Boulies Ninja Pro review: "A chair I avoid getting out of as much as I can"

Bear with me on this, but imagine the best hugger you know. It could be your mum, your cousin, a friend - whoever. Just hold the feeling of safety, support, and comfort that a hug from that person gives you in your mind. Now imagine that hug transformed - into a gaming chair.That is what sitting in a Boulies Ninja Pro feels like.

Insanely comfortable

Premium materials

Adjustable

Roomy

More affordable than the high-end competition

Not the widest range of design choices

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

If your phone has heard you say you need a new gaming chair recently, I'd put money on you seeing a social media ad for the Boulies Ninja Pro at some point soon. My social feeds, for example, have been flooded with them in the last year. More than that though, I've heard great things about them, and a quick jaunt through some user reviews will communicate the same to anyone. So, with the brand's wider reputation starting to grow, I got in touch and asked them to send me their best gaming chair.

At £279.99 / $319.99, the Boulies Ninja Pro is cheaper than the biggest brands on the market like Secretlab, and therefore comes comfortably under the ergonomic options from the likes of Herman Miller. But the big question that always arises from gaming chairs that undercut the competition, is the level of quality you'll get.

I can say with confidence here, that the level of quality present in the Boulies Ninja Pro is higher than I've ever come across in a gaming chair of any price.

Sometimes, when something simply -is- a level above, it can be hard to articulate exactly why - the Ninja Pro is such an entity. The entire package of this chair - its looks, its support, its comfort, and its value, are all the best I've had the privilege of testing. This is a chair I avoid getting out of as much as I can, and that should tell you everything you need to know.

In terms of its general shape, the Boulies Ninja Pro is fairly recognizable as a gaming seat. It has that classic wrapped racing chair backrest that's designed to keep your posture dignified but comfortable for long periods of time. That shape aside, the Ninja Pro is similar to the Secretlab Titan Evo's more muted design options, because this could easily slot into a remote worker's video call or online job interview without seeming overly flamboyant and probing awkward questioning about being "a gamer".

The Ninja Pro uses a combination of Ultraflex PU leather and velvety-soft suede material. This backs up the really plush cushioning and makes sitting in this chair feel like a hug. The Ninja Pro is only available in four colors; black - which has some lovely red stitching, white, teal, and red. It's a shame there aren't a few more color options, especially since I'm always looking for additions to our best pink gaming chair roundup.

The frame of the chair is an extra strong steel that feels really sturdy. The 4D armrests at play here are made of the same aluminium as the base, which gives me a lot of confidence the chair will be long-lasting - I haven't heard a single screw creak in my time testing it yet.

The arm pads of the 4D armrests have a memory foam quality to them. I wouldn't say there as soft as the ones on the Corsair TC100 Relaxed, but your elbows will make a brief divot in them that fades away in seconds after you take weight off them. In a month of using the chair, I haven't once thought about my elbows being uncomfortable, and to me that signals that the armrests are doing their job well.

In the box, you'll get two supportive cushions. One of these is a standard neck/head cushion, and although I've talked in previous reviews about how I usually cast these aside as soon as I've tried them, this is the little neck cushion that could.

It's super plush, moves up and down, and therefore adjusts to my sitting position really easily. I can't tell you how important the plush feeling of this cushion is. A lot of other neck cushions feel like they're overbearing, and actually make my spine feel like it's curved over. The suede upholstery here is so soft on the skin, but there's enough padding in this 100% cold-cure foam cushion for my neck to still feel genuinely supported.

The other cushion is for lumbar support, and while I don't want to call it memory foam, (I know other gaming chairs like the Secretlab Omega can come with actual memory foam accessories), it does mold into the shape you sit in most and seems to remember that shape for your return. It's worth noting that the lumbar support isn't adjustable here like it would be with the Herman Miller X Logitech Embody or the Asus ROG Destrier Ergo Chair, but that plush cushioning means it doesn't really need to be.

The one nitpick I have with the chair's aesthetics is that this lumbar cushion has the Boulies logo on its side, which makes my just-right OCD sound alarms and wave red flags in my brain. I wish this one logo was flipped up the right way to correspond with the rest of the chair's branding, but this is hardly a reason not to buy.

