Ninjas Are Butterflies — Episode 161 Summary

Podcast: Ninjas Are Butterflies
Episode Title: Immortal Dictators, Astronauts and The Annunaki & Japanese Rituals
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Hosts: Josh Hooper, Andy DeNoon
Guest: Anthony Russo (The Bible is Funny)
Theme: Outrageous comedy, conspiracy discussions, wild news stories, religious, historical, and cultural oddities—plus plenty of laughs.

Main Theme / Episode Overview

This episode dives into the bizarre intersection of ancient rituals and modern conspiracy, with a core focus on immortality in world leaders, astronaut encounters with alleged ancient aliens, and how obscure, ancient Japanese coronation rites echo supernatural traditions. With detours into stories about appendix surgeries, haunted house laughs, and the legal limits of spreading ashes, the cast blends outlandish comedic banter, wild speculation, a dash of theology, and surprising cultural commentary. The usual rambunctious storytelling is joined by Bible-funny insights with guest Anthony Russo.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medical Mishaps & Trust Issues

• Appendix and Oil Changes
  • The show opens with playful skepticism about whether everyday procedures—like appendix surgery or oil changes—are ever really performed. (03:10)
    • “Maybe it’s just the same appendix they’re showing everybody.” — Josh (02:09)
    • “Body cam footage. Every surgeon should be wearing a body cam.” — Anthony (02:33)
  • Spirals into hypotheticals about missing belly buttons and comedic fears over body parts swapped or left behind.
• Miraculous Medical Stories
  • A friend's father discovers a life-threatening aneurysm due to a check for kidney stones. (04:15)
  • Jokey hopes for “full service” while under anesthesia—“slim the love handles a bit while you’re at it”—setting the tone of irreverence.

2. Conspiracies, Current Events & Outrageous Headlines

• Lottery Wins & Gas Station Stories
  • Hosts recount family connections to minor lottery wins and riff on apps for buying tickets.
• Danger in the Ordinary
  • Discussion on child celebrities’ struggles, Nickelodeon scandals, and what the Nickelodeon blob logo really represents. (21:27)
• Disney Trauma & Existential Disney Ride Horror
  • Repressed childhood traumas at Disney (Goofy shoving a host, panic attacks in the park). Ties into the episode’s running theme: “Weird things hide in plain sight.” (23:17)
  • Discourse on hidden protest dolls in “It’s a Small World” rides bringing atomic bomb awareness, riffed on as comedic nightmare fuel. (26:06)

3. Cremated Human Remains, Rituals, and Ashes Mishaps (30:12–36:11)

• Las Vegas Investigation
  • Disturbing news: Seventy to a hundred piles of cremated ashes found neatly arranged outside Vegas. (30:16)
  • Segues into personal stories and comically illegal ash-spreading misadventure in the Gulf, made awkward as the ashes drift toward beachgoers. (33:06)
  • “Just flush me down the toilet!”—Anthony’s humorous take on his own afterlife wishes (35:52)

4. Immortal Dictators & Rituals of Power (37:01–40:23)

• Chinese Military Parade & World Leaders’ Mic’d Conversation
  • Kim Jong Un’s 20-hour train trip to China for a WW2-anniversary parade; world leaders’ posturing.
  • Caught on a hot mic: Putin and Xi Jinping discuss scientific organ-swapping experiments to prolong life—“immortality small talk.” (39:32)
    • “[Xi] said, ‘We’re for sure gonna have people around us that are gonna live to 150 years old.’” — Josh (39:55)
• Modern Science Echoes Ancient Lore
  • Talk of growing human organs, peptides, BPC-157 supplements, and China’s artificial womb robots—cultural lines blur between medical science and science fiction. (40:39)
  • “Lily has a theory that Vladimir Putin has been doing this, and that’s why he’s so secretive about his health and that he’s, like, 200 years old and maybe a vampire.” — Josh (41:25)

5. Ancient Astronaut Theories & the Anunnaki (67:04–69:22)

• Astronaut Claims We’re All Aliens
  • Armstrong-style astronaut makes wild claim: The Anunnaki (ancient Sumerian gods) brought humanity to Earth as a slave race to mine gold. (67:57)
    • “Every time I look in the mirror… the Anunnaki brought us here. We’re aliens on this Earth.” — Anonymous astronaut (67:57)
• Media Evasion
  • The show’s hosts lament how quickly such admissions are glossed over by the interviewers.

6. Japanese Rituals & Echoes of the Watchers (75:03–81:55)

• The Daijōsai Ritual
  • Deep-dive into the Japanese imperial enthronement ritual (Daijōsai): building two huts, secret interaction with sun goddess Amaterasu, centuries-old linkage with supernatural ancestry, and speculation about what ritual “the bed” symbolizes. (78:15–79:39)
    • “It mimics almost exactly what they used to do in ancient Mesopotamia and Canaan.” — Josh (79:34)
  • Parallels are drawn to ancient Mesopotamian and Canaanite king-making rites—possibly involving the Watchers/Nephilim biblical narrative.
  • Surprising fact: The emperor is still treated as a quasi-divine figure, with post-WWII US-imposed renunciation having only symbolic impact.

