Ninjas have been a part of Japanese folklore for centuries, but they became popular in the west during the 1980s and 90s because of the ninja movies that were released – most notably with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. If you are a ninja movie fan, you might be looking for a classic or upcoming ninja movie to enjoy that’s not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Enlisted below are the best ninja movies to watch at the moment.
The Five Elements Ninja (1982)
Chang Cheh, also known as The Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema, directed this movie and many other martial arts films. The Five Elements Ninja (See IMDB) is a Chinese movie based on revenge. Two warring clan leaders bring their best fighters to a tournament to fight against each other.
One clan loses badly, so it hires a group of Japanese ninjas, who use five natural elements in their martial art techniques, to defeat the victorious clan. These ninjas defeat the other clan and plan to destroy its remnants. One member of the clan survives the ninja attack, and escapes to learn the techniques of ninjas to take his revenge. After some time, he comes back with his three sworn brothers to get rid of these unstoppable ninjas…
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)
This movie (see here) is like Romeo and Juliet with a ninja twist. Two clans, Koga and Iga, are true enemies of each other, and they have been living in the mountains for years to sharpen their skills. Their current leaders fall in love with each other, and plan to unite their clans.
However, the Lord of the Lords realises that this union can put his rule in danger due to the powerful ninjas both clans have. So he uses hidden tactics to stir up hostility between both clans. He tells both clans to have a five-on-five fight between the best fighters of both clans. His motive behind this battle is to get rid of their best fighters, as the losing clan’s fighters are ordered to be killed on the spot. An unusual film, but one you should enjoy. I think it’s one of the best ninja movies to watch.
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
Directed by Isaac Florentine, the movie Ninja: Shadow of a Tear is based on revenge by a martial artist, Casey, whose pregnant wife has been murdered by a group of muggers. He gets help of his wise friend to take his martial art skills to the next level to exact revenge.
Casey’s life motto is to ‘fight everyone and trust no one’. When he starts his journey and thinks that he is about to catch his prey, an unexpected twist happens and makes him realise that he truly cannot trust anyone…
Ninjai: The Little Ninja
Ninjai: The Little Ninja is a movie about to be launched in the next few weeks, which is directed and written by The Ninja Gang.
This well made animated movie is based around a mysterious little boy with no name who explores the world to try and uncover his true self. The boy looks all innocent to the untrained eye, but his inner warrior bursts into life when he is thrown into battle.
He comes across many enemies and friends during his journey, and he has a rather unusual best friend – a little bird – who is his companion throughout his journey. Check out https://little-ninjai.medium.com/ for more details…
Looking for more ideas. Why not watch the Jesse Stone movies in order?
Last Updated: April 21, 2022
