Adult Swims' Ninja Kamui is Over, Will the Hit Ninja Anime Return for a Second Season

Summary Ninja Kamui's tie-in game hints at a potential future for the series, possibly with a new lead character for another season.

The ending of the anime leaves room for sequels, with multiple characters and storylines that could be explored in follow-up seasons.

Despite some flaws, Ninja Kamui's initial broadcast was successful and could pave the way for future seasons or spin-offs outside the anime's protagonist.

While Adult Swim's Ninja Kamui has finished its 13-episode run, the immediate announcement of a tie-in game shows that both the program block and the series' publisher, Sola Entertainment, see there is a future for the series. This could translate to another season, though what story it could tell is up in the air. It could very well focus on another lead, given what precedent the Shinobi Origin game is establishing.

The ending for Ninja Kamui shows that the creators and publishers are open to returning to that setting. While the tie-in game may just seem like a well-timed marketing gimmick, that there is any at all shows some confidence in the anime.

With Higan retiring once more, and Tsukumo appearing in the game, future stories might use an ensemble system, following different ninjas on their own adventures worldwide.

Related New Adult Swim Ninja Anime Follows Up On Boruto's Forgotten Premise Boruto might invented the idea of ninja technology but it wasn’t until the hit new series Ninja Kamui debuted that the idea was perfected.

Ninja Kamui's Future Is Unknown, But Not Closed

Shinobi Origins and anime's ending leaves wiggle room for sequels

Close

While the anime concludes with the villain's defeat and Higan's attempt to retire once more, enough doors have been left open as avenues for sequels: Yamaji claims "other ninjas" are ready to carry on his work, while Joseph Evans boasts of his imminent release from prison. Former rival Zai has also been spared by the plot, leaving multiple characters writers can use to build anticipation via their return to the plot. There are enough sequel hooks, therefore, to justify a follow-up, and Adult Swim would benefit from being able to boast that its new IP got the sequel treatment.

Considering Ninja Kamui's incredible reception, the creators may drag Higan back out of retirement. However, the upcoming tie-in game, subtitled Shinobi Origins, hints at possible alternative writers could use. The Nintendo Switch game employs an entirely new protagonist, Tsukumo, for a prequel. It's the first step towards establishing that Ninja Kamui can exist outside the anime's protagonist, and could also be a sign of what to expect from a future season. Rather than twist the plot into knots to dredge up the past, other exiled ninjas could have their turn as the lead.

Ninja Kamui's Successful Broadcast Shows No Reason To Abandon Series

Ninja Kamui ended satisfactorily after 13 episodes. While it has some issues in the second half of the story, such as the reliance on some awkward CGI for the fight scenes, especially after the sterling sequences that appeared in the first two episodes, Adult Swim still has its hands on an original IP that provides a rare blend of science fiction, ninjas, and old-fashioned violence. Even a "satisfactory" first season makes for an excellent initial debut for the channel. Between Shinobi Origins and the Western entertainment industry's habit of seeking sequels, Ninja Kamui's eventual return feels like a reasonable idea.