Ninjala 2D Cartoon Anime

The **Ninjala 2D Cartoon Anime** is a series of animated shorts featuring the main characters of *Ninjala* animated by Studio Hibari and Domerica and released on the official Ninjala YouTube channel. Each episode focuses on a specific character out of the main eight. It was proceeded by the 3D CGI animation, Ninja-Gum is Born. The series consists of five shorts that were uploaded to the Ninjala's official YouTube channel between June 23, 2020 and January 6, 2021.

Due to the more recent Ninjala Anime, which retcons or retells these events in greater detail, **this series has been rendered obsolete as an anime adaptation**. However, due to the discrepancies from the video game and other Ninjala media, the Ninjala anime itself falls into its own enclosed continuity. The 2D Cartoon Anime adaptation, however, does not appear to contradict the Ninjala video game in any way, and thus could be feasibly considered as either part of the game's continuity or its own. As such, it should be considered ambiguously canon.

## List of episodes

### Episode 1: **Bloodline of the Shinobi**

***Release Date: June 23, 2020***

Van has a nightmare that his father was murdered by a mysterious figure and goes to check on him at his house in the middle of the night. Unbeknownst to Van, his father and an unknown ninja were fighting while he entered the house's garage, the ninja throwing some bombs that starts a fire there and disappearing. Van is nearly crushed by a falling canoe from a burned rope, but his father takes the hit and forces Ninja Gum into Van's mouth, causing him to unleash a burst of energy that puts out the flames. Van's father then falls unconscious due to his exhaustion and Van later meets Master Genryusai at the hospital, who makes him vow to become a ninja and enter Ninjala in exchange for his father's protection.

### Episode 2: **A Secret Eye**

***Release Date: July 29, 2020***

Lucy has an incident where her metal-controlling shinobi powers awaken and scare away two of her friends. As a result of this, Lucy shuts down emotionally. Years later at a new school, Lucy meets another new student named Chloe, and the two grow close. While walking home from school an incoming car almost hits Chloe, but she is saved by Lucy, who makes a makeshift barricade to protect her. Overwhelmed, Lucy retreats to her home, where her parents decide to send her to the WNA for training and encourage her to be yourself. Upon arriving, she decides to embrace her power and takes on a new appearance and persona.

### Episode 3: **A Beautiful Intruder**

***Release Date: September 1, 2020***

Jane is given an assignment from her boss, Bob, to infiltrate the WNA HQ to obtain top-secret data for the WNA Intelligence Division. While hacking into the database, she learns of the secret project and that its researchers has gone missing, including her acquaintance Ron. Arriving at the laboratory, she investigates further and discovers the leftover Ninja-Gum. While researching, she accidentally chews on it.

Bob and a partner follow her to the lab and attempt to kill her for learning sensitive data. While Jane puts up a decent fight, she is ultimately outmatched. Jane turns into a child as Bob attempts a finishing blow, with Ron intervening to knock him out. Ron declares that he must finish his mission and eats the Ninja-Gum to turn into a child himself. He and Jane then decide to enter Ninjala to find more answers.

### Episode 4: **The Shinobi Village**

***Release Date: October 19, 2020***

After watching a quick play during the Requiem Festival in Oedo, Kappei returns home from running a few errands as his grandfather Gen'unsai scolds out a pair of men who tried to convince him to turn his kendo dojo into a ninjustu dojo. Later that day, they are visited by a group of ninjas, who ambush and attempt to kill them. Gen'unsai escapes with Kappei and takes him to a secret shrine housing Gumchi, an extraterrestrial lifeform who landed on Earth several centuries ago. The ninja return and attempt to kidnap it, but are unsuccessful as Kappei defeats them with Gumchi's help. Gen'unsai sends Kappei and Gumchi to his twin brother in Komerika for training, and the two set off on their journey.

### Episode 5: **You're the Star!**

***Release Date: January 6, 2021***

Lauren Warren, a recruiter for the World Ninja Association, hears stories of a "vigilante hero" who has been stopping crime across a city. She locates the vigilante, an orphan girl named Emma, under the guise of a talent scout and offers her an opportunity to become famous, starting with an audition. While auditioning, Emma is initially nervous but manages to win the audition when she is encouraged by the audience cheering for her. After winning the audition, Warren reveals to her that she works for the WNA and that she and Emma are ninja; she offers her a chance to join. Emma accepts the offer. After some shows, Warren tells her that her next show is called "Ninjala".

## Trivia

* The shortest gap between episodes was between episodes 2 and 3, which are 34 days apart, and the longest was between episodes 4 and 5, which are 80 days apart.
* The 2D Cartoon Anime has been dubbed in English, unlike the official anime and game.