It’s hard to believe, but the ’90’s Samurai Pizza Cats are making a comeback in 2026. The cult classic characters, whom fans first fell in love with during the TV Tokyo show, are set to return in a big way this year with a new video game and a new manga. Red Dunes Games’ Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past is a 2D action-RPG from Dutch studio Blast Zero that reunites the original English and Japanese voice casts as part of the franchise’s 35th-anniversary celebration. Meanwhile, Mad Cave Studios’ Nakama Press launched a new middle-grade Samurai Pizza Cats manga (written by Fred Kennedy and illustrated by Lorenzo Di Santo), which launched April 7.
The success of those two products is a pretty strong signal Little Tokyo’s cyber-samurai felines still have an audience today. And that raises an interesting question: Why hasn’t Hollywood greenlit a live-action Samurai Pizza Cats movie yet?
Based on the Japanese anime Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, Samurai Pizza Cats is one of those shows that simply oozes with totally rad 90s energy. A show about a trio of cyber-enhanced cats that fight to protect the futuristic city of Little Tokyo, as they deal with the ins and outs of cartoonishly incompetent politics. When it was first brought to America, Samurai Pizza Cats took some liberties in adapting the story of its source material. Now that revivals of all sorts of old TV shows are in vogue, it seems like the time might be right to bring these cats back for another ride – this time, however, in a live-action Samurai Pizza Cats movie.
Maybe it’s time for a Samurai Pizza Cats movie.
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Saban’s 90s Playbook Built Both Power Rangers and Samurai Pizza Cats
Back in the 90s, anime was still considered a very niche form of media. Before One Piece and Naruto took America by storm, the complexities of anime storytelling weren’t as widely appreciated as they’re now. That’s why Saban Entertainment decided to change some elements from Kyatto Ninden Teyandee and turn it into the Samurai Pizza Cats we know and love.
Perhaps most importantly, the original show – produced by Tatsunoko Productions – took itself more seriously. It was a comedy, sure, but it wasn’t as absurd as its American counterpart. Thanks in part to the copious amount of pop-culture references, and the popularity of shows like Animaniacs, Samurai Pizza Cats proved to be a huge success with younger demographics.
The name “Saban Entertainment” is key to understanding why a Samurai Pizza Cats live-action film makes sense. While Saban, as a company, was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2002, it’s safe to say that it became one of the most prominent entertainment companies in the 90s.
Saban produced the American versions of Big Bad Beetleborgs, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Samurai Pizza Cats. Considering that Power Rangers, one of their leading franchises, already got the feature film treatment in recent years, there’s no reason to not give Samurai Pizza Cats the same chance.
Imagine they looked like this amazing concept art from illustrator Carlos Dattoli:
Why the Detective Pikachu Formula Could Work for a Samurai Pizza Cats Movie
Recently, there’s been a curious rise in the popularity of a certain movie subgenre – we’re talking, of course, of films where some live-action lead interacts with a CGI partner. Detective Pikachu took the first steps, and 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog perfected the formula.
A movie where the Samurai Pizza Cats find themselves in our world would be a safe way to make a family-friendly movie that both millennials and younger audiences can enjoy. Even then, we can’t deny the possibility that, given the cartoonish nature of the Pizza Cats, they could be better used in a high-budget animated Illumination film.
Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. Movie went on to become one of the highest-grossing animated films ever made, and its 2026 sequel already opened to more than $900 million worldwide — proof the CGI-hybrid and animated approach can work at massive scale for exactly this kind of franchise, even if they come from the same guys who made The Minions. Coincidentally, Saban also owned the rights to the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, so there’s some precedent as far as licenses go.
Perhaps the strongest reason to bring the Cats to the silver screen has to do with the status of one of their closest rivals: a certain team who’s also been known to consume inhuman amounts of Italian food.
It’s no secret that the Samurai Pizza Cats American show rose as a direct competitor to the huge popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Seeing as the Turtles have already made it to the big screen six times now, with an animated sequel due in 2027 and a live-action hybrid film on the way in 2028, we say it’s high time we give the other pizza-eating 90s anthropomorphic animal squad a chance. After all, cats are much more popular than turtles anyways.
So, that’s two revivals for Samurai Pizza Cats in 2026. It can’t just be coincidence. It’s clear that everyone wants the Cats back. Now, Hollywood just has to realize there’s another IP to milk.
Samurai Pizza Cats is currently streaming free (with ads) on Tubi, and available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
