The Ninja Trilogy in order

The so-called Ninja Trilogy comprises Menahem Golan’s Enter the Ninja from 1981, and Sam Firstenberg’s sequels in-name-only, Revenge of the Ninja (1983) and Ninja III: The Domination (1984), all unified by the appearance of actor and real-life practitioner of ninjutsu Sho Kosugi (playing a different character in each title), and all rightly celebrated as showcases for the most egregious, ’80s-inflected cash-in excesses of Golan and Globus’ Cannon Films. Though the groundwork was laid by 1980’s The Octagon, it was these three films that began a veritable explosion of ninja presence in mainstream action flicks. 3 films, 4h 45m in all, in release order.

1. 1
   

   Enter the Ninja

   1981 · 100 min

   A newly trained ninja warrior journeys to the Philippines, where he must defend his former war comrade's property against a determined adversary.

   Snoozefest
2. 2
   

   Revenge of the Ninja

   1983 · 91 min

   A peaceful ex-ninja's life shatters when his son's kidnapping forces him back into violence amid an American-Japanese criminal drug war.

   Popcorn Flick
3. 3
   

   Ninja III: The Domination

   1984 · 94 min

   An aerobics instructor becomes a ruthless assassin after being possessed by a slain ninja's spirit, leading to a showdown with a martial arts expert.

   Popcorn Flick