Yoshiaki Kawajiri pulled from Japanese folklore and real historical figures for this highly influential 90’s anime that inspired the Wachowski sisters’ work on the Matrix franchise. 

Jubei is a journeyman ninja who travels the land alone, lending his services to those with gold—or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways—and possibly his life. 

This genre-bending film was influenced both in story and style by the works of novelist Futaro Yamada and Western spy fiction, and its main character is loosely based on the historical figure Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi, one of the most famous samurais of the feudal era. Ninja Scroll, along with Ghost in the Shell and Akira, ushered in a new era of global anime appreciation with their unflinching adult stories and incredible genre exploration.