Senran Kagura

Senran Kagura
File:Senran Kagura - Shoujotachi no Shinei Coverart.png Cover art from the video game Senran Kagura: Shōjo-tachi no Shinei
閃乱カグラ
Genre	Action
Game
Senran Kagura: Shōjo-tachi no Shinei
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	Marvelous Entertainment
Genre	Action, side-scrolling
Platform	Nintendo 3DS
Released	September 22, 2011
Manga
Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows
Written by	Kenichirō Takaki
Illustrated by	Amami Takatsume
Published by	Media Factory
English publisher	NA: Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine	Monthly Comic Alive
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	August 27, 2011 – present
Volumes	2
Manga
Senran Kagura: Guren no Uroboros
Illustrated by	Manabu Aoi
Published by	Ichijinsha
Magazine	Comic Rex
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	September 27, 2011 – present
Volumes	2
Manga
Senran Kagura Spark!
Published by	Enterbrain
Magazine	Famitsu Comic Clear
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	August 19, 2011 – February 17, 2012
Volumes	1
Game
Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shōjo-tachi
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	Marvelous AQL
Genre	Action, side-scrolling
Platform	Nintendo 3DS
Released	August 30, 2012
Manga
Senran Kagura: Senshi Bankō no Haruka
Published by	Enterbrain
Magazine	Famitsu Comic Clear
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	September 7, 2012 – February 1st, 2013
Volumes	1
Manga
Senran Enji Kyonyū-gumi
Illustrated by	Hikage Asahina
Published by	Enterbrain
Magazine	Famitsu Comic Clear
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	September 7, 2012 – February 1st, 2013
Volumes	1
Anime television series
Directed by	Takashi Watanabe
Written by	Takao Yoshioka
Studio	Artland
Original network	AT-X, Tokyo MX
Original run	January 6, 2013 – March 24, 2013
Episodes	12
Game
Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Shōjo-tachi no Shōmei
Developer	Tamsoft
Publisher	Marvelous AQL
Genre	Action
Platform	PlayStation Vita
Released	February 28, 2013

Senran Kagura (閃乱カグラ) is an action video game series developed by Tamsoft and produced by Marvelous Entertainment. The franchise revolves around a group of female ninjas.

The first game, a side scrolling game titled Senran Kagura: Shōjo-tachi no Shinei (閃乱カグラ -少女達の真影-, Senran Kagura: Portrait of the Girls), was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS on September 22, 2011. A sequel, Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shōjo-tachi (閃乱カグラ Burst -紅蓮の少女達-, Senran Kagura Burst: The Crimson Girls), was released in Japan for Nintendo 3DS on August 30, 2012 and was later released digitally on the Nintendo eShop on January 10, 2013. A third game, a 3D fighting game titled Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: Shōjo-tachi no Shōmei (閃乱カグラ SHINOVI VERSUS -少女達の証明-, Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus: The Girls' Proof), was released for PlayStation Vita on February 28, 2013.

The series has received several manga adaptations, with a television anime adaptation produced by Artland airing in Japan between January and March 2013. The anime has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America.

Story

The franchise revolves around Hanzō Academy, a high school which secretly trains a select group of chosen girls in the art of ninjitsu. The main storylines focus on five trainee ninjas; Asuka, Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Yagyuu and Hibari, as they complete missions and battle against rival ninjas.

Gameplay

Senran Kagura is a side scrolling action game for the 3DS. The player will assume the control of 5 different female ninja characters. The more they are damaged by enemies, the more their clothes are torn off. The game also features erotic elements that use the features of the Nintendo 3DS system such as stereostopic 3D, 3D cleavage along with 3D images of other body parts. Senran Kagura will feature character designs by Nan Yaegashi and scenario work from Yukinori Kitajima.

Novel

Where the main information of each characters' back stories, major plot points, and general information on the universe of Senran Kagura is told. This section is in the style of a 3D visual novel. It is structured like a book and the R button will take you to the next section of text, or let you skip through to the end. The Novel part is introduced at major plot points in the story and acts as character set up as well as progression of the story.

Adventure

Where most of the main story, as well as all character interaction, takes place using the in game character models, it is considered the main HUB world. This part uses text and is fully voiced. The Adventure part will come up at the start and end of each main mission. There are times where the Novel part will end and the Adventure part will pick up, giving more information on the story before starting the mission.

Action

Where the main gameplay takes place. This part consists of battling through the main story as well as side missions. When progressing through the action part, you level up your character while gaining new moves and abilities, as well as unlocking various things for the game, such as art work, achievements, music, costumes, and new characters. The structures of the missions in the action part consist of beat-em up, hack and slash, survival and boss fights. There are also specific missions, such as time, collect and destroy. The main missions are split into 5 chapters and each chapter contains a number of story missions as well as extra missions that are optional. Once a story mission is complete, you can then play that mission again with any of the unlocked characters. At the end of a mission you are given a grade based on your health, attack, and speed in completing the mission.

