Sarutobi Sasuke
Encyclopedia
was a famous ninja
in Japanese folklore
. He is generally believed to be a Meiji period
fictional creation based on the historical ninja , although some argue for his actual existence.
; saru (猿) is the character for 'monkey', and tobi (飛) is the character for 'jump'. He was known for his monkey-like agility and quickness, especially in trees. Many depictions portray him as having been orphaned and raised by a band of monkeys, therefore giving rise to the monkey-like abilities.
Sasuke is commonly listed as the member/leader of Sanada Ten Braves
, a legendary group of ten ninja that supposedly assisted the warlord Sanada Yukimura
at the battles of Osaka Castle
during the final phases of the Japanese civil war
, and he is by far the best known and most popular among them. When appearing with Kirigakure Saizō
, one of his fellow Ten Braves, he is often thus contrasted with his best friend/arch-rival, who usually has an elegant, or at least clean-cut, appearance and magic-like ability. Sasuke is generally said to be a Kōga
ninja, whereas Saizō is an Iga
ninja. As such, when the two appear together, they are almost always depicted as arch-rivals and later, after being recruited to the Sanada cause, best friends. (This rivalry parallels the Iga-Kōga rivalry and the Hattori
-Fūma rivalries in ninja fiction
.) It is said he fell in battle against the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
during the Siege of Osaka
in the summer of 1615; but there is no historical record of this. In another version, Sasuke infiltrated Tokugawa Ieyasu's stronghold during 1615 and, having caught his foot in a bear trap, cut it off at the ankle to escape and then took his own life rather than be captured.
. Whatever the case, his image has been very influential in ninja fiction, in which he is usually portrayed as a young boy. The character was immortalized in contemporary Japanese culture by the popular Tachikawa Bunko (Pocket Books) children literature between 1911 and 1925, as well as in Sarutobi Sasuke, one of the more famous gag manga by Shigeru Sugiura
from the 1950s (followed by Shōnen Jiraiya
).
He is the titular character of the films such as Ibun Sarutobi Sasuke
(known in the west as Samurai Spy), Sânada Daisûke to Sarutobi Sasuke, Sarutobi no Ninjutsu and Sarutobi Sasuke Senjogadake no Himatsuri, as well as of several other movies simply named Sarutobi Sasuke in 1918, 1919, 1922, 1966 (the last one also known as Ninja Spy). He is also the lead character in the musical film Brave Records of the Sanada Clan
. Toei Animation
's second full-length movie was Shônen Sarutobi Sasuke, dealing with Sasuke's childhood, which was followed by a TV series. This film was also the first time when both Sasuke and anime were introduced to the western audience (in 1961 as Magic Boy), although all the references to him being a ninja were removed in the English-language version. He is also the titular character of an anime series Manga Sarutobi Sasuke
, of the video game Ninja Boy Sasuke, and of Sampei Shirato's 1962 manga, as well as of the manga series I am Sarutobi! by the "father of the modern manga" Osamu Tezuka
two years earlier.
The adult Sarutobi Sasuke is a character in the anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo
, in which he serves Sanada Yukimura as the leader of the Ten Braves - the same role he has in the manga BRAVE10 and in the film Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!
. Sasuke also appeared in the historical anime and manga Shura no Mon
(serving Sanada Tsubura), in the taiga drama series Tenchijin
, in the anime Sanada Ten Braves and in the film Goemon
. In the video game and anime series Sengoku Basara
, he is portrayed as a laid-back but cunning ninja, aiding Yukimura. In the film Shogun Assassins (Sanada Yukimura no Bouryaku), Sasuke is even shown to be literally an anthropomorphized
ninja monkey. In the Super Sentai
series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
, the main character Sasuke is a direct descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke, as it is in the case of Ecchan in the manga and manga series Sarutobi Ecchan
.
