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".

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.

I'd seen the earlier Batman Ninja, and while that wasn't my cup of ocha, I liked it well enough. I've been in Japan long enough to appreciate the anime way of doing things. It all comes down to either liking the way the animators do it over here--lots of posing, dialogue reveals, and over speechifying--versus the N. American way of letting the action deliver the goods.

Well, this movie is a mix of both. It starts off promisingly with the literal raining of Yakuza over Gotham and then it turns weird. The good part is that the film delivers an interesting look at what contemporary Japan is like vs an alternate Japan. The animation is also very decent, IMO, and I appreciated the detail.

However, the story is more than a bit muddled with a lot of pseudo-scientific terms tossed in. Additionally, the voices really aren't that great. I'm used to hearing Kevin Conroy's voice as Batman, and this actor was nothing like the best of the best that was Conroy. The other voices were all right, but nothing special.

I'm always up for a new DC animated flick, and while this is hardly the best DC movie around, it's also far from the worst. Call it an interesting take on parallel worlds.

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.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025) is an Batman animated movie set in Japan and it was great.

Positives for Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025): I love watching different version of Batman and I tend to love a lot of things from Japan. The animation looks great throughout the runtime. There are a lot of fun and awesome action sequences . And finally, the movie moves at a very quick pace.

Negatives for Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025): The movie is too short and I would've love to explore more of this world. The language barrier did effect my viewing experience.

Overall, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025) is a fun animated movie with my favorite superhero of all time and I highly recommend it to any Batman fan.