Jump to content

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Interfear2 (talk | contribs) at 03:56, 26 June 2007 (→Opening themes). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple
File:Kenichi 01.JPG
Kenichi (left) and Miu (right) in the cover of Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi Manga Vol. 1
GenreShōnen, Martial arts, Comedy
Created bySyun Matsuena
Manga
Written bySyun Matsuena
Published byShogakukan
Anime
Directed byHajime Kamegaki
StudioTMS Entertainment

Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi (史上最強の弟子ケンイチ, roughly translated "History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi") is a manga by Syun Matsuena (松江名俊).

The first volume was published by Shōnen Sunday in August 2002. An anime adaptation by Tokyo Movie Shinsha first started airing in October 2006.

Storyline

The story is focused on Shirahama Kenichi, an average 15-year-old weakling, whose life turns to Hell with the appearance of the naive, beautiful, and strong transfer student, Fūrinji Miu. After Kenichi witnesses Miu's skills in martial arts and beats a karate senpai in a match, he is targeted by all the deliquents in the school. To save himself from being beaten around, Kenichi joins the dojo that Miu trains in, the Ryōzanpaku, the gathering place of those who are truly strong. Since then, Kenichi's routine is divided between his hellish training with the residents of Ryōzanpaku, and his fights against the members of the Ragnarok gang who view him as a possible ally or an impending threat to their plans.

Characters

Main Characters

Kenichi Shirahama (白浜 兼一 ( ケンイチ ), Shirahama Ken'ichi) Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki
The male protagonist, a first year high school student. He likes Manual Books (How to...). Tired of being bullied at school, he became a disciple of the Masters of Ryōzanpaku to become strong. Later on, it is revealed that he and Miu were once childhood friends before he moved out of the neighborhood. Despite his whiny and perverted nature, he grows to be a strong fighter when motivated, usually when using his skill to protect others, adversary and ally alike. Kenichi tends to think logically, often crushing the dreams of young fighters who strive to create a strong gang in the future. He also sticks to his convictions, especially the one where he never hits a girl, which greatly annoys Kisara.
He has a growing rivalry with Natsu Tanimoto (aka Hermit).
Miu Fūrinji (風林寺 美羽, Fūrinji Miu) Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami
The female protagonist and Ryōzanpaku Elder's grandchild. A first year high school student. She has a gentle nature despite being a strong fighter trained by her grandfather since childhood. Eager to make friends, she treasures her friendship with Kenichi, but seems oblivious to his true feelings for her, although she does get jealous whenever another girl shows affection for him. She was actually a childhood friend to Kenichi before he moved away, and was the one who gave Kenichi the Yin/Yang badge that he wears on his collar after Kenichi offered her the cat badge.

The Ryōzanpaku Dojo

File:Ryozanpaku.jpg
From L to R: (back)Apachai and Hayato; (middle)Akisame and Shio; (front)Kensei, Kenichi, and Shigure

The Ryōzanpaku Dojo is home to elite fighters, each specializing in different styles of martial arts. The dojo is infamous for its powerful members and is often challenged by other dojos or single fighters. Due to this, Ryōzanpaku charges its challengers and actually has a waiting list; this caused Kenichi to call them 'Dojo hunters'. Even though they charge, they still lack money, and to compensate for this, the members of the dojo often use their creativity in several things; including using an uncharted island for vacation, and building their own boat and cottage.

