Ninja Sentai Kakurenjâ

Ninja Sentai Kakurenjâ (Ninja Task Force Kakuranger) ran February 18, 1994 through February 24, 1995, 53 episodes,2 movies and 2 specials

Opening Theme

Ninja Task Force Kakuranger first three

"Hiding among the people and punishing the evil!! Ninja Sentai Kakuranger has arrived!"


The Cast

Character Actor/Actress
Sasuke Ogawa, Teruaki
Tsuruhime Hirose, Satomi
Saizou Tsuchida, Hiroshi
Seikai Kawai, Shui
Jiraiya Kein Kosugi
Momochi, Sandayu Sakamoto, Akira
The Announcer [1-24, 39] Sanyuutei, Enjou
Professor Yugami Akima, Noborui
Young Noble Junior [14-31] Endo, Ken'ichi
Taro Tsuchiya, Daisuke
Jiro Tsuchiya, Keisuke
Hakumenrou (31-53) Godai, Takayuki
Bun Fukuba, Yasuyuki
Ninjaman/Samuraiman(voice) Yao, Kazuki
Ninjaman/Samuraiman (suit actor) Kusaka, Hideaki
Ninja Gattai Muteki Shogun (voice) Horita, Tomoyuki
Ninja Gattai Muteki Shogun (suit actor) Kusaka, Hideakii
Goshin Gattai Kakure Daishogun (voice) Matsumoto, Dai


combat combat

Ninja Sentai Kakurenjâ (Ninja Task Force Kakuranger) is a goofier series than its predecessor Gosei Sentai Dairenjâ (Five Star Task Force Dairanger) or its successor Chouriki Sentai Ohrenjâ (Super-Power Task Force Ohranger) . It's the Batman of Super Sentai.


Ninja Task Force Kakuranger first three

In 1594 five brave ninja Sarutobi, Sasuke; Tsuruhime; Kirigskure, Saizouu; Miyoshi, Seikai and Jiraiya battled Yokai (evil spirits) defeating their leader Nurarihyon be looking him behind a magically sealed door and with him the Yokai's energy. in 1994 two of their descednets Sasuke and Saizou are tricked into breaking opening the Seal Door releasing the Yokai. After they are terrorized by a group of now free Yokai, a strange man with magic powers (Ninja master Momochi, Sandayu) teleports Sasuke and Saizou to where their ancestors katana are telling them that Lady Tsuruhim is waiting for them. Lady Tsuruhim, who is dressed in white turns out to be a teen age girl. After chastising them from opening that door she tells them to each take their ancestor's katana, having to point Sasuke to the red one and Saizou the blue one, saying only a true descendent of the ninja who left the swords can take them, as she of course reaches for the white one. As they pull them magic energy is released and a giant robot appears and from it appears the long dead ninja who are concerned that their descendents are just children. Never the less the give them each a Doron Changer, assign Sasuke and Saizou the task of protecting Tsuruhime and advise them to shave and brush their teeth every day. When Kappa (the Yokai that tricked them) and a bunch of Dorodoros appear the three use the Doron Changers to "Supa Henge Doron Chenja!" ("Super Change, Doron Changer!") into Kakuranger. The battle against the Yokai has begun. Two others will join the Ninja Task Force Kakuranger later.


The Kakurangers

SasukeSasukeNinja Red

Sasuke: 26 year old descendan of the ninja ( Sarutobi, Sasuke becomes NInja Red, can clone himself during battle andis armed with Red Slicer (giant 4 pointed Shuriken), images himself to be the team leader (silly boy) when he is its only because Tsuruhime lets him, gains a Thunder Sword Hikarimaru (episode 31), a glowing sword which also energies his regular katana

TsuruhimeTsuruhimeNinja White,

Lady Tsuruhime: 15 year old (turns 16 in episode 23) descendant of the ninja Tsuruhime , 24th Protector of the Seal door comes from a wealth and titled family (revealed in episode 26) becomes Ninja White, despite her youth she's the most mature of team and its true leader, she's also has the most skill in magic, armed with White Beak (two pronged dagger),

SaizouSaizouSaizou

Saizou: 22 year old descendan of the ninja Kirigakure, Saizou becomes Ninja Blue, armed with Blue Shot (wrist mounted water cannnon)

SeikaSeikaNinja Yellow

Seikai: 24 year old descendanof the ninja Miyoshi,Seikai becomes Ninja Yellow (introduced in episode 2, ancestors advice: dont just eat instant ramen, eat rice too and do something about yourbad breath), claims to be in love with Tsuruhime (episode 7) which given her age is disturbing, armed with Yellow Claw (wrist mounted claw, attached to a chain so it can be hurled at Yokai to drag them in for close combat)

JiraiyaJiraiyaNinja Black

Jiraiya: 20 year old Japanese American, son of a police officer, from Los Angelas, descendant of the ninja Jiraiya becomes Ninja Black, (introduced in episode 3, back story episode 28) - speaks English which confuses other Kakuranger and Yokai as well, armed with Black Bow (wrist mounted crossbow), [Kane Kosugi who plays Jiraiya is actually a Japanese American from Los Angelas which explains why his character actually speaks English fluently (as well as Japanese)].

