review Fist of the North Star.

[@wsz594]

that movie is so dope

[@johnkenneth3602]

Another great review Oliver the intro is just brilliant.

[@KyleMcintoshMAC316]

My older cousin introduced me to this film when it came to the US yrs ago. Its a classic and friends thank me for showing it to them.

[@IronDuke_xX]

Amazing review. I absolutely adore Ninja Scroll. Born in 86 and growing up in the 90's i saw this in my younger years, it been the unequaled benchmark ever since. Basilisk gave me a few similiar feelings but mostly just made me want to rewatch Ninja Scroll lol.

[@gilrivera1813]

Great work as usual Oliver. Hands down the best Anime action film ever!

[@iwonderifthisislegal]

One of the best....EVER

[@wutang_batman]

My favourite anime of all time.

[@23RedTechno]

Cyber City Oedo 808 and Demon City Shinjuku are Yoshiaki Kawajiri great other works .

[@CAPCOM784]

Demon City is another one I always love to watch.

[@ireallylovepie]

This is one of my favorite anime films. If you are interested in doing more anime films may I suggest Jin-Roh and Perfect Blue.

[@paradox5672]

Susuan Cartwrite Jin-Roh is an amazing movie.

[@AirLancer]

I remember the first time I saw this movie. A bunch of kids and I were in the basement while our parents were conversing upstairs. The high school-age girl who lived in that house put Ninja Scroll on, apparently not knowing what kind of movie it was. I suppose it was her brother's. As soon as Kigero's outfit got ripped off she scrambled to eject the tape from the VHS player, hahaha.

[@Broyale26]

What a bitch, LOL!

[@rondremolo5052]

she waited until the chick got raped? what about before that when 20 dudes get brutally massacred and even cannibalized?!

[@AirLancer]

I don't think she was in the room then.

[@apoplexiamusic]

wow... to think it's been about 19 years since i first saw this... taped it on VHS when it played on an animation channel and watched it until the tape was so used up! love this film. :)

[@nathanjedrej792]

Netflix should fund the rest of the anime. The little bits they had were well made, kind of like an intro to a saturn fighter.

[@jamesmartin6737]

I literally got this in 1995. I was in my very early teens, and I wanted to watch some of this "anime" I had heard about. I bought this, Wicked City, and Legend of the Overfiend. Needless to say, this movie blew me away. I almost watched it daily, and still watch it and love it to this very day, decades later. Ninja Scroll is without a moments thought my absolute favorite anime of all time. If anyone reading this has not watched it yet, do yourself a favor a do so. It holds up amazingly well even after all this time. Without a doubt it is a fucking classic.

[@bodine1231]

First anime I ever saw on VHS. Still some of the best animation I've ever seen.Classic!

[@jackbuchanan9085]

Kaoru Wadas music is so recognizable. It's clear he was hired for InuYasha after his work on Ninja Scroll. Kaoru Wada was also an apprentice of Akira Ifukube, the composer behind the original Godzilla music.

[@xieulong]

How about a retrospective review for John Woo's Hard Boiled? :D

[@campar1043]

the basilisk series was like this. closest youll get i think, and sword of the stranger

[@admarvelwarlock]

Thank you for listening to my prayers and making a review about this one. Man this is my favorite anime of all time and a had no idea there was a Blu Ray version out ! Amazon here i come xD.

[@wyldshot666]

I LOVE THE FACT that Jubei was "human " and had to use his wits to defeat the 8 devils.

[@finnobrien4556]

Oliver, I saw that you helped out the Jack Stickman channel, thanks

[@773superprguy]

Great review Oliver I love anime especially Ninja Scroll.

[@TheMANOFBLU]

Brilliant review Oliver, you've certainly done the film justice. I've always loved this one, I picked it up the blu-ray steelbook a couple of years ago and it was great to re-watch it in glorious HD.

[@laranaarana]

This is the first anime that I bought back in the '90s on VHS format. I still own it and enjoy watching!

[@skillz0122]

