Netflix has added three of the finest Shonen movies recently, giving new fans a chance to check them out and old viewers the power to revisit at will.
The threeanime moviesare part of theNarutofranchise, one of the largest and most recognizable properties in the whole medium. But don’t let that put you off – they stand on their own.
Road to Ninja features our hero being transported to another universe, whereas The Last involves the protagonists preventing the Moon from crashing into the Earth. The third, Boruto, gives us a good look at Naruto’s son, who has now inherited the franchise as the main hero.
All three stories are written or co-written by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto, keeping them in line with the overall property.
Naruto might be long-running at this point, but these films aren’t as hard to understand as you might think. You’ve got heroic ninjas – the title character and his friends – who have to face certain enemies and struggles. Most of the problems are solved through kicking ass. Rinse and repeat.
They’re not unlike watching one of Jackie Chan’s Police Story sequels or an Ong Bak installment or an Ip Man film. There are clearly defined heroes and villains in a broadly sketched out troubling situation, and then everyone lets rip on the kung fu and other fighting moves.
If you’d like a more specific recommendation of the three, Road to Ninja is probably the easiest for a newcomer to get. Be careful though, you might find yourself a Naruto fan by the end and start ninja running through the other two.
Related:
That reference will make sense after you watch, promise. If you’re up to date on Naruto, and already watched these releases recently, check out our guide onBoruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 12for what’s going on in the manga.
Anthony McGlynn is a Senior Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. An expert on animes like Demon Slayer, Solo Leveling and My Hero Academia, he also has over 10 years experience covering games and pop culture for outlets such as Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PCGamesN, PCGamer, The Digital Fix, and many more. You can contact him at: anthony.mcglynn@dexerto.com
