History WesternAnimation / CheckeredNinja

''Checkered Ninja'' (Danish: ''Ternet Ninja'') is an animated movie produced by Creator/AFilm and written by Creator/AndersMatthesen based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook his novel of the same name]]. It premiered in Denmark on Christmas Day of 2018 and has broken quite a few Danish box office records, including most successful Danish animated movie of all time and most successful Danish movie of the 21st century, and has won the Robert Awards for best child/youth movie, best song and best adapted screenplay. LevelK holds the international distribution rights and showed it on the European Film Market in February 2019.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Taiko, stuck in a pink and heart-patterned body in the sequel, makes some not-so-timely remarks on "not wanting to look like a bitch". When Aske calls him on it, he remarks that women are for sewing and cooking. Being a 400 year old japanese ninja spirit from the Sengoku era probably has something to do with that, and he does ease up on it as the movie goes on.

** One of the strip clubs seen Thailand in the sequel is called [[HelloKitty Hello Titty]].

* AnAesop:
** If you want things to change, you have to be the one to take action, because no one else will do it for you.
** The sequel is about Aske not needing to aspire to be anyone else, because who he is right now is good enough.

* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Honey Bee, one of the child slave factory workers.]]

The film received a sequel, ''Checkered Ninja2'', in August 2021. In the sequel, the main villain Phillip Eberfrø got released from jail with the help of his lawyer and right-hand man, who plan on getting rid of the evidence of his murder by killing the witnesses, specifically the rest of the kids from the factory. Aske and TN have to travel to Thailand to stop Phillip and his associates before it's too late.

The movie follows Aske, a 7th grader with a strained relationship to his step-family members and who pines after Jessica, a girl in the grade above. He receives a checkered ninja doll from [[Franchise/StewartStardust Uncle Stewart]] on his 13th birthday and quickly grows wise of the fact that the doll lives and can help Aske with whatever troubles him, but on the condition that he helps the doll take revenge on an evil man...

The film received a sequel, ''WesternAnimation/CheckeredNinja2'', in August 2021.

* AdaptedOut: [[spoiler: Kanya, Aske's temporary love interest and Honey Bee's adoptive older sister]], was removed during the production of the movie's sequel, with the original book being her only appearance.

* ThatCameOutWrong:
** Aske at one point tries to make a sheath for the Checkered Ninja's sword, and naturally asks his wood shop teacher for help. Since the Danish word for "sheath" (Skede) is also a word for a vagina, he gets sent to detention.

** In the sequel, a newly released Phillip Eberfrø tells his equally criminal lawyer that "the only thing on [his] mind right now is getting his hands on those children." He immediately corrects himself and says that sounded worse than intended. [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil After all, he "only" wants to murder them.]]

* AdaptedOut: [[spoiler: Kanya, Aske's temporary love interest and Honey Bee's adoptive older sister, was removed during the production of the movie's sequel, with the original book being her only appearance.

''Checkered Ninja'' (''Ternet Ninja'') is an animated movie produced by Creator/AFilm and written by Creator/AndersMatthesen based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook his novel of the same name]]. It premiered in Denmark on Christmas Day of 2018 and has broken quite a few Danish box office records, including most successful Danish animated movie of all time and most successful Danish movie of the 21st century, and has won the Robert Awards for best child/youth movie, best song and best adapted screenplay. LevelK holds the international distribution rights and showed it on the European Film Market in February 2019.

* AnAesop: If you want things to change, you have to be the one to take action, because no one else will do it for you.

* BloodlessCarnage: Not a single drop of blood is visible during the rap sequence explaining [[spoiler: Taiko's backstory, where ninjas are seen sliced apart and stabbed and a criminal is seen being mauled by a dog]].

* DarkerAndEdgier: Than Terkel In Trouble, its spiritual predecessor. While both movies are full of gore, dark humor and crass language, Terkel In Trouble is almost entirely meant to be taken as pure shits and giggles, while Checkered Ninja is a serious story about a vengeful spirit punishing child abusers that pointedly does NOT treat violence against children as a joke.

* DirtyOldMan: Downplayed. When the subject of Jessica comes up in Aske's household, the middle-aged Jørn makes a lustful comment about her in passing.

* DownerBeginning: The movie opens on a glum factory with miserable child workers (including the youngest being a toddler), and once Phillip enters the picture, things go from bad to worse.

* ShoutOut: At one point, a dart is thrown at a poster featuring a caricature of Mick Øgendahl, another massively popular danish stand up comedian with whom Anders Matthesen has a playful rivalry in real life, making it a bit of a TakeThat.
** Sune watches some anime on his iPad that looks pretty similar to Manga/{{Naruto}}. Fitting for a movie that stars a supernatural ninja.

