History Manga / IganoKabamaru

* BoundAndGagged: Happens to Mai when she goes to the Ōgyoku Academy to try and stop the fighting, only to be taken herself.

* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: Played straight in the manga, where characters have blue or purple hair, but downplayed in the anime adaptation where characters have blonde or red hair despite being Japanese.

Kabamaru Igano was orphaned at a young age. He was raised by his grandfather, Saizo Igano, to be a skilled ninja, alongside another orphan named Hayate Kirino. On the day of his grandfather's funeral, Kabamaru learns that one of the guests, Ran Ookumo, knew his grandfather and he asked that she care for him should he ever die. It turns out that Ookumo is the headmistress of Kin'gyoku, an elite school, and Kabamaru is to enroll there. He doesn't know it, but Kin'gyoku is actually at odds with the rival school Ōgyoku - the heads of their student councils (Shizune Meijiro and Shuu Meijima, respectively) have been feuding for a long time, and Mejiro can't wait to use Kabamaru as a pawn for it...

* DubNameChange: In the French dub, Kagamaru became '''Benjamin''' and Mai became '''Agnès'''.

* {{Shojo}}: Yes, believe it or not, this proto-''Naruto'' series about two ninja boys is a shojo. It ran in a shojo magazine and the large number of cast {{Pretty Boy}}s is possibly to appeal to a female audience.

Kabamaru Igano was orphaned at a young age. He was raised by his grandfather, Saizo Igano, to be a skilled ninja, alongside another orphan named Hayate Kirino. On the day of his grandfather's funeral, Kabamaru learns that one of the guests, Ran Ookumo, was his grandfather's first love and he asked that she care for him should he ever die. It turns out that Ookumo is the headmistress of Kin'gyoku, a school that trains ninjas, and Kabamaru is to enroll there. He doesn't know it, but Kin'gyoku is actually at odds with the rival school Ōgyoku - the heads of their student councils (Shizune Mejiro and Shuu Meijima, respectively) have been feuding for a long time, and Mejiro can't wait to use Kabamaru as a pawn for it...

Not to be confused with the similarly named ''Iga No Kagemaru''.

** [[spoiler: In the manga, Kirino had no problem fighting Kabamaru for Ōgyoku. In the anime, Yoshi makes him do it.]]

** Even Saizo Igano was quite the ladies man. In his youth, he captured the hearts of Ran Ookumo and Yoshi Matsuno; [[spoiler: they eventually stopped being friends over their rivalry for him.]]

* WorldOfTechnicolorHair: Played straight in the manga, where characters have blue or purple hair, but downplayed in the anime adaptation that has characters have blonde or red hair despite being Japanese.

Twelve years after the manga ended, it received an anime adaptation, directed by Tameo Kohanowa. The anime ran from 20 October, 1983 to 29 March, 1984 and spanned 24 episodes.

Two years after the manga ended, it received an anime adaptation, directed by Tameo Kohanowa. The anime ran from 20 October, 1983 to 29 March, 1984 and spanned 24 episodes.

Twelve years after the manga ended, it received an anime adaptation, directed by Tameo Kohanowa. The anime ran from 20 October, 1983 to 29 March, 1984 and spanned 24 episodes.

Two years after the manga ended, it received an anime adaptation, directed by Tameo Kohanowa. The anime ran from 20 October, 1983 to 29 March, 1984 and spanned 24 episodes.

* AdaptedOut: Luxurious Banquet was adapted out of the anime version, but appeared in the live-action version.

Reading the synopsis, you may think this manga is a prototype to ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. You'd be right, but {{ninja}} stories of this kind are actually very common in Japan. That doesn't change the fact that there are some quite uncanny parallels, like the light-haired main character fighting against his dark haired friend-turned-foe, believing he can bring him back to the side of good, his AbhorrentAdmirer status to the girl he likes, and the complicated politics of the system around him. Many who grew up with it describe it as "''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' meets ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', but [[DenserAndWackier STUPID]]".[[note]]Yes, this is said with the knowledge that ''Naruto'' itself can be pretty zany at times[[/note]]

* GratuitousForeignLanguage: For all this BookDumb tendencies, Kabamaru can read the Chinese inscriptions on his grandfather's tablets.

