Tales of ninjas and their undaunted fighting skills and mysterious nature have been captured in epic proportions on screen. But Netflix’s House of Ninjas aims to bring these formidable fighters out of myth and into the modern world, posing the question: What if ninjas still operated among us, secretly saving the world from crisis as unseen heroes? The upcoming drama thriller series explores the story of one such family who abandoned their past and faded into the shadows, and now living a seemingly “normal” life. The dysfunctional Tawara family is the last surviving clan of ninjas, who left their past lives and roots behind. But when the nation is faced with a major threat, the Tawaras must return to their original purpose and take on discreet missions to thwart the danger.
Directed by filmmaker Dave Boyle of Man from Reno fame, House of Ninjas is billed as an “unconventional spectacle” that “fuses top-secret spy action with family drama,” revolving around a bunch of colorful characters. Boyle also co-writes the script from a story co-written by Kento Kaku, one of the lead actors on the show, who plays Haru, one of the main characters. Titled in Japanese as Shinobi no le, House of Ninjas is set to be a suspenseful, unconventional series that is ready to offer sharp and slick martial arts action, intense family drama, and suspenseful spy thriller, wrapped in a gripping tale about a family.
House of Ninjas comes as one of the several upcoming releases from Netflix. In 2023, Japanese titles has been the third-most viewed non-English content on the streaming network (behind Korean and Spanish) and its 2024 roster includes several awaited releases. Besides this latest drama thriller series, the streamer also announced City Hunter, the live-action film adaptation of Tsukasa Hōjō‘s eponymous manga. The film is set to release in April 2024. Among other live-action titles releasing on the streamer this year, fans can also expect to see the films, The Parades, Drawing Closer, and The Queen of Villains, and shows like Tokyo Swindlers and Beyond Goodbye.
For now, get ready for lightning-speed ninja kicks amid complicated family dynamics when the all-new thriller series lands this February. Don’t forget to check out our handy guide below to learn all the details about the plot, trailer, cast, and characters, and everything we know so far about House of Ninjas.
When Is ‘House of Ninjas’ Coming Out?
The all-new Japanese drama thriller series is landing on Netflix on Thursday, February 15, 2024. On the same day, the streamer is also launching other new shows like Ready, Set, Love, The Vince Staples Show, and the documentary Little Nicholas: Life of a Scoundrel.
Fans can also look forward to another new Japanese title, The Parades, also releasing in February 2024.
Where Can You Watch ‘House of Ninjas’?
As a network original series, House of Ninjas will be exclusively streaming on Netflix. The streaming giant has been home to some of the most popular and successful Japanese-language content, among a long list of Asian shows and series. Though anime covers a major percentage of Netflix’s Japanese titles, there are also a bunch of popular and well-acclaimed live-action series, like Alice in Borderland and Burn the House Down, that you can catch up on now. If you are looking for more thrillers like House Of Ninjas, in the action and/or family drama genre, then you can also check out the recently released The Brothers Sun, currently streaming on Netflix.
Stream The Brothers Sun on Netflix
How Many Episodes Are There in ‘House of Ninjas’?
House of Ninjas is billed for six episodes, all of which most likely stream together on the day of the premiere.
Is there a ‘House of Ninjas’ Trailer?
The official trailer of House of Ninjas, released by Netflix, opens with a voiceover about the life and purpose of a ninja, where we get a glimpse of the Tawara family and their roles as saviors in the shadows. The three-minute trailer briefly touches upon the plot, where Shoichi Tawara, the family patriarch, is called in by a secret government organization to thwart a national threat. The clip also reveals that a new clan of ninjas is on the rise and is posing a danger to the nation. We also learn from a quick action sequence that Haru, the second son of the family, made a mistake in his past, where he failed to fulfill his duty as a ninja. His kindness cost him and his family their safety and discreetness, which, in the present day, returns to haunt him and the rest of the Tawara.