Hayato Fūrinji (風林寺 隼人, Fūrinji Hayato) Voiced by: Hiroshi Arikawa
Miu's grandfather and the undefeated elder of the Ryōzanpaku dojo, able to intimidate, if necessary, the other masters in order to maintain peace. He has trained his grandaughter in martial arts since childhood and was said to have beaten 500 Shaolin Masters to near death. During the one time when he trained Kenichi in the wild, everyone in Ryōzanpaku was worried for Kenichi, especially with so many bad omens occuring as tea bowls, pots and chopsticks all split in half. His kicks can be so incredibly fast that they are still a blur even when viewing a replay at 1/1000 times normal speed. He comments that Kenichi reminds him of when he was young.
Shio Sakaki (逆鬼 至緒, Sakaki Shio) Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka
An extremely powerful, 100th level Karate master. He claimed not to take disciples at first, but gradually grew to like Kenichi and train him. He likes to drink alcohol and gamble. He also has a soft side which he tries to hide behind his tough guy attitude.
Apachai Hopachai (アパチャイ・ホパチャイ, Apachai Hopachai) Voiced by: Hiroya Ishimaru
The 28-year old Muay Thai God of Death. Despite his lethal skills (he has a habit of never holding back even when he tries) he has a childish nature and thus he's good with kids and animals. He also helped Kouryou High School's basketball team win their first exhibition match, and gave them the confidence to become contenders for the national title, earning himself a place as a legend in the basketball team after he left that game. He is always looking out for Kenichi, and hammers nails into voodoo dolls (a spell that Shigure teaches him to bring good luck) whenever he feels something bad will happen to Kenichi.
Shigure Kōsaka (香坂 しぐれ, Kōsaka Shigure) Voiced by: Mamiko Noto
She is a master of the sword and many weapons. A mysterious kunoichi and a slow talker. She also befriended a mouse that is frequently in her company. Kensei occasionally asks her if she worries about Kenichi, indicating she's grown to like him in some way (even teaching him how to swim). Usually plays with Honoka and Apachai. She usually beats Kensei Ma for harassing her.
Kensei Ma (馬 剣星, Ma Kensei) Voiced by: Issei Futamata
An old, lecherous master of Chinese Kenpo, and also an acupuncturist. He is always trying to take revealing pictures of beautiful girls, including Shigure and Miu. He was actually a very handsome man in his youth and was very popular with women. He has a 16-year-old daughter named Renka Ma, and also an older brother, Sōgetsu Ma, who happens to be Hermit's master. Kensei was revealed to be the leader of an elite martial arts alliance in China, made up of thousands of students, but he viewed it as a nuisance, so he left it all to his wife, and moved to Japan.
Akisame Kōetsuji (岬越寺 秋雨, Akisame Kōetsuji) Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi
The philosophical Jujutsu master. He's known for his muscles built to perfection and was the first to train Kenichi. He also owns a bone clinic, and can reset and fix bones with ease. According to Kenichi (Episode 8), he is capable of unspeakable brutality. Akisame is apparently a famous and legendary artisan, who has mastered calligraphy, painting, pottery, sculpting, etc. He also has a guitar which he plays sometimes.

Ragnarok

Eight Fists League

File:Loki Hermit Kisara.jpg
Left to Right: Loki, Kisara, and Hermit

The Eight Fists League is the highest division of Ragnarok, comprised of the eight strongest members of the organization -- three members can easily defeat fifty enemies. Each member wears a glove with a number that corresponds to their position. Most of the members of the League are named after beings from Norse mythology.

