What Happened To NINJA Films?

[@theexpatriatenomad9369]

My opinion, Sho Kosugi was hands down the best ninja! Loved his movies during the 80's!

[@trevarid]

The Expatriate Nomad Facts. Pray for Death and the Ninja Trilogy were some of my favs. He’s the Goat when coming to Ninja films.

[@mattyleadfoot]

I thought he was great too. Had a poster on my wall. I heard they motion captured his movements for the original PS1 game Tenchu. I loved that game ! (not so much the sequels, but the first one)

[@rukitiopira4060]

Enter the ninja Franko nero 1983

[@killagun1154]

Real badman

[@RobimusPrime]

Marcus Kirlew yup Pray for Death is dope movie. Also, Revenge of the Ninja. Never get tired watching it again. I cant never find Pray for Death in dvd, but I have it as a mpeg and vhs.

[@shivzzi]

I really liked Ninja Assassin for some reason

[@fusiontoa18]

''for some reason'' it was a cool movie duh

[@superlive98]

One of my grandmother's favorite films, she was 82 when I took her to watch it.

[@bakedizzle24]

if u skip all the dialogue it’s pretty good

[@elmephisto1847]

It was good

[@Mintcar923]

Potato Ninja 1.. Ninja II.. Ninja Assassin.. This is a nice little more recent ninja trilogy which kind of parallels the ones we had in the 80’s.. Of course, I’d like to see more eventually.. Revenge of the Ninja still the GOAT for me then The Octagon

[@rotoninja]

The most underrated ninja movie of all-time: The Octagon. Also, The Wolverine missed an opportunity to make a good ninja movie.

[@scheldonfernandesdeoliveir3876]

Chuck Norris ninja, thanks for this

[@bruceleeds7988]

If you read The Japan Adventure, even a better Wolverine movie would have used the Ninja as cannon fodder

[@JuanDominguez-]

The octagon?

[@josephparker4022]

To be fair to the ninja turtles in the original comic they were straight up ninjas, violent and stealthy.

[@bruceleeds7988]

and Slimmer, The Turles in the New movies are way too big, that's a tortiose

[@hiranom20]

@@bruceleeds7988 Thank Michael Bay, and the writers that put that together.

[@thebrownbaldy]

If only we could get that version of the Ninja Turtles......

[@Tethloach1]

i really liked ninja turtles as a kid and even enjoyed the video game as a teenager. I would even go outside climb on roofs like a ninja and it was fun.

[@LifeWithPico]

The Hunted with Chris Lambert is a great ninja movie

[@BushidoHEAT]

One of my personal favorites!

[@gotd4m]

Was thinking the same thing. He had plenty of clips from the movie, but didnt bother to mention it. It treated ninja pretty much exactly how he described.

[@OminusMentor]

Yes...that is the one the first popped into my mind...a personal favorite

[@prettyflyforafilipin]

@Curt Christensen there are two movies called, "the hunted."

[@shade3887]

Completely agree! 😎👌

[@KnjazNazrath]

It must have been a Ninja to blame for the disappearance of Ninja films. Because only a Ninja... ...can defeat A NINJA!

[@scheldonfernandesdeoliveir3876]

YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS MY man

[@darkservantofheaven]

or batman

[@GodofWhoopass]

Or when they finally make a movie out of Tenchu with Rikimaru and Ayame.

[@ivanvolkov4469]

Omg I love that line RESPECT bro you know who was the king of ninja movies don't you lol SHO lol

[@pauldavison5382]

Classic line in the Ninja series! Well done.

[@superdutyzack]

Take the genre of Ninjas. Give it the John Wick treatment. Boom, trilogy waiting to happen.

[@MultiRedskull]

Woow. 👍👍👍

[@waxl4449]

john Wick just rubbish Hollywood product,ninja were real assassins,well trained, focused,commitment and sheer will..

[@superdutyzack]

jc weiland's you completely missed the concept of what I meant.

[@superdutyzack]

@Mike L What and who are you asking?

[@vie3147]

SuperDuty Zack So someone kills the Ninja's shogun or master then turns into a killing machine with almost no dialogue. sounds boring to me

[@jimofthenorth8090]

so pleased to hear Ninja Scroll getting a shout out. So love this film, yet it seems massively undiscovered.

[@EnvyMachinery]

Why doesn't Jubei fuck Kagero!? Why!? I don't understand!

[@EnvyMachinery]

And Jubei was the only one who was immune to said magical poison vagina.

[@k1w1mat71]

that fight with the blind guy was pretty bad ass

[@mr.jayjay2401]

Basilisk was a good ninja anime too

[@ILLRICARDO]

jim Jennings shinobi heart under blade, is the live action version.

[@FilmFightFanatic]

I never realized how ironic it is that ninja are simultaneously viewed as both incredible assassins and generic henchmen in pop culture. It might be because no other stereotypical Asian villain can both stand out a bit from conventional bad guys and fit a modern setting better compared to samurai and shaolin monks who are either portrayed as too heroic/good-natured or have outfits that are too anachronistic and nonsensical for the purposes of movies taking place in contemporary times. But unfortunately for that reason, ninjas have been relegated to a cheesy overused character....good luck with the action film you're working on btw. Hope to hear more about it soon.