Characters

Kokuritsu Hanzō Gakuin

The main characters of the first game and the anime. Kokuritsu Hanzō Gakuin was originally created by the Japanese Government in order to counter other ninjas hired by corporations and politicians to further their ambitions. Also known as the "Light Faction", where only the good are accepted; meaning, only if you have clean records you can get into this school.

• Asuka (飛鳥)

Voiced by: Hitomi Harada

The main character, she is a second year, who barely passed the promotion exam. She wants to follow in her grandfather's footsteps and become a great ninja. She's an upbeat person, though she is naive at times and has a fear of frogs which is (unfortunately) also her family's summon animal. Her weapons of choice are the Ninjatō passed down from her grandfather.

• Ikaruga (斑鳩)

Voiced by: Asami Imai

A third year, she is mature and supportive and takes her duty as a ninja very seriously. However, she sometimes loses her composure and acts more naturally. She is an adopted daughter of a wealthy ninja family, however she was chosen to be the next head of her family over her brother, who is a failure as a ninja. Her summoning animal is the Chinese Phoenix. Her weapon of choice is the Katana, Hien which has been passed down to her by her adopted Father (Voiced by: Jin Yamanoi).

• Katsuragi (葛城)

Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi

A third year, she is the perverted member of the group, who loves to fondle Asuka's breasts. Her summoning animal is the dragon. Her weapon of choice is a pair of greaves. She is fighting to prove herself the strongest and re-establish the lost honor of her family, which was lost when they failed a mission and had to choose between suicide or running away without their daughter.

• Yagyu (柳生, Yagyū)

Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi

A first year, she is a ninja prodigy. She cares very much for Hibari who she supports the most, though this is mostly due to her resemblance to her late sister. She wears an eye patch over her right eye and carries an umbrella (armed with various weapons) at all times. Her summoning animal is the giant squid. She used to have a little sister, who died in a car accident years ago, and her deceased sister looks like Hibari, which is why she is prone to protect her, no matter what.

• Hibari (雲雀)

Voiced by: Yuka Iguchi

A first year of the group, she is very childish and clumsy and loves cute and sweet things. She is also really close to Yagyuu, whom she says to love. Her summoning animal is a large pink rabbit. Hibari is the only one, who doesn't have a sad, painful or dark past.

Kiriya-sensei (霧夜)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

The girls ninja teacher. He has a habit of appearing in a puff of smoke. He trained Rin when she was a member of the Light Faction.

• Daidoji-senpai (大道寺, Daidōji)

Voiced by: Yu Asakawa

A ninja who was two years junior to Rin. She vowed not to graduate until she defeated Rin. She is always followed by a black cat. Her summoning animal is the Tiger.

• Hanzou (半蔵)

Voiced by: Kanehira Yamamoto

Asuka's grandfather, who was once a great ninja. He has since retired and now owns a sushi restaurant. He always gives Asuka sushi rolls for lunch which she and the other girls enjoy.

Homura Gurentai

The main rivals of 1st game and the main characters of the sequel "Senran Kagura Burst". Also known as the "Dark Faction", where everybody is accepted, since "The darkness accepts all." They are the original Hiritsu Hebi Joshi Gakuen during Senran Kagura and Senran Kagura Burst.

• Homura (焔)

Voiced by: Eri Kitamura

A second year, the leader of Homura Gurentai, and the main character in Senran Kagura Burst. She fights with 3 katanas in each hand, brandished like claws. It is revealed in episode 9 that she was supposed to enroll in Hanzou Academy, but she killed someone and Hanzou Academy only accepts those with clean records. In the game though, it is revealed that, she was banished from her family, due to her killing an evil ninja who attacked her when she was still a middle-school student. She did it as a self-defense, but they shut her out anyway.

• Yomi (詠)

Voiced by: Ai Kayano

Yomi is a calm and somewhat slow girl, who however, has also a darker side. She's also obsessed with bean sprouts and puts them in almost everything she cooks. Her obsession stems from her youth, as she and her parents lived in the slums filled with poverty and hunger, and her parents passed away from malnutrition, and she considers bean sprouts to be good food for the poor to live on. She fights with a huge claymore-like sword.

• Hikage (日影)

Voiced by: Ryōko Shiraishi

A mysterious, snake-like girl who tries not to show any emotion. In the anime, it is told that she was raised to be a killing machine, while in game it's revealed: she grew up on the streets, and was adopted by a female gang leader named Hinata who was killed in a fight some time afterward. She fights using various knives stored in her gauntlets.

• Mirai (未来)

Voiced by: Saori Gotō

A first year, the smallest girl of the group, who carries an umbrella like Yagyuu and has an eyepatch over her other eye. She fights using various fire arms hidden in her dress in addition to her umbrella. She used to be bullied in her old school, and came to the dark faction so she could fight against bullies.

• Haruka (春花)

Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi

The scientist of the group. She has a fascination with creating puppets. She fights by using the arm sleeves of her lab coat, as well as a vast repertoire of exploding chemical vials. She is mentally twisted due her past, when her mother used to use Haruka as her dress-up doll.

