Starninger slashes at Grandpa, but he manages to poof himself away before Starninger can finish him off.
At the dojomanse, the Ninningers are wrapping up training for day and getting ready for dinner when they are shocked by Grandpa stumbling in. They run to him as he falls to the floor.
“He… followed me to Japan…” Grandpa says before collapsing.
Father and Kasumi bring Grandpa into the room to rest. Takaharu thinks Kyuuemon attacked Grandpa and is ready to storm out, but Father says they must not use their ninja powers for revenge. Yakumo also doesn’t think Kyuuemon is behind this. Kasumi adds what Grandpa told them about the guy following him to Japan.
They decide to lure out the culprit. Father worries, but Kasumi says it’ll be okay. This is part of their training.
Next morning, Takaharu poses as Grandpa with the cart while Yakumo and Fuuka are also in disguise nearby.
A cowboy-dressed man with a sheriff’s badge approaches Takaharu and pretends to ask directions, but really just wants to shoot him. Takaharu uses Substitution Technique and he, Yakumo and Fuuka surround the man.
The Ninningers henshin and Takaharu introduces them as the grandchildren of the Last Ninja. Aha, the man says. He takes out the Starninger Shuriken and a hamburger and henshins himself!
The Ninningers remember him from before and realize this is also the guy who attacked Grandpa. Starninger confirms. Takaharu attacks even though Yakumo tells him to wait.
Yakumo tells Fuuka they have no choice but to help Takaharu out. But Starninger is able to counter all they throw at him. He then goes rock and roll and uses his guitar to shoot at the Ninningers to force them to dehenshin.
Starninger dehenshins. He puts his hat on and introduces himself as Kinji Takigawa. Though born in America, he is a real ninja and the #1 Youkai Hunter.
The Ninningers name some of the Youkai they’ve defeated as well, much to Kinji’s shock and horror.
Kinji regrets not coming to Japan sooner. But the Ninningers have no idea what to make of this guy.
Back at the dojomanse, Father gets a perfectly fine Grandpa to wake up by threatening to bring him to the hospital.
Kinji gets a Youkai alert on his burger and he poofs off. Takaharu, Yakumo and Fuuka wonder about this strange guy, though Fuuka sort of feels an affinity toward him. Suddenly, their Gamagama-jus also alert to a Youkai.
Kinji has found the Youkai Daidarabocchi rampaging at a construction site. After the Youkai has introduced himself, Kinji excitedly takes a selfie with him. But Daidarabocchi hates having his picture taken so he whacks Kinji over to the cowering citizens.
Takaharu-tachi arrive and see Kinji has beat them here.
The people ask Kinji if he is here to save them, but he says he’s only here to fulfill his own goals. He takes his burger out and henshins.
Takaharu, Yakumo and Fuuka also henshin and fight off the Hitokarages. But Kinji uses Wind Technique to grab the Hitokarages and send them crashing down on Daidarabocchi.
A mother is looking for her daughter who is cornered by two Hitokarages. Yakumo and Fuuka are tied up themselves, so Kinji decides to hop down and save the little girl. He protects here from Dairabocchi’s attack.
The little girl is crying and after dehenshining, Kinji tries cheering her up. The mother comes to take her daughter and thanks Kinji.
Fuuka sees why Kinji felt so familiar. He and Oniichan are exactly alike!
Takaharu jumps down to fight Daidarabocchi as Kasumi and Nagi arrive. Fuuka is half-right. They recount Grandpa’s explanation to them. When he was in America, he met Kinji in some wild west town. Kinji kept pestering him about becoming his pupil, but Grandpa said only those who can exceed his Nintality can do so. “If you want to be my pupil, you will have to defeat me.”
Grandpa hoped that would get Kinji to lay off, but instead he’s followed him here to Japan.
Just like Takaharu, Kinji is also a big fan of Grandpa.
Kinji henshins and they all fight the Hitokarages.
Kinji ends up facing Daidarabocchi and uses Cloning Technique and Wind Technique to outsmart him. Takaharu recognizes Kinji’s Ninpou are just like Grandpa’s.
Indeed, Kinji says, he just wanted to try them since Grandpa is his idol, after all. He uses Thunder Technique to fry Daidarabocchi.
Takaharu doesn’t want to lose to him so he jumps down and uses Cloning Technique as well. But Daidarabocchi just slaps him away. Kinji takes over and uses a Winning Rockstar Wind Technique Finisher.
But not before taking another selfie.
Kyuuemon embiggens Daidarabocchi. Kinji summons Rodeomaru and hops on. The Ninningers hop into ShurikenJin Paon.
Kinji initiates a Bison Change to form Bison King and together, they finish off Daidarabocchi.
The Ninningers watch as Kinji excitedly makes casts of the Youkai’s footprints. Takaharu says he doesn’t understand, but if Kinji is a fan of Grandpa’s, then he must be a good guy.
Suddenly, Grandpa sends wanted posters their way to talk to them. He tells Kinji that if he can defeat his grandchildren, then he will accept Kinji as his pupil.
And for his grandchildren, he wants them to defeat Starninger as their training. The one who wins this will come one step closer to becoming the Last Ninja.
Episode Thoughts
I thought this was a good introduction to Kinji. He’s a very fun and likeable guy, despite trying to kill Grandpa. Or not. We’re not even really sure. But aside from his actual purpose in even showing up, his personality is enough to allow you to wait for the story to develop a little more in the next few episodes.
The initial tension between the main team and Kinji is to be expected and I guess the wanting to kill Grandpa part helps justify the apprehension.
But what I’m most looking forward to is how, like in ToQger, an outsider adjusts to joining a team that already has a very strong bond. It is even more interesting here since the Ninningers are family, actual blood relatives. So I hope we get to see that unfold just like we got to see the ToQgers’ relationship with Akira unfold very well last year.