| Ronin Warriors | |
cover of the 1st volume of the english DVDs |
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| 鎧伝サムライトルーパー (Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Sentai, Action |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Masashi Ikeda (01–19) Mamoru Hamatsu (20–39) |
| Written by | Hajime Yatate |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | Cinar |
| Network | Nagoya Broadcasting Network |
| English network | Cartoon Network & Sci-Fi Channel |
| Original run | 30 April 1988 – 4 March 1989 |
| Episodes | 39 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hajime Yatate |
| Illustrated by | Ryūichi Hoshino |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Magazine |
| Original run | 1988 – 1989 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Original video animation | |
| Gaiden | |
| Directed by | Mamoru Hamatsu |
| Written by | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Released | April 30, 1989 – June 1, 1989 |
| Episodes | 2 |
| Original video animation | |
| Kikōtei Densetsu | |
| Directed by | Mamoru Hamatsu |
| Written by | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Released | October 8, 1989 – January 11, 1990 |
| Episodes | 4 |
| Original video animation | |
| Messēji | |
| Directed by | Mamoru Hamatsu |
| Written by | Yoshiyuki Tomino |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Released | March 21, 1991 – August 23, 1991 |
| Episodes | 5 |
Ronin Warriors, known in Japan as Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (鎧伝サムライトルーパー Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā, lit. "Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers"), is a Japanese anime series and manga adaptation created by Hajime Yatate. The anime was produced and animated by Sunrise, and aired across Japan on Nagoya Television from April 30, 1988 to March 4, 1989 and has a total of 39 episodes.
Ronin Warriors was produced by Graz Entertainment and distributed by Cinar, and it was recorded by the Ocean Group. Ronin Warriors first aired on American television during the summer of 1995 and subsequently appeared through syndication, as well as the USA Network and later, Cartoon Network. The series was released on DVD in 2002, including the original Japanese version with English subtitles on the reverse side of the disc.
The opening and ending sequences and the eyecatches were replaced with new ones, and the Japanese title cards were removed; there were no substantial cuts to the bodies of the episodes and the episodes retained most of the original music.
Three direct-to-video sequels were produced: Gaiden (Side Story), Kikoutei Densetsu (The Legend of the Solar Armor) and Message. There is also a YST manga as well as numerous novels and audio dramas based on the anime. While all the sequels have been released on DVD, the manga and audio dramas have not been made available in English.
Contents |
Talpa, the demon lord of the Netherworld, is bent on conquering the mortal world. Standing against Talpa and his four Dark Warlords are the five Ronin Warriors, each in possession of mystical armor and weapons. They are assisted by Mia Koji, a young student-teacher, and a mysterious warrior-monk known only as The Ancient.
A character conceived in the dubbing of Samurai Troopers, Hariel, was created to prevent viewers from being confused when Ryo called upon the powers of the five armors to create the Inferno. Hariel's origins are also considered to be a request by the toy companies that made the Ronin Warrior action figures so consumers would not be confused by two versions of Ryo dressed in the Wildfire armor and the Inferno armor.
According to the character Badamon, Hariel is said to be the 'last wearer of the armor of Inferno' and that he was both Dark Warlord and Ronin Warrior. He is considered to be a great warrior and possibly haunts the white armor with his life force, making it possible that Ryo could be possessed by Hariel while wearing the white armor and making him a dangerous threat to the Dynasty.
In the original Japanese version, there was no "Hariel". The Sun Yoroi, Kikoutei, was formed from the armor powers of all five Samurai Troopers fused into a single being. It took some time for Ryo to gain control of Kikoutei, which at first was something of a berserker. There is American fanon claiming that the original ending of Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers involved the destruction of all five Troopers, with Jun ("Yulie") finally defeating Arago ("Talpa")., and that the series was popular enough that the creators then repeated the second-from-last episode (#17), giving them time to reanimate the last two episodes and creating the super-fusion Kikoutei armor as a deus ex machina to save the Troopers. However, there is absolutely no basis for this rumor. The double-airing of episode 17 was accidental and many Japanese fans even phoned in complaints, an event which made the news that day.[1] In fact, the series was originally intended for a 40-episode run, but because of this accidental double-airing, the total number of episodes was reduced to 39.
The English dub/original name of the stone used to bind the power of the Nether Realm. In both versions, this stone, a purple magatama rested in an ancient temple at the bottom of a lake. The reformed warlord Anubis/Shuten used the power of the Ancients/Kaos staff to reach it.