Kisara Nanjō (南條 キサラ, Nanjō Kisara) Voiced by: Minami Takayama
Member of Ragnarok, and the most recent member of the "Seven (Eight) Fists League", the highest level of the gang. A kicking expert focusing on Tae Kwon Do, "The Valkyrie" has been seen taking the reports of many of the named enemies that Kenichi faces. She hates, above all else, being treated as weak because she's a girl, due to a past opponent claiming he 'let' her win because she was female. Later on, it is revealed that she has a very soft spot for cats, especially kittens. She calls Miu 'ushijichi', translated to "Dairy Cow". Develops a degree of respect for Kenichi after their fight where Kenichi guards during the entire fight in order to slow/stop Kisara's advance to ruin Miu's play.
Thor - Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi
Seventh member of the "Eight Fists League".
Named after Thor, the Norse Thunder God.
Hermit - Voiced by: Ryo Horikawa
Sixth member of the "Eight Fists League". Uses Hakkyouken, which he learned from Sōgetsu Ma, Kensei's older brother. His actual name is Natsu Tanimoto, the president of the drama club at Kenichi's school. At school, Tanimoto pretends to be a kind and soft spoken student, which plays well seeing how he is popular with both teachers and students, and is considered to be the school's "prince". Although, he claims to have only joined the drama club to practice lying, and is only nice because he perceives popularity as a way to control people. Tanimoto pretended to have befriended Kenichi, but in truth, he despises Kenichi's "false" justice. He is surprised that Kenichi is trained by several masters, and tests his skills against him. Though he wins, he was not satisfied with his victory and grows a rivalry against Kenichi. He later meets Honoka after saving her from thugs, and takes her to his house to escape. Unfortunately, Honoka ends up accidentally breaking things in his house, but he tries not to get angry at her. He ends up growing fond of her because she resembles his younger sister. He is shocked to learn Honoka is Kenichi's sister, and gets angry at Loki for using her as bait to lure Kenichi.
Siegfried - Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono
Fifth member of the "Eight Fists League".
Named after Sigurd, a hero in Norse mythology. A composer of music, he uses his battles as inspiration for his melodies. He has a tendency to hum or sing classical music during his fights and his attacks are named after different music scores and compositions. Like his namesake, he appears invincible, always getting back on his feet after taking a sever beating.
Loki - Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara
Fourth member of the "Eight Fists League".
Named after Loki, a mischievous being in Norse mythology. He kidnaps Honoka in front of Hermit, after learning she is Kenichi's sister.
Freya - Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka
Third member of the "Eight Fists League".
Named after Freyja, a Norse fertility goddess.
Berserker - Voiced by: Jouji Nakata
Second member of the "Eight Fists League".
Named after Berserkers, Norse warriors.
Odin - Voiced by: Ken Narita
Strongest member and leader of the "Eight Fists League". He is a user of Seikouken and is a member of YOMI. His actual name is Ryuto Asamiya, and was Kenichi's friend when they were little kids, before Kenichi moved out of the neighborhood.
Named after Odin, the chief God in Norse mythology.

Divisional members

Kōga Taichi (古賀 太一, Kōga Taichi) Voiced by: Mayumi Yamaguchi
The youngest member of Team Ragnarok, also known as Koga the Kicker, who plans on taking down Shirahama. Unlike Ikki and Ukita, he seems to bear hateful grudges against Kenichi and Miu, whom he calls "Neko Shojo" (Cat Girl). Though he is a strong fighter, he possesses a carefree attitude, which usually earns him a beating from Kisara.
Ikki Takeda (武田 一基, Takeda Ikki) Voiced by: Kazuki Yao
Takeda used to be a boxer who was a rising star. However, an incident where he came to the aid of his friend caused harm to his left arm, leaving it paralyzed. Initially, he wanted to test how strong Kenichi was. Thus Kenichi defeated him by attacking him based on a boxer's weakness, the lower body. Fortunately, he was spared and was treated by Akisame at Akisame's clinic with ease. With this, Takeda acknowledged Kenichi's strength and quit Ragnarok to become a pro boxer once again. With gratitude for Kenichi, he came to the aid of Kenichi on several occasions. Later joins Niijima's organization, Shinpaku, along with Ukita.
Ukita Kōzō (宇喜田 孝造, Kōzō Ukita) Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa
Part of a trio with Ikki Takeda ("The Puncher") and Kōga Taichi ("The Kicker"). Ukita was originally from the Judo club before becoming a member of Ragnarok. While decrying Takeda as having the attitude of a "sportsman", he felt a strong enough friendship to stand with him against Ragnarok's edict of execution after Takeda quit Ragnarok. He also quits Ragnarok when he switches sides during an ambush on Takeda, and later joins Shinpaku with Takeda.
Tsuji Shinnosuke
Nicknamed "Shaggy Hair" by Kenichi. Though he has a rougher fighting style and less techniques than Kenichi, his fighting experience more than makes up for it. He had hoped to one day lead a gang stronger than Ragnarok, but his dreams were crushed by Kenichi's logical thinking. He initially had hordes of men as followers, but after he was beat by Kenichi's sneak attack, he lost but two of them. Tsuji was not too angry at Kenichi since his two remaining followers stated that they stuck by him because he was their friend. He grew a bit of respect for Kenichi, and even informed him of Takeda's impending punishment at the hands of Ragnarok.

