Befitting how ingrained it is into Japanese history and pop culture, ninja anime is one of the most popular subsets of anime around. The cultural appeal and folklore surrounding ninjas allow for a lot of creativity in the stories that utilize them, and the occasions where anime and manga can use real-life ninjas add an extra layer of charm to their overarching narratives, as well.

There have been a lot of ninja anime over the years, and there’s always a surprising amount of variety to them. Whether it’s a story set in modern-day or back when ninjas were still a genuine thing, and whether it’s a serious story or something more comedic, the best ninja anime are always the ones that have an interesting take on the basic concept, and having great visuals and direction is always a positive, as well.

Naturally, some ninja anime have done a better job of standing out through this than others, and those ones are all plenty worth highlighting.

15

Brave 10

Anime Series by Studio Sakimakura; Based on the Manga by Kairi Shimotsuki

Brave 10 is best described as “Naruto without Naruto”, as it echoes many of the latter’s hallmarks: characters with emphasized quirkiness, fanciful superpowers, and lots of fighting sequences. This historical fantasy follows Saizo Kirigakure, a former Iga ninja who finds himself working as a bodyguard for a priestess named Isanami. The two get recruited by the samurai Yukimura Sanada to fill out his “10 Braves”, a group of ninja who help him protect his territory, as well as the secret power within Isanami. Opposing them are a variety of other historically-inspired villains, including Ieyasu Tokugawa and Hanzo Hattori.

TMS Entertainment produced a 12-episode series in 2012. Disappointingly, the run only covers a small part of Kairi Shimotsuki’s original manga, which ran for eight volumes before receiving a nine volume sequel. Nonetheless, with this brevity, the adaptation provides a short and sweet complement to Naruto. Even Saizo is an absolute delight, as his brooding, black-haired appearance makes him resemble Sasuke Uchiha. For those with an afternoon to spare, Brave 10 might be worth checking out, especially since all its episodes have been officially uploaded to YouTube.

14

Ninja Slayer

Anime Series by Trigger; Based on the Novel Series By Bradley Bond & Philip Morzez

This Original Net Animation (ONA) is the definition of “deranged”. Relishing in its excess and absurdity, Ninja Slayer nominally shows Kenji Fujikido’s quest for revenge against the “evil ninja” who killed his family – the titular Ninja Slayer battles with bugmen, cyborgs with towering pillar heads, and villains named “Demolition Ninja” or “Hugeshuriken”, while aided by a collection of female sidekicks whose proportions and outfits parody the clichés of 90s anime.

Trigger’s sense of humor might be hit-or-miss, as they often poorly animate the 10-minute episodes for the sake of parody, which could cause some potential audiences to look the other way, and the frequent sexual harassment aimed at one of the female characters might not sit well either. It’s a far cry from their critically-acclaimed drama like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Nonetheless, the ONA exudes pure fun: seeing the characters move to and fro like paper-cut outs, while the voice actors use their most dramatic performances is sure to put a smile on one’s face. Ninja Slayer is an exhilarating once-in-a-lifetime experience that must be seen to be believed.

13

Blackfox

Original Anime Movie By 3Hz

Produced by 3Hz, Blackfox is what you get when you portray a superhero origin story with ninjas. It follows Rikka Isurugi, who uses the ninja training and robotic pets passed down to her by her family to hunt down the people who stole their research.

Despite being a Japanese production, its aesthetic feels lifted out of a Western comic, as Rikka explores an American-style city, and her struggle with revenge is familiar to any fan of comics like Batman. Thanks to it unknowingly aping such comic conventions, Blackfox is a bit of a curiosity as an animated film.

12

Ninja Ryukendan

Based on the Videogame Series By Tecmo

While its title may not give it away, this is actually a sequel to the Ninja Gaiden trilogy for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which follows the “Dragon Ninja” Ryu Hayabusa and Robert Sturgeon’s last adventure as they stop the resurrection of the Evil God again. There are plenty of things to be fascinated about this Original Video Animation: its slick animation, its relation to a video game from decades past, or how it’s a snapshot of the world during the 1990s. Anime aficionados or video game diehards owe it to themselves to watch Ninja Ryukendan for its place in animation history.

11

Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl

Original Anime Series By Madhouse & Akitaro Daichi

Jubei-chan is something of a cult classic, thanks to its outlandish premise. 300 years after Jubei Yagyu’s death, his skills are passed on to Jiyu Nanohana via a magic eye patch. Every time she puts it on, she transforms her into a ninja alter-ego, who has to fight off the Ryujouji School, which is intent on defeating Jubei’s latest incarnation. The resulting series is a send-up of the magical girl formula, where the heroine transforms into a ninja, with the use of a “cute” eye patch, while she is aided by pushy grown man rather than a cute mascot.

While the anime is farcical in its first half, with a number of characters that verging caricature, it does become more dramatic in the latter half as it begins to examine the severity of the Ryujouji feud and the effect it has on Jiyu’s life and her family. Madhouse would go on to produce a second season in 2004, which doubles down on both the drama and the comedy. While female ninjas have come and gone, none have replicated Jubei-chan’s formula.

10

Ayakashi Triangle

Anime Series by Connect; Based on the Manga By Kentaro Yabuki

Kentaro Yabuki is already well-known for his romantic comedy To Love Ru, and Ayakashi Triangle has all the same trademarks, albeit with ninjas. This urban fantasy revolves around Matsuri Kazamari, a ninja who exorcises ayakashi, the local supernatural threat. His troubles begin after defeating the ayakashi Shirogane, who uses the last of his strength to curse the ninja into physically transforming into a girl. The story follows his efforts juggling ayakashi exorcisms, finding a way to remove his curse, and his budding romance with lead heroine Suzu as the two deal with expectations of gender identities.

The best thing about Ayakashi Triangle is how it manages to ensure its female protagonists remain combat capable, even at its most risqué: Matsuri’s never reduced to a joke even after being transformed into a girl, and Suzu finds effective ways of fighting. The willingness of the manga to sincerely grapple with LGBTQIA themes is also a breath of fresh air given the frequency of anime to fall back on stereotypes. While Studio Connect’s adaptation was delayed due to COVID-19, it’s thankfully back on the air again.

9

In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki

Anime Series by CloverWorks; Based on the Manga By Sōichirō Yamamoto

Kunoichi Tsubaki is what you’d get if Naruto was a slice-of-life comedy. The eponymous Tsubaki is a student of Akane Class, an isolated group of female ninjas-in-training, who one day discover the existence of men and begin to question where they’ve gone, so she can find one for herself. While this sounds like the starting point of a boy-meets-girl romance, it quickly falls into the background, while the story instead follows the day-to-day antics of the very large ensemble cast as they bounce off each other while going about their lives as ninja students.

CloverWorks’ adaptation of the vignettes makes for a charming experience about what a ninja’s ordinary life might look like. All the classic ninja imagery popularized in Naruto is amusingly redeployed by Tsubaki and her peers for mundane activities like skipping class or stealing extra portions for lunch, though there are also plenty of action sequences to prevent it from getting too saccharine. For those wanting a break from seeing ninjas in epic battles for the fate of the world, and want something with lower stakes, all episodes of In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki are currently available on Crunchyroll.

8

Under Ninja Has A Hilarious Take On Ninja Action

Anime series by Tezuka Productions; Based on the manga by Kengo Hanazawa

In the world of Tezuka Productions’ Under Ninja, ninjas never died out, and while they fell out of prominence after the Pacific War, they’ve continued to operate in secret well into modern-day. One such ninja is Kuro Kumogakure, a talented ninja who’s been out of work for some time, but he’s now received a new assignment to infiltrate a local high school in preparation for a surge of foreign assassins.

Under Ninja is a fairly new anime, but it’s a great series, nonetheless. Under Ninja‘s comedic take on ninja action makes every episode a hilarious watch from start to finish, and the way it balances things out with great action and character writing works to take that even further. There are plenty of great comedic anime focused on ninja, and Under Ninja is one that truly stands out from the crowd.

7

Ninja Kamui Was An Incredible Debut For A New Anime Studio

Anime series by E&H Production; Directed by Sunghoo Park

E&H Production’s Ninja Kamui stars Higan, a former ninja who left his clan to live with his family in peace. When Higan’s family is brutally killed, Higan must come out of retirement to avenge their deaths by destroying his former clan and the people who made him retire in the first place.

Ninja Kamui is the first full-length anime by E&H Production, and it’s an incredible watch. Owing to its clear John Wick inspiration, Ninja Kamui is filled to the brim with intense and gorgeously animated action in every episode, and the animation ends up easily being Sunghoo Park’s best work since Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Ninja Kamui shows that E&H Production has a lot of promise as a studio, and anyone looking for something that’s mostly just straightforward action with a little bit of heart and charm won’t be disappointed.

6

Gatchaman Crowds Has A Unique Spin On A Classic Anime

Anime series by Tatsunoko Production; Based on the anime by Tatsuo Yoshida

Tatsunoko Production’s Gatchaman Crowds is a reboot of the classic anime franchise Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. In this iteration of the series, Hajime Ichinose is the newest member of the Gatchamen, also known as the G-Crew, a group of humans and aliens tasked with protecting humanity from evil aliens called MESS, and as expected, there’s far more to everything than there originally seems.

With an engaging cast and unique visuals, animation, and storytelling, Gatchaman Crowds does a great job of modernizing the original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman franchise, and old and new fans alike are sure to get a lot out of it. The series isn’t much of a ninja anime in the traditional sense, even less so than the original anime, but the basic concept is still there, and that doesn’t detract from how engaging a show it is, from start to finish.

