Rantarou Inadera is the main character of "Nintama Rantarou," a boy from a long line of ordinary ninjas who dreams of becoming a first-rate ninja. He is famous for his messy brown hair and thick glasses because of his bad eyesight. Rantarou is very fast and kindhearted but often finds himself in funny or unlucky situations. Along with his best friends Kirimaru Settsuno and Shinbei Fukutomi, Rantarou learns and grows while experiencing lots of trouble and adventures at ninja school.
Rantarou is a boy with messy, reddish-brown hair.
His hair is thin and cannot be tied into a topknot, which makes it stick out in every direction.
He wears glasses because of severe astigmatism.
He is 136 cm tall and weighs 30 kg.
In the anime, his appearance is sometimes described as looking like a "Showa-era mom" when he takes off his headscarf.
Rantarou is honest, cheerful, and very caring toward others.
He is known for being kindhearted and always willing to help.
However, his good nature makes him get caught up in trouble a lot, especially by his enemy Happousai Hieda who always looks for his weaknesses.
Rantarou likes to stop his friends from doing wild things but sometimes joins in as well.
He is more serious about studying than his friends, though he is not the top student.
Rantarou comes from Settsu, a region in Japan.
He is a Sagittarius with blood type O.
He was born into a family of third-rate ninjas (his father says "second-rate").
His father, Heinousuke, is still a working ninja, and his mother used to be a female ninja (kunoichi).
Because work for regular ninjas is rare, his family mostly works as farmers, like many ninjas who pretend to be farmers.
Rantarou entered Ninjutsu Academy to become a top-class ninja.
Rantarou is the fastest runner in his class.
He can run 100 meters in 10 seconds and even jump over 2-meter-high walls.
He often serves as a messenger because of his speed.
His astigmatism gives him sharp vision for certain things, such as seeing through enemy tricks or recognizing overlapped drawings.
Rantarou is also skilled at drawing, especially portraits.
Because he is part of the Health Committee, he is good at giving first aid and behaves like a field medic in emergencies.
Rantarou’s best friends are Kirimaru Settsuno and Shinbei Fukutomi.
They first met at the entrance ceremony of the ninja school after an accident caused by Kirimaru spilling coins all over Rantarou.
Shinbei and Rantarou respected Kirimaru’s effort in earning his tuition money.
Since then, they have become a famous trio known as "Rantama 3."
Though all three are very different, their kindness and willingness to help one another make their friendship strong.
In the Health Committee, Rantarou is close to Isaku Zenpouji, Fushikizou Tsurumachi, and Kazuma Santanda.
He also knows Konnamon Zatto, a leader from another ninja group, because of his committee work.
Rantarou’s favorite word is "effort."
His family name comes from the Inadera area in Amagasaki City, and his first name is inspired by the author’s own eyesight trouble.
His nickname is “Unlucky Boy” because he is in the Health Committee, which is said to attract unlucky students.
In the anime’s early days, Rantarou liked milk, radio exercises, and scrolls, and had a habit of ending his sentences with "ran."
He was also more casual and rough, sometimes even running naked in the street with his friends.
In a 2011 popularity poll for lower-class students, he ranked 2nd.
His pronoun is usually "boku" in the manga and "watashi" in the anime, but he sometimes uses "ore" in early episodes.
First Day at School
When Rantarou arrived for his first day at Ninjutsu Academy, he paid his entrance fee and met Kirimaru Settsuno, who poured a bag of coins over him by accident.
After that, Shinbei Fukutomi showed up, and the three quickly became friends and started their adventures as the main trio.
School Life
Rantarou, Kirimaru, and Shinbei help each other survive as students, even though they are not the best learners.
Rantarou often studies seriously, more than his friends, and tries to keep them out of trouble, but he sometimes gets pulled in, too.
Health Committee
Rantarou belongs to the Health Committee, which cares for sick or injured students.
Because of this, he becomes skilled at giving first aid and is trusted to help others.
He once replaced Isaku Zenpouji as committee leader after Isaku got hurt, showing that Rantarou can rise to the occasion.
Facing Trouble
Rantarou often finds himself in difficult situations, especially because of his kind nature.
He has to think quickly, using his cleverness and his unique way of seeing things because of his eyes.
Movie Events
In a major movie, "Ninjutsu Academy: All Members Mobilized!", Rantarou shows his bravery by becoming the temporary Health Committee leader and helping both students and enemy soldiers.
- "Effort!" (his favorite word)
- "I’ll do my best!"
Rantarou’s story is about friendship, effort, and always trying your best, no matter how many times you get into trouble.
He is proof that even ordinary kids can become heroes.
💬 Community Discussion
Talk about this anime with people who actually care.