Ninja Battles w/ Comic Book & DVD

Toy name: Ninja Battles
Assortment: N/A
Price: MSRP $14.99
Availability: December, 2004/January, 2005

Well, a simple interview a couple of months ago sparked a world of confusion in the online Joe community when a member of Reel FX reported that they were working on a project called "Ninja Battles". Everyone had assumed that the next theme was going to be BAT-related, and everyone had also heard at that point that Gonzo was taking over animation duties. So what the heck was this Ninja Battles thing?

Questions soon became answered when Hasbro offered a press release showcasing exactly what this was going to be: a new action figure set with diorama backdrop, a brand new comic book, and even a DVD! It turns out the DVD only has about 5-10 minutes of original footage, but for all of this stuff at an MSRP of only $14.99, it's tough to get upset about that.

It was widely believed back when I first joined the online Joe community (wow, about 6-7 years ago...seems like forever) that the plethora of Ninjas helped spell the doom of the Joe line back in the 80's/90's. While trying to compete with the likes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, the Joes lost some of their focus and drifted down some wrong paths. I don't know if I agree with this 100%...I'm not wild about a massive influx of ninjas into the toyline, but to me, the primary objective is good storytelling. As long as the ninjas can be written into the story well and don't clash with the ongoing military theme, it's fine. Did Hasbro get it right this time, or is this a mistake on caliber with "Snake Eyes: featuring G.I. Joe" comics back in the 90's? Let's see if I can shed some light.

I suppose we should take a look at the figures first, even if they may not be the top focus of this set. The reason I say that, is because they are all 100% repaints, with no newly molded parts or anything...and in a lot of cases, the repaints are not necessarily better than the originals, although they are nicely different.

First up is Snake Eyes, which uses the JvC Wave 3 mold. A lot of people will be very happy about this, but I am not so pleased. While that mold is extremely well detailed and has some incredible articulation and molded on accessories, the insane level of detail also seriously affects the figure's playability.

Because of the heaps of pads, belts, and pouches, the figure cannot move as well as some of those that are more streamlined. His arms cannot lift above his head, and his legs are extremely limited in motion because of an overabundance of details.

To folks who might only be displaying this figure in a pretty static position, this might not be a big deal...but to me, I move my toys...I use them and play with them, so I much prefer a figure that moves fluidly and effortlessly with a large range of motion. This figure does not.

As for the colors...I really have no complaint with them at all. While Snake Eyes is primarilly known for his black/gray uniforms, Hasbro has shaken things up a bit and painted him in a terrific dark blue/gray combination that looks striking, yet still suits the character. This terrific base color is nicely complimented by a dull light gray trim on the straps and pouches, and then also perfectly offset by a cool light green on the arm wraps and shoulder pads.

These colors are all widely different, but come together surprisingly effectively and maintain a nice military feel, even with some much different color pallets.

Another very bright note about these figures in general is the plethora of new accessories. Snake Eyes comes with a great new sword that nicely fits him and looks great.

It would seem with this set as well, suddenly Snake Eyes has opened his own martial arts academy. Previously a silent loaner with a bad attitude living life on the edge, now he starts taking on apprentices left and right. First it was Kamakura, and now "Tiger Claw". First of all, who the heck is Tiger Claw?

As for the figure itself, it is not much different from the Wave 4 Kamakura. Actually the figure itself is exactly the same.

Thankfully, Hasbro used the o-ring version to base this figure on, as the Action Attack mold would just have been in poor taste.

The mold itself makes for an effective martial artist/ninja, with a simple oriental uniform design and skintight mask. The way the cloth uniform is detailed looks realistic, yet has enough added pads and trimming to make it a little more exciting than it might normally be. The sash over the left shoulder breaks up the uniform nicely, although it doesn't stand out as effectively on this figure as it did with Kamakura.

Even more nicely adorned than the sash, though, is the arm and leg armor plating, which is extremely well detailed. I love the layered, angluar armored look...it adds protection, yet looks samauri-like, and works well.

His color scheme, like his sensei's, is pretty different than we've seen, and still pretty neat and effective. His base uniform is a green/gray that looks really cool. It's a nicely bright color, but still softly hued and mild, without being overly bright and obnoxious. The pattern of the "tiger claw" on his sash is fantastic, giving him a very cool ornamentation, and something different than we've seen. The orange face mask and trim down the uniform front adds a cool splash of color, yet the orange, like the base color, is muted and not overly bright.

Like Snake Eyes, Tiger Claw comes with an awesome new sword, although this one is considerably different than the one Snake Eyes comes with. It's not your traditional ninja katana, and has a nicely elaborate handle that really makes it stand out. Ths suitcase works well, too, and altogether Tiger Claw makes for a pretty neat addition to the ninja clan.

