Ninja Senshi Tobikage

Joe Maya (ジョウ・マヤ, Jō Maya), Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue[3]

Joe is a 16-year-old boy who lives with his father (a construction worker) on Mars at the beginning of the series. He lost his mother when he was young, but often reminisces about the beauty of Earth. He is rebellious (especially against authority), quick-tempered, insensitive, and impulsive, the opposite of his father, who is calm and thoughtful. His nonattendance at the compulsory military exam leads to him and Mike being chased by the military police into the area where the spaceship crash lands.

At first, Joe attempts to leave his friends in order to go after Hazzard, but they support him when Hazzard imprisons his father and Jenny's parents. He is the first to discover and operate one of the three ninja robots: the Black Lion. He is usually the first to spring towards defending Xenos 5 during the numerous attacks. Cybertron appears when he is in a dire situation and either aids him or merges with the Black Lion. He eventually pilots Cybertron. He is often singled out by Icelander (piloting Mantis or Zerokage) for duels. His motivation for helping Xenos 5 changes as the series progresses: rebel against Hazzard, rescue the parents, inform Earth of Hazzard's evil plans, find the ninjas, and free Ladorio from the Zaboom army. His tactics are very daring, such as infiltrating C-Terahertz as a prisoner.

Joe's childhood friend is Ronin and their friendship stands several tests. He and Mike are close, referring to each other as brothers. He enjoys teasing Jenny and treats her like one of the guys, but becomes jealous when he wrongly suspects Mike of fancying her. He is struck by the beauty of Princess Romina upon their first meeting and is willing to do anything to protect her. He continues being attracted to both Jenny and Romina and admits this to Jenny in the final episode (the English version strongly hints that he reciprocates Jenny's love and confesses his love to her in episode 41).[note 1] His infatuation with the princess, as well as his rude and rash behavior, puts him at odds with Icelander . This results in an animosity that persists until the very end - when Joe encourages him to fight against dying and they join hands to power Xenos 5.

Jenny Ai (レニー・アイ, Renī Ai, known as Lennie Ai in Japan), Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka[3]

Jenny is a 16-year-old girl (turns 17 during the series) who is friends with Joe and Mike. She is a no-nonsense girl-next-door, determined, stubborn, but also caring about her family who faces Hazzard's machinations. She is the second of the group to operate a ninja robot; she pilots the Phoenix Thunderhawk. She is almost as daring as Joe in combat and comes to his rescue several times.

A local boy, Kenji, has a crush on her, but she does not reciprocate, and gets irritated whenever Joe teases her about him. She is passionately in love with Joe and is very jealous and possessive, becoming upset and hurt by Joe's continued insensitivity to her feelings and occasional flirting with Princess Romina. She reacts violently whenever she observes signs of Princess Romina's increasing love for Joe. The two girls reach a truce when Romina admits loving Joe, but requests her for a united front until Ladorio is freed. Although Jenny does not like going to Ladorio (fearing she may lose Joe to Romina), she changes her mind when Joe confesses his love for her. Jenny is also close to Mike, giving him advice on courting Jade.

Mike Coil (マイク・コイル, Maiku Koiru), Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi[3]

Mike is a 15-year-old boy who treats Joe like an older brother, although he is the opposite in personality, being sensitive, perceptive, and reserved. He is protective of Joe, leaping to his defense when Icelander or Gameran criticizes or are skeptical of Joe. He completes the initial trio who pilot the Ninja Robots; he pilots Burst Dragon.

He eventually falls in love with Jade and gets contrasting love advice from both Joe and Jenny. He is critical of Joe's treatment of Jenny, sometimes even physically fighting.

Damian (ダミアン, Damian), Voiced by: Masamichi Satō[3]

Damian is the 18-year-old son of the Martian north pole's guerrilla leader. He initially mistrusts Joe and the Ladorians, but later joins them when Hazzard attacks both Xenos 5 and the North Pole. After Joe pilots Cybertron, Damian works hard and succeeds in piloting the Black Lion.

His microchip on the ninjas provides them with information on the mechanism of Cybertron strengthening the ninja robots. He falls in love with a female ninja (led by Charme and sent to trap Xenos 5), but she sacrifices her life to enable them escape.