[@wd9161]

Man, your channel is great

[@ijansk]

Ninjas are exclusively Japanese culture. How do you insert ninjas in western culture for movies while making sense?

[@billbill6094]

I hope you've played Ghost of Tsushima, they touched on everything you said about the brutality of the ninja, what it takes to be one and the morality of their code. At some point you even start questioning the protagonist's methods even though you see how it's the only way to defeat the threat your faced with. I sincerely believe if the story had been a movie it would've been a classic.

[@letsgoforaspin]

The ninja attack in the Last Samurai was amazing, if they had a ninja film like that I would be happy

[@rocketpunchgo1]

The Tenchu: Stealth Assasin shoutout did my heart good. Would absolutely love to see that game revived.

[@EnvyMachinery]

Fingers crossed the Dark Souls team has it on their to-do list.

[@Rossatron]

smokebomb.exe played it so much back in the day on PS1. I'd kill for a solid reboot. Shinobi on PS2 was pretty great fun too.

[@cordia96]

IF DS3 is suppost to be the ending to the series, I'm curious to see how the fanbase will handel it. Nobody ever gave a shit about Ku-On, Metal Wolf Chaos (no pressure on MS 4 western release?) or Armored Core. And according to wikipedia, From Software was more of a publisher for Tenchu, while developement was done by K2 and Aquire Studios.

[@EnvyMachinery]

I can't speak much for Kuon, since I'd never heard of it until now, but horror games really don't see that much mainstream popularity. I did play Armored Core when I was a kid, though, and I'm pretty comfortable saying they aren't anything to write home about. On top of that, like horror games, mech games also don't see much mainstream popularity. Horror games have their big names, but can you name any mech game that is a household name? Granted, the biggest reason for Dark Souls' global recognition is because it became like a right of passage. It's strange that other games of its kind didn't share the same fame (Ninja Gaiden), but I'm not sure what to attribute that to. However, the studio has built such a reputation that whatever they churn out next is bound to be successful since it has a built-in fan base, and I definitely believe it's earned. I have no doubt their next project will be a good game, but I'm not so certain it'll be something I'm interested in.

[@cordia96]

EnvyMachinery I'm just not so sure about the fanbase. It's bizarre

[@Solarstar10]

Great shout out on Leon. As soon as you were describing the whole hunted down by a Ninja thing, I immediately thought of the opening to Leon: The Professional. I bet 90's Luc Besson could have made a brilliant Ninja film. It's a shame his career has been a up and down as of late.

[@youtubevoice1050]

One of the main problems is, that the depiction of ninjas in most movies is essentially 90% fantasy cliché. And viewers stopped taking them seriously. Ninja were spies - and quite often samurai themselves (those are the only ones that are documented). The western analog is essentially a secret agent or special forces in disguise, much like James Bond (which is of course also embellished). A more realistic, credible approach would therefore be nice to see. Although this might only work in a historical or at least asian scenario. The thought of actual "ninjas" in western society is kinda ridiculous and anachronistic. So yeah, it would require a serious, realistic approach and credible story to successfully exhume ninjas from their B-movie graves. But then I'd say the fun is guaranteed!

[@MightySavagE]

The Ninjas as a whole - as far as general populous is concerned - are a fantasy. Not only movies, but basically anything in culture. But that kinda makes them cool, no?

[@cordia96]

We live in the cynical era, where it has to be either dark, gritty realistic or cheesy nostalgia callbacks to better days of Entertainment with the extra dip of irony. But I'm down with the notion of making Ninjas scary again. The simple concept of a spy in any form is pretty disturbing to me.

[@robertmoorhead2406]

Eh... kinda. There were a couple types of shinobi, historically. One type were simple farmers, guerrilla fighters, fighting with anything they had: trowels, scythes, chains. This is where a lot of a ninja's equipment comes from. Sometimes, a ronin would adopt these methods too, adding swordplay to the mix. The second were the organized shinobi clans, such as the Iga or Koga. These were highly trained mercenaries who were willing to break the calcified honor code of the samurai. Basically, black ops for hire. They would disguise themselves as travelers, act as scouts or assassins, even start riots on enemy controlled lands. The Iga clan were wiped out by Oda Nobunaga with the survivors become beholden to the shogunate, while the Koga existed until their last master, Fujita Seiko, refused to train any more ninja Finally, there were the oniwaban, or garden keepers, who were basically govenment secret police who get lumped in with ninjas due to their secretive nature and using ninja clans as trainers and hired help. As one last note, the "traditional ninja" outfit, the all black outfit that covers their body, came from the theatre, where it was what stagehands would dress in allow them to blend in with the black curtain. Eventually, a playwright had the bright idea to have a "stagehand" assassinate a character. After all, a shinobi's whole job was the blend into the scenery. It was such a brilliant idea, that it soon became a cliche in Japanese theatre, to the point that the popular perception of a shinobi was that.

