is a series of light novels written by Achi Taro. The light novels had ended in March 2008 with the release of Volume 12, but as of July 2009, a new series entitled has started serialization. It features manga and anime adaptations. The main character is Mamoru Kagemori, a ninja

Ninja

A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...

 who is sworn to protect his neighbor Yūna Konnyaku.

Story

The Kagemori family has secretly protected its neighbor, the Konnyaku family, for 400 years. Mamoru has been the protector of the daughter, Yūna Konnyaku, since they were in kindergarten. When Yūna is in trouble, Mamoru quickly puts on his ninja suit and transforms into a competent ninja; able to protect her from harm. Unfortunately, this poses quite a challenge as Yūna, being both clumsy and absent-minded, often stumbles into situations where Mamoru must once again come to her rescue.

On the first day of their new school term, a model airplane accidentally makes a dive towards Yuna, but it is quickly stopped by a thrown kunai

Kunai

A is a Japanese tool possibly derived from the masonry trowel. Two variations are the and the . It is a good example of a very basic tool which, in the hands of a martial arts expert, could be used as a multi-functional weapon...

. At school, Airi Sawagashi invites Yūna to go bowling, but is unhappy when Mamoru also comes.

At the bowling alley, Yūna wanders into the men's restroom and interrupts a yakuza deal involving fake dolls. As a result, they kidnap her and take her to their boss. Mamoru follows them, takes out the gang, and rescues Yūna.

The story continues as new characters enter Yūna and Mamoru's lives with both good and evil intentions, wacky adventures, hints of romance, and confrontations with the strangest of adversaries.

Characters

Mamoru Kagemori is a dowdy boy whose hair is disheveled and wears thick glasses, which are actually a form of concealment/camouflage, and is very lazy except when he's saving Yūna. He is actually the son of a ninja family, which has been protecting the Konnyaku family for 400 years. He reveals his true self (without glasses) when he transforms into a ninja to protect Yūna from harm. He has been friends with Yūna since they were children, and has also been in the same class as her since kindergarten. He also has a fear of bears, which developed because of him trying to protect Yamame from a bear in his childhood.

Voiced by: Atsushi Kisaichi

Atsushi Kisaichi

Atsushi Kisaichi is a seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He works for Aoni Production. His hobbies are baseball and tennis.-Anime:* Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Shōgo Asahina...

 (Japanese)

Yūna is Mamoru's childhood friend and neighbor. She is a quite clumsy and often ditzy girl. These qualities cause her to get into many troublesome situations. Since she has known Mamoru since kindergarten, Mamoru knows everything about her, except the thing that Yūna looks at every night before bed. The thing Yūna looks at before she goes to sleep is a photo of her and Mamoru which she cherishes. It is hinted that she is in love with Mamoru, but is afraid to admit her love to him. Also shown to be jealous in which she gave up being an idol for kagemori as well as removing sawagashi and tsubaki from holding his hands as they slept at the zoo.

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara

Mai Nakahara

is a voice actress. She is employed by I'm Enterprise. Some of her hobbies include cooking and watching movies, and she is skilled at kendo. She worked with voice actor Ai Shimizu in eight anime where most of the characters they voiced in together had close connections: DearS, Kage Kara Mamoru!,...

 (Japanese)

Airi, a wealthy girl, is a classmate and friend of Mamoru and Yūna. She discourages any relationship between Yūna and Mamoru, because childhood friends who become lovers are generally unsuccessful. However, she also has feelings for Kagemori. She conceals her feelings by always beating up Mamoru but occasionally gives hints that she likes him but unfortunately Mamoru doesn't understand it.

Voiced by: Ryōko Shintani

Ryoko Shintani

is a voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. She is under the Lantis and Vi-vo Recording Label and famous as the voice of Milfeulle Sakuraba in the Galaxy Angel Series...

 (Japanese)

Tsubaki is a miko

Miko

is a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...

 swordswoman. Her sword can cut anything but nata de coco. She was first hired by the yakuza boss in order avenge his earlier defeat at Mamoru's hands. She is pursuing them for the sake of justice. After finding out the truth about the yakuza boss, she takes revenge on that boss. She also decides to enter Mamoru's school. After Mamoru cheers her up while she was depressed about being old-fashioned, she begins to develop feelings for him.

Voiced by: Sachiko Kojima

Sachiko Kojima

is a Japanese voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. She is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. In 2008, she married her 9-year boyfriend, theater director Makoto Yasue.-Television animation:*Bamboo Blade *Cowboy Bebop...

 (Japanese)

Yamame is a ninja and a relative of Mamoru. She remembers when Mamoru comforted her when she was little; however, she is quite disappointed after seeing the glasses-wearing person he is now. After Mamoru saves her from an animal man Chin Panji, and starts to like him, she apologizes to Mamoru. The next day, Yamame decided to enter his school. She is also responsible for Mamoru's fear of bears, caused by him having to save her from one in the past.

Voiced by: Ai Shimizu

Ai Shimizu

is a Japanese voice actress who is employed by Haikyou. She also has a career as a singer an signed to Lantis. She has released 14 singles and four albums. She covered Yumi Matsutoya's "Toki o Kakeru Shōjo" as the B-side of her first single "Angel Fish" in 2003...

