Ronin Warriors

This article is about the anime television series. For the historical Japanese warriors, see Rōnin.

Ronin Warriors, known in Japan by its original title Armor Legend Samurai Troopers (鎧伝サムライトルーパー, Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā), is a Japanese anime series created by Hajime Yatate and animated by Sunrise. The television series, co-produced by Nagoya TV, aired across Japan on the All-Nippon News Network from April 30, 1988, to March 4, 1989, for a total of 39 episodes. A manga adaptation was serialized on Kodansha’s Comic BomBom from November 17, 1988, to April 5, 1990, and the chapters collected into 2 tankōbon volumes.

Ronin Warriors
North American cover of the first DVD volume
鎧伝サムライトルーパー (Yoroiden Samurai Torūpā)
Created by	Hajime Yatate
Anime television series
Directed by	Masashi Ikeda (#1–19) Mamoru Hamatsu (#20–39)
Chief screenwriter	Ryōsuke Takahashi
Screenplay by	Jinzō Toriumi Masanori Oka Saburo Ebinuma Yūki Ōnishi Hideki Sonoda Yūji Watanabe Satoshi Iwasaki Toshiko Nakaya
Produced by	Hironori Nakagawa Makoto Imai Youichi Honna
Music by	Osamu Totsuka
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	NA: Discotek Media (formerly held by Graz Entertainment)
Original network	ANN (Nagoya TV)
English network	US: First-run syndication, Sci-Fi Channel, Cartoon Network (Toonami)
Original run	April 30, 1988 – March 4, 1989
Episodes	39 (List of episodes)
Manga
Written by	Ryūichi Hoshino
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Demographic	Kodomo
Original run	November 17, 1988 – April 5, 1990
Volumes	2
Original video animation
Gaiden
Directed by	Kazuki Akane
Produced by	Hironori Nakagawa Yasuhisa Kazama
Written by	Fuyunori Gobu
Music by	Osamu Totsuka
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	NA: Discotek Media
Released	April 30, 1989 – June 1, 1989
Runtime	25 minutes
Episodes	2 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Legend of the Inferno Armor
Directed by	Mamoru Hamatsu
Produced by	Hironori Nakagawa Yasuhisa Kazama
Written by	Masashi Ikeda Fuyunori Gobu
Music by	Osamu Totsuka
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	NA: Discotek Media
Released	October 8, 1989 – January 11, 1990
Runtime	30 minutes
Episodes	4 (List of episodes)
Original video animation
Message
Directed by	Masashi Ikeda
Produced by	Shinichiro Kobayashi Yasuhisa Kazama
Written by	Masashi Ikeda Fuyunori Gobu
Music by	Osamu Totsuka
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	NA: Discotek Media
Released	March 21, 1991 – August 23, 1991
Runtime	30 minutes
Episodes	5 (List of episodes)
Manga
Shin Yoroiden Samurai Troopers
Written by	Izumi Nikaidō
Illustrated by	Yūji Hosoi
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Magazine
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	1992
Volumes	1

Plot

See also: List of Ronin Warriors characters

Talpa, ruler of the Dynasty, is bent on conquering the Earth. Standing against Talpa and his four Dark Warlords are the five Ronin Warriors, each in possession of mystical armor and weapons. They are assisted by Mia Koji, a young student-researcher, Ully, a child, and a mysterious warrior-mystic known only as the Ancient One.

Media

Anime

See also: List of Ronin Warriors episodes

Ronin Warriors was originally licensed in the United States by Graz Entertainment and distributed by Cinar (now WildBrain), and it was recorded by the Vancouver-based Ocean Productions cast. Ronin Warriors first aired on American television during the summer of 1995 and subsequently appeared through syndication, as well as the USA Network (1995), Sci-Fi Channel (1996) and later on Cartoon Network (1999).^[1]

The series was released on DVD in 2002, including the original Japanese version with English subtitles on the reverse side of the disc.^[2] On September 4, 2014, North American anime licensor Discotek Media announced their license of the original Japanese anime (Yoroiden Samurai Troopers), and planned to release the series on DVD in 2015.^[3] Discotek has said that on their Facebook page that they have no plans to release Ronin Warriors until they clear issues with the dub.^[4] Discotek has also licensed the OVAs and includes both Japanese and English audio as well as English subtitles. By 2021, the issues were resolved and the series' English dub had a Blu-ray release on December 28, 2021.^[5]

Crunchyroll later added the anime series for its streaming.^[6] The English dub was legally available on streaming services such Amazon Prime Video, RetroCrush, and Tubi.

The opening and ending sequences and the eyecatches were replaced with new ones, and the Japanese title cards were removed; there were no substantial cuts to the bodies of the episodes and the episodes retained most of the original music.

A line of action figures based on the anime was released by Playmates Toys in 1999, with a limited rerelease by Re:Play in 2001.^[7]

Three OVA sequels were produced: Gaiden (Side Story), The Legend of the Inferno Armor, and Message. There are numerous novels and audio dramas based on the anime. While all the sequels have been released on DVD, the manga and audio dramas have not been made available in English.

Music

• Yoroiden Samurai Troopers Debut Album: Kimi o Nemurasenai (King Records, December 21, 1988, 4 weeks on Oricon chart).^[8] (4 weeks on Oricon chart, ranked as high as 44).^[9]
• Yoroiden Samurai Troopers: Best Friends (King Records, June 5, 1989).^[10] (4 weeks on Oricon chart, ranked as high as 12).^[11]
• "Stardust Eyes", the opening theme for season one's episodes 1-20, was composed by Yasuhiko Shigemura. Its ending theme, "Faraway", was composed by Midori Karashima. Both were sung by Mariko Uranishi. ^[12]
• "Samurai Heart", the opening theme from season two's episodes 21–39, and "Be Free", its ending theme, were composed by Yasuhiko Shigemura. Both were sung by Hiroko Moriguchi.^[12]
• The first OAV Gaiden features "Stardust Eyes" and "Faraway" as its first episode's opening and closing themes, and "Samurai Heart" and "Be Free" as its second's.^[13]
• The second OAV Legend of the Inferno Armor features "Stardust Eyes" as its opening theme and "Samurai Heart" as its closing theme for its four episodes.^[14]
• The third OAV Message has no opening theme but its ending theme, "Tsukamaeteite", was composed by Ami Keizou. Episode 5 also features an insert song, "Hoshi no Lullaby", composed by Ritsuko Okazaki. Both were sung by Kaori Honma (née Futenma).^[15]

Video game

In July 2020, a crossover with Ragnarok Mobile was launched.^[16]