Ninja is a suspended steel roller coaster tucked into the Samurai Summit area of Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Built by Arrow Dynamics and opened on May 21, 1988, it was the fifth of only ten suspended coasters the manufacturer ever built, and it remains the sole Arrow suspended coaster standing west of the Mississippi River.
What sets Ninja apart from most coasters is its swinging trains, which hang below the track and pivot freely as they whip through turns, and its unusual layout that uses two separate lift hills, one to start the ride and a second near the end to lift the train back up to station level. Nearly four decades after opening, it remains one of the park’s most distinctive rides.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Manufacturer: Arrow Dynamics
- Opened: May 21, 1988
- Height: 60 feet
- Top speed: 55 mph
- Length: 2,700 feet
- Inversions: 0
The Ride Experience
Riders board trains suspended beneath the track rather than sitting atop it, and each car swings independently as the train banks through turns, giving Ninja a sensation different from a traditional coaster. After the first lift hill, the layout drops into a series of swooping curves and drops across roughly 2,700 feet of track, reaching a top speed of about 55 mph over a ride lasting around a minute and a half.
Because the track dips lower than the starting station by the end of the circuit, Ninja uses a second chain lift hill to raise the train back up before it returns to the loading platform, a quirky engineering solution shared by only a handful of Arrow’s suspended coasters.
History and Legacy
Ninja’s station building actually predates the ride itself. It reuses the upper station structure from the Magic Mountain’s Sky Tower-area Dragon tram, which closed in 1981, and the building’s Japanese-inspired architecture, including woodblock-style prints, ties into the ride’s Samurai Summit theming.
The coaster’s trains were swapped out in 2005 for cars relocated from Six Flags’ now-defunct XLR-8 coaster, and Ninja received a fresh red-and-white paint job in 2007 along with an updated control system the following year. It continues operating today as one of the longest-running rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
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Ninja FAQs
What type of roller coaster is Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain?
Ninja is a steel suspended roller coaster built by Arrow Dynamics, meaning its trains hang beneath the track and swing freely through the turns.
When did Ninja open?
Ninja opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain on May 21, 1988.
Does Ninja have any inversions?
No, Ninja has zero inversions. Its thrills come from its swinging suspended trains and swooping layout rather than loops.
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Photo: Jeremy Thompson from United States of America / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.