The clip’s dark and mysterious tone keeps up with the promise of an exciting thriller series, that seems to juxtapose action, mystery, drama, and family dynamics. The slick actions and tense family dynamics are sure to remind fans of Netflix’s recently released black comedy action series, The Brothers Sun. Although packed with classic martial arts action, House of Ninjas, as the trailer reveals, would also likely explore the essence of each character in depth, and follow their emotional journey. Whether you are a fan of martial arts action or simply a gripping drama thriller, this brand-new Japanese series is sure to satisfy the need for a good, binge-worthy series.
Who Stars in the ‘House of Ninjas’?
As revealed by Netflix, House of Ninjas features an interesting cast with Kento Kaku, Yosuke Eguchi, Tae Kimura, Kengo Kora, Aju Makita, and Nobuko Miyamoto starring in the main roles. While most of them are making their Netflix debut with this all-new series, each of them are familiar faces of Japanese entertainment and fans might recognize them from their previous project.
Kaku portrays Haru, the second son of the Tawara family, an elite ninja with unmatched skills whose past still haunts him. Fans might recognize Kaku from his role of Miwa Aoi in the Disney+/Hulu drama, My Family, or from the live-action adaptation of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
Eguchi and Kimura play Haru’s parents, Soichi and Yoko Tawara, respectively. Eguchi has previously featured in three Netflix films –BLEACH, Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, and Rurouni Kenshin: The Final. House of Ninjas marks the Netflix debut for Kimura, an actress best known for Zero Focus.
Kengo Kora (Shoplifters) features as Haru’s older brother, Gaku, and Aju Makita (The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House) as their sister, Nagi.
Veteran Japanese actress, Nobuko Miyamoto (A Taxing Woman) stars as Taki, the mysterious grandmother of the siblings, “who watches the family from the shadows.”
Among other additional cast members, Riho Yoshioka features as Karen Ito, a reporter who covered an incident involving the Tawaras six years earlier; Tomorowo Taguchi as Jin Hamashima, a discreet government official trying to prevent a national crisis; Tokio Emoto as Masamitsu Oki, a new recruit in Hamashima’s team and a high-tech equipment expert; Pierre Taki as Zensuke Omi, a detective investigating a series of mysterious robberies; Kyusaku Shimada as Kosaku Kuze, the leader of a cleaning crew who is tasked by Hamashima to cover the ninjas’ tracks; Mariko Tsutsui as Toko Mukai, a politician who was once rescued by the Tawara family. The cast is rounded up with Tenta Banka as Riku, the third son and youngest child of the Tawaras and the only member of the family who is unaware of their ninja identities.
Who is Making House of Ninjas?
House of Ninjas is directed by Dave Boyle and based on a story by Kento Kaku, Yoshiaki Murao, and Takafumi Imai, with Boyle, Masahiro Yamaura, Kota Oura, and Kanna Kimura serving as writers. American director, writer, editor, and actor, Dave Boyle is best known for writing and directing films with Asian and/or Asian-American casts and characters. Some of his previous works include Big Dreams Little Tokyo (2006), White on Rice (2009), Surrogate Valentine (2011), Daylight Savings (2012), and Man from Reno (2014). Of these, Surrogate Valentine, Man from Reno, and White on Rice have won awards at several international film festivals. Boyle’s next project includes the upcoming drama film, Tokyo Cowboy, directed by Marc Marriott, where Boyle writes the screenplay.
Besides starring and providing the story, Kento Kaku also serves as an executive producer for House of Ninjas, along with Yoshihiro Sato also executive producing. Kanbe Akira serves as a producer with TOHO Studio handling the production for Netflix.
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What Is ‘House of Ninjas’ About?
As per Netflix’s official release, the plot of House of Ninjas reads,
Ninjas were a fixture of milestones in Japanese history, and even now they’re taking on secret missions behind the curtain of Japanese society. Set in modern Japan, this series tells the story of the Tawara family, the last ninja family that had abandoned its roots after a certain incident in the past, who must take on the greatest crisis in Japanese history that threatens to shake the nation to its core.