Ronin Sanada (ローニン・サナダ, Rōnin Sanada), Voiced by: Masashi Hironaka[3]

Ronin is a childhood friend of Joe , Mike, and Jenny, and is a Major General in Earth. He was very close to Joe when he lived in Mars with his father. He trusts his childhood friends despite the convincing lies told by Hazzard and unwaveringly tries to help them and Xenos 5 by using his father's power and connections, often at great risks to himself. He is arrested when Hazzard frames him and is forced to attack Xenos 5 and Joe. He is daring and provides fuel for Xenos 5, an act for which he is dismissed. He is reinstated when the Earth Federation decides to support Xenos 5. He discovers Xenos 5's previous visit to Japan in A.D. 1790.

Kegare Sanada (ケガレ・サナダ, Kegare Sanada), Voiced by: Rokurō Naya[3]

Kegare is the father of Ronin. He is the North American representative to the Earth Federation and was the previous commander of the Martian colony. He, along with his son, tries to lobby support for Xenos 5. When the Earth Federation allies with Hazzard (and the Zaboom army), he withdraws North America's membership of the Earth Federation and offers assistance to Xenos 5. He is later forced to rejoin the Earth Federation and become hostile to Xenos 5.

Hazzard Pascha (ハザード・パシャ, Hazādo Pasha), Voiced by: Takeshi Aono[3]

Hazzard is the 40-year-old dictatorial commander of Mars who persecutes the polar guerrillas and imposes his will on the inhabitants. He is power-hungry, opportunistic, devious, a liar, and a master manipulator. He waits for an opportunity to take revenge on earth for transferring him to Mars. The crash-landing of Xenos 5 makes him realizes that he could use the technology to conquer earth. All of his future actions are motivated by this purpose. He kidnaps Princess Romina for coercing her into giving him the technology. Upon her refusal, he allies with Grathan, the first deal being to receive the enemy robots in exchange for Romina. The fine-print of his alliance with the Zaboom army varies during the course of the series, but through this he increases his arsenal of enemy robots and hopes to conquer the solar system using these and the ninja robots.

He fears King Annex, is angry at Grathan for his occasional disregard, and deeply hates Icelander for mainly three reasons (beating him in the race to succeed Grathan, his arrogant behavior, and for seeing through his machinations). In the finale, he rescues Joe and Icelander (and their robots- Cybertron and Zerokage) after the destruction of the Zaboom fortress and plans to use them to conquer the universe. He places bombs on both robots to ensure their destruction if they disobey. When Joe and Icelander escape to duel outside Xenos 5, Hazzard triggers the bombs upon realizing that they are fueled by hatred towards each other and would only be counterproductive to his plans. He tries to kill everyone on Xenos 5, but is destroyed by the Phoenix in Houraiou mode.

Dog Tack (ドッグ・タック, Doggu Takku), Voiced by: Takashi Taniguchi[3]

Dog Tack is Hazzard's henchman and trusted aide. He is eventually killed in episode 41.

This is a list of the notable characters from the planet Ladorio.

Romina Ladorio (ロミナ・ラドリオ, Romina Radorio), Voiced by: Sumi Shimamoto[3]

Romina (Rowena in the English version) is the young daughter and heiress of King Ladorio VII of Ladorio. When the Zaboom army invades Ladorio, her parents entrust her with the task of finding the ninjas from the Earth who could pilot the three ninja robots and defeat the invaders. She strongly believes that Joe and his friends are the ninjas despite their denials. Unlike others on Xenos 5, she readily accepts Joe and his friends, considers their advice, and is distressed by fights and arguments between Joe and Icelander or Gameran. Although she puts on a brave and composed front, she mourns over the destruction of her home planet, her father's assassination, and her mother's imprisonment. This also makes her sensitive to the lives of humans, often vetoing plans by Icelander and/or Gameran that involves such collateral destruction and loss.

She has a strong sense of ethics and is both diplomatic and decisive. She is courageous, attacking Icelander (in Mantis or Zerokage) when he overpowered Joe (in the Black Lion or Cybertron) and throwing herself under the two robots to prevent them from fighting. Although she is perturbed by Grathan and Annex, she refuses to waver from her mission of finding the ninjas and redeeming her home planet, even if she is the last one standing. This single-minded focus leads her to rebuff Icelander's attempt at courting her (giving him a lecture on their priorities) and postpones acting on her growing love for Joe. She is also rational, explaining to Jenny that she would compete for Joe only if her feelings are unchanged after accomplishing her mission. In the finale, she seems to give up on winning Joe when she sees him with Jenny.

