Characters / Igano Kabamaru

Igano Kagamaru (伊賀野影丸)

Voiced by: Ryūsei Nakao/Masako Nozawa^note As a child (Japanese), Patrick Delhalle (French), Eduardo Gutierrez (European Spanish), Ignasi Díaz (European Spanish Valencian), Nestoras Katsimichas (Greek), William Atik (Arabic)

A 16-year-old boy from the mountains of Iga. He was trained to be a ninja by his grandfather, alongside his best friend/adoptive brother Hayate Kirino. Upon his grandfather's death, he is taken in by Ran Ookumo and grows into one of Kin'gyoku Academy's most stellar students.

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• Abhorrent Admirer: Kabamaru likes Mai, but she finds him so ugly that upon meeting him for the first time, she has nightmares of him and his dreadful eating habits.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: He had light hair in the manga, but black hair in the anime.
• Ambiguously Brown: He has dark skin, contrast to his manga counterpart that had paler skin.
• Beware the Silly Ones: A bunch of thugs made the mistake of harassing him while he was dozing off in the garden, not knowing that Saizo's training had resulted in him gaining super strength and legs made of iron.
• Big Eater: He loves eating and loses his mind seeing the banquet at the Ookumo mansion. He stuffs his mouth with two chicken legs, refuses to use a knife and fork and eats near everything on the table, which freaks Mai out.
• Book Dumb: His grades are abysmal and he can't read Japanese despite being born and raised in Japan; at best he retains how to write a few words with a mishmash of foreign/borrowed words.
• Childhood Friends: With Hayate, who he constantly has flashbacks of when he Used to Be a Sweet Kid, and how they helped each other through the pain of growing up as orphans.
• Country Mouse: He is a country bumpkin to the core, being raised by his grandfather Saizo in the moutains, and struggles to assmiliate to urban life. Much of the show's comedy is derived from how culture-shocking modern-day life is to him.
• Cute Little Fangs: Whenever his mouth is open from shock, we see these.
• Fragile Speedster: He can run up to 100km/h, and also is said to have the ability to jump over skyscrapers as tall as 200m.
• In-Series Nickname: His name is Igano Kagamaru, but he's called "Kabamaru" (hippo) because eats like an animal.
• Race Lift: Kabamaru was pale skinned in the manga, but the anime series darkens his skin.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Many characters remark that when Saizo was young, he was Kabamaru's spitting image, and they have an uncanny resemblance.
• Super-Strength: Because of how Saizo trained him, he has catlike reflexes, can jump large heights, carry elderly such as Ran on his back and move at amazing speed without losing any stamina.
• Trademark Favourite Food: He will eat anything, but has an affinity for yakisoba and fried shrimp.

Mai Ookumo (大久保麻衣)

Voiced by: Mai Tachihara (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), (European Spanish Valencian), Natasha Tsakarisianou (Greek) Elvira Younes (Arabic)

The granddaughter of the principal of Kin'gyoku Academy and a first year at the school. She is a gentle girl often worries about her loony classmates, since they have a penchant for getting into danger and disregarding their own safety.

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• Audience Surrogate: She calls out everyone else at Kin'gyoku for being immature, selfish, being the voice of reason amongst the Dysfunction Junction.
• Bound and Gagged: When taken hostage by Maejima
• Boyish Short Hair: While Mai has short hair, she's rather feminine - apart from her enjoyment of sports and riding on Kabamaru's (who's a ninja that runs at hyperspeed) back.
• Conveniently an Orphan: Like Kabamaru, Mai was an orphan who was adopted by Ran. It's never known what happened to her biological parents.
• Crush Blush: Around Kabamaru, eventually, especially after he cares for her during the winter storm and puts his beanie on her.
• The Cutie: Very much. She's often bashful and adorable when she laughs. Kabamaru is in love with her for his very reason.
• Damsel in Distress: At one point, she approaches Shuu Maejima with the intent of settling the score between their schools, but he believes she's trying to trick him and has his take her hostage, partly inspired by Hayate wanting to motivate Kabamaru to fight. Luckily, she's rescued by Kabamaru.
• Dude Magnet: Kabamaru, Shuu and Derek have crushes on her, but she doesn't notice. She eventually finds out that Kabamaru has feelings for her, and happily reciprocates.
• Fiery Redhead: Inverted - you'd think she's a tomboy based on her appearance, but she detests Kabamaru for being so loud and vulgar, and prefers peace and calm.
• Insult to Rocks: Whe Kabamaru dines at the Ookumo's house for the first time, he's eager to see so much food and scarfs it down with no manners. Mai is disgusted, and in her mind compares him to a monkey, before realizing that what she's saying is insulting to monkeys.
• Only Sane Woman: Between her absent minded and near-senile grandmother, the Obviously Evil Student Council President and belligerent idiot Kabamaru, Mai is the only main character with any common sense.
• Perpetual Smiler: She often smiles and has an optimistic outlook on most things.
• Snow Means Love: She falls for Kabamaru when he shows his tender side to her during the raging snowfall.
• Straight Man: Despite being a first year student, she's the only one with any common sense and believes that violence and pettiness isn't the answer.

