Ranked #89

History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi

You are a person who loves fighting anime and is looking for something with epic battles and intense rivalries. Or you are someone who is looking for a good laugh and an entertaining anime that will last you for awhile. Or, you are somebody who is simply looking for an amazing anime that has all the right pieces that make it extraordinary. If any of those above scenarios fit you, simply put, Shijou Saikyou No Deshi Kenichi (History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi) is a must-watch anime for you to pick up on.

The story, although simple at heart, becomes more complex at the surface as the anime progresses through the episodes. Kenichi is your run-of-the mill weakling kid who is always getting picked on by everyone and has no confidence in his abilities whatsoever. But that doesn't stop him from doing the right thing and stepping into some pretty hairy situations despite his shortcomings. The story begins with Kenichi wanting to get stronger because of his will to protect his friends. As a result, he joins the Ryōzanpaku dojo and from there on out, every episode has meaning, and will have you wanting for more. The story ends with Kenichi in an final showdown verses the leader of the most intense gang in Japan - Ragnorak. Just from that, it gives you the sense that the plot development is spectacular in this show.

The art for Kenichi is well done. All of the characters are drawn very well and have distinguishing characteristics that cosplay members will love to create. Animation is also done very well, as you have great battles and very few repetition of frames.

Arguably, the sound is probably the weakest point of the anime, and its not even that weak. Opening/ending songs are pretty good and the scores used throughout the anime fit quite well with the current scene you are watching. However, it is the voices to each character that really brings all the characters alive, as you can feel the emotion from all of the characters.

The character design in HSD Kenichi is so original and great, that you'll wonder why nobody has ever came up with this before. Kenichi is trained by six masters, who all specialize in a different form of martial arts. All of their personalities are so different and unique, you'll also wonder how each of them get along in the first place. Hence, the many comedic moments and episodes that you'll inevitably witness as they all fight amongst themselves to be the one who trains Kenichi. Ah, and let's not forget the beautiful Miu Furinji, Kenichi's love interest, who, unlike other female protagonists of similar plots, is one hell of a fighter and the reason Kenichi joins the dojo. As the anime progresses deeper in the story, you'll be unveiled to a plethora of unique characters who have different fighting styles and unique personalities, which will all amaze and have you laughing at the same time. For the sake of keeping this section as short as possible, I'm simply going to say character development is flawless in this anime.

Even with all of this that I have written about, this anime would be nothing without its comedy, and that is what makes Kenichi so much fun and enjoyable to watch. You will be literally laughing out loud at some of the hellish training that Kenichi is forcibly put through and will wonder why he hasn't died yet. (Yes, the training is that hellish). Even with 50 episodes, the comedy of Kenichi never gets old and you'll find that to be the case right up to the very last episode. Hell, sometimes you'll wish that they had more comedy than serious fights, because its that good.

All in all, Kenichi is one of those rare anime shows out there that is able to blend in comedy with the overall serious plot extremely well. One of the few qualms that I did have with this show was that the ending occurred a little to quick and you'll also wish that they gave more information about the history of each of the masters, as they provide you with relatively very little on each one of them. In the end, once you watch the final episode of this anime, it will take you five seconds or so to wish that there would be a second season to it. read more

This anime is great for anyone who likes fighting animes. The main character Kenichi, gradually changes from a weakling into quite the formidable fighter, as of the time I'm writing this, the latest episode is episode 47, and all througout you can see a consistent improvement on his character, as he develops confidence, and the skills to back up that confidence.

Overall a great anime, the animation itself is pretty much like most anime, except during dramatic moments, when the use of shadows is greatly enhanced. The sound is perfect, all the character's voices fit their personalities, and you can really feel the emotion in Kenichi's voice. Again, a great anime if you are into martial arts stuff, or just a growin pains anime with a hint of romance

The story is very interesting, in that we see a culmination of everything in the last few episodes. We see why Kenichi is so driven to learn martial arts, and the depth of this drive, with how he pushes himself through inhuman training. Definitely, the characters of this anime are unforgettable, each makes a lasting impact on you, from Kenichi and his friends, to his eccentric masters, and his enemies. read more

History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi is a Shounen, Action, Comedy about a typical high school boy (Kenichi) who’s always being bullied, until one day, he learns of a special dojo that teaches many forms of martial arts.