Her attitude towards Joe results in Icelander concluding he cannot win her heart, thus defecting to C-Terahertz and flaming his hatred of Joe. This action devastates her and, regardless of his reasons (which Gameran was commanded to divulge), she considers him a betrayer and enemy. Yet, she is forgiving and does not prevent several of her frightened crew from defecting (in fact, she forgives Gameran's attempts at defecting; presumably Icelander is forgiven in the finale).

Jade (シャフ, Shafu, known as Schaffe in Japan), Voiced by: Rika Fukami[3]

Jade is an 18-year-old lady-in-waiting and confidante of Princess Romina. She is conscientious, kind, and understanding, often protesting on behalf of the Princess who does not vocalize her feelings. She was skeptical of Joe being a ninja owing to his brash character. She is very protective of Romina and threatens Joe against capturing Romina's heart for this is a guaranteed heartbreak (Romina can marry only a Ladorian). She is cautious, not divulging Icelander's attempt at killing Romina as she does not know his reasons. She does not tolerate bad behavior and scolds others for being insensitive and Joe for his treatment of Jenny. She is courageous, impersonating Romina when visiting the Earth Federation and earns the admiration and love of Mike.

Icelander (イルボラ・サロ, Irubora Saro, known as Irbora Saro in Japan), Voiced by: Kenyu Horiuchi[3]

Icelander is a reserved, but very ambitious general who commands Xenos 5 (later, C-Terahertz for King Annex). Known as "The Best Warrior" and "Pride" of Ladorio, he identifies himself as a soldier and is proud and arrogant, tending to look down upon others. He is both an excellent warrior and military tactician, often divining his opponents' game-plans, capitalizing on the context, and giving little thought to collateral damage. Throughout the series, he is driven by his deep love for Princess Romina, his dream of rebuilding Ladorio with her, and his great hatred and envy of Joe. He pilots the Mantis and the ninja robot Zerokage.

Both he and Joe are "people of action" and this mutual antipathy ends up in open quarrels and fights. He does not accept Joe and his friends and hates him for disagreeing on his tactics, disobeying him, and attracting Romina. The need to win her love and trust makes him reckless and he is captured by Grathan and Hazzard who offer a tempting deal, lies of Ladorio's destruction, and pokes at his feelings (better to kill her rather than lose her to Joe). Although his love for her prevents him from killing her, he feels guilty for breaking his promise to protect her and leaves Xenos 5.

He becomes a mercenary, fighting for Grathan and King Annex and targeting Joe for duels. His loyalty to Annex is suspect, harboring plans of single-handedly freeing Ladorio. He negotiates with Grathan for Romina's survival and expects her to understand his feelings when he saves her. Prior to a plan of destroying Xenos 5, he infiltrates the spaceship and warns Gameran, begging him to move Romina to safety. He finally gloats to Joe about the sole reason for working for Annex: the opportunity to destroy him. This hatred for Joe persists until he is seriously injured. Expecting to die, he confesses his feelings to Romina and entrusts her to Joe. He is believed to have survived as Zerokage/him and Cybertron/Joe join hands and enter the secret room together to power the Xenos 5, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

Gameran (ガメラン, Gameran, known as Gamellun in Japan), Voiced by: Masashi Sugawara[3]

Gameran is the second in command aboard the Xenos 5. He deeply distrusts Joe and his friends and their efforts to help Xenos 5, often assuming that they are betraying them or are using them. He takes the initiative to attempt at murdering Joe and Jenny and often tries to prevent Joe from leaving the ship- whether it be for fighting against the enemies or negotiating. He is the only person to whom Icelander confesses his reasons for leaving Xenos 5. He remains more loyal to Icelander who prevents his attempts at following him to C-Terahertz and commissions him with protecting Princess Romina. This makes him angrier at Joe and his friends, seeing them as the reasons for Icelander's departure.

A list of notable characters in the army of Zaboom.

Grathan Gryn (グラサン・グリン, Gurasan Gurin), Voiced by: Hōchū Ōtsuka[3]

Grathan Gryn is the first commander of the Zaboom army who pursues Xenos 5 to the Solar System. His mission shifts from capturing Xenos 5 to killing Princess Romina and reluctantly allies with Hazzard. He is manipulative, but is also manipulated by Hazzard. The duo traps Icelander and offers him a deal: the three ninja robots in exchange for murdering the Princess. His lies and manipulations contribute to Icelander abandoning Xenos 5 and joining C-Terahertz. Grathan later agrees (with the fullest intention of reneging) to a revised deal with Icelander: the capture of Xenos 5 in exchange for the survival of Princess Romina. When Romina attacks Mantis/Icelander, Grathan shoots at her plane, even shooting down Mantis/Icelander when he obstructs and protests. He is killed by Cybertron just as he is about to kill Romina.

