In the world of Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke, the legendary Japanese folk hero is reimagined in two distinct and radically different ways. The most artistically notable version, created by Shigeru Sugiura in 1969, transforms the classic ninja into a mischievous, shapeshifting adventurer who bounces across a surreal and zany landscape that defies all logic. This version is a gag manga filled with eye-popping, Pop Art visuals where traditional samurai dramas collide with the absurd. Sasuke’s journey is not a quest for honor but a wild, psychedelic romp where he encounters cowboys from the American Wild West, UFOs and aliens, vintage sailing ships and futuristic submarines, gun-toting outlaws, towering mushroom clouds, and even mid-1960s celebrity cameos. The story careens from one bizarre episode to the next as the carefree young prankster freely opens wormholes in time and space, using his ninjutsu not for serious combat but for slapstick fights, stealing food, and creating general chaos in a world that blends rubbery cartoon figures with realistic figures copied from American comics and movie stills.

This depiction differs greatly from the more conventional version of the story that appears in the 1979 television anime adaptation, which is also sometimes referred to by the same name. In that adaptation, the story is set in early 17th century Japan, just after the start of the Edo period. A young and highly skilled ninja named Sarutobi Sasuke serves under the famous warlord Sanada Yukimura, the lord of Shinano Province. Joining his master’s cause, Sasuke fights alongside his companions, the iron club-wielding giant Miyoshi Seikai Nyudo and the handsome情报-gathering ninja Kirigakure Saizo. The primary conflict begins when the ruling Tokugawa shogunate dispatches the rival Iga ninja, led by Hattori Hanzo, to eliminate Yukimura. Sasuke must use his mastery of Koga ninjutsu, including fire techniques and transformation, to protect his benevolent master from these relentless assassins and their schemes.

The main characters in the 1979 anime version include the monkey-faced and cheerful Sasuke, voiced by Yoko Matsuoka, who was trained by the hermit master Tozawa Hakunsai and struggles to remain unaffected by the tragedy of war he witnesses at Sekigahara. He is aided by his master, the kind-hearted Sanada Yukimura, and his allies, the brute force fighter Miyoshi and the cool-headed strategist Kirigakure. Antagonists include the ruthless leader of the Iga ninja, Hattori Hanzo, and the cunning strategist Yagyu Tajima. The story features several notable narrative arcs, beginning with Sasuke’s training under Hakunsai and his decision to serve Yukimura after seeing the horrors of war. This leads to a prolonged battle against the Iga ninja, culminating in a fateful duel between Sasuke and Hanzo. In a recurring subplot, Hanzo’s younger sister, Shinobu, initially dresses in purple and tries to deceive Sasuke, but after he saves her life, she falls in love with him and eventually abandons her clan to aid him from the shadows. Later in the series, a new sorcerer named Maryudo appears, hired by Yagyu. This master of Western black magic sends his disciples to eliminate Sasuke, leading to a final confrontation that requires the ninja to combine his techniques with Shinobu to defeat the demonic foe. Unlike the time-bending 1969 comic, this anime grounds its fantastical elements within a more traditional historical fantasy framework.