Storm Shadow is next on the list, although he is painfully similar to the two renditions we've received recently. It's funny how all of the online Joe fandom has been clammoring for a decent o-ring Storm Shadow for years and years...now that we finally have one, we get two nearly identical repaints released within the next two months. Ask and ye shall receive, I guess...in triplicate! ;)

Even with a repetitive Storm Shadow, though, it's tough to get mad at Hasbro for re-releasing this incredible mold.

The snake motif mask has become synonomous with Storm Shadow, which is great, because it looks amazing. The mold of the uniform itself is simple, yet dramatic, able to combine ceremonial and battle ready looks fairly easily.

The wraparound uniform coupled with the bandaged arm wraps and slanted shoulder pads all give this Storm Shadow a terrific modern look, but with a serious retro flair. The winding, molded dragons on his legs further accentuate the intricate details, and the flexibility of movement (something the Snake Eyes in this set lacks) makes for a very fun figure to play with. Even with the rubber uniform bottom, it is split in such a way that still allows for full range of motion. Tiger Claw suffers from the same skirting problems as the v2 Kamakura, and I'm happy that Storm Shadow is not laden with this difficulty as well.

Other great little details include the nicely armored kneepads and different material shown underneath the uniform top...all of this combines into a very cool looking classic COBRA ninja.

The paint apps I find to be disappointingly similar to the previous two releases, however. It should be noted that the fans always love a new figure with some throwbacks to the original...and the fact that Storm Shadow is always in white is something that people expect. However, with two previous Stiorm Shadow's coming in mostly white uniforms with only slight trim changes, I was hoping this one might be a little more of a departure. They weren't afraid to color Snake Eyes outside of his normal blackness, I just wish they had felt the same deisng flair with Storm Shadow. Not necessarily because I don't like Stormy being in white...I think that's an important aspect of the character...but just for variety's sake.

Basically what these three Storm Shadow's have done is take the same base white uniform, and only adjust the trim colors. Where the original Wave 4 version had red dragons and other trimming, and the Target exclusive had black trims, then this version has light gray. These minor trim changes don't really change enough to make each figure worth purchasing separately for non-completists. Of course, with the Target exclusive coming with a cool white Ninja Lightning bike, and this set coming with loads of new figures, accessories, a comic, and DVD, I have a feeling most people will end up with several different similar Storm Shadows in their collection.

Storm Shadow is the only figure in this set that does not come with a brand new weapon, although he does come with the same set of weapons the original Wave 4 version came with, including a new sculpt backpack, hook swords and staff. These new weapons are colored slightly differently and still look very cool, even if we have seen them before.

While Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow steal the limelight as popular main characters, and Tiger Claw gets some face time as the new apprentice, Shadow Strike gets kind of lost in the shuffle. He's even misnamed in the comic. Does he deserve to be? Well, I'm not really sure.

Storm Shadow's JvC Wave 1 mold was something I loved the moment I saw it, and mourned when it was revealed sans o-ring. The interestingly sculpted ninja mask/hood combination along with the great bandage wrapped arms and legs (and even some split-toed martial arts shoes) made the overall look of the figure great. It really captured a ninja feel, yet still looked modern enough to work in today's time. Most importantly, it looked like Storm Shadow should look.
Ever since people have been dying to see an o-ring retrofit of that mold, and while we haven't seen it as a Storm Shadow figure yet, we have gotten the Ninja-Viper Trooper from Wave 5, and now we have Shadow Strike. Unfortunately, for the most part, I think, it's a little too little, too late.

Two years ago, an o-ring version of this mold would have been amazing! Amongst current winners like the Wave 4 Storm Shadow, upcoming Wave 7 Snake Eyes, and many others, the mold looks a little tired and dated. Head sculpts have come a looong way since 2002, and it's painfully obvious here, with a head mold that's scrunched up and does not look realistic. The basic martial arts uniform is designed fine, although it doesn't really "flow"...you can definitely tell the figure is a non-o-ring retro-fit. The way the torso slopes down into somewhat bow-legged legs and the overall stance of the figure just look somewhat unnatural, and the figure over all really kind of pales in comparison to very cool newer sculpted figures.

However, part of me just can't help but really like how the figure looks as part of the Red Ninja organization. Even with the very cool Red Ninja Vipers we got in the recent Toys "R" Us 6-Pack, a more accurate Red Ninja figure would be nice to see...something that isn't just a v.1 Storm Shadow repaint. We're getting a v.2 Storm Shadow repaint next year as part of an upcoming Comic 3-Pack, which is better...this figure looks pretty close to the part, too, only with some additional belts and straps kicking around. I like seeing a mini-Red Ninja army start to build up, and I dig how this mold looks in red. The shade of red on the base uniform is nice...dull and pretty dark, a very warm, effective color. It makes Shadow Strike really look like an Arishikage member, possibly one of the lowly Red Ninjas who Storm Shadow picks to be his new proteje. The figure over all does have some potential, even though the mold is dated and not all that exciting.