Other characters

Haruo Nīijima (新島 春男, Nīijima Haruo) Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki
More of an acquaintance than a friend of Kenichi's. A member of the Newspaper Club, he investigates the life of everyone and ranks people on his palm pilot. He looks like an alien (he has ears like the Vulcans from Star Trek) and has seemingly alien abilities (i.e. his hairs can stand on end like an antenna whenever he senses danger), and is a very sly person. He also watches Kenichi's progress with much interest and treats Kenichi as his subordinate. He wants to eventually rule the world, which he can daydream of, to the point where Kenichi's slaps his face, bringing him back to reality after his face has suffered extreme swelling. To reach this goal, he formed an organization called Shinpaku with other people and dragged Kenichi into it, along with persuading some of the ex-Ragnarok members to join, using any means available, which usually results in a beating from Kenichi, Ukita, and Takeda.
Yuuka Izumi
The only other member of the gardening club after Kenichi. Izumi is a shy and gentle girl with glasses and pigtails. She harbors a crush on Kenichi and sees Miu as a rival of sorts.
Honoka Shirahama (白浜 ほのか, Shirahama Honoka) Voiced by: Ayumi Sena
Kenichi's younger sister. Cares for her brother greatly and competes with Miu for his attention. 13 years old. The second time she visits Ryōzanpaku, she shows Shigure and Apachai how to properly make tea, which impresses them. Honoka soon becomes good friends with Shigure and Apachai, and consequently visits Ryōzanpaku regularly to play with them. She later befriends Natsu Tanimoto (aka Hermit) after he saved her from some thugs. When Loki appears, she demands why he wants to hurt her brother; as a result, both Hermit and Loki are shocked that she is Kenichi's sister, thus getting kidnapped; though Hermit objects to Loki using her as means of getting to Kenichi.
Genji Shirahama (白浜 元次, Shirahama Genji)
The protective father of Kenichi. Is impressed with Kenichi's growth as a man, but feels sad that his son is growing further and further away from him. Has a shotgun named Sebastian and recently shown another named Maximilian, which he tries at every chance to take it with him to take back Kenichi from Ryōzanpaku, which his wife manages to stop everytime except once. He is very skilled in its use, able to carry Kenichi under his arm, the gun in the other and reload while on the run. He also has good enough aim to stop Shigure's traps.
Saori Shirahama (白浜 さおり, Shirahama Saori) Voiced by: Ai Orikasa
Kenichi's mother. She's the calm, collected one of the household, always having to subdue her husband whenever he gets too excited and tries to go to the Ryōzanpaku dojo with Sebastian. Praises her husband Genji whenever he does something fatherly, which is often necessary because her husband usually breaks into tears after delivering an inspiring speech to Kenichi.
Renka Ma (馬 連華, Ma Renka)
The surprisingly well-endowed and attractive 16-year-old daughter of Kensei. She came to Japan in search of her father, who she plans to take back to China. Even though she often kicks and steps on Kenichi, she soon takes a liking for him and shows this openly. This greatly annoys Miu, possibly even making her feel jealous, although Miu often then imagines Renka as a cat and treats her as one.

Music themes

Opening themes

Title Transcription/Translation Artist Episodes
n/a Be Strong Kana Yazumi 1-25
ヤッホー Yahhō Miho Morikawa 26-

Ending themes

Title Transcription/Translation Artist Episodes
ナミダボシ Kimi ga iru kara Issei Eguchi 1-15
Catch Your Dream Koike Joanna 16-25
Runover Koike Joanna 26-