The very name Sasuke became something of a default ninja moniker. For example, the sports entertainment show known in the other countries as Ninja Warrior is titled Sasuke
in the original Japanese version, while Great Sasuke is stage name of the Japanese professional wrestler Masanori Murakawa. Various ninja characters by the name of either Sasuke or Sarutobi appear in the anime series Gin Tama, Haō Taikei Ryū Knight and Ranma 1/2 (Sasuke Sarugakure), the video games Captain Commando
, Ehrgeiz
, Gotcha Force
, Kessen
(a female ninja), Ninja Master's -Haoh-Ninpo-Cho- (where he is the protagonist), Samurai Warriors
and Suikoden II
, in the Legend of the Mystical Ninja
video game series (a robot ninja), and in the trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh!
. His legacy is also almost omnipresent in the anime and manga franchise Naruto
in which several characters are named after him, including Sasuke Uchiha
, Asuma Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konohamaru Sarutobi, and a character actually named Sasuke Sarutobi (Hiruzen Sarutobi's father). In the parody series Ninja Nonsense
all of the male ninja are named Sasuke.
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
in Japanese folklore
Japanese folklore
The folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yōkai , yūrei ,...
. He is generally believed to be a Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
fictional creation based on the historical ninja , although some argue for his actual existence.
In folklore
Sarutobi, meaning 'monkey jump', is written with two kanjiKanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
; saru (猿) is the character for 'monkey', and tobi (飛) is the character for 'jump'. He was known for his monkey-like agility and quickness, especially in trees. Many depictions portray him as having been orphaned and raised by a band of monkeys, therefore giving rise to the monkey-like abilities.
Sasuke is commonly listed as the member/leader of Sanada Ten Braves
Sanada Ten Braves
The are a legendary group of ninja that assisted the warlord Sanada Yukimura during the Warring States era of Japan ....
, a legendary group of ten ninja that supposedly assisted the warlord Sanada Yukimura
Sanada Yukimura
was a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki . His proper name was Sanada Nobushige , named after Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige, who was a brave and respected warrior. He and his father were known as being excellent military tacticians...
at the battles of Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle
is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
during the final phases of the Japanese civil war
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
, and he is by far the best known and most popular among them. When appearing with Kirigakure Saizō
Kirigakure Saizo
' was a legendary ninja of the final phase of the Japanese civil war. In the folklore he is one of the Sanada Ten Braves, and next to Sarutobi Sasuke, he is the most recognized of the Ten....
, one of his fellow Ten Braves, he is often thus contrasted with his best friend/arch-rival, who usually has an elegant, or at least clean-cut, appearance and magic-like ability. Sasuke is generally said to be a Kōga
Koga-ryu
Kōka-ryū is a historical school of ninjutsu. It originated from the region of Kōka...
ninja, whereas Saizō is an Iga
Iga-ryu
Iga-ryū 伊賀流 is a historical school of ninjutsu. It became one of the two most well-known ninja schools in Japan, along with the Kōga-ryū. The Iga-ryū originated in the Iga Province in the area around the towns of Iga and Ueno...
ninja. As such, when the two appear together, they are almost always depicted as arch-rivals and later, after being recruited to the Sanada cause, best friends. (This rivalry parallels the Iga-Kōga rivalry and the Hattori
Hattori Hanzo
, also known as , was a famous samurai and ninja master of the Sengoku era, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. Today, he is often a subject of modern popular culture.-Biography:...
-Fūma rivalries in ninja fiction
Ninja in popular culture
The ninja are common stock characters in both Japanese and international popular culture. The cultural references listed below are major instances separated into groups, such as novels, comic books, anime/manga, films, television shows, video games, and others.- Overview :Depictions of ninja range...
.) It is said he fell in battle against the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
during the Siege of Osaka
Siege of Osaka
The was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages , and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment...
in the summer of 1615; but there is no historical record of this. In another version, Sasuke infiltrated Tokugawa Ieyasu's stronghold during 1615 and, having caught his foot in a bear trap, cut it off at the ankle to escape and then took his own life rather than be captured.