I agree on some of them. Tessai - I think Jubei would have defeated him even without the help of Kagero, it just would have taken longer. In their 1-on-1 confrontation, on the first attack, Tessai threw his double bladed sword slightly high to get Jubei to jump and possibly chop off his legs, he didn’t flinch and made a swift attack to Tessai’s gut to test the strength of his stoned skin. He praises Jubei for the skillful move. Benisato - Caught in her spell, she would have defeated Jubei had Dakuan not intervened with shuriken to the arm which broke Benisato's spell. She seems to excel in quiet one-on-one confrontation, but she has a huge weakness in groups. Twice unprepared and caught off guard by a 3rd party. Shijima - Although he’s one of my favorites, Jubei completely out-skilled this guy. Whether it was using Kagero as a decoy to get the first attack on Shijima’s leg in the open field, or not succumbing to what looked like a perfect trap where Kagero is mind controlled. Shijima unleashed his claw at the best time when Jubei was bleeding from the poison, yet still couldn’t kill him. Shijima definitely let his guard down for a short period of time hoping Kagero would kill Jubei and that's when he got caught. Zakuro - They never had a traditional fight as she needs a skilled target to be distracted or misdirected to defeat them. Other than that I don’t think it would be a contest. Jealousy and the shame from failure to kill Jubei reside over her. Mushizo - Getting an advantage on your opponent is strategy but this is one of the few fights against a devil that Jubei fought on (mostly) equal ground. Unlike Benisato, Mushizo scouted them, kept the group busy and kited Jubei away. It was clever, in the end Jubei dodged all his attacks, stalled for time when necessary and forced Mushizo into an unfavorable position, near water. Mushizo’s desire to kill Jubei clouded his judgment. This is eluded to by Mujuro Utsutsu and foreshadowed by Yurimaru earlier. Tessei’s rage undid him to a degree, not being focused on the mission and instead on the individual who cock blocked him. Once Jubei killed Tessai and the devils learned of his history with the Yamashiro Ninja team Jubei became a threat to the mission but also a worthy opponent, something the Devil's of Kimon probably haven’t had in a long time. Yurimaru says “Anyone who kills Tessai must not be underestimated.” Yurimaru electrifies the water near Jubei’s location, but half the devils are happy to see “only dead fish” as they all now want a 1-on-1 fight with him. Unaware of Jubei’s location and his ability to extend the length of his blade Mushizo is disabled and defeated. Mujuro Utsutsu - The more honorable member of the Devil’s of Kimon Utsutsu is completely focused. He has respect for Jubei but views himself vastly superior. It shows in their sword play. Utsutsu wins this fight 100% if Kagero’s blade didn’t happen to be stuck in the exact same bamboo he left Jubei impared. Utsutsu died not knowing how Jubei could block and attack at the same time. Yurimaru - Probably came the closest to actually killing Jubei. Though Yurimaru's need to make Jubei suffer played a role in his demise. He’s unique in that he’s extremely quite until it’s time to kill, where sometimes, he wants to hear his opponent scream. He appears to swiftly leave a silhouette or copy of himself as he gets in position to kill his opponent. Through jealousy Zakuro intervenes, which buys Jubei the time to escape the explosion. Himuro Genma - A lot of passion went into their fight because of their history, but you’ll notice a common theme “I won’t kill you till I make you suffer.” Benisato, Shijima & Utsutsu were the only devils who tried to kill Jubei quickly with no emotion. You could argue Pride played a small role in how Benisato & Utsutsu approached Jubei. Either way, Genma had his opportunity but Jubei’s determination lead to victory.

[@NickMichalak]

It certainly says something that even a week after watching this, I'm still interested in tracking this down for, at least, a rental.

[@godchild.8586]

Someone important from the game world. I wish they would make this as a PS4 new video game with dope up grades. 10 boss battles & he fights on the horse with up grade weapons. Blood & Gore Look at all the garbage we get for all that money. Thank You God for Marvel Avengers.

[@Texy88]

I actually felt privileged by NOT having seen the earlier UK VHS versions, as the BBFC also requested cuts to footage featuring the shuriken (a weapon that they would generally not allow in films at the time - a bit like the nunchaku, knuckledusters and the balisong). After a weapons rethink at the BBFC in mid-1999 the releases classified since then waived cuts to scenes featuring those weapons.

[@Turbiales]

Please do a Macross Plus review, with your style it would be awesome!!

[@Demondscott]

+Turbiales YES!!! I agree with you.Macross Plus was a visual and audio treat! A very well done anime.

[@suyezlee6650]

Watched this movie many times. I'd say it's the perfect Ninja tale

[@dsandoval9396]

One of the best anime movies out there.

[@tonystyles21]

I was hooked with this when I saw it in 97 during spring break

[@shockz16]

Brilliant review Ollie. I'm not an expert when it comes to anime but I am always on the look out for a good one, this is one of the popular ones that always get recommended to me so now I've seen a good in depth review on it, it seems right up my alley in terms of what I enjoy, so this has now been placed on my 'to purchase' list lol.

[@OliverHarper]

yes definitely pick it up!. The blu ray steelbook is pretty easy to get hold of as well.

[@wutang_batman]

And jubei's skill is.. His sword strike is so swift the wind from it can cut you.

[@am234523]

My favorite anime off all time. Had the subtitled and dubbed versions. AWESOME!!!

[@modelcitizen1977]

One of the absolute best. Perfect action. Fantasticly quotable dub. An awesome story. Easily up there with GITS and Akira.

[@mamuana2006]

Ninja Scroll is easily in my top list of anime alongside Vampire Hunter D, Basilisk the Kouga Ninja, Hellsing... I need more of this type of classic anime.. any suggestions is most welcomed!

[@frankthebutcher6679]

Everyone talks about Akira being their 1st anime.... mine was Vampire Hunter D I think... then this 1.... I love this flick... just as a good movie in and of itself.... definitely the best ninja movie ever made

[@6pathuser344]

One of the first anime I watched. A classic without a doubt. The aesthetics and the world was so captivating. Wish the anime series was this good

[@ghostlightx9005]

My favourite anime. The 8 Devils are so cool. And several of the characters are heavily based on the Neo Geo fighting game Samurai Shodown 2, which I played to death in the 90s.

[@dasonskywalker8806]

Going to see the 30th Anniversary of this masterpiece tonight! Long live Ninja Scroll.

[@SickTruck]

Got this from Blockbuster from an employee suggestion when I was 10. Probably the best animal film ever.

[@davidgray2805]

One of the best Anime's ever created.

[@amitsukhram2352]

I saw this back when it came out !…it’s perfect the way it is no sequel needed !