In the mid-1980s, ninjas were everywhere. From VHS shelves to Saturday-night TV, black-clad warriors captured the imagination of a generation raised on The A-Team, Knight Rider, and neon-lit action fantasies. In 1984, NBC stepped directly into that moment with The Master—a prime-time ninja series led by an unlikely but unforgettable star: Lee Van Cleef.

Pairing a weathered Western icon with ninjutsu, The Master followed an ageing warrior, his eager student, and a relentless enemy bound by tradition and betrayal. With Sho Kosugi’s menacing Okasa stalking every episode, the show blended road-trip drama, martial philosophy, and explosive action—offering something deeper than the typical ninja spectacle of the era.

Now, more than forty years later, The Master feels strangely ahead of its time. As legacy sequels like Cobra Kai dominate modern screens, we look back at the series that dared to ask what happens when a warrior ages—and whether a new generation could carry the code forward. Could The Master return? And if it did, who would wear the black gi next?