[@vallgron]

Hashashin would be so much better for the role ninjas have taken in entertainment

[@heroicdefender9747]

@Robert >break the calcified honor code of the samurai You do know that several Shinobi such as Hattori Hanzo, the leader of the Iga Ninja Clan were also a Samurai as well correct? And also the Samurai are not nearly as honorable as pop-culture romanticizes them to be

[@HanoverFiste3]

Ninja assassin is absolutely raw

[@920mario]

HanoverFiste3 super raw

[@superlive98]

@Carnivorus They wanted the blood splashing to resemble the hand-drawn animation in NINJA SCROLL. CGI blood was really the only way to do it with live action actors.

[@RenaldMusic]

I'm looking for a ninja movie where the person is walking in some type of desert or mountains then get inside a cave, moves a rock under which he finds a white ninja "suit" glowing, then he wears it and then ...action movie with ninjas. It's old, 80's or early 90's. If somebody knows the movie I'd be grateful to know.

[@thisaccountisdead9060]

Woke up, fell out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup. And looking up I noticed I was late. Found my coat and grabbed my hat. Made the bus in seconds flat. Found my way upstairs and had a smoke. And somebody spoke and then I was killed by a Ninja.

[@dr.davidwho4053]

Beatle Ninja!😁

[@cloudri]

Finally someone made a video about what I've been thinking about for a long time thank you for your hard work

[@tnowak]

American Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja are my fav

[@Xainfinen]

The first time I came up on one of your video, I instantly knew you loved movies as much as I do, and have the same questions I keep asking myself for years. On top of that you answer them with very good insight that show cases your love for movies. Keep it up and thank you.

[@Popdaddy88]

Ninja alone: unstoppable killing machine Ninja in groups: cannon fodder

[@superlive98]

The depiction of ninjas as black-garbed super-assassins was a creation of Ian Fleming for the 007 novel YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE. Prior to that, the Japanese depiction of ninja was that of a lightly-armed peasant engaged in irregular warfare.

[@christopherlewis4595]

I loved the ninja training and aspect of batman! After the last samurai I've been hoping they'd do one similar realistic style to that when with ninja!! Hell even lat samurai 2, where he stays, returns to the village and ends up teaming up with four reasons, or seeks them out to further his studies, then conflict or what ever..

[@OminusMentor]

"Princess Blade" is a movie I remember...I honestly don't recall if the group was Ninja or something else...but it had fun action scenes

[@NovaScotiaNewfie]

Technically they were never Ninja films as there was no ninjutsu in them. It was karate and other styles that have no connection to shinobijutsu/ninjutsu. But I loved them growing up!

[@murrik]

Thanks for making this, its like therapy to me to have a conversation or something on ninja

[@SchizoFenikChannel]

I have been thinking the exact same thing regarding Ninja films. I loved the American Ninja series as a child but the last good ninja films for me were Ninja/Ninja: Shadow of a Tear. Aside from that this was a great video by you and I have subscribed.

[@Ian-oe9wp]

two words : samurai cop

[@LionidasL10]

He's fluent in Japanese.

[@tHeFloW]

And he's circumcised

[@Captroop]

What does katana mean?

[@Ian-oe9wp]

Scott Kaptur it means japanese sword

[@michaelskoomamacher5652]

he's an undercover cop

[@mfcoom9485]

We need a logan kind of ninja movie

[@inferno0020]

maybe filmmakers should just study how historical and fictional ninja emerged so that they can craft unique stories about ninjas out of past fiction and history, just like filmmakers making unique stories about gunslingers and knights?

[@holden6104]

Michael Dudikoff getting casted over Sho Kosugi is what killed ninja films.

[@44excalibur]

How was Michael Dudikoff cast over Sho Kosugi? The American Ninja series was totally separate from the Enter The Ninja series. Sho Kosugi did a lot of ninja films during the 80s, far more than the ones that Dudikoff did.

[@holden6104]

@@44excalibur Canon Films funded all of the 80s ninja films with Sho Kosugi, but switched to Dudikoff once American Ninja hit the theatre. Sho Kosugi's films had never seen a theatrical release, and I assume Canon felt that an Asian lead wouldn't be able to carry the day in a theatrical release. Unfortunately, Dudikoff was garbage both from a fighting and from an acting point of view. Canon tried to milk American Ninja with sequels but they bombed and eventually the whole ninja thing went out of style. Canon eventually went out of business.

[@44excalibur]

@Holden Are you kidding? I grew up in the 1980s and I clearly remember many of Sho Kosugi's films getting a theatrical release and even advertised on TV, such as Ninja III: The Domination and Pray For Death. And Cannon went out of business for a lot of reasons, mostly because they made a lot of bad movies, not just the ninja films.

[@holden6104]

@@44excalibur I grew up in the 80s as well, and from my recollection the ninja trilogy was direct to vhs. The possible exception is the first film, Enter the Ninja, but that film featured Franco Nero in the starring role. Pray for Death was not a Canon film so I can't speak for that.

[@44excalibur]

@Holen Nope, I clearly remember seeing TV ads for both Ninja III: The Domination, and Pray For Death. Ninja III featured Lucinda Dickey from the Breakin' films, which were also distributed by Cannon Films, so they made sure to advertise it.

