Anime Landmark ‘Ninja Scroll’ Gets 4K Restoration, Heads To Berlinale

Ninja Scroll has a new lease on life thanks to a full 4K restoration of the influential 1993 feature by AMC Networks’ Sentai Filmworks. The remastered version of Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s timeless classic will world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in the Berlinale Classics section on February 15.

The restoration was produced under Kawajiri’s supervision and sourced from a 4K scan of the original 35 mm camera negative. According to Sentai, the project involved extensive frame-by-frame cleanup and color correction to create a new archival master that preserves the film’s original visual intensity while enhancing clarity and detail.

Sentai president John Ledford described the effort as presenting the film at its very best and said the upgraded version offers an experience comparable to seeing it for the first time:

We’re both thrilled and humbled to be able to preserve the original 1993 Ninja Scroll film as a modern digital movie. This is Ninja Scroll at its very best! Ninja Scroll in 4K is nothing short of a pristine version of this cinematic masterpiece, presented in stunning high definition, contrast, and color. The digital adaptation offers a truly immersive experience. In fact, seeing it is like watching Ninja Scroll for the very first time!

The Berlinale screenings, which will also include additional showings on February 16 and 22, mark a milestone for anime at the festival. The inclusion of Ninja Scroll in the Classics lineup underscores the film’s long-standing reputation as a landmark of adult-oriented Japanese animation.

The film’s official synopsis reads:

When Jubei saves a young ninja woman from the unthinkable, he assumes that’s the end of it. To his surprise, it’s only just the beginning. Together, the two investigate the mysterious deaths of an entire village, which uncovers a conspiracy of demonic proportions! Getting closer to the truth, the demonic forces will stop at nothing to silence Jubei and his companion for good!

Beyond the festival debut, Sentai plans to release the restoration as a limited-edition 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook in early 2027, giving fans the opportunity to add a definitive home-video edition of the cult favorite to their collections.