Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls
Movies
Also Known As
Basilisk: Ouka Ninpouchou
Basilisk Oka Ninpo Cho
Synopsis
Ten years have passed since the bloody battle to decide the next shogun. It’s an era of peace, with ninjas from the Iga and Koga clans working together to preserve the precious bloodlines of Oboro and Gennosuke, inherited by their twin children Hachiro and Hibiki. However, the peace is disturbed when a strange, powerful man called Jojin and his troupe pits Tadanaga against his older brother, the shogun...
Background
Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls is based on a two-volume light novel by Masaki Yamada, published in November and December 2015, respectively, under Kodansha’s Kodansha Tiger label. It is a sequel to Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou, a 2003-2004 manga by Masaki Segawa based on Futaro Yamada’s historical fantasy novel.
The Ouka Ninja Scrolls also received a manga adaptation illustrated by Tatsuya Shihira with character designs by Masaki Segawa. The manga started serialization in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine in July 2017 and currently has two tankobon volumes published, the latter of which came out on Feb. 5, 2018.
Anime Adaptation
Basilisk received its first anime series in 2005, produced by Gonzo and directed by Fumitomo Kizaki. The series ran for 24 episodes. The sequel, The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, is produced by Seven Arcs Pictures, directed by Junji Nishimura, and written by Shinsuke Onishi. It premiered on Jan. 8, 2018 in Japan, but it is also simulcast on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Similarly to the first series, the opening theme, “Ouka Ninpouchou,” is performed by folk metal band Onmyo-za, and both endings, “Hot Blood” and “Suiren,” are sung by Nana Mizuki.
Characters
Hachiro Koga (CV: Tasuku Hatanaka)
The son of Gennosuke and Oboro and the older twin brother of Hibiki, Hachiro is the leader of the Koga Five Treasures. He is talented and clever, but when it comes to common knowledge, he is often at a loss. He inherited his father’s Dojutsu that reflects hostile intent back on his opponent.
Hibiki Iga (CV: Inori Minase)
The daughter of Oboro and Gennosuke and the younger twin sister of Hachiro, Hibiki is the leader of Iga’s Five Flowers. Although she is a charming girl who is both graceful and innocent, she can freak out people with her Dojutsu, which she inherited from her mother. Her eyes have the power to make her enemy’s hostility disappear.
Saizo Ishi (CV: Katsuhiro Tokuishi)
A Koga ninja who grew up with Hachiro and Hibiki, Saizo is a trickster with a sharp tongue, and he is also good at games and strategy. He often bickers with Utsutsu, but he secretly cares about her. His ability involves removing his eyeballs to scout the nearby area.
Shikibu Kora (CV: Fukushi Ochiai)
One of the three Koga ninja who grew up with Hachiro and Hibiki. Although he is not good with words, Shikibu is a loyal ally with a gentle heart. He was born with a rare illness that causes his muscles to grow continuously, and he has to wear full body armor in order to repress the growth. His light body armor and rhino helmet were made by Gorone.
Shichigen Higurashi (CV: Mitsuhiro Ichiki)
A Koga ninja who grew up with Hachiro and Hibiki, Shichigen is hard-headed and doesn’t listen to others. He talks like a samurai. His Ninpo, “Shourai” (the sound of wind through pine trees) allows him to call a large amount of insects as well as seduce women.
Gorone Negoro (CV: Shinichiro Miki)
A Koga ninja tasked with raising Hachiro and Hibiki. He was born with a frail body that gets weaker by the day. He doesn’t seem very interested in the way of the shinobi, and he’s also skeptical of the idea of marrying Hachiro and Hibiki. He specializes in making and repairing mechanisms.
Hachisu (CV: Saori Hayami)
An Iga ninja who grew up with Hachiro and Hibiki. Although she’s a year younger than her peers, Hachisu is mature and has a good head on her shoulders. She doesn’t hesitate when it comes to fighting, and she firmly believes in their mission to protect their leaders. She uses a revolver made by Gorone that gets its name, “Lotus Root,” from its peculiar barrel.
Rui (CV: Reina Ueda)
One of the three Iga ninja who grew up with Hibiki and Hachiro, Rui often acts spoiled. She is especially close with Utsutsu. The tears coming from her covered left eye can seduce men and call flocks of butterflies.
Utsutsu (CV: Ayane Sakura)
An Iga ninja who grew up with Hachiro and Hibiki. Although she talks like a man, she is drawn to pretty things. She often bickers with Saizo. Utsutsu uses her scarf to tangle her opponents in an illusion.
Namenba (CV: Kaori Nazuka)
An Iga ninja tasked with raising Hibiki and Hachiro, Namenba acts like a perfect housewife. She has a lot of field experience, and she has no suspicions regarding the motives of the two clans. She has a “heavenly robe” made of spider web that allows her to glide and parachute.
Jojin (CV: Takaya Hashi)
The leader of the Jojinshu, a group of powerful ability users. He is eerily self-confident, and although polite on the surface, he looks down even on the Tokugawa clan, the most powerful clan in the country. His ulterior motives are unknown.
Tsuibamu Kujaku (CV: Toshiyuki Toyonaga)
One of the Jojinshu, Tsuibamu Kujaku is a handsome young man who dismisses even the strongest shinobi techniques with irony and laughter. He is able to manipulate time with the hourglass hanging from his neck.
Magoroku Rinne (CV: Hiroshi Tsuchida)
One of the Jojinshu, Rinne is a reticent man. Although he shows signs of loyalty toward Jojin, his ulterior motives are unknown. He has a special ability that allows him to create a parallel world surpassing the boundaries of space by shaking the cord on his sheath.