[@SecretOfMonkeyIsland784]

What happened to: Barbarian films (AKA Conan, The BeastMaster), also what happened to Medieval Knight films ... now its 8 films per year of superhero :(

[@gobucs3146]

Revenge of the Ninja, what a bad ass movie.

[@STONESGAM]

Best Ninja movie ever.

[@JohnDoe-hz4wd]

Derek Gabrys Enter the Ninja was better

[@STONESGAM]

@@JohnDoe-hz4wd umm...good too but No. Was Sho Kusugi dragged on his knees by a van in Enter the Ninja? Perfect mix of ninja action and unintentional hilarity.

[@JohnDoe-hz4wd]

Derek Gabrys Yes he was dragged, but look up Enter the Ninja death scene, and tell me it wasn't better.

[@civilwarfare101]

You should watch G.I Joe Resolute where Snake Eyes uses Guerilla Tactics to take down Storm Shadow's goons. It's not a Ninja movie but it does have what you want to see out of a ninja in fiction.

[@graham1034]

Ninja Scroll is my favorite ninja movie. It's just so good.

[@chenzenzo]

The Hunted with John Lone and Christopher Lambert was brilliant.

[@Biodebatable]

I feel like having a story revolving around a small group of people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time being hunted by a ninja, no country for old men style would work really well. they find a friend of theirs murdered and as they are searching for the killer, the ninja in this case realises that he was sloppy and starts cleaning up every loose end

[@Biodebatable]

adding to it, each person is taken out one by one as they try to survive untill the morning while protecting the evidence they found

[@catspaw3092]

Ninja should remain just as they are in the dark, in the shadows never seen in broad daylight unless they're wearing white even then they belong in the shadows as the mysterious warriors & killers that they're suppose to be. Ninja movies need to make a comeback & be treated & given the respect they deserve.

[@davydevilution7297]

The Japanese Movie, *13 Assassins* was excellent! Loved it!!

[@brocksrocks9012]

more of a samurai movie than Ninja tho.

[@MakerInMotion]

A perfect example of build up and pay off. That final battle scene was a masterpiece.

[@brocksrocks9012]

absolutely, my second favorite Takashi Miike film to date.

[@WarlordRising]

The film didn't really portray the Ronin as ninjas, though. They weren't paid to assassinate the evil lord. It was a decision made out of just ethics and emotion rather than payment.

[@MakerInMotion]

True, and it's a reason why I find samurai films more interesting than ninja films. Ninjas as we know them didn't really exist. A ninja was anyone engaging in espionage. Technically a maid who was bribed to steal documents from her employer was a ninja. The outfit and the martial arts was added on by popular culture. Samurais on the other hand are a bit more grounded in history. They had a code of ethics and a way of living that is hard to imagine today.

[@NicdeGroot]

Red Shadow, though not dark, is a great homage to classic Ninja films. Samurai Fiction, its precursor, is one of my favorite samurai films and has memorable ninja moments. Azumi is one of the finest ninja period ninja films and also packs a punch.

[@BayushiGemma]

As a Ninja fan I too did find Red Shadow very enjoyable.

[@0631ix]

Just a suggestion: You could list all the films that you've previewed in the video, in the description, in order of appearance. It might be useful for the audience.

[@chocobros1]

Obelix Industries I wholeheartedly agree. That would be a huge help

[@THEBLACKBELT]

Obelix Industries Useful. But would risk his video being flagged for copyright reasons.

[@Pikero24]

He does have them in the captions and even mentions it in the video proper!

[@Isvoor]

Yup, every single movie is listed inside the video itself. Just turn on English captions.

[@0631ix]

True that, but if someone has just watched the whole video and wants to write down some film names, it's easier to just glance over a tidy list in description than watch whole 11 mins all over again, pausing at every new film's name.

[@ajwaddanwarr3409]

I'm so glad you made this video, I have been thinking about writing a script for a historically accurate ninja film. If you read their history, you realize there is a lot there

[@ZeroneAngel]

Idea: Get Christopher Nolan and Chad Stahelski to co-direct a screenplay, wich is developed by Jim Uhls, from Eric Van Lustbaders 1980 novel "Ninja". And get the film to actually be set in the late 70's.

[@roquesaturni2856]

ZeroneAngel beautiful!!!

[@Chbond00765]

Eric Van Lustbaders book was good. I really enjoyed The Way of the Ninja Master series from Wade Barker. Those books would make for an excellent movie.

[@PhilipZeplinDK]

Maaaan, this was a blast from the past! I used to LOVE those movies - probably the reason I got into Martial Arts at all!

[@joebigs2064]

As a big fan of marshal arts I believe that mma is the blame for the fall of ninja and marshal arts movies

[@75aces97]

The ninja was a great action film archetype. The costume was instantly recognizable, so you could see one and figure out what he/she was about, and since the costume was simple and full body, you could easily put a stunt double in the suit.

[@ALT3REDB3AST]

Warriors Way was a pretty cool movie with ninjas. The ending was EPIC!

