Modern Batman is loved for its grounded, gritty stories and gothic art style. Batman Ninja threw away all those conventions with an anime-inspired take on the Dark Knight. Its sequel, Batman Ninja vs. The Yakuza League, ramped up the homage to Japanese culture by reimagining the Justice League as gangsters instead of superheroes.
With its vibrant colors, anime-inspired imagery, and flamboyant fight scenes, Batman Ninja vs. The Yakuza League stands as one of the finest spectacles DC Animated Studios has produced. It’s remarkable how a film this well-crafted was made on a relatively modest budget. Rather than aiming to move audiences with deep storytelling or strong performances, Batman Ninja vs. The Yakuza League exists purely to amaze.
10 Batman Foils Ra's Plans With Style
Ra’s al Ghul is merging his Yakuza-ruled world with the traditional DC universe to expand his empire. Only he holds the key to this doomsday-like device, and as he parachutes away from his airbase, he spots Batman flying toward him—standing straight with his arms crossed. Ra’s, like the audience, is baffled by how Batman is pulling this off until the Batplane reveals itself out of stealth mode.
Armed with incredible-looking gear, Batman leaps from the plane, delivers a stiff kick to Ra’s, and then shoots him with a grappling hook. He didn’t need to do any of this to take the key, but Batman Ninja is all about style.
9 The Bat Family Combines Like Voltron
After Batman and the gang assess their bizarre predicament and devise a plan to stop the Yakuza League, Alfred announces that he has something prepared. One might expect new weaponry or, at the very least, a Japanese-inspired meal. Instead, the film launches into a two-minute montage paying homage to influential 70s robot anime like Voltron and Gatchaman.
The sequence perfectly captures the vibrant colors and art style of the Tatsunoko era. Everyone pilots mechs, strikes dramatic poses, and is accompanied by an intense Japanese theme song. However, it turns out this was merely a video Alfred put together and uploaded to the internet. The Bat Family is thoroughly unimpressed, leaving without ever acknowledging the montage for the rest of the movie—making it even funnier.
8 The Yakuza League turns into The Justice League
After the Bat Family beats some sense into the Yakuza League, they begin to come around, gradually transitioning from being an evil Justice League into their traditional counterparts. The Yakuza League aids in shutting down Ra’s al Ghul’s doomsday device and dedicates its powers to moving the Watchtower and the hordes of Yakuza away from any interdimensional portals.
Zeshika’s Green Lantern powers are the most stunning part of this scene as she single-handedly captures the Yakuza forces. Her abilities combine with Bari, the Yakuza Flash, and Ahsa, their Aquaman, to form a massive dragon made of green and blue energy called the Rising Dragon of Valor. The sight is so magnificent that even Batman’s jaw drops.
7 One of the Smoothest Openings in a Batman Movie
After Batman and Robin realize they’re trapped in an alternate reality, the Batplane flies into an abyss, seamlessly transitioning from the cold open to the proper intro. Accompanied by a smooth R&B track, the montage reimagines Batman’s rogues’ gallery in a medieval samurai-inspired style. Instead of parodying popular anime intros, it goes for a more artistic direction.
The intro features psychedelic, colorful backgrounds with constant zoom-ins and zoom-outs, creating the sensation of traveling through a portal between scenes. East Asian folklore plays a major role, highlighted by a massive depiction of Wukong manipulating Batman like a Go piece—until it shatters into thousands of bats.
6 It Wouldn’t be a Batman Movie Without the Joker
No matter where a Batman story takes place, the Joker always seems to find a way to crash the party. As Batman struggles against an evil Superman, the Clown Prince of Crime unexpectedly comes to his rescue—piloting a purple aircraft and unleashing massive rounds to distract the Man of Steel.
During the chaos, Superman snatches Robin from the cockpit and hurls him toward Ra’s al Ghul’s base, creating a hilariously absurd visual. He then does the same to the Batplane, nearly taking out Batman, Harley Quinn, and Joker all at once.
5 Batman and Wonder Woman Trap Aqua Man
Ahsa, the Yakuza counterpart to Aquaman, is styled as a rough-edged fisher, accompanied by massive fish depicted in a traditional Japanese art style—reminiscent of designs seen in izakayas or sushi restaurants. He engages in a high-impact, superpowered duel with Daiana, but things take an unexpected turn when Batman joins the fight.
Intentionally drawing Ahsa underwater, Batman engages him using the Batboat. Ahsa, tied to the vessel, begins to turn the tide, arrogantly declaring himself unbeatable in his domain. Naturally, Batman anticipated this and revealed a sonar trap, encasing Ahsa in a sound bubble. This moment cements Ahsa as a nearly unstoppable force, pushing Batman to contain him rather than take him down directly.
4 Nightwing’s Sleight of Hands Wins
The Bat Family wields some serious technology in the Batman Ninja universe. Nightwing summons a drone that functions as a battle suit reminiscent of Iron Man’s armor. While not nearly as advanced, it enhances his combat abilities enough to make him a genuine threat to Zeshika, their world’s version of Jessica Cruz.
What Jessica doesn’t realize is that Nightwing never actually entered the suit. He only pretended to, launching it remotely. Just as she prepares to land the finishing blow, Nightwing sneaks up from behind and tranquilizes her. More than any other character, he fully embodies the «ninja» theme, pulling off a stealth attack straight out of an anime like Naruto.
3 It’s Raining Yakuza
Most of Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League revolves around Batman taking down a makeshift Justice League, but it doesn’t disappoint when it comes to Batman fighting gangsters. In this world, there’s a weather condition more dangerous than hail or earthquakes—Yakuza literally falling from the sky. This serves as the first action set piece, and the animation takes a huge leap forward compared to the previous film.
The Yakuza are dressed in stereotypical white suits and sunglasses, armed with small blades. For the most part, they’re harmless goons to Batman. However, the spectacle of Batman landing and launching a group of them high into the air leaves a strong impression on the viewer, setting a fast-paced tempo for the rest of the movie.
2 The Flash Chases Down the Batmobile
The members of the Yakuza League are meant to be weaker than the Justice League since they grew up in a world where they didn’t need to enhance their fighting abilities. However, this scene takes the ridiculousness to a whole new level by having The Flash struggle to catch Red Robin and Red Hood in the Batmobile. It requires some suspension of disbelief to fully enjoy this sequence, but it’s an absolutely stellar interpretation of speed and one of the best car chases in animated movie history.
The car is split in half, with each Bat member driving their own section, weaving through a dense, Tokyo-like city. As Flash gets close, they activate the nitro boost as if they were Vin Diesel in The Fast and the Furious, and it’s hard not to smirk at the over-the-top results. Knowing that Flash is running low on energy, Red Hood, camouflaged as a vending machine, shoots a dart into his head while he’s trying to purchase a refreshing beverage.
1 Superman Vs Batman is Always a Showstopper
The field commander of the Yakuza League, Kuraku, serves as this universe’s version of Superman. Raised in the Yakuza rather than as a humble farm boy, Kuraku grew to be boastful and arrogant. As with many Batman-Superman confrontations, their battle centers around Batman’s ability to set traps that neutralize Kuraku’s overwhelming power.
Kuraku, knowing little about his own abilities, is heavily affected by red sun rays and a knockout punch delivered by a kryptonite ring. However, the most significant aspect of this fight is the debilitating monologue delivered by Batman. Batman describes Kuraku as a small, weak person compared to the real Superman—not just physically inferior, but lacking the will and heart that truly define a hero.
