Hey guys!
Welcome back to Top 10 Nerd, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Batman Ninja has just come out on digital release, and the reviews are pouring in.
Everyone’s looking forward to some awesome Batman vs Joker action in feudal Japan.
But some people are doubting the greatness that is Batman Ninja, so I’m here to give
you some cool info about it to get you ready for it!
Don’t worry; I’ll avoid spoilers as much as possible, and try to keep plot points vague.
If you finish this and want more, check out our video on the Alternate Versions of Batman
next!
But first, get ready, it’s time for the Top 10 Surprising Facts About Batman Ninja!
Number 10: It’s Batman’s anime debut!
This might surprise a lot of people given Batman’s insane popularity, but this is
the first Batman anime ever.
I checked, because I couldn’t believe it to be true, but I couldn’t find any.
Which makes this even more of an amazing event.
It’s really cool to see him reimagined in such a unique style, and it allows for fighting
styles that are common in anime but less so in Western media.
Very cool.
Number 9: Joker isn’t the only baddie.
Even though the trailer focused largely on Batman and the Joker, Joker isn’t the only
villain in town.
It turns out a bunch of Gotham’s supervillains had been sent back as well, and had been working
to create criminal organizations in this new world.
We’ve got Gorilla Grodd, Deathstroke, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Penguin, and Bane.
We caught glimpses of them in the trailer, but they look totally awesome in the movie.
Batman definitely has his work cut out for him, but thankfully, they aren’t the only
time-travellers around…
Number 8: Batman has allies.
Yep, as was seen in the trailer, various members of the Bat Clan are there to help him fight
against the villainous bosses.
With him are Red Robin, Damian Wayne’s Robin, Red Hood, Nightwing, Cat Woman, and of course
Alfred.
Who built a bat cave, because of course he did.
They’ve all been beautifully reimagined to fit the art style and time period, while
still having really unique characteristics and a definite futuristic look.
Which makes sense, because…
Number 7: The characters were designed by Takashi Okazaki.
Hardcore fans might recognize the name, but if you don't, he's the creator of Afro Samurai,
the classic manga about, well, a samurai with an afro.
It makes total sense to call him in on this; the futuristic-yet-feudal setting of Afro
Samurai fits really well with this story, since we have the futuristic heroes and villains
in the time of feudal Japan.
And he did a bang-up job.
Number 6: It was written by Leo Chu.
Yep, the Afro Samurai just keeps coming.
Leo Chu was the writer for the Afro Samurai mini-series and movie, and he was brought
onto this project as well to write the English screenplay.
Given the similarities between Afro Samurai and Batman Ninja, it’s an understandable
choice, plus we knew he was already tight with Okazaki.
Don’t worry, these points won’t all be just a list of credits, but the Afro Samurai
parallels are super relevant.
And these guys did such a great job that I think they deserve the spotlight.
Number 5: The Joker and Harley become farmers.
I won’t explain the various events leading up to or following this reveal, since it gives
away a bunch of plot points.
But at one point, Batman comes upon Joker and Harley seemingly living an innocent life
as farmers, without any memory of who they were, or even who Batman was.
How did they become farmers?
Will they ever get their memories back?
Guess you’ll have to watch it to see!
Or, like, scroll down to the comments, I’m sure people down there will tell you.
Number 4: Batman isn’t really a ninja.
Despite the title being Batman Ninja, Batman looks and acts a lot more like a samurai in
this movie.
The ninja thing doesn’t come in until fairly late in the film.
Which is quite interesting, because the ninja motif would obviously work really well with
the stealthy and cunning Batman.
That said, I think the samurai thing is heaps cooler, so I’m totally fine with it.
Especially since it let Chu and Okazaki work a lot more in their samurai wheelhouse.
Number 3: Bane is a sumo wrestler.
I couldn’t not put this as a point, I’m sorry.
I won’t go into each villain and their new depiction, but Bane as a sumo wrestler is
just so incredibly perfect and so incredibly disturbing that it had to be on here.
If I could do a Bane voice I’d do some Fat Bastard lines in his voice right now, but
I can’t, so I won’t.
Consider yourselves lucky.
Oh and Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are voiced by Tara Strong.
Who plays Timmy in Fairly Odd Parents, among countless other characters.
I thought that was cool but not cool enough for its own point.
Next.
Number 2: It’s really good.
Honestly, I know this sounds like a weak point, but given the mediocrity of DC films of late,
some people were a bit worried.
But clearly the animated films aren’t falling prey to the issues the DCU is facing, because
this has been wiiiiidely hailed as an excellent movie by critics, sometimes called the best
Batman film ever.
I know reviews are subjective, but when they’re so consistently amazing, it’s a pretty clear
indicator of greatness.
Number 1: There is a monkey Megazord.
This one’s a spoiler for an awesome plot point, so I’ll keep it vague just to whet
your appetite for the movie.
At one point, one of the protagonists gains access to Gorilla Grodd’s monkeys, that
combine into a giant samurai monkey to fight a big baddie.
Which just gives crazy Power Ranger vibes to us Westerners.
This is one of the really anime-ish aspects of the movie, and as you can guess, it’s
absurdly awesome.
That’s it for today!
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Let me know your thoughts on Batman Ninja in the comments down below!
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So try to avoid that, and try to avoid thinking about how sad their lives must be.
Until next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Top 10 nerd.
Later nerds!