The Last Iga Spy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Last Iga Spy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 19, 2025

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Shinobi Vol. 2 collection from Radiance Films.

It's been a little over a since Radiance Films released its first volume of Shinobi films, a collection which included the first three so-called Shinobi no Mono outings which centered on iconic ninja Goemon. It may not have quite the ring of "a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet", but this next trilogy of Shinobi productions might jokingly be at least partially described by saying "a Goemon by any other name would still be a ninja (especially if he's portrayed by Raizô Ichikawa). The fourth, fifth and sixth films in the series do indeed depart from Goemon, though you might not know it if you weren't paying close attention, as the general template had already been set quite firmly, and evidently no one was going to tinker around very much with what was a very successful franchise. That said, all three of these films are quite stylish in their own way, and they provide Ichikawa some interesting opportunities, in the first two films in this set as a ninja named Kirigakure Saizo, and in the third as Saizo's son Saisuke. For those interested in what is in essence kinda sorta a "continuing story", our Shinobi Blu-ray review provides an overview, and also offers links to the following individual reviews:

Band of Assassins Blu-ray review

Revenge Blu-ray review

Resurrection Blu-ray review

Things move forward a generation with this sixth film, and that allows a perhaps more visceral "vengeance" angle than in some of the previous installments, since here Mist Saizo's son Saisuke (once again portrayed by Ichikawa, of course) has seen what being a ninja ultimately did to his father. There is some kind of inventive "palace intrigue" added to this entry which includes a potentially troublesome "secret identity" for Saisuke's supposed sister Yuri (Kaoru Yachigusa), something that ultimately complicates Saisuke's real mission to battle the Shogun's ninja forces as personified by Matsudaira Izunokami (Isao Yamagata).

The Last Iga Spy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shinobi: The Last Iga Spy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Radiance's insert booklet lumps all three films together in its minimal transfer notes:

Shinobi: Siege, Shinobi: Return of Mist Saizo and Shinobi: The Last Iga Spy were transferred in 2K by the Kadokawa Corporation and supplied to Radiance Films as a high definition digital file.

All three of these films exhibit some of the same anomalies, so I'm also going to lump them together, at least in part. All three can show some passing damage (some more than others, mentioned specifically in individual reviews), as well as some noticeable image instability (typically lateral, for whatever that's worth), along with some somewhat variant contrast which at different times can either lead to whites just on the verge of blooming or blacks just on the verge of crushing. All of that said, all three transfers offer some really appealing detail levels in close-ups and in the best looking moments, solid contrast with good black levels and nicely modulated gray scale. Grain resolves without any issues.

The Last Iga Spy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shinobi: The Last Iga Spy features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Japanese. The opening is very noisy, and it was frankly difficult for me to discern if what I was hearing was some low level distortion or just a lot of clashing sound effects, but it did ultimately strike me that there's just a hint of crackling in the opening, and there can be some very slight hints of breakup or distortion in louder moments. That said, some of the koto sonorities in particular were quite good and problem free. Once again there's noticeable hiss, at least when things quiet down enough to hear it. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Last Iga Spy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Radiance has packaged the three films as indicated below, with some probably "generalist" supplements on each disc.

Disc One: Siege and Return of Mist Saizo

• Scene Specific Commentary on Shinobi: Siege by Tom Mes (HD; 48:57)


• Taichi Kasuga (HD; 24:10) offers this Japanese period film specialist's thoughts on the Daiei Studio's historical films. Subtitled in English.


• The Faces of Raizo (HD; 4:21) is a visual essay by Tom Mes profiling Raizo Ichikawa.

Disc Two: The Last Iga Spy

• Mance Thompson (HD; 18:12) features the Ninja film scholar discussing the historical background of the Shinobi series.


• The Tragedy of Mist Saizo (HD; 11:34) is a visual essay by Hayley Scanlon looking at the character.

Additionally, this new set will make a handsome companion piece to Radiance's first set, with a similar slipbox enclosing two keepcases. The keepcases feature reversible sleeves, and one encloses art cards with the other enclosing a nicely appointed insert booklet. Radiance's trademark Obi strip is included.

The Last Iga Spy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All three of this second triptych of Shinobi films might be understandably faulted for "telling" rather than "showing" the viewer what's going on, but that emphasis on long talky bits offering narrative exposition actually may have more of a point in this film due to some twisty plotting. That said, this sixth film probably undeniably generates its most potent energy courtesy of its action sequences and (as with its two predecessors) some rather unexpectedly stylish cinematography. Technical merits are generally solid and as usual Radiance has aggregated some appealing supplements across the two discs in this set, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.