Neirichio (CV: Umeji Sasaki)
One of the Jojinshu, Neirichio is strange old man who uses illusions and forbidden techniques, being able to summon gods and demons that shouldn’t even exist. The years didn’t seem to curb his attachment to women.
Itaru Yasha (CV: Yui Horie)
A member of the Jojinshu, Yasha is a charming woman who always has a dauntless smile on her face. Her ability is “Destiny’s Passage,” a technique that sends her enemies into despair, and ultimately, suicide, by making them relive all the bad things in their lives after gazing into her mirror.
Tadanaga Tokugawa (CV: )
Called Kunichiyo during his childhood years, Tadanaga is the younger brother of the present shogun Iemitsu Tokugawa and the lord of Suruga. He is a skilled warrior with a pride to match.
Hadaebo (CV: Kenji Hamada)
A mysterious ninja priest.
Kazuma Kusanagi (CV: Takuya Kirimoto)
A young and talented member of the Five Treasures of Koga, Kazuma is dedicated to honing his skills as a shinobi. Although he is usually reasonable, he can get violent at times. He fights with harp strings that resonate with a beautiful sound.
Kaso Himonji (CV: Ryu Yamaguchi)
One of the Five Treasures of Koga, Kaso has a charismatic personality, but at the same time, he can be hot-headed. He sprays oil from his mouth and sets it on fire, burning his enemies alive.
Geiin Shichito (CV: Cho)
The oldest of the Five Treasures of Koga. Geiin feels it is his most important mission to raise Hibiki and Hachiro safely into shinobi. He is able to light up even the darkest night with his special “firefly sweat.”
Tenshin Yusa (CV: Shohei To)
The “brain” of the Five Treasures of Koga, Tenshin is a cautious man and a good advisor. He excels in gathering intelligence and acts as the group’s guard when fleeing. His ninpo includes casting a net and dropping caltrops in a wide area.
Kareha Shogyo (CV: Kosuke Sakaki)
A member of the Five Flowers of Iga, Kareha climbed this far with only hard work. His ability is using poisonous pollen clouds.
Hoetsu Tsuta (CV: Chafurin)
One of the Five Flowers of Iga, Hoetsu acts as a guardian, using vines to create a barrier or strangle people. Although he can be perverted at times, he is usually a jovial old man who tends to treat Hibiki as a little princess.
Itsuma Irootoroe (CV: Yuji Murai)
One of the Five Flowers of Iga. He is usually gloomy and lazy, if something catches his interest, he will stick to it. His ability involves using dancing flowers to make his opponents drown in desires.
Shugetsu Suiren
A child prodigy and one of the Five Flowers of Iga. Although frowned upon by his peers for announcing his want to marry Hibiki, he is the one who respects Hibiki the most as their leader and wants to be her strength. He uses water lilies to determine the position of his enemies, and kills them with blood-sucking water lilies thrown as shuriken.
Staff
Director: Junji Nishimura
Series Composition: Shinsuke Onishi
Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Takao Maki
Prop Design: Goichi Iwahata
Sub-Character Design: Kazuhisa Kosuge
Art Setting: Kazusuke Yoshihara
Art Director: Toshiko Kaizu
Color Design: Fusako Nakao
Director of Photography: Tadashi Kitaoka
3D: Tetora
Music: Go Sakabe
Music Production: Starchild Records
Animation Production: Seven Arcs Pictures
Production: Oka Ninpo Cho Production Committee
Cast
Tasuku Hatanaka: Hachiro Koga
Inori Minase: Hibiki Iga
Fukushi Ochiai: Shikibu Kora
Katsuhiro Tokuishi: Saizo Ishi
Mitsuhiro Ichiki: Shichigen Higurashi
Shinichiro Miki: Gorone Negoro
Saori Hayami: Hachisu
Reina Ueda: Rui
Ayane Sakura: Utsutsu
Kaori Nazuka: Namenba
Toshiyuki Toyonaga: Tsuibamu Kujaku
Hiroshi Tsuchida: Magoroku Rinne
Umeji Sasaki: Neirichio
Yui Horie: Itaru Yasha
Takaya Hashi: Jojin
Yu Okano: Tadanaga Tokugawa
Kenji Hamada: Hadaebo
Takuya Kirimoto: Kazuma Kusanagi
Ryu Yamaguchi: Kaso Himonji
Cho: Geiin Shichito
Shohei To: Tenshin Yusa
Kosuke Sakaki: Kareha Shogyo
Chafurin: Hoetsu Tsuta
Yuji Murai: Itsuma Irootoroe
Toru Sakurai: Shugetsu Suiren
Nana Mizuki: Narration
Theme Songs
Opening Theme: “Ouka Ninpouchou” by Onmyo-za
Ending Themes: “Hot Blood” and “Suiren” by Nana Mizuki
Broadcast Information
Tokyo MX: Tuesdays at 12 midnight beginning Jan. 9
TVK: Tuesdays at 1:00 am beginning Jan. 9
SunTV: Tuesdays at 12 midnight beginning Jan. 9
KBS Kyoto: Tuesdays at 12 midnight beginning Jan. 9
BS11: Tuesdays at 12 midnight beginning Jan.9
AT-X: Tuesdays at 12:30 am beginning Jan. 9
Online Streaming
Crunchyroll, Funimation, docomo Anime Store, hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Bandai Channel, au VideoPass, J:COM On Demand Megapack, dtv, U-NEXT, Anime Houdai, Anitere, GYAO!, Rakuten TV, Flat Douga, Niconico Channel, Niconico Live, VideoMarket, FOD, Abema TV