From the start, this anime has a very typical story and plot. Having a high school setting, the story is about Kenichi’s quest to become stronger. The story itself is incredibly basic that any idiot can grasp its concept. The way in which the story flows makes it feel like a game; Kenichi gains some experience points => clears a stage => levels up => makes it to the next stage. This makes it really enjoyable to watch him develop but its overall simplicity is also its downfall, due to the lack of depth to the story. This doesn’t matter too much, to the average viewer because of than the awesome fights and there’s plenty of comedy that will make it hard to take the show seriously.

This anime is full of so many interesting characters and it’s not only the 2 main ones (Kenichi & Miu). Some of the supporting characters are also great, as their little quirks make the series more enjoyable. With Kenichi being the main titular character, he proves to be quite an amazing well developed one. It just makes it so interesting to watch a "loser-kun" character with no natural talent become such a great fighter.

The quality of the animation is very peculiar because most of the time it looks really simple and crude. The action on the other hand can be pretty intense but the character’s thoughts tend to slow down the pace. The music has to be the weakest aspect of the show, as there is nothing particularly special about it. Not only that but the background sounds (birds & cicadas) don’t sound good but the SFX during fights help add to the intensity.

Overall History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi proved to be a really enjoyable and addicting Shounen Action anime to watch, as it didn’t rely on typical “power ups” and “special techniques” but just traditional fighting styles and clichés. Of course this anime would have been so much better if it was produced by a different studio but even then the story would still be very linear. If you’ve seen and enjoyed shounen action animes like “Tenjou Tenge” & "Naruto" then you’ll definitely enjoy this one.

^_^ read more

History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi starts off as somewhat slow and mediocre. I myself was forced to watch the first few episodes because I had already gotten a few and it seemed like a waste if I didn't even watch what I got. As the story progresses you are left with an endearment to Kenichi himself and maybe one (or all) of his masters. Simply put Kenichi's character is unlike anything I have ever seen. He's like a mixture of Ueki from Law of Ueki and take any lead character of a romantic comedy. Why? Basically, he has the comedic attributes that Ueki has. Unfortunately, he doesn't have that natural ability to be skillful when fighting. He has that "my friends are important" feature though. The comedy really doesn't come from him but from the situation he's in and how he reacts to it. Add, in that little mix from a romantic comedy and you've got yourself a Kenichi Shirahama.

I gave a 10 for the Characters not only because of this but because of the supporting characters namely his masters and Niijima, his love/hate friend. Its because that there is something to love about every one of them and you can just choose your favorite. I personally love Apachai Hopachai, his Muay Thai master.

The story is basically nothing from the ordinary. You've probably seen some like it, but what sets this story apart is how it is executed. Some things are obvious at the start and some things aren't There are a few surprises as the story progresses though. It's one of those "I'll protect the world stories" but with a comedic twist. I would say that the closest anime to Kenichi would be Law of Ueki. If you liked that, then I'm sure you'll love Kenichi.

Art and Sound are fair and at par with most anime. Although upon further reading, the cast is composed of familiar voices and new voices.

History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi is one anime that you will surely enjoy.

I give it a 9 out of 10 read more

This anime has its pros and cons that really do stand out in a certain way, but overall enjoyable and entertaining. I’ll talk about the major flaws and issues I had with this anime when I come to the conclusion so in the mean time, I’ll talk about what I like about this anime and the minor flaws. First off, it has a great cast of characters where everybody gets to shine and they all have their own contribution to the overall progression of the story and development of the main characters. It has great character development and I feel that there will be some character(s) you can make some connection to because most of them get an in-depth back-story to offer those opportunities to relate to them. It also has a good amount of comedy. But in the beginning, specifically the first portion will be a bit slow and will focus more on the comedy, but then it becomes more focused on the development and the fights.

Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the character design is basic and simple. Some people may see past this, some probably won’t. But I feel that the diversity of the character design in comparison to lets say Gundam SEED makes up for it because you’re getting all kinds of outfits and characters in this show which adds personality. Overall, I feel that the character designs that were presented are good examples of how to draw anime and I feel it should be in a beginner’s guide to drawing anime.

