Kamen no Ninja Akakage
Cover of the first manga volume.
仮面の忍者 赤影
Manga
Written byMitsuteru Yokoyama
Published byShogakukan
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Sunday
DemographicShōnen
Original run1966 – 1967
Volumes3
Television drama
StudioToei
Original networkKansai TV, Fuji TV
Original run April 5, 1967 – March 27, 1968
Episodes52
Further information
Live-action film
Tobidasu Bouken Eiga: Akakage
Directed byJunji Kurata
Written byMasaru Igami
Music byHirooki Ogawa
StudioToei
ReleasedJuly 20, 1969
Runtime52 minutes
Manga
Shin Kamen no Ninja Akakage
Written byMitsuteru Yokoyama
Published byAkita Shoten
ImprintShonen Champion Comics
MagazineWeekly Shonen Champion
DemographicShonen
Original runSeptember 18, 1987 – April 15, 1988
Volumes3
Anime television series
Directed bySusumu Ishizaki
Written byToshiki Inoue
Yoshiyuki Suga
Music byShunsuke Kikuchi
StudioToei Animation
Original networkNippon TV
Original run 13 October 1987 – 22 March 1988
Episodes23
Game
DeveloperShouei
PublisherToei Animation
GenreAction
PlatformFamicom
ReleasedMay 20, 1988
Live-action film
Red Shadow
Directed byHiroyuki Nakano
Music byToshiyuki Kishi
StudioToei
ReleasedAugust 11, 2001
Runtime108 minutes
Box office¥700 million
Manga
Kamen no Ninja Akakage Remains
Written byMasaomi Kanzaki
Published byAkita Shoten
ImprintPlay Comic Series
MagazinePlay Comic
DemographicSeinen
Original runMay 25, 2012 – May 25, 2014
Volumes4

Kamen no Ninja Akakage (仮面の忍者 赤影, "Masked Ninja Red Shadow") is a Japanese manga series written and Illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It was originally serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1966 to 1967.

The manga was adapted into a 52-episode tokusatsu series by Toei and was broadcast on Kansai TV and Fuji TV from April 1967 to March 1968, followed by a film adaptation in 1969. A 26-episode anime adaptation by Toei Animation was broadcast on Nippon TV from October 1987 to March 1988. A second live-action film that serves as a loose adaptation, titled Red Shadow was released in 2001.

Plot

The story is set in the late sixteenth century when Japan was in the midst of a long period of civil wars. While some seek to unite Japan in order to bring peace, there are others who encourage conflict in order to bring more power to themselves. Akakage, Aokage, and Shirokage are all good ninjas working for those who seek peace and unity across Japan. The ninjas use their superhuman fighting powers and high-tech gadgets to battle against evil warlords and their daikaiju (giant monsters).

Characters

Akakage

Portrayed by: Yuzaburo Sakaguchi (1967 TV Series and 1969 Film), Masanobu Ando (Red Shadow)

Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa (1987 Anime)

Akakage (赤影, "Red Shadow") is a ninja who wears a red-and-black costume and a stylized red mask. He is the best swordsman of the three and a master of disguise. The crystal in his mask fires an energy beam. Akakage appears on the scene proclaiming "Akakage Sanjō!"

Aokage

Portrayed by: Yoshinobu Kaneko (1967 TV Series and 1969 Film), Jun Murakami (Red Shadow)

Voiced by: Masako Nozawa (1987 Anime)

Aokage (青影, "Blue Shadow") is a young boy who plays with explosives and uses a chain weapon.

Shirokage

Portrayed by: Fuyukichi Maki (1967 TV Series and 1969 Film), Naoto Takenaka (Red Shadow)

Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (1987 Anime)

Shirokage (白影, "White Shadow") is an old man who is armed with a pole weapon and flies using a large kite.

Media

1967 Tokusatsu series

Kamen no Ninja Akakage (仮面の忍者 赤影, Masked Ninja Akakage), was produced by Toei Company Ltd., and 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 Yuzaburo Sakaguchi, Aokage was played by Yoshinobu Kaneko and Shirokage was played by Fuyukichi Maki.

Development

This was Toei's first color tokusatsu superhero show and Japan's first color live-action ninja TV series.[1] Aokage's footage from the series was 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).[2]

1987 anime series

Cover art of the DVD box for the 1987 Kamen no Ninja Akakage anime.

Kamen no Ninja Akakage (仮面の忍者赤影, Masked Ninja Akakage) is the anime adaptation produced by Toei that aired on Nippon Television from October 13, 1987, to March 22, 1988, with a total of 23 episodes. The complete series was released on DVD by Toei Video on June 10, 2015.

Video game

A video game was created based on the anime version. It was released in 1988, by Toei, for the Famicom.[3] The game music was composed by J-Walk.

Famicom game's logo

2001 live-action film

Red Shadow (RED SHADOW 赤影, Reddo Shadō Akakage) is a loose adaptation of the original Kamen no Ninja Akakage series. It was released in 2001 and was directed by Hiroyuki Nakano. It stars Masanobu Andō in the title role. The story, characters, and their costumes were, however, re-designed from scratch.

References

  1. ↑ Kamen no ninja Aka-Kage (1967)
  2. ↑ The Magic Sword of Watari (1970)
  3. ↑ 忍者ゲーム 【ファミコン】 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2011-07-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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