Sanpei Shirato

Writer

February 15, 1932 (89 years)

† October 8, 2021

Tokyo, Japan

Biography

A Japanese manga artist and essayist known for his social criticism as well as his realistic drawing style and the characters in his scenarios. He is considered a pioneer of gekiga. The son of the Japanese proletarian painter Toki Okamoto, his dream to become an artist equal with his father started when he became a Kamishibai artist. He is also known for his work published in the early issues of the manga anthology magazine Garo in 1964, which he began publishing so as to serialize his comic K…

Filmography

6.0

The Legend of Ninja Kamui

Kamui is a ninja from the Edo period who has decided to leave his clan. After doing so he is pursued relentlessly by the members of his former clan; who consider him to be a traitor and therefore wish to kill him. Kamui then wanders around Japan to escape from them by using his intelligence and great abilities to survive. In the course of the series Kamui begins to suffer from paranoia because of his status as a persecuted man. Kamui then started to believe that everybody wished to murder him and became distrusting of everyone he came across.

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Samurai Kid

Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru, also known as Samurai Kid, is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation. 65 episodes aired from 7 June 1964 until 31 August 1965. It tells the story of a ninja's pupil that controlled the wind. It was inspired by the manga 'Kaze no Ishimaru' by Sanpei Shirato and was animated by Yasuji Mori and Hayao Miyazaki. The anime was renamed "Kaze no Fujimaru" in order to associate it with its sponsor, Fujisawa Pharmaceuticals. The opening theme, 'Shōnen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru' and the closing theme, 'Tatakau Shōnen Ninja', were both performed by the Nishirokugo Boy's Choir. The series originally ended with a repeat of the opening; the separate ending song came later.

7.7

Sasuke

Sasuke is the son of a very skilled ninja, whose name is Ozaru. After the defeat of their lord, Yukimura Sanada, Tokugawa's and Hattori's ninjas begin to persecute all their enemies still alive: that means Ozaru and Sasuke must leave their house and start a violent struggle for their own life. Danger, vengeance, anger, loyalty, pain are the basic elements of this story, where the worst aspects of the human soul are described together with the growth of the main character, the young Sasuke.

6.1

Kamui

A rebellious ninja in 17th century Japan takes refuge with a fisherman and his family.

4.8

Band of Ninja

The son of an assassinated feudal lord, in the Muromachi period, attempts to avenge his father's death and meets Kagemaru, a renegade ninja helping peasants and farmers rebel against Oda Nobunaga's regime, all depicted through an experimental form of filming pages from the original manga set to sound.

6.5

Watari, the Ninja Boy

Adapted from Sanpei Shirato's classic manga, a legend unfolds as Watari, a young boy skilled in ninjutsu, takes on the corruption inside the Iga clan and avenges many unjustly killed ninja by the acts of Sandayu Momochi's scheming vice-leader.

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Seton Animal Chronicles

Based on various Seton stories by Ernest Thompson Seton.

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Shounen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru: Ma Boroshi Majutsu-dan

Kidnapped and rescued by a Ninja, Fujimaru has mastered martial arts over the years. Now he sets off on a journey to find his mother and also locate an old tome containing secret martial arts techniques.

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Band of Ninja Pilot

An animated pilot film for Band of Ninja released to the public over three decades later on The Legend of Ninja Kamui DVD volume 7. The pilot film was created in 1969 as director Nagisa Ōshima was wanting to make a TV animation to build off his controversial film from 1967. The pilot was rejected by Shirato himself (the original comic creator the film was based on) and the plan was changed to animate Kamui Gaiden instead, a side story to the Kamui manga also created by Shirato. Though with this change, Ōshima did not partake in The Legend of Ninja Kamui's production.

4.0

The Legend of Ninja Kamui: The Shell of the Sun and Moon

After working his way up from the oppressed peasant class, the rogue ninja Kamui must struggle to free himself from the iron fist of his own clan. He travels through all the country running from ruthless killers who have traveled to the ends of the Earth to destroy him. A feature film edit of the ninja anime of the same name, covering "The Shell of the Sun and Moon" arc.

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Shounen Ninja Kaze no Fujimaru: Nazo no Arabiya Ningyou

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