Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Blu-ray Movie Review

♪ It's raining men.. ♪

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 18, 2025

The rare sequel that fully surpasses its predecessor, WB Animation's Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League follows 2018's Batman Ninja, directed by Junpei Mizusaki, a film that introduced anime to the Batman franchise and (eventually) sent the Caped Crusader and company back to feudal Japan. As indicated by that linked review's 3/5 rating, Batman Ninja sharply divided critics and audiences despite more or less fulfilling its odd promises, so this follow-up -- which brings in co-director Shinji Takagi alongside the returning Mizusaki and writer Kazuki Nakashima -- leans into Batman Ninja's sporadically ludicrous tone to deliver 89 minutes of pure, unadulterated WTF. In a mostly good way, of course.

So yep, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is a marathon of absurdity, sharply unfolding as one long and strange "What if?" scenario in which viewers are thrown in the backseat of a careening car no matter if they're in the mood for a ride. (This could also describe the first film, except now we already know what we're in for.) Yakuza League directly follows the events of the first film, opening soon after Batman (Koichi Yamadera in the original Japanese, Joe Daniels on the English dub) and Damien (Yuki Kaji, Bryson Baugus) have returned to the present but immediately notice that things are... different. The biggest change is that both The Justice League and the entire island of Japan have disappeared, but the latter is instead now floating in the ripped sky like a massive crack in the space-time continuum.

Soon enough, an army of jet-packed yakuza gangsters -- soon discovered to be the new Japan's main inhabitants, ruled by the dastardly Hagane Family -- descends from the heavens like a literal hurricane, ready to fight. Also ready to fight are various Hagane bosses which turn out to be criminal versions of Justice League members including "Zeshika the Emerald Ray" (Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, played by Ayane Sakura and Annie Wild), "Bari, the Fleet of Foot" (The Flash - Nobuyuki Hiyama and Benjamin McLaughlin), "Ahsa, the Aqua Dragon" (Aquaman - Akio Otsuka and Cyrus Rodas), and others including the requisite final boss, a certain superpowered individual wearing red and blue (Takaya Kamikawa and Aaron Campbell). Luckily, Batman and Robin get help from a few friends, form unaffected Earth-dwellers like three more Robins including Nightwing (Daisuke Ono and Houston Hayes), Alfred (Hōchū Ōtsuka and David Harbold), and Commissioner Gordon (Masaki Terasoma and John Gremillion), as well as rival family members including "Daiana Amazone, the Eagle Goddess" (Wonder Woman - Romi Park and Molly Searcy), just to name a few.

It's the kind of movie where you're better going in mostly blind, so the synopsis ends there. What I can share -- if it wasn't immediately obvious by the screenshots -- is that Yakuza League's eye-catching character designs and visual aesthetic really drive the ship here, tightly married to the film's sharp left narrative turns and frequent detours that ensure this won't be a boring or predictable ride. While these fundamental strengths don't translate to a five-star visual presentation, this 2K native production shines brightly enough on WB's Blu-ray to consider it a solid presentation; I've seen the 4K disc and it really doesn't look all that much better.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League features a mix of 2D and 3D elements that blend decently well, leading to plenty of eye-catching still shots but running at a fairly reduced frame rate that doesn't always look smooth and convincing. Of course, the sharp left visual turns and other detours mean that your eyes will always be entertained, and of course the outstanding character designs of various Hagane bosses are a huge highlight. That said, the intentionally sketchy style of their line work -- which stands in sharp contrast to some of the more traditionally smooth designs and backgrounds -- can be jarring at times and, to be honest, has no choice but to look soft and somewhat blurry even running at 1080p. Also to its detriment are occasional signs of aliasing on various background objects and even certain characters' mouths including Batman himself (also visible on the 4K disc), and light compression issues such as banding and posterization can sometimes be spotted as well. However, highlights abound front start to finish and, when running at full speed, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League features particularly impressive visuals that fans will enjoy.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League has a default English dub as its primary audio option, which is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 MA and features all the wide separation, front-field activity, channel panning, and surround support you'd expect from a modern mix of material with this kind of anything-goes approach. It's a wild ride indeed and the English dubbing ain't bad, but if you're like me you'll head straight for the original Japanese which is sadly limited to lossy Dolby Digital 5.1. (To be fair, that's how it's advertised on the packaging, and that's how the first Batman Ninja was presented too.) Despite this lower dynamic range, it's a solid mix and obviously carries a greater sense of authenticity while retaining the same general atmosphere as its English counterpart. Had WB given us a lossless mix, we'd definitely be looking at a 4.5 or five-star rating... but for those who prefer English dubs, you won't find any reason to complain.

English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film, which again seem to cater to the English dub, although I can't speak to script similarities between the two so they may not be all that far off. As an aside, the colorful introduction screens of certain characters (including the Hagane bosses like Green Lantern as seen in screenshot #8), which all feature Japanese text bearing their names, are translated whether or not SDH subtitles are enabled.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with stylish cover artwork and a Digital Copy redemption slip is tucked inside. Two Japanese-language bonus featurettes with forced English subtitles are also included; collectively, these short pieces feature interview clips with co-directors Junpei Mizusaki and Shinji Takagi, among others.

• Bringing the League to Japan (7:27) - A basic look at Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League's fusion of two separate worlds, as well as the unique challenges and opportunities faced by the creative team.

• Anime Action: Choreographing the Fights (9:08) - As its title implies, this piece examines a few of the film's many action scenes as well as character designs, which were inspired by Japanese culture and history.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

WB Animation's Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is similar to its 2018 predecessor, and yet something else entirely. This anything-goes adventure has a ton of fun with the franchise and its characters, so anyone who even half-enjoyed the original should find Yakuza League to be time well spent. WB's Blu-ray has very slim extras and a few video issues that may be tied to the source material, but it's nonetheless a decent package that comes Recommended.