Kabamaru Igano was orphaned at a young age. He was raised by his grandfather, Saizo Igano, to be a skilled ninja, alongside another orphan named Hayate Kirino. On the day of his grandfather's funeral, Kabamaru learns that one of the guests, Ran Ookumo, was his grandfather's first love and he asked that she care for him should he ever die. It turns out that Ookumo is the headmistress of Kin'gyoku, a school that trains ninjas, and Kabamaru is to enroll there. He doesn't know it, but Kin'gyoku is actually at odds with the rival school Ōgyoku - the heads of their student councils (Shizune Mejiro and Shuu Meijima, respectively) have been fueding for a long time, and Mejiro can't wait to use Kabamaru as a pawn for it...

* ChristmasEpisode: One episode Christmas Eve, and focuses on Ran's love life.

[[caption-width-right:392:Left to right, above: Mai, Hayate, Kabamaru and Maejima]]

[[caption-width-right:392:Left to right, above:Mai, Hayate, Kabamaru and Maejima]]

In 1983, ''Igano Kabamaru'' received a LiveActionAdaptation directed by Suzuki Norifumi. The lead, Kabamaru, was played by Teru Kurosaki with Junya Takagi (Hayate), Hiroyuki Sanada (Shuu), Kumiko Takeda (Mai), Naomi Morinaga (Kaoru) in supporting roles. It was directed by Shinishi Chiba and grossed $1.4 Billion Japanese yen.

* AdaptationalBadass: Futaba Meijiro (Shuu's older sister) uses nunchucks in the anime adaptation, whereas in the manga she wasn't inclined to any weapon.

** Kabamaru, Shuu and Derek have feelings for Mai Ookumo, Principal Ookumo's granddaughter. [[spoiler: An unknown to Shuu, Kaoru likes him, but never got the chance to tell him...]]

* RedheadsAreRavishing: Mai has short ginger-red hair, and the object of affection for Kagamaru and Meijima. Throughout the series, she's not interested in romance ([[spoiler:even though she grows feelings for Kabamaru and doesn't realize it)]] and more focused on her friendships at school and focusing on her academics.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Kabamaru likes Mai, but she finds him so ugly that upon meeting him for the first time, she has nightmares of him and his dreadful eating habits.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: ''Igano Kabamaru'' has Arabic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLLVnVKJNJI opening]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf5rxWa0DuY Greek]] openings.

* ChristmasEpisode: Episode 19 takes place on Christmas Eve, and

* InsultToRocks: Whe Kabamaru dines at the Ookumo's house for the first time, he's eager to see so much food and scarfs it down with no manners. Mai is disgusted, and in her mind compares him to a monkey, before realizing that what she's saying is insulting to monkeys.

* RaceLift: Kabamaru was pale skinned in the manga, but the anime series darkens his skin.

** The Gladforce family, who are British. There's Anthony, who's distantly related to Kabamaru[[note]]Their grandfathers were cousins[[/note]] (and a dead ringer for him) and Derek.

Kabamaru Igano was orphaned at a young age. He was raised by his grandfather, Saizo Igano, to be a skilled ninja, alongside another orphan named Hayate Kirino. On the day of his grandfather's funeral, Kabamaru learns that one of the guests, Ran Ookumo, was his grandfather's first love and he asked that she care for him should he ever side. It turns out that Ookumo is the headmistress of Kin'gyoku, a school that trains ninjas, and Kabamaru is to enroll there. He doesn't know it, but Kin'gyoku is actually at odds with the rival school Ōgyoku - the heads of their student councils (Shizune Mejiro and Shuu Meijima, respectively) have been fueding for a long time, and Mejiro can't wait to use Kabamaru as a pawn for it...

Two years after the manga ended, it received an anime adaptation, directed by Tameo Kohanowa. The anime ran from 20 October 1983 – 29 March 1984 and spanned 24 episodes.

* RedheadsAreRavishing: Mai has short ginger-red hair, and the object of affection for Kagamaru and Meijima. Throughout the series, she's not interested in romance ([[spoiler: even though she grows feelings for Kabamaru and doesn't realize it)]] and more focused on her friendships at school and focusing on her academics.