I have a soft spot for ninja stories that take place in a modern setting. I have loved these kinds of stories ever since I watched Shinobi no Ittoki a few years ago. Recently I found out about Shinobi Undercover, and the description hit all the check boxes for me. It had ninjas, slice of life, and high school drama in a modern setting. I immediately knew that I had to read it, and it quickly became one of my favorites.
Yodaka is a highly skilled ninja, maybe even the best amongst his age group in the whole world. But he’s about to face his greatest challenge yet, high school life. He’s tasked with playing bodyguard to Aoi Mukai, but his own awkwardness gets in the way. He has no social skills, and he freaks out when people try to talk to him. But Aoi is just as hopeless because she’s clumsy, awkward in her own way, and too kind for her own good. So the two immediately become friends.
I really like this world because it’s reminiscent of stuff like John Wick and Sakamoto Days. Everyone in the world is living their lives normally, but there’s this giant ecosystem of organizations working in the shadows. Early on, Yodaka finds out that one of the teachers is actually an enemy who infiltrated the school. Then he finds out that one of his classmates is a rogue ninja. I love this concept, that so many underground things are happening while the rest of the school and world just casually exists.
Yodaka and Aoi immediately became two of my favorite characters. I love his awkwardness because behind the scenes he’s a total badass. But his entire personality flips when he has to talk to someone. He’s relatable while also being this really cool ninja. He also gets to utilize his ninja skills fluently in his high school life, like when he’s playing soccer, and that’s just fun to watch.
Aoi is the complete opposite in pretty much every aspect. She has no problems with talking to people because she goes out of her way to get involved and help people, and she immediately wants to befriend Yodaka. But she’s also the opposite of Yodaka because if she has to fight someone, she’d probably trip and fall over before throwing a punch. She’s a sweet character and she’s pretty funny.
While working as her bodyguard, he also meets two other ninjas from the same organization who are also protecting her. Turns out he was originally supposed to be backup while one played her best friend and the other played her boyfriend. They’re both just as cool as Yodaka, if a little crazy. The first volume doesn’t mention why Aoi needs protection in the first place, but the fact that her entire life needs to be controlled and monitored leaves a lot of hope for future story beats.
Shinobi Undercover had the most impactful first volume that I’ve personally read in a while. I love both main leads and I’m pretty invested in both the story and world. The action and art style are pretty darn good as well. The first volume is really interesting and builds lots of momentum without revealing too much. It’s a solid blend of action and slide of life, and you should enjoy it if you like stuff like Sakamoto Days, Kaiju No. 8, or Kindergarten Wars.
The first volume includes the first seven chapters by Ippon Takegushi and Santa Mitarashi. Viz Media is releasing the English edition of the volume on June 2. You can read more here.