With Funimation losing the rights to the KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple anime property back in 2018, TMS Entertainment has been bringing it out to various services. The fifty-episode series was dubbed and subtitled by Funimation and they released it on DVD. Discotek Media picked up the rights to the show (but just the show, not the OVA series) at the end of 202 with an SDBD release sometime this year being planned.
Now, Funimation has brought the original series back onto the service in working with TMS Entertainment. It’s set to be available on Saturday with the full run in bilingual form to check out. Obviously, no home video releases are included in this deal, just streaming.
Originally airing in 2006 through 2007, the series is based on the manga from Shun Matsuena. It was directed by Hajime Kamegaki based on the series composition by Yoshiyuki Suga and character designs by Junko Yamanaka and Masatomo Sudo. TMS Entertainment produced the animation.
The Japanese cast includes Tomokazu Seki as Kenichi Shirahama, Tomoko Kawakami as Miu Furinji, Hiroshi Arikawa as Hayato “Jijii” Furinji, Hiroya Ishimaru as Apachai Hopachai, Issei Futamata as Kensei Ma, Juurouta Kosugi as Akisame Koetsuji, Mamiko Noto as Shigure Kosaka and Unshou Ishizuka as Shio Sakaki.
The English cast includes Carrie Savage as Miu Furinji, Josh Grelle as Kenichi Shirahama, Cherami Leigh as Honoka Shirahama, Chris Cason as Tochumaru, Christopher R. Sabat as Shio Sakaki, Jason Liebrecht as Natsu “Hermit” Tanimoto, Jerry Jewell as Ryuto “Odin” Asamiya, Kent Williams as Akisame Koetsuji, R Bruce Elliott as Hayato Furinji, Sonny Strait as Apachai Hopachai, Todd Haberkorn as Haruo Niijima, Travis Willingham as Loki, Trina Nishimura as Shigure Kosaka and Vic Mignogna as Kensei Ma.
Plot concept: “Weak Legs” Kenichi Shirahama would rather spend his time reading self-improvement books than fighting. However, when he finally works up the courage to become strong and join his school’s karate club, he is coerced into fighting a bullying upperclassman who is intent on getting him kicked out of the club. He is about to give it all up until he falls for his mysterious new classmate, Miu Furinji. In order to face this challenge, he undergoes rigorous training at the dojo she lives at, Ryouzanpaku. Some initial training by the masters there allow him to defeat his upperclassman, however his fighting prowess brings him to the attention of the powerful gang of delinquents, Ragnarok. Wishing to protect the things he loves and determined to have the strength to face the increasing adversity, he must learn various martial arts from the dojo’s resident masters, taking Karate, Muay Thai, Ju Jitsu and Chinese Martial Arts and combining them to create his own fighting style!
