Summary
Ninja anime often blends historical roots with supernatural elements, creating unique and flashy stories. Naruto is one of the most popular ninja anime, about a young ninja who strives to become the leader and hero of his village, despite his desire for peace that conflicts with his traditional role as a shinobi. Other notable ninja anime include Nabari no Ou, Ninja Scroll, Flame of Recca, and Basilisk, each of which offers ninja stories with a mix of action, drama, and history.
With Under Ninja now airing, depicting hidden ninjas in modern Japan, fans may want to revisit some of the series Best anime about ninjas. These stealthy, deadly characters date back to feudal Japan, where they were used for infiltration, spying, and even assassination. To carry out this work, they are trained in ninjutsu: the art of ensuring that one’s presence is undetectable.
In the centuries since, ninjas have taken on a sensational image, with many variations on their historical images. Mystical arts and supernatural arcane arts are common in these stories and often borrow the name ninjutsu, with Naruto being the most obvious example. The most interesting stories cleverly combine the most dramatic elements of both.
10 Naruto
2002-2017 – Available on Crunchyroll, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Hoopla, Peacock, Roku, Pluto TV
Maybe The most famous anime about ninjas, Naruto and Naruto Shippuden depict a shinobi world just a decade removed from the latest horrific world war. Naruto Uzumaki is just one of many young ninjas of the Five Great Villages who train hard to become the best. Through the show’s best stories, he never gives up on his dream of one day becoming the village’s leader and hero.
Flashy techniques, inherited superpowers, and even aliens are things ninjas throughout history could never have imagined. However, their purposes as soldiers, spies, and assassins are more in line with the original role of a ninja. Naruto’s determination to create peace in the shinobi world is completely at odds with his overall goals as a shinobi, and although he is willing to kill if necessary, he is never actually forced to do so. .
9 Nabari No Ou
2008 – Available on Crunchyroll
Another undertaking ninjas in the modern world, Nabari no Ou revolves around the legendary secret art Shinrabanshou. Unfortunately for the indifferent Miharu Rokujou, the scroll containing it was sealed inside him. He still doesn’t care much, but the thing is, he’s now the target of ninja clans looking to steal the Shinrabanshou by any means necessary.
Miharu grew up without knowing the ninjas around him, up to and including his teachers, classmates, and his own family. They were all used to living in the dark, constantly observing enemy movements from behind and potentially falling into kill or be killed situations. While powerful techniques are important to them, they are also proficient with conventional weapons such as kunai knives.
1993 – Available on Prime Video
Ninja Scroll: Series aired in 2003 and is available on Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime Video.
Typically, samurai served under lords; Masterless samurai were called ronin, lone warriors who wandered alone. Like ninjas, ronin are considered vile and despicable, often forced to work as mercenaries. Jubei Kibagami tries to maintain his honor even as a ronin, refused money to do what was right and risked his life to protect an innocent woman.
Although Jubei is technically a samurai, a skill set most clearly demonstrated through his masterful swordsmanship, he is also frequently referred to as a ninja. In one of the best ninja movies, he is pitted against the demonic ninja Kimon, all of whom possess supernatural powers. Of course, these are no match for Jubei’s martial arts and determination.
7 Flames of Recca
1997-1998 – Available on Crunchyroll, Peacock, Roku, Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee
Recca Hanabishi has always been obsessed with ninjas. He’s pretty sure they’re even cooler than his ability to create flames from his right hand. But when his new friend Yanagi Sakoshita is nearly killed by a mysterious ninja, he realizes he will have to move on from the schoolyard battles and put all his effort into becoming stronger.
As Recca hones his martial arts skills and ignites his fire, he doesn’t just fight his way through thrilling action scenes. He discovers that he may have been born to be a ninja, coming from a powerful clan from the Sengoku period (circa mid-1400s to early 1600s) that was killed by Oda Nobunaga, a historical figure. Famous Japanese history appears in several anime.
6 Ninjas wearing red ball masks
1967 – Available on Plex
Manually red ball combines a ninja story with the ever-popular tokusatsu genre. Japan’s Sengoku period is also known as the Warring States period with its constant brutal political struggles. Amid this chaos, three ninjas, Akakage, Aokage, and Hirokage, rise up in the name of peace and justice, protecting Japan from kaiju and warlords.
Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s original manga ran from 1966 to 1967, and Toei’s anime adaptation followed, airing from 1967 to 1968. The series was popular enough to receive a remake in 1987 and two films. live-action adaptations in 1969. and 2001.
5 Katanagatari
2010 – Available on Plex
Tasked by the shogun to retrieve Kiki Shikizaki’s Twelve Deviant Blades, Togame recruits Shichika Yasuri to help in his mission. Because Shichika is a master of the swordless fighting style, he would not have been tempted to steal the blades for himself like the others Togame had tried to hire. A passionate and proud man who fights for love, Shichika is happy to leave home and help Togame.
Ninjas have not historically been prone to flashy swordsmanship, but that’s not why the Maniwa Ninja Corps is competing with Shichika and Togame to find the Deviant Blade. They are all after that money and find a way to sell them to make a fortune. While real ninjas tend to dress like normal people to blend in, Maniwa goes beyond the stereotypical head-to-toe black robes and walks around in colorful, conspicuous outfits.
4 Shinobi No Ittoki
2022 – Available on Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime Video
Over the centuries, two of the most prominent schools of ninjutsu were based in the Iga and Kouga regions of Japan. Many anime use the premise of fierce competition between these separate disciplines to drive their plots. Shinobi no Ittoki is just one of the latest ninja shows to do just that.
Throughout his life, Ittoki Sakuraba has been protected tirelessly, but he knows nothing. He finally got his answer in high school, after a girl asked him out on a date only to try to kill him when they were alone. As the secret heir to the Iga family, Ittoki will have to train hard to fend off the many Kouga assassins pursuing him.
3 ninja assassins
2015 – Available on Funimation, Crunchyroll, Tubi
In this dystopian future, technology is advanced, but the spirit of the ninja that terrorizes the people of Neo-Saitama is hundreds of years old. Kenji Fujikido really should have read the city’s crime statistics before moving his family there: they were soon killed by the Soukai Syndicate. In my grief, Kenji is possessed by the spirit of the Ninja Naraku, whose power he uses to seek revenge on Syndicate.
Among the many ninja anime out there, it’s unique for its cyberpunk style, brought to life by Studio Trigger doing what they do best. There are no pure heroic ninjas in this show, only the evil Ninja Slayer and every evil spirit tormenting humanity. Kenji fights using martial arts, shuriken, and other tools, and is good at sneaking into strongholds, making him more of a ninja than a yakuza-like Syndicate.
2 basils
2005 – Available on Crunchyroll, Funimation
Famous shinobi Hattori Hanzou and general Tokugawa Ieyasu Join the Iga and Kouga clans as historical figures made larger than life by the anime. To decide which of Ieyasu’s grandsons would succeed him, the truce that Hanzou brokered between the clans was broken. Now the clans eagerly renew their feud, sending warriors to represent each heir and fight to the death for them.
This would be a very bad time to madly in love with the heir of the opposing family. Unfortunately, that’s what happened to both Gennosuke and Oboro, who broke off their engagement along with the truce between their clans. As the deadly competition rages on, with one of the best revenge plots in anime going on behind the scenes, the lovers must fight to keep their relationship and their families alive .
1 Bloodline: Yoma’s Curse
1989 – Available on Roku
The anime adaptation of Blood Reign includes two 50-minute OVAs.
In feudal Japan, the Takeda clan was one of the most prominent samurai families. Yet throughout their extensive historical records, there is no other story quite like this. Marou and Hikage were shinobi loyal to Takeda, until one night the clan leader was murdered by a demon and Hikage disappeared.
Marou’s mission began as “find and kill Hikage” for fear of other clans taking advantage of Takeda’s weakness. But the story of Blood Reign goes further than any shinobi could imagine, like The whole country is threatened by the vengeful forces of Hell. The actions of a shinobi are not natural: the pain and rage of every soul slain in the recent war has fueled the monstrous youkai, allowing them to cause more chaos and death.
Ninja anime often borrows from real-life sources to tell the most interesting stories possible about an eventful era and its influence on Japanese history. However, to achieve this goal, the creators have put their own flair into these stories, making them stand out from the rest with flashy powers, supernatural elements and Unique character design. The The coolest ninja anime including both true classics and modern-day masterpieces.