* SuperHeroOrigin: [[spoiler:Turns out the whole movie is this for Aske. By the end, he uses a checkered scarf to disguise himself and perform vigilante work, inspired by Taiko.]]

* TalkingToHimself: While Aske's voice is provided by Alfred Bjerre Larsen and Emma Sehested Høeg voices Jessica, every voice in the movie besides those two are provided by Anders Matthesen.
* ThatCameOutWrong: Aske at one point tries to make a sheath for the Checkered Ninja's sword, and naturally asks his wood shop teacher for help. Since the Danish word for "sheath" (Skede) is also a word for a vagina, he gets sent to detention.
-->'''Aske:''' I want to make a sheath/(Vagina) (...) It has to be hollow so you can breathe through it underwater, and it needs a strap so you can carry it on your back.

* WeAllLiveInAmerica: In the second movie, despite being set in Thailand, the vehicles adorn European Union style license plates (the one that has a blue rectangle on the left, the country's flag inset within).
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:In a horrifying turn of events, Taiko, whose mission is to punish child abusers, threatens to murder Sune to get Aske to go along with his vengeful scheme against Phillip.]] Thankfully, it is [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] at the last second.

* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler: Honey Bee, one of the child slave factory workers.]]

* {{Callback}}: To writer and director Anders Matthesens earlier radio comedy days. In the sequel, Sune utters "Wow, that's pretty fast, huh?" while riding a scooter. This is a line from some of Matthesen's early radio skits, where a customer commented on the speed of a tatoo artsits work.

* DownerBeginning: The movie opens on a glum factory with miserable child workers, and once Phillip enters the picture, things go from bad to worse.

* MyHoverCraftIsFullOfEels: Aske's mother's grasp of the english language is... lacking. When offered meat in the sequel she tries to explain that she's vegan by politely telling the waiter "None for me thanks, I'm a vagina."

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Taiko, stuck in a pink and heart-patterned body in the sequel, makes some not-so-timely remarks on "not wanting to look like a bitch". When Aske calls him on it, he remarks that women are for sewing and cooking. Being a 400 year old japanese ninja spirit probably has something to do with that, and he does ease up on it as the movie goes on.
* PoorCommunicationKills: Throughout a good half of the first movie Nakamura doesn't reveal his true intentions to Aske, instead claiming he only wants to return a credit card

** The sequel is about Phillip Eberfrø getting out of jail and planning to kill the children from the sweatshop, since they are witnesses to his crimes. His lawyer and accomplice, Carsten, is equally bad, [[spoiler: and at one point threatens to cut off Aske's ear and beat him with a brass knuckle. And he and Phillip try to kill Aske, TN and Jeppe by locking them up in a shop they've rigged to explode.]]

The movie follows Aske, a 7th grader with a strained relationship to his step-family members and who pines after Jessica, a girl in the grade above. He receives a checkered ninja doll from [[Franchise/StewartStardust Uncle Stewart]] on his birthday and quickly grows wise of the fact that the doll lives and can help Aske with whatever troubles him, but on the condition that he helps the doll take revenge on an evil man...

** Sune is briefly seen watching a Manga/{{Naruto}}-esque anime on his iPad, animated in 2D.

** Very much averted in the sequel, which begins with the bloody murder of the sweatshop owner from the beginning of the first film. While the shot itself is offscreen, we see his arm laying in a pool of blood which is still sticking to his list of former child laborers.

* DownerBeginning: The movie opens on a glum factory with miserable child workers, and once Philip enters the picture, things go from bad to worse.

%%* HippieParents: Aske's mother is this.

* RedHerring: [[invoked]] [[spoiler:Jessica's father is named Philip Eberfrø, but it's not the Philip Eberfrø.]]

* SmugglingWithDolls: [[spoiler:After failing to take down Philip a few times, Aske's and the Checkered Ninja's final gambit involves framing Philip for smuggling narcotics into Thailand using the Checkered Ninja as smuggling fodder.]]

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Philip Eberfrø is implied to be one of these in the sequel, [[spoiler:at least prior to when his final confrontation with Aske is recorded. As he leaves jail after his lawyer bails him out, there are crowds of people cheering ready to interview him.]]

** The sequel is about Phillip Eberfrø getting out of jail and planning to kill the children from the sweatshop, since they are witnesses to his crimes. His lawyer and accomplice is equally bad, [[spoiler: and at one point threatens to cut off Aske's ear and beat him with a brass knuckle. And they try to kill Aske by locking him up in a shop they've rigged to explode.]]

