Nintama Rantarō (忍たま乱太郎) is a Japanese anime series produced by Ajia-do Animation Works and Japanese broadcast on NHK since April 10, 1993. It is an adaptation of the manga series Rakudai Ninja Rantarō, written and illustrated by Sōbe Amako. Nintama Rantarō centers on the title character and his friends as they attend a school for budding ninjas. Like the manga on which it is based, there is a considerable amount of anachronisms for comedic purposes; for example, the titular character Rantarō is bespectacled. The anime also references other Japanese media personalities such as Ken Shimura. The series is currently the longest-running anime on NHK. The official English title is Ninjaboy Rantaro. In July 2011, a live action film version directed by Takashi Miike titled Ninja Kids!!! was released. A sequel was released on July 6, 2013, called Ninja Kids!!! Summer Mission Impossible! (忍たま乱太郎 夏休み宿題大作戦! の段).

Cast

First Year Ha Class

First Year I Class

First Year Ro Class

Second Year

Third Year

Fourth Year

Fifth Year

Sixth Year

Kunoichi Class

Staff

Tasogaredoki Castle

Dokutake Castle

Dokutama

Other characters

Music

Episodes

A total of 25 series have been broadcast with each season containing a different number of episodes (ranging from 47 in series one to 120 in series two, three and four). Every episode title ends with the phrase no dan (の段 "The step of"). In 2012, special episodes were broadcast to mark the show's 20th anniversary as well as the 15th anniversary of Ojarumaru, the show broadcast in the slot before Nintama Rantarō. Currently, a total of 2,061 episodes have been broadcast as of September 2019 (excluding specials).

Films

A total of four films based on the series have been released in Japan. The first film, Eiga Nintama Rantarō (映画 忍たま乱太郎 Nintama Rantarō the Movie), was released by Shochiku on June 29, 1996. The second film, ''Gekijō-ban Anime Nintama Rantarō Ninjutsu Gakuen Zenin Shutsudō! no Dan'' (劇場版アニメ 忍たま乱太郎 忍術学園 全員出動！の段), was released by Warner Bros. Japan on March 12, 2011. In July 2011, a live action film version directed by Takashi Miike titled Ninja Kids!!! was released. The rights to produce an American version of the film were in negotiations in 2011. A sequel was released on July 6, 2013, called Ninja Kids!!! Summer Mission Impossible! (忍たま乱太郎 夏休み宿題大作戦! の段). A new anime film titled Gekijōban Nintama Rantaro Dokutake Ninjatai Saikyō no Gunshi (劇場版 忍たま乱太郎 ドクタケ忍者隊最強の軍師 Nintama Rantarō the Movie: The Dokutake Ninja Team's Strongest Strategist), based on Kazuhisa Sakaguchi's 2013 novel of the same name, is scheduled to premiere in theaters in December 2024. The film is directed by Masaya Fujimori at Ajia-do Animation Works, with Sakaguchi writing the screenplay.

Video games

Various video games were released, starting in 1995. Most of them were published by Culture Brain.

Broadcast

The anime series premiered on NHK G on April 10, 1993, and aired in a weekly 30-minute timeslot until March 19, 1994. Since October 3, 1994, the series airs daily on NHK E in a 10-minute timeslot.