Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Ninja Scroll is going back into theaters, and this time it has been rebuilt from the original film elements. HIDIVE and Iconic Events Releasing are putting the restored version on screens across the United States and Canada for a three-day run, with both a subtitled presentation and an English dub on offer.
Quick answer: Ninja Scroll 4K plays in select US and Canadian theaters on October 4, 5 and 7. Tickets are handled through iconicreleasing.com and participating theater box offices.
Ninja Scroll 4K screening dates and tickets
This is an event-style release rather than a normal theatrical run, so the film is only on screens for those three dates. It is the second time the two companies have worked together on the title, following the 30th anniversary screenings in 2024.
| Detail | Ninja Scroll 4K |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 4, 5 and 7 |
| Territories | Select theaters, US and Canada |
| Runtime | 94 minutes |
| Audio options | Sub and dub |
| Distributors | HIDIVE, Iconic Events Releasing |
| Source | 1993 feature, 4K restoration |
Seats are booked through the distributor’s site, which also lists which cinemas are taking part and which of the three dates each one is showing.
Check whether your local showing is the subtitled version or the English dub before you book, since both are in circulation for this run.
What the 4K restoration changed
The restoration was produced by AMC Global Media’s Sentai and supervised by Kawajiri himself, which is why the marketing materials carry a “director approved restoration” card. The work started with the original 35mm negative, scanned at 3840 × 2160.
- A fresh 4K scan of the original camera negative at 3840 × 2160
- Repair of physical damage carried by the film elements
- Shot-level color correction to match the film’s intended look
- Direct supervision from Kawajiri, the film’s director
The restoration preserves the 1993 appearance instead of smoothing it out. Its archival-grade master delivers cleaner line work, steadier blacks in the night scenes, and stronger color separation. The restored version debuted at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, before this North American run.
What the trailer and clip show
The trailer opens with ninjas vaulting across rooftops and Jubei Kibagami catching a falling rice ball out of the air, then cuts straight to the plague-struck Shimoda Village, where crows pick over the dead and an official orders an investigation into what actually happened there.
From there it moves through the moonlit forest ambush, a mid-air weapon catch, and quick introductions for both leads, with Kagero naming herself as a Koga ninja and Jubei giving his full name as he takes hold of his sword. Title cards flag the 4K master and the sub and dub presentations, broken up by glimpses of the villains, including the stone-skinned Tessai, a lightning attack, and coiled red serpents.
The Mujuro Utsutsu duel
The separate clip released alongside the trailer runs the bamboo grove fight almost end to end. It starts on a cliff, where Mujuro Utsutsu introduces himself and says he has been waiting for the chance to challenge Jubei, while Jubei climbs up the rock face on a tether rigged to his sword sheath.
Jubei tells Kagero to stay put because the swordsman has come for him alone, and Mujuro draws his katana slowly enough that Jubei’s reflection travels up the steel. The fight then spills into the bamboo, where Mujuro, who is blind, asks whether Jubei lured him there on purpose and warns him that any sound will give him away. Jubei’s answer is blunt, and the grove goes quiet apart from a sliced trunk sliding apart between them.
What Ninja Scroll is about
The 1993 film follows Jubei Kibagami, a wandering swordsman who gets pulled into a conspiracy after saving a female ninja. Looking into the massacre at Shimoda Village leads the pair toward a much larger plot and a group of demonic enemies who want them dead before they can talk.
It runs 94 minutes and keeps its original Japanese dialogue in the subtitled screenings. The film is one of the titles most often credited with pushing anime into Western markets during the 1990s, and its combination of adult content and heavily choreographed action shaped a lot of what followed.
Given that the run is three dates only and tied to specific participating cinemas, the practical step is to check which nearby theater is carrying it and which presentation it is running, then book before the window closes.