 (Japanese)

Hotaru is a ninja. She confesses her love to Mamoru when they first meet. She lost to Yamame in a ninja athletic meet after being distracted by Yamame pretending to see a UFO. She and her brother attack Mamoru in order to avenge their disgrace. Her feelings for Mamoru prevent her from defeating him. She saves Mamoru by giving him (via mouth-to-mouth) some of her family's secret medicine thus allowing him to defeat her brother. Afterwards, she moves into the neighborhood and starts attending the same school.

Voiced by: Erina Furukawa (Japanese)

Kagemori family's bull terrier

Bull Terrier

The Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. They are known for their large, egg-shaped head, small triangular eyes, and "jaunty gait." Their temperament has been described as generally fun-loving, active and clownish...

 ninja dog. Despite its cute appearance and lazy nature, Bluemaru is actually a very skilled canine, a trusty aid to Mamoru, and is able to use various ninja weapons in its mouth.

Sakurako is Mamoru's mother. She is a ninja and is in charge of protecting Yūna's mother.

Kengo is Mamoru's father. He is a ninja and is in charge of protecting Yūna's father.

Yamame's ninja rabbit companion.

First Series

1. Mamoru the Shadow! ISBN 4840108382
2. Mamoru the Shadow!（2） 椿の初でいとの道 ISBN 4840110123
3. Mamoru the Shadow!（3） 忍の里から来た少女 ISBN 4840111243
4. Mamoru the Shadow!（4） 来襲!甲賀最強の忍 ISBN 4840111987
5. Mamoru the Shadow!（5） 小鐘井黄金伝説 ISBN 4840111987
6. Mamoru the Shadow!（6） ゆーなとユーナ王女様 ISBN 4840114501
7. Mamoru the Shadow!（7） ホタルの居候日記! ISBN 484011515X
8. Mamoru the Shadow!（8） ウエディング時代劇娘 ISBN 4840115923
9. Mamoru the Shadow!（9） 伊賀娘たちが来た! ISBN 9784840117760
10. Mamoru the Shadow!（10）プリンセスアイリーン ISBN 9784840118903
11. Mamoru the Shadow!（11）うらしまゆーな ISBN 9784840120876
12. Mamoru the Shadow!（12）最後にマモル ISBN 9784840121941

Anime

The light novels were adapted into a 12 episodes anime series by the Group TAC

Group TAC

Group TAC was a Japanese animation and computer graphics studio located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and founded in 1968. They have worked on movies, videos, TV shows, and commercials, and have contributed to all stages of the process, including planning, production, sound effects, and so on...

 studio and produced by Aniplex

Aniplex

, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...

. This anime series was broadcast on TV Tokyo between January 7, 2006 and March 25, 2006 with last two episodes aired the same day.

The anime opening theme is sung by Mai Nakahara

Mai Nakahara

is a voice actress. She is employed by I'm Enterprise. Some of her hobbies include cooking and watching movies, and she is skilled at kendo. She worked with voice actor Ai Shimizu in eight anime where most of the characters they voiced in together had close connections: DearS, Kage Kara Mamoru!,...

 and the ending theme is sung by Ryōko Shintani

Ryoko Shintani

is a voice actress and singer from Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan. She is under the Lantis and Vi-vo Recording Label and famous as the voice of Milfeulle Sakuraba in the Galaxy Angel Series...

, Sachiko Kojima

Sachiko Kojima

is a Japanese voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. She is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. In 2008, she married her 9-year boyfriend, theater director Makoto Yasue.-Television animation:*Bamboo Blade *Cowboy Bebop...

, Ai Shimizu

Ai Shimizu

is a Japanese voice actress who is employed by Haikyou. She also has a career as a singer an signed to Lantis. She has released 14 singles and four albums. She covered Yumi Matsutoya's "Toki o Kakeru Shōjo" as the B-side of her first single "Angel Fish" in 2003...

, and Erina Furukawa.

Episodes list

#	Title	| Original airdate

Manga

The 5 volumes of the manga adaption were released by the publisher Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

. The manga adaption wasfirst serialized between November 2005 to April 2006 in Monthly Comic Flapper seinen

Seinen

is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...

 magazine and since August 2006 in Monthly Comic Alive

Monthly Comic Alive

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...

.

DrMaster

DrMaster

DrMaster Publications Inc. is an American distributor of manga and manhua with offices in the United States, Republic of China and Japan. It was headquartered in Fremont, California....

 published between July 16, 2008 and January 21, 2009 the English translation of the first three volumes of this series under the name of Mamoru The Shadow Protector.

In Indonesia, The manga has been licensed by Elex Media Komputindo

Elex Media Komputindo

Elex Media Komputindo is a major Indonesian publisher of literature on computers as well as comic books. In addition to local comic books, it also publishes Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and Chinese manhua. Founded on 15 January 1985, Elex Media Komputindo is within the publishing arm of the...

, under the title 'The Bodyguard.

External links

• Kage Kara Mamoru at Aniplex
  Aniplex
  , formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...