It has been revealed that the total number of copies of the popular manga series "Rantaro the Failed Ninja" (published by Asahi Shimbun Publications) by Soubei Amako has exceeded 10 million. The work is the original work for the popular anime "Nintama Rantaro." The movie version of the anime " Nintama Rantaro the Movie: Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist," which was released in December 2024, has also been a hot topic, with its box office revenue exceeding 3 billion yen.
Author Amako commented, "Thank you so much for selling over 10 million copies of the Failed Ninja Rantaro comics!! For the 32 years since the first volume was published in May 1993, I have continued to walk a road with no finish line with Rantaro and the others, but days like this sometimes come. I hope that I can continue to walk this long, long road together with all my readers and the Nintama. I am truly, truly grateful."
To celebrate surpassing 10 million copies in total sales, "Complete Edition Novel: Rantaro the Failed Ninja, Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist" will be released on July 22nd, and "Rantaro the Failed Ninja Premium Box Set" volumes 1-3 will be released in mid-August. "Novel: Rantaro the Failed Ninja, Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist" is the original work for the animated film " Nintama Rantaro the Movie: Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist," and the complete edition will include a new story written by Sakaguchi Kazuhisa about the mysterious part leading up to the birth of Amaki that was not revealed in the main story. The cover will be a new drawing by Amako, and the book will be released in a new binding.
"Rantaro the Failed Ninja" depicts the slapstick comedy of a group of aspiring ninjas who enroll in a ninja academy with the goal of becoming top ninjas. The series began serialization in the Asahi Elementary School Newspaper in April 1986 and came to an end in October 2019 after 33 years of serialization. A total of 65 volumes of the comics have been released.
The anime series "Nintama Rantaro" began in 1993, and was also made into a live-action film and a musical. The first animated feature film in about 13 years, " Nintama Rantaro the Movie: Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist," was released in December 2024.
