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Revision as of 11:52, 1 September 2018

A self-styled "Ninja of Justice" who does things his own way and in his own good time. Setting down in Edo, he now lives with Goemon.
~ Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon instruction booklet

Ebisumaru (エビス丸?) is a character and one of the main protagonists in the Ganbare Goemon series. He is Goemon's longest standing partner and best friend. A surprisingly pudgy ninja with an equally puzzling eccentric personality.

According to the Mystical Website of Goemon, this character is derived from Nezumi Kozō. Renamed "Dr. Yang" in the North American release of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja" for the SNES. In the North American releases of Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon and Goemon's Great Adventure, his name is correctly translated to "Ebisumaru". He normally uses either fans or mallets as weapons. Ebisumaru also has a daughter named Mao, according to the Mystical Website of Goemon.

Other proficient weapons

  • Bombs
  • Extendible boxing glove
  • Festive sign paddle
  • Frying pan
  • Giant spatula
  • Gymnastic ball
  • Gymnastic pin
  • Gymnastic ribbon
  • Hand Fan
  • Hula-Hoop
  • Mallet
  • Megaphone
  • Piko Piko Hammer
  • Plunger
  • Yo-yo

Specialty ninjutsu

  • Chibi Ebi
  • Harisen Air Glider (ninja technique)
  • Heroine Technique
  • Hip Jump
  • Poison Mist
  • Rifuru

Background

A self-proclaimed "Ninja of Justice", Ebisumaru once roamed the country doing good deeds under the alias "Nezumi-Kozo" (aka The Rat Kid). In a fateful encounter, Ebisumaru would meet Goemon. Learning of Goemon's righteous path, Ebisumaru decided to tag along and aid in Goemon's cause. To this day, Ebisumaru can be found in Edo living at Goemon's house. Whereas some people say they "follow the beat of a different drummer", Ebisumaru takes that saying one step further by "following the beat of his own drum". Ebisumaru is a whimsical and carefree person by nature. His favorite hobby can easily said to be eating, as his pudgy appearance suggests. Ebisumaru currently holds the record for dango consumption at Akindo's Teahouse. In one sitting at this, his favorite Teahouse, Ebisumaru consumed a whopping 200 plates! He also speaks in a peculiar Kansai accent (noted by how he refers to Goemon as "Goemon-han" in both text and voiced dialog) and claims to be the descendant of American actor James Dean (one of the series' many signature anachronistic jabs).

Although irresponsible and obnoxious at times, Ebisumaru has proven to be a formidable partner and a great help to Goemon. In a constant trend later on in the series, Ebisumaru has proven to be very versatile, wielding a variety of different household items as weapons. Everything from a hula hoop to an aerobic dance ribbon, he always seem to carry just the right item with him on whatever journey he goes on. Also among his talents, Ebisumaru is inexplicably popular among women. It is from this that Ebisumaru believes himself to be a man peerless in appearance, much to the dismay of his friends. It has been recently revealed that Ebisumaru is a father of a baby girl named Mao.

Who was Nezumi Kozō?

Nezumi Kozō (鼠小僧?) was the nickname of one Jirokichi (次郎吉 1797 - 1832), a Japanese thief who lived in Edo (present-day Tokyo) during the Edo period. In 1822, he was caught and tattooed, and banished from Edo. In 1832, he was captured again, and confessed to the burglary of over 100 samurai estates and the impressive theft of over 30,000 ryō throughout his 15-year career. He was tied to a horse and paraded in public before being beheaded at the Suzu-ga-mori execution grounds. His head was then publicly displayed on a stake. His grave is at Ekō-in in Tokyo.

At the time of the arrest, Jirokichi was found to have very little money. This, combined with the public humiliation he dealt out to the daimyo, resulted in the popular legend that he gave the money to the poor, turning the petty crook into a posthumous folk hero similar to Robin Hood. The fact that he died alone, serving his wives (he appears to have been guilty of bigamy, possibly polygamy, as well) with divorce papers just prior to arrest in order to protect them from sharing in the punishment as the law decreed, further enhanced his stature. His exploits have been commemorated in kabuki theatre, folk songs, jidaigeki, video games, and modern pop culture. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa wrote a short story, Nezumi Kozō Jirokichi (translated into English as "Nezumi-Kozo (The Japanese Robin Hood)"); at least two films have had the same Japanese title.

Modern scholars are of the view that Jirokichi most likely spent his money on women and liquor.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Masked Ninja Ebisu is based on Ebisumaru. He also has an effect that supports Goe Goe, which indicates that Ebisu is based on Ebisumaru.

Gallery

See: Ebisumaru/Gallery

External links