is a video game series created by

Kenichiro Takaki Kenichiro Takaki (高木謙一郎) is a Japanese video game producer, known for his work on the ''Senran Kagura'' franchise. Career Kenichiro Takaki worked at Marvelous (company), Marvelous for 17 years, becoming head of subsidiary Honey∞Parad ...

, produced by Marvelous and mostly developed by Tamsoft. The franchise revolves around groups of female

shinobi 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. 21– ...

, and has received manga and anime adaptations. The anime has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America. By August 2017, worldwide sales for the games in the series had surpassed over 1.65 million copies.

Video games

''Senran Kagura: Shōjo-tachi no Shin'ei'' and ''Senran Kagura Burst''

The first game in the series, , is a side scrolling action game with playable ninja characters that was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on September 22, 2011. The sequel, , consists of the original game and an extra storyline. It was released in Japan for Nintendo 3DS on August 30, 2012 and was later released digitally on the Nintendo eShop on January 10, 2013.

''Senran Kagura: New Wave''

''Senran Kagura: New Wave'' is a card battling game available on

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

and

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

devices in Japan. The game's popularity resulted in a crossover promotion with ''DrawGirls'', a Korean picture discovery mobile game in which the player draws a cursor across the screen to reveal pieces of a picture.

''Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus''

is the sequel to ''Senran Kagura Burst''. It changes to a on the back view 3D game and features an expanded playable character roster, as well as an online multiplayer mode. The game was released in Japan for the

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...

on February 28, 2013, in North America on October 14, 2014, and in Europe on October 15, 2014.

''Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit!''

''Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit!'' is a rhythm cooking game available for the PlayStation Vita, in which the goal is to win a cooking competition. The game was released on the PlayStation Store on November 11, 2014 for North America, and on November 12, 2014 for Europe.

''Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson''

''Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson'' is a

2.5D 2.5D (two-and-a-half dimensional) perspective refers to gameplay or movement in a video game or virtual reality environment that is restricted to a two-dimensional (2D) plane with little to no access to a third dimension in a space that otherwis ...

side-scrolling action game made for the 3DS, and was developed by the same team which created ''Senran Kagura Burst''. ''Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson'' was released in Japan on August 7, 2014, for

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

. The game was released in North America, Europe, and Australia via digital and limited physical copies in August through September 2015.2015-03-10
Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson Localization Announcement
Gematsu

Gameplay

New gameplay is included in the form of pair battles, which allows a second character, to which the player can give commands, to fight alongside the player's character. The playable characters in the game are customizable. Outfits, accessory size and position, and hair color can be changed to the player's liking. Augmented reality functionality was also included in the game. The playable characters could be posed against a real-life background in a variety of poses.

Development

The sequel improved on the original, by enhancing

breast physics In video games, breast physics or jiggle physics are a feature that makes a female character's breasts bounce when she moves, sometimes in an exaggerated or unnatural manner. History The first video game in which breast physics were a notable ...

and clothing destruction, introducing the first playable male character, and allowing for pair battles. Daidouji and Rin, two characters that had originally appeared in ''Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus'' as downloadable content, were part of the regular playable character roster in the game. ''Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson'' was part of a cross-promotion deal with Umaibo ("delicious stick" in Japanese), a Japanese brand of corn puff snacks, in which the game's playable characters appeared on the brand's product packaging. The limited edition, named the “Nyuu Nyuu DX Pack”, included the following extras: a special collectors box; five figurines of the Homura Crimson Squad, characters in the game; a Drama CD; a soundtrack CD; and limited edition original packaging.

European version

The European version of the game was launched on August 27, 2015. Limited editions include the 'Happy Boobs' edition with two audio CDs, poster and certificate, and the 'Shinobi Edition' which comes with an ''oppai'' mouse pad with 3D breasts, and decorative wall scroll.

