Jiraiya

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This article is about Jiraiya, the folk ninja featured in Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. For the Jiraiya featured in the Manga/Anime series "Naruto", see Jiraiya (Naruto).

Jiraiya , with a heavy gun, overcoming a huge Snake which has preyed on his friends the Toads.

Jiraiya (児雷也 - literally "young thunder"), the title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari (児雷也豪傑物語, "The tale of the gallant Jiraiya"), is a ninja who uses shapeshifting magic to morph into a gigantic toad. The heir of a powerful clan in Kyūshū of the same name, Jiraiya fell in love with Tsunade, a beautiful young princess who masters snail magic. His arch-enemy was his one-time follower, Orochimaru, who mastered in snake magic.

[edit] Influences on Fiction

Akimitsu Takagi's detective novel The Tattoo Murder Case uses the character representations in tattoos worn by three of the main characters: Kinue Nomura (Orochimaru, the snake), her brother Tsunetaro (Jiraiya, the frog) and sister Tamae (Tsunade, the slug; translated as Tsuneda-hime), all set within a series of murders that takes all three's lives.

Naruto, a popular manga and anime television series, involves powerful ninjas named Jiraiya and Tsunade, who fight against Orochimaru, a ninja turned evil. To assist in their battles, Tsunade summons a giant slug, Jiraiya summons a giant toad, and Orochimaru summons a giant snake.

In the video game Tales of Phantasia, Suzu Fujibayashi has a move called Jiraiya in which she summons a giant toad. Similarly, he is the namesake of a number of regular enemies in Shin Megami Tensei II who serve as members of the Gaia cult.

In the tokusatsu movie The Magic Serpent, Jiraiya (also known as Ikazuchi-Maru) was the protagonist. He and his arch-nemesis Orochimaru transform into two daikaiju, a toad and Oriental dragon, respectively, and have a duel to the death.

In the tokusatsu superhero series Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya, Jiraiya is the protagonist of the series. A Japanese professional wrestler uses the Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya character appearance as his gimmick.

In the tokusatsu superhero series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, NinjaBlack's civilian name is Jiraiya , and his "Beast Generals" are both toad-based.

In the first game of the Tengai Makyou video game series, the three main characters are named Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru; the latter is not portrayed as an enemy.