Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger | |
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The title card for Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. | |
Genre | Tokusatsu |
Created by | Toei |
Starring |
Teruaki Ogawa Satomi Hirose Hiroshi Tsuchida Shu Kawai Kane Kosugi |
Narrated by | Sanyutei Enjo |
Opening theme | "Secret Kakuranger" by Tū Chī Chen |
Ending theme | "Ninja! Matenrou Kids" by Tū Chī Chen |
Composer(s) | Eiji Kawamura |
Country of origin | Japan |
Original language(s) | Japanese |
No. of episodes | 53 |
Production | |
Producer(s) |
Atsushi Kaji Takeyuki Suzuki Shigenori Takadera Kōichi Yada Susumu Yoshikawa |
Running time | approx. 25 minutes |
Broadcast | |
Original channel | TV Asahi |
Original run | February 18, 1994 – February 24, 1995 |
Chronology | |
Preceded by | Gosei Sentai Dairanger |
Followed by | Chōriki Sentai Ohranger |
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger (忍者戦隊カクレンジャー Ninja Sentai Kakurenjā)[Note 1] was Toei Company Limited's eighteenth production of the Super Sentai television series. The name given to this series by Toei for international distribution is Ninja Rangers.[1]
Action footage from the series was used in the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers.
Plot
Four hundred years ago, the ninja and the Youkai had a great war. The legendary Sarutobi Sasuke and other four ninja sealed the Youkai Commander Nurarihyon and all his Youkai's energies away in a cave protected by the "Seal Door". In the present, one of the few remaining Youkai, Kappa, tricks Sarutobi Sasuke and Kirigakure Saizo's descendants, Saizou and Sasuke, into releasing the Youkai by opening the "Seal Door". Now these two, joined by three other descendants of great ninja, become the Kakuranger to fight the reinvigorated Youkai with the aid of the Sanshinshou. However, the Kakurangers have their work cut out for them as the Youkai are slowly being united under one banner.
Characters
Kakurangers
Each member is named after a legendary ninja and master of the Hidden Style Ninjutsu (Kakureryū Ninjutsu).
- Sasuke/Ninja Red (サスケ/ニンジャレッド Sasuke/Ninja Reddo)
- 26 years old, descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke.
- Tsuruhime/Ninja White (鶴姫/ニンジャホワイト Tsuruhime/Ninja Howaito)
- 15 years old, the twenty fourth protector of the Seal Door and the first female leader of a Sentai.
- Saizou/Ninja Blue (サイゾウ/ニンジャブルー Saizō/Ninja Burū)
- 22 years old, descendant of Kirigakure Saizo.
- Seikai/Ninja Yellow (セイカイ/ニンジャイエロー Seikai/Ninja Ierō)
- 24 years old, descendant of Miyoshi Seikai.
- Jiraiya/Ninja Black (ジライヤ/ニンジャブラック Jiraiya/Ninja Burakku)
- 20 years old, descendant of Jiraiya.
- Ninjaman (ニンジャマン Ninjaman, 36-50, 52 & 53)
- The pupil of the Sanshinshou, who was within a blue pot as punishment a millennium ago for allowing himself to be fooled by Daimaou to attack the humans.
Youkai Army Corps
The Youkai Army Corps (妖怪軍団 Yōkai Gundan, Apparition Army Corps) were sealed away 400 years ago by the Kakurangers' ancestors and have now changed their forms to keep up with the times. Most Youkai have a human form and use the Ninja Arts themselves. When defeated, they summon a lightning made of human despair and misery to strike them, causing them to grow into giants.
Episodes
- It's Ninja (忍者でござる Ninja de Gozaru)
- A Dangerous Lady (危ないオバサン Abunai Obasan)
- American Ninja (アメリカン忍者 Amerikan Ninja)
- The Apparition Policeman (妖怪ポリスマン Yōkai Porisuman)
- The Uneven Strange Gamers (凸凹珍ゲーマー Dekoboko Chin Gēmā)
- The Eyeball Prince! (目玉の王子様! Medama no Ōjisama!)
- This Guy is Huge (こいつぁデカい Koitsa Dekai)
- The Disguised Cat Shop!! (化猫ショップ!! Bake Neko Shoppu!!)
- The Shocking Live Broadcast (ドッキリ生中継 Dokkiri Namachūkei)
- The Old Man's Baby-Cry (子泣き爺いぢゃ Ko Naki Jijii ja)
- Rags are the Best! (ボロこそ最高!! Boro Koso Saikō!)
