Ninkuu (1995) — Story, Release Date, Rating

Synopsis:

Years after a devastating conflict reshaped the nation, the Imperial Army has solidified its power through carefully crafted narratives and control of public perception. The Ninku, once revered warriors who fiercely resisted the Empire, are now demonized as the instigators of war, their legacy fractured and scattered. Fusuke, bearing the appearance of a child, is a survivor of this defeat – the former captain of a prominent Ninku division. Driven by a personal quest to locate his mother, lost during the war's aftermath, he unexpectedly encounters Aicho and Touji, fellow captains burdened by similar histories.

Together, they navigate a world where their very existence is a threat. As remnants of an ancient warrior clan with formidable, almost mystical combat abilities, they must evade relentless pursuit while battling those who seek to exploit or extinguish the last vestiges of the Ninku. The series explores themes of propaganda, memory, and the struggle to reclaim a tarnished past in a society determined to forget it.

Episodes:

Episode 1: Fūsuke the Rat! (Aired: 01/14/1995)
Episode 2: Enter the Rooster Captain (Aired: 01/21/1995)
Episode 3: Touji of the Land! (Aired: 01/28/1995)
Episode 4: The Attackers (Aired: 02/04/1995)
Episode 5: The Victor's Smoke! (Aired: 02/11/1995)
... and 50 more episodes

Characters:

Aicho (Main) - Voice Actors: Madono, Mitsuaki
Fuusuke (Main) - Voice Actors: Matsumoto, Rica
Hiroyuki (Main) - Voice Actors: Suzuki, Katsumi
Rihoko (Main) - Voice Actors: Hayashibara, Megumi
Touji (Main) - Voice Actors: Kosugi, Juurouta
Ajirada (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nishimura, Tomomichi
Assassin's Leader (Supporting)
Captain Maki (Supporting)
General Lee (Supporting)
Kenta (Supporting)
Kisumi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Matsumoto, Yasunori
Kiyoteru (Supporting)
Kouchin (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Taniguchi, Takashi
Kunoichi Emi (Supporting)
Kunoichi Mika (Supporting)
Lieutenant HumBoldt (Supporting)
Major (Supporting)
Mamoru (Supporting)
Mamoru's Comrade (Supporting)
Mekira (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hiramatsu, Akiko
Midori (Supporting)
Mika (Supporting)
Miyuki (Supporting)
Natsu's Mother (Supporting)
Natsu-chan (Supporting)
Reishu (Supporting)
Sayaka (Supporting)
Seikichi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sasaki, Nozomu
Seishi (Supporting)
Sekirai (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ishida, Akira
Shirata (Supporting)
Shuri (Supporting)
Shuri and Yuka's Father (Supporting)
Takeshi (Supporting)
Tatsumi (Supporting)
Thieves' Boss (Supporting)
Yamabuki (Supporting)
Yoshio (Supporting)
Yuka (Supporting)

Staff:

Hagino, Ken (Producer)
Kimura, Kyoutarou (Producer)
Shimizu, Kenji (Producer)
Abe, Noriyuki (Director, Storyboard)
Mizumoto, Kan (Sound Director)
Hashimoto, Mitsuo (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Koshiba, Junya (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Matsui, Hitoyuki (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Mizuno, Kazunori (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Nogami, Kazuo (Episode Director)
Shinbou, Akiyuki (Episode Director)
Takayanagi, Shigehito (Episode Director, Storyboard)
Ueda, Shigeru (Episode Director)
Fujita, Shinzou (Script)
Kamio, Ryuu (Script)
Kamishiro, Tsutomu (Script)
Tamura, Ryou (Script)
Enomoto, Akihiro (Storyboard, Animation Director)
Kanbe, Hiroyuki (Storyboard, Animation Director)
Nishita, Masayoshi (Storyboard, Animation Director)
Takahashi, Motosuke (Storyboard, Animation Director)
Ueda, Hidehito (Storyboard)
Yoshihara, Masayuki (Storyboard, Key Animation, Animation Director)
Yamada, Hiroshi (Theme Song Lyrics)
Endou, Asami (Key Animation)
Gotou, Takahiro (Key Animation)
Hasebe, Atsushi (Key Animation)
Honma, Yusuke (Music)
Hoshi, Kazunobu (Key Animation, Animation Director)
Ikeda, Yuuji (Art Director)
Itou, Hidetsugu (Key Animation)
Iwata, Koudai (Key Animation)
Kanai, Jirou (Key Animation)
Katou, Yasuhisa (Key Animation)
Katou, Shouji (Sound Effects)
Kimishima, Shigeru (Key Animation)
Kiriyama, Kouji (Original Creator)
Kuhara, Shigeki (Key Animation)
Matsumoto, Norio (Key Animation)
Matsushita, Junko (Key Animation)
Matsuyama, Masahiko (Key Animation)
Matsuzaki, Tadashi (Key Animation)
Miyazaki, Nagisa (Key Animation)
Mizuhata, Kenji (Key Animation)
Morioka, Hideyuki (Key Animation)
Morishita, Shougo (Key Animation)
Nagamori, Yoshihiro (Key Animation)
Nakamura, Yutaka (Key Animation)
Nakazawa, Kazuto (Key Animation)
Nishio, Tetsuya (Key Animation, Animation Director, Character Design)
... and 13 more staff

