Shinobi 1: We're Ninja!

This article is about an episode in Shuriken Sentai Ninninger.

Shinobi 1: We're Ninja!
Shuriken Sentai Ninninger, Episode 1
Air Date(s)	February 22, 2015
Production Information
Written by	Kento Shimoyama
Directed by	Shojiro Nakazawa
Episode Guide
Previous	Terminal Station: The Shining Ones
Next	Shinobi 2: Become the Last Ninja!
Previous	[[w:c::Ressha Sentai ToQger Returns: Super ToQ 7gou of Dreams|Ressha Sentai ToQger Returns: Super ToQ 7gou of Dreams]]

We Are Ninja! (俺たちはニンジャだ！, Ore-tachi wa Ninja da!) is the first episode of Shuriken Sentai Ninninger.

Synopsis

With the passing of the Last Ninja, the Yokai Army is freed once again and it's time for the five descendants of Last Ninja, Takaharu, Fuka, Yakumo, Matsuo and Kasumi to become the Ninningers and protect the world from the Yokai Army. Takaharu returns to his hometown when a horde of ashigaru attack.

Plot

While Takaharu is on his way to his family dojo, an army of blue ashigaru storm the place and destroy it. Angered by their actions, he transforms into AkaNinger and destroys them. In the middle of a battle, an unknown yellowish figure takes a golden ornate hammer from the dojo's ruins.

After eliminating them, Takaharu de-transforms and greets his sister's arrival, only to be scolded after being blamed for destroying the dojo. Their father, Tsumuji, greets them and their three cousins later arrive as Tsumuji narrates the whole backstory. Long ago during the Sengoku era, ninjas of the Igasaki clans defeated Gengetsu Kibaoni and his armies to stop them from uniting Japan with terror, but vowed to eventually return upon his defeat. After 444 years, he returned as a Youkai and was sealed by Yoshitaka Igasaki, their grandfather, with 48 Sealing Shuriken. Fuuka and her cousins are granted Ninja Ichibantou as weapons for confrontation against the Kibaoni forces, but none of them are willing to take such a task for various reasons, with Fuuka even forcing Takaharu out of the possible fight.

After visiting Gengetsu's grave, the yellowish figure secretly destroys the grave's sealings from within, releasing Gengetsu once again and releasing his armies to the human world. Numerous Hitokarages rise and attack the humans, with one of the Gengetsu's Sealing Shuriken affecting a chainsaw and bringing forth Youkai Kamaitachi, making the situation even worse. Deciding to follow in their grandfather's footsteps, they accept the mantle of ninja and transform into Ninningers, eliminating all of the Hitokarages and killing Kamaitachi.

The yellowish figure once again revives and enlargse Kamaitachi, allowing the Youkai to send the Ninningers flying. While the Ninningers are sent flying, a man in a bucket hat throws to the Igasaki ninjas five new Nin Shuriken that they then use to summon their Otomo Nin. After a heated battle, they fuse their Otomo Nins to form Shurikenjin. Once completed, Kamaitachi and Shurikenjin duke it out, ending with the destruction of Kamaitachi and the purification of the Sealing Shuriken that spawned him. After collecting the purified shuriken and having a few words spoken in-between the time, Takaharu vows to follow in his late grandfather's footsteps and try to honor his name but much to their shock, Yoshitaka Igasaki reveals himself to be very much alive and well, though he chides them for not fully utilizing their Ninja Companions to their true potential, as well as assuming he passed on, with the Ninningers still having a long way to go to defeat Gengetsu and his Youkai army via their dull Nintality, as well as bringing love and peace.

Cast

• Takaharu Igasaki (伊賀崎 天晴, Igasaki Takaharu): Shunsuke Nishikawa (西川 俊介, Nishikawa Shunsuke)
• Yakumo Katou (加藤 八雲, Katō Yakumo): Gaku Matsumoto (松本 岳, Matsumoto Gaku)
• Nagi Matsuo (松尾 凪, Matsuo Nagi): Kaito Nakamura (中村 嘉惟人, Nakamura Kaito)
• Fuuka Igasaki (伊賀崎 風花, Igasaki Fūka): Yuuka Yano (矢野 優花, Yano Yuka)
• Kasumi Momochi (百地 霞, Momochi Kasumi): Kasumi Yamaya (山谷 花純, Yamaya Kasumi)
• Tsumuji Igasaki (伊賀崎 旋風, Igasaki Tsumuji): Toshihiro Yashiba (矢柴 俊博, Yashiba Toshihiro)
• Yoshitaka Igasaki (伊賀崎 好天, Igasaki Yoshitaka): Takashi Sasano (笹野 高史, Sasano Takashi)
• Gengetsu Kibaoni (牙鬼 幻月, Kibaoni Gengetsu, Voice): Mugihito (麦人, Mugihito)
• Kyuemon Izayoi (十六夜 九衛門, Izayoi Kyūemon, Voice): Megumi Han (潘 めぐみ, Han Megumi)
• Youkai Kamaitachi (妖怪カマイタチ, Yōkai Kamaitachi, Voice): Tetsu Inada (稲田 徹, Inada Tetsu)

Nin Shuriken

• AkaNinger - Shinobimaru
• AoNinger - Dragomaru
• KiNinger - Dumpmaru
• ShiroNinger - Wanmaru
• MomoNinger - Byunmaru

Notes

• Shuriken Seals Purified: 1 of 48.
• As part of Super Hero Time, this episode aired alongside Kamen Rider Drive, episode 19, What Can Judge the Police?.
• This is the first Super Sentai opening episode since the Turborangers' premiere that is delayed due to matters beyond the season's control.
  • Flashman: Delayed by the production of the opening episodes.
  • Turboranger: The death of Emperor Hirohito.
  • Ninninger: The murder of a Japanese journalist by ISIL terrorists.
    • Due to the move, the episode is premiering on the day known as "Ninja Day" in Japan, February 22nd (Ni-Ninin).
• The episode title was changed at some point between the magazine previews and the airing of the next episode preview for this episode. It was originally Shuriken Sentai, Depart! (手裏剣戦隊、始動！, Shuriken Sentai, Shidō!).
• Kakuranger has a similar premise, a team of Ninjas against a Yokai Army.
• Youkai Kamaitachi's at of cornering Otomin Shinobimaru to a building is a reference to the Japanese meme "Kabe-Don" (壁ドン, "Kabe-Don" lit. Wall Block), where a man cornered a woman in a romantic manner, though now commonly called "Semi-Don" (蝉ドン, "Semi-Don" lit. "Cicada Block")
• ShiroNinger saying "Sonna Banana" (そんなバナナ, "Sonna Banana" "that's a banana") is a reference to "Sonna Bakana" (そんな馬鹿な, "Sonna Bakana"), meaning "it can't be true!". It is possibled that her quote was meant as an inside joke for this episode.
• The note that Kasumi placed to Fuuka had a dog sticker. This eventually foreshadows her Otomo Nin, Wanmaru.