7. Sidetracks: Accents, Comedy, and Horror

• Accents After Head Injury
  • Lightly delves into stories of people emerging from comas with new accents, then segues into favorite accent wishlists and celebrity impressions. (56:34–59:32)
• Haunted Houses, Scream Therapy, and Horror Film Musings
  • The comedic kinship between jump scares and laughter. Warm-up stories for Halloween, and a digression into movies (including Jordan Peele’s newest and horror directors with comedy backgrounds).

8. Theology and Bible Oddities (82:47–89:10)

• Orthodox Podcast Learnings and Esoteric Bible Details
  • Anthony Russo and the crew discuss findings from “Lord of Spirits” podcast—genealogies, giants, and oral transmission in ancient tradition.
  • Amusingly esoteric Bible translation: “Superfluity of naughtiness” in KJV James 1:21. (83:36)
• Japanese Flag Symbolism
  • Realization that the red circle is a connection to Japan’s sun goddess and imperial mythology. (84:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Conspiratorial Modern Medicine:

  • “Maybe it’s just the same appendix they’re showing everybody.” — Josh (02:09)
  • “Body cam footage. Every surgeon should be wearing a body cam.” — Anthony (02:33)

• On Immortality and Paranoia:

  • “Lily has a theory that Vladimir Putin has been doing this, and that’s why he’s so secretive about his health and that he’s, like, 200 years old and maybe a vampire.” — Josh (41:25)
  • “It was just a weird conversation, but… [Xi] said, ‘We’re for sure gonna have people around us that are gonna live to 150 years old.’” — Josh (39:55)

• On Spreading Ashes:

  • “Just flush me down the toilet. Please just flush me down.” — Andy (35:52)
  • [After illegal Gulf of Mexico ash dump] “I just start, like, splashing water to try to, like, break it up a little bit in this, like, very kind of sweet, solemn moment.” — Andy (34:24)

• On Watchers, Nephilim & Japanese Rituals:

  • “It mimics almost exactly what they used to do in ancient Mesopotamia and Canaan.” — Josh (79:34)
  • “[The Daijōsai] is a ceremony that no one knows what happens in there, only the emperor and the priests that perform it.” — Josh (79:25)

• On Being Interviewed About Aliens:

  • “They said what? He said, every time I look in the mirror... the Anunnaki brought us here. We’re aliens on this Earth.” — Josh, quoting astronaut (67:57)
  • “And they just moved on. They’re like, okay, we’re done. I’m like, question them more!” — Josh (68:19)

• On Modern Political Paranoia:

  • “The psychology of world politics can be summed up by the MySpace Top 8.” — Andrew (45:36)

• On Bible Translations:

  • “Lay apart all filthiness and the superfluity of naughtiness.” — KJV, James 1:21 (83:36)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Appendix Skepticism & Medical Talk: 01:30–05:13
• Powerball/Lottery Fun: 07:11–08:23
• Disneyland Trauma & Creepy Rides: 23:17–27:01
• Vegas Cremated Ashes & Illegal Ash Stories: 30:16–36:11
• Chinese Parade & Immortal Dictators: 37:01–41:25
• Astronaut/Anunnaki Alien Theory: 67:04–69:22
• Japanese Emperor Ritual & Watcher Lore: 75:03–81:55
• Accent Discussion & Impressions: 56:34–59:32
• Bible Oddities, Giants & Superfluity of Naughtiness: 82:47–89:10

Episode Tone & Style

The hosts maintain their signature blend of irreverence and curiosity, shifting swiftly from eyebrow-raising news headlines to comedic personal stories, and then into surprisingly thoughtful theological and historical analysis—without ever getting too serious for long. Playful roasting, callback jokes, and recurring references to the hazards of vitamins play throughout, underlined by an infectious enthusiasm for all things weird, wild, and slightly conspiracy-tinged.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

If you didn’t catch episode 161, you missed a characteristically wild ride—exploring everything from how world leaders might try to live forever, bizarre and secret ancient rituals, astronaut confessions about ancient aliens, and why you should never trust your appendix surgeon (or your auto mechanic). You also got Bible translation oddities, ice cream truck horror, and an unexpectedly haunting riff about spreading relatives’ ashes. Amid the chaos, the show found moments to ask: What does it really mean to be immortal, and what are the hidden rituals of power that still shape the world?

Links & Further Exploration

• Bible’s Funny Podcast (Anthony Russo)
• Lord of Spirits Podcast
• Info on the Japanese Daijōsai Ritual (search: "Japanese Emperor Enthronement Rite")

For live show tickets, Patreon extras, or to find merch, check [Ninjas Are Butterflies official links].