# Samurai Pizza Cats
**Samurai Pizza Cats** is the English-language adaptation of *Kyatto Ninden Teyandee* (キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ), a 54-episode Japanese television anime produced by Tatsunoko Production in 1990. The original series follows three pizza-delivering cats in the futuristic feudal city of Edoropolis who secretly serve as a ninja team defending the city from a gang of wicked crow ninjas.[1](https://tatsunoko.co.jp/en/works/samurai-pizza-cats/) The Western version became famous for a different reason: its localization team received the animation without usable translations and wrote an entirely new comedic show over the footage.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original series | *Kyatto Ninden Teyandee*, Tatsunoko Production, TV, 30 minutes × 54 episodes, production year 1990[1](https://tatsunoko.co.jp/en/works/samurai-pizza-cats/) |
| Japanese broadcast | TV Tokyo, February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991[3](https://samuraipizzacats.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide) |
| Premise | Animal robots live peacefully in Edoropolis; three cats are enlisted as ninja fighters against a gang of wicked crow ninjas[1](https://tatsunoko.co.jp/en/works/samurai-pizza-cats/) |
| Western adaptation | Saban brought the series to Canada in 1993 and the U.S. in 1996, commissioning new dialogue because proper translations were lacking[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) |
| Dubbed episodes | 52 of 54; the two untranslated episodes (10 and 51) were clip shows[3](https://samuraipizzacats.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide) |
| First video game | *Kyatto Ninden Teyandee* by Tecmo for Famicom, 1991[4](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/este-es-el-clasico-del-anime-de-los-90-que-regresa-en-forma-de-videojuego-y-se-ve-mejor-que-nunca-n/) |
| New game | *Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past!*, a 2D action RPG by Blast Zero, published by Red Dunes Games, announced for 2026 on all major platforms[5](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past-video-game-announced/) |
## The original Japanese series
*Kyatto Ninden Teyandee* was created by Tatsunoko Production, the studio behind *Gatchaman* and *Speed Racer*, with Sotsu Agency as production partner.[6](https://www.discotekmedia.com/kyatto_ninden_teyandee.htm) It aired on [TV Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-tokyo) for 54 episodes from February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991, running Thursdays from 19:00 to 19:30 and moving to Tuesdays from 18:30 to 19:00 from episode 10 onward.[3](https://samuraipizzacats.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide) • [7](https://opedshiryoukan1963.jimdofree.com/1990%E5%B9%B4%E4%BB%A3/1990%E5%B9%B4/1990%E5%B9%B4-1-5/) Kunitoshi Okajima was chief director, Kenji Kawai composed the music, and Masami Suda handled the opening animation.[6](https://www.discotekmedia.com/kyatto_ninden_teyandee.htm)
The setting combines Japanese feudal