Fūma no Kojirō

Fūma no Kojirō (風魔の小次郎, "Kojiro of the Fuma Clan") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump from January 1982 to November 1983. It tells the story of sword legends and rivalry between ninja clans. The main character Kojiro is a young boy who is a member of the Fuma clan.

Fūma no Kojirō
Cover of the first manga volume
風魔の小次郎
Manga
Written by	Masami Kurumada
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	January 11, 1982 – November 21, 1983
Volumes	10
Further information Original video animation Directed by Hidehito Ueda Produced by Nagateru Kato Yasuhisa Kazama Written by Takao Koyama (head writer) Music by Toshiro Imaizumi Studio J.C. Staff Released June 1, 1989 – December 1, 1990 Runtime 25−30 minutes (each) Episodes 12 Original video animation Fuma Rebellion Directed by Hidehito Ueda Produced by Yumiko Masujima Written by Motonori Tachikawa Tomoyuki Machida Music by Toshiro Imaizumi Studio J.C. Staff Released November 21, 1992 Runtime 50 minutes Manga Fūma no Kojirō: Yagyū Ansatsuchō Written by Satoshi Yuri Published by Akita Shoten Magazine Champion Red Demographic Seinen Original run September 19, 2003 – May 19, 2006 Volumes 3 Television drama Directed by Toshihiko Ōoka Ryūichi Ichino Written by Takashi Ito Megumu Sasano Music by Kōichirō Kameyama Studio General Entertainment Original network Tokyo MX Original run October 3, 2007 – December 26, 2007 Episodes 13 Manga Fūma no Kojirō: Jo no Maki Written by Masami Kurumada Published by Akita Shoten Magazine Champion Red Demographic Seinen Original run August 19, 2019 – October 19, 2019 Manga Fūma no Kojirō Gaiden: Asuka Mumeicho Written by Masami Kurumada Published by Akita Shoten Magazine Champion Red Demographic Seinen Original run August 19, 2022 – present

The series was adapted into an original video animation (OVA) series released between June 1989 and December 1990, plus an additional episode released in November 1992.

A sequel entitled Yagyū Ansatsuchō (柳生暗殺帖, "Yagyu's Murder Book"), written and illustrated by Satoshi Yuri, was published in Akita Shoten's Champion Red between 2003 and 2006.

In October 2007, a live-action television drama adaptation began airing on Tokyo MX, starring Ryouta Murai in the lead role of Kojiro.

Plot

Hakuo Academy used to be a prestigious high school, and famous for martial arts. However, because its rival school Seishikan has been cowardly luring its superior students, Hakuo was going to decline. In order to recover from the situation, the acting principal of Hakuo; Himeko Hojo, sends Ranko Yagyu to the Fuma village in search of the famous Fuma ninja clan for assistance. The leader of the Fuma sent Kojiro to Hakuo, there he faces the notorious Yasha clan who fights for Seishikan led by Musashi Asuka. Kojiro's comrades arrive, resuming an all-out ninja war that began five centuries ago.

Kojiro with his friends, will fight in the "war of the sacred swords", for the conquest of the ten swords that give the power to rule over the whole world.

Characters

Fuma Clan

Kojiro (小次郎, Kojirō)

Voiced by: Keiichi Nanba

Portrayed by: Ryouta Murai

Ryoma (竜魔, Ryōma)

Voiced by: Hideyuki Hori

Portrayed by: Gaku Shindo

Kirikaze (霧風)

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita

Portrayed by: Yūta Furukawa

Ryuho (劉鵬, Ryūhō)

Voiced by: Yūsaku Yara

Portrayed by: Takehisa Takayama

Kou (項羽, Kōu)

Voiced by: Shigeru Nakahara

Portrayed by: Naoya Sakamoto

Shoryu (小龍, Shōryū)

Voiced by: Shigeru Nakahara

Portrayed by: Kazuya Sakamoto

Rinpyo (琳彪, Rinpyō)

Voiced by: Kōichi Yamadera

Portrayed by: Tsuyoshi Takahashi

Kabutomaru (兜丸)

Voiced by: Michitaka Kobayashi

Portrayed by: Shingo Yashiro

Reira (麗羅)

Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki

Portrayed by: Hiroki Suzuki

Fuma Leader

Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka

Komomo (小桃)

Hakuo Academy

 

Fūma no Kojirō - Yagyū Ansatsuchō compilation cover art

Ranko Yagyu (柳生 蘭子, Yagyū Ranko)

Voiced by: Mami Koyama

Portrayed by: Ayumi

Himeko Hojo (北条 姫子, Hōjō Himeko)

Voiced by: Yūko Mizutani

Portrayed by: Makoto Kawahara

Seishikan

Musashi Asuka (飛鳥 武蔵, Asuka Musashi)

Voiced by: Shō Hayami

Portrayed by: Takuji Kawakubo

Erina Asuka (飛鳥 絵里菜, Asuka Erina)

Musashi's younger sister.

Voiced by: Chieko Honda

Portrayed by: Nonoka Imaizumi

Yasha Clan

Kosuke Mibu (壬生 攻介, Mibu Kōsuke)

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue

Portrayed by: Rei Fujita

Princess Yasha (夜叉姫, Yasha-hime)

Voiced by: Fumi Hirano

Portrayed by: Natsuki Okamoto

Maya (魔矢)

8 Yasha Generals

Byakko (白虎, "White Tiger")

Voiced by: Kenyu Horiuchi

Portrayed by: Yasuka Saitoh

Shiranui (不知火, "Mysterious Sea Light")

Portrayed by: Haruki Itabashi

Shien (紫炎, "Purple Flame")

Voiced by: Yoku Shioya

Portrayed by: Atsushi Maruyama

Raiden (雷電, "Thunder Lightning")

Voiced by: Masashi Hironaka

Portrayed by: Takuma Harada

Anki (闇鬼, "Darkness Demon")

Voiced by: Ryō Horikawa

Portrayed by: Kōtarō Endō

Kurojishi (黒獅子, "Black Lion")

Voiced by: Banjō Ginga

Portrayed by: Jun Shirota

Yosui (妖水, Yōsui, "Magic Water")

Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa

Portrayed by: Yū Kawada

Kagero (陽炎, Kagerō, "Shining Flame")

Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi

Portrayed by: Kōji Tashiro

Cosmo Warriors

Sigma (死牙馬, Shiguma)

Voiced by: Kazuki Yao

Soshi Date (伊達 総司, Date Sōshi)

Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto

Chaos Warriors

Emperor Chaos (華悪崇皇帝, Kaosu-kōtei)

Voiced by: Hirotaka Suzuoki

Nero (涅絽, Nerō)

Voiced by: Hirokazu Hiramatsu

Oz (雄皇, Ozu)

Voiced by: Takeshi Kusao

Jackal (邪火麗, Jakkaru)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Furuta

Shura (朱羅)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

Media

Manga

Fūma no Kojirō is written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. The manga was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from January 11, 1982, to November 21, 1983.^[1] Shueisha collected its chapters in ten tankōbon volumes, released from August 15, 1982,^[2] to May 15, 1984.^[3]

In 2003, a sequel entitled Fūma no Kojirō: Yagyū Ansatsuchō started in Akita Shoten's Champion Red on September 19, 2003.^[4] The manga is written by Kurumada and illustrated by Satoshi Yuri. The series finished on May 19, 2006.^[5] Akita Shoten compiled the individual chapters into three tankōbon volumes released between July 29, 2004 and May 18, 2006.^[6][7][8]

A short series, titled Fūma no Kojirō: Jo no Maki (風魔の小次郎 序の巻) was serialized in Champion Red from August 19 to October 19, 2019.^[9][10] Another series, titled Fūma no Kojirō Gaiden: Asuka Mumeicho (風魔の小次郎 外伝 飛鳥無明帖), started in the same magazine on August 19, 2022.^[11]

Original video animations

A twelve-episode OVA series was produced by Animate Film and J.C. Staff. It was split in two arcs of six episodes each. The first arc was released between June 1 and August 2, 1989.^[12][13] The second arc was released between September 21 and December 1, 1990.^[14][15] An additional one-episode OVA was released on November 21, 1992.^[16]