The fights are reasonably paced and exciting. Considering the nature of this anime, you’re not going to get fireballs, bullet time, or anything that excessively violates physics in a trendy and cliché manner. So if you enjoy the fights in Hajime no Ippo or Grappler Baki, you will probably like this one though it’s really not as technical as the fights in those shows. I say if you like Jackie Chan and Jet Li fan, then this is truly for you, but if you’re a Mixed Martial Arts fanatic like I am, there will be some things that will probably irritate and you which I will get into at the conclusion of my review.

The theme songs which I forgot the names of and too lazy to look up are pretty nice and energetic, but compared to other main stream songs and artists out there like what L’Arc~En~Ciel has done for GTO, Rurouni Kenshin, and Gundam 00, it doesn’t really stand out and doesn’t really capture my interest in comparison to that band as well as other big name artists and bands like NEWS, TM Revolution, Crystal Kay, Nami Tamaki, BoA, Hamasaki Ayumi, and some others. But you’re free to disagree on that one. I’m saying the music is good, but not really great. The background music on the other hand is pretty intense and accurately captures the eastern setting like how Naruto does in the ninja kind of manner and used appropriately.

The voice cast I have to admit is top notch. The English dub is officially not out yet upon the time of this review so I really can’t comment yet on that, but the Japanese version should be satisfying for those interested. I really loved the multi-talented Tomokazu Seki, the voice of Miyata from Hajime no Ippo; Keisuke from Initial D; and Domon from G Gundam as Kenichi. He captures the characters situations and moods very excellently. My favorite cast member had to be Horikawa Ryou, the voice of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z as Hermit. He plays the character in a very interesting way and his acting abilities are just convincing the way he comes across at times which you have to see for yourself to understand because it’d be a spoiler if I talked about it.

Now that I’ve gotten the good points out of the way, I feel I should now talk about the bad points, but I don’t feel the qualities I found negative should make anyone refrain from watching this anime because I admit I’m making the negative qualities stand out more from the good though that wasn’t really my intention. First off, a guy who trains in all these disciplines and these characters that represent other kinds of martial arts is the novelty, but I felt the biggest flaw in relation was the execution and it’s based on how I view martial arts today. It’s not something I would say as inaccurate or myth, but an archaic way of thinking, especially in relation to Mixed Martial Arts and the philosophies of Bruce Lee. The perfect example is when Renka is critical of Kenichi for practicing other martial arts saying he should stick to one. That alone from tells me what this anime is doing is a completely outdated way of thinking and this is probably something that could have acceptable by my standards in maybe 1998 instead of 2008. Bruce Lee always talked about not limiting oneself to one style and the concept of styles shouldn’t really exist. His frustrations with wing chun in a fight and seeing his own art’s limitations bounded by their techniques and traditions was what led him to develop Jeet Kune Do.

Then 30 years later, mixed martial arts came and what you see in UFC makes up a good portion of what Bruce Lee is in a philosophical sense. The ending fight is also something that violates what Bruce Lee also talks about. Such as Kenichi transitioning moves from one martial art to the next. Some people have a misconception of Bruce Lee’s philopshies of how he took the best moves from these martial arts to create JKD, but here is an example of what he’s really talking about. You’re in a street fight and you use a jab similar to boxing but you miss, do you switch to using a karate seiken punch in hopes of winning? That’s an example of what this show is doing. I have never taken a Jeet Kune Do class, but I have friends that are certified instructors and they tell me in that situation, if you miss, you can still attack with the corresponding elbow you throw the jab with since your elbow could still be in front of your opponent’s face. Jeet Kune Do was about using every possibility to your advantage in a street fight. Even biting, eye gouging, and striking the family jewels. And I just felt that this anime doesn’t do the best job of differentiating between intramural martial arts and real fighting and the only exemption to this was when Kenichi fought the captain of the Karate club.

Before I get into the next topic, I will address what people are going to say. “But GrapplerJMo, it’s just an anime.” Yes, I know that, but remember that when kung fu movies came out in the 1970s it was creating actual misconceptions that what you saw also worked in real fights, and when kickboxing came along in the 1980s for awhile, people were disappointed that what they saw in the movies wasn’t real fighting because they never really saw those flashy kicks in those fights, and I got this personal paranoia that to some extent this anime is capable of carrying on that tradition because this anime is still based on real world principles at some capacity. But going on.

