, known as Goemon and Mystical Ninja internationally, is a video game series created and produced by Konami. Etsunobu Ebisu was the joint producer of the franchise.
These games revolve around the main character, Goemon, and his exploits. The games are notable for their humorous tone and parodies of many aspects of pop culture, as well as of other video games. The main character is loosely based on Ishikawa Goemon, the noble thief of Japanese folklore. While the early games emphasized Goemon as a noble thief, he eventually becomes more of a standard video game hero character. His trademarks are his blue bushy hair and weapon of choice, the kiseru. The games are set in a cartoonlike, mystical Feudal Japan, with many references to Japanese folklore. Although the series has its roots in action-adventure, the Ganbare Goemon series has features from genres including role-playing, puzzle video games and board games. Ganbare Goemon is popular in Japan. The series consists of video games, with its success spawning a wide series of merchandise and an anime and manga series.
Konami has generally regarded the Goemon games as too specific to the Japanese market to be released worldwide, but five of them have been released overseas: The Legend of the Mystical Ninja for the Super NES, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon and Goemon's Great Adventure for the Nintendo 64 and two titles for the Game Boy.
In 2002–03, a mobile phone was released for the titled Ganbare Goemon: Tsūkai Game Apli series.
The latest original game of the series was Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki, released in Japan for the Nintendo DS in 2005. Since then, the series has been used primarily as themes for Konami's pachislot machines. A compilation of earlier releases, Ganbare Goemon! Daishūgō, is set for release in 2026.
The series is represented in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a purchasable Goemon costume for Mii fighters.
On March 27, 2026, Konami Digital Entertainment held the Ganbare Goemon Lottery, a lottery sale to commemorate the series' 40th anniversary. The lottery sale offered a chance to win Ganbare Goemon items featuring numerous original illustrations, as well as special postcards as bonus gifts.
Related media Anime Original video animation A single-episode thirty-minute OVA was released in Japan in 1993 titled . The OVA starred the voice of Daiki Nakamura as Goemon and Hideyuki Umezu as Ebisumaru and featured segments parodying Gradius, Akumajō Dracula and TwinBee. A second-episode thirty-minute OVA was released in Japan in 1998 titled .
Television series
Manga Goemon is the protagonist of many manga based on the video game series. There are several series, each one based on a different game. Most of the manga were illustrated by artist Hiroshi Obi and were published between 1991 and 1998 to accompany the release of each new game.
Obi died from a brain stem hemorrhage on August 3, 2014, at the age of 54.Ganbare Goemon Manga Artist Hiroshi Obi Passes Away
The manga was digitally re-released in Japan on February 8, 2024.
List of games Video games (main series) Original title Localized title(s) Regions First release First platform Additional platform(s) Mr. Goemon JP 1986 Arcade Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri DōchūGanbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu Box Shot for MSX2 at GameFAQsGanbare Goemon! Karakuri Dōchū (1987) MSX cover art at MobyGames JP 1986 Famicom MSX2, Mobile phones Ganbare Goemon 2 JP 1989 Famicomi-revo, Wii VC, 3DS VC, Wii U VC Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Kieta Ōgon Kiseru JP 1990 Famicom Wii VC, 3DS VC, Mobile phones Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyūshutsu Emaki The Legend of the Mystical Ninja JP, NA, EUR 1991 SNESWii VC, Wii U VC, Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom Ganbare Goemon: Sarawareta Ebisumaru! Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (in Konami GB Collection Vol.3) JP, EUR 1991 Game Boy3DS VC Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihō JP 1992 Famicom Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shōgun McGuiness JP 1993 Super Famicom Ganbare Goemon 3: Shishi Jūrokubē no Karakuri Manjigatameおオススメ!! ソフト カタログ!!: がんばれゴエモン3. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.335. Pg.114. 12–19 May 1995. Score: 32/40. JP 1994 Super FamicomWii VC, Wii U VC Ganbare Goemon Kirakira Dōchū: Boku ga Dancer ni Natta Wake JP 1995 Super Famicom Ganbare Goemon: Uchū Kaizoku Akogingu JP 1996 PlayStationPlayStation Network Ganbare Goemon: Neo Momoyama Bakufu no Odori Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon JP, NA, EUR 1997 Nintendo 64 Ganbare Goemon: Kurofune Tō no Nazo Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon JP, NA, EUR 1997 Game Boy3DS VC Ganbare Goemon: Derodero Dōchū Obake Tenkomori Goemon's Great Adventure (NA) Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon (EUR) JP, NA, EUR 1998 Nintendo 64 Ganbare Goemon: Kuru Nara Koi! Ayashige Ikka no Kuroi Kage JP 1998 PlayStation Ganbare Goemon: Tengu-tō no Gyakushū! JP 1999 Game Boy Color Ganbare Goemon: Mononoke Dōchū Tobidase Nabe-Bugyō! JP 1999 Game Boy Color Ganbare Goemon: Seikūshi Dynamites Arawaru!! JP 2000 Game Boy Color Ganbare Goemon: Ōedo Daikaiten JP 2001 PlayStation Mini Kyodai Robo Goemon Compact JP 2003 Mobile phone Kessakusen! Ganbare Goemon 1 & 2 (port of the first two Super Famicom games with extra mini-games) JP 2005 Game Boy Advance Ganbare Goemon: Shishijūrokubē no Karakuri Manji Gatame JP 2005 Mobile phone Ganbare Goemon: Tōkai Dōchū Ōedo Tengu ri Kaeshi no Maki JP 2005 Nintendo DS
Video games (spin-offs) Original title Localized title(s) Regions First release First platform Ganbare Goemon: Ebisumaru Kiki Ippatsu JP 1990 Handheld electronic game Soreyuke Ebisumaru! Karakuri Meiro – Kieta Goemon no Nazo!! (puzzle game starring Ebisumaru) JP 1996 Super Famicom Goemon Mononoke Sugoroku (Sugoroku game) JP 1999 Nintendo 64 Bōken Jidai Katsugeki Goemon (a more serious spin-off of the series) Mystical Ninja Goemon Zero (unreleased) JP 2000 PlayStation 2 Goemon: Shin Sedai Shūmei! (futuristic spin-off of the series) JP 2001 PlayStation Goemon: New Age Shutsudō! (futuristic spin-off of the series) JP 2002 Game Boy Advance Ganbare Goemon: Tsūkai Game Apli series Dosukoi! Harite Ichiban Hijutsu! Sansū Juku Jetto GO! GO! GO! Karakuri Kiteretsu Rēsu Tentekomai-Mai Meikyū-Kan JP 2002–2003 Mobile phones Ganbare Goemon! Daishūgō (compilation of all Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games) JP 2026 Nintendo SwitchPlayStation 5Windows
Other games Original title Localized title(s) Regions First release First platform Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Dōchū: Machi Hen JP 1986 Board game Ganbare Goemon (medal game) JP 1997 Medal game Ganbare Goemon Pachisuro JP 2009 Pachislot Ganbare Goemon Pachisuro 2 JP 2011 Pachislot
References
External links Official Konami of Japan Ganbare Goemon site