Episodes

No.	Title	Episode director	Original release date
The Yasha Clan arc
01	"Fuma Clan! The Arrival of Kojiro!" (風の一族! 小次郎見参!!)	Hideki Hiroshima	June 1, 1989 (1989-06-01)^[12]
02	"Wood Thunder! The Flying Dragon's Supreme Sword!!" (林の雷鳴! 飛龍覇皇剣!!)	Shigeru Morikawa	June 1, 1989 (1989-06-01)^[12]
03	"Crossfire! The 8 Generals of the Yasha Clan!!" (火の集結! 夜叉八将軍!!)	Osamu Yamasaki	July 1, 1989 (1989-07-01)^[12]
04	"Hallucinations on the Mountain! The Fog's Killer!!" (山の幻夢! 霧の刺客!!)	Jun'ya Koshiba	July 1, 1989 (1989-07-01)^[12]
05	"Dancing Lights! The Fuma's Deadly Mirror!!" (光の舞曲! 風魔死鏡剣!!)	Yoshinori Nakamura	August 2, 1989 (1989-08-02)^[12]
06	"Rest in the Snow! The Voice That Calls the Warrior!!" (雪の終焉! 戦士を呼ぶ声!!)	Hideki Hiroshima	August 2, 1989 (1989-08-02)^[12]
The Sacred Swords War arc
07	"Emperor Chaos" (華悪崇)	Nanako Shimazaki	September 21, 1990 (1990-09-21)^[14]
08	"The Ten Sacred Swords" (十聖剣)	Hideki Tonokatsu	September 21, 1990 (1990-09-21)^[14]
09	"Cosmos" (秩序)	Jun'ya Koshiba	October 21, 1990 (1990-10-21)^[14]
10	"Gathering" (集結)	Akihiro Izumi	October 21, 1990 (1990-10-21)^[14]
11	"Phoenix Heavenly Dance" (鳳凰天舞)	Hideki Tonokatsu	December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)^[14]
12	"The Wheel of Samsara" (輪廻転生)	Nanako Shimazaki	December 1, 1990 (1990-12-01)^[14]
Fuma Rebellion
Special	"Fuma Rebellion" (風魔反乱篇)	Hidehito Ueda	November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21)^[16]

Drama

A thirteen-episode live-action television drama series adaptation was announced in July 2007.^[17] It was broadcast from October to December 2007.^[18] The opening theme is "Ryūsei Rocket" performed by An Cafe and the ending theme is "Eien no Setsuna" (永遠の刹那, lit. Eternal Moment) performed by On/Off.^[19][20]

References

1. . Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
2. 風魔の小次郎 1巻 (in Japanese). Kurumada Production. from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
3. 風魔の小次郎 10巻 (in Japanese). Kurumada Production. from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
4. チャンピオンRED 2003年11月号 (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
5. "チャンピオンRED 2006年7月号" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
6. "風魔の小次郎 柳生暗殺帖 第壱 1 巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
7. "風魔の小次郎 柳生暗殺帖 第弐 2 巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
8. "風魔の小次郎 柳生暗殺帖 第参 3 巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
9. Pineda, Rafael (July 19, 2019). "Masami Kurumada Launches New Fūma no Kojirō Manga in August". Anime News Network. from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
10. チャンピオンRED 2019年12月号 (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
11. 車田正美「風魔の小次郎」新シリーズがREDに、吉富昭仁＆ひよどり祥子の読み切りも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 19, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
12. . Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
13. 風魔の小次郎 夜叉篇 (in Japanese). J.C. Staff. from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
14. . Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
15. J.C.STAFF 風魔の小次郎 聖剣戦争篇 (in Japanese). J.C. Staff. from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
16. . Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
17. Loo, Egan (August 2, 2007). "ChocoMimi, Kurumada's Kojirō to Be Adapted as TV Dramas". Anime News Network. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
18. "学園忍者アクションドラマ「風魔の小次郎」公式サイト：". fuuma-kojirou.com (in Japanese). from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
19. "アンティック-珈琲店-" (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
20. "永遠の刹那" (in Japanese). Oricon. from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.

External links

• Official drama website (in Japanese)
• Fūma no Kojirō (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia