Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
Encyclopedia
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.
Action footage from the series was used in the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
and Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
.
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, the only surviving 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 Youkai with the aid of the Sanshinshou.
: 26 years old, descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke
.
: 15 years old, descendant of Xuanzang
and the first female leader of a Sentai.
: 22 years old, descendant of Kirigakure Saizo
.
: 24 years old, descendant of Miyoshi Seikai.
: 20 years old, descendant of Jiraiya
.
: 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.
made of human despair and misery to strike them, causing them to grow into giants.
, 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.
, 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 , a 1996 direct-to-video movie
which features the Kakuranger team working together with the Ohranger team to defeat a common adversary.
Ending theme
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
's eighteenth production of the Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
television series. The name given to this series by Toei for international distribution is Ninja Rangers.
Action footage from the series was used in the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
and Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers is a Power Rangers miniseries set at the end of the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...
.
Plot
Four hundred years ago, the ninjaNinja
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...
and the Youkai
Yokai
are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them...
had a great war. The legendary Sarutobi Sasuke
Sarutobi Sasuke
was a famous ninja in Japanese folklore. He is generally believed to be a Meiji period fictional creation based on the historical ninja ', although some argue for his actual existence.- In folklore :...
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, the only surviving Youkai, Kappa
Kappa (mythology)
, alternatively called or , are legendary creatures, a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore. In Shintō they are considered to be one of many suijin...
, tricks Sarutobi Sasuke and Kirigakure Saizo
Kirigakure Saizo
' was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Japanese civil war. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is the most recognized of the Ten....
'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 Youkai with the aid of the Sanshinshou.
Kakurangers
Each member is named after a legendary ninja and master of the Hidden Style Ninjutsu (Kakureryū Ninjustu).: 26 years old, descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke
Sarutobi Sasuke
was a famous ninja in Japanese folklore. He is generally believed to be a Meiji period fictional creation based on the historical ninja ', although some argue for his actual existence.- In folklore :...
.
: 15 years old, descendant of Xuanzang
Xuanzang
Xuanzang was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period...
and the first female leader of a Sentai.
: 22 years old, descendant of Kirigakure Saizo
Kirigakure Saizo
' was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Japanese civil war. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is the most recognized of the Ten....
.
: 24 years old, descendant of Miyoshi Seikai.
: 20 years old, descendant of Jiraiya
Jiraiya
Jiraiya , the title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari , 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...
.
: 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 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 lightningLightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
made of human despair and misery to strike them, causing them to grow into giants.
Episodes
Movie
The movie version of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, directed Shōhei Tōjō and written by Noboru SugimuraNoboru Sugimura
was a Japanese television and video game writer best known for his work on the Metal Hero, Super Sentai, Resident Evil and Onimusha series....
, 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
Blue SWAT
is the thirteenth installment in the Metal Hero Series. It ran from January 30, 1994 to January 29, 1995 for a total of 51 episodes and one theatrical film, aired as part of the 1994 Manga Matsuri, which compiled episodes 1 and 2...
and Kamen Rider J
Kamen Rider J
, translated as Masked Rider J, is a 1994 Japanese tokusatsu movie produced by Toei Company, loosely based on their Kamen Rider Series.As part of the 40th anniversary of the Kamen Rider Series, J was shown on Toei's pay-per-view channel during September 2011...
. The villains in the movie consisted of the One-Eyed Brothers
Hitotsume-kozo
Hitotsume-kozō are monsters found in Japanese folklore. They are roughly the size of ten-year-old children, but otherwise resemble bald Buddhist priests...
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 WorldSuper Sentai World
is a short 3-D film based on the Super Sentai franchise that was shown in 1994 in amusement parks and special events nationwide in Japan. It was shown as a triple feature alongside Kamen Rider World and Toei Hero Daishugō .-Summary:The film involves the team-up of five different...
, which features them teaming up with the four previous Super Sentai teams (Fiveman, Jetman
Jetman
Jetman may refer to:* Jetman, a character in a series of video games:** Jetpac, 1983** Lunar Jetman, 1983** Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship, 1990** Jetpac Refuelled, 2007...
, Zyuranger, and Dairanger).
A second crossover film was released in the form of , a 1996 direct-to-video movie
V-Cinema
Japanese is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. In Japan the term used is...
which features the Kakuranger team working together with the Ohranger team to defeat a common adversary.
Cast
: Sasuke: Tsuruhime-
- Mao InoueMao Inoueis a Japanese actress. She debuted as a U-15 idol in 1999. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as in and Makino Tsukushi in the Hana Yori Dango series, in which she won Best Actress in the 47th Television Drama Academy Awards and received a newcomer award at the 16th Hashida...
: Tsuruhime (young): Saizou: Seikai: Jiraiya
- Mao Inoue
- Kazuki YaoKazuki Yaois a veteran voice actor and actor currently represented by Mix Max.- Television animation :* Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple * Astro Boy * Beast Wars * Beast Wars Neo...
: Ninjaman (voice) - Akira Sakamoto: Momochi Sandayu
- Daisuke Tsuchiya: Tarou
- Keisuke Tsuchiya: Jirou
- Takao Handa: Announcer
- Kenichi Endo: Junia
- Nobuyuki HiyamaNobuyuki Hiyamais a Japanese voice actor currently affiliated with Arts Vision.-Profile:* Sometimes credited as: Shuji Hiyama , Osamuyuki Hiyama * Year Enrolled into the Voice-Acting Industry: 1987...
: Gasha Dokuro (voice)
- Nobuyuki Hiyama
- Hidekatsu ShibataHidekatsu Shibatais a Japanese voice actor from Asakusa, Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He was a classmate of Yasuo Fukuda at Azabu High School. He is married to voice actress Akiko Sekine....
: Daimao (voice) - Tomoyuki Hotta: Muteki Shogun (voice)
- Dai MatsumotoDai Matsumotois a Japanese voice actor.-Anime:*Bleach: Memories of Nobody *Alice Academy *Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood *Guyver *Inuyasha )*Karin...
: Kakure Daishogun, Tsubasamaru - Keiko Hayase: Sakura
- Hiroshi KoizumiHiroshi Koizumiis a Japanese actor. He was born in Japan. In a 1999 interview with Steve Ryfle, Koizumi laments that while he stated he has easy parts to play, he felt he could have done more in his performances...
: Kappa (1-2) - Kaoru Shinoda: Kanedama (13), Older Hitotsume Kozou (Movie)
- Takeshi WatabeTakeshi Watabewas a Japanese voice actor. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture. He usually played villains and performed the voices for many anime characters and tokusatsu villains. He is most famous for voicing Kaminari in Doraemon...
- Younger Hitotsume Kozou (Movie) - Ami KawaiAmi Kawaiis a Japanese television and theater actress, best known in Japan for her role as Marsha in Kidou Keiji Jiban and Lami in Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger .-Biography:...
: Amikiri (17) - Reiko ChibaReiko Chibais a Japanese actress, seiyu, gravure idol and occasional J-Pop singer.-Biography:Reiko Chiba was born in Osaka Prefecture, and raised in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. She started her career as a model in 1991 before making her acting debut in the 1992 Super Sentai series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger as...
: Reika (25) - Sho KosugiSho KosugiSho Kosugi is a Japanese martial artist with training in shindō jinen-ryū karate who gained popularity as an actor during the 1980s, usually playing a ninja. He is the father of Kane Kosugi and Shane Kosugi. After taking a hiatus from film, he started a taiko group in California...
: Gali (28-29) - Tesshō GendaTessho Gendais a Japanese voice actor. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Genda."...
: Nue (Voice; 27-29) - Ryūzaburō ŌtomoRyuzaburo Otomois a Japanese voice actor, actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production as of December 2006, and was formerly affiliated with 81 Produce and the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society....
: Noppera-bō (Voice; 39): Kōshakushi
Suit actors
- Seiji TakaiwaSeiji Takaiwais a Japanese stunt performer and suit actor from Saitama Prefecture affiliated with Japan Action Enterprises. He has been cast in many leading roles in the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series, portraying a diverse range of characters...
: Ninja Red, Ninjaman - Rie Murakami: Ninja White
- Takeshi Miyazaki: Ninja Blue
- Hirofumi Ishigaki: Ninja Yellow
- Tsutomu Kitagawa: Ninja Black
- Hideaki Kusaka: Muteki Shogun, Ninjaman
Songs
Opening theme-
- Lyrics:
- Composition:
- Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto
- Artist:
- 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
-
- Lyrics: Hanadaiko Fuyamori
- Composition: Takeshi Tsushimi
- Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto
- Artist: Tu Chee Chen