Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi OVA (2012) — Story, Release Date, Rating

Synopsis:

The narrative follows Kenichi Shirai, a young man who endures years of bullying. After undergoing rigorous physical training, he gains extraordinary strength and embarks on a journey to address the injustices he once suffered. This series explores themes of perseverance, personal growth, and the complexities of justice. Set against a backdrop of diverse martial arts communities and challenging opponents, Kenichi’s quest is less about seeking revenge and more about fostering understanding and protecting the vulnerable. The story balances action sequences with character-driven moments, highlighting Kenichi's evolving relationships and internal struggles as he navigates a world where strength doesn't always equate to righteousness. It offers a compelling look at overcoming adversity through dedicated self-improvement and advocating for those who cannot defend themselves.

Trailer:

Episodes:

Episode 1: New Assassins! (Aired: 03/14/2012)
Episode 2: The Girl from China! (Aired: 06/18/2012)
Episode 3: Beautiful Assassin! (Aired: 11/16/2012)
Episode 4: Beautiful Wings! (Aired: 09/16/2013)
Episode 5: God of Death vs The Demon! (Aired: 09/16/2013)
... and 6 more episodes

Characters:

Fuurinji, Miu (Main) - Voice Actors: Kugimiya, Rie, Savage, Carrie
Shirahama, Kenichi (Main) - Voice Actors: Seki, Tomokazu, Grelle, Jessie James
Carlo, Diego (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Saab, Alejandro
Eclair, Christopher (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Morikawa, Toshiyuki, Regan, Kieran
Fuurinji, Hayato (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fujimoto, Yuzuru, Elliott, R. Bruce
Fuurinji, Shizuha (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Christian, Luci
Gaidar, Alexander (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Iida, Toshinobu
Gauche, Wynne (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Stokes, Valentine
Hongou, Akira (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yokojima, Wataru, Tiong, Edwyn
Hopachai, Apachai (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ishimaru, Hiroya, Strait, Sonny
Ivanov, Boris (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sugawara, Masashi, Rudd, Matthew David
Izumi, Yuuka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ohmoto, Makiko, Ragsdale, Sara
Jenazad, Silcardo (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tsuji, Shinpachi
Jum Sai, Agaard (Supporting)
Kamioka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Cherry, Eric
Kanou, Shou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Namikawa, Daisuke, Hopkins, Jacob
Koetsuji, Akisame (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kosugi, Juurouta, Williams, Kent
Kousaka, Shigure (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Noto, Mamiko, Nishimura, Trina
Kugatachi, Kaname (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Tanaka, Atsuko, Young, Stephanie
Kugenin, Hibiki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Madono, Mitsuaki
Kushinada, Mikumo (Supporting)
Li, Tenmon (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ginga, Banjou, Mukai, Brent
Li, Raichi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nomizu, Iori, Yu, Apphia
Ma, Renka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kanai, Mika
Ma, Kensei (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Futamata, Issei, Edwards, Daniel J.
Matsui (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Toriumi, Katsumi, Wehkamp, Christopher
Nanjou, Kisara (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takayama, Minami, Clinkenbeard, Colleen
Niijima, Haruo (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yamazaki, Takumi, Haberkorn, Todd
Ogata, Isshinsai (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ootsuka, Akio, Douglas, Jason
Ono, Kyoko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Aoyama, Touko, Glass, Caitlin
Radin Tidat, Jihan (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Okiayu, Ryoutarou
Rahman, Sehrul (Supporting)
Ro, Jisei (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Egawa, Hisao
Sakaki, Shio (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ishizuka, Unshou, Sabat, Christopher
Shiba, James (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hirose, Masashi, St. Peter, Paul
Shirahama, Honoka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sena, Ayumi, Leigh, Cherami
Shiratori (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Minagawa, Junko, McDonald, Joel
Stanley, Ethan (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takeda, Kouji, Barcenas, Richard
Stanley, Rachel (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kuwashima, Houko, Lundquist, Erin Nicole
Takashima, Chihiro (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hisakawa, Aya, Clark, Leah
Takeda, Ikki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yao, Kazuki, Tatum, J. Michael
Tanimoto, Kaede (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Karbowski, Brittney
Tanimoto, Natsu (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Horikawa, Ryo, Liebrecht, Jason
Touchuumaru (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Noto, Mamiko, Cason, Chris
Ukita, Kouzou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ookawa, Tooru, McFarland, Mike
Yakabe, Kurando (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Midorikawa, Hikaru, Johnson, Courtland
Yasunaga, Fukujiro (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Houki, Katsuhisa, Dulcie, Greg

Staff:

Ozawa, Juukou (Producer)
Sawabe, Nobumasa (Producer)
Suzuki, Takeyuki (Producer)
Ishiodori, Hiroshi (Director, Storyboard)
Tanaka, Akiyoshi (Sound Director)
Fujii, Takafumi (Episode Director)
Kosaka, Harume (Episode Director)
Koyata, Masahisa (Episode Director)
Sugahara, Shizutaka (Episode Director, Assistant Director)
Nomizu, Iori (Theme Song Performance)
Seki, Tomokazu (Theme Song Performance)
Arai, Kazuhiro (Art Director)
Gotou, Yoriko (2nd Key Animation)
Honda, Takatoshi (Key Animation)
Inai, Keiji (Music)
Matsuena, Syun (Original Creator)
Motohashi, Hideyuki (Character Design, Animation Director)
Nakajima, Yuri (In-Between Animation)
Sakai, Shunsuke (Background Art)
Satou, Hiromasa (Key Animation)
Shibuya, Kazuhiko (Key Animation)
Shouji, Masahiro (Sound Effects)
Tanaka, Ryou (Key Animation)

Reviews:

User b00moscone (Score: 8/10):
As there hasn't really been any proper reviews talking about every OVA as i have heard they are stopping at 11, i decided to write a review summing up every OVA, and I'm going to assume that you are reading this after watching all 50 episodes of the series, and seeing if this is worth checking out. -Story--8- The story in these OVAs carry the same quality as the main series, but with it obviously progressing. The first few episodes are to give you a re-cap on each character and their personality, which i believe is fine as this OVA started 6 years after the main seriesended, but as someone who may have come straight from the main series this may be a bit bothersome, but nothing i could say is a bad thing as it was intended to re-cap people after six years. These first episodes also introduce us to a new group of enemy, and the people behind it, who, like Ragnarok, are after the strongest disciple, Kenichi. This new group, named 'Yami', are what you may see as Ragnarok but with a stronger cast of enemies, which is true, but as a result the battles are more intense and complex. The episodes following the first few are mainly battles against this new group, and as a result we see not only Kenichi, but his friends develop their skills and become stronger. In some cases, after fights we see what some people may call 'fillers', but are just really us seeing the result of the fight prior to that episode, and maybe some other relevant things, so i wouldn't call them fillers. The ending as also quite satisfactory, but that also depends on the person, so watch to see for yourself. nn-Art--8-nnI thought that even though fights got more complex and maybe harder to track, the art was fluid and focused on the main points of the fights. Speaking of fights, the debris and impact of punches were detailed, and were not skimped on, allowing the fight to look better and enhance your enjoyment. As for the art in itself, they didn't make much changes from the original art, which i thought was great as not only did it differentiate itself from the type of art-style being used around this time, it at the same time felt familiar and didn't detach itself from the main series, but i can say i felt the art was brightened up a little, which i thought was a change for the better.nn-Sound--7-nnI thought the sound was average, but didn't hold back the anime. The OPs and endings suited the anime and the sound amplified the atmosphere that any particular scene was going for, and in battle scenes made the situation more tense and made the situation feel more desperate if needed, and made the viewer feel more calm when Kenichi is in school for example. The sound also sounded different, obviously with the exception of the OP and ending, they went for…
User _Sogeking_ (Score: 8/10):
Can someone explain how this is R+ to me(seen all 11 of them btw)? Thanks (: Was alright overall, made me realize how big Kenichi really became; thus improving its standing in my mind and my rankings accordingly. Also, a few of the character developments in this OVA set were really amazing. However, that isn't to say that it didn't feel rushed in the end. Needed more of a certain dude I'm ngl ): In addition, the first few OVA's(iirc) were realtively dry, holding the whole thing back a bit ngl. Still very interesting stuff scattered throughout though; definitely will be rewarding for anyone who's afan of kenichi and looking for more. Expands the world developed in the anime's run, creating a more serious yet comprehensive experience in the end. nnP.S. I only typed all of this out cause I wanted someone to explain the R+ ratingnnP.P.S. Predawn Song goes insanely hard

News:

North American Anime & Manga Releases for May (05/05/2024)
Q1 2024 Anime & Manga Licenses [Update 2/29] (01/02/2024)
OVA of Manga 'Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi' Announced for Special Edition of Vol. 54 (10/09/2013)
OVA of Manga 'Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi' Announced for Special Edition of Vol. 53 (08/21/2013)
2nd Volume of History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi OVA Announced (01/28/2012)
OVA of Manga 'History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi' Announced (10/14/2011)

Forum Topics:

External Links:

Related Anime/Manga:

Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi (anime - Prequel)
Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi (manga - Adaptation)
Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi Specials (anime - Side Story)

Genres: Action, Comedy, Martial Arts, School, Shounen
Themes: Martial Arts, School
Demographics: Shounen
Studios: Brain's Base
Licensors: Discotek Media
Rating: 7.87 / 10
Rank: #925
Popularity: #3077
Users Listed: 61,156
Users Scored: 30,016
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 04/11/2022
Aired: March 14, 2012 – May 16, 2014 (Winter)
Type: ova
Source: manga
Age Rating: R
Episodes: 11

Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi OVA