is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōji Kiriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from June 1993 to September 1995, with its chapters collected in nine volumes.
A 55-episode anime television series, produced by Fuji Television, Yomiko Advertising and Studio Pierrot, aired on Fuji TV between January 1995 and February 1996. A sequel manga, titled Ninku 2nd Stage: Story of Etonins, was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Ultra Jump from September 2005 to September 2011, with its chapters collected in 12 volumes.
The Ninku manga has had over 9 million copies in circulation.
Plot
Manga
The story follows an odd-looking 12-year-old boy named Fūsuke, a powerful warrior from the Ninku school of martial arts, who command a style that mixes ninjutsu and kung fu. Before the present time in the story, the Ninku were targeted by an evil empire and the Ninku corps were formed to combat the menace. The names of the corps were taken from the twelve Chinese zodiac animals () and each captain of the corps was called the zodiac animal Ninku master (). Their powers are derived from nature and a specific dragon to their own element, with the being the almighty master of all the elements. The Ninku were disbanded by their master before the end of the war and as such, the Empire was victorious and the Ninku became vilified by the Empire as the perpetrators of the war and made attempts to eliminate any surviving members. Three years later, Fūsuke, the young former captain of the 1st Ninku corps and controller of the wind and Hiroyuki, his flatulent penguin, start a journey, searching for the other Ninku captains. However, a new group of Ninku users has arisen and are trying to take over the world. Fūsuke and his penguin must defeat the new Ninku empire with the help of his old comrades.
Anime
Fūsuke, the former captain of the first division Ninku corps journeys across the land with his pet hiroyuki and the hot headed Rihoko to find his Mother who was taken from him at a very young age by the Imperial Army leader Kochin. On his travels, he reunites with fellow captains Toji and Aicho who begin to travel with him in hopes to not only stop the rise of the Imperial Army, but to restore respect to the Ninku students. Along the journey, Fūsuke and the others are tasked with finding and controlling the mystical sky dragons in order to become stronger.
Characters
Main characters
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Ninku 2nd Stage: Story of Etonins
Films
Prior to the anime television series, a film titled was screened at Jump Super Anime Tour in November 1994. A 26-minute film titled was screened at the Toei Anime Fair on July 15, 1995.
Media Blasters's Anime Works brand released Ninku: The Movie with an English dub on VHS in 1998. It was later released on DVD, along with Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie, on January 30, 2001, as a result of a poll conducted by Media Blasters.
Anime
Ninku was adapted into a 55-episode anime television series, produced by Fuji TV, Yomiko Advertising and Studio Pierrot, and directed by Noriyuki Abe. It was broadcast on Fuji TV from January 14, 1995, to February 24, 1996. Reruns of the series have been broadcast on Kids Station. The anime series includes an original story and characters not presented in the manga series. The opening and ending themes were performed by . The opening theme is . The first ending theme for episodes 1 to 28 is . The second ending theme for episodes 29 to 50 is . The third ending theme for episodes 51 to 55 is . In 2015, Bandai Visual re-released the series on two Blu-ray box sets, the first one on May 21 and the second on July 15.
Ninku was also broadcast in other parts of Asia on Animax Asia.