Everything to Know About ‘Ninja Kamui’ & Other Anime Just Like It

If there’s one thing ninjas are supposed to be good at, it’s staying hidden until the time is just right, and they have the upper hand. The hit new anime series Ninja Kamui flips that script right on its head: it’s ninja-protagonist starts out on the run before being forced to go on the hunt.

Here’s how to watch Ninja Kamui, plus a round-up of popular anime shows just like it to enjoy.

What is ‘Ninja Kamui?’

Ninja Kamui is a new anime series on Adult Swim from E&H Production and Sola Animation Studios.

Directed by Sunghoo Park, known for his work on The God of High School and Jujitsu Kaisen, and written by Shigeru Murakoshi, the story follows Joe Logan, a former ninja who flees from his clan with his wife and son to go into hiding in the United States. Logan and his family don high-tech disguises and build a new life as farmers, but Logan’s past catches up with him to disastrous results.

Ninja Kamui is not for the faint of heart: The first episode starts out with an emotional build-up depicting the Logan’ new life on their farm, complete with a heartwarming montage of father-son interactions and tender moments with his wife, Mari.

All of that is promptly torn down when the family is brutally murdered by masked assailants and the episode shifts into a sequence of gory and brutal fighting scenes as Logan, who survived the ambush, exacts revenge on his family’s assailants. Meanwhile, the FBI investigates a slew of murders targeting other undercover ninjas.

Following in the footsteps of bloody revenge tales like Marvel’s The Punisher and Keanu Reeves’ action-thriller John Wick, Ninja Kamui is an emotional rollercoaster and an adrenaline rush, beautifully produced in the style of anime classics like Death Note and Bleach.

Fun fact: While most anime shows are based on Japanese comic books called manga, Ninja Kamui was written specifically for TV.

Where can I watch ‘Ninja Kamui?’

You can watch Ninja Kamui on DIRECTV on Cartoon Network‘s Adult Swim Toonami block, or stream it on Max (formerly HBO Max).

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Other anime like ‘Ninja Kamui’

Anime has a long history and a loyal fanbase, so there’s no shortage of top-notch Japanese animation available to watch while you wait for more episodes of Ninja Kamui to drop. Here’s a few of the most popular.

‘Attack on Titan’

Gratuitous violence is the name of the game in Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama’s post-apocalyptic action drama. At the story’s outset, humanity is near extinction due to the appearance of gigantic humanoid creatures known as Titans, which appeared 100 years prior and decimated the global population. Now, civilization exists entirely within three massive, circular walls and maintains a hypervigilant military footing to ward off the Titans.

When more powerful versions of the Titans break through one of the walls, the protagonists, three children named Eren, Mikasa and Armin, enlist in the military and find themselves wrapped up in a quest to uncover the origin of the Titans and eliminate them once and for all. As the plot develops, the trio and a wide-ranging cast of their comrades discover much more than they expected.

Attack on Titan grapples with deep themes and questions around humanity, morality, genocide and discrimination while featuring plenty of stunning, fast-paced, acrobatic combat scenes.

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‘Afro Samurai’

Afro Samurai follows the story of the eponymous character as he hunts down the world’s greatest warrior, seeking to claim his title and avenge his father’s death.

We know: pop culture says samurais are about as different from ninjas as you can get. But, Afro Samurai and Ninja Kamui have a lot of similarities. Both focus on violent combat while following the stories of warriors seeking to avenge their slain family members, and Ninja Kamui‘s character design was done by Afro Samurai’s creator, Takashi Okazaki.

Afro Samurai is also unique in that it blends anime with a focus on Black culture in America, incorporating a hip-hop soundtrack and featuring Samuel L. Jackson as the voice actor for the lead character.

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‘Death Note’

One of the most popular anime of all time, Death Note is light on the gory action but heavy on the intrigue, mystery and murder. The story follows a high schooler named Light who comes into the possession of a mysterious notebook. He soon discovers that he can kill people from a distance by writing their true name and the manner of their death into the book, as long as he knows what they look like.

Accompanied and encouraged by a demon called a shinigami who previously owned the notebook, Light uses it to embark upon a vigilante crusade against criminals, all while being pursued by a brilliant detective who never appears in public and is known only as L.

Death Note is a deep dive into differing opinions of what constitutes justice and explores questions of morality and absolute power. It’s a must-watch for any anime lover.

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‘Ghost in the Shell’

Another mystery-action anime, Ghost in the Shell draws heavily on cyberpunk inspiration, some of which is also seen in Ninja Kamui. The animated film follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg police officer, as she pursues a dangerous hacker known as the Puppet Master to prevent him from hijacking other cyborgs and using them for nefarious purposes.

There’s plenty of action in Ghost in the Shell, but the film really stands out for its complex story and themes.

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‘Fullmetal Alchemist’

Fullmetal Alchemist follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, as they search for a substance known as the Philosopher’s Stone, which they plan to use to repair their bodies after they were gruesomely maimed in an attempt to resurrect their mother with a type of magic known as alchemy.

Despite being known for its many lighthearted and comedic moments, the show’s story is extremely dark, focusing on mature themes around sacrifice, the consequences of absolute power and the value of a human life. Like Ninja Kamui and Attack on Titan, violent combat is front and center, often with a fantastical twist. Fullmetal Alchemist also got a live action series on Netflix.

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Watch ‘Ninja Kamui’ on DIRECTV

Sharpen your katana and throwing stars, pull up your mask and get ready for some serious ninja action with Ninja Kamui. Subscribe to DIRECTV and dive in today.