Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League continues to explore a new side of the DC Universe with a special anime adaptation, and we got to ask the composer behind the film a few questions about how the music came to life. Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League made its digital debut earlier this year, and with it fans got to see the Batman Ninja anime universe expand with a new adventure. This new film combined the wild yakuza filled world of a much different universe with Batman’s own, and it resulted in the Yakuza League, a villainous group filled with Justice League icons.
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With Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League hitting 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on April 15th in the United States, we got to ask composer Yugo Kanno a few questions about his involvement with the film through email correspondence. The music itself was a major standout as there are several moments in the film that offer completely different, and nostalgic kinds of themes, so we had to ask Kanno a bit about the inspirations behind it all. Especially when it came to composing some of the unique action scenes for the DC heroes and villains.
Composing for Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League
Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League kicks off with a prominent opening theme that really sells the new style of this anime world, so we had to ask Kanno about his inspirations for this new theme. Kanno explained, “I wanted to express the surreal and stylish world that is so unique to Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League with my music. My goal was to create a sound that would instantly draw the audience into the otherworldly story of this film.” There was a balance to this, however, as Kanno also made sure to respect the need to craft an original sound, but also not to be too influenced by previous DC works.
When asked about whether or not he looked to other DC works for his music, Kanno replied, “While valuing the originality, I also approached the music with great respect for DC works. I was careful not to be overly influenced by existing DC soundtracks, instead focused on building a fresh musical world unique to Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League.” And naturally, the hero he had the most fun composing a new theme for out of all of the DC heroes was Batman, which comes through in the film very well. That wasn’t all, however, as Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League experiments with other kinds of surprising musical moments.
One comes with Diana who has a karaoke like ballad of her own. And Kanno went to a surprising source for this theme, “When you think of the Yakuza, Enka [A Japanese traditional balladic song] comes to mind — it’s a genre that speaks to the soul of Japanese music. I aimed to create a genuine enka song that stays true to its essence.” Kanno even pulled a little bit from Tokusatsu for that awesome “Bat Phoenix” theme song seen in the film as well, “I got a lot of inspiration from classic Japanese tokusatsu and anime culture — things like old-school robot anime and sentai series.” That’s why it felt so nostalgic along with the art style seen in the final feature film as well.
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One thing that we had to ask Kanno was his initial draw when composing the high-octane battles for each of the Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League scenes. Was Kanno trying to draw out a particular energy or instead invoke an emotion? As it turns out, it’s a balance of both elements as they are both crucial as Kanno explained, “Both elements are crucial. I always try to strike the right balance between energy and emotion, depending on what each scene demands.”
Yugo Kanno is also the composer behind the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise and has contributed to the music for Stardust Crusaders, Diamond is Unbreakable, Golden Wind, and even Stone Ocean. When asked about his favorite aspects of working on the anime franchise, Kanno stated, “I really enjoy the process of coming up with music tailored to each of the show’s wildly unique characters.” And as for what he hopes to see for the future, Kanno feels just as fans do and hopes to see the anime continue, “As a fan myself, I truly hope to see the anime adaptations continue for a long time to come.”
Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is now available for purchase on digital platforms, and will be available on 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD April 15th.
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