''Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword'' is a 2009 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

mystery

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expression a ...

, as well as the thirteenth entry in a series of direct-to-video animated films based on the ''

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American media franchise owned by Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Entertainment and created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears through their animated series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!'', for Hanna-Barbera (which wa ...

'' franchise. In the United States, the DVD sold over 163,890 units in its first week and as of January 2014, it has sold approximately over 524,725 units. This is the last direct-to-video ''Scooby-Doo'' film to use the brighter lightning and art visual style keen to the '' What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' TV series, making it the last ''What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' related production. It was also the last ''Scooby-Doo'' production to feature

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40'', as well as the weekly syndicated televi ...

as the voice of Shaggy before his retirement as the character in 2010 and death in 2014.

Plot

In flashbacks, an ancient warrior asked renowned swordsmith

Masamune was a medieval Japanese blacksmith widely acclaimed as Japan's greatest swordsmith. He created swords and daggers, known in Japanese as ''tachi'' and ''tantō'', in the Japanese sword#Classification by School, ''Sōshū'' school. However, many ...

to craft a sword of great mystical power. Masamune agreed, but stated that the process will take a year. Masamune's apprentice Muramasa subsequently offered to make a similarly powerful sword in half the time. The warrior accepted. However, Muramasa's evil nature was imbued into his creation, the Sword of Doom, and turned the warrior into the Black Samurai. When Masamune finished his creation, the Sword of Fate, he presented it to the Green Dragon, who battled the Black Samurai and imprisoned him in the Sword of Doom before hiding it and marking its whereabouts within a riddle written on the Destiny Scroll. In the present, Mr. Takagawa, the curator of a museum of ancient history in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, and Kenji, a janitor, witness an exhibit of the Black Samurai seemingly come to life. The next day, the Mystery Inc. gang travel to the prestigious Mirimoto Academy near Tokyo for a martial arts tournament that Daphne Blake was invited to participate in. Upon their arrival, the gang meet Daphne's friend Miyumi, the academy's head Miss Mirimoto and her bodyguard Sojo, and Takagawa, who warns Mirimoto of the Black Samurai's quest to steal the Destiny Scroll. Though the warrior leads an army of ninjas in attacking the academy and seemingly steal the scroll, Mirimoto reveals he stole a copy and presents the real one to the gang. After

Shaggy Rogers Norville "Shaggy" Rogers is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. He is characterized as an amateur detective, and the long-time best friend of his dog, Scooby-Doo. Character description Shaggy ...

and his dog

unknowingly solve the riddle, Mirimoto sends the gang to find the Sword of Doom before the Black Samurai. They eventually reach an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean, where they fight off island natives and the Black Samurai's forces. Amidst this, the gang unmask the Black Samurai as Sojo before retrieving the Sword of Doom and returning to Mirimoto, who reveals she staged the tournament to bring Mystery Inc. to Japan to help her find the Sword of Doom so she can resurrect the Black Samurai and take over the world and program the ninjas, which are revealed to be robots, with the fighting styles of her tournament's competitors. Miyumi betrays the gang to side with Mirimoto, who subsequently captures most of Mystery Inc. and Takagawa, but Daphne passes the Sword of Doom to Shaggy and Scooby, who escape on a jetpack. Though they are pursued by the robots, who steal the Sword of Doom, the pair are rescued by Matsuhiro, a sushi shop owner and samurai who agrees to train them in his ways. Once their training is complete, he sends them to the Green Dragon to gain his help in stopping the Black Samurai once more. Meanwhile, Kenji unknowingly frees Mystery Inc. and Takagawa, who build an EMP device to stop the robots. A repentant Miyumi attempts to take the Sword of Doom, but Mirimoto retrieves it so Sojo can free the Black Samurai from it. Mirimoto attempts to control him, but the Black Samurai defeats her and Sojo, revealing that he serves no one but himself, before subduing the others. Soon enough, Shaggy, Scooby, and the Green Dragon arrive to fight back with the Sword of Fate. With Matsuhiro's aid and the Green Dragon's power, Scooby uses the Sword of Fate to destroy the Sword of Doom, breaking the Black Samurai's curse and rendering him mortal again. The samurai thanks Mystery Inc. for freeing him before dying. It is unknown what became of Mirimoto and Sojo. Afterward, Mystery Inc. attends the newly renovated museum, where a statue of Scooby was erected in honor of him saving Japan. They invite Miyumi to join them on their travels, but she declines in favor of focusing on herself.

Voice cast

* Frank Welker as

, Fred Jones, Kerry Kilpatrick and Mad Dog Masimoto * Mindy Cohn as

Velma Dinkley Velma Dinkley is a fictional character in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise. She is usually seen wearing a baggy orange turtleneck sweater, a short red pleated skirt, knee high socks, Mary Jane shoes, and a pair of black square glasses, which she ...

Grey DeLisle Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On September 27, ...

as Daphne Blake and Sapphire Sonja * Kelly Hu as Miyumi and Miss Mirimoto * Sab Shimono as Mr. Takagawa * Keone Young as Matsuhiro *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

as Sojo and The Black Samurai * Gedde Watanabe as Kenji *

George Takei George Takei ( ; born April20, 1937), born , is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS ''Enterprise'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Takei was born to Japanese-American parents, with w ...

as the mortal Black Samurai * Brian Cox as The Green Dragon

References

External links

* {{Warner Bros. animation and comics 2009 films 2009 American animated direct-to-video films American mystery films Animated films set in Japan Animated films set in Tokyo 2000s monster movies Warner Bros. Animation films Animated films based on animated series Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films 2000s samurai films Scooby-Doo direct-to-video animated films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated mystery films Japan in non-Japanese culture 2000s children's animated films 2000s English-language films English-language science fiction horror films