Shizune Meijiro (目白沈寝)

Voiced by: Akira Kamiya (Japanese), Unknown (French), Boris Sanz (European Spanish), Unknown (European Spanish Valencian), Haris Sozos (Greek), William Atik/Samir Maalouf (Arabic)

The Student Council President of Kin'gyoku Academy. He is from the wealthy, prestigous Meijiro clan and his power extends above the school and also to the other businesses under the Meijiro's control.

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• Arch-Enemy: As the Student Council President of Kin'gyoku, his arch-nemesis the Student Council President of Ōgyoku, Shuu Meijima.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He wears dark eyeshadow and has long, black-as-night thin hair that goes to his back, with two hairs parted at the front and laid in front of his shoulders.
• Student Council President: He is the President of Kin'gyoku and takes his job very seriously; anyone daring to interfere with the school's success or status is subject to the most harshest of punishments. He despises Shuu Meijima because of the rivalry their schools have, and after seeing Kabamaru's potential he deploys him as an ally against Ōgyoku.
• Oblivious to Love: Kaoru obviously likes him and acts bashful around him, even checking on him when he's injured and always staying by his side, but he never notices.
• Obviously Evil: His eyeshadow, tendency to smirk and desire for power and control make it obvious that he's not to be trusted.
• Token Evil Teammate: He manipulates Kabamaru in his schemes against Shuu Maejima and the Ōgyoku school, knowing the boy's Ninja skills are his lightning in the bottle.
• Token Rich Student: The Meijiro family is Yakuza-like to an extent, given how they have a network of criminals to do their dirty work for them, and Shizune lives in luxury with a Big Fancy House with many staff.

Kaoru Nonogusa (野々草かおる)

Voiced by: Youko Asagami (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Julia Sorli (European Spanish Valencian), Noni Glykou (Greek), Mangala (Arabic)

A second year student at Kin'gyoku Academy part of the Student Council, and Shizune's subordinate and second in command.

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• All Love Is Unrequited: Shizune never notices her feelings for him because he's too preoccupied with his villainous schemes, even when she's an accomplice to them.
• Crush Blush: Around Shizune. She looks like a deer in the headlights when she sees him.
• Long Hair Is Feminine: She's a girly girl, likes to wear pink, and has long, blonde, elbow-length cymotrichous hair, in contrast to Mai's Boyish Short Hair.
• Pink Is Feminine: When she's not wearing her school uniform, she's often wearing pink.
• Plucky Girl: No matter how much she fails to, she always strives to find some way to be there for Maejiro.
• Shrinking Violet: She doesn't have much confidence in herself and is too timid to approach her other classmates, but tries to make an exception for Shizune, and gradually warms up to Mai and Kabamaru too.

Ran Okumo (大久保麻衣)

Voiced by: Eiko Yamada (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Xesca Guillén (European Spanish Valencian), Jenny Kaliva (Greek), Samira Al-Baroudi (Arabic)

Mai's grandmother and the headmistress of Kin'gyoku Academy. She was friends with Saizo Igano in her youth and had unrequited feelings for him.

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• Arch-Enemy: Suu was like a sister to her, but when they had a crush on the same guy, they began viewing each other as enemies. This feud continues fifty years after their initial spat, even as they're old women.
• Cool Old Lady: Because of her don't-give-a-damn attitude, Ran Ookumo is seen as a cool grandma by the students of Kin'gyoku, or as a senile fool who needs to be put on a leash. Many of the Kin'gyoku students look up to her, especially Mai and Kabamaru, who were taken in by her after they were orphaned.
• Imagine Spot: She often thinks of Saizo Igano, her first love, especially when she looks at Kabamaru.
• Inconsistent Spelling: Is her (and Mai's) surname Ookumo? Okamo? Ōkubo?
• Wacky Parent, Serious Child: She's the wacky old lady to Mai's easily flustered, logical, serious child.
• Womanchild: She acts ladylike on the outside, but she swears a lot when she's with her friends and speaks to her students as if she's their friend.

