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 on | Ninja Akakage by Mitsuteru Yokoyama[1] |
| Screenplay by | Yūsuke Watanabe[2][3][4] Mari Takura |
| Directed by | Takashi Miike (4 episodes) Hiroki Kashiwagi[3] (4 episodes) Ryūsuke Kurahashi (4 episodes)[3] Katsuya Watanabe[3] (3 episodes) |
| Starring | Taiki Sato |
| Narrated by | Junichi Suwabe |
| Music by | Kōji Endō[3] |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Ikuhide Yokochi (TV Asahi) |
| Producers | Moe Ouchi (TV Asahi) Takato Akiyama (TV Asahi) Kazuma Kuryu (Toei) Hiroya Ishizaki (Toei) Takishima Minami (Toei) Misako Saka (OLM) |
| Running time | 24 minutes (without commercials) |
| Production companies | TV Asahi Toei Company |
| Original release | |
| Network | ANN (TV Asahi) |
| Release | October 27, 2025 |
Masked Ninja Akakage (仮面の忍者赤影, Kamen no Ninja Akakage) is a 2025-2026 Japanese jidaigeki TV series directed by Takashi Miike[2] and starring Taiki Sato, leader of the J-pop group Fantastics from Exile Tribe, and Takahiro Tasaki from EXILE.[5][2] It a live-action adaptation[6] of the manga Ninja Akakage by Mitsuteru Yokoyama.[3]
Plot
As Oda Nobunaga (Takahiro Tasaki) 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
- Taiki Sato as Akakage (赤影; "Red Shadow")[3]
- Keito Kimura as Aokage (青影, "Blue Shadow")[7][3]
- Ryō Katō as Shirokage (白影; "White Shadow")[7][3]
- Hideyuki Kasahara as Oribe Tamon[8]
- Masaki Nakao as Ishida Mitsunari[9]
- Atomu Mizuishi as Fukushima Masanori[9]
- Keisuke Shiba as Katō Kiyomasa[9]
- Keito Takahashi as Mori Ranmaru[10]
- Tokio Emoto as Hashiba Hideyoshi[7][3]
- Shūgo Oshinari as Takigawa Kazumasu[7][3]
- Unknown actor as Genyōsai
- Takahiro Tasaki as Oda Nobunaga[11]
- The Seven Sacred Men of Kasumi Valley:
- Chihiro Yamamoto as Yamihime[12][3]
- Katsuya as Oninenbou[12]
- Hayato Onozuka as Ikkan Oboro[12]
- Seiya Motoki as Akudoji[12]
- Riki Motoyama as Toad Priest[12][3]
- Ryunosuke Hosoda as Puppet Jinnai[12][3]
- Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi as Yumedo Hitotsume
- Masayuki Deai as Matsunaga Hisahide[13]
- Tyson Oya & Yuki Umehara as the Golden Eyes
- Yui Suwa as Okuni[14]
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 'Akakage 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."[3]
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"[1] and stated that there would be 20 half-hour episodes.[1] 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] | Teleplay | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | October 27, 2025 | その男、忍び ("The Ninja") | Yūsuke Watanabe | Takashi Miike |
| Episode 2 | November 3, 2025 | 信長の影 ("The Shadow of Nobunaga") | ||
| Episode 3 | November 10, 2025 | 赤影参上 ("Akakage Appears") | ||
| Episode 4 | November 17, 2025 | 決戦、千年蟇 ("The Final Battle with the Thousand-Year Toad") | ||
| Episode 5 | November 24, 2025 | 金目教の罠 ("The Golden Eye Cult's Trap") | Mari Takura | Hiroki Kashiwagi |
| Episode 6 | December 1, 2025 | 黒蝙蝠の娘 ("The Black Bat's Daughter") | ||
| Episode 7 | December 15, 2025 | 織辺多門と南蛮大筒 ("Oribe Tamon and the Portuguese Cannon") | Yūsuke Watanabe | |
| Episode 8 | December 22, 2025 | 幻妖斎の正体 ("Genyōsai's True Identity") | ||
| Episode 9 | January 12, 2026 | 滝川一益の秘密 ("The Secret of Takigawa Kazumasu") | Ryūsuke Kurahashi | |
| Episode 10 | January 19, 2026 | 霞谷への物語 ("Misty Valley Story") | ||
| Episode 11 | January 26, 2026 | 金目像の悪夢 ("Nightmare of the Golden-Eyed Statue") | ||
| Episode 12 | February 2, 2026 | 急襲、本能寺 ("Surprise Attack on Honnō Temple") | Mari Takura | |
| Episode 13 | February 9, 2026 | 散りゆく影 ("Scattered Shadows") | Yūsuke Watanabe | Katsuya Watanabe |
| Episode 14 | February 16, 2026 | 新たな白影 ("New White Shadow") | ||
| Episode 15 | February 23, 2026 | 七人衆最後の一人 ("The Last of the Seven") |
References
- ^ a b c "World Screen MIPCOM 2025". Issuu. October 6, 2025. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Masked Ninja Akakage revived by director Takashi Miike, starring Taiki Sato of FANTASTICS". Natalie Movies. 2025-09-06. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ 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！".
- ^ "Masked NINJA Akakage 仮面の忍者 赤影 | tv asahi". Japan Program Catalog.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "TAIKI SATO | ARTIST | LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -". LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -.
- ^ Stalcup, Jamie (November 26, 2025). "TV Asahi Outlines ATF Offering".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ 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). Retrieved 2025-10-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Masked Ninja Akakage: Main visual released featuring Taiki Sato as Akakage, Hideyuki Kasahara also confirmed to appear". Real Sound. blueprint. 2025-10-08. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ 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). Retrieved 2025-10-15 – via X (formerly Twitter).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "The drama "Masked Ninja Akakage" stars Takahashi Keito as Mori Ranmaru, Takashi Miike says, "He was the overwhelming choice."". Natalie Movies. 2025-10-23. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "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. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ 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. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "2025 "Masked Ninja Akakage" (EX) Episode 1, role of Matsunaga Hisahide". kart-promotion. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ "TV Asahi "Masked Ninja Akakage" Episode 1, Akakage's Sister as a Child". Smile Monkey. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "[Interview] PSYCHIC FEVER talk latest single "SWISH DAT," performing live and memorable moments – EARMILK".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Live-Action Kamen no Ninja Akakage Series Unveils More Cast, Ending Song". Anime News Network. November 30, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "仮面の忍者 赤影".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Masked NINJA Akakage 仮面の忍者 赤影". tv-asahicontents.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "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".
- ^ https://tver.jp/series/srairnshw0
- ^ "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.
External links
- Official website
- Masked Ninja Akakage at IMDb
- Masked Ninja Akakage on eiga.com