In other news, there's a reclining mechanism, as well as a multi-tilt mechanism that gives you height adjustment, rocking tilt (with a lock function), and even tilt tension adjustment. The 6cm casters roll just as easily on a carpet as they do hardwood flooring, and always feel like moving the weight of the chair and the person in it is no bother at all. The maximum recommended weight for the Ninja Pro is 300 lbs / 135 kg, and the recommended height is anywhere between 5'7 and 6'7.

Additionally, there's a nice 2-year warranty at play here, although I'd be shocked if you need to use it.

There's one thing that I think truly separates the assembly process of this chair from that of others: Color-printed instructions.

So many gaming chairs have really lackluster instructions, and some don't even ship with any at all. Luckily, putting any kind of office chair together really isn't as complicated as it may seem, but getting a link or a QR code in the box to generic online instructions is not the experience I'd want if I spent upwards of £200 on a chair. The Ninja Pro comes with some very clear instructions, as well as some really decent tools and parts you'll need for assembly. This is a nice bonus, and I think it's worth praising.

While having printed instructions in the box might trigger your more environmentally conscious side, I'd note that the packaging for the Boulies flagship seat is better than most. There was little to no waste - there were no excessive plastic sheets or coverings that didn't need to be there, and the size and weight of the box had a fairly limited footprint compared to other flat-packed gaming chairs I've received. In general, gaming hardware packaging causes far too much waste in my opinion, but Boulies isn't contributing to that unnecessarily.

Assembly itself is really standard. It took no more than 50 minutes to build solo. While this isn't ever going to be quite as quick as The Foldable Gaming Chair, it wasn't exactly a lengthy or difficult process either. Casters go into the base, hydraulic pipe drops in, armrests attach to the seat base, and the rest slots into place very clearly. You're given all the tools you need for the job, and all in all, it's very doable.

Thanks to the Ninja Pro not being a silly shape, and the fact it doesn't weigh as much as a small car, I thought it was one of the easiest gaming chairs I've built by myself. The same can't be said for the pricier ergo options like the Asus ROG Destrier - the awkward and heavy shape of that one meant wrestling it into various positions was a nightmare and gave me bruises on my arms that stuck around for weeks...

Maybe that should have impacted the review score, actually.

Bear with me on this, but imagine the best hugger you know. It could be your mum, your cousin, a friend - whoever. Just hold the feeling of safety, support, and comfort that a hug from that person gives you in your mind. Now imagine that hug transformed into a gaming chair. That is what sitting in a Boulies Ninja Pro feels like - it feels like a hug.

It's plush, breathable, and welcoming. Importantly, the premium-feeling perforated leather means it handles temperatures very well. The absorbent suede balances out the cooling leather really well to keep you temperate. During longer, and perhaps sweatier play sessions of HUNT: Showdown on PC, I didn't once feel like I needed to adjust positions because I was uncomfortable or too warm, which definitely is the case with lesser chairs.

One thing I absolutely love about the Boulies Ninja Pro is the size of its seat. Boulies does have an Elite Max series of one of its other chairs, and this is excellent for catering to folks with larger frames. The Ninja Pro doesn't have that larger build option, but I'd be surprised if it really needed it. The front lip of the seat is one of my favorite parts about the entire chair, because the cushion itself hangs over, meaning your hamstrings never ever get that dead feeling as they're forced against a seat's metal work.

The seat is also wide enough that I can sit cross-legged (as I often do because I'm weird that way). But the side ridges are nice and soft too, so my knees don't feel they're in a position they shouldn't be. Even if I just cross one leg under the other, that seat overhang means it's a really viable position to adopt.

All the while, that plush lumbar and neck cushioning always makes me feel supported. In truth, it's the type of posture correction I've always looked for and never gotten from gaming chairs, since they often feel obtrusive and like I'm being force-fed healthy greens. The Boulies version makes those veggies the star of the meal, and they did nothing but compliment the comfort package overall.

