I had the immense pleasure once again of guesting on The Heroes Three podcast, this time talking all things THE NINJA HUNT.
Considered by many to be the darkest and grittiest of the dark-and-gritty 1960s Japanese ninja wave, this is a movie I first discovered via the old Kurotokagi-Gumi around 2009-ish maybe. I loved it then, but in the time since, my appreciation of Jushiro Konoe has grown a lot as has my appreciation for this film. Konoe was the blueprint for both burly swordsmen like Tomisaburo Wakayama, and for Sonny Chiba as Jubei Yagyu, and the West needs to learn more about his prolific career.
The tale of a clan under attack from the Koga Ninja, The Ninja Hunt (orig. Ninja Gari) sees a squad of anti-ninja specialists using means so severe and brutal the clan might need protecting from them more. Each of these men is like The Punisher, being the only survivor of a clan wiped out by ninja, now dedicated to exterminating shinobi any chance they get. They’ve learned the hard way what their client is in for, how bad things are going to get, and what needs to be done to reverse their seemingly inevitable fate. The carnage ends with a grisly final fight with needle-spitting Koga ace Kurando (played by the brilliant Bin Amatsu of The Samurai fame) in a dark cavernous tomb that is perhaps the single finest set piece in the entire genre.
The 1980s and 90s saw studios churn their back-catalogs with TV remakes — some phoned-in, others more ambitious — and the original classic’s director and creative team revisited Ninja Gari in 1982, this time with Konoe’s equally legendary son Hiroki Matsukata in the lead. The TV remake has less art-house noir and more editorial and character beats, just as good a cast, and even takes the end battle to a fiery new level.
I recommend both versions equally.
The guys at Heroes Three are experts in martial arts films from all over Asia, but they’ve been dedicated to exploring the Japanese ninja genre more than most and I love talking hoods with them. Give it a listen at the links below.
You can also listen on Spotify and any major pod-platform, just search Heroes Three.
Keith J. Rainville — May 2026