The 90s Historical Fantasy Anime That Inspired The Matrix Is Now Streaming

Released in 1993 and arriving stateside in 1995, Ninja Scroll is the gorgeously animated tale of feudal Japan, as three thrown-together companions, the female ninja Kagero, Jubei, the former ninja turned mercenary, and Dakuan, a spy willing to use underhanded tactics to help save his people. Following the massacre of a village and the theft of a gold shipment, they set off to take down Himuro Gemma, an evil ninja leading a group of devils for the sole purpose of throwing Japan into a state of chaos under the thrall of the mysterious Shogun in the Dark.

While Ninja Scroll isn’t a hit for its originality, on the surface, it bears a striking resemblance to the similarly themed Wrath of the Ninja; it’s a standout for the quality of its animation and stunning fight sequences. The stereotypical main characters are exactly what you’d expect from a historical ninja anime. Still, once you see the horrifying and beautiful way they dispatch the villain, you’ll understand the film’s appeal.

I didn’t watch Ninja Scroll when it first came out, which is good, as I was a little young for the subplot of Kagero’s body is so filled with poisons that her kiss can kill a man, but I do remember the multiple ads plastered through the Marvel comics of the day (it was the Age of Apocalypse-era!). As for who did watch it, well, that includes the Wachowskis, who adopted the visual style of the film for The Matrix, which you can see in the flowing trenchcoats and bullet-ballet of the famous lobby shootout.

The siblings were so impressed by Ninja Scroll that they brought on its creator and director, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, for The Animatrix, the anime collection of shorts that takes place between the first and second movies. Kawajiri wrote and directed The Program short for the collection.

Ninja Scroll’s distinct and gorgeous style made it a cult classic, and that’s partly thanks to the work of Madhouse, the same animation studio behind Overlord and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End today. They were also involved in Ninja Scroll: The Series, which came out in 2003 and is the sequel to the ground-breaking original film. Though it retains a lot of the same production staff and includes the same sense of style and fluidity, the anime series wasn’t as successful as the film.

REVIEW SCORE

Thanks to the paper-thin narrative, Ninja Scroll lives and dies by the success of its animation, which I think is still some of the best in the industry’s history. It’s not for everyone, as again, there’s blood and some adult themes throughout, but if you don’t mind turning off your brain and enjoying the gorgeous fight choreography, you can do a lot worse, even now, than the 90s cult classic ninja anime.

While it’s hard to find Ninja Scroll today, Ninja Scroll: The Series is on Amazon Prime Video and Crunchyroll.