The spoiler in this set, though, would definitely appear to be Black Dragon Ninja. I believe I might be one of the only Joefans who really grasped the character of Black Dragon when he was revealed as a Con Exclusive two years ago. I immediately latched onto this character and still plan to integrate him into my dio's, and actually I'm a little happier to see him in this set than I thought I'd be.

When I first saw that Black Dragon was included with this set, I figured that Hasbro was completely retconning the convention exclusive version and simply taking the name for their own uses.

However, upon reading the comic, I was almost ecstatic to see that in flashback sequences, Black Dragon is clearly shown as being in his convention exclusive uniform!! And he's joined by his Black Dragon troops in their Ferret-gear. I can only assume that Brandon Jerwa wrote the book and tossed this in here, and if that's the case I'm quite happy with it. And even though the convention exclusive Black Dragon filecards seem to indicate a strong distaste for ninjas, it makes sense to me. The book mentioned Black Dragon finding love in new technology, but failing his ninja training as a result...I can see him so resentful over this, that the mere suggestion of him being a ninja completely fires him up, and it fits right in with the filecards from Operation Anaconda. It might an an accidental tie-in, but I'll take what I can get. ;)

As much as I enjoy the character, and as hard as I work to integrate him into the Joe mythos, I'm a little bit bummed out about the figure selection here, only because it's so similar to the original Iron Grenadier. Again, you can stretch things and claim that since the original Black Dragon used COBRA (and actually Iron Grenadier, if you think about it) equipment, that this one would as well, but frankly, he just looks too similar to the original Iron Grenadier to get away with it.

It would have been cool to see some remolded parts...or heck, even a nice new color scheme...but a mostly black Iron Grenadier ends up looking too much like...well...an Iron Grenadier. The mold itself is very cool, as it always has been, with a large, muscular look and imposing physical stature. The intricate detailing of the Grenadier physique and the rubberized armor plating all maintains it's very cool look, although he does seem a little out of place with these other more straight-edge looking martial artists.

Color-wise, the figure really hasn't been changed enough either, with only some minor alterations to his rib padding and other various trimming. Based in mostly black, he doesn't stand out enough from the other IG's to look like anything but yet another IG. The only real stand out feature is the pretty nicely elaborate painted dragon logo on his chest. It is a great logo and some awesome paint apps, but ultimately it does little to differentiate this figure from the regular Iron Grenadier predecessor. A ninja-style mask does not always make a ninja.

Like most of the other figures in this set, Black Dragon Ninja does come with some great new accessories...twin kamas. Little sickle-type weapons, cast in multiple colors, these dangerous little blades look incredible and make for two very neat looking ninja tools of death. Like every new weapon in this set, they are sculpted well, in proportion and look very realistic.

But of course everyone knows that the figures aren't the only things in this set. It's almost amazing, but for an MSRP of $14.99, we get five figures, a diorama-style base, full length comic book, AND a DVD. A very, very good value, to be sure!

Now, along with these five figures and new weapons, we also get a brand new Arashikage Clan display base. The base is an oriental style stone platform with the now famous Arashikage symbol embossed into it, featuring molded weapons and a collapsible structure in the background. The base itself is pretty neat, although I have a couple of issues with it. First of all, the spears do not fit tightly into their holes, so they just kind of flop around and don't look all that great. Secondly, the collapsible structure is a little TOO collapsible and falls apart when a stiff breeze rolls through. This kind of stinks, although where I've got it displayed now, it doesn't seem to cause any major problems.

Even though the thing does fall apart at a moment's notice, it's still neat, and I had fun with Shadow Strike throwing Tiger Claw through the pillars and causing general havoc. I'm glad it's not a major focus, and it's a neat added componant, especially for the cheap price.

So what about the comic? There are rumors it was written by current Joe scribe Brandon Jerwa, and honestly, I can definitely see his hands in it.

Just as a warning, there are going to be story spoilers in this review, so if you haven't read the book yet and don't want to be spoiled, DO NOT CONTINUE.

The basic storyline (for the comic and the cartoon) really looks like it tries to pull lots of influences from the original comic, yet is definitely trying it's own thing...it is plainly obvious that this new Joe "reboot" is a definite reboot and not based on any original history.

However,the fact that it pulls so many details from the original comic story makes me happy, and the most important thing is that even though it's different, it's a good story, and works very well.