- They Came Forth!! New Beast Generals (出たァ!! 新獣将 Detaa!! Shin Jūshō)
- Drive Away the Sadness (ブッとばせ不幸 Buttobase Fukō)
- I'm the Young Noble!! (俺は貴公子だ!! Ore wa Kikōshi da!!)
- Argh! Awesome Guys (げえッ!! 凄い奴 Gē!! Sugoi Yatsu)
- The Red Monkey's Oni Extermination (赤猿の鬼退治 Aka-zaru no Oni Taiji)
- The Demon Sword and Underwear!! (魔剣とパンツ!! Maken to Pantsu!!)
- Hello, Mushroom-kun (ハローきのこ君 Harō Kinoko-kun)
- The Hellish Trap in Darkness!! (暗闇の地獄罠!! Kurayami no Jigoku Wana!!)
- The Flowery Kunoichi Team (花のくノ一組!! Hana no Kunoichi Gumi)
- The Imitated Finishing Move (サルマネ必殺技 Saru Mane Hissatsu-waza)
- I'll Make You Laugh (笑って頂きます Waratte Itadakimasu)
- Blitzkrieg!! The Strange White Bird (電撃!! 白い怪鳥 Dengeki!! Shiroi Kaichō)
- Ah, It's all over (あァ一巻の終り Aa Ikkan no Owari)
- A New Departure! (新たなる出発(たびだち)!! Aratanaru Tabidachi!!)
- The Tsuruhime Family's Super Secret (鶴姫家の超秘密 Tsuruhime-ke no Chō Himitsu)
- The End of the Invincible Shogun (無敵将軍の最期 Muteki Shōgun no Saigo)
- A Super Big Figure Coming to Japan!! (超大物・来日!! Chō Ōmono - Rainichi!!)
- The First-ever Super Battle (史上初の超対決(スーパーバトル) Shijō Hatsu no Sūpā Batoru)
- Reunion With a Traitorous Father (再会 裏切りの父 Saikai Uragiri no Chichi)
- Behold!! A New Shogun (見たか!! 新将軍 Mita ka!! Shin Shōgun)
- Don't Lick Me, Face Thief (ナメんな顔泥棒 Namen na Kao Dorobō)
- The Amanojaku Village (あまのじゃく村 Amanojaku Mura)
- The Bride's Sandy Hell!! (花嫁砂地獄!! Hanayome Suna Jigoku!!)
- The Punishment Three Sisters (おしおき三姉妹(シスターズ) Oshioki Shisutāzu)
- Rambunctious Ninja!! (暴れん坊忍者!! Abarenbō Ninja!!)
- The Karakasa Dance Queen (唐傘ダンス女王(クイーン) Karakasa Dansu Kuīn)
- Mooo~! A Repulsive Cow (モオ~ッ嫌な牛 Moo~- Iya na Ushi)
- It's a Special Compilation!! (特別編だよっ!! Tokubetsu Hen Dayo!!)
- The Heisei Fox Battle (平成キツネ合戦 Heisei Kitsune-gassen)
- The Stray Ghost (はぐれゴースト Hagure Gōsuto)
- The Plundered Ninja Power (強奪忍者パワー Gōdatsu Ninja Pawā)
- The Last Day of the Sanshinshou (三神将最期の日 Sanshinshō Saigo no Hi)
- The Wound-Filled Great Reversal (傷だらけ大逆転 Kizu Darake Dai Gyakuten)
- The Confused Santa (慌てん坊サンタ Awatenbō Santa)
- The New Year's Manga Hell (新春まんが地獄 Shinshun Manga Jigoku)
- The 100-Burst Human Fireworks (人間花火百連発 Ningen Hanabi Hyaku Renpatsu)
- The Great Yukionna's Snowball Fight (大雪女の雪合戦 Ō Yukionna no Yukigassen)
- Suddenly!! Poor (突然!! ビンボー Totsuzen!! Binbō)
- Special Selection!! The Youkai Inn (特選!! 妖怪の宿 Tokusen!! Yōkai no Yado)
- Hero Elimination (英・雄(ヒーロー)・失・格 Hīrō Shikkaku)
- Finale!! Father and Daughter (大団円!! 父と娘(こ) Daidan'en!! Chichi to Ko)
- Sealing!! (封印!! Fūin!!)