Another trait in relation to what personally bothered me was the lack of representation of other phases of combat or styles such as ground and submission fighting. The only character that somewhat represents them is the street brawler, Shinnosuke. Akisame is sort of like this, but his holds are based more on small joint manipulation and you really don’t see them in the fights that often anyway. But it did disappoint me I didn’t see the use of the guard, an armbar, or a chokehold, which are considered effective moves. And some of these real life practioners and fighters such as the Gracie family and Ken Shamrock are training our troops who fighting in the middle east and I feel with the mainstreaming of MMA, especially in Japan for 15 years now, it is a personal disappointment for me because of the intention this show has in that regard. Though it does represent the spirit of marital arts, it doesn’t represent the evolution. read more

Animation - 5
The animation is lack luster. Rather than fluid animation displaying extension of limbs and alertness of characters. Kenichi relies more heavily on the quick flash of motion with speed lines indicating action, and sequences of pictures less worthy of being called animation. Character design is uninspired-ly shounen, with an overall presentation of something one would see in the early 90's.
Sound- 4
Bad voice acting. There really is no other way to say it. It was surprising to discover that the voice of the main character, Shirahama Kenichi, is acted by Seki Tomokazu one of my personal favorites. The music is equally bad and also quite forgettable. I had to go back to youtube just to remember them, and even then it was unfamiliar. Also laughable are the foley effects for fights which prove highly anachronistic given current technology and processes.
Characters - 4
Nothing to see here except a plethora of sterotypes as flat as the paper they were conceived on. We have your meek protagonist who cherishes what little companions he has. His busty, pure-hearted, yet equally shy friend. Kenichi's numerous martial arts masters are all ripoffs of characters from various fighting games and movies. We have the old man with a long beard and ripped muscles, the kung fu master, the kunoichi weapons expert, the thai boxer, badass karate guy, and disciplined but dangeruous Aikido master. On the opposing side we have baddies including a tsundere who likes kittens, a bitter enemy who misdirects rage, and the main bad guy who lusts for power at all costs.
Story - 5
This story plays out as all shounen fighting shows with a hint of romance do: Fight a person and find out that something more sinister awaits. Train. Conflict of conscience. Something bad happens. Train. Fight. Get former enemies to be your friend. Train. Recognition of weakness. Train. Discover you like girl. Date. Train. Remember past with girl and baddies. Train. Turn weakness into strength. Prevail.
Enjoyment - 4
The only thing I can honestly say that I enjoyed is the application of Norse mythology in the form of giving nick-names to the "bad guys." I wasted a lot of time during the show trying to find a higher meaning behind the monikers. But clearly the creator though: Norse names are cool sounding. end of thought.
Overall - 4
Kenichi is a laughably mediocre show. I once had this score at a six (I tend to give middle of the road shows the benifit of the doubt), and then a five; however, while writing this review I have come to the conclusion that this show is not the sum of its average parts. At no point in time does this show take the viewer by surprise. Everything from design to execution is bizarrely over-exaggerated and banally predictable. Even if one is a fan of the genre, I doubt that it stacks up to any of the heavy hitters, or even the more marginally popular fare. read more

This is the crappiest of all crapfests ever. Imagine your least favorite anime. Now imagine if it had footage of your favorite pet dying. In slow motion. In the OP & ED. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is worse.

Story- 2: Kenichi has the most stereotypical shonen premise I've ever seen. A wimpy young schoolboy wishes he was good at fighting but he isn't. Luckily, he meets a busty schoolgirl who (surprise!) lives at an amazing dojo that takes him on as their disciple. This plot was only barely interesting the first time I saw it, however everything about it seems ripped directly from a better and/or more original anime.

Art- 3: Everybody in this series is both disturbingly muscular and overly sexualized. The art reminded me of a cross between Dragon Ball Z and Love Hina... certainly not a good thing. However, here is the one place Kenichi didn't shine as remarkably bad, although just as uninspired as the rest of the series, Kenichi has at least mediocre production values. Similarly, the fight scenes aren't awful, just worse than 95% of the shonen-fighter genre.