[@clintongodsall9943]

The way you describe them, & the fall from grace to cannon fodder, I can't help but think The Star Wars equivalent to a ninja is the Stormtropper. If age is not a barrier. Donnie Yen is perfect person to play a Ninja. He could play a badass Ninja.

[@alhowell4732]

It is about time for another good, really action packed ninja movie, I would definitely pay to see it.

[@RenzoM2811]

Man, I love this channel!

[@stevewibble7467]

I think “Batman Begins” gave the genre some much needed kudos.

[@Eralen00]

I'd love to see a movie that accurately depicts historical Shinobi, who were primarily spies who only occasionally committed sabotage, and even less frequently, assassinations. They tried to blend in, not stand out, and did not wear the black jumpsuits (like most movies depict). The most popular (but not irrefutable) theory is that the black jumpsuits originate from Kabuki theater. They were worn by stage-hands who were supposed to be ignored by the audience.

[@CoinOpTV]

Go Ninja Go Ninja Go!

[@tacobellalugosi2527]

castle of owls ,is a legendary ninja film from the 60,s a huge must watch

[@thejoojoo9999]

So, historical inaccuracies are EXTREMELY common about the ninjas (and anyway it doesn't really matter, because action film ninjas are awesome), but if you want to learn a bit about who ninjas really were and what they did , go check The Metatron's videos on them, in which he explains what is historically correct and what is bullshit.

[@scheldonfernandesdeoliveir3876]

Of course ninja movies are historical inaccurates, ninjas never exist, like any fantasy we need make unrealistic

[@inakiiribarrenlineros8594]

+Mark Spada are you fucking stupid?

[@jachyra9]

Oh, I'm sorry. Is Metatron your husband?

[@inakiiribarrenlineros8594]

Mark Spada nope, just an honest question ;)

[@Umtree]

So glad I grew up with 80’s movies and toys. Ninja was such a common theme.

[@neoluthuli3254]

Before I finish this vid...Let me say I know a great martial artist actor who is not getting much support and he has made two good Ninja films named respectively Ninja 1 and Ninja shadow of a tear. Shadow of a tear being the superior one of cause he is Scott Adkins

[@Iggsy81]

his undisputed movies as boyka is his best work tho tbh

[@AgeofMachines]

Adkins has legit skills too. Glorious to watch on screen

[@Derpy1969]

Ninja in films have disappeared? How can you tell? Maybe they are exactly where they want to be?

[@GarfieldRex]

I liked a lot the Ninja attack in The Last Samurai

[@greytoeimp]

love your videos, man! they are really fun and retro, but also enlightening and highly relevant to film today. keep up the good work!

[@VideoDeadGaming]

Black is a terrible colour to wear to be stealthy at night. Green or blue is better

[@pvtrichter88]

OH mother of SHIT!! I'M been doing this wrong all these years !! LOL

[@VideoDeadGaming]

Yep, sorry everyone can see you

[@joejitsu034]

VideoDeadGaming I learned this the other day. Wearing dark blue makes you near invisible at night, even to most cctv. Black is too extreme & stands out.

[@misterguy2329]

Yeah, black is for shock/threat value. Like ISIS, or SWAT teams. You're trying to intimidate people with black. You want to be invisible, wear a camo pattern or at least a color found in your chosen setting.

[@goji3755]

I always wondered why everybody in the Underworld series wore black to try and blend in with the night when literally EVERYTHING AROUND THEM IS BLUE.

[@pledgestone]

I was a ninja fanatic back in the day. I became a life-long martial artist as a result.

[@jwnj9716]

Ninja Terminator is a masterpiece, name me any other Ninja Master with a Garfield Phone.

[@thunderbird66613]

Great video. There was a time like over 30 years ago where every kid wanted to grow up and be a Ninja!!!

[@Luckylukeproduction]

CAN YOU MAKE A MOVIE ON COMEDY COP MOVIES LIKE Rush Hour, Central Intelligence, Bad boys and lethal weapon????

[@StudioArtFX]

Funny that you mention Tenchu Stealth Assassin, one of my favorite games. A movie of *that* could do the job perfectly! I'm also glad you showed The Hunted. The final battle between Scott Adkins and Kane Kosugi is some of the best sword choreography I've ever seen. None of this cut every half second nonsense most modern films do, it has long takes where you can see the amazing skill on display.

[@Necropheliac]

Hi Rossatron, I agree with mostly everything you mentioned. Quite a good video. I've actually been writing a comic book and action TV pilot, with this subject matter, and I've got one major point of content that you didn't touch on. As I've been writing my universe, I've been studying a lot of these films and shows you've been talking about, and one major problem I see, with all of it, is that the writing is really not giving us a compelling story or characters. Full stop. What I mean is, every film, every show, every book, every story, should have some basic substance to the story, regardless of the genre or themes. Most of these Ninja films or content have very thin stories and characters, which they use as a basis for seeding a lot of visually interesting action sequences. They're developing the story as an excuse to get a bunch of ninjas and fighting on screen, rather than just writing an interesting story with compelling characters and themes. Ninja Assassin is probably the most earnest attempt at developing story and character, but still the story is thin, cliche, and doesn't really make sense in a lot of respects -- and to my point, even though Ninja Assassin was the most earnest attempt at story, the Wachowskis essentially did exactly what I'm saying, when they made that film. In comparison to the Matrix, it's just a flimsy ham-fisted attempt at story. I suspect that, if a serious Ninja movie, had put in the same effort and care, in creating a story, of something like Kill Bill, or Batman begins, it would be lauded by fans simply because it is an interesting story. When we see there's more substance behind something, we intuitively respect it, no matter what genre. I'd love to collaborate with you on this comic book/TV series I'm writing and get your take on it. Message me on here or email me, if you'd like to: [e-mail]