In popular culture
As Sarutobi Sasuke is most likely a fictional character created for popular consumption in the first place, he could be said to exist only within popular culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
. Whatever the case, his image has been very influential in ninja fiction, in which he is usually portrayed as a young boy. The character was immortalized in contemporary Japanese culture by the popular Tachikawa Bunko (Pocket Books) children literature between 1911 and 1925, as well as in Sarutobi Sasuke, one of the more famous gag manga by Shigeru Sugiura
Shigeru Sugiura
was a Japanese manga artist famous for his surreal, nonsense gag manga. After initially studying painting, Sugiura became an assistant to the manga artist Suihō Tagawa. He soon began drawing his own manga in 1933 and came to fame after World War II with a series of comedic manga for children based...
from the 1950s (followed by Shōnen Jiraiya
Jiraiya
Jiraiya , the title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gōketsu Monogatari , is a ninja who uses shapeshifting magic to morph into a gigantic toad. The heir of a powerful clan in Kyūshū of the same name, Jiraiya fell in love with Tsunade, a beautiful young princess who masters snail magic...
).
He is the titular character of the films such as Ibun Sarutobi Sasuke
Samurai Spy
is a 1965 film directed by Masahiro Shinoda, based on a novel by Koji Nakada. Made during the height of the cold war, the film follows the lives of spies caught up in the power struggles of their times.- Story :...
(known in the west as Samurai Spy), Sânada Daisûke to Sarutobi Sasuke, Sarutobi no Ninjutsu and Sarutobi Sasuke Senjogadake no Himatsuri, as well as of several other movies simply named Sarutobi Sasuke in 1918, 1919, 1922, 1966 (the last one also known as Ninja Spy). He is also the lead character in the musical film Brave Records of the Sanada Clan
Brave Records of the Sanada Clan
is a Japanese film directed by Tai Kato in 1963. It is a jidaigeki musical about Sasuke Sarutobi and the Sanada Ten Braves who, under the leadership of Yukimura Sanada, try to defend Toyotomi Hideyori during the siege of Osaka Castle by the Tokugawa armies...
. Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
's second full-length movie was Shônen Sarutobi Sasuke, dealing with Sasuke's childhood, which was followed by a TV series. This film was also the first time when both Sasuke and anime were introduced to the western audience (in 1961 as Magic Boy), although all the references to him being a ninja were removed in the English-language version. He is also the titular character of an anime series Manga Sarutobi Sasuke
Manga Sarutobi Sasuke
is a 24-episode anime series about the young Sarutobi Sasuke, a legendary ninja. It was first aired from October 9, 1979, to April 29, 1980 on Tokyo 12 Channel , and was later dubbed in several languages...
, of the video game Ninja Boy Sasuke, and of Sampei Shirato's 1962 manga, as well as of the manga series I am Sarutobi! by the "father of the modern manga" Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
two years earlier.
The adult Sarutobi Sasuke is a character in the anime and manga series Samurai Deeper Kyo
Samurai Deeper Kyo
is a manga series written and illustrated by Akimine Kamijyo. The manga was serialized from October 15, 1999 to May 10, 2006 in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, and collected over 38 volumes....
, in which he serves Sanada Yukimura as the leader of the Ten Braves - the same role he has in the manga BRAVE10 and in the film Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!
Kamen Rider Den-O: I'm Born!
is the theatrical film adaptation of the Kamen Rider Den-O TV series directed by Takao Nagaishi and written by Yasuko Kobayashi. The movie takes place between episodes 27 and 28 of the series, featuring the DenLiner and its passengers travel as far back as the Edo period of Japan.The film is...
. Sasuke also appeared in the historical anime and manga Shura no Mon
Shura no Mon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masatoshi Kawahara. It was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Magazine from April 1987 to November 1996. The individual chapters were collected and published into 31 tankōbon volumes published between October 1987 and May 1997...
(serving Sanada Tsubura), in the taiga drama series Tenchijin
Tenchijin
is the 48th NHK Taiga drama. It airs on NHK from January 4, 2009 every Sunday from 20:00 to 20:44 JST to November 22, 2009 spanning 47 episodes. The story centers on the life of the 16th century samurai Naoe Kanetsugu....
