Ninja Sentai Kakuranger

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
The title card for Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, as depicted in a 30 Sentai Encyclopedia featurette on GoGo Sentai Boukenger.
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
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^?) 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, 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.

Characters

Kakurangers

Main article: Kakurangers

Each member is named after a legendary ninja and master of the Hidden Style Ninjutsu (Kakureryū Ninjustu).

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, descendant of Xuanzang 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

Main article: 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

1. It's Ninja (忍者でござる, Ninja de Gozaru^?)
2. A Dangerous Lady (危ないオバサン, Abunai Obasan^?)
3. American Ninja (アメリカン忍者, Amerikan Ninja^?)
4. The Apparition Policeman (妖怪ポリスマン, Yōkai Porisuman^?)
5. The Uneven Strange Gamers (凸凹珍ゲーマー, Dekoboko Chin Gēmā^?)
6. The Eyeball Prince! (目玉の王子様!, Medama no Ōjisama!^?)
7. This Guy is Huge (こいつぁデカい, Koitsa Dekai^?)
8. The Disguised Cat Shop!! (化猫ショップ!!, Bake Neko Shoppu!!^?)
9. The Shocking Live Broadcast (ドッキリ生中継, Dokkiri Namachūkei^?)
10. The Old Man's Baby-Cry (子泣き爺いぢゃ, Ko Naki Jijii dja^?)
11. Rags are the Best! (ボロこそ最高!!, Boro Koso Saikō!^?)
12. They Came Foorth!! New Juushou (出たァ!! 新獣将, Detaa!! Shin Jūshō^?)
13. Drive Away the Sadness (ブッとばせ不幸, Buttobase Funō^?)
14. I'm the Young Noble!! (俺は貴公子だ!!, Ore wa Kikōshi da!!^?)
15. Argh! Awesome Guys (げえッ!! 凄い奴, Geē!! Sugoi Yatsu^?)
16. The Red Monkey's Oni Extermination (赤猿の鬼退治, Aka Saru no Oni Taiji^?)
17. The Demon Sword and Underwear!! (魔剣とパンツ!!, Maken to Pantsu!!^?)
18. Hello, Mushroom-kun (ハローきのこ君, Harō Kinoko-kun^?)
19. The Hellish Trap in Darkness!! (暗闇の地獄罠!!, Kurayami no Jigoku Wana!!^?)
20. The Flowery Kunoichi Team (花のくノ一組!!, Hana no Kunoichi Gumi^?)
21. The Monkey Mimic's Finishing Move (サルマネ必殺技, Saru Mane Hissatsu-waza^?)
22. I'll Make You Laugh (笑って頂きます, Waratte Itadakimasu^?)
23. Blitzkrieg!! The Strange White Bird (電撃!! 白い怪鳥, Dengeki!! Shiroi Kai Tori^?)
24. Ah, The End of Volume 1 (あァ一巻の終り, Aa Ikkan no Owari^?)
25. A New Departure! (新たなる出発（たびだち）!!, Aratanaru Tabidachi!!^?)
26. The Tsuruhime Family's Super Secret (鶴姫家の超秘密, Tsuruhime-ka no Chō Himitsu^?)
27. The End of the Invincible Shogun (無敵将軍の最期, Muteki Shōgun no Saigo^?)
28. A Super Big Figure Coming to Japan!! (超大物・来日!!, Chō Dai Mono - Rainichi!!^?)
29. History's First Super Battle (史上初の超対決（スーパーバトル）, Shijō Hatsu no Sūpā Batoru^?)
30. Reunion With a Traitorous Father (再会 裏切りの父, Saikai Uragiri no Chichi^?)
31. Behold!! A New Shogun (見たか!! 新将軍, Mita ka!! Shin Shōgun^?)
32. Don't Lick Me, Face Thief (ナメんな顔泥棒, Namen na Kao Dorobō^?)
33. The Perverse Village (あまのじゃく村, Amanojaku Mura^?)
34. The Bride's Sandy Hell!! (花嫁砂地獄!!, Hanayome Suna Jigoku!!^?)
35. The Punishment Sisters (おしおき三姉妹（シスターズ）, Oshioki Shisutāzu^?)
36. Abarenbo Ninja!! (暴れん坊忍者!!, Abarenbō Ninja!!^?)
37. The Paper Umbrella Dance Queen (唐傘ダンス女王（クイーン）, Karakasa Dansu Kuīn^?)
38. Mooo~! A Repulsive Cow (モオ～ッ嫌な牛, Mō~- Iya na Ushi^?)
39. Iit's a Special Compilation!! (特別編だよっ!!, Tokubetsu Hen Da yō!!^?)
40. The Heisei Fox Battle (平成キツネ合戦, Heisei Kitsune Kassen^?)
41. The Stray Ghost (はぐれゴースト, Hagure Gōsuto^?)
42. The Plundered Ninja Power (強奪忍者パワー, Gōdatsu Ninja Pawā^?)
43. The Last Day of the Sanshinshou (三神将最期の日, Sanshinshō Saigo no Hi^?)
44. The Wound-Filled Great Reversal (傷だらけ大逆転, Kizu Darake Dai Gyakuten^?)
45. The Confused Santa (慌てん坊サンタ, Awatenbō Santa^?)
46. The New Spring Manga Hell (新春まんが地獄, Shinshun Manga Jigoku^?)
47. The 100-Burst Human Fireworks (人間花火百連発, Ningen Hanabi Hyaku Renpatsu^?)
48. The Great Snow Woman's Snowball Fight (大雪女の雪合戦, Ōyuki Onna no Yukigassen^?)
49. Suddenly!! Poor (突然!! ビンボー, Totsuzen!! Binbō^?)
50. Special Selection!! The Youkai Inn (特選!! 妖怪の宿, Tokusen!! Yōkai no Yado^?)
51. Hero Elimination (英・雄（ヒーロー）・失・格, Hīrō Shikkaku^?)
52. Finale!! Father and Daughter (大団円!! 父と娘（こ）, Daidan'en!! Chichi to Ko^?)
53. 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

• Teruaki Ogawa (小川 輝晃, Ogawa Teruaki^?): Sasuke
• Satomi Hirose (広瀬 仁美, Hirose Satomi^?): Tsuruhime
  • Mao Inoue: Tsuruhime (young)
• Hiroshi Tsuchida (土田 大, Tsuchida Hiroshi^?): Saizou
• Shu Kawai (河合 秀, Kawai Shū^?): Seikai
• Kane Kosugi (ケイン・コスギ, Kein Kosugi^?): Jiraiya
• Kazuki Yao: Ninjaman (voice)
• Akira Sakamoto: Momochi Sandayu
• Daisuke Tsuchiya: Tarou
• Keisuke Tsuchiya: Jirou
• Takao Handa: Announcer
• Kenichi Endo: Junia
  • Nobuyuki Hiyama: Gasha Dokuro (voice)
• Hidekatsu Shibata: Daimao (voice)
• Tomoyuki Hotta: Muteki Shogun (voice)
• Dai Matsumoto: Kakure Daishogun, Tsubasamaru
• Keiko Hayase: Sakura
• Hiroshi Koizumi: Kappa (1-2)
• 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)
• Enjō Sanyūtei (三遊亭 圓丈, San'yūtei Enjō^?): Kōshakushi

Suit actors

• Seiji Takaiwa: 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

• "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

References

1. ^ "Library -- English Titles -- TOEI TV Website". http://tvarc.toei.co.jp/tv/library/series-title.html. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 

External links

• Official Ninja Sentai Kakuranger website (Japanese)

Preceded by Dairanger

Super Sentai 1994 – 1995

Succeeded by Ohranger