Episode List

# English Title Japanese Title Original airdate
01 The Place where the Heroes Gather 梁山泊！豪傑の集いし場所 October 7, 2006
02 The First Step! The Start of the Battle! 一歩先へ！闘いの始まり October 14, 2006
03 Strength and Courage! For Protecting Justice! 力と勇気！正義を貫くために October 21, 2006
04 Fighting Hell! To Fight Or Not To Fight ケンカ地獄！やるかやらないかだ October 28, 2006
05 A Date? Must Move Forward! デート？きめちまえよ！ November 4, 2006
06 A Day At Ryōzanpaku! The Dream On The Roof! 梁山泊での一日！屋根の上の夢 November 11, 2006
07 Battle! The Gang Fights Back! 熱闘園芸部リターンマッチ November 18, 2006
08 Amazing Muscles! The Sensei's Secret 脅威の肉体 謎の師匠達 November 25, 2006
09 Apapapa! Apachai's Training アパパパ～！アパチャイの修行 December 2, 2006
10 Run Kenichi! A Boxer's Weakness 走れケンイチ！ボクサーの弱点 December 9, 2006
11 The Fist of Betrayal! Takeda's Sad Past 裏切りの拳 武田の悲しき過去 December 16, 2006
12 A New Enemy! Tsuji Shinnosuke! 新たなる敵！辻新之助 December 23, 2006
13 Killer Fighting Techniques! Rules Of A Battle! ケンカ殺法！実戦の掟 January 6, 2007
14 Dedicated Training! Nearby Hot Spring Bath 命懸けの修行！混浴もついてます January 13, 2007
15 Honoka Sneaks In! Ryōzanpaku's Guest ほのか潜入！梁山泊だじょ January 20, 2007
16 Ryōzanpaku's Greatest Crisis!!? 梁山泊最大の危機!!? January 27, 2007
17 Protect the Sign! Attack on the Dojo! 守れ看板！道場破り襲来！ February 3, 2007
18 Amusement??? To The Secret Furinji Island! 楽園???秘境・風林寺島へ！ February 10, 2007
19 The Strongest Member of the Ragnarok Team, the 8th Member! ラグナレク最強の者 八拳豪見参！ February 17, 2007
20 Takeda's Crisis! The Law of Retribution! 武田の危機！報復の掟！ February 24, 2007
21 Unforgivable! Kenichi's Fist of Anger! 許さない!!ケンイチ怒りの拳！ March 3, 2007
22 Young ones, gather ! The formation of the Shinpaku alliance ! 集え若人！新白連合結成！ March 10, 2007
23 Attack ! The neighboring Ryouzanpaku ! 突撃！となりの梁山泊！ March 17, 2007
24 The Stolen Heart! Miu's Juliet! 奪われたハート！美羽のジュリエット March 24, 2007
25 Protect to the Death Kenichi! Miu's Lips 死守せよケンイチ！美羽のくちびる March 31, 2007
26 The Mask Removed! Hermit's Real Identity! 剥された仮面！ハーミットの正体！ April 7, 2007
27 Hard vs. Soft! The Sibling's Quarrel After the Long Separation 剛VS柔！空前絶後の兄弟喧嘩！ April 14, 2007
28 The Assault Commander Joins In! Restaurant Scuffle 斬り込み隊長参上！乱闘レストラン April 21, 2007
29 What Fear, Seig! Prelude For Destruction 恐るべしジーク！破滅へのプレリュード April 28, 2007
30 Results of the Training! The Result Of Small Steps!! 修行の成果！小さく前にならえ!! May 5, 2007
31 Honoka I'll Save You ほのか、お手伝いするじょ！ May 12, 2007
32 Honoka's Crisis! Loki's Strategy ほのかの危機！ロキの謀略 May 19, 2007
33 ぶつけろケンイチ！拳は語る！ June 2, 2007
34 Without being defeated! The word to which the person whom it loves leaves 負けないで！愛する人が残した言葉 June 9, 2007
35 There is no nuisance! Now at the time of conclusion 邪魔者なし！今こそ決着のとき June 16, 2007
36 Miu vs. Renka! The Triangle that Calls up a Storm 美羽VS蓮華!!嵐を呼ぶトライアングル June 23, 2007
37 Dangerous temptation it is dense together! 危険な誘惑 一緒にちゃんこを! June 30, 2007
38 Human bullet game of lovely kitten women! かわいい子猫 女たちの肉弾戦！ July 6, 2007
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Kenichi:_The_Mightiest_Disciple&oldid=140667811"