is a Japanese anime series produced by Ajiado and Japanese broadcast on NHK since April 10, 1993. It is an adaptation of the manga series Rakudai Ninja Rantarō, written and illustrated by Sōbe Amako. Nintama Rantarō centers on the title character and his friends as they attend a school for budding ninjas. Like the manga on which it is based, there is a considerable number of anachronisms for comedic purposes; for example, the titular character Rantarō is bespectacled. The anime also references other Japanese media personalities such as Ken Shimura. The series is currently the longest-running anime on NHK. The official English title is Ninjaboy Rantaro.
In July 2011, a live action film version directed by Takashi Miike titled Ninja Kids!!! was released. A sequel was released on July 6, 2013, called .
Characters First Year Ha Class
The main character, a bespectacled first-grade boy who is aiming to become an excellent ninja, but he often gets distracted and prefers to goof off with his friends Kirimaru and Shinbee. Despite not having good vision, he has fast legs.
One of Rantaro's best friends and Tsukkomi. He is an orphan who lost his family and home during a war, and now makes a living doing various part-time jobs. When school isn't in session, he lives with Doi. His primary interest is being obsessed with earning money. He goes crazy whenever he hears the clinging sound of a zeni coin and will go out of his way to obtain it.
A rich merchant's son, who quickly became friends with Rantarō at the beginning of the series. He is overweight, a bit slower when it comes to thinking, likes to eat a lot, and often has to be corrected by his friends. Nonetheless, he possesses great power and strength. He often has a runny nose, which can sometimes come in handy. When he has a bad hair day, his hair sticks up like a porcupine's quills and can be used a weapon.
First year Hagumi's class president, he is the smartest kid in the class and the most responsible.
The son of textile dyers, and something of a neat freak, he is often depicted with a broom or mop, and shares a room with Shouzaemon.
His father runs a horse and carriage delivery service. Danzou is talented with horses because of this. His writing is terribly messy, to the point of illegibility. He has a platonic crush on Seihachi (清八), one of his father's top employees. He shares a room with Torawaka.
His father is in charge of the Satake Rifle Squad. Because of this he has much experience with flintlock rifles, which were rare at the time. He idolizes Shousei, a rifle expert who works for his father. He shares a room with Danzou.
A deceptively happy and friendly-looking child who enjoys setting traps, he shares a room with Heidayuu.
Heidayū likes traps and has his entire room rigged with them. He shares his room with Sanjiro, who also enjoys traps.
Joined first year hagumi late, his main weapon is the katana. He shares a room with Kisanta.
A transfer student, he joined first year hagumi late. He collects slugs as a hobby and shares a room with Kingo.
First Year I Class
Class President of first year igumi, his marks often suffer when he doesn't have time to study because of his presidential duties.
First Year Ro Class
Thrill and suspense.
A spooky, gaunt looking boy.
Heita is a giant scaredy-cat. Small things often frighten him to the point of making him pee himself.
Second Year
Speaks without thinking, and often says too much. He claims to have problems making a friendly face. He enjoys pranking the first years, especially the main trio.
A member of the Health Committee, he is often seen making midnight snacks, but often drops them, too. He looks serious but actually has a kind heart and never leaves people who needs help.
Nose has large eyebrows and reddish orange hair. He is a serious and sharp student, but sometimes his sharpness can lead to unnecessary details.
A quiet boy who is a little dumb, but has a serious personality and often play the role of the tsukkomi.
A 2nd-year transfer student who appears in Season 28, his father is a samurai at the Kawataredoki Castle. He is the first character to be reused from Amako Soubei's previous work Hamuko Mairu!.
Third Year
Igasaki keeps snakes, scorpions, and bugs as pets. He always keeps his poisonous pet snake, Junko, with him, though she often runs away, leaving Magohei to search frantically for her.
Kanzaki has literally no sense of direction. He dramatically declares "it's this way!" and then goes in the complete opposite direction.
Tsugiya also has no sense of direction, but wanders absent mindlessly.
A third year student who always keeps an eye on Tsugiya and Kanzaki. He has a serious personality but also my-paced in his own way. Recently he developed a sense of responsibility as well.
Urakaze always practices for everything obsessively.
A nintama with little presence, who seems to have inherited the Heath Committee's bad luck.
Fourth Year
The ultimate narcissist, Tairano considers himself 'Ninjutsu Gakuen's Number One Idol'. He is very talented with his throwing ring, which he has lovingly named 'Rinko'.
An expressionless boy who really loves digging holes, it is hard to keep him interested in anything else. He names all the holes that he digs, and he too is called "The Trap Specialist". Most of the Health Committee members have fallen in his traps.
The other self-proclaimed "Number One Idol of Ninjutsu Gakuen", Mikiemon likes guns, cannons, and rifles, and names his and takes them for walks. He also idolizes Shousei, but not to the extent that Torawaka does.
A transfer student who is ambitious on becoming a ninja. He is the only person who laughs whenever Andou-sensei makes a joke.
