MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE
1985. “American Ninja”	August 30, 1985

STARRING:

•Michael Dudikoff - Pvt. Joe Armstrong •Steve James - Cpl. Curtis Jackson •Judie Aronson - Patricia Hickock •Guich Koock - Col. William T. Hickock •John Fujioka - Shinyuki •Don Stewart - Victor Ortega •John LaMotta - MSgt. Rinaldo •Tadashi Yamashita - Black Star Ninja •Phil Brock - Pvt. Charley Madison •David Vlo

SYNOPSIS:

Private Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) is conscripted into the U.S. Army by a judge, as an alternative to prison. Joe ends up fighting off the Black Star Order of ninjas while stationed in the Philippines. He saves Patricia Hickock (Judie Aronson) - daughter of Colonel William Hickock, Joe's commanding officer - from a kidnapping attempt. Although the rest of Joe's platoon is wiped out by the Black Star ninjas, Joe's popularity with his fellow GIs takes a nosedive, even as he is targeted for revenge by the Black Star Master ninja (Tadashi Yamashita). While performing chores on the base, Corporal Curtis Jackson (Steve James) goads Joe into a fight. Jackson proves no match for Joe's ninjitsuexpertise, which greatly impresses their fellow soldiers to boot. Shortly thereafter, Jackson discovers that Joe is an amnesiac; he remembers very little of his past, other than running with various street gangs and mastering a number of exotic martial arts. The grateful Patricia organizes a date for herself with Joe. Jackson and a third soldier, Charley Madison (Phil Brock), sneak Joe off the base. They are caught during dinner by Sergeant Rinaldo, who is in the middle of a business meeting with black marketeer Victor Ortega (whose payroll the sergeant is on). To get Joe out of the way, Rinaldo leads him to an abandoned warehouse - ostensibly for the purpose of dropping off supplies. Black Star ninjas ambush Joe, who defeats all of them. Then Joe's truck is stolen and he gives chase using a motorcycle. The truck driver runs Joe off the road, wiping out the bike; thinking Joe dead, the driver brings the truck to Ortega. Joe, however, hides under the truck and is brought to the heart of Ortega's operation - which encompasses the Black Star ninja training camp. Ortega is paying the Black Star Order for weapons stolen from the Army, which he then resells to the highest bidder. Joe is discovered by the ninjas-for-hire, but escapes with the aid of Ortega's servant Shinyuki (John Fujioka). Joe returns to the base, where he is promptly arrested by military policewho think he is fencing the arms. Jackson realizes that Joe has been set up, but his protests are wasted on Rinaldo. The Black Star Master infiltrates the stockade that night, slaughters the on-duty MPs and then tries to slaughter Joe as well. But Joe's would-be-assassin is thwarted by the sudden arrival of MP reinforcements, none of whom see the Black Star Master fleeing the scene. One of the dead MPs is found with a throwing star lodged in his head, which further implicates Joe in the bizarre goings-on. Only Jackson, Charlie, and Patricia believe that Joe is innocent of the charges he now faces. They tell her father everything they know about the hijacking and murders, but he just scoffs at their story. After briskly dismissing them, Colonel Hickock meets Rinaldo in private - revealing that the Colonel himself is on Ortega's payroll. Colonel Hickock orders Rinaldo to finish off Joe. Then the Black Star Master steals into the Colonel's residence and kidnaps Patricia, since her father is becoming a less-than-reliable partner. Rinaldo attempts to run Joe off the road, only to be killed himself. Joe returns to Ortega's mansion and the Black Star training camp, where he is reunited with Shinyuki. It is revealed that Shinyuki, a former Japanese holdout soldier, adopted Joe at birth after the boy's parents died. He trained Joe in the ways of ninjitsu, until the two were separated by a bomb blast; each has believed the other to be dead for years. Now Shinyuki completes Joe's training and they launch a surprise attack on the Black Star camp. Shinyuki sacrifices his life to help Joe defeat the Black Star Master; meanwhile, Colonel Hickock leads his own assault on the Ortega manor, both to rescue his daughter and to tie up loose ends - in other words, wipe out anything that might connect the Colonel to Ortega's weapon-jacking. Ortega flees by helicopter with Patricia as his hostage, after gunning down her father. Joe, however, infiltrates Ortega's chopper; he and Patricia jump to safety just before Jackson shoots down the helicopter, killing Ortega.

MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE
1987. “American Ninja 2 - The Confrontation”	May 1, 1987

STARRING:

•Michael Dudikoff - Sgt. Joe Armstrong •Steve James - Sgt. Curtis Jackson •Jeff Weston - Capt. 'Wild Bill' Woodward •Gary Conway - Leo 'The Lion' Burke •Michelle Botes - Alicia Sanborn •Larry Poindexter - Sgt. Charlie McDonald •Mike Stone - Tojo Ken

SYNOPSIS:

Now promoted to Army Rangers, Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) and Curtis Jackson (Steve James) are sent to a remote Caribbean island to aid the Marine Corps in investigating the disappearance of many of its Marines. The commanding officer, "Wild Bill" Woodward (Jeff Weston) briefs them on the situation: four marines were captured, but he doesn't know who or what they are since terrorism is out of the question. A boy named Toto (Elmo Fillis) is the only witness when he saw two Marines get beat up by a gang and then taken by a group of men in black suits. Both men look at each other, realizing that they've been in this situation before. Upon arriving, Charlie McDonald invites them to go water skiing. Tommy Taylor (Jonathan Pienaar) takes them on their boat to Mangrove Island, but sabotages it by unhooking the motor source. Everyone decides to swim, but Joe becomes suspicious, and wants to stay on shore. Shortly thereafter, he is attacked by ninjas but is rescued by Curtis. Their report back is discarded, nevertheless Woodward gives them a week to investigate. Tommy is told to lure Armstrong into a trap during a phone conversation with the Lion, and tells Joe where to meet him: at the Blind Beggar Bar. Joe is attacked by the same group of thugs from the beginning of the film, and proceeds to get little from Taylor about a drug dealer by the nickname of The Lion (Gary Conway) before he is killed by ninjas. Joe and Curtis inform Wild Bill who tells them that Taylor told of a location in which the Lion conducts his experiments: Blackbeard Island. Wild Bill is all for it, but while awaiting for approval, he invites them to the governor's ball. They arrive, and Inspector Singh (Bill Curry) quickly accuses Armstrong of killing Taylor. Wild Bill gives Jackson and Armstrong permission to rescue a girl named Alicia Sanborn (Michelle Botes) after she is taken by local thugs after crashing the ball upon seeing that The Lion was there. Jackson and Armstrong (along with Charlie) follow them into the Blind Beggar's Bar and fight the local gang and escape. They pick up Wild Bill from the ball and make up a story about Armstrong disappearing to avoid being questioned by Singh. Armstrong tracks Alicia with the help of Toto, but are attacked by ninjas. He single-handedly takes them out, before being rescued by a truck-driving Toto. One of the ninjas manages to get on the vehicle, but Armstrong makes both Toto and Alicia jump out of the vehicle before Armstrong himself jumps. The vehicle crashes into gas cans and a building, exploding the truck and killing the ninja. Joe and Alicia head on over to the boats, while Joe gives Toto a message to give to Wild Bill that they are on their way to Blackbeard Island. They have to wait awhile as patrol guards are in the water; they must wait until nighttime to travel. Alicia tells Joe about her father's plans of a scientific breakthrough to cure cancer before Burke (The Lion) bought his lab and had other plans. Jackson and the other marines have to wait on the base for a go-ahead from the ambassador, and that Armstrong is on his own for now. Joe and Alicia reach the island and infiltrate the lab by donning ninja clothing, all while Burke is introducing his SuperNinja program. They rescue Professor Sanborn, who informs Joe where the captive marines are being held. Joe rescues the captive marines, but are caught trying to escape. All face off against a group of ninjas. Joe and the marines eventually gain the upper hand at first, but the ninjas eventually kill all but 2 of the marines. The marines stage an attack on the base, and reveal that the governor and Inspector Singh are also part of Burke's scheme. The governor is arrested by Wild Bill and his men while Singh's fate is unknown. The Professor confronts Burke and manages to destroy his SuperNinja program with a remote-control bomb, killing them both. Joe Armstrong does one final battle with Tojo Ken and kills him. The marines leave the island and celebrate, while Jackson and Armstrong say goodbye to their friends as they head back to America.

MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE
1989. “American Ninja 3 - Blood Hunt”	February 24, 1989

STARRING:

•Steve James •Michele Chan •Calvin Jung •Marjoe Gortner •David Bradley

SYNOPSIS:

A powerful terrorist known as "The Cobra" (Marjoe Gortner), has infected Sean Davidson, the American ninja, with a deadly virus as human guinea pigs in his biological warfare experiments. Sean and his partners Curtis Jackson (Steve James) and Dexter (Evan J. Klisser) have no choice but to fight The Cobra and his army of genetically-engineered ninja clones led by the female ninja Chan Lee (Michele B. Chan). Michael Dudikoff was originally to reprise his role of Joe Armstrong. He got burnt out on martial arts and also the film was made in South Africa while the apartheid movement was still going on and Dudikoff did not want to be around it.

MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE
1991. “American Ninja 4 - The Annihilation”	October 30, 1990

STARRING:

•Michael Dudikoff •David Bradley •James Booth •Dwayne Alexandre

SYNOPSIS:

C.I.A. Agent Sean Davidson (David Bradley) is sent on a new mission. It turns out that the situation is really a grave one. Colonel Scott Mulgrew (Booth) an anti-American Army officer from Britain has sided with Sheik Maksood (Ron Smezarack) a Muslim militant who is planning to use a suitcase nuke to erase New York from the face of the earth. They also are training a secret Ninja Army in an old British fort. Mulgrew's army captures four commandos from a Delta Unit force run by the African government, and Mulgrew threatens to burn the commandos alive and nuke the Big Apple unless he is paid 50 million dollars. The local Police chief also supports him. Sean and his sidekick Carl are parachuted near the fort. While gathering information from a few local operatives they are pursued by the police. While escaping, they come across Doctor Sarah (Robin Stille) a Peace Corps nurse. However, in a nearby jungle, the Ninja Army attack them. Sean and Carl fight with the ninjas using their guns, nun chucks, bows and arrows, however they are captured and Sarah, Carl and Sean are imprisoned in the fort and tortured by Mulgrew and a Ninja master (Kely McClung). Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff), a special forces commando, now working as a teacher, is lured out of retirement and is sent to help Carl and Sean. Meanwhile, Mulgrew tries to rape Sarah and it turns out that Mulgrew killed Sarah's father. Now, with the help of some Local rebels known as Sulphur springs, Joe learns Mulgrew's location and equipping himself with Ninjutsu equipment he enters the fort stealthily, killing a few ninjas. Mulgrew decides to execute Sarah, Sean, Carl and the delta force commandos. Joe then attacks and rescues all the commandos and Sean and Carl and Sarah. Meanwhile, the local rebels also attack the fort by massacring the opposing police forces. Mulgrew and Maksood's whole army is wiped out and the nuke is defused. As Maksood tries to run away in his helicopter, Carl fires a missile, destroying the helicopter and killing Maksood. The ninja master is killed by Joe and Mulgrew is killed by Sean. Joe shakes hands with the leader of the rebels. He then bids goodbye to Sarah and Sean. The film ends with Joe walking away through the heaps of dead bodies of the Ninjas and the debris of the destroyed fort.

MOVIE TITLE	RELEASE DATE
1993. “American Ninja V”	April 2, 1993

STARRING:

•David Bradley •Lee Reyes •Pat Morita •James Lew

SYNOPSIS:

Lee Reyes plays Hiro, Master Tetsu's (Pat Morita)'s grandnephew, who is the last of the true ninja. His granduncle sends him to apprentice under Joe Kastle, (David Bradley), who is the American Ninja, to gain experience. Hiro cares only for his Game Gear and has little interest in the ways of the ninja. Joe in addition to being the American Ninja also owns a boat. In order to meet the American Ninja, Lisa (Anne Dupont) "varnishes" his boat when in fact she was asked to "tarnish" it. While having dinner Lisa is kidnapped by Viper (James Lew) and a host of multi-colored ninjas, and so the American Ninja and Hiro sneak onto a plane to Venezuela to save her. It is revealed that Lisa is the daughter of a scientist, under the employ of Glock (Clement von Franckenstein), who is being forced to develop a nerve gas for a Latin American despot. Before the American Ninja and Hiro can rescue Lisa and her father from "Viper", the mysterious ninja that appears and reappears with a puff of smoke, the American Ninja must reawaken the ancient ninja tradition within Hiro with a 5-minute training montage. Viper is defeated in a climactic airplane battle scene, and Joe returns to South Florida to kiss Lisa on the bow of his boat.