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Philip Eberfro is implied to be one of these in the sequel, at least prior to when his final confrontation with Aske is recorded. As he leaves jail after his lawyer bails him out, there are crowds of people cheering ready to interview him.

* RedHerring: [[invoked]] [[spoiler:Jessica's father is named Philip Eberfrø, but it's not [[NamesTheSame the]] Philip Eberfrø.]]

* [[spoiler: CruelAndUnusualDeath: In the sequel, Phillip Eberfrø is killed by being thrown down into a cage full of venomous snakes that start biting away at him.]]

* [[spoiler:IChooseToStay: Despite being a vengeful spirit summoned by lightning to right wrongs committed against children, Taiko chooses to stay with Aske by the end of the sequel instead of going back to the heavens.]]

** Sune is briefly seen watching a {{Naruto}}-esque anime on his iPad, animated in 2D.

** Very much averted in the sequel, which begins with the bloody murder of the sweat shop owner from the beginning of the first film. While the shot itself is offscreen, we see his arm laying in a pool of blood which is still sticking to his list of former child laborers.

* TheCameo: Plenty of characters from Terkel In Trouble make cameo appearances.'

* HippieParents: Aske's mother is this.

* NaziHunter: VERY downplayed, but one of the acts of heroism we see Aske commit in the sequel is covering up offensive nazi graffiti.

* ShadowDiscretionShot: Done with the very event that sets the film's plot into motion, that being one of the children at the Thai sweatshop being beaten to death.'

** Sune watches some anime on his iPad that looks pretty similar to {{Naruto}}. Fitting for a movie that stars a supernatural ninja.

** The sequel is this to the first film, as Phillip Eberfrø gets out form prison and, with the help from his lawyer, plans to kill every witness to his crimes - which includes the ten children at the sweatshop.

** One of the strip clubs seein Thailand in the sequel is called [[HelloKitty Hello Titty]].

* TheCameo: Plenty of characters from ''WesternAnimation/TerkelInTrouble'' make cameo appearances.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Than ''WesternAnimation/TerkelInTrouble'', its spiritual predecessor. While both movies are full of gore, dark humor and crass language, WesternAnimation/TerkelInTrouble is almost entirely meant to be taken as pure shits and giggles, while ''Checkered Ninja'' is a serious story about [[spoiler:a vengeful spirit punishing child abusers]] that pointedly does NOT [[PlayedForLaughs treat violence against children as a joke]]
** The sequel is this to the first film, as Phillip Eberfrø gets out form prison and, with the help from his lawyer, plans to kill every witness to his crimes - which includes the ten children at the sweatshop.
* DirtyOldMan: Downplayed. When the subject of Jessica comes up in Aske's household, the middle-aged Jørn makes a lustful comment about her in passing.
* DownerBeginning: The movie opens on a glum factory with miserable child workers, and once [[WouldHurtAChild Philip]] enters the picture, things go [[DeathOfAChild from bad to worse]].
** The sequel similarly begins with the sweatshop owner being murdered, and Phillip Eberfrø declaring that nobody can stop him from being released with a sinister grin.

** He gets a bit of CharacterDevelopment in the sequel. While he's still crass and stupid, he tries to be friendlier to Aske and eventually joins in on the action to help him and Taiko in the climax.

** The sequel drops the lovable part, as she has started to ignore Aske and openly admits she wants a "bad boy", even making out with another guy at a party behind Aske's back. She only has renewed interest in him when a video is released of him defeating Phillip Eberfrø - at which point Aske has finally seen right through her facade and just hangs up on her. She really is only interested in a guy as long as he is "cool" in some way.

* ShadowDiscretionShot: Done with the very event that sets the film's plot into motion, that being one of the children at the Thai sweatshop being beaten to death.

** Hilariously, the sequel mixes this with SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome. Since Aske lives in a small, rural Danish town, his vigilantism amounts to briefly breaking up an assault by distracting the attackers and covering up offensive graffiti. Once the action relocates to Thailand, though...

** In the sequel, a newly released Phillip Eberfrø tells his equally criminal lawyer that "the only thing on his mind right now is getting his hands on those children." He immediately corrects himself and says that sounded worse than intended. [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil After all, he "only" wants to murder them.]]

** The sequel is about Phillip Eberfrø getting out of jail and planning to kill the children from the sweatshop, since they are witnesses to his crimes. The climax is largely about saving one of these girls. His lawyer and accomplice is equally bad, and at one point threatens to cut off Aske's ear and beat him with a brass knuckle.