Sarutobi Sasuke

Perhaps the figure whose very name is affiliated with the word 'Ninja', Sarutobi Sasuke was a character featured in children's tales beginning in the early 1900s.

He is generally believed to be a fictional creation of the Meiji era based on the historical ninja Kozuki Sasuke, though some argue for his actual existence. He is commonly listed as one of the Sanada Ten Braves, a legendary group of ten ninja that supposedly assisted Sanada Nobushige (more widely known as Sanada Yukimura) at the battles of Osaka Castle during the Sengoku period, and he is one of the best known among the Ten Braves. Since then, he has been featured in many Anime and Manga series, and popularized the name Sasuke as a common name for ninja.

Sarutobi means "jumping monkey" — Sasuke is frequently described as being very quick and agile, especially in trees, and in some versions of his story is described as having been raised by wild monkeys.

Compare Yagyu Jubei, Hattori Hanzo, Oda Nobunaga and Miyamoto Musashi.

Examples of Sarutobi Sasuke include:

Anime and Manga

• As expected in a Ninja series, Naruto features his legacy in Sasuke Uchiha and the Third Hokage (last name Sarutobi) and his relatives.
  • It was recently revealed that the Third Hokage's father was named Sarutobi Sasuke.
• Samurai Deeper Kyo, which features historical characters like Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Sanada Yukimura, has him as a secondary character.
• The Kuno's family ninja is also named Sasuke, but he's hilariously useless.
• In Ninin ga Shinobuden, all of the ninjas are named Sasuke.
• The main protagonist of the manga Behind Master is Sarutobi Sasuke.
• The 1959 Toei Animation film Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke ("Boy Sarutobi Sasuke"), retitled Magic Boy for its U.S. release two years later, is about Sasuke's childhood.
• Manga Sarutobi Sasuke, a 1979-80 TV series by the Knack studio (of Chargeman Ken infamy) that was later re-edited into a compilation film for the U.S. market titled Ninja the Wonder Boy. The English dub, however, obscures the origins by renaming the protagonist "Duke Hayakawa."
• Sarutobi Ecchan, an early Magical Girl manga and anime from the early '70s, is a shout-out to Sarutobi Sasuke with a female protagonist.
• Another shout-out is the early '80s manga and anime comedy Sasuga no Sarutobi, whose protagonist, Nikumaru Sarutobi, is short and fat (as his given name, which is Japanese for "meatball," suggests), but still amazingly fast.

Live Action TV

• Ninja Red, Sasuke, from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger is a descendant of his.
• The stunt show Ninja Warrior is known as Sasuke in Japan.

Tabletop Games

• He makes an appearance in the Sasuke Samurai series of cards in Yu-Gi-Oh.

Video Games

• Sarutobi Sasuke is a playable character from the Sengoku Basara series and anime, where he's a talented and reliable but rather lazy individual who serves Sanada Yukimura.
• One character in the Ganbare Goemon series is named Sasuke. You may know him as the Ninja Robot.
• Final Fantasy has a number of weapons named after him.