Red Shadow
Encyclopedia
is a fictional Japan
ese superhero
featured in several manga
, tokusatsu
, anime
and live movies and TV shows since his first appearance in the 1967 TV series, Red Shadow, The Masked Ninja, produced by Toei Company Ltd.
.
, is a ninja who wears a red-and-black costume and a stylized red mask. His adventures take place in Feudal Japan, and he and his ninja sidekicks and fight evil warlords, wizards and daikaiju
using modern high-tech gadgetry (a blatant oddity in a period setting).
, aired on KTV
and Fuji TV
from April 5, 1967 to March 27, 1968, with a total of 52 episodes (divided into four segments). Akakage was played by the late Yuzaburo Sakaguchi, Aokage was played by Yoshinobu Kaneko (younger brother of fellow child actor
Mitsunobu Kaneko of Akuma-kun and Giant Robo
fame) and Shirokage was played by the late Fuyukichi Maki
.
This was Toei's first color tokusatsu
superhero show and Japan's first color live-action ninja TV series. Aokage's footage from the series was also used to create several Watari films with the titles like The Magic Sword of Watari (not to be confused with the unrelated 1966 film Watari, Ninja Boy).
that aired on Nippon Television
from October 13, 1987 to March 22, 1988, with a total of 23 episodes.
. The game music was composed by J-Walk.
of the 1969 film for the original Akakage series. It was released in 2001, and was directed by Hiroyuki Nakano
, it stars Masanobu Ando
in the title role. The story, characters and their costumes were however re-designed from scratch.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
featured in several manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and live movies and TV shows since his first appearance in the 1967 TV series, Red Shadow, The Masked Ninja, produced by Toei Company Ltd.
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...
.
Character
Red Shadow, created by Mitsuteru YokoyamaMitsuteru Yokoyama
was a Japanese manga artist born in Suma-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo. His personal name was originally spelled , with the same pronunciation. His works include Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo, Akakage, Babel II, Sally, the Witch, Princess Comet, and adaptations of the Chinese classics Outlaws of the Marsh and...
, is a ninja who wears a red-and-black costume and a stylized red mask. His adventures take place in Feudal Japan, and he and his ninja sidekicks and fight evil warlords, wizards and daikaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
using modern high-tech gadgetry (a blatant oddity in a period setting).
1967 tokusatsu series
, produced by Toei Company Ltd.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...
, aired on KTV
Kansai Telecasting Corporation
, often called or , is a TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System in Osaka, serving the Kansai region of Japan...
and Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
from April 5, 1967 to March 27, 1968, with a total of 52 episodes (divided into four segments). Akakage was played by the late Yuzaburo Sakaguchi, Aokage was played by Yoshinobu Kaneko (younger brother of fellow child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
Mitsunobu Kaneko of Akuma-kun and Giant Robo
Giant Robo (tokusatsu)
, is a manga and tokusatsu series created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It is similar to his famous Tetsujin 28-go , though Giant Robo has more fantastic elements....
fame) and Shirokage was played by the late Fuyukichi Maki
Fuyukichi Maki
was a Japanese actor. He worked in TV and film from 1951 to 1997. He played the role of the Iga ninja Tombei the Mist in the Edo period historical drama TV series The Samurai...
.
This was Toei's first color tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
superhero show and Japan's first color live-action ninja TV series. Aokage's footage from the series was also used to create several Watari films with the titles like The Magic Sword of Watari (not to be confused with the unrelated 1966 film Watari, Ninja Boy).
1987 anime series
is the anime remake produced by ToeiToei 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...
that aired on Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
from October 13, 1987 to March 22, 1988, with a total of 23 episodes.
Video game
A video game based on the anime version was released in 1988 by Toei for the FamicomNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. The game music was composed by J-Walk.
2001 live-action film
is a loose remakeRemake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1969 film for the original Akakage series. It was released in 2001, and was directed by Hiroyuki Nakano
Hiroyuki Nakano
is a Japanese film director.-Filmography:# Tajomaru # Return # Slow Is Beautiful # Stereo Future # Red Shadow # Pop Group Killers # Samurai Fiction...
, it stars Masanobu Ando
Masanobu Ando
is a Japanese actor and director.For his second film, in 1996, he won the Film Academy of Japan's Best New Actor Award, starring in Takeshi Kitano's Kids Return....
in the title role. The story, characters and their costumes were however re-designed from scratch.