, in the anime Sanada Ten Braves and in the film Goemon
Goemon (film)
Goemon is a 2009 Japanese historical fantasy film written and directed by Kazuaki Kiriya. It is loosely based on the story of Ishikawa Goemon, a legendary outlaw hero who stole valuables from the rich and gave them to the poor...
. In the video game and anime series Sengoku Basara
Sengoku Basara
is a series of video games developed and published by Capcom, as well as a bigger media franchise based on it, including two anime series and an animated film...
, he is portrayed as a laid-back but cunning ninja, aiding Yukimura. In the film Shogun Assassins (Sanada Yukimura no Bouryaku), Sasuke is even shown to be literally an anthropomorphized
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
ninja monkey. In the Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
series Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger
was TOEI Company Limited's eighteenth production of the Super Sentai television series. The name given to this series by Toei for international distribution is Ninja Rangers....
, the main character Sasuke is a direct descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke, as it is in the case of Ecchan in the manga and manga series Sarutobi Ecchan
Sarutobi Ecchan
is a magical girl manga series by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was originally named , but was changed in 1971 when Toei Animation adapted it into an anime called Sarutobi Ecchan. The anime was unsuccessful, and only lasted 26 episodes...
.
The very name Sasuke became something of a default ninja moniker. For example, the sports entertainment show known in the other countries as Ninja Warrior is titled Sasuke
Sasuke (TV series)
Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....
in the original Japanese version, while Great Sasuke is stage name of the Japanese professional wrestler Masanori Murakawa. Various ninja characters by the name of either Sasuke or Sarutobi appear in the anime series Gin Tama, Haō Taikei Ryū Knight and Ranma 1/2 (Sasuke Sarugakure), the video games Captain Commando
Captain Commando
is a futuristic side-scrolling beat 'em up game originally developed and published by Capcom as a coin-operated video game, and later ported to several other platforms. It was the seventeenth title produced for the company's CP System hardware...
, Ehrgeiz
Ehrgeiz
, fully titled Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring, is a 3D fighting game developed by DreamFactory and published by Namco in 1998 for the arcade platform. It was first ported to the PlayStation and published by Square Co...
, Gotcha Force
Gotcha Force
Not to be confused with G-Force: Guardians of Space, one of the English versions of Gatchaman.Gotcha Force is a video game for the Nintendo GameCube video game console...
, Kessen
Kessen
is a PlayStation 2 launch title produced by Koei and published by Electronic Arts. This was the first DVD-ROM format game for the PS2. It was initially the only real-time wargame game available for the PlayStation 2....
(a female ninja), Ninja Master's -Haoh-Ninpo-Cho- (where he is the protagonist), Samurai Warriors
Samurai Warriors
is the first title in the series of video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based loosely around the Sengoku period of Japanese history and it is a spinoff of the Dynasty Warriors series...
and Suikoden II
Suikoden II
is a console role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation video game console and the second installment of the Suikoden video game series. It was released in late 1998 in Japan, 1999 in North America, and in 2000 in Europe. It was also released for Microsoft Windows in...
, in the Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Legend of the Mystical Ninja
, is a light-hearted action-adventure game for 1-2 players by Konami, and was released for the Super NES in 1992. It was also ported to the Game Boy Advance along with Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shogun Magginesu only in Japan. It is the first game in the Japanese video game series Ganbare Goemon...
video game series (a robot ninja), and in the trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
. His legacy is also almost omnipresent in the anime and manga franchise Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
in which several characters are named after him, including Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha
is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He was created as a rival and foil to the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki...
, Asuma Sarutobi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konohamaru Sarutobi, and a character actually named Sasuke Sarutobi (Hiruzen Sarutobi's father). In the parody series Ninja Nonsense
Ninja Nonsense
is Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryoichi Koga. The series subtitle is "The Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction". The manga was serialized in MediaWorks' Dengeki Daioh magazine between August 2000 and March 2006; the chapters were later compiled into four tankōbon volumes...
all of the male ninja are named Sasuke.