Each Kakuranger is armed with a Secret Sword Kakuremaru (matching their color), Kakulaser (resembels a flintlock pistol), Shurikens (different shapes matching each Kakurangers symbol) and Shinobi Knuckle (brass knuckles).

Kakuranger Ball

Kakuranger Ball (introduced in episode 10) is a football, produced by Ninja White, which is used in Kakure Shoot, as it passes to each Kakuranger it changes to their color before its kicked into the Yokai to explode. It can also be used by the Beast General Fighters in Super Kakure Shoot.

Ninjaman Samuraiman

A thousands years ago the powerful but not too bright warrior Ninjaman was trapped inside a pot by an ancestor of Tsuruhime and sent into space for allowing himself to be tricked by the Yokai into attacking the humans he was meant to protect. Returned to Earth and released in the modern world by Tsuruhime (episode 36) he beomes an ally to the Kakurangers (essentially the sixth ranger). NInjamna can appear tiny, humansized or giantsized. When aggrevated by the Yokai calling him a novice, he turns into the giant warrior Samuriaman (only ever seen as a giant)/. Ninjaman is armed with a katana sword. Samuraiman attaches the swords scabbard to the sword transforming it into a javelin. Ninjaman means well but he's a bumbler, probably being imprisoned for a thousand years didn't help as he had no chance to actually learn from his mistakes. Once the battle is over Ninjaman leaves the Earth with his masters Muteki Shogun, Tsubasamaru and Kakure Daishogun (episode 53).

Nekomaru

The Kakurangers have four vehicles to drive, three are mostly used in combat not as transporation (in fact they are rarely used at all).

giant warriors

When the Yokai become angry at being defeated humansized they giant size to "smash all of you". Therfore the Kakurangers have to have their own Giant Warriors to fight the giant Yokai.




The Allies

Momochi, Sandayu

Ninja master Momochi, Sandayu - supposed to be the Kakurangers mentor but after appearing in the first few episodes he's abscent for most of the rest of the first half of the series. When he finally shows up again its to send the Kakaurangers on indivdual quests to find five hidden scrolls (episode 25). He claims not to know where they are yet he hands them a map to guide them. Sandayu is killed by Young Nobel Junior (episode 31) and this upsets the Kakurangers more than it should given that, except for Tsuruhime, they barely knew him, having probably spoken to him a total of 5 maybe 6 minutes since they met him. And most of what he told Tsuruhime were lies (that her father was dead, that he didn't know where the Shinobi Scrolls were, that Bun was his apprentice, that two dogs were his guard dogs when he knew who they really were, and finally when her father was revealed to be alive, that he was a traitor to humanity, he'd have said it was for her own good but lies never do any one any good.)

The Announcer

The Announcer is Ninja Task Force Kakuranger's onscreen narrator (episodes 1-24, 39). Unlike most series narrators who are heard but never seen this series narrator actually appears on camera. He's a comic relief character as well as narrator. And unlike other narrators who are only heard by the audience he can be seen and heard by other characters. In episode 7 he find himself in the middle of a fight because he's broadcasting from the Kakuranger's training ground. In episode 22 he falls victim to the yokai's laughing gas and the yokai describe itself to the audience. About half way through his time in the series he starts asking trivia questions before commercial breaks the answer to be revealed after the commercial. He's not involved in the series after episode 24, because the Kakurangers and Yokai act as their own narrators, except for one special appearance in episode 39, during which he gives a tour of the Kakurangerts camp and Yokai Army Corpi base, until he is caught by Dorodoros.and thrown off a bridge. He survives but does not appear again in the series.

BunBun

When Tsuruhime meets a young boy, Momochi, Sandayu claims he's his apprentice (episode 26), Bun,and that two dogs are has guard dogs but they are always with Bun so seems they are actually Bun's guards. After Momochi, Sandayu's death (episode 31) Bun is not seen again until Hakumenrou's sends him to warn Ninjaman that he is in danger (episode 42) (Bun speaks more in episode 42 than he did in his first 3 episodes combined or will in his following episodes). When Sasuke is about to be killed by the Flowery Kunoichi Team, Bun and his two dogs come to his rescue, the dogs proving they are not what they seem, as the transfer into two male ninja (episode 44) .Bun iit turns out is a Yokai who despises the other Yokai and has taken human form. (Bun is in episodes 26, 30, 31, 42-44, 52 & 53.). He never reveals his true form, he's so opposed to the Yokai he stays human at all times. Unlike the evil Yokai he is not trapped behind the Seal Door at the end.

Hakumenrou Hakumenrou

A white armed warrior who calls himself Daimaou's Strategist Hakumenrou but is actually Lord Yoshiteru, Tsuruhime's supposedly dead father and Momochi, Sandayu's missing master appears to twart the Kakurangers attempt to stop Daimaou from returning to the Earth (episode 30) but is he really on the side of the Yokai Army Corps or is he as Daimaou's son Young Noble Junior aka Gashadokuro believes a spy, secretly working to undermind them? Gashadokur is killed by the Kakurangers before he can inform his father of his supicions (episode 31). As for the Kakurangers, they don't know what to think. When a meteor carrying Ninjaman's prison arrives on Earth, Daimaou orders Hakumenrou to get the pot so that Ninjaman will serve the Yokai. Only Hakumenrou or his daughter can break the magic seal to release Ninjaman (episode 36) but when a Yokai is about to retreive the pot to bring to Hakumenrou, Hakumenrou actualy shoots the Yokai with a glowing arrow causing it to drop the pot (only the viewer sees him do this as he's a long way away and the Yokai is looking at the Kakurangers who are looking at the Yokai). When the Kakurangers are captured, he turns out the lights to cover their escape (episode 37).

Hakumenrou Hakumenrou

Losing a battle with a Daimaou's clone Daradara, the Kakurangers find themselves tranported into the Wind Illusion Castle where the voice of Muteki Shogun them to seek out Hakumenrou, because he has been spying on Daimaou for them all along however when they go to meet him Daimaou appears revealing he knew Hakumenrou a 'traitor" all along and appears to kill him (episode 43), Hakumenrou isnt dead but may wish he was as Daimaou turns him into stone furies at losening another battle to Kakurangers because of his betryal (episode 44). Controlled by Daimaou, Hakumenrou becomes a mindless killer forcing Tsuruhime into considering killing her father (episodes 52 & 53). In the end he's saved by the sacrifice of his adopted sons Taro and Jiro and Bun becomes his new adopted son, Tsuruhime new younger brother.

Taro Jiro

Taro and Jiro identical twin brothers, Lord Yoshiteru's adopted sons (after their biological parents were killed by Yokai), Tsuruhime's "brothers", they disappeared along with their foster father when they tried to enter the spirit world to battle Daimaou ten years ago, only to be captured. To save their lives Lord Yoshiteru became Daimaou's Strategist Hakumenrou but Daimaou transformed Taro and Jiro into dogs. They esecaped back to Earth as dogs with Bun. (episodes 26, 30, 31, 42, 43). They become human to save Sasuke (episode 44) but cannot remain human for long. The next time they become human they will die, they do so to save their foster father (episode 52) [They are played by real life indentical twin brothers rather than one person being filmed twice and dubded in beside himself.]



In the final episode the Kakurangers have to use their Doron Changers to place the Yokai behind the Seal Door again, which means they can no longer transform which means they should not be in any of the movies they appear in later. Unless they freed the Yokai. (Of course RIderman should not be in any series or movie after Kamen Rider V3 or any of the first eight Kamen Riders after Skyrider either.). Once the Yokai are defeated and the giant warriors have left the Earth as they are no longer needed, Lord Yoshiteru tells Tsuruhime to spend more times with her friends now that the battle is over and he and Bun will be waiting for her at home. Sasuke, Tsuruhime, Saizou, Seikai and Jiraiya set off on a road trip in Nekomaru. Bun waves goodbye.. Behind the Seal Door, all the defeated Yokai are threatening to return one day because as long as humans exist they will exist too. The last words of the series "Let us out!". Cue the opening theme song (not the usual ending theme song) as the credits role for the last time. THE END,



eye catch 1


Episode Titles

Yokai Army Corps


Ending Theme (episodes 1-52)                Ending Theme (episodes 53)



Kakurangers can be purchased on Amazon


Ninja Sentai Kakurenjâ was followed by Chouriki Sentai Ohrenjâ

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Ninja Sentai Kakurenjâ © 1994 Toei Co., Ltd.