With Suicide Squad ISEKAI on the way, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Japan have announced a sequel to the 2018 Batman Ninja anime film. Via a press release, it was confirmed that the upcoming sequel, titled Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League, is currently in the works.
Junpei Mizusaki, who directed Batman Ninja and also animated the CG anime opening themes for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, is returning to helm the sequel alongside Shinji Takagi (unit director for Blood: The Last Vampire). Other returning staff members include scriptwriter Kazuki Nakashima, character designer Takashi Okazaki, and composer Yugo Kanno. Kamikaze Douga is again animating the film.
Koichi Yamadera will return as the voice of Batman, although no other cast members were revealed.
More details about the highly anticipated project will be shared during the "Warner Bros. Japan presents Suicide Squad ISEKAI and Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League" panel at Anime Expo on July 4.
2018's Batman Ninja transports the Caped Crusader — along with a few trusted allies and his rogues gallery — from Gotham City to feudal Japan. With the help of some trusted allies, Batman must defeat various villains who have taken the form of feudal lords.
The synopsis, courtesy of DC, reads:
Batman Ninja takes a journey across the ages as Gorilla Grodd’s time displacement machine transports many of Batman’s worst enemies to feudal Japan—along with the Dark Knight and a few of his allies. The villains take over the forms of the feudal lords that rule the divided land, with the Joker taking the lead among the warring factions. As his traditional high-tech weaponry is exhausted almost immediately, Batman must rely on his intellect and his allies—including Catwoman and the extended Bat-family—to restore order to the land, and return to present-day Gotham City.
Batman Ninja was released digitally in the United States on April 24, 2018. The release included the Japanese audio track as well as the English dub. The anime film debuted in Japanese theaters in June 2018 with the Japanese voice cast and aired on Toonami in October 2021.
The film was well-received by critics and fans alike. It sits at an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 60% Audience Score. The film was praised for its impressive visuals and its attempt to put a new spin on some of DC's most iconic and beloved characters. While it succeeded in shaking up the Batman animated formula, the plot was criticized for being mostly directionless.