Reviews:

User DemonKingRavan (Score: 9/10):
In the glorious 90s, when Disney Afternoon and Cartoon Network were enjoying the peak of their existence, anime viewing was few and far between. However, when the newly launched AXN channel decided to put an hour block exclusively for anime, I couldn't help but take a peek. As a result, Ninku came into my life. I'd venture so far as to say that Ninku (along with DBZ) introduced me to the world of anime. The story was never the show's strong suit. It's your average Hero's journey story. The art and sound are fairly well done for their time. In particular the slightly western themedbattle music which I found to be pretty epic. The characters are mostly unidimensional, you have your headstrong brawler, the idiot kid who's actually the most powerful of the lot and the somewhat balanced and intelligent fighter who keeps the team together. Add an annoying woman with a heart of gold and a flatulent penguin with superhuman strength, and you've got yourself the team of Ninku.nnThe depiction of the fighting prowess of a Ninku fighter (especially the captains) is well executed. My only complaint would be that not all the Ninku captains are revealed. Even if they were killed, some background as to their whereabouts and their ultimate fate would have been appreciated. The side characters and villains are well balanced and keep the fighting and plot interesting (for the most part). nnGiven that this anime was shown in the mid-90s. It came at a time when shows like Flame of Recca and Yu Yu Hakusho dominated the fighting anime genre. But still the lovable characters and well-executed fight scenes helps this show hold its own against the heavyweights of it's time.
User Zeroflamez (Score: 9/10):
I'm not going to bother writing a synopsis since you've probably already read the one provided on here. So I'm just going to jump right into the review. This is going to be a long one. Strap yourself in. - Plot The plot of this Anime is extremely straight forward and rather basic. Main character is on a journey to find his mother that was kidnapped when he was a a toddler, during his journey he meets up with old comrades and they embark on a quest to save his mother and take down the Imperial Army and liberate the Country. A long the way Challenges areovercome, many interesting people are met, former Ninku companions are discovered. There are some neat things a long the way to keep your interest.nnSo if you're looking for any plot twists or an intricate plot, you won't find this here. But what you will find here is a fun adventure, with good world building, fun characters and decent action. The plot isn't complicated but it doesn't have to be because the main cast and the world are what really make this Anime enjoyable in my opinion. nn- PacingnSince it is an adventure Anime a bulk of the time is allocated to side stories, so the pacing isn't going to be fast, but unlike other Shonen Anime these Side Stories are actually pretty well done and the outcome of them aren't always happy endings. The thing that surprised me the most is how the writers did such a good job at building the world and people that live within it by using these side stories. You really start feeling immersed into this world and it makes you want to keep learning more and more about it. nn- Charactersn nMain CastnnFuusuke: Rat Ninja and Former captain of Ninkuu's squad 1. His specialty is Air techniques. Pretty impressive resume for a 12 year old huh? He always has his good friend Hiroyuki Penguin by his side. nnTouji: Snake ninja and former captain of the 6th Ninkuu squad. He specializes in ground based abilities. He has a younger sister named Rihoko and has fought alongside Fuusuke and Aichou during the war and they have known each other since before then as well. nnAichou: Rooster ninja and former captain of Ninkuu's squad 10. His abilities include being able to jump extremely high into the air and being able to soar in the sky. Not quite flying, but very damn close. He's hot tempered and is often brash and can be kind of a dick at first but he lightens up later on.nnRihoko: The sister of Touji. She is not a combatant but she is shown to be able to use the substitution technique. nnHiroyuki: Fuusuke's best friend. He is a Penguin with a lot of character.(which is expressed very well through gestures and the like since he cannot talk)nnConclusion: The way these main characters interact with each other is probably one of the things I enjoyed the most about…
User Jasper_90_cap (Score: 7/10):
In case you didn't know, Ninku was one of my first anime ever seen on TV as a child and is not that bad to be honest, the Male protagonist, Fusuke does look like a kid but he has skill, enemies tremble when they realize he is the captain of the first division, also known as Ninku No. 1 By heart Fusuke is very kind and sweet and always fights to protect his friends and for the right cause, so you grow fond of Fusuke and the other characters very easily. the fights are quite good, comedy is well timed and overall the anime wont be alet down if seen.
... and 1 more reviews

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Related Anime/Manga:

Ninku (manga - Adaptation)
Ninkuu (Movie) (anime - Side Story)
Ninkuu: Knife no Bohyou (anime - Other)

Genres: Adventure, Shounen
Demographics: Shounen
Studios: Pierrot
Producers: Fuji TV, Yomiko Advertising
Rating: 7.01 / 10
Rank: #4473
Popularity: #7587
Users Listed: 7,994
Users Scored: 1,989
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 04/05/2022
Aired: January 14, 1995 – February 24, 1996 (Winter)
Type: tv
Source: manga
Age Rating: PG 13
Episodes: 55
Broadcast: Saturday at 18:30 (JST)

Ninkuu