Movie
The movie version of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, directed Shōhei Tōjō and written by Noboru Sugimura, premiered in Japan on April 16, 1994, at the Toei Super Hero Fair. It was originally shown as a triple feature alongside the feature film versions of Blue SWAT and Kamen Rider J. The villains in the movie consisted of the One-Eyed Brothers and Ōnyūdō. The movie was filmed between Episodes 7 and 8, but is set after the events of 8.
Crossovers
The Kakuranger team was the main focus in the 1994 3D featurette Super Sentai World, which features them teaming up with the four previous Super Sentai teams (Fiveman, Jetman, Zyuranger, and Dairanger).
A second crossover film was released in the form of Chōriki Sentai Ohranger: Ohré vs. Kakuranger (超力戦隊オーレンジャー オーレVSカクレンジャー), a 1996 direct-to-video movie which features the Kakuranger team working together with the Ohranger team to defeat a common adversary.
Cast
- Sasuke (サスケ Sasuke): Teruaki Ogawa (小川 輝晃 Ogawa Teruaki)
- Tsuruhime (鶴姫 Tsuruhime): Satomi Hirose (広瀬 仁美 Hirose Satomi)
- Saizou (サイゾウ Saizō): Hiroshi Tsuchida (土田 大 Tsuchida Hiroshi)
- Seikai (セイカイ Seikai): Shu Kawai (河合 秀 Kawai Shū)
- Jiraiya (ジライヤ Jiraiya): Kane Kosugi (ケイン・コスギ Kein Kosugi)
- Ninjaman (ニンジャマン Ninjaman, voice): Kazuki Yao (矢尾 一樹 Yao Kazuki)
- Sandayu Momochi (百地三太夫 Momochi Sandayū): Akira Sakamoto
- Tarou (太郎 Tarō): Daisuke Tsuchiya
- Jirou (次郎 Jirō): Keisuke Tsuchiya
- Announcer: Takao Handa
- Junia: Kenichi Endo (遠藤 憲一 Endō Ken'ichi)
- Daimaoh (大魔王 Daimaō, voice): Hidekatsu Shibata (柴田 秀勝 Shibata Hidekatsu)
- Ninja Combination Muteki Shogun (忍者合体無敵将軍 Ninja Gattai Muteki Shōgun, voice): Tomoyuki Hotta
- Five-God Combination Kakure Daishogun (五神合体隠大将軍 Goshin Gattai Kakure Daishōgun, voice), Seinin Beast Tsubasamaru (聖忍獣ツバサマル Seininjū Tsubasamaru, voice): Dai Matsumoto (松本 大 Matsumoto Dai)
- Sakura: Keiko Hayase
- Kōshakushi (講釈師): Enjō Sanyūtei
Guest Star
- Hiroshi Koizumi: Kappa (1 & 2)
- Rika Kishida: reporter (9)
- Kaoru Shinoda: Kanedama (13), Older Hitotsume Kozou (Movie)
- Takeshi Watabe - Younger Hitotsume Kozou (Movie)
- Ami Kawai: Amikiri (17)
- Reiko Chiba: Reika (25)
- Sho Kosugi: Gali (28 & 29)
- Tesshō Genda: Nue (Voice; 27-29)
- Ryūzaburō Ōtomo: Noppera-bō (Voice; 39)
Songs
- Opening theme
- "Secret Kakuranger" (シークレット カクレンジャー Shikuretto Kakurenjā)
- Lyrics: Hanadaiko Fuyumori (冬杜 花代子 Fuyumori Hanadaiko)
- Composition: Takashi Tsushimi (都志見 隆 Tsushimi Takeshi)
- Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto
- Artist: Tu Chee Chen (トゥー・チー・チェン Tū Chī Chen)
- Takashi Tsushimi performed under the name "Tu Chee Chen", which is the Japanese approximation of his surname as read in Mandarin Chinese: Dōu Zhì Jiàn.
- Ending theme
- "Ninja! Matenrō Kids" (ニンジャ!摩天楼キッズ Ninja! Mantenrō Kizzu, "Ninja! Skyscraper Kids")
- Lyrics: Hanadaiko Fuyamori
- Composition: Takeshi Tsushimi
- Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto
- Artist: Tu Chee Chen
Notes
- ↑ Kakurenjā translates as "Hidden Rangers".
References
- ↑ "Library -- English Titles -- TOEI TV Website". Retrieved 2007-12-28.
External links
- Official Ninja Sentai Kakuranger website (Japanese)
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