Mini Ninjas is a 2015 children's animated series made by Cyber Group Studios, in collaboration with Square Enix. It is based (however loosely) on the Mini Ninjas video game made by Square Enix's then-subsidiary, IO Interactive.
Six ninjas; Hiro, Suzume, Futo, as well as Tora, Shun, and Kunoichi all learn about the morals of friendship in ninja style, while fighting off the Evil Warlord and his granddaughter Shoko. It's your basic kids' show, but with ninjas!
This animated series is largely unknown to the general public, even among those who have played the game this series is based of off. It wasn't advertised very much, and it being made by a French studio meant it was always going to fade into obscurity. Curiously, Square Enix doesn't seem to mind its continued existence, and unlike other companies' failed ventures into video game adaptations for the big and small screen, it is still available to purchase and stream on Amazon Prime, and is even English-dubbed to boot, even more baffingly.
Tropes found in this show:
- Adaptation Deviation:
- All six ninjas have their faces revealed for most of the series' runtime, when in the games, only Futo and Suzume were seen without masks, and the former usually wears a Domino Mask. That said, they do usually mask up when fighting.
- Kunoichi is a toddler here, despite being the oldest of the ninjas in the game (and the first person the Ninja Master sends to defeat the Evil Warlord in that game).
- Adaptation Expansion: By nature of the Ninja Master being more in the center of attention as the nemesis of the Evil Warlord, we see a lot more of the Kuji magic he can use as a result, such as a spell to blast away magic-numbing pollen with tornados.
- Canon Foreigner: Shoko was never in the original game; here, she is a high-ranking minion to the Warlord, and his granddaughter.
- Contrived Coincidence: The show tries to keep Shun, Kunoichi and Tora out of the action, with events conspiring to keep them at the secret hideout. Justified for Kunoichi, as she is rather young in this adaptation, with the rest implied to be young teenagers.
- Gratuitous Japanese: Unlike the games (which had voice acting that mostly consisted of this trope outside of cutscenes), the show is dubbed in French and English for its kid audience. However, there's a surprising amount of Japanese words thrown out into conversations for no other reason but for this effect to take place. The episode titles are oftentimes also in Japanese.
- Just as Planned: Hiro in "Unique" wants to get the Mirror Shield the Ninja Master speaks of to them, instead of cleaning up. Judging by the Masters' actions moments after Hiro, Suzume and Futo go on their quest (by sending Fox to help them), he had planned this all along.
- Ninja:...we'll let you figure it out...all six of them, all listed above.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Mirrored Hiro in "Unique" has these briefly when turned away from Futo and Suzume.
- Unseen No More: All of the ninjas have their faces revealed (with the exception of Suzume whose face was never covered up in the game, but they take off their ninja band on occasion to let their hair down).
- The Voiceless: Tora doesn't speak in anything but tiger growls, as he literally thinks he's a tiger.
