The Return of Mist Saizo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Return of Mist Saizo 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

In a way it's understandable how "repetitive" The Return of Mist Saizo is, as evidenced not just by the title which hints at recurrence, but the fact that this is in essence a pretty straightforward continuation of the tale begun in Shinobi: Seige. The heroic Toyotomi clan is still facing annihilation even though Ieyasu (Eitaro Ozawa) is supposedly out of power (but you know how those tricky Shogun types can be). Once again the film is quite stylish despite its tendency to revisit plot tropes of all of the previous Shinobi films, and it does have a rather unique melancholic and maybe even nihilistic tone that sets it somewhat apart from its immediate predecessor.

The Return of Mist Saizo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shinobi: The Return of Mist Saizo 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. In terms of damage, this film shows some of the worst, with, for example, some pretty severe scratching a bit past the 47 minute mark (see screenshot 8, which isn't even as bad as it gets). 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. My score is 3.25.

The Return of Mist Saizo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shinobi: The Return of Mist Saizo features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Japanese. You can perceive just a hint of rumble beneath the opening brass call and there is very slight distortion at other points in the most blaring music cues, but there's actually pretty good midrange for effects like galloping horses and explosions. Quite a bit of background hiss can be discerned in the few quiet moments where it can actually be heard. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Return of Mist Saizo 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 Return of Mist Saizo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are some very well staged action sequences, and this film has some of the same maybe unexpected stylistic flourishes of the entire franchise, but the story is pretty old hat (and/or shinobi shōzoku as the case may be). This feature has some noticeable damage in the video department and some passing issues in the audio department, but is overall more than watchable and listenable for anyone considering making a purchase.