Sound- 2: Ugh! The voice acting in this series was outstandingly grating, just as the music was outstandingly forgettable. I would've given it a 1 but at least it did have a memorably bad theme song. Actually, months after seeing some Kenichi, I doubt you'll remember the music much at all...

Character- 1: Which is in stark contrast with the characterization. Believe me when I say *there isn't a single character in Kenichi you haven't seen somewhere else before*. More importantly, the characters all adhere religiously to their stereotypes, making them both generic AND predictable. To say Kenichi has 2D characters is an understatement, I felt like the series was entirely inhabited by flat background characters.

Enjoyment- 1: There are those shows that are so bad, they are fun to make fun of. Kenichi dodges this category by acting like it might be funny already. It also might have a good plot and original characters. (It doesn't.) Kenichi goes past "so bad it's funny" back into the realm of "so bad it's terrible". I can honestly say I would've enjoyed myself more doing absolutely nothing.

Overall- 1: This is straight-up the worst anime I've ever watched. I hate wasting my time writing bad reviews, but this show was bad enough I felt I had to warn other people away from it. If you love shonen, fighting anime, etchi, AND martial arts.... you could do better. If you don't love every one of these genres, please do not waste your time. There is such a wealth of other series that fall into these genres and are better in every way... the only thing I have to say that's good about Kenichi is that I only watched 3 episodes of it. Maybe it gets less outstandingly awful after that point... But that would still only make it terribly mediocre. read more

If you're looking for something engaging, with thrilling action sequences and a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat at the end of every episode, then go ahead and skip this anime. It's the ultimate definition of a mediocre anime. I had to force my way through every episode. The hero of the story is not likable, and the character Niijima is the equivalent of Jar-Jar Binks in Episode 1. Actually, I take that back because I hated Jar-Jar less. The boob jokes get old, and the action sequences are weak. You can find SO much better. If you want to watch an underdog story with excellent action and lots and lots of GOOD humor, then watch Hajime no Ippo and skip this one. I don't know what the target audience for this was, because teens will see through the weak action sequences, adults will find the perverted jokes unappealing, and children would be bored to tears with the lame story line.
Thumbs down. read more

History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi starts out incredibly sluggish. There was not much thrill at the start, and it seemed like it would be another slice of life, kid gets bullied on, kid fights back thing. But, to my surprise, the story streamed off to another anime, which is quite appealing. I for one would NEVER watch fighting or brawling animes simply because I enjoy lore, mystical powers, etc etc, and eventually Kenichi does get these aspects. Although it is indisputably a fighting anime, the level of practicality is… just what the doctor ordered, none of the major events in Kenichi are possible whatsoever after a certain turning point (A few episodes after he joins the academy).
10/10, I am urging for a new season. One involving the masters.

If you did in fact find this review helpful, I do take value in my “Helpful” rating, so please take a moment of your time to tell me how you liked this review. read more

At first I was sceptical, because after all most martial arts anime are not that well done, mainly due to the difficulty trying to try complex styles, moves, and attacks. the art isn't the best, I didn't exactly like the style that was used in this series, but as I watched more and more I found that it wasn't to bad, and was bearable. and that the style began to fit with the pace the anime was flowing and the moves that were being shown.

The characters are well diverse, especially Kenichis 5 masters, ranging from Karate, Weapons, Chinese Martial arts, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai. each of them having their own unique personality and been very strong and fast.

The story is upon Kenichi a weak and cowardly boy, who wants to learn karate to become stronger. due to his shortness and weak build, he is bullied in the school dojo and challenged to a duel that who ever loses will have to quit karate. Kenichi accepts, and is troubled, and stumbles upon a blonde girl interfering in local yakuza bullying an old man, Kenichi fearing the girl will lose her life rushes to her aid with not even a thought, only to realise he was going to die. It was during this time the girl saves him with her amazing skills. and introduces him to her dojo.

The anime series, flows well, and makes alot of sense in some way. because as kenichi becomes stronger and defeats a strong opponent he attracts more stronger opponents who want to defeat him.

This series is full of action and comedy and ecchi scenes. and also its just fun to watch someone become stronger and making alot of allies.

Overall I enjoyed it and rewatch this alot. I hope you all enjoy it as much as me.
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