The story is told from the point of view of the Iron Master, the Swordsmith of the Arashikage Clan, and Black Dragon's sword brother. He tells the tale of the Hard Master (Storm Shadow's father, not his uncle) and Stormy's and Snake Eyes rise through the ranks to Ninja Masters. It's obvious from the beginning that Stormy has a mean streak about him, as the DVD shows him winning his trials by any means necessary, even being underhanded and dishonorable in several of them. And even though he wins, when he sees the look on the Hard Master's face, he knows he has lost.

The comic gives a very general backstory, showing the recent history of the Arashikage Clan and talking briefly about what drove them all apart and cast the clan into the wind. It shows what happened with Black Dragon, Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, and their respective apprentices and Black Dragon himself comes back to get some measure of revenge, although he ultimately fails.

I do like seeing some of the other figures tied in with this comic, as Jinx, the Black Dragon Troopers and several other characters appear, but the mis-representation of certain characters just blows me away for something that's supposed to tie in so tightly to the included figures. Jinx is shown in her Tiger Force uniform instead of her more reconizable Wave 3 suit...Snake Eyes is shown in his Valor Vs. Venom uniform instead of the uniform that this set actually COMES with. Shadow Strike does not look anything like the figure included, and instead "Slash" appears, looking just like the Shadow Strike figure, but nothing like the Slash figure. Then, to top it off you have Slice appearing in his original uniform instead of the more shelf-current VvV suit. Confusion abounds! The present plotline itself is pretty forgettible, featuring Black Dragon trying to steal the two halves of an ancient Arashikage talisman which promise to give him infinite power, but the backstory is neat and the art isn't too bad, overall it's pretty enjoyable to read.

As for the DVD...well, it follows much of the same roller coaster of the comic. There are some very fun and cool parts, yet also some strange consistancy changes that leave you scratching your head.

The DVD is much more in tune with the rivalry between Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes (in fact, Black Dragon does not even appear). The comic-style animation is actually quite cool and effective, especially when looking at the flashbacks. It clearly tells the tale of Storm Shadow, a morally questionable ninja, who gets "brainwashed" and turned to the COBRA side by Shadow Strike. Ultimately COBRA Commander shoots and kills his father, the Hard Master, yet by that point Storm Shadow is too far gone and believes that Snake Eyes shot him, and thus begins the division.

The story definitely comes across okay for kids, but it doesn't feel like I'm being talked down to either. It was interesting and told from some nice different points of view, and overall I think the story was told well. The new CGI animation all comes at the end in the form of an all out ninja brawl between Snake Eyes, Kamakura, Tiger Claw, and Jinx against Storm Shadow, Slice, Slash, and Shadow Strike. The new animation flows well and looks nice, and overall the stories are told well with each form of media and compliments the rest of the set near perfectly. I could see kids easily getting into the ninja mythos here, and while many aspects of it seem more mystical and less military, I still like how it fits, and like the new look at some old history.

So like the comic, the DVD is pretty enjoyable, especially since it's basically a "toss in" to an already jampacked set. However, also like the comic, the character designs are a little strange, and it quickly becomes obvious that Hasbro didn't want to invest in new 3D models for different characters, so they simply changed some colors around and went with it. Snake Eyes is still shown in his VvV outfit, and Shadow Strike is simply a Valor Vs. Venom Storm Shadow colored red. While I can see this change from a cost point of view, I could see some kids being slightly annoyed (if they were anything like I was as a kid) that their Shadow Strike cannot duplicate what the one on screen is doing and looks completely different.

But for the most part, this is nitpicking. The "pan and scan" animation works a lot better than I thought it might (it's very similar in style to the Mission Disk animated comic books) and the lat few minutes with new CGI animation looks great, as I've said. It's interesting to finally see a cartoon and comic universe that compliment each other instead of going in completely different directions and overall, everything comes together fine.

This set is definitely a no brainer, even for non-ninja fans. You get five figures, all repainted pretty effectively, and with terrific new accessories. Normally, that in and of itself is almost worth $15.00. But you also get the Arashikage display base and two spears, which is also a great added bonus. But, then you ALSO get a full length comic book and 22 minute DVD! All of this together for $15.00 is just an amazing value for the money and that alone makes it highly recommended from me. Sure, not all of the figures are perfect...sure, not everyone likes ninjas. But this package all together is very reasonable and very cool and I recommend that everyone at least give it a shot. Even you ninja haters may be pleasently surprised.

Ratings (out of 10)

Characters: 8
Molds: 7
Paint Apps: 7
Value: 10
Overall score (not an average): 7.5

Yeah! My Black Dragon and Black Dragon Troopers in comic book form...

 

More action figure pictures on Page Two...

 

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