Ninja Scroll (1993) Jûbê ninpûchô (original title)

Directors:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Kevin Seymour

Writer:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri (writer)

Release Date:

6 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

A ninja-for-hire is forced into fighting an old nemesis who is bent on overthrowing the Japanese government. His nemesis is also the leader of a group of demons each with superhuman powers.

Plot Keywords:

Ninja | Demon | Justice | Rape | Dark Heroine

Cast

Kôichi Yamadera	...	Jubei Kibagami (voice)
Emi Shinohara	...	Kagero (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Dakuan (voice)
Daisuke Gôri	...	Genma Himuro (voice)
Toshihiko Seki	...	Yurimaru (voice)
Shûichirô Moriyama	...	Sakaki Hyobu (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sonny Byrkett	...	Villager (voice)
Richard Cansino	...	Yurimaru (voice) (as Richard Hayworth)
Dean Elliott	...	Jubei Kibagami (voice) (as Dean Elliot)
Richard Epcar	...	Lord Himuro Gemma (voice) (as Richard George)
Michael Forest	...	(voice) (as Alfred Thor)
Dougary Grant	...	Tessai (voice)
Milton James	...	Mushizo Shinkuro (voice) (as Richard Barnes)
Bradley Lavelle	...	Jubei Kibagami (voice: English version) (as Brad Lavelle)
Wendee Lee	...	Kagero (as Wendee Day)
Edward Mannix	...	Chamberlain Sakai Hyobo (voice) (as Ed Mannix)
Joan-Carol O'Connell	...	Benisato (voice) (as Jenny Haniver)
Maureen O'Connell	...	Zakuro (voice)
Andrew Philpot	...	Yurimaru (voice: English version)
Anthony Rocissano	...	Utsutsu Mujuro (voice)
Joe Romersa	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Doug Stone	...	Bandit (voice)
Jimmy Theodore	...	Dakuan (voice) (as Rudy Luzion)
Kirk Thornton	...	(voice) (as Spanky Roberts)

Directed by
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Kevin Seymour		(English version) (as Quint Lancaster)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Yoshiaki Kawajiri		writer

Produced by
Masamichi Fujiwara	....	executive producer
Masaka Fukuyo	....	assistant producer
Makoto Hasegawa	....	executive producer
Kazuhiko Ikeguchi	....	assistant producer
Ken Iyadomi	....	executive producer (English version)
Shigeru Kitayama	....	assistant producer
Shigeki Komatsu	....	producer (as Komatsu Shigeaki)
Masao Maruyama	....	line producer
Yutaka Maseba	....	producer (English version)
Haruo Sai	....	producer
Masaki Sawanobori	....	producer
Yutaka Takahashi	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Kaoru Wada

Cinematography by
Hitoshi Yamaguchi		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Yukiko Ito
Harutoshi Ogata

Art Direction by
Hiromasa Ogura

Production Management
Jerry Beck	....	production manager

Sound Department
Yukio Abe	....	sound recordist
Tsutomu Asakura	....	sound mixer
Tsutomu Asakura	....	sound recordist
Yasunori Honda	....	sound director
Kenji Shibazaki	....	sound effects editor (as Shibasaki Kenji)

Animation Department
Shigeo Akahori	....	animator
Koichi Arai	....	animator
Kôichi Chigira	....	animator
Hiroshi Hamazaki	....	animator
Kenji Hayama	....	animator
Hideo Hayashi	....	animator
Hiroyuki Horiuchi	....	animator
Yoshiaki Kawajiri	....	character creation
Hiroshi Kawasaki	....	animator
Ken Koike	....	animator
Takeshi Koike	....	lead animator
Yasuhide Maruyama	....	animator
Michio Mihara	....	animator
Takenori Mihara	....	animator
Yutaka Minowa	....	character design/animation director
Takuo Noda	....	animator
Tensai Okamura	....	animator
Rintaro	....	animator
Yûzô Satô	....	animator (as Yuzo Sato)
Masahiro Sekino	....	animator
Kumiko Takahashi	....	animator
Kunio Takahide	....	animator
Satoshi Tazaki	....	animator
Hitoshi Ueda	....	animator
Sumio Watanabe	....	animator

Other crew
Raymond Garcia	....	adr script: English dub

Production Companies

• Animaze
• Mad House
• Movic
• Toho Company
• Victor Company of Japan (JVC)

Distributors

• A-Film Home Entertainment (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• I-On New Media (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Manga Entertainment (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Manga Video (Canada)
• Manga Video (USA)
• Manga (????) (France) (DVD)
• PolyGram (1997) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Selecta Vision (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Sentai Filmworks (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Streamline Video (USA) (VHS)
• Teletoon (English dubbed)
• Yamato Video (????) (Italy) (DVD)
• Yoshiaki Kawajiri/Mad House/JVC/Toho Co. Ltd./Movic Inc.

Other Companies

• Doug Stone Enterprises  casting: English version
• Haniver Talent  casting: English version
• Magnitiude & Post  sound recording (English version)
• Toho Company  translation

Also Known As:

"Jûbê ninpûchô" - Japan (original title)
"Jubei Ninpocho: The Wind Ninja Chronicles" - USA (literal English title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:R (re-rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | France:-16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Africa:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (1996) | South Korea:18 | Canada:18+ (TV rating) | Italy:VM14 | Norway:11 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2010) | Germany:18 (original rating)

Company:

Animaze

Trivia:

The concept of Ninja Scroll arose from the director's fascination with ninjas and the idea of them always trying to trick each other.

Quotes:

Jubei:I swear if you'll come back to life again that I'll kill you again, no matter how many times! Aaaaaaah!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in We Are the Strange (2007)

Soundtrack:

Somewhere, Faraway, Everyone Is Listening to a Ballad

Ninja Scroll captivates.

You need to see this. Ninja Scroll is a personal favorite of mine and I find many amazing aspects to this animated film.

The story, ninja action and characters are amazing. Jubei and Kigero's tale is more tragic then anything Shakespeare has thought up. The eight devils of Kimon are each interesting in their own way and some are sure to warrant more interest to you then others. By movie's end, you are sure to have felt many emotions as you watched Jubei's tale unfold.

Anyone who wants to write this off as low-class entertainment aimed at a skewed demographic must not have actually bothered to watch the film. This is high class art of the most important sense. A wonderful story with interesting characters and with enough action to fill four other movies. Ninja Scroll takes you on an adventure.

You need to see this. Highest recommendation. Please watch it with Japanese language track/ English subtitles.