{ "id": "ep1q4g4v1w", "slug": "five-element-ninjas", "title": "Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "label": "Released 1943 to 1985", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000: Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术, aka Chinese Super Ninjas) is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and written with Ni Kuang, in which Japanese element-based ninja squads battle a Chinese martial alliance; it earned HK$1,628,717 in Hong Kong and became a Western cult favorite.", "snippet": "Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术, aka Chinese Super Ninjas) is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and written with Ni Kuang, in which Japanese element-based ninja squads battle a Chinese martial alliance; it earned HK$1,628,717 in Hong Kong and became a Western cult favorite.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "markdown": "# Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术)\n\n**Five Element Ninjas** (五遁忍术; also released as Five Element Ninja and, in North America, Chinese Super Ninjas) is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh (張徹) and written by Chang Cheh and [Ni Kuang](https://www.edgepedia.org/ni-kuang) (倪匡), produced by Shaw Brothers and released in Hong Kong on 21 April 1982[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://movie.douban.com/subject/1301046/). The film pits Japanese ninja, organized into five element-based squads of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, against the fighters of a [Chinese martial arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/chinese-martial-arts) alliance, and it became a lasting cult favorite among Western genre audiences[3](https://kungfumovieguide.com/five-element-ninjas/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / writers | Chang Cheh; screenplay by Chang Cheh and Ni Kuang[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Studio / release | Shaw Brothers; Hong Kong premiere 21 April 1982[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Box office | HK$1,628,717 in Hong Kong (21–27 April 1982), 119th place for the year[4](https://kungfutube.info/13674) |\n| Runtime / format | 107 minutes; Mandarin and Cantonese versions; color, 2.35:1, mono sound[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Principal cast | Cheng Tien-chi, Lung Tien-hsiang, Lo Mang, Chan Wai-man, Chen Pei-hsi, Chu Ko[2](https://movie.douban.com/subject/1301046/) |\n| Action directors | Cheng Tien-chi and Chu Ko; producer Run Run Shaw[5](https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_5513768) |\n| Ratings | Douban 6.9/10 from 2,556 users; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 89% (one counted review)[2](https://movie.douban.com/subject/1301046/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/five_element_ninjas) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story opens with a tournament between rival Chinese schools. After the Kang school loses, its chief hires the Japanese ninja master Jianyuan (剑渊, played by Chan Wai-man), who leads a squad of Five Element Ninjas against the victorious Yen clan[3](https://kungfumovieguide.com/five-element-ninjas/). In the Chinese-language synopsis, the ninja leader seeks revenge for Japanese warriors defeated by Yuan Zeng (袁增, played by Guan Feng), head of the central martial arts alliance, and challenges the alliance with the \"Five Element formation\" (五遁阵)[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink). The English-language account names the ninja lord Kembuchi Mudou and the defeated chief Hong, who hires him after losing the tournament[7](https://theactionelite.com/element-ninja-aka-chinese-super-ninjas-1982-review/).\n\nThe ninjas fight by subterfuge rather than open combat. The wood-element ninjas disguise themselves as trees, others are propelled out of the earth or glide on giant paddling water spiders, and the fire element uses poison smoke and flame[3](https://kungfumovieguide.com/five-element-ninjas/) • [8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaPCSVVcqL4). Yuan Zeng sends eight experts to break the formation, but, unfamiliar with ninja techniques, all are killed; Jianyuan then sends the kunoichi Junko (纯子, played by Chen Pei-hsi) to infiltrate the alliance headquarters as he pursues his ambition to dominate the martial world[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink).\n\nIn the English-language accounts, the lone survivor of the slaughtered school, Shao Tien-hao (played by Cheng Tien-chi), trains with a Chinese ninja master and other pupils, learns to counter each element, and takes revenge in a final series of duels against each ninja group and the leader[7](https://theactionelite.com/element-ninja-aka-chinese-super-ninjas-1982-review/) • [9](https://cinehello.com/stream/70762).\n\n## Production\n\nChang Cheh made the film late in his Shaw Brothers career. A Hong Kong filmography notes that shooting began around September or October 1981 and that it was, in contractual terms, his last film for Shaw Brothers[10](https://ikikyou2724.milkoolong.net/blog/report/movie/five-element-ninjas-1982/5/). The Taiwanese producer Wu Dun, later a prominent industry figure, worked as production manager on the shoot in Taiwan[11](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2009-12-02/ba2795150.shtml).\n\n**Choreography and staging.