Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League

I went into this with rather low expectations, I'm more into anime than Batman, big fan of the Yakuza games.

But this still delivered in a "fun stupid" way that's right on the mark for why I love stuff out of Japan.

Usually I don't like cell-shaded animation, but some of the character designs in this have a charme, the animation is nothing to write home about, but does its job.

Just don't take this too seriously, it's not supposed to be, it's the kind of "Sharknado" like guilty pleasure type of movie.

Had so much fun with it that it even got me to watch the "prequel", and tbh that was just "stupid bad", while this one hits the magic middle ground of "stupid good".

I recently watched Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League (2025) on MAX. The storyline follows a mysterious void that opens over Gotham, sucking Batman and his legion of Robins into an alternate version of Japan inhabited by twisted versions of the Justice League. Some are allies, others are enemies-but to return home, Batman must find a way to separate the merged realities.

This picture is directed by Junpei Mizusaki (Batman Ninja) and Shinji Takagi (Steamboy), and features the voice talents of Koichi Yamadera (Ghost in the Shell 2), Molly Searcy (Gate), and Yûki Kaji (Attack on Titan).

The film presents some fun and original ideas, though it does borrow from familiar Justice League storylines. Some writing choices and character portrayals worked better than others. Personally, I loved the opening-it felt like a stylish blend of James Bond and samurai cinema. I especially enjoyed the portrayals of Red Hood, Nightwing, Robin, Diana, Joker, Harley Quinn, and Ra's Al Ghul. Superman and Green Lantern were serviceable, but Batman and Aquaman didn't quite land for me.

That said, the action sequences, the depiction of character powers, and the overall anime aesthetic were exciting and engaging. Each battle felt unpredictable, and the concept of Yakuza falling from the sky for nonstop showdowns was chaotic in the best way. I even appreciated how Batman and Superman ultimately shifted the tide.

In conclusion, Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League is a visually inventive and action-packed addition to the DC animated universe. It's far from perfect, but still worth checking out. I'd give it a 5.5-6/10.

This movie was a lot of fun. The first one was ok, but this one was an improvement in every way. I loved that the writers figured out that the Bat Family is basically a science ninja team and ran with the idea. I loved all the 70's throwback stuff. I really loved how much the writers seemed to know the characters. All of the characters kept their core aspects and there was some pretty cool and creative uses of their powers, which I always like to see.

Definitely not a flick to take too seriously, but its a good time for sure.

The only thing I didn't get was the different art styles. In Batman Ninja the art style changed for dramatic effect but in this one it seems to just switch back and forth kinda randomly. Maybe its the switch between 2D and 3D animation? Not sure, but it was distracting.

Look, I get some will like it, but if you weren't a fan of Batman Ninja, save yourself the grief.

It's more of the same, but the characters are the Justice League turned into Yakuza family characters. So your Justice League characters anime'd up with over the top battles amongst themselves. Like the last one, as far as I can remember.

As somebody that enjoys the DCAU and Amime... this is a swing and a miss in my mind.

If you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably like this one too. Though the current rating sitting at a 6.1 suggests that there aren't too many that think this was worth the watch.

An improvement on the previous film that's seems to make fun at itself by getting Robin to voice some of the criticism that the first film received.

The storyline is easier to follow and you aren't left confused for too long before things connect and make sense but I would say that you should try your best to just enjoy this instead of questioning some of the nonsense. E.g. 'Batman would have figured this out by now' etc.

I'm not sure if this follows a comic book story line but it is very creative on a level above what we come to expect with alternative versions of people that aren't too far fetched.