Ninja Scroll: The Series (Season 1)

Ninja Scroll: The Series (2003) is a Japanese animated series you can watch online on iFILM — the sequel to Yoshiaki Kawajiri's cult 1993 film. Wandering swordsman Jubei Kibagami has spent fourteen years trying to stay out of other people's conflicts. It hasn't worked.

He crosses paths with Shigure, a young priestess who has never left her village, and learns she is the Dragon Stone Maiden — a target for the ruthless Hiruko clan and their master the Shogun of the Dark. The warrior Rokai joins them with motives that aren't immediately obvious. The show tracks their journey across open sea and through repeated ambushes, and it keeps the original film's tone: brutal, fast, no character is safe.

The series works best as a continuation rather than a standalone — viewers who know the 1993 movie will get more out of it. As action anime from the period goes, the fight choreography still holds up. Stream Ninja Scroll: The Series online on iFILM.