** The action was designed by Cheng Tien-chi and Chu Ko, who also appear in the cast[5](https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_5513768). The Kung Fu Movie Guide review notes that the choreography adheres closely to historic Japanese weaponry, with the names of individual weapons flashed on screen, a device similar to Lau Kar-leung's *Legendary Weapons of China*, released the same year[3](https://kungfumovieguide.com/five-element-ninjas/). Observant Shaw Brothers viewers have noted recycled production elements: some costumes from *Iron Flag Gate* (铁旗门), fights staged in the *Sword Stained with Royal Blood* (碧血剑) studio sets, and the banners used to break the fire element taken from *Iron Flag Gate*[12](https://www.toutiao.com/article/7191354032383033917/).\n\nThe film belongs to the early-1980s ninja boom. A retrospective timeline of ninja cinema records its April 1982 Hong Kong release and worldwide export under the title *Chinese Super Ninjas*, followed almost immediately by imitations such as Taiwan's *Ninja in the Deadly Trap*[13](https://vintageninja.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/VintageNinjaTimeline-%C2%A9KeithRainville-V1.3opt.pdf).\n\n## Release and reception\n\nThe film earned HK$1,628,717 at the Hong Kong box office during its 21–27 April 1982 run, placing 119th for the year[4](https://kungfutube.info/13674). It was released in Japan as *少林拳対五遁忍術* (Shorin Ken tai Godon Ninjutsu)[4](https://kungfutube.info/13674).\n\nOn Douban the film holds 6.9/10 from 2,556 users, ranking better than 46% of action films and 60% of wuxia films on the site[2](https://movie.douban.com/subject/1301046/). Rotten Tomatoes lists a Tomatometer of 89% from one counted review and 100+ audience ratings[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/five_element_ninjas). Retrospective English-language criticism has been consistent in its assessment: the Kung Fu Movie Guide calls it a perennial favorite in the West with a cult following, while noting the near-nonexistent script and the artificial look of the studio sets and outlandish costumes[3](https://kungfumovieguide.com/five-element-ninjas/). The Action Elite review calls it one of the most exciting, fun, and creative martial arts films Shaw Brothers released, despite weak storytelling[7](https://theactionelite.com/element-ninja-aka-chinese-super-ninjas-1982-review/).\n\nIn 2020 the film was approved for online distribution in mainland China under license (沪)剧审网字（2020）第0025号, at a listed length of 103 minutes, held by Shanghai Zhongyuan Network Co., Ltd.[14](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/attach/0/3205640394664be689128a4105f88a34.pdf). In 2023 it appeared on Blu-ray in Shout Factory's *Shaw Brothers Classics Vol. 4* collection, with Mandarin and English mono soundtracks[15](https://insidepulse.com/2023/12/19/blu-ray-review-shaw-brothers-classic-vol-4/).\n\n## Place in Chang Cheh's late career\n\nChinese-language commentary treats the film as a late-career work of a director past his peak. By 1982 Chang Cheh's star actors of the 1960s and 1970s, including Wang Yu, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan-tai, and [Fu Sheng](https://www.edgepedia.org/fu-sheng), had moved on, and the newer performers he cast here did not reach the same standing[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink). The film is nonetheless regularly named among his late representative works[2](https://movie.douban.com/subject/1301046/), and its combination of the Five Elements (金、木、水、火、土) ninja conceit with graphic violence has kept it in circulation as a cult item, including placement in 2020 B-movie roundup lists[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink).\n\n## References\n\n1. [五遁忍术, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E4%BA%94%E9%81%81%E5%BF%8D%E6%9C%AF/10434799?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n2. [五遁忍术 (1982), Douban](https://movie.douban.com/subject/1301046/)\n3. [Five Element Ninjas (1982), Kung Fu Movie Guide, review by Ben Johnson](https://kungfumovieguide.com/five-element-ninjas/)\n4. [少林拳対五遁忍術／五遁忍術（1982）, KUNGFU TUBE](https://kungfutube.info/13674)\n5. [邵氏兄弟电影目录(1952-2003), The Paper](https://m.thepaper.cn/baijiahao_5513768)\n6. [Five Element Ninjas, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/five_element_ninjas)\n7. [Element Ninja AKA Chinese Super Ninjas (1982) Review, The Action Elite](https://theactionelite.com/element-ninja-aka-chinese-super-ninjas-1982-review/)\n8. [五遁忍术挑战中国功夫 (YouTube, 光影老电影)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaPCSVVcqL4)\n9. [这部捆绑、黑丝和分尸的武侠片居然是老外的最爱, 影视工业网](https://cinehello.com/stream/70762)\n10. [電影 五遁忍術 (1982), 坐井觀天 blog](https://ikikyou2724.milkoolong.net/blog/report/movie/five-element-ninjas-1982/5/)\n11. [《新航标》第三期-江湖外传：吴敦从影秘史, Sina Entertainment](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2009-12-02/ba2795150.shtml)\n12. [《五遁忍术》：打戏超越《精武英雄》, Toutiao](https://www.toutiao.com/article/7191354032383033917/)\n13. [How Ninja Conquered the World timeline, Vintage Ninja (Keith Rainville)](https://vintageninja.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/VintageNinjaTimeline-%C2%A9KeithRainville-V1.3opt.pdf)\n14. [全国引进专用用于信息网络传播的境外影视剧目录（2020年）, NRTA](https://www.nrta.gov.cn/attach/0/3205640394664be689128a4105f88a34.pdf)\n15. [Blu-ray Review: Shaw Brothers Classics Vol. 4, Inside Pulse](https://insidepulse.com/2023/12/19/blu-ray-review-shaw-brothers-classic-vol-4/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Martial arts films › Released 1943 to 1985*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术)](https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas](https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Five Element Ninjas (五遁忍术)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/five-element-ninjas. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Five Element Ninjas is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and written with Ni Kuang, in which Japanese element-based ninja squads battle a Chinese martial alliance; it earned HK$1,628,717 in Hong Kong and became a Western cult favorite." }