* Image is for illustrative purposes only.NINJA KAMUI
ニンジャカムイ
An original anime series produced for the U.S. network Adult Swim, centering on a former ninja who swears revenge. The protagonist, whose wife and child were killed by an assassin from the ninja organization he once belonged to, carries out his vengeance using bladed weapons, including swords, and martial arts. The series began airing in February 2024, and production of a second and third season has been announced.
Description
Work Overview
NINJA KAMUI is a television anime series that aired from February 2024 in the Toonami block on the U.S. network Adult Swim (animation produced by E&H production). It is an original work with no source material. Sunghoo Park serves as director. The protagonist, Higan, is a former ninja who left the organization and, under a new name, had been hiding with his wife and son. After his wife and son were killed by an assassin from his former organization, and he himself was seriously wounded, he swears revenge and turns his blade against the organization.
At the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, the series won Best Original Anime.
Depictions of Swords and Blades
In his campaign of revenge, the protagonist uses a variety of blades, including swords. Bladework rooted in ninja culture forms a central visual element of the series. The fusion of modern martial arts with the ancient sword techniques of the ninja defines the character's combat style.
Audience and International Impact
In the United States, the series aired in Adult Swim's Toonami block, and in Japan it aired on TOKYO MX from July 2024. In June 2025, production of the second season, Ninja Kamui: Red Vendetta, and of a third season was announced.
Real Swords Featured
Katana & Bladed Weapons (Ninja Arsenal)
Various bladed weapons employed by the protagonist in his vengeance campaign, emphasizing ninja-rooted swordcraft as a central action motif.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsRelated Content
Seven Samurai
Film七人の侍
Akira Kurosawa's 1954 enduring masterpiece, one of the most influential works in the history of world cinema. Set in the late Sengoku period, its story of seven masterless samurai gathered to protect a village from bandits vividly depicts the social role of the samurai and the practical side of the sword. It is a monumental work that made Japanese swordcraft known to the world, and it influenced countless films, including The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, and Mad Max.
Nioh 2
Video Game仁王2
A Sengoku-period action RPG released in 2020, developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo Games. As a prequel to the earlier "Nioh," it stars a half-yokai protagonist with yokai blood, who crosses swords with demons while encountering real Sengoku-period warlords.
Lupin III (Goemon Ishikawa & Zantetsuken)
Anime & Mangaルパン三世(石川五ェ門・斬鉄剣)
A franchise created by Monkey Punch in 1967 that has spread worldwide as a long-running anime series. The Zantetsuken sword carried by Goemon Ishikawa XIII—capable of cutting through anything—became an iconic symbol of Japanese swords in pop culture. Ranked 3rd in a 2025 anime sword popularity poll.
Nobunaga's Ambition
Game信長の野望
A historical simulation game series developed and sold by Koei Tecmo Games since 1983. It is a national-favorite series in which players control Sengoku daimyo, including Oda Nobunaga, in pursuit of unifying the country. Depending on the title, famous swords also appear as items, making it a historical game series that touches on the bond between Japanese swords and warlords.
This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.