Charme Veker (シャルム・ベーカー, Sharumu Bēkā), Voiced by: Eiko Yamada[3]

King Annex's trusted and devoted General (with her own female warriors) and possible lover. She is beautiful, but stern, cruel, ruthless, and devious. She is struck by the beauty of the planet Earth, which Annex promises to give her. She is suspicious of Icelander and believes he has hidden motives. This leads her to disregard Icelander's tactical advice and tries to kill him (and Cybertron) in the force room. She is killed in the destruction of G-Excellent.

King Annex (アネックス・ザブーム, Anekkusu Zabūmu, known as Anecs Zaboom in Japan), Voiced by: Masaaki Okabe[3]

King Annex is the ruler of planet Zaboom and seeks to become the ruler of the universe. He possesses a large fleet of spaceships and robots. He invades Ladorio under the pretext of punishing King Ladorio VII for disagreeing with his viewpoint on the population decline in the galaxy. The more compelling reason is the legend and prophecy on the ninjas. He goes on to conquer the galaxy and focuses on achieving absolute victory: killing Princess Romina and appropriating the three ninja robots. He comes to the solar system due to Grathan's consistent failures at both tasks. He appoints Icelander as Grathan's successor and correctly guesses Icelander to be the destined pilot of another ninja robot that he possesses, the Zerokage. Upon understanding that ninjas have died out, his aim shifts to securing the other part of the prophecy from Romina and using Cybertron to conquer the universe. He supposedly leaves for Zaboom in C-Terahertz, leaving Charme in charge, but hides in the vicinity of G-Excellent. He is killed when Joe destroys the G-Excellent.

The ancient legend, pieced together during the series, speaks of mysterious ninjas who, 500 years ago, fought off an invading Zaboom army trying to conquer Ladorio. They had been transported from Japan in A.D.1790 and brought to planet via Xenos 5. Subsequently, they were the models for the three ninja robots (Black Lion, Phoenix Thunderhawk, and Burst Dragon) and it was believed the robots could be piloted only by the ninjas.

When the Zaboom army attacks Ladorio, King Ladorio VII entrusts Princess Romina with the task of finding the ninjas from Earth who could pilot the three robots and defeat the Zaboom army. King Annex aims at not only preventing Romina from finding the ninjas, but also use the ninjas and the ninja robots to conquer the universe.

Both Annex and Romina possess a torn piece each of a parchment containing the prophecy. Annex's parchment, with the latter half of the prophecy, states that the ninjas in Xenos 5 would emit a great light and would have the power to destroy stars and planets. Romina's parchment (hidden in her tiara and discovered in the final episode), with the former half of the prophecy, states that when Cybertron and Zerokage meet at Xenos 5, they will combine to generate great energy, resulting in the transformation of Xenos 5.

The prophecy is fulfilled when Icelander and Joe join hands to merge into Cybertron and Zerokage, emitting the great light, and enter the secret, forbidden chamber in Xenos 5 where they power and transform Xenos 5 and journeys back to Ladorio.

The ninja robots are mechas that can be controlled only by individuals with special abilities. In the event of the pilots losing their physical strength, they merge with a special ninja robot called Cybertron (Tobikage) and transform into a more powerful combination.

The pilots of both Cybertron (Joe) and Zerokage (Icelander) have a deeper association with their ninja robots. The robots instinctively respond to them and merges with them when their lives are in danger (as seen when Joe and Icelander are in their mortal forms when G-Excellent is destroyed, but are found by Hazzard drifting in space in their robot forms). They also have reciprocal power levels. They combine to form a luminous power source that not only energizes Xenos 5, but also has the potential to destroy stars (and their previous inadvertent combination contributes to a widespread damage of G-Excellent).