5

Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku

Anime Series by MAPPA; Based on the Manga By Yuji Kaku

Jigokuraku is worth mentioning as a recent standout example of ninja fiction that’s willing to take a dive into the horror genre. The story follows Gabimaru the Hollow, a ninja on death row. As execution attempts fail due to his durable body, he is given a new choice: join nine other criminals with death sentences to explore the deadly Kotaku Island, find the elixir of immortality, and return with a full pardon. What follows is part-battle royale and part-supernatural mystery as Gabimaru finds allies among the various killers, and discovers the source of the Island’s monsters.

Jigokuraku is a change of pace, with its visceral horror and cast of miscreants inhabiting a dark interpretation of Edo-era Japan. That, and the fact it is being adapted by MAPPA made it a highly anticipated show for the 2023 spring season. The studio once again proves its chops with stylish art direction, accompanied by gorgeous renderings of Kotaku Island’s jungles and monsters. While the second season of Jigokuraku has already been announced, the manga is already finished at 127 chapters. The first season is available on Crunchyroll under the title Hell’s Paradise.

4

Basilisk

Anime Series by Gonzo; Based on the Manga By Futaro Yamada & Masaki Segawa

Also known as Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, this anime by Gonzo has been nicknamed “Romeo and Juliet with ninjas” for good reason. This story depicts the Iga and Kouga as rival ninja clans with a bitter history. When Ieyasu Tokugawa asks both sides to select their 10 best ninjas and represent his two sons in a shadow war to determine the next Shogun that will lead the country, the powder keg is finally lit, and the two clans fight to settle things once and for all, despite their leaders, Gennosuke and Oboro, being in love and seeking only peace.

This battle to the death milks the story for all the tragedy it’s worth and remains unpredictable until the very end as the large cast of characters strategically picks each other off with a variety of special powers that would not be out of place in Naruto. Despite the body count, the anime manages to find time to inject enough characterization into its cast to make their inevitable ends sadder still.

3

Batman Ninja Is One Of DC’s Most Underrated Animated Films

Film by Kamikaze Douga & YamatoWorks; Based on the character by Bill Finger & Bob Kane

Kamikaze Douga and YamatoWorks’ Batman Ninja is a CG anime film that sees Batman and his friends and enemies accidentally sent back in time to feudal Japan. After Batman’s various gadgets fail to help him against the Joker and Gorilla Grodd, he realizes that he can only win by embracing the tools of the time and fully immerses himself in the way of the ninja to take down his foes and find a way home.

Batman Ninja‘s willingness to embrace the sillier aspects of Batman and the DC Universe adds a lot of sincerity to its story, and with its stellar 3D animation, every scene is great to watch, no matter the tone. There are few Batman movies as great as Batman Ninja, and with the upcoming sequel, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League, it will hopefully begin to gain the recognition it deserves.

2

Ninja Scroll

Original Anime Movie By Madhouse, JVC, Toho and Movic

This animated movie, which is often seen in lists for “best anime”, follows a wandering ronin named Jubei Kibagami, who, after rescuing the female ninja Kagero, finds himself unwillingly recruited to kill the Eight Devils of Kimon, a team of ninjas who are supporting anti-government forces that are preparing for a coup. After being poisoned to ensure his compliance with the promise of an antidote, Jubei has to hunt down all eight ninjas before his time runs out, while armed only with his sword and his wits. In 2003, Madhouse, which was involved in the movie also released a TV sequel, known simply as Ninja Scroll: The Series.

The influence this film had during the wave of anime being introduced to the West in the 90s is monumental. It was one of Yoshiki Kawariji’s many films that showed new audiences how the medium could be pushed to the limit with gorgeous artwork and mature storylines, even if it also created the stereotype that all anime was over the top and extremelely violent. Nonetheless, before Naruto took the world by storm, Ninja Scroll was the seminal ninja movie, and decades later, it’s still held in high regard among anime fans for its hand-drawn artistry.

1

Naruto Is Still Anime’s Most Iconic Ninja Story

Anime Series by Studio Pierrot; Based on the Manga by Masashi Kishimoto

Studio Pierrot’s Naruto stars Naruto Uzumaki, a hyperactive young boy ostracized by his ninja village for being the vessel of the deadly Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Naruto seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his village, and earn everyone’s respect, and his journey to do so ends up putting him at the center of one potentially world-ending conflict after another.

Naruto is one of the most iconic anime of all time, and for good reason. The relatable and engaging nature of Naruto and his supporting cast is one thing, but even more than that, Naruto‘s take on the world of ninjas always makes for vivid and over-the-top action, much of which is still among the best in anime decades later. There are very few anime quite like Naruto, and that’s what makes it the best ninja anime, without question.