Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke

Introduction by Ryan Holmberg
Translated by Ryan Holmberg
Look inside
A classic character of Japanese literature is reimagined as a mischievous, shapeshifting adventurer in this zany, Pop Art–flavored gag manga by a titan of the genre.

Ninja! Samurai! Cowboys! Aliens! Amoebas! Join Japan’s favorite ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke, on this psychedelic romp across a land beyond time by the legendary manga author and Pop Art pioneer Sugiura Shigeru.

In this 1969 take on the beloved ninja, the carefree young Sasuke pranks his way through a radically reimagined old Japan, opening wormholes to America’s Wild West and outer space as he goes. This wild adventure overflows with eye-popping sights: UFOs, absurd monsters, Hollywood stars, gun-toting outlaws, submarines, towering mushroom clouds, and much more.

Available for the first time in English and with an essay by Ryan Holmberg, Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke is a must-read for its trippy visuals and outrageous storytelling.
Sugiura Shigeru (1908–2000) was one of the most popular manga artists of the mid-twentieth century and a pioneer of Pop Art in Japan. Originally trained as a painter, he debuted as a cartoonist in 1932 under the tutelage of Tagawa Suihō, a leading author of children’s manga in the prewar period. In the 1950s, Sugiura himself became a star for his zany, slapstick children’s adventure comics featuring ninja, samurai, cowboys, aliens, and other fantastical characters culled from Japanese popular fiction, Hollywood movies, and American comic books. In the late 1960s and 1970s, he experienced a second boom in popularity, this time for absurdist, surrealistic comics drawn for an adult audience. Due to his inclusion in seminal art comics publications such as Raw and The Ganzfeld, he is also recognized as a progenitor of avant-garde comics globally.

Ryan Holmberg is an award-winning translator and historian of Japanese comics. He has worked on over three dozen books with publishers such as Drawn & Quarterly, New York Review Comics, Bubbles, Living the Line, and Breakdown Press. He is the author of The Translator Without Talent (Bubbles, 2020) and Garo Manga: The First Decade, 1964–1973 (Center for Book Arts, 2010). A full bibliography of his work can be found at mangaberg.com.

About

A classic character of Japanese literature is reimagined as a mischievous, shapeshifting adventurer in this zany, Pop Art–flavored gag manga by a titan of the genre.

Ninja! Samurai! Cowboys! Aliens! Amoebas! Join Japan’s favorite ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke, on this psychedelic romp across a land beyond time by the legendary manga author and Pop Art pioneer Sugiura Shigeru.

In this 1969 take on the beloved ninja, the carefree young Sasuke pranks his way through a radically reimagined old Japan, opening wormholes to America’s Wild West and outer space as he goes. This wild adventure overflows with eye-popping sights: UFOs, absurd monsters, Hollywood stars, gun-toting outlaws, submarines, towering mushroom clouds, and much more.

Available for the first time in English and with an essay by Ryan Holmberg, Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke is a must-read for its trippy visuals and outrageous storytelling.

Author

Sugiura Shigeru (1908–2000) was one of the most popular manga artists of the mid-twentieth century and a pioneer of Pop Art in Japan. Originally trained as a painter, he debuted as a cartoonist in 1932 under the tutelage of Tagawa Suihō, a leading author of children’s manga in the prewar period. In the 1950s, Sugiura himself became a star for his zany, slapstick children’s adventure comics featuring ninja, samurai, cowboys, aliens, and other fantastical characters culled from Japanese popular fiction, Hollywood movies, and American comic books. In the late 1960s and 1970s, he experienced a second boom in popularity, this time for absurdist, surrealistic comics drawn for an adult audience. Due to his inclusion in seminal art comics publications such as Raw and The Ganzfeld, he is also recognized as a progenitor of avant-garde comics globally.

Ryan Holmberg is an award-winning translator and historian of Japanese comics. He has worked on over three dozen books with publishers such as Drawn & Quarterly, New York Review Comics, Bubbles, Living the Line, and Breakdown Press. He is the author of The Translator Without Talent (Bubbles, 2020) and Garo Manga: The First Decade, 1964–1973 (Center for Book Arts, 2010). A full bibliography of his work can be found at mangaberg.com.

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more