Often when I finish work, my goal is to get from my desk on one side of my living room, to the couch on the other, as soon as possible. With the Boulies Ninja Pro parked at one of the best gaming desks, however, that might not be the case anymore. This is a chair I will wheel across the room while sat in if I need to pick something up, simply because I don't want to get up out of it.

Whether it's for a more comfortable console session playing Forza Horizon 5, or a lengthy three hours of city building in Timberborn on PC, this is the most comfort I've ever found in a gaming chair.

The Boulies Ninja Pro is the first five-star review I've ever given at GamesRadar+.

To me, that five-star rating doesn't equate to a perfect product, but it does represent quality of the highest order, combined with a price tag that isn't overstepping the mark. I think the Boulies Ninja Pro earns a five-star rating because from here on out, it'll be the yardstick I compare other gaming chairs to. In short, the bar has been raised.

The gaming chair market is a little silly sometimes. You can spend over a grand on something that's got "ergo" in the name and promises to scientifically support your body in healthy ways. Honestly, most of the time these end up feeling over-priced. On the other end of the spectrum, you have really flamboyant designs that are either too firm to really be comfortable, or struggle to feel like premium options you'd want to sit in for hours at a time.

Boulies has a selection of seats that fits perfectly between both camps. The Ninja Pro's PU leather and velvety cushions make it feel like a million dollars, its supportiveness and comfort work in perfect harmony, and it has all the size and adjustability you could ever need. It may lack a wider selection of design options, but I for one think the choices you can select are classy as hell and would look great in any RGB-draped gaming setup. In terms of price, it isn't as much as the high-end competition, yet, it offers the same features and more comfort.

Don't waste your money on more expensive options, the Boulies Ninja Pro is the best gaming chair I've ever tested.

I used the Boulies Ninja Pro gaming chair for about a month before this review, sitting in it for sometimes more than eight hours a day between working from home, gaming, and doing content creation. I sat in many positions to test how the build quality held up, and I kept a close eye on how elongated use impacted the cushioning in that time.

I assembled the chair myself in around 45-50 minutes and compared my experiences closely with how the process compared to other gaming chairs I have reviewed in 2023.

Overall, I judged the rating of this chair by the overall comfort and value it offered versus its rival chairs, particularly, against high-end options. I also evaluated my own personal enjoyment of using it, and compared it to other options on the market.

To read more about the ways we review the latest gaming accessories, furniture, and hardware here at GamesRadar+, take a look at our hardware policy.

Want to jazz up your gaming setup more? Take a look at the best standing desks, the best console gaming chairs, and the best mouse mats.

Ever since playing Journey at the age of 15, I’ve been desperate to cover video games for a living. After graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in Journalism, I contributed to the Scottish Games Network and completed an Editorial Internship over at Expert Reviews. Besides that, I’ve been managing my own YouTube channel and Podcast for the last 7 years. It’s been a long road, but all that experience somehow landed me a dream job covering gaming hardware. I’m a self-confessing PlayStation fanboy, but my experience covering the larger business and developer side of the whole industry has given me a strong knowledge of all platforms. When I’m not testing out every peripheral I can get my hands on, I’m probably either playing tennis or dissecting game design for an upcoming video essay. Now, I better stop myself here before I get talking about my favourite games like HUNT: Showdown, Dishonored, and Towerfall Ascension.Location: UK Remote

Alan Wake 2 at Gamescom was one of the best demos I've seen in years

First Saltburn trailer is a trippy hedonistic glimpse at Barry Keoghan and Promising Young Woman director’s next movie

Hit indie JRPG Sea of Stars has a neat little throwback to the classic that helped inspire it

By Rick LaneAugust 22, 2023

By Phil HaytonAugust 21, 2023

By Duncan RobertsonAugust 18, 2023

By Joe DonnellyAugust 17, 2023

By Neil SmithAugust 17, 2023

By Neil SmithAugust 16, 2023

By Hirun CryerAugust 16, 2023

By Jasmine Gould-WilsonAugust 16, 2023

By Tabitha BakerAugust 15, 2023

By Adam BarnesAugust 15, 2023

By Duncan RobertsonAugust 14, 2023