, was a Japanese
tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is som ...
television series in the
Lion-Maru
is a Japanese tokusatsu television franchise that began in 1972 by P Productions as '' Extraordinary Hero Lion-Maru''. The basic premise of the series is that the main character has the ability to transform into a superpowered anthropomorphic ...
franchise that aired in 1972-1973, produced by
P Productions and set during Japan's
Sengoku period
The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615.
The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
(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 covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
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" or "alien of the week") is an antagonist that only appears in one episode of a multi-episode work of fiction. A villain of the week is commonly seen in Br ...
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
superpowered
anthropomorphic white
lion, 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 f ...
.
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 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
Kiyoshi, (きよし or キヨシ), is a Japanese given name, also spelled Kyoshi.
Possible meanings
*'' Kyōshi'', a form of Japanese poetry
*Kyōshi, a Japanese honorific
Possible writings
*清, "cleanse"
*淳, "pure"
*潔, "undefiled"
*清志, ...
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 ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
around 1974 every Sunday on
Channel 5 in Thai dubbed, as ''Nakak Sing'' ( th, หน้ากากสิงห์, lit. ''Lion Mask'').
*The series was broadcast in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in 1983, dubbed, as ''Ultralion''.
*It was aired in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
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 ne ...
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.
*The series was also dubbed into English, but only one episode (the first) surfaced in
North America, released on a
VHS tape in the 1980s, 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 block, toy blocks, Board game, board games, and Doll, dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed sp ...
.
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 kind ...
release, ''Lion Maru'' was subtitled ''The Beast-Transformed Ninja Warrior''.
References
External links
*
Lion Maru - Vintage Ninja
1972 Japanese television series debuts
1973 Japanese television series endings
Japanese television series with live action and animation
Ninja fiction
Tokusatsu television series
{{Japan-tv-prog-stub