was a Japanese
tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...
television series in the
Lion-Maru franchise that aired in 1972–1973, produced by
P Productions
is a Japanese production company, which has produced anime and tokusatsu television programs, with minor work in motion pictures. It was founded in 1960 by the late TV producer Tomio Sagisu (also known as Soji Ushio). The company exists today a ...
and set during Japan's
Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
(the Age of Warring States).
Plot
During the late 16th century (September 1, 1567 to December 31, 1600), a trio of
ninja
A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
orphans are wandering Japan and saving people from evil by battling a
villain of the week
"Villain of the week" (or, depending on genre, "monster of the week", "freak of the week", "alien of the week", or "dinosaur of the week") is an antagonist that only appears in one episode of a multi-episode work of fiction, commonly British, Ame ...
in each episode, all of which are serving the devil known as Gousan. The main character, Shishimaru, has been granted the ability to transform into a
superpower
Superpower describes a sovereign state or supranational union that holds a dominant position characterized by the ability to Sphere of influence, exert influence and Power projection, project power on a global scale. This is done through the comb ...
ed
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
white
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
, usually wielding a
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
.
Characters
*: A man who becomes by unsheathing the katana and uttering the words to take on the power.
*: An acrobatic female fighter who often becomes a
damsel in distress
The damsel in distress is a narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has been kidnapped or placed in other peril. The "damsel" is often portrayed as beautiful, popular, and of high social status; she is usually depicted ...
.
*: The young boy who uses his flute to summon the Pegasus known as Hikarimaru.
*: The series' chief villain.
* (episodes 27-30, 36-54): A man recruited by Gosun, given the mysterious sword to become .
*: The elderly mentor who adopted the three war orphans (Shishimaru, Saori, and Kosuke) and taught them everything they know. After perishing from an attack by Gousan's forces, his souls is reincarted as the Pegasus known as Hikarimaru.
Episodes
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Cast
*Tetsuya Ushio as Shishimaru / Kaiketsu
Lion Maru (voice)
*Akiko Kujō as Saori
*Norihiko Umechi as Kosuke
*Kazuo Kamoshida as Kaiketsu Lion Maru (suit actor)
*Shingo Fukushima as Tiger Joe (suit actor)
*
Kiyoshi Kobayashi
was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He was attached to the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. He was a graduate of the arts department of Nihon University.
He was best known for his role as Daisuke Jigen i ...
as Akuma Gosun / Devil Gosuun (voice)
*Kōji Tonohiro as Tora Jōnosuke / Tiger Joe (voice)
pisodes 27-30, 36-41*Yoshitaka Fukushima as Tora Jōnosuke / Tiger Joe (voice)
pisodes 42-54*Daisaku Shinohara as Narrator
Music
;Opening Theme
* by &
;Ending Themes
* by
International broadcasts and home video
*The series was released in Japan on DVD on October 25, 2002 to commemorate the series' 30th anniversary broadcasting, via Volume 1. Then on December 25, 2002, Volume 2 of the series was broadcast. A DVD boxset that contains all 54 episodes of the series was released on March 26, 2008.
*It was broadcast in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
around 1974 every Sunday on
Channel 5 in Thai dubbed, as ''Nakak Sing'' (, lit. ''Lion Mask'').
*The series was broadcast in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in 1983, dubbed, as ''Ultralion''.
*The series was also dubbed into English, but only one episode (the first) surfaced in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, released on a
VHS
VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ma ...
tape in 1986 distributed by
Kids Klassics and also by
Remco
Remco Industries Inc. was an American toy company. Founded in 1949, it is known for toys integrating technology and innovation from their inception.
The company's slogan in its early TV commercials was, "Every Boy Wants a Remco Toy...And So Do ...
through other copies, entitled ''Magic of the Ninja'' and sold through toy store chains such as
Toys R Us
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and ...
.
*It was aired in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
with a Brazilian Portuguese dub under the title ''Lion Man'' (or otherwise known as ''Lion Man Branco'' as he became known in the region) on
Rede Manchete
Rede Manchete (; lit.: Headline Network; also known as TV Manchete or only Manchete) was a Brazilian television network that was founded in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1983 by the Ukrainian-Brazilian journalist and businessman Adolpho Bloch. The ...
in 1990, following the success of airing its sequel series ''
Fuun Lion-Maru'' first. But unlike that, this series was reportedly a flop and it did not last long on the network, given that the sequel was more popular and that one actually aired first. Only about 22 out of 54 episodes were dubbed.
DVD release
In P Productions' publicity materials for the 2002
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
release, ''Lion Maru'' was subtitled ''The Beast-Transformed Ninja Warrior''.
References
External links
*
Lion Maru - Vintage Ninja
{{s-end
1972 Japanese television series debuts
1973 Japanese television series endings
Television series set in the 16th century
Japanese television series with live action and animation
Ninja television series
Tokusatsu television series