Did you know there is an anime version of Batman out there? I didn’t either until I watched Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League. This 2025 anime is a direct sequel to the 2018 Batman Ninja film.
Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League is a direct sequel to the Batman Ninja movie. And talk about a wild ride!
The film picks up immediately after Batman (Joe Daniels) and Robin/Damian Wayen (Bryson Bagus) returned from the events of the previous movie. Where did they return from? Feudal Japan. And the world isn’t the way they remembered it.
Strange Yakuza men are falling from the sky. Then… there’s the fact Japan is missing. What happened to Japan? Turns out it is floating in the sky. It’s an island ruled by the Yakuza League.
The Yakuza League is a Japanese-inspired version of the Justice League. Except they’re evil. The Yakuza League consists of:
- Zeshika the Emerald Ray, a parallel to Jessica Cruz/Green Lantern (Annie Wild)
- Asha The Aqua Dragon, a parallel to Aquaman/Arthur Curry (Cyrus Rodas)
- Bari The Fleet-Footed, a parallel to Barry Allen, the Flash (Benjamin McLaughlin)
- And there’s the good Daiana The Eagle Goddess, a parallel to Wonder Woman (Molly Searcy)
The movie is fun, strange, and entertaining. It’s a fun, new way to see Batman and the Justice League (now the Yakuza League).
Let’s take a look at the leadership lessons you can find in Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League.
Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League
1. Your actions change things:
Batman returned from time traveling to Fuedal Japan. He’s wondering if his actions had changed anything. Alfred (David Harbold) tells Batman his worst fears are true.
His actions had changed present day Gotham City.
Japan was gone. The Justice League Watchtower was gone. The world had changed.
We have to be aware of our actions. Consider how they may impact those you lead. What about their affect on the organization?
Your actions have power. They will change things.
2. Damian Wayne/Robin:
I sure hope something makes sense.
There were reports of a Yakuza Hurricane. What is a Yakuza Hurricane? It’s when Yakuza mysteriously fall from the sky.
To Bruce and Damian, that didn’t make sense. Yakuza never rained from the sky before. Why are they now?
Damian ponders and states he hopes something makes sense when they go to check on the situation.
People in your organization may not make sense. The actions of customers or vendors can be confusing. You may not even understand why you do some of the things you do.
You’re going to be like Damian. You’re going to hope things make sense.
But you won’t know what makes sense until you go investigate the situation. Make sure you’re checking things out before you come to a conclusion.
3. Sometimes the best solution is the simplest:
The Yakuza League were causing major issues for Batman’s family. Nightwing/Dick Grayson (Houston Hayes) and Red Hood/Jason Todd (David Matranga) were facing down the speedy Bari.
Nightwing states how Bari is too fast. They’re never going to be able to deal with him.
Red Hood has a different approach. He sees Bari zooming around Gotham. He also sees a tanker. Red Hood takes a shot at it. The contents spill out and stop Bari.
What situations are you making more complicated than they should be? Have you looked at the simple solution?
If not, consider breaking down the situation. Look for what’s causing the issue. What could resolve it? How could it be more simple?
Tackle situations from the simplest solution to the most complicated. Often, you’ll never have to go past the first or second solution.
4. Batman:
This is no laughing matter.
After investigating and seeing there’s a floating island only they can see, Batman and Robin take to the skies. They break through the interdimensional rift and find a parallel reality version of the Justice League.
Robin quips that they’re not the Justice League. Instead, they’re the Yakuza League.
He was trying to be funny. Yet, his humor was out of place. It was no laughing matter.
Humor is great to have in an organization. There’s a time and place for it.
Know when to use humor to move your team forward. Know when it’s not appropriate.
5. Batman:
Lift up the honor of others
Batman begins to tussle with Harley Quinn/Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Karlii Hoch). Daiana steps in to break them up. Harley Quinn and Daiana have become friends.
Daiana’s request is simple. She wants Batman and Harley Quinn to stop fighting. She wants Batman to trust Harley Quinn.
This is a difficult request for Batman. Harley Quinn and he had been long-time enemies. To trust her seemed to go against his best interests.
Yet, Batman says the above quote. He realizes he might be able to win over an ally if he found something honorable in Harley Quinn.
Do you have a troublesome employee? Someone who annoys you to no end? They may seem lazy, complacent, or incompetent.
But, let me pose a question. What would happen if you looked for something honorable in them?
You could:
- Let them know the goodness you see
- Nurture the honorable item
- Move them toward a role that fits with what you see
When you look for good in people, you often find goodness. Look for and lift up the honor of others.
6. You’re stronger together:
Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League was over the top. One of those over the top moments was when the movie premeired the Bat Phoenix. What is the Bat Phoenix? The Bat Phoenix is a combiner vehicle featured in lots of Japanese animation.
Think Voltron, Gatchaman, and Voltes V. These anime all featured lesser powered vehicles that would combine into a giant robot.
Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League debuted the Bat Phoenix.
The Bat Phoenix had individual vehicles for each of the Bat Family. The vehicles would combine to form a more powerful robot.
It was fun. It was out of the ordinary. But it was powerful.
The same goes for you and those in your organization. Apart, you may be powerful. Yet, when you combne your talents and skills, you become a force to be reckoned with.
Find ways to combine the talents of your people. The more unity there is, the stronger your organization will be.
7. Great leaders return:
Daiana was facing Ahsa The Aqua Dragon. Ahsa has Daiana pinned. It didn’t look good for her.
Then, Batman returns! He pins Ahsa down with the Batwing.
Daiana was shocked. She hadn’t expected Batman to return. He did. And he helped save the day.
Great leaders may leave for a time. They may need to rest and recharge. They may need to go learn something new.
But they return. They show up when needed.
Be a leader who returns.
8. Even bad leaders believe they’re trying to make the world a better place:
Daiana has to face down Kuraku, The Man Of Steel (Aaron Campbell). It’s the Yakuza’s version of Superman. And he’s OP.
Daiana sees Kuraku’s power. She wonders why he’s not helping to make the world a better place.
Kuraku responds that he is helping.
We’ve all been there. We’ve all seen bad leaders. But did we think about their reasoning?
A bad leader’s reasoning isn’t far off from a good leader. Bad leaders often think they’re trying to make the organization or world a better place.
Help them see how they’ve twisted the reality of a better place.
9. Bad leaders will lie to their people:
The villain of Batman Ninja Vs. Yakuza League is Batman’s age-old foe, Ra’s Al Ghul (John Swasey). Ra’s has fed Kuraku a bag full of lies.
What did Ra’s tell him? Ra’s told Kuraku that the world was filled with Yakuza.
Guess what? That was a lie. A lie a good man believed.
Bad leaders will lie to their people to get the things they want accomplished. They don’t look for ways to make it mutually beneficial. They look for ways to get their way.
Beware of leaders who tell you lies. They’re going to bring you down.
10. Kuraku:
I saw the man. The other version of me.
When the Quake Engine is shut down, the Watchtower begins to fall. Something surprising happens. Kuraku steps up and begins to lift the Watchtower back up.
Others join him. They’re able to hold the Watchtower until they could fix the Quake Engine.
Daiana asks Kuraku what happened. He had seen the possibility of what he could be.
Great leaders show others the positive side of who they could be. You must do that.
Think of ways to show those you lead what they could be. Their possible future.
The more you show them what they could be, the more they will become that positive person.
