House of Ninjas parents guide: Why is the Netflix series rated TV-MA?

When you’re in the mood for something quirky and fun, House of Ninjas is a show worth considering. However, this Netflix series is not something for all the ninja fans in the house.

The official age rating for this Japanese-language series is TV-MA. This suggests that it’s for ages 18 and above, but I would say that some older teenagers could enjoy it. It would have been something I’d have watched at 16 or 17, easily.

You’ll certainly get some Incredibles vibes while watching it. There are also some The Umbrella Academy vibes. This series is focused on a family full of ninjas, who need to work normal jobs and live normal lives after the death of one of their own. However, there are threats outside that see the family pulled back into the world of crime fighting with their ninja skills.

Why is House of Ninjas rated TV-MA?

The rating did surprise me after watching it. I actually expected this to be more along the lines of a TV-14 series.

You see, there’s not that much that would make it a TV-MA series. There’s no nudity, and the language is actually pretty tame, even with the dubbing and the subtitles.

The one thing that pushes this up there is the violence, which even IMDb says is "mild." The truth is, it’s a series about ninjas. Of course, there is going to be violence in this series. It didn’t seem like enough for me to warrant an 18+ rating on it. This really is something that teenagers could watch.

Part of the story focuses on death and grief. One of the sons is killed in events before the series, and the parents have chosen to get their family out of the business because of it. Of course, the children don’t agree with doing that, and it’s not surprising to see them get involved, using their skills to steal items just to show they can do it or to fill up vending machines.

Some of the scenes are intense and suspenseful. There are some moments that could come across frightening to some younger viewers. I will say that this is something my 11-year-old would probably enjoy. My eight-year-old not so much as some of the scenes would be too much for her, but I can’t understand the TV-MA age rating.

The only thing that stops me from putting it on for my older child is the subtitles and dubbing. She’s not a fast enough reader yet and the dubbing is a little off at times and that would likely take her out of it. But for older teenagers, this is definitely something to consider letting them watch.

House of Ninjas is now streaming on Netflix.