Hayate Kirino (霧野疾風)

Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka/Eiko Yamada^note As a child (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Clemente López (European Spanish Valencian), Haris Sozos (Greek), Samir Maalouf/Samira Al-Baroudi ^note As a child (Arabic)

An orphan boy who's mother committed suicide when he was five. He was taken in by Saizo Igano and raised as his grandson Kabamaru's brother. Both boys were trained as ninjas and their powers are next-level. However, after Saizo's death, Hayate mysteriously cut off Kabamaru and orders him to give up on his dreams.

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• Childhood Friends: He has known Kagamaru since they were small children, as they were both orphans with the same guardian.
• Conveniently an Orphan: When he was five years old, he lost his mother, and was taken in by Saizo Igano afterwards.
• Good All Along: He was always on Kabamaru's side - he was just in on Saizo's plan of faking his death, and opposed him so he could further motivate him to be a great ninja.
• The Rival: His skills are on the same level as Kabamaru's, and they grew up together. However, as of current, Hayate says that Kabamaru is dead to him and he should forget their bond.
• We Used to Be Friends: He used to be Kabamaru's friend and foster brother until as adults, they grew apart and Hayate told Kagamaru he was actually using his grandfather to escape from his past.

Shuu Maejima (前島秀)

Voiced by: Akio Nojima (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Jorge Tejedor (European Spanish Valencian), (Greek), Antoine Hajal/Michel Abu Sulaiman (Arabic)

The Student Council President of Ōgyoku Academy. Because the feud between Kin'gyoku and Ōgyoku has lasted decades, he wants Ōgyoku to reign supreme and crush Kin'gyoku once and for all.

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• Arch-Enemy: Meijiro, of Kin'gyoku, his rival school. He takes pleasure in showing up Meijiro during the race and stresses him out so much he faints, and his pasttime is plotting Kin'gyoku's downfall.
• Cool Shades: He has a pair of dark-gray translucent shades.
• Smug Snake: Utterly smug about his victory over Meijiro, and looks down on Kin'gyoku as a whole.
• Student Council President: Like Meijiro, he is from a powerful family that is connected to his school's student council, of which he is the president.

Suu Matsuno (松野 好)

Voiced by: Masako Nozawa (Japanese), Unknown (French), María Teresa Neila (European Spanish), Unknown (European Spanish Valencian), Jenny Kaliva (Greek), Wafa Tarabih (Arabic)

The headmistress of Ōgyoku Academy.

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• Adaptational Jerkass: In the manga, she was a caring old lady that doted on Kabamaru after his grandfather's death, whereas in the anime she hates Kin'gyoku Academy because of the rivalry it has with her school and hopes to sabotage it's students.
• Adaptational Job Change: In the original manga, she worked at a yakisoba restauarant for a living. In the anime, she's the principal of Ōgyoku Academy.
• Feminine Women Can Cook: In the manga, she would cook yakisoba for Kabamaru, even when it was late at night.
• Gonk: She is a short, wide-eyed, buck-toothed old woman with an equally crabby personality.

Saizo Igano (伊賀野才蔵)

Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata/Ryūsei Nakao (Japanese), Unknown (French), Unknown (European Spanish), Ramón V. Pascual (European Spanish Valencian), Yannis Eudaimon (Greek), Antoine Hajal/Michel Abu Sulaiman (Arabic)

The grandfather of Igano Kabamaru and adoptive father of Hayate Kirino. A skilled ninja in his own right who's old age isn't an issue when it comes to taking on younger opponents. He can even perform illusion jutsus.

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• Abusive Parents: He was an extremely harsh mentor to Kabamaru and Hayate, and frequently called them immature and failures to motivate them to do better. He also tricks his own grandson into thinking he's dead for years and justifies it with the fact that it was necessary for his training, not caring about the emotional toll it would cause.
• Cool Old Guy: Kabamaru looks up to his grandpa and values his teachings. Even though he was always a harsh teacher, he wanted to make him happy and become a ninja worthy of his praise.
• I Was Quite a Looker: It's said many times that as a youth, Saizo was a Tall, Dark, and Handsome heartbreaker who everyone found charming. He grew up to be a great ninja, and in Ran's flashback, he looks just like Kabamaru.
• Stern Teacher: He wanted to push Kabamaru and Hayate to be perfect and refused to tolerate any sort of laziness from them - whatever they did was always met with criticsm and he would pretend to be a moving Buddha statue to make sure they weren't slacking.
• The Reveal: It turns out he never really died and actually faked his entire funeral. His reason for this was to train Kabamaru for the next stage of his ninja training, and Hayate and Ran were in on it.