''Senran Kagura: Estival Versus''

''Senran Kagura: Estival Versus'' was released on March 26, 2015 in Japan. The game was released in North America on March 15, 2016 and Europe on March 18, 2016. ''Estival Versus'' has two special editions, one for the PlayStation 4, and one for the PlayStation Vita. The editions are called the Nyuu Nyuu DX Pack Premium, and contained: a copy of the game; a special collectors box; a product code for ''Senran Kagura: Estival Versus—Eve Full of Swimsuits'', a 30-minute original video animation (OVA) featuring 20 of the game's characters; a Drama CD; a soundtrack CD; and mini figurines. The only difference between the two editions are which set of figurines they contain, and what tracks are on each Drama CD. The Vita special edition contains figurines of characters from the Hebijo Clandestine Girls’ Academy, while the PlayStation 4 edition contains figurines from the Gessen Girls’ Private School. The first-print run of the collectors editions also contained a bonus 2-CD set of the game's soundtrack, and a visual book. The game sold 44,548 physical retail copies on the PlayStation Vita in addition to 30,247 physical copies on the PlayStation 4 within the first week of release in Japan. The game features DLC guest characters, the first of whom was the ''

Dead or Alive Dead or Alive most commonly refers to: * Dead or Alive (band), a British pop band * Dead or alive, a phrase on a wanted poster Dead or Alive may also refer to: Film and television * ''Dead or Alive'' (1921 film), an American silent film dir ...

''/'' Ninja Gaiden'' series'

Ayane Ayane (/aˈjaˌnɛ/) is the romanization of a feminine Japanese given name. Literally translated it means "colorful sound" (彩音 or 綺音). * or Junko Hirata, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese television personality *, Japanese badminton ...

. Included in this wave of DLC was Ayane's kimono along with the trademark blue kunoichi costume of

Kasumi Kasumi may refer to: Places * Kasumi, Hyōgo (香住), a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan * Kasumigaseki (霞が関 "Gate of Mist"), a district in downtown Tokyo * Kasumi, Jajce, a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina Other uses * Kasumi (gi ...

in a mash-up collab with Marvelous. In return, ''

Dead or Alive 5 Last Round ''Dead or Alive 5 Last Round'' is a 2015 fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Arcade. It is the third and final updated version of 201 ...

'' featured a costume set where the females are dressed as ''Senran Kagura'' characters and were even breakable on PlayStation 4/Xbox One versions of the game. Ayane in this set is dressed as Yagyū. Besides Ayane, three characters from ''

Ikki Tousen , also known as ''Battle Vixens'' in North America, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūji Shiozaki. Loosely based on the classic 14th century Chinese novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', the series revo ...

'', Hakufu Sonsaku, Uncho Kan'u and Housen Ryofu also appeared as the last three guest characters. Due to temporary licensing issues, the Ikki Tousen characters would temporarily not appear in Western versions until the PC port, which was released on March 17, 2017. Ayane character was delisted from online store in March 17, 2021.

''Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash''

''Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash'' is a water gun

third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...

for the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. It features over 30 girls who play on teams. ''Peach Beach Splash'' was released in Japan on March 16, 2017. The game released in North America on September 26, 2017 and in Europe on September 22, 2017 for the PlayStation 4, and later worldwide on March 7, 2018 for the PC. As part of full collaboration with Tecmo Koei's

Team Ninja is a Japanese video game developer, and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1995 as a part of Tecmo. It is founded and formerly led by Tomonobu Itagaki, later by Yosuke Hayashi, and is best known for the ''Ninja Gaiden'' action-adventure game ...

on releasing the DLC costumes in '' Dead or Alive 5: Last Round'' and ''

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 ''Dead or Alive Xtreme 3'' is a sports video game in the '' Dead or Alive'' series developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo as the second sequel to the beach volleyball spin-off title ''Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball''. It was o ...

'', and adds Ayane as a DLC character in ''Estival Versus'', the ''Dead or Alive'' characters' Marie Rose and Honoka are announced, along with Ayane who appeared as a DLC character in ''Estival Versus'' to be DLC characters in this game. As part of collaboration with Nitroplus since the console version of '' Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel'',

Super Sonico is a fictional character created by Tsuji Santa for the Japanese computer and video game software company Nitroplus, first appearing as a mascot for a Nitroplus-sponsored music festival in 2006. Nitroplus has since developed the characte ...

is added as one of the DLC characters. Three ''

'' characters who appeared as DLC in ''Estival Versus'' return as DLC again, in addition of the fourth ''Ikki Tousen'' DLC character Shimei Ryoumou. It later introduces three new DLC guest characters, the titular protagonist of Idea Factory’s '' Hyperdimension Neptunia'', and Rinka and Ranka Kagurazaka from '' Valkyrie Drive''.

''Senran Kagura: Reflexions''

A spin-off title for the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

, an '' ecchi''

dating sim Dating sims, or , are video game subgenre of simulation games with romantic elements. Dating sims are often dialog-heavy and focus on time management. The player must befriend and carefully build and maintain a relationship with one or more ...

game called was released in Japan on November 23, 2017. The game takes advantage of the Joy-Con's "HD Rumble" feature, allowing players to receive feedback from

jiggle physics In video games, breast physics or jiggle physics are a feature that makes a female character's breasts bounce when she moves, sometimes in an exaggerated or unnatural manner. History The first video game in which breast physics were a notable ...

. It was published by

Xseed Games Xseed Games is an American video game company founded by former members of Square Enix USA. It later became a subsidiary of the Japanese game company Marvelous, providing the localization and publishing services for video games and related mat ...

on the European and North American

eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...

under the title ''Senran Kagura: Reflexions'' on September 13, 2018.

''Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link''

''Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link'' is a mobile game for iOS and Android smartphones devices in Japan. New Link also guest-starring characters from other series, such as ''Dead or Alive'' (in addition of

and Tamaki), ''Ikki Tousen'' (in addition of Cho’un Shinryu),

SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

series ( Mai Shiranui,

Athena Asamiya is a fictional character originally from the former SNK's 1987 video game ''Psycho Soldier''. An esper, Athena is a descendant of Princess Athena from the earlier ''Athena'' game. She later appears in ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting ...

, Leona Heidern and

Kula Diamond is a fictional character from SNK's fighting game franchise ''The King of Fighters''. She first appears as the sub-boss and playable character in ''The King of Fighters 2000''; she enters as a normal participant in her other appearances. She is a ...

), ''

Queen's Blade is a Japanese series of visual combat books published by Hobby Japan inspired by the licensed works from Firelight Game Company's '' Lost Worlds''. The overall plot of the game revolves around a tournament called the Queen's Blad ...

'' (Leina, Airi, Elina, Tomoe and Shizuka), '' High School DxD'' (Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Koneko Toujou, Rossweisse and Raynare) and '' Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Girls'' (

Jūbei Yagyū Jūbei is a Japanese given name, which may refer to: * Akechi Mitsuhide, Japanese daimyō who betrayed Oda Nobunaga *, Japanese samurai Characters * Jimushi Juubei, a character in the novel ''The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'' and its adaptations * ...

and

Kanetsugu Naoe was a Japanese samurai of the 16th–17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi ''daimyōs''. He was also known by his court title, Yamashiro no Kami (山城守) or h ...

). It was created by GigaMedia.

''Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal''

''Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal'' is a remake of the first game in the series in the same gameplay style as ''Shinovi Versus'' and ''Estival Versus''.

''Senran Kagura: Peach Ball''

A second spin-off game for the

, an '' ecchi'' pinball game called was announced in 2017. The game was released in Japan on December 13, 2018, and scheduled for release in North America, Europe, and Australia on July 9, 2019. It features a mode similar to ''Senran Kagura Reflexions'' that takes advantage of the Joy-Con's "HD Rumble" feature.

''Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars''

Originally titled Senran Nin Nin Ninja Taisen Neptune: Shoujo-tachi no Kyouen,, ''Neptunia x Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars'' is a crossover game with the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, released on September 16, 2021 in Japan and October 26, 2021 in North America for the PlayStation 4.

Controversy

In 2014, '' Official Nintendo Magazine'' wrote a preview about ''Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson'' (misnaming it as ''Senran Kagura Burst 2''), labeling the game as "filth" and describing it as sexual objectification with breasts and buttocks. This elicited a response from Hatsuu, the Production Coordinator at Xseed Games, to unofficially reply, criticizing the writer's views as superficial and ignorant to the game's characters, story and actual gameplay. She also mentioned that a writer for ''Official Nintendo Magazine'' unsuccessfully attempted to boycott the game without having any knowledge, and that the writer made inappropriate jokes such as describing large breasts as "smuggling fleshy watermelons".

Other media

Manga

There are various

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series based on the franchise. The main adaptation, written by

Kenichirō Takaki Kenichiro Takaki (高木謙一郎) is a Japanese video game producer, known for his work on the ''Senran Kagura'' franchise. Career Kenichiro Takaki worked at Marvelous for 17 years, becoming head of subsidiary Honey∞Parade Games in 2017. In ...

and illustrated by Amami Takatsume, began serialization in Media Factory's '' Monthly Comic Alive'' magazine from August 27, 2011. Seven Seas Entertainment began releasing the series in North America in November 2013 as ''Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows''. ''Senran Kagura: Guren no Uroboros'', illustrated by Manabu Aoi, began serialization in Ichijinsha's ''

Comic Rex is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Ichijinsha. The first issue was sold on December 9, 2005, and is sold monthly on the ninth. Manga collected into bound volumes which were serialized in this magazine are published under Ichijinsh ...

'' magazine from September 27, 2011. ''Senran Kagura Spark!'' was published in

Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on 30 January 1987 as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy ...

's ''Famitsu Comic Clear'' between August 19, 2011 and February 17, 2012, followed by ''Senran Kagura: Senshi Bankō no Haruka'' and ''Senran Enji Kyonyū-gumi'', both published between September 7, 2012 and February 1, 2013.

Anime

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television adaptation animated by

Artland is a Japanese animation studio. It has produced numerous noted anime series, including the award-winning ''Mushishi'' and epic ''Legend of the Galactic Heroes''. It is also well known for producing the anime adaptation of '' Katekyō Hitman Re ...

aired in Japan between January 6, 2013 and March 24, 2013. The series is directed by Takashi Watanabe with scripts by Takao Yoshioka and character designs by Takashi Torii. The opening theme, "Break Your World", was performed by

Sayaka Sasaki (born June 19, 1982) is a Japanese musician from Akita Prefecture signed to Lantis. She started her music career after winning the All-Japan Anison Grand Prix singing contest in 2009. Since then, Sasaki has performed theme songs for various ani ...

; the ending themes include "Fighting Dreamer" (episode 1–3 and 8) by Hitomi Harada, Asami Imai, Yū Kobayashi,

Kaori Mizuhashi is a Japanese voice actress who is employed by Arts Vision. Her major voice roles include Mami Tomoe in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Kuki Shinobu in ''Genshin Impact'', Lava and May in ''Arknights'', Vivio Takamachi in ''Magical Girl Lyrica ...

and Yuka Iguchi, (episode 4-6 and 9) by

Eri Kitamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She was previously affiliated with Early Wing, but is now a freelancer. She is known for voicing prominent roles in anime such as and Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Saya Otonashi in ''Bloo ...

, Ai Kayano,

Ryōko Shiraishi is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kashiba, Nara. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Possessing a husky voice, Shiraishi voices young to teenage men as well as young girls and teenage women. However, in a break from tradition, one ...

, Saori Gotō and Megumi Toyoguchi, and (episode 7 and 10-12) by Hitomi Harada. The anime is licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment, who streamed it as it aired and released it on home video in 2014. A second season of the anime series was announced in August 2017. The season, titled ''Senran Kagura Shinovi Master -Tokyo Yōma-hen-'', is directed by

Tetsuya Yanagisawa is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. Works (as director) *''Kannazuki no Miko'' - (TV series, 2004) *''Shattered Angels'' - (TV series, 2007) *'' Heaven's Lost Property the Movie: The Angeloid of Clockwork'' - (Film, 2011) *''H ...

and animated by TNK, with scripts written by Yukinori Kitajima and character designs handled by Junji Goto. The season premiered from October 12 to December 28, 2018 on AT-X,

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...

, and BS11. The opening theme, "Scarlet Master" is performed by

, while the ending theme, "Junsei Erotic" is performed by

Mia Regina Mia Regina (stylized as Mia REGINA) is a Japanese idol group from Tokyo signed to Lantis and affiliated with Dear Stage. Consisting of Waka Kirishima, Fūri Uebana, and Risuko Sasakama, the group began its activities in 2016, and has released 10 ...

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

streams the series with Funimation streaming the simuldub.

References

External links

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