The Challenge of the Lady Ninja A.K.A. Chinese Super Ninjas 2 • 女忍者 (1983)

The Challenge of the Lady Ninja (1983), originally released as 女忍者 and also known as Chinese Super Ninjas 2, is a Taiwanese martial arts cult film directed by Lee Tso-Nam. Starring Elsa Yeung as Wong Siu Wai alongside Chen Kuan-Tai, Yun-Peng Hsiang, Cho Kin, Kam Yin Fei, Kon Tak Mun, Peng Kang, and Sit Hon, the film combines female ninja warriors, revenge, Japanese occupation intrigue, elaborate martial arts stunts, and the outrageous style associated with Taiwan's early-1980s ninja cycle. Available from ClassicKungFuMovies.com for collectors who value accurate film details and hard-to-find physical media.

STORY OVERVIEW

Wong Siu Wai is a Chinese woman who has spent years training in Japan in the covert arts of ninjutsu. When news arrives that her father has been killed, she returns to China and discovers that the circumstances surrounding his death are tied to her fiancé, Lee Tung. What initially appears to be a straightforward return home soon becomes a personal mission when Siu Wai learns that Lee Tung has betrayed both her and the country during the Japanese occupation.

Determined to take revenge, Siu Wai gathers a group of female warriors and begins training them in the deadly techniques she has mastered. Together they prepare to confront Lee Tung and the Japanese forces supporting him, leading to a series of bizarre and spectacular encounters filled with ninja tricks, disguises, unusual weapons, acrobatics, and martial arts battles. As the rebellion develops, the true nature of Lee Tung's role in the larger scheme becomes increasingly important to Siu Wai's quest for vengeance.

ACTION HIGHLIGHTS

The Challenge of the Lady Ninja is packed with the exaggerated ninja action that made Taiwan's early-1980s cult martial arts films so distinctive. Wong Siu Wai demonstrates supernatural-looking ninjutsu abilities, including disappearing acts, duplicate images, explosive tricks, and acrobatic attacks, while her female warriors take part in elaborate training sequences and battles. The film's unusual costumes, colorful villains, eccentric weapons, and deliberately outrageous fight scenes give it a personality very different from more traditional Shaw Brothers wuxia productions.

WHY COLLECTORS PICK IT

Collectors seek out The Challenge of the Lady Ninja for its combination of Chen Kuan-Tai, Elsa Yeung, Lee Tso-Nam's energetic direction, and the wild ninja exploitation style of the period. The film is also frequently encountered under the misleadingly familiar title Chinese Super Ninjas 2, despite having no direct connection to Chang Cheh's Five Element Ninjas. Its reputation as a strange, fast-moving Taiwanese cult martial arts film makes it particularly appealing to collectors of rare ninja and 1980s kung fu cinema.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Released in 1983, The Challenge of the Lady Ninja emerged during the international ninja craze that influenced a large number of low-budget Asian martial arts productions. Directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Lee Tso-Nam, the film belongs to the same period in which he made other cult martial arts titles such as Shaolin Vs. Lama. Although later distributors marketed it as Chinese Super Ninjas 2, contemporary film references identify it as a separate Taiwanese production rather than an actual sequel to Chang Cheh's Five Element Ninjas.

• Verified AKAs:
  • The Challenge of the Lady Ninja – English title
  • Challenge of the Lady Ninja – Alternate English title
  • Chinese Super Ninjas 2 – U.S. alternate/reissue title
  • Never Kiss a Ninja – Alternate English title
  • 女忍者 – Chinese title
  • 浪女神龙剑 – Alternate Chinese title
  • Lang nu shen long jian – Mandarin romanization of alternate Chinese title
• Director: Lee Tso-Nam (李作楠)
• Producer: Chang-Liang King
• Screenplay: Hsin Wei
• Original Music: Mou Shan Huang
• Cinematography: Yan-Chien Chuang
• Film Editing: Huang-Hsiung Chiang
• Country: Taiwan
• Starring: Elsa Yeung, Chen Kuan-Tai, Yun-Peng Hsiang, Cho Kin, Kam Yin Fei, Kon Tak Mun, Peng Kang, Sit Hon, Robert Tai
• Genre: Martial Arts, Ninja, Action, Adventure, Thriller, Cult
• Martial Arts Focus: Ninjutsu, Female Warriors, Ninja Weapons, Acrobatic Martial Arts
• Format: DVD
• Language: English Dubbed Features
• Subtitles: As supplied on the DVD
• Region: All Regions
• Running Time: 86 Minutes
• Release Year: 1983

Carefully researched and prepared for collectors of classic martial arts cinema by ClassicKungFuMovies.com.