Raised as a hairdresser, his father was an undercover ninja. He eventually joins Ninjutsu Gakuen, and is allowed into fourth year despite having no previous training, because of his skills with his 'split second hairdressing'.
Fifth Year
Long eyelashes and black hair are his defining characteristics. Though his grades are superb and he is earnest and cool, his spontaneous nature was somewhat revealed when he'd failed to realize that the costs of amazake were included in the Explosives Committee's appropriation. Since he had to carry tofu in the Sport's Day relay, he is known as the 'Tofu Kid'. Truthfully he hates this nickname, and in the manga at times he denies liking tofu, but in actuality he is abundant in tofu knowledge and he seems to like tofu cooking. In the anime, he will openly declare his love for tofu and treat others to tofu he has prepared himself. He carries freeze-dried tofu around for a mid-afternoon snack. He is the stand-in committee president for the Explosives Committee and rounds up the underclassmen. Although he is Takamaru's senpai he adds "san" to his name since he is older. In the musical his weapon of choice is the suntetsu. In the survival orienteering he was paired in a group with Isuke. His surname comes from Kukuchi in Amagasaki.
Though his first appearance was injuring the napping Rantarou, Kirimaru, and Shinbei while practicing his jinba technique, his existence was forgotten for a period of 16 years, until he reappeared in the mixed double survival orienteering in a pair with Torawaka, where his name was finally revealed. On the second occasion when he appeared he did not belong to any committee and was encouraged in vol. 47 by the Headmaster to decide which committee to join while each one ran their food stand at their culture festival. It was later revealed that he was actually a class president and he ended up joining the class president committee. His specialty weapon is the manrikigusari. He is the airhead type who tends to get wrapped up in things. In the original work he has black hair, but in the anime his hair is a deep reddish brown. In first person he uses "ore"; to his superiors he uses "boku" or "watashi". His surname comes from Ohama-cho in Amagasaki, and his name comes from the Kouga ninja Ukai Kanemon.
Gentle and full of kindness, he is a senpai that lovingly takes care of his underclassmen. Though his grades are excellent, his bad habit is that he is always meandering and hesitating with a broad indecisiveness. After thinking too much, he tires and falls asleep right then and there. Of the "three illness of the ninja", he is the "type who lacks thought". Also, if he goes near a dry river bed, the moisture will expand his hair. Hachiya Saburou from the same class is often seen borrowing his face, lending them the relation of "fifth-year rogumi's specialty combination". Yamada-sensei often says "his honesty is his weakness", but in the 18th volume he passed the survival orienteering while retaining his playfulness. In that survival orienteering he was paired in a group with Ayakashimaru. In the original work Raizou's hair is black, but in the anime it is a bright brown. His namesake is from a proverb meaning . He shares a room with Saburou.
A student with a thousand face, to the point that no one, including the school staff, knows his true face, Saburo is a mischievous, calm and cool student who enjoys wearing disguises of just about anyone, and sometimes alternates faces in-between scenes. Saburo most of the time disguises as Raizo considering the two are quite close friends. He shares a room with Raizou.
A student with cheerful, optimistic, energetic and also serious attitude, Hachizaemon features long unkempt dull grey-brown hair. As the head of Biological Committee, he holds responsibility in protecting wildlife from being harmed or hunted, which gains respect from his fellow junior committee members (which is dominated with first years). Attempts of hunting wildlife with his presence will only enrage him. He lives in a room by himself, a result of Raizou and Saburou's suggestion to make it easier for first years to come visit him.
Sixth Year
Often portrayed as a leader among the 6th year seniors, Monjiro is a strict, serious senior that focuses on training mentally as much as physically, and his committee members often gets forced into his bizarre trainings such as using 10 kg abacus, sleeping in cold lake at midnight, making weapons out of food, etc. Despite his serious commitments into trainings, he is easily approached outside of training and has good relationship as a caring senior towards his juniors. He has a favourite word - gin gin - that who only used when he gets excited, angry, or emotional. On occasional episodes, he together with Choji and Koheta tagged along with Kirimaru in his part-time job.
A pale-skinned and often regarded as a handsome senior with long straight and silky hair, he leads the Saho committee along with Heidayu as his favorite junior. He has natural talents for explosive, bombs, grenades, often carrying dozens of them with him for convenient purpose. Being as normally a calm, rationally thinking senior, he is often described as an excellent student among the seniors. When carrying out solo missions, he often gets tagged along with Kisanta and Shinbei, who both look up to him, but instead of giving a good help, burdens him instead and gets him caught, bomb explodes in his face, trees fall down on him, etc. He has shorter temper for Kisanta and Shinbei harassing him in his missions.
A student who spoke with few words and with few facial expressions, Choji, who speaks slowly, that made his words hard to be conveyed at times, is also the head of librarian. Usually, someone who stands besides him (such as Raizo or Kirimaru who are also librarians) had to be the 'translator' especially to those who don't meet Choji quite often. His expressions can get eerie with one big creepy smile, though his true emotions often contrast his face (such as he will smile creepily when he is hurt, and vice versa). Ironically, Shinbei's little sister Kameko found his smile to be attractive, and even had a crush on him at times.