Ninpu Kamui Gaiden

Aired: 1969

A TV anime produced by TCJ Doga Center (later Eiken). Based on Sanpei Shirato's gekiga Kamui Gaiden, a spin-off of his main work Kamui-den, serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday and Big Comic. Broadcast in 26 episodes on Fuji TV every Sunday at 18:30 from April 6 to September 28, 1969. Set in the Edo period, the series follows Kamui (voiced by Koji Nakata), a deserter ninja, as he wanders the provinces evading his former clan's pursuers while becoming entangled in the local incidents he stumbles upon. Narration was provided by Tatsuya Jo, and the heavy gekiga-inspired tone and meticulous depiction of ninjutsu in Shirato's signature style earned strong praise among adult viewers riding the contemporary gekiga boom. Cancelled due to ratings, its successor slot was filled by Sazae-san. The original opening and ending themes received their first official audio release on the 2016 Blu-ray. (C)Sanpei Shirato / Eiken