[@roquesaturni2856]

Jesse Greathouse well said. I'm also a writer and I agree with all you say. Doesn't matter the genre/style. A good history is a good history. V for vendetta for me is partially a ninja movie.

[@Orosian5]

I may be a little late for the inspiration, but I'd like to forward the TV pilot of 'The Last Ninja' (1983) for consideration. It is a favourite of mine, and was a great inspiration to me.

[@kurtlangberg6143]

You know, a good ninja movie (if done right) would be a Ninja Gaiden movie. That would be a ninja movie worth making right. And it would be an epic adult ninja flick.

[@zerubbabelsbridge]

Studios kill ninja films. Sho Kasugi said the studio messed with his original script for Ninja Assissin. Ego maniacs in suits ruin everything.

[@georgeisaak5321]

An awesome series of Ninja theme was "The Master" with Lee Van Cleef . I was a kid back then and still i remember it to this day , how cool it was . For a series from 1984 its standards were high enough .

[@Denver_Risley]

The costume makes for excellent fodder. The same five stuntmen can be an army of inept dolts. I have to question the hiring process all these super-villains use. Even in "Enter the Dragon" Han, who does not tolerate failure, surrounds himself with bumbling klutzes. It would be refreshing to see a villain in charge of truly competent killers.

[@bruceleeds7988]

see "The Raid"

[@zomfgroflmao1337]

If anyone is still (2 years later) interested in the dark and deadly ninja type, the 2009 manga Shinobi no Kuni oozes style and follows the deadliest ninja during the Japanese ninja wars.

[@ghosface353]

You show a few clips of it, but you never really talk about it. The Hunted is really good, and really bloody. Love that film. John Lone is really good as the villian, and Yoshio Harada is really good as the good ninja that protects Christopher Lambert. Lambert also never become a white saviour, as he pretty much never does anything until the end, and that is not even much. It's a little bit like the film you want, where the ninja are an horrific force, but of course it also go more in depth into the villain and the evil ninja clan. It's directed by J.F. Lawton who wrote Under Siege and Pretty Woman (also he wrote Dead Or Alive, which show how low his career went, I guess we can blame it on him creating the terrible Pamela Anderson tv-show V.I.P).

[@Rossatron]

Olyphantastic I just don't really think The Hunted is a good film. I wanted to go into it more as it is a concept, just in my opinion poorly executed, but I didn't want the video to be over-long. This is why when I say "there have been attempts over the years", I show The Hunted.

[@UnsatMarine]

Wait a minute...so what's the problem again? What do you mean "go into it more as it is a concept"? Sure the story wasn't great. But I think the director still did a excellent job of presenting the ninja in a realistic and modern way.

[@1979v]

G.I JOE depiction of ninja was quite good with snake eyes

[@DarrenJSeeley]

While I do have a guilty pleasure in The Hunted as well-mostly due to the music score featuring Kodo- I confess that by the film's end I was always tempted to shout "There can be only one!" BTW, Harada wasn't a ninja. He was a modern day samurai, and even adressed as such. But that bullet train sequence was good, even if the Makato ninja clan bended their own rules when Lone's Kinjo wasn't around. Really. When Kinjo does his kills he waits until others leave so the target is isolated, uses deception to gain entry into places and so on. His minons commit actions which gives the ninjas more exposure to the public. I didn't hate The Hunted, I enjoyed it overall,but I can understand the criticisms of it as well.

[@ProjectPaladin]

My personal favourite since I was a kid always was "Prey for Death" with Sho Kosugi and a little known flick from the Philippines called "Ninjas Force 2" aka "Double Edge". Both were on a VHS my brother made and I would ever so often snug into his room when he was gone and watch all sorts of movies. Those two especially. There was a time when one of my country's private TV channels broadcasted a Ninja movie every Friday morning, around 4 or 5 a.m. Movies like "Miami Connection" and the "American Ninja"-series, basically, everything that was somewhat adult, action-packed and had Ninjas in them. Not to mention the "The Last Ninja"-games series on my C64. ;-) Good times.

[@lordinquisitor6233]

I think they are considered a bit of a joke in most media and also they never behave like actual ninjas :like being actually stealthy

[@lordinquisitor6233]

It's partially to do with political correctness and the fact movies try to get a PG rating to avoid concerned parents

[@carlosvillicana2097]

Thomas Wightman I don't think it really has much to do with either of those tbh.