Cybertron (飛影, Tobikage, lit. Flying Shadow)

Cybertron is a small ninja robot, approximately 3.6 m (12 ft) tall and weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb). It mysteriously appears whenever the ninja robots are low on power or are facing overwhelming odds. It can fight on its own or can combine with one of the ninja robots (when the pilots are weak) to form a more powerful mode. From episode 26 onwards, Joe is able to summon and pilot Cybertron. Icelander tracks the origin of Cybertron to the secret chamber aboard the Xenos 5.

Black Lion (黒獅子, Kurojishi)

Black Lion was the first ninja robot to be activated. It is initially piloted by Joe and later by Damian. When it merges with Cybertron, it is known as "Beast Demon Kurojishi", and looks more like a lion. As per its namesake, it has an armored mane that shoots bullets and is the most agile and speedy of the ninja robots. It is 6.5 m (21 ft) tall and weighs 10 tons.

Phoenix Thunderhawk (鳳雷鷹, Hōraiō)

Phoenix Thunderhawk is the ninja robot used by Jenny. It has powers of fire. When it merges with Cybertron, it is known as "Sky Demon Hōraiō", and resembles a fiery phoenix. In this form, it can fly and cast a flame that spans its wings. It is 7.2 m (24 ft) tall and weighs 9.6 tons.

Burst Dragon (爆竜, Bakuryū)

Burst Dragon is the ninja robot used by Mike. When it merges with Cybertron, it is known as "Sea Demon Bakuryu", and resembles a dragon. Its form is large and strong, but slow and ungainly. Its special ability is a lightning strike that is capable of wiping out entire robot armies. It is 8.3 m (27 ft) tall and weighs 12 tons.

Shadow Bots (シャーマン, Shāman, known as Shaman in Japan)

The generic battle mecha used by the Zaboom army. They are colored red, have camouflaging abilities, and are equipped with kamas. They are 3.6 m (12 ft) tall and weigh 750 kg (1,650 lb).

Stealth Destroyers (バンクス, Bankusu, known as Bankz in Japan)

A more powerful mecha used by the Zaboom army. They are equipped jumonji type yari and are significantly larger than the Shadow Bots at 10 m (33 ft) tall.

Mantis (スケルトン, Sukeruton, known as Skeleton in Japan)

A giant, blue robot created by Grathan and having four times the strength of the Stealth Destroyers. As part of a deal with Grathan, Icelander is allowed to pilot this (from episode 19 until episode 24) and lead the Zaboom attacks on Xenos 5. It was destroyed by the Black Lion in Kurojishi mode.

Zerokage (零影, lit. Null Shadow)

Zerokage is a very agile and sentient Ninja Robot possessed by King Annex. Given its reference in the prophecy, it is not known how Annex got it. It merges with Icelander when Icelander was thrown out of the Mantis. Its main opponent is the Cybertron and both robots are comparable in ability. It is 4 m (13 ft) tall and weighs 550 kg (1,210 lb).

Xenos 5 (エルシャンク, Erushanku, known as Ellshanc in Japan)

Also: Cinos 5. The mother ship for the aliens from Ladorio. It is 300 m long and 250 m wide. It carries a crew of 50 people, both male and female. Xenos 5 had visited the earth 500 years ago to carry away several ninja warriors to Ladorio.

C-Terahertz (Ｃ・テラヘルツ, Shi Teraherutsu)

A giant space fortress used by the Zaboom army and Commander Grathan when pursuing Xenos 5. It is 500 m tall and is later commanded by Icelander. The Black Lion in Kurojishi mode cripples it (temporarily) to permit Xenos 5 to reach the Earth.

G-Excellent (G・エクセレント, Ji Ekuserento)

King Annex reaches the solar system in this gigantic space fortress commanded by Charme. C-Terahertz is a dwarf when compared to this. It is first damaged by the Earth's missiles and later crippled by Icelander/Zerokage's attack on Joe / Cybertron. It is finally destroyed by Joe's time bombs.

Famille Ship

A cruiser used by Hazzard. It is destroyed in the 41st episode by the Phoenix in Houraioh mode.

The anime has been released in two DVD boxsets on March 22, 2002 and June 25, 2002 by PioneerLDC.[6]

The series used to be streamed in North America via Yomiura Group's now defunct Anime Sols video service in spring 2013.[7] In December 2021, the series became available for streaming on RetroCrush.[8]

Discotek has licensed the anime for a release in North America.[9] On June 7, 2021, the company issued calls for assistance in locating the English dub tracks for episodes 34, 37, 42 and 43.[10] The series was released with an English dub on Blu-ray on January 25, 2022.[11]