Ninja Scroll

Ninja Scroll
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji	獣兵衛忍風帖
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Jūbē Ninpūchō
Directed by	Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Written by	Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Produced by	Shigeru Kitayama Masako Fukuyo Kazuhiko Ikeguchi
Starring	Kōichi Yamadera Emi Shinohara Takeshi Aono Daisuke Gōri Toshihiko Seki Shūichirō Moriyama
Cinematography	Hitoshi Yamaguchi
Edited by	Harutoshi Ogata Yukiko Itō
Music by	Kaoru Wada
Production companies	JVC Toho Movic Madhouse Animate Film
Distributed by	Tokyo Theatres Company
Release date	June 5, 1993 (1993-06-05)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Ninja Scroll (Japanese: 獣兵衛忍風帖, Hepburn: Jūbē Ninpūchō, lit. "Jubei's Ninja Chronicles") is a 1993 Japanese animated jidaigeki-chanbara film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film was a co-production between JVC, Toho and Movic, with Madhouse serving as the animation studio. Ninja Scroll was theatrically released in Japan on June 5, 1993, and received an English-dubbed release through Manga Entertainment in 1995.^[1]

The film takes place in feudal Japan and follows Kibagami Jubei, a mercenary swordsman who battles the Eight Devils of Kimon, a team of ninjas with supernatural powers who are intent on overthrowing the Tokugawa shogunate. During his quest, he is aided by Dakuan, an elderly but crafty government spy, and Kagero, a Kōga kunoichi whose body is infused with poisonous toxins.

Praised for its animation and action scenes, Ninja Scroll is regarded by many as one of the most influential anime films ever made. Alongside Akira and Ghost in the Shell, it was responsible for increasing the popularity of adult-oriented anime outside of Japan. The film has been cited by The Wachowskis as an influence on the Matrix franchise, and resulted in Kawajiri later contributing to two segments of the anthology film The Animatrix.^[2]

A televised sequel, Ninja Scroll: The Series, was aired in Japan in 2003.