In Anime, Ninja and Samurai are considered as different themes but the Japanese history tells a different story. Ninjas were the symbol of resistance in feudal Japan. They acted as outlaws during the Samurai era of Japan. Their fate of them was not as utopian as anime shows. Anime show them warriors with unique skills. But the theme of ninja may seem similar to the theme of Samurai anime. Here are some anime which are considered the best ninja anime. Some anime may contain nudity and brutality. Let’s get started-
16) Batman Ninja

While fighting Gorilla Grodd at Arkham Asylum, Batman, along with a number of his allies and adversaries are transported from modern Gotham City to feudal Japan. This anime movie is for both DC and Anime fans across the world.
15) Nabari no Ou!

This anime is about a schoolboy named Miharu Rokujou who is the bearer of “Shinrabanshou,” a powerful technique that can make any ninja clan the ruler of Nabari. Miharu’s classmate Kouichi and his English teacher Kumohira are both secretly Banten clan ninjas, pledging themselves to protect Miharu from dangers. The fast-paced actions of this anime are awesome. It’s a modern-day school life-based anime with the theme of the ninja.
14) Black Fox

Rikka Isurugi trained herself in the way of the ninja with her grandfather Hyoe while following in the footsteps of her father, Allen. On Rikka’s 16th birthday, a paramilitary group attacks the Isurugi house in search of the drone technology, killing Allen and Hyoe but Rikka manages to escape with the drones. Nowadays Rikka works as a private detective while sharing an apartment with another girl, Melissa. But when night falls, she wears her grandfather’s fox mask and mercilessly hunts down the criminals. She is on her journey to take revenge. This anime movie which is aired in 2019, is full of ninja action.
13) Puppet Princess

This anime’s central character is Rangiku Ayawatari, a princess who tragically lost her entire family to Lord Sadayoshi Karimata after he invaded the family home to steal her father’s puppets with unique capabilities. She sets out to take revenge with three of her father’s greatest puppet warriors and a ninja warrior named Manajiri.
12) Flame of Recca

Rekka Hanabishi thinks that Ninjas are not a thing of the past. In the modern-day, Ninja arts are performed secretly. Recca suddenly realizes his hidden power of fire manipulation and tries to find more like him to face his destiny.
11) Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl

This light-hearted anime has two seasons. Jiyu Nanohana, an ordinary schoolgirl suddenly learns that she is the reincarnation of Yagyu Jubei. With the help of the “Lovely Eyepatch”, she is allowed to receive the spirit of a great warrior and transforms herself into the legendary swordsman with awesome fighting skill. The theme is school, Ninja fighting, and a lot of fun.
10) Ambition of Oda Nobuna

This is one of the famous Isekai animes which has samurai and ninja themes. Sagara, a high school boy, finds himself in the middle of a raging Sengoku period clash filled with samurai and ninja warriors. The anime has made all the famous warriors of the Sengoku period into cute girls. This anime’s genre seems harem but it has a great plot that contains the famous conquest of great Nobunaga. This anime is full of war and battles with action scenes and also politics as well.
9) Sword of Stranger

The story revolves around the Sengoku period. Kotarou and Tobimaru, a dog with the help of a swordsman named Nanashi head out for a dangerous and breathtaking journey. This anime movie is full of action and violence in many ways.
8) Harukanaru Toki no Naka

Akane Motomiya, a high school student with her friends Tenma and Shimon are pulled by a demon into the Heian era. Akane after becoming the Priestess of the Dragon God in this new world is the only one who can stop the demons from taking over. Demons also try to get her power. She must stop demons from taking over the land with the help of eight guardians. It is an anime television series with several seasons and side stories. It is an Isekai ninja anime.
7) Laughing Under the Clouds

This anime takes place around the Meiji Era when the possession of swords was banned. So, the number of samurai starts decreasing. So, many samurais resist the ban and starts to cause trouble in the life of common people. This causes unrest in the countryside. To control the unrest, a giant prison in the middle of Lake Biwa was erected to contain the criminals. Three young men, born of the Kumoh line, were given the duty of delivering criminals to their resting place. Laughing Under the Clouds is filled with action, Japanese history and folklore, and supernatural elements with a thrilling and mysterious storyline.
6) Sengoku Basara Series

The plot takes place around the Sengoku Period, the age of the Warring Countries, Japan was fragmented into semi-independent provinces, governed by feudal lords or daimyo, who fought one another in an endless struggle for power. Many generals fought in an endless struggle for the unification of the country. Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura, two main protagonists of this anime who are heated rivals, form an unlikely alliance with the rest of the generals to take down the “demon king”. The anime has three parts with different side stories full of Ninja and Samurai wars and action scenes.
5) Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Boruto is the story of Naruto’s son and the next generation of shinobis. The first few arks may seem dull but it catches momentum after some arks. This story is more different than Naruto and the story’s main protagonist is Boruto and the story lacks many elements that make it second on this list. This story is about more modern ninjas than the classic Naruto ninjas. Boruto is the story but his circumstances are opposite to Naruto. He wants to be acknowledged only by Naruto.
4) Basilisk

The Kouga and Iga and ninja clans have engaged in clashes for many years. But the two clans are forced to put down their arms by order from the powerful warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa.
Years later, Gennosuke Kouga, heir of the Kouga clan, and Oboro Iga, heir of the Iga clan, fall in love with each other. They aim to bring peace to the clans with their marriage. But their hopes turn to dust when the rivalry between their clans is reignited with the result of another war. This brings a romance story with a ninja war background.
3) Ninja Scroll: The Series

This anime is about feudal period Japan and the adventures of Jubei Kibagami and Shigure and protecting ‘Dragon Stone’ and its bearer from two demon clans. It has 13 episodes full of violence.
2) Katanagatari

This anime’s artwork and animation are a little different and look like animes for children. But this is one of the best ninja animes in the anime industry. The story will have a tragic outcome in the end but the plot is great. Shichika Yasuri practices the most unique technique, Kyotouryuu. Shichika, the protagonist of the story lives quietly with his sister Nanami. Once Togame finds Shichika, the plot progresses towards a great action anime full of Ninja and Samurai actions.
1) Naruto Series
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The top spot holds Naruto Series. A Ninja series is divided into two parts which are Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. The Naruto series has dynamic characters, strong plots, great protagonists, and justified antagonists too. This is also one of the first few animes which were first aired in India on Cartoon Network. This is completely a shonen anime and has one of the greatest fan bases. Protagonist Naruto is a troubled infant boy who is despised by his fellow villagers and his dream of becoming Hokage to be acknowledged by the others.
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