[@lordinquisitor6233]

Carlos Villicana fair enough what do you think

[@carlosvillicana2097]

There is a trend of blockbusters aiming for PG/PG-13, but I'd say it has more to do with having as wide of an audience as possible (to get more $), then it does Hollywood actually caring for the concerns of parents. As for political correctness, I'm just not sure what you meant there. How does that affect the fact that there aren't any ninja movies? I don't think being "politically correct" has made studios abandon character types that may be seen as stereotypical (like the ninja) since we still get those. It's probably got more to do with, as the video said, the ninja not being taken seriously and marketed as either a joke or for kids. The fact that ninja films aren't making cash, like superheroes are today, means people won't want to fund ninja films. And that's not even counting if there are creative people actually trying to make serious ninja films, which there very well may not be due to a lack of exposure to them as anything other than a joke or children's property.

[@lordinquisitor6233]

Carlos Villicana good evaluation

[@CrakaBakBlak]

The moment I saw the title the first thing that came to mind was Sho Kusugi.

[@ecayari]

What about Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow from GI Joe?

[@joejitsu034]

They were the only thing I liked about that film. Great characters & cool rivalry.

[@flavio-neri]

I also missed the ninjas in video games. I'm waiting for a new Ninja Gaiden for a long time. Btw, congrats! I enjoyed your video. You did it so well.

[@darkservantofheaven]

I've said it before, I'll say it again...but Scott Adkins was and still is my personal choice for Bruce Wayne. He even looks like Bruce Wayne in the video Game Arkham Origins.

[@antondzajajurca7797]

James Clavell's Shogun (staring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune), had one of the most mesmerizing ninja attack scenes.

[@robinhoodwasasocialist.1401]

The UFC killed the mystique of Flashy movie martial arts.

[@scheldonfernandesdeoliveir3876]

You never see the crocop movie?

[@ryklatortuga4146]

A ninja won UFC 3 outright... back in the day

[@Sazed0]

Only for people who can't suspend their disbelief. You're watching movies wrong if you think they need to be realistic.

[@robinhoodwasasocialist.1401]

I remember that. He wasn't wearing a ninja outfit and throwing around ninja stars though.

[@utubeisCensorred]

That's not wholly accurate or properly stated. The UFC showed that the best Martial arts in a real fight are Mauy Thai, Wrestling, and BJJ. They just work the best in as close to a real fight as we have in the sport of MMA. You can't win a fight against professional fighters doing purely Akido or Kung Fu. And they certainly wouldn't work in a street fight either. However, their have been UFC champions who used Karate style point fighting. Fighters like Lyoto Machida, who was briefly a champ, utilized a heavily flavored Karate style. And there are other guys who copy his way of striking from a medium distance. But, again.. time and time again, wrestling and BJJ are great ways to counter flashy martial arts that require stances. And Kick Boxing is just brutal and works to a fault. However, a Ninja movie isn't about a straight up fight. It's about a ambush predator who uses swords, and weapons to kill and maim, so you could still make it work. I do agree that MMA has pulled the veil off of the mystique of traditional Martial arts especially Kung Fu, but film fighting is still hyper realistic and not accurate to a street fight/ or MMA fight. MMA fights for example can be quite boring because of the rules and styles and not something people would want to watch anyway. I get bored watching the UFC sometimes so.. that's why we have films.

[@fountaincap]

I think a Predator-style ninja movie could work, but it would be told from the point of view of a group of samurai defending a village (this is starting to sound like The Seven Samurai). A mysterious client has ordered the assassination of the samurai and the ninjas keep managing to pick off one of them at a time, just like in Predator or a slasher movie. It would emphasize how, despite their battlefield skill, samurai are not trained or equipped to fight indoors against dirty guerilla tactics. The ninjas would be rarely seen or heard, apart from their kills, making them akin to monsters in a horror movie. There's also great potential for a movie from the ninjas' perspective. Let's say they've been contracted to take out a very powerful samurai or daimyo who has defenses and guards up the ass. This one would play more like a heist movie, where the ninjas are the underdogs and you root for this ragtag group of assassins fighting against impossible odds.

[@IceTeaGrenade]

Does Kill Bill count?

[@arbhall7572]

no, I wouldnt count them as ninja.

[@dragonstone6594]

You mean the Crazy 88 gang? They were Yakuza.

[@osamabad3597]

Martial arts films in general disappeared. We have MMA to thank for that. Once people saw how real fighting looked, it all started to look fake

[@abadyr_]

Ninja are aimed at kids because our mainstream conception of them is too obviously ludicrous to be taken seriously anymore

[@dtothee8730]

I blame Hollywood and TMNT for that.

[@misterguy2329]

TMNT is not to blame for ninjas not being taken seriously. TMNT is a symptom of that, meaning ninjas were already ripe to parody when TMNT showed up.

[@Amonny]

Those 70's and 80's Hong Kong ninja movies were the best. I mean the worst. But the best!

[@blaxicanx]

It's 50% overused caricatures and 50% fear of cultural appropriation imo.

[@linewalker]

Thanks for another recommendation! I haven't seen Ninja Assassin since it was first released in theatres. Time to pay it another visit ☺

[@connerycaptain1387]

Since Caucasians turn Ninja, RIP

[@johnhill5855]

Make Eric van Lustbader books turned to film, Black Heart, the Miko, and then the Ninja Trilogy...

[@TheKersey475]

Simple, the Ninjas all retreated into video games like Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, etc.

[@Rossatron]

TheKersey475 had it been longer I would have loved to delve into Ninja games, but alas at 11 mins I felt best to keep it manageable. I used to love Tenchu, Ninga Gaiden and recently Revengeance and Mark of the Ninja. Perhaps for a future video.

[@KnjazNazrath]

I was making Tenchu 2 levels whenmy friends were playing MGS2. Such a shame it only had one more good game after that before becoming tepid. Also, revengeance had the best boss fight I've had in any game, with possibly the only Metal Gear character cool enough to go by his real name.

[@ilyasasilgaly2744]

Don't forget the best one: Mark of the Ninja.

[@JmanRising]

Ninja gaiden and Tenchu are dead unfortunately though. And it doesn't look like MGR is getting a sequel anytime soon.

[@vojinvmilojkovic7622]

Ninja Assassin was amazingly surprisingly fantastic watch great video Ros (like always tbh, always make me thing on topics you present)

[@ithinkimaybelosingit]

The only true ninja: Richard Harrison and his awesome 'tache.

[@Strideo1]

"Our silver ninja empire was destroyed by the purple ninjas many years ago. I am going to... challenge them."

[@redcomet_622]

ithinkimaybelosingit but what about his Garfield phone

[@ithinkimaybelosingit]

It is the sign of a true Ninja. Only the most supreme Ninja has the Garfield phone.

[@redcomet_622]

ithinkimaybelosingit that's how you defeat the evil ninja empire is just by picking up your Garfield phone

[@tHeFloW]

You goon!

[@prashantchourasia4851]

As we take movies for entertainment purpose.......NINJA ASSASSIN is the best I've ever seen!!

[@chocobros1]

was Alien vs Ninja good? Haven't seen that yet

[@KosmataBradva]

Best one ever.

[@REAL6]

Great B movie

[@AvsJoe]

Forgettable. Not bad per se but not memorable in any way.

[@cavemancult1999]

It's softcore porn

[@deviousarmada1712]

There is a book called “The Shinobi Conspiracy at Izu Harbor” by Chad Huskins extremely accurately constructed top tier recommendation available through Amazon and Kindle

[@LikeStoriesofOld]

I don't know too much about ninja's but weren't they sort of the counterpart to the Samurai? With the Samurai following a strict code of honor and the ninja's being more of a guerilla sneaky, sabotaging, assassinating bunch? It does seem like an interesting genre that is ready to be revitalized (Ninja Begins!), thanks for the video!

[@kalebsantos72]

Like Stories of Old samurai had no word of honor

[@FranzPerez21]

Samurai is essentially just a word for people in the high-up warrior class who were trained in the arts of war. The code of honor was an ideal but not a necessity, like chivalry in Europe. Ninja could belong to any class, and were often also samurai, but like you say, they were more like "commandos" or "spec ops", engaging in sabotage, infiltration, espionage, guerilla tactics, terrorism, and assassination. The idea that samurai were more "honorable" than ninja is a revisionist look at it, as the samurai weren't all that honorable and the ninja were often very loyal to their commanders, which isn't what their "for-hire" reputation would have you believe.

[@ProjectExMachina]

Like Stories of Old I think that old Japan is too romanticised. My view is that samurai were your regular medieval feudal lords while ninjas were your regular medieval cutthroats. Time and distance romanticise everything, especially if it comes from other side of globe.

[@FranzPerez21]

darko99x yeah pretty much this

[@lordinquisitor6233]

darko99x well we've made medieval Europe more brutal perhaps we can do the same for Japan

[@jamescampbell39]

The Last Ninja was a tv movie pilot for a series it is a guilty pleasure to watch and many martial arts movie fans love it.

[@marvellousm]

A recent disappointment for me was Ninja Apocalypse that had a promising cast but it was a very cheaply made knockoff of The Warriors. One that I really enjoy is the Hong Kong film Ninja in the Dragon's Den which does a fantastic job combining Ninja action with kung fu. I think one of the ways that ninja were really devalued in movies was because it became an easy way to disguise that you're using the same stunt people over and over. It probably seemed like a budget-friendly smart move at the time but it definitely made the Ninja look like a bunch of geeks lining up to be killed. I also wouldn't be surprised if another reason we don't see many movies with Ninja as heroes is because they don't want to cover up the face of their star. Even though Scott Adkins isn't known that well outside of action fandom he's still enough of a name to headline a b-feature. It's probably a very outdated idea that you MUST show the hero's face in order to connect with them but I would also reckon it is definitely a mindset many filmmakers still operate under. I love your idea of Ninja as a horror antagonist, I would be all about seeing a Ninja be that badass, menacing and dangerous. Also, don't forget Miami Connection!

[@ghossler]

Loved every ninja movie or reference u made in the video! Great job!