Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League

• ニンジャバットマン対ヤクザリーグ, Ninja Batman vs. Yakuza League
• Directed by Junpei Mizusaki and Shinji Takagi
• March 18, 2025
• Based on the DC Comics character Batman

Voice Cast

• Bruce Wayne/Batman-Joe Daniels
• Dick Grayson/Nightwing-Houston Hayes
• Damion Wayne/Robin-Bryson Baugus
• Jason Todd/Red Hood-David Matranga
• Time Drake/Red Robin-Nathan Wilson
• Ra’s Al Ghul-John Swasey
• DianaPrince/Wonder Woman-Molly Searcy
• Clark Kent/Superman-Aaron Campbell
• Harin the Wild Jester/Harley Quinn-Karlii Hoch
• Deiō Dōmuzu/Doomsday-Tesshô Genda
• Commissioner Gordon-John Gremillion
• Arthur Curry/Aquaman-Cyrus Rodas
• Alfred Pennyworth-David Harbold

Batman and his allies struggle to protect Gotham from yakuza-style criminals led by an alternate version of the Justice League.

If Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League was not on a streaming service I never would have watched it since I was not particularly thrilled with Batman Ninja. The animation style was excellent, but I just thought the execution was not good. This did nothing to improve my viewpoint.

The opening with the weatherperson announcing a yakuza hurricane should have been enough of an omen for me to turn it off. Confusion over a cause is one thing. Attributing people with jetpacks falling from the sky to weather even in a movie with superpowered people is a type of logic once found only in the Saturday cartoons of old.

This introduces multiple alternate versions of DC characters in what are nothing more than information dumps. They show up, make an announcement with their minimal backstory, and then take a battle stance. So much is given in these silly information dumps like the motives of Ra’s al Ghul. I understand this is a very anime thing, but it’s an ill fit for DC animated movies.

I feel like the script is talking down to the audience. It’s treating the viewer like children or just plain idiots depending on how you look at it. Things are presented to the viewer with long speeches rather than in dialogue or in actions. Whole extended expositions to explain this or that occur. Everything is spoon-fed to the viewer meaning there is no reason to actually pay attention.

The story is based around a plan by Ra’s al Ghul to create a new reality using Gorilla Grodd’s quake engine employed in the previous film. This seems like a lot of effort for little reward. At least in relation to everything. I have trouble feeling that all this effort is equal to the results. He is planning on remaking the Earth in his image and is bending reality.

The script is given to long speeches as the story careens from moment to moment with almost no thread to connect to each. Batman of the title often gets sidelined for showcasing the newer alternative versions of characters. The audience meets Emerald Ray (an alternate Jessica Cruz-Green Lantern), Aqua Dragon (an alternate Aquaman), Fleet of Foot (an alternate Barry Allen-Flash), Eagle Goddess (an alternate Wonder Woman), and Man of Steel (an alternate Superman). Eagle Goddess and her clan are the only ones that still follow the honorable yakuza code of Ninkyou. Call me nitpicky but why not just call this a Justice League movie.

The movie is absolutely stunning to look at. I can’t fault it there. It’s detailed, nuanced, and really sells the action. It is either hand drawn or CGI that looks like it was hand drawn. I cannot tell. The action is frenetic and very super heroic. Batman’s battle with the Superman is absolutely perfect.

Conversely to that there’s the voice acting. I can’t say I was too impressed with anybody they cast. Superman requires a certain level of authority to his voice and Aaron Campbell just didn’t have that. John Swasey as Ra’s Al Ghul sounded perturbed rather than a sinister genius who rose from the dead using the Lazarus pits. Bryson Baugus as Robin was just a whiny brat that didn’t like his weird grandfather.

I wouldn’t doubt if there is another film to come. I was left with the feeling of threads being set up for future movies. And I’m sure it will do fine because anime fans are a strong and devoted lot. I just can’t always get behind the execution of certain elements that go hand-in-hand with the genre.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League takes all the elements of anime and shoehorns them into a DC animated film. It’s simplistic, childish, and ultimately talks down to any viewer above the age of 10. Perhaps even lower than that. Anime fans will enjoy this, but I can’t say I did.