Ninja Scroll

Original title: Jûbê ninpûchô

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

42K

YOUR RATING

A vagabond swordsman is aided by a beautiful ninja girl and a crafty spy in confronting a demonic clan of killers - with a ghost from his past as their leader - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.

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Adult Animation Anime Dark Fantasy Samurai Seinen Action Adventure Animation Fantasy Thriller

A vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.A vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.A vagabond swordsman is aided by a kunoichi and a spy in battling a demonic clan of killers - led by a ghost from his past - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

42K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win

Kagero
(voice)

Takeshi Aono

Dakuan
(voice)

Osamu Saka

Masked Samurai
(voice)

Daisuke Gôri

Genma Himuro
(voice)

Ichirô Nagai

Doujin
(voice)

Ryûzaburô Ôtomo

Tessai
(voice)

Akimasa Ohmori

Shijima
(voice)
(as Akimasa Ômori)

Gara Takashima

Benisato
(voice)

Katsuji Mori

Hanza
(voice)

Yûsaku Yara

Genpachi
(voice)

Norio Wakamoto

Mujuro Utsutsu
(voice)

Toshihiko Seki

Yurimaru
(voice)

Masako Katsuki

Zakuro
(voice)

Reizô Nomoto

Mushizo
(voice)

Jun'ichi Sugawara

Shinkuro
(voice)
(as Junichi Sugawara)

Katsumi Suzuki

Villager
(voice)

Shûichirô Moriyama

Chamberlain
(voice)

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Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
The film is a tribute to the works of Japanese author Fûtarô Yamada, who throughout the sixties wrote many historical novels about ninjas.

Goofs
When Doujin (the leader of the bandits on the bridge) raises his wooden hand to shoot Jubei, the details on the hand that indicate that it is man-made (ie. exposed joints) are missing from the first two shots in which it appears.

Quotes
[Jubei runs to a mortally wounded Kagero]
Jubei: Don't die! Kagero!
Kagero: [weakly] Jubei...
Jubei: I told you to stay there!
Kagero: I owed you a favour... remember, Jubei?
Jubei: [gasps]
Kagero: [tearfully] It was the first time... anyone ever treated me as a woman, and not, not as a ninja warrior who was completely expendable. I knew I would become more attracted to you if we stayed together, but I needed that from you - please forgive me, I'm sorry. You were the only person who didn't care about my poisoned soul! Whether for an antidote, or just from compassion. I wish we could have made love just, just once!
[cries as Jubei embraces her tightly]
Kagero: I was not honest, I was weak. I... needed... you!
Jubei: No... it's not over yet!
[They kiss. Kagero takes off her headband and gives it to Jubei]
Kagero: Oh, Jubei... I'm so glad I met you and I'm, I'm happy... I...
[dies]

Alternate versions
The Norwegian VHS released by Polygram Video in late 90s contained the English dub, was uncut and was rated 18. It was released without subtitles, a practice that was very uncommon in Norway where foreign movies released on VHS were normally subtitled in its native language.

Connections
Featured in Masters of Fantasy: The Anime Filmmakers (1998)

Soundtracks
Somewhere, Faraway, Everyone Is Listening to a Ballad
Composed and performed by Ryôhei Yamanashi
Lyrics by Sho Jitsukawa
Arranged by Hiroshi Shinkawa

User reviews136

Review

Featured review

10/10

The Godfather of classic samurai/ninja Anime

Ninja Scroll is definetly one of the biggest gems when it comes to traditional-ninja-mythology Anime. The story isn't too complicated but gives each character enough room to unfold their very own personality and ambitions. The pacing of this movie is perfectly balanced between smashing action scenes and calm dialogues. The great combination of sound fx music dark imagery create an absolutely fantastic mystic vibe so you can click in at any time and I guarantee you'll find yourself in a beautiful piece of art. The fight scenes are to this day one of the best the Anime genre has ever produced. Since every character has their own special set of abilities, skills and tricks every fight turns out to be a unique battle between masters of their very own art. Especially the diversity of the villains give the fights a nice kind of variety. Overall this is just a fantastic classic Anime movie with big impact to this day and an absolute must see for every true Anime fan.