OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Yotoden: Wrath Of The Ninja

From 1987-1988, anime studio J.C. Staff released a popular 3-episode OVA series titled Yotoden that was popular enough for Japan's version of MTV to put together a compilation movie that was released out English under a new title, Wrath Of The Ninja. This was one of the first anime to stick its flag in the ground under the genre of historical fantasy, and even got a one-shot manga adaptation. Yotoden wasn't a samurai epic, but more of a supernatural martial arts series co-written by Ultraman author Sho Aikawa.

Set in an alternate version of 1580's Japan, the tyrannical Oda Nobunaga starts a campaign to take over the country by sending his armies of disposable ninja monsters lead by his cadre of generals with their own unique powers, like being able to summon up a giant triple-headed caterpillar out of nowhere or possessing an enemy's body like a parasite. Nobunaga's forces had already destroyed two villages that each had the last descendants in the line of a martial arts schools escaping with a special weapon. One of them was Ayame wielding a short sword, the other is the katana toting Hayate who meets Ayame after she encounters some random bandits. They both head to the village of Hagakure which is the last of three fighting schools where they are joined by Ryoma who owns an enchanted halberd. All three weapons are supposed to be the only thing that can defeat Nobunaga and his demonic forces. The trio goes through multiple campaigns and personal struggles before finally reaching their fight with the evil ninja lord, only to find that the whole war was a scheme cooked up by Nobunaga's right-hand man, Ranmaru. The creepy underling had manipulated all these characters to generate enough negative energy to open a door to the underworld. The three heroes of course stop Ranmaru thanks to Ryoma's sacrifice.

This was dubbed by Central Park Media, although numerous bootlegs were shoved on to the American market, some of which labeled under ADV Films but unauthorized. The mid-80s anime design and fighting sequences are above average for the time, but if you want the full version try to find The Complete Yotoden Saga edition.