According to the character Badamon, the Jewel of Life is one of the three weapons that could destroy the Nether Realm. The Armor of Inferno, the Soul Swords of Fervor, and the Jewel of Life.
Though most of its powers are unknown and only a few have been seen in the show, the Jewel has the power to create a shield, blind enemies, destroy the spirits possessing soldier's armors, and banish Netherworld priests.
One considered use of the gem was to prevent Ryo from dying in the final attack when he was sucked into Talpa's body in the last battle. The Jewel came to life at the same time the Ronin Warriors went to attack Talpa and saved Ryo from being killed by his friend's weapons.
The Jewel took the place of the Ronin Warriors in the second half of the TV series as a means to protect Mia and Yulie.
When Talpa was defeated in a previous attempt to conquer the human world, his spirit was sent to the Netherworld, but his armor, which was charged with demonic power, somehow remained behind. In order to prevent Talpa from returning to the human world, The Ancient diffused it into nine separate suits of armor.
In the original Japanese version, each set of armor is infused with one of the Confucian, or Bushido, Virtues: Jin (Righteousness), Gi (Justice), Rei (Courtesy), Chi (Intellect), Shin (Faith), Chuu (Loyalty), Tei (Obedience), Kou (Reverence for elders), and Nin (Tolerance). Two of these were changed for the American version: Chi became Inochi (Life), and Rei became Chi. Kou is translated as Piety, and Nin as Serenity.
The nine sets of armor have a number of special properties and they can be put on in an instant by calling out the name of the armor and its associated Virtue. For example, Ryo dons his Wildfire armor by calling out "Armor of Wildfire, Dao Jin!" In the Japanese version, the command used to summon the armor is "Busou (armor name)!"
In the English version, the Ronins say the phrase "Dao" followed by their kanji when they are calling their armors. For instance, Ryo would say "Dao Jin!". Literally translated, it would mean "The way of Virtue." It, therefore, becomes an appropriate description of Ryo himself, since by calling the armor, he is following the path of virtue. "Dao" was taken from the native Chinese religion of "Daoism". Also, if Ryo were to say Busou Rekka ("rekka" being the Japanese word for "wildfire"), the literal translation would be "To Arms, Wildfire!" or "Arm Wildfire!"
The armor also enhances physical strength and endurance, for example increasing lower-body strength to allow the wearer to run at high speed and jump great distances or allowing the user to ignore harsh environmental conditions such as lack of air, or extremes of heat and pressure. Each set of armor also has a unique fighting technique, typically referred to as hissatsu waza (必殺技), which would mean something like "Finishing Move" in English. It is later revealed that the power of the armor is known as Dandouryoku (弾動力). Dandou is the Japanese word for the science of ballistics and ryoku is the word for "power" or "strength". Nasti then comments that the power of the "white armor" should probably be called Choudandou (超弾動). This literally means "Super Ballistic" or "Ultra Ballistic". When Ryou is in the Solar Armor (輝煌帝, Kikoutei) his technique then becomes Choudendou Souenzan (超弾動双炎斬), the "Ultra Ballistic Twin Flame Slash". Each of the five Troopers becomes capable of enhancing their techniques in this way eventually.
Each of the five Ronin armor sets (Wildfire, Torrent, Hardrock, Strata, and Halo) have elemental affinities: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Light. Each armor can draw power from its respective element to give the wearer a power boost.
The four Warlord armor sets each have an affinity for one of the seasons: Cruelty with Spring, Illusion with Summer, Venom with Autumn, and Corruption with Winter. Each set also represent a different animal: Cruelty is an Ogre, Illusion is a Spider, Venom is a Snake, and Corruption is a Jackal or Wolf.
