Originally, the studio selected Chuck Norris to star. He chose not to do the film because he didn't want his face hidden on camera. He said "If I'm going to be in a film, I don't want my face hidden. I'm going to be me."
In an interview with German media in 2012, Michael Dudikoff revealed that he sweated so much during the later fight scenes because he had malaria.
Steve James said in an interview that Michael Dudikoff was anxious about working with him, since James knew martial arts and Dudikoff didn't and he didn't want to be shown up. James even requested his final fight scenes be filmed on the other side of the compound, far away from Dudikoff, to avoid any further problems. It wasn't until halfway through filming the sequel that the two of them set their differences aside.
A rare 1984 poster for KISS's album "Animalize" is on the wall in Joe's squad's sleeping quarters. To avoid potential legal problems Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Eric Carr's faces are covered with stickers, and the camera angle cuts off Mark St. John's head.
Director Sam Firstenberg admitted in an interview that audiences didn't like seeing a female ninja in Ninja III: The Domination (1984). For this movie, Cannon Films sought an action star who looked like James Dean, didn't talk much, and seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Sam auditioned 2000 actors and narrowed it down to 200. While Michael Dudikoff had no martial arts training, he had the look Cannon wanted.
