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Parents' Guide to

Ninja Scroll

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Extreme violence and graphic sex in anime classic.

Movie NR 1993 94 minutes
Ninja Scroll Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of baby-year-old
July 14, 2018
age 18+

Characters get raped

A girl gets raped in one scene but the guy dies afterwards and it's really gross. It's a really violent and stupid movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
Mark V.
Mark V. Parent
February 24, 2018
age 17+

Classic

For it's time it was fairly ground breaking, especially for western audiences. The story and animation is solid. Character don't really move you but they serve their purpose for an action/adventure. Nothing really epic here. Just good solid production that perhaps is revered more for its legacy and influence. Sex, rape violence... personally I don't think you can rate anything lower than 17+ if it contains rape... but yeah.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Jubei is a wandering samurai-for-hire, with deadly sword-fighting skills. During his travels, he happens upon a village that appears to have been wiped out by a plague, but in reality, eight powerful, evil creatures, the Devils of Kimon, have done the damage in order to retrieve some lost gold. Jubei rescues a girl ninja, Kagero, but finds himself the Devils' new target; they will continue to attack him one by one. Worse, it turns out that Jubei's old enemy Gemma has been reincarnated and is behind all the violence. With the help of an elderly little spy, Jubei must survive this onslaught of deadly attacks, and -- possibly more difficult -- resist falling in love with the mysterious Kagero.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8 ):
Kids say (3 ):

The movie features some truly dazzling action sequences and some tense fight scenes. Characters zip through the trees and move quick as a flash; there's a real sense of speed and weight to these scenes. It also does a wonderful job setting up a rich atmosphere and the time period of feudal Japan with excellent artwork and character designs. The "devils" are appropriately scary, and the movie manages a constant sense of mystery and dread. It should be noted, however, that the violence is very, very strong here, including sequences of explicit sex (and even rape). This is definitely not for kids.

Along with titles like Akira and Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll is considered one of the classics of anime in the West. Like many others of its genre, the plot is very complex and relies heavily on "backstory" events that occur well before the movie begins. Eventually it becomes clear that we get three heroes: a good guy, a tough, pretty girl, and a wise old man. Everyone else in the story is a bad guy, and everything clicks into place.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's extreme violence. What effect did it have on you? How did it make you feel? Did you feel tense, or excited? Or disturbed?

  • As a ninja, is Kagero a strong female hero, or is she a stereotype?

  • What makes Jubei change from a wandering samurai-for-hire into a real hero who believes in his cause? Is it revenge? Or is there something more?

Movie Details

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