| Name | American Virtues | Japanese Virtues | Armor Association | Weapon | English Special Attack | Japanese Special Attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryo Sanada | Virtue | 仁 - Jin (Righteousness) | Fire/烈火 - Rekka (Wildfire) & Inferno (English), 輝煌帝 - Kikoutei (Solar/Sun)(Japanese) | Paired Katana (Armor of Wildfire)/Swords of Fervor (Inferno Armor) | Flare Up Now (Wildfire Armor) & Rage of Inferno (Inferno Armor)(Series dub), Fury of Wildfire (Wildfire Armor & Inferno Armor)(OAV dub) | 双炎斬 - Souenzan, "Twin Flame Slash" (Wildfire and Solar Armor) |
| Sage Date | Wisdom | 礼 - Rei (Courtesy)(Japanese), Grace (OAV dub) | Light/光輪 - Kourin (Halo) | Nodachi | Thunder Bolt Cut (Series dub), Lightning Strike (OAV dub) | 雷光斬 - Raikouzan, "Lightning Strike" |
| Cye Mouri | Trust | 信 - Shin (Faith) | Water/水滸 - Suiko (Torrent) | Jumonji Yari | Super Wave Smasher (Series dub), Ultra Wave Crusher (OAV dub) | 超流破 - Chouryuuha, "Ultra Wave Crusher" |
| Kento Rei Fang | Justice | 義 - Gi (Justice) | Earth/金剛 - Kongou (Adamant) [Japanese], Hardrock [English] | Naginata | Iron Rock Crusher (Series and OAV dub) | 岩鉄砕 - Gantetsuzai "Rock Iron Crusher" |
| Rowen Hashiba | Life | 智 - Chi (Wisdom) | Air/天空, Tenkuu (Heavens) [Japanese], Strata[English] | Hankyu | Arrow Shock Wave (Series dub), Heavens Shockwave (OAV dub) | 真空波 - Shinkuuha "Vacuum Wave" |
| Ancient | Shakujo | |||||
| Talpa | ||||||
| Anubis | Loyalty | 忠 - Chuu (Loyalty) | Spring/Cruelty | Kusarigama | Quake with Fear | 紅雷閃 - Kouraisen "Crimson Lightning Flash" |
| Cale | Obedience | 悌 - Tei (Elderly Reverence) | Winter/Corruption | Nodachi | Black Lightning Flash | 暗黒跳飛斬り - Ankoku Chouhigiri "Vaulting Darkness Slash" |
| Dais | Serenity | 忍 - Nin (Endurance) | Summer/Illusion | Six Kama | Web of Deception | 投蜘網 - Touchimou "Spiderweb Toss" |
| Sekhmet | Piety | 孝 - Kou (Filial piety—honoring one's parents and ancestors) | Autumn/Venom | Six Katana | Snake Fang Strike | 蛇牙剣 - Jagaken "Snake Fang Sword" and 六節大蛇 Rokusetsu Orochi "Six-jointed Orochi" |
| Lady Kayura | Ai (Love) | Stars/Starlight | Starlight Sword (Twin Sai's) | Star Sword Scream | 嵐星斬 - Ranseizan "Storm Star Slash" |
Other main characters include Mia Koji, Ully, White Blaze, Kenboukyou, Kokuen-Oh, Badamon, Gogasha, Toryuki, Professor Yagyu, Luna, Uncle Chin, Shikaisen, Mad Scientist, Mukara, Naria, Kuroi Kikoutei, Suzunagi, Suzunagi's mother, Genchirou Hashiba, Touma's mother, Ryo's father.
The following is a list of the original Japanese names used in Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers, and the direct counterparts used in the English version, Ronin Warriors.
| English Name | Japanese Name |
|---|---|
| Ronin Warriors | Yoroi Senshi (Armored Warriors) or Samurai Troopers |
| Ryo Sanada (pronounced "rye-oh" in the TV show and "ree-oh" in the OAV) | Ryou Sanada (真田遼 Sanada Ryō) |
| Sage Date | Seiji Date (伊達征士 Date Seiji) |
| Cye Mouri | Shin Mouri (毛利伸 Mōri Shin) |
| Kento Rei Fang | Xiu Lei Huang (秀麗黄 Shū Rei Fuan) |
| Rowen Hashiba | Touma Hashiba (羽柴当麻 Hashiba Tōma) |
| Dark Warlords | 魔将 - Mashō (Demon Generals) |
| Talpa | Arago (阿羅醐) |
| Anubis Dohji | Shutendouji (朱天童子 Shutendōji) |
| Cale | Anubis (悪奴弥守 Anubisu) |
| Dais | Rajura (螺呪羅) |
| Sekhmet | Naaza (那唖挫) |
| Lady Kayura | Kayuura (迦遊羅 Kayūra) |
| The Ancient | Kaos (迦雄須 Kaosu) |
| Mia Koji | Nasuti Yagyu (柳生ナスティ Yagyu Nasuti) |
| Yulie | Jun Yamano |
| White Blaze | Byakuen (this is not technically a name change, as 白炎, which means "White Blaze", is pronounced Byakuen.) |
| Dr. Koji | Dr. Yagyu |
| Runa | Luna |
| Mukala | Mukara |
| Nadia | Naria |
| Suzunagi | Suzunagi |