Ninja vs. Gokudo (忍者と極道) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinsuke Kondō. It began serialization on Kodansha's Comic Days website in January 2020. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired from October to December 2025.
Plot
An ancient war between ninja and yakuza has raged for over three centuries, resurfacing across eras as societies rise and fall. In the modern age, Shinoha Tanaka, a young ninja traumatized by his past and is unable to laugh, encounters Kiwami Kimura, a seemingly ordinary office worker who secretly leads a powerful yakuza faction. Unaware of each other's true identities, the two form an unlikely bond through shared interests, creating a fragile sense of normalcy amid hidden danger. Their friendship unfolds as tensions between ninja clans and yakuza organizations escalate once more, reigniting the long-standing blood feud.
Characters
- Shinoha Tanaka (多仲 忍者)
- Kiwami Kimura (輝村 極道)
- Zanzo Kazai (神賽 惨蔵)
- Kaiza Akiba (璃刃 壊左)
- Kosei Yuzawa (夢澤 恒星)
- Nodoka Matsumoto (祭下 陽日)
- Shiki Yamada (病田 色)
- Gamute (ガムテ)
- Hiroki Yajima (殺島 飛露鬼)
- Sako Hasegawa (覇世川 左虎)
- Uryu Yagi (邪樹 右龍)
- Daijin (大臣)
- Tome Odaka (雄鷹 斗女)
- Anatomi Kurita (繰田 孔富)
- Hanako Saito (砕涛 華虎)
- Maya Kohara (蟲原 真夜)
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Shinsuke Kondō, Ninja vs. Gokudo began serialization on Kodansha's Comic Days website on January 20, 2020.[5] Its chapters have been collected in seventeen volumes as of April 2026.
During their Anime Expo 2023 panel, Kodansha USA announced that they licensed the series, with the first volume releasing in Q2 2024.[6]
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on February 24, 2025.[37] It was produced by Studio Deen and directed by Toshinori Watanabe, with Keiichirō Ōchi handling series composition, Toshiyuki Matsutake designing the characters, and Keita Takahashi and Harikemu Wata composing the music.[38] The series aired from October 8 to December 24, 2025, on Nippon TV's AnichU programming block, as well as BS NTV.[39] The opening theme song is "Sweet Disaster", performed by Miyavi, while the ending theme song is "Until You Die Out", performed by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas. Amazon Prime Video is streaming the series worldwide.[40]
Episodes
Episodes
Reception
The series was ranked 9th at the 2020 Web Manga General Election poll.[45] It was also ranked 8th in Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook list for best manga for male readers in 2021.[46] The series was ranked 13th in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021.[47] It was also nominated for the 7th Next Manga Awards in the digital category and ranked 10th out of 50 nominees.[48] The series was ranked 10th in AnimeJapan's 6th "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2023.[49]
External links
References
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- Crystalyn Hodgkins. Kodansha USA Reveals 21 New Print Licenses, 3 Omnibus Releases, 2 Digital Licenses (Updated) Anime News Network, July 1, 2023, retrieved September 19, 2023^
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