• Suzune (鈴音)

Voiced by: Suzuko Mimori

The girls ninja teacher of Homura Gurentai during Senran Kagura Burst. She was formerly called Rin, and was a student of Hanzou Academy until she faked her own death. Her goal when young was to become a "super ninja."

Shijuku Gessen Jogakkan

• Yumi (雪泉)

Voiced by: Yumi Hara

A third year of the group. Her summoning insect is the snow spider.

• Murakumo (叢)

Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto

• Yozakura (夜桜)

Voiced by: Kaori Ishihara

• Shiki (四季)

Voiced by: Yano Yamamoto

• Minori (美野里)

Voiced by: Hiromi Igarashi

A first year of the group, she is very childish. Her weapon of choice is the bucket.

Hiritsu Hebi Joshi Gakuen

• Miyabi (雅緋)

Voiced by: Hiromi Hirata

A third year of the group. Her weapon of choice is the Demon Blade. Her mother was brutally killed by a youma (a monster which only ninjas can defeat) in front of her when she was a child.

• Imu (忌夢)

Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō

A third year of the group, Miyabi's Childhood Friend.

• Murasaki (紫)

Voiced by: Sayuri Yahagi

Imu's sister.

• Ryobi (両備, Ryōbi)

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa

Transfer Student from Shijuku Gessen Jogakkan. Her weapon of choice is the sniper rifle.

• Ryona (両奈, Ryōna)

Voiced by: MAKO

Transfer Student from Shijuku Gessen Jogakkan, and Ryobi's twin sister.

Other characters

• Murasame (村雨)

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto

Ikaruga's adoptive older brother. He is a failure as a ninja and so was passed over to be the future head of the family. He once tried to steal Hien but was stopped by Ikaruga. However, he is a brilliant businessman and runs the family's business empire.

Development history

Game producer Kenichiro Takaki came up with the idea for the game around April, 2010 when he decided to make a 3DS game. Apparently, within 30 seconds of thinking about a possible game he realized that one of the things people want to see the most in 3D are breasts. The producer then began Senran Kagura's design document as well as working on a budget, creating characters, a plot and deciding upon gameplay elements. Takaki also met with character designer Nan Yaegashi and scenario writer Yukinori Kitajima.

On April 1, 2012 Marvelous Entertainment announced a sequel to the first game, featuring male ninjas replacing the busty female ninjas original characters cast, titled Kagura: Aoaki no Shonentachi. According to the official blog, planning for the game started before the first Senran Kagura, but was rejected because the producers thought it needed breasts to sell. However, the staff continued making the game in secret. The game was in development for an undisclosed platform for release in 201X. In the end, was revealed that the game was an April Fools Day joke.

Ken Berry of North American publisher Marvelous USA has stated that it may consider releasing Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shōjo-tachi digitally outside of Japan, though points out it is a "scary proposition due to the subject matter and difference in attitudes between Japanese culture and the more conservative culture here in the U.S."

Other media

Manga

There are currently five manga series based on the franchise. The main adaptation, written by Kenichirō Takaki and illustrated by Amami Takatsume, began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive magazine from August 27, 2011. Seven Seas Entertainment will begin releasing the series in North America in November 2013 under the title Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows. Senran Kagura: Guren no Uroboros, illustrated by Manabu Aoi, began serialization in Ichijinsha's Comic Rex magazine from September 27, 2011. Senran Kagura Spark! was published in Enterbrain's Famitsu Comic Clear between August 19, 2011 and February 17, 2012, followed by Senran Kagura: Senshi Bankō no Haruka and Senran Enji Kyonyū-gumi, both published between September 7, 2012 and February 1, 2013.

Anime

A television anime adaptation produced by Artland aired in Japan between January 6, 2013 and March 24, 2013. The series is directed by Takashi Watanabe with scripts by Takao Yoshioka and character designs by Takashi Torii. The anime is licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment, who streamed the series as it aired.

Theme songs

Opening theme

• "Break Your World" by Sayaka Sasaki

Ending themes

• "Fighting Dreamer" by Hitomi Harada, Asami Imai, Yū Kobayashi, Kaori Mizuhashi and Yuka Iguchi (eps 1-3, 8)
• "Yamiyo wa Otome wo Hana ni Suru" (闇夜は乙女を花にする, The Flowers of the Girls of the Night) by Eri Kitamura, Ai Kayano, Ryōko Shiraishi, Saori Gotō and Megumi Toyoguchi (eps 4-6, 9)
• "Shissōron" (疾走論, Theory Sprint) by Hitomi Harada (ep 7, 10-12)

Episode list

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No.	Title	Original air date

External links

• Senran Kagura official website Template:Ja icon
• Burst official website Template:Ja icon
• Shinovi Versus oficial website Template:Ja icon
• Kagura NewWave oficial website Template:Ja icon
• Anime official website Template:Ja icon
• Senran Kagura (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia