Masked Ninja Akakage (2025 TV series)

Masked Ninja Akakage
Promotional TV Asahi poster featuring the main protagonist
仮面の忍者赤影
Based onNinja Akakage by Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Screenplay byYusuke Watanabe[1][2][3]
Mari Takura
Directed byTakashi Miike (4 episodes)
Hiroki Kashiwagi[2] (3 episodes)
Ryusuke Kurahashi[2]
Katsuya Watanabe[2]
StarringTaiki Sato
Narrated byJunichi Suwabe
Music byKōji Endō[2]
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of episodes20[4]
Production
Executive producerIkuhide Yokochi (TV Asahi)
ProducersMoe Ouchi (TV Asahi)
Takato Akiyama (TV Asahi)
Kazuma Kuryu (Toei)
Hiroya Ishizaki (Toei)
Takishima Minami (Toei)
Misako Saka (OLM)
Running time24 minutes (without commercials)
Production companiesTV Asahi
Toei Company
Original release
NetworkANN (TV Asahi)
ReleaseOctober 27, 2025 (2025-10-27)

Masked Ninja Akakage (仮面の忍者赤影) is a 2025 Japanese jidaigeki TV series directed by Takashi Miike[1] and starring Taiki Sato, leader of the J-pop group Fantastics from Exile Tribe.[5][1] It a live-action adaptation[6] of the manga Ninja Akakage by Mitsuteru Yokoyama.[2]

Plot

As Oda Nobunaga is working to unify Japan, his servant Akakage, a ninja from the village of Hida, combats the evil forces of the Golden Eye cult that is thriving south of Lake Biwa and is led by Genyōsai, a man who is plotting to take control of Japan.

Cast

Theme songs

The opening theme is "SWISH DAT!" by PSYCHIC FEVER.[15][16] The ending theme is "Marmalade" by WOLF HOWL HARMONY.[17][16]

Production

The series was produced in the spring of 2024.[18]

The series was announced by TV Asahi on September 7, 2025.[19]

In an interview, Miike described seeing the 1969 live-action film adaptation of the manga as a child, saying, "It was a pioneering superhero film, and the ninja Akakage suddenly entered our lives, and it pierced my heart as entertainment. [...] Rather than forcing my own internalized Akakage on myself, or thinking that my childhood dream of 'Akage must be like this,' I feel like I've come full circle and am now reviving Akakage and creating a film with a young cast."[20]

Describing the production, Katō said, "The filming was so intense that one day felt like a week, and I already have a feeling that the sense of accomplishment will be the greatest of any leading role I've ever played."[2]

The role of Nobunaga's page, Mori Ranmaru, was decided through an audition hosted by LDH including participants from EXPG, a dance school run by LDH, as well as members of the dance performance group RAG POUND. The audition documentary Golden Dream was broadcast on October 9 at 2:36 AM.[20]

The website natalie.mu stated that TV Asahi and Toei had teamed up for the new adaptation to "reinvent it as a 'hero period drama' for the Reiwa era"[20], and the October 2025 issue of World Screen called the series "a modern remake"[4] and stated that there would be 20 half-hour episodes.[4] Discussing the modernization of this adaptation, Miike stated, "I think it's because it's not a simple story of good versus evil. It's set in the Warring States period, so the victor becomes good. And as the ninjas struggle with who they should serve and what they should accomplish, they form a team, and within that teamwork, they form friendships not unlike modern-day relationships, and they even end up talking nonsense... (laughs). I wanted to portray those aspects as well."[20]

Broadcast

The series airs Mondays from 12:10 AM to 12:40 AM (following the Sunday night programming)[21] on TV Asahi. Following its terrestrial broadcast, it is streamed on Telasa[16] and TVer.[22] The first episode aired on October 27, 2025. The first episode was streamed on YouTube for free without audio as a preview.

Episodes

Episode number Broadcast date Episode title[23] Script Director
Episode 1 October 27 その男、忍び ("That Man, the Shinobi") Yusuke Watanabe Takashi Miike
Episode 2 November 3 信長の影 ("The Shadow of Nobunaga")
Episode 3 November 10 赤影参上 ("Akakage Appears")
Episode 4 November 17 決戦、千年蟇 ("The Decisive Battle, the Thousand-Year Toad")
Episode 5 November 24 金目教の罠 ("The Trap of the Golden Eye Cult") Mari Takura Hiroki Kashiwagi
Episode 6 December 1 黒蝙蝠の娘 ("The Daughter of the Black Bat")
Episode 7 December 15 織辺多門と南蛮大筒 ("Oribe Tamon and the Portuguese Cannon") Yusuke Watanabe

References

  1. ^ a b c "Masked Ninja Akakage revived by director Takashi Miike, starring Taiki Sato of FANTASTICS". Natalie Movies. 2025-09-06. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "10月スタート、伝説の特撮ドラマ『仮面の忍者 赤影』新たに6人の敵キャスト解禁！".
  3. ^ "Masked NINJA Akakage 仮面の忍者 赤影 | tv asahi". Japan Program Catalog. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "World Screen MIPCOM 2025". Issuu. October 6, 2025. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  5. ^ "TAIKI SATO | ARTIST | LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -". LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -.
  6. ^ Stalcup, Jamie (November 26, 2025). "TV Asahi Outlines ATF Offering". Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d "New cast announced for the drama "Masked Ninja Akakage," featuring Taiki Sato and Keito Kimura as ninja buddies". Natalie Movies (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
  8. ^ "Masked Ninja Akakage: Main visual released featuring Taiki Sato as Akakage, Hideyuki Kasahara also confirmed to appear". Real Sound. blueprint. 2025-10-08. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
  9. ^ a b c Masked Ninja Akakage [@akakage_tvasahi] (2025-10-14). "🔥New cast member revealed🔥 as Ishida Mitsunari #MasakiNakao as Masanori Fukushima #Mizuishi Atsumu as Kato Kiyomasa #Shiba Keisuke Three people who serve Hashiba Hideyoshi and view Akakage and his friends as rivals ⚔️📅 Broadcast starts on Sunday, October 26th. Add to TVer favorites✅" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-15 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "The drama "Masked Ninja Akakage" stars Takahashi Keito as Mori Ranmaru, Takashi Miike says, "He was the overwhelming choice."". Natalie Movies. 2025-10-23. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  11. ^ "EXILE TAKAHIRO: The reason he felt awkward despite his co-star's praise for his beautiful skin. He's excited about playing Oda Nobunaga for the first time in six years: "It feels like the Nobunaga Expo." [Masked Ninja Akakage]". ModelPress. NetNative. 2025-10-25. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Six new villains revealed for the legendary special effects drama "Masked Ninja Akakage," starting in October!". TV Asahi POST. TV Asahi. 2025-09-19. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  13. ^ "2025 "Masked Ninja Akakage" (EX) Episode 1, role of Matsunaga Hisahide". kart-promotion. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  14. ^ "TV Asahi "Masked Ninja Akakage" Episode 1, Akakage's Sister as a Child". Smile Monkey. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  15. ^ "[Interview] PSYCHIC FEVER talk latest single "SWISH DAT," performing live and memorable moments – EARMILK". Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  16. ^ a b c "仮面の忍者 赤影 | ドラマ情報・キャスト・あらすじ・放送日". Natalie Movies. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  17. ^ "Live-Action Kamen no Ninja Akakage Series Unveils More Cast, Ending Song". Anime News Network. November 30, 2025. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  18. ^ "仮面の忍者 赤影". Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  19. ^ "Masked NINJA Akakage 仮面の忍者 赤影". tv-asahicontents.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  20. ^ a b c d "監督・三池崇史で「仮面の忍者 赤影」がよみがえる、主演はFANTASTICS佐藤大樹（コメントあり）". Natalie Movies. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
  21. ^ "ラスト10秒、主人公が予想を裏切る選択！「食われた…」令和版『仮面の忍者 赤影』初回から衝撃の幕引き".
  22. ^ https://tver.jp/series/srairnshw0
  23. ^ "仮面の忍者 赤影 | 国内ドラマの動画配信はTELASA(テラサ)-見逃し配信＆動画が見放題". TELASA.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.