Ronin Warriors

Ronin Warriors
鎧伝サムライトルーパー
Also known asYoroiden-Samurai Troopers
CreatorHajime Yatate
Directors
  • Masashi Ikeda (#1–19)
  • Mamoru Hamatsu (#20–39)
Series compositionRyōsuke Takahashi
Character designerNorio Shioyama
MusicOsamu Totsuka
Opening themes
Ending themes
  • "Faraway"
  • by Mariko Uranishi
  • "Be Free"
  • by Hiroko Moriguchi
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of episodes39
EpisodesList of episodes
Production
EditorTomoaki Tsurubuchi
Producers
  • Makoto Imai (Nagoya TV)
  • Youichi Honna (Tokyu Agency)
  • Hironori Nakagawa (Sunrise)
Production companies
Original release
NetworksANN (Nagoya TV, TV Asahi)
ReleaseApril 30, 1988 (1988-04-30) –
March 4, 1989 (1989-03-04)
Related
Further information
Manga
Written byRyūichi Hoshino
Published byKodansha
MagazineComic BomBom
Original runMay 1988 – April 5, 1990
Volumes2
Original video animation
Ronin Warriors OVA
Directed by
  • Kazuki Akane (#1–2)
  • Mamoru Hamatsu (#3–6)
  • Osamu Sekita (#7–11)
Produced by
  • Yasuhisa Kazama
  • Hironori Nakagawa (#1–6)
  • Shinichiro Kobayashi (#7–11)
Written by
  • Fuyunori Gobu (#1–6)
  • Masashi Ikeda (#3–11)
Music byOsamu Totsuka
StudioSunrise
Licensed by
  • NA: Discotek Media
Released April 30, 1989 – August 23, 1991
Runtime25–30 minutes
Episodes11 (List of episodes)
Manga
Shin Yoroiden Samurai Troopers
Written byIzumi Nikaidō
Illustrated byYūji Hosoi
Published byKodansha
MagazineMonthly Shōnen Magazine
Published1992
Volumes1
Sequel

Ronin Warriors, known in Japan as Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers (Japanese: 鎧伝サムライトルーパー, Hepburn: Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā; 'Legendary Armored Samurai Troopers'), is a Japanese anime series created by Hajime Yatate and produced by Sunrise. The television series, co-produced by Nagoya TV, aired across Japan on the All-Nippon News Network from April 30, 1988, to March 4, 1989, for a total of 39 episodes. A manga adaptation was serialized on Kodansha's Comic BomBom from November 17, 1988, to April 5, 1990, and the chapters collected into 2 tankōbon volumes. A sequel to the original series premiered on January 6, 2026.

Plot

Talpa, ruler of the Dynasty, is bent on conquering the Earth. Standing against Talpa and his four Dark Warlords are the five Ronin Warriors, each in possession of mystical armor and weapons. They are assisted by Mia Koji, a young student-researcher; Ully, a child; and a mysterious warrior-mystic known only as the Ancient One.

Media

Anime

Ronin Warriors was originally licensed in the United States by Graz Entertainment and distributed by Cinar (now WildBrain), and it was recorded by the Vancouver-based Ocean Productions cast. Ronin Warriors first aired on American television during the summer of 1995 and subsequently appeared through syndication, as well as the USA Network (1995), Sci-Fi Channel (1996) and later on Cartoon Network (1999).

The series was released on DVD in 2002, including the original Japanese version with English subtitles on the reverse side of the disc. On September 4, 2014, North American anime licensor Discotek Media announced their license of the original Japanese anime (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers), and planned to release the series on DVD in 2015. Discotek has said that on their Facebook page that they have no plans to release Ronin Warriors until they clear issues with the dub. Discotek has also licensed the OVAs and includes both Japanese and English audio as well as English subtitles. By 2021, the issues were resolved and the series' English dub had a Blu-ray release on December 28, 2021.

Crunchyroll later added the anime series for its streaming. The English dub was legally available on streaming services such Amazon Prime Video, RetroCrush, and Tubi.

The opening and ending sequences and the eyecatches were replaced with new ones, and the Japanese title cards were removed; there were no substantial cuts to the bodies of the episodes and the episodes retained most of the original music.

A line of action figures based on the anime was released by Playmates Toys in 1995, with a limited rerelease by Re:Play in 2001.

Three OVA sequels were produced: Gaiden (Side Story), The Legend of the Inferno Armor, and Message. There are numerous novels and audio dramas based on the anime. While all the sequels have been released on DVD, the manga and audio dramas have not been made available in English.

Sequel

A sequel of the original series, titled Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers (鎧真伝サムライトルーパー, Yoroi Shinden Samurai Torūpā; "True Legendary Armored Samurai Troopers"), premiered in January 2026.

Music

Video game

In July 2020, a crossover with Ragnarok Mobile was launched.

Notes

  1. ↑ Divided into three arcs:
    • Gaiden (#1–2)
    • Legend of the Inferno Armor (#3–6)
    • Message (#7–11)

References

  1. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 688. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  2. ↑ Shepard, Chris (July 12, 2002). "Ronin Warriors DVD 1: The Call". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ Loo, Egan (September 5, 2014). "Discotek Adds Samurai Troopers, Bokurano, Comic Party, 3rd Lupin III TV Special". Anime News Network.
  4. ↑ "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers getting a re-release!". September 6, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  5. ↑ Lacerna, Michael (May 25, 2021). "Classic Ronin Warriors Anime Gets Blu-ray Release". Comic Book Resource. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  6. ↑ Ressler, Karen (January 18, 2017). "Crunchyroll Adds Samurai Troopers Anime Streaming". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ronin Warriors Toys". Virtual Toy Chest. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ 鎧伝サムライトルーパー／デビューアルバム「君を眠らせない」 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ 鎧伝サムライトルーパー 君を眠らせない (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ 鎧伝サムライトルーパー／ＢＥＳＴ FRIENDS (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ 鎧伝サムライトルーパー BEST FRIENDS (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. 1 2 "Legendary Armor Samurai Troopers (TV)". Anime News Network. November 8, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Ronin Warriors: Gaiden (OAV)". Anime News Network. November 8, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Ronin Warriors: Legend of the Inferno Armor (OAV)". Anime News Network. November 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Ronin Warriors: Message (OAV)". Anime News Network. November 8, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Ragnarok Mobile X Samurai Tropper Crossover Event". GamingPH.com. July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.