I almost did not write this article because I thought that there was no way Ninja Scroll did not get its just due. And for Generation X, that is true. Yet, when I talked to Gen Z, who are more into anime and Manga than American comic and heroes, most had not even heard of this classic movie.

I wondered how this could be, and I theorize it’s the way modern anime fans consume the medium. Most of the popular anime have a corresponding Manga comic that does a great job of creating excitement, lore, and fear of missing out. Not to rag on any modern anime and Manga creator- since they are obviously better writers than American hacks- but I also notice that the popular anime are far more tamed and usually in long, series form.

Most of Gen Z don’t know the early days of anime and Manga where your search took you into seedy back-alley stores and smoke-filled bodega’s that had bootleg copies of these violent cartoons you only heard about through whispers. Often times you had to watch these pirated movies in pure Japanese with no subtitles. We were making up the storylines to Fist of the Northstar, Akira, Spriggan, Devilman, Vampire Hunter D and, of course, Ninja Scroll.

It wasn’t until my late teens that I finally saw Ninja Scroll in English and realized it was better than even I had imagined.

Plot:

Most people remember Ninja Scroll just for the epic violence. Directed by the legendary Yoshiaki Kawajiri, his specific art style lends itself to memorable stylistic violence. Don’t believe me; check out Wicked City, or Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. But Ninja Scroll is more than just great fight scenes.

The story follows Kibagami Jubei, a mercenary who we find out is more honorable than his profession. The movie even begins with three thugs confronting Jubei for taking a job aiding a poor village they were trying to extort for gold.

And gold is the catalyst for this movie. I realized later that I was way off on this intricate storyline as a child making it up in my head. Ninja Scroll takes place in the Edo period of Japan under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Yamashiro clan had found a gold mine that they kept secret and sent gold as protection payment to the Shogun of the Dark. The Shogun of the Dark intends to use that gold to buy advanced weapons to overthrow the government.

When the gold shipment runs aground in a storm, the Shogun of the Dark sends in the Eight Devils of Kimon, supernatural ninjas, to return the gold and maintain its secrecy. The Devils orchestrate a fake plague by killing a nearby village that sends the townspeople scurrying away from the wreckage.

Hearing of the deaths, the  Mochizuki clan, who are loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate, send in their crack ninja team to investigate.

This team is massacred by the Eight Devils, with only Kagero, the female ninja, surviving, although she is captured by one of the Eight, a monster named Tessai who can turn his body to solid rock.

Left unconscious, Tessai attempts to rape Kagero, until he is interrupted by Jubei. As a traveling mercenary, Jubei did not have to involve himself but decides to save Kagero anyway. When Tessai turns to rock, the clever Jubei notices not every part of his body is covered in the substance as he flings a dart into Tessai’s eye. This gives Jubei and Kagero time to escape.

Kagero has a troubled backstory. As a poison taster for the Mochizuki clan, she has not grown close to a person, as now her very touch is poisonous. She is less than grateful for Jubei’s rescue, and the two go their separate ways.

Of course, Tessai was not just going to let his maiming go, and he tracked down Jubei. The two trade attacks with Jubei getting the worst of it, until we see Tessai’s stone skin begin to crumble. When I was young, I always thought it was Jubei’s attack that weakened Tessai’s armor, but after seeing it dubbed, I realized it was Kagero’s poisonous skin that allowed the mercenary to strike the killing blow.

But there are Eight Devils of Kimon, and Jubei had just killed one.

This gains the attention of another Devil named Benisato, a snake-charming demon, who finds Jubei soaking in a hot spring to tend his wounds from the fight. There, she nearly kills the ninja until she is interrupted by Dakuan, who pierces Jubei’s shoulder with a shuriken to break him from Benisato’s trance.

As Benisato escapes by shedding her skin, Dakuan tries to hire Jubei. He is from the Tokugawa Shogunate sent to investigate the area, but Jubei refuses to help. That is, until Dakuan tells him that the shuriken he stuck Jubei with was poisonous. Help him, and he will give Jubei the antidote.

While this is going on, Kagero makes it back to the Mochizuki and tells the leader that all of his ninja team were killed by the super-powered assailants. While banging some busty lady, the Mochizuki leader nonchalantly sends Kagero back into the field to dig up more evidence.

While Jubei and Dakuan travel together, Dakuan brings Jubei up to date by telling him that the Eight Devils of Kimon are led by a man named Himuro Gemma. Here we get more of Jubei’s backstory. He used to work for the Yamashiro clan until Gemma forced his men to turn on each other to hide the discovered mine. To protect himself, Jubei was forced to kill his friends and he cut off Gemma’s head in revenge. It seemed impossible that Gemma would be alive to lead the Devils of Kimon.

When Kagero saves Jubei’s life from another Benisato trap, the three ninja work together to discover the motive behind the Eight Devil’s and the plans for the shipwrecked gold. I am being purposefully vague because Ninja Scroll is a movie that should be seen, not told to. Trust me.

Why is it Toxic?

For years, high-minded people dismissed anime as a form of storytelling because of its medium. But anyone who watched it growing up knows you can find the same heroic traits and grand storytelling in any anime movie that you would in Hollywood, especially in modern times. Jubei is honorable, loyal, smart, determined, kind, and sympathetic to his allies and the people. If you are going into battle, you would want Jubei by your side. These traits are on full display when he eventually melts Kagero’s cold heart and gives her the opportunity to experience true love. Jubei’s determination is on full display throughout the movie as he constantly puts his life on the line to survive many traps and battles each Devil to finally confront Gemma. You can do worse than having your kids look up to Kibagami Jubei, who possesses all the traits of a true hero.

You can watch the entire film for free at the Internet Archive here.

Fun fact. In 1997 Marvel released a ninja comic called Psylocke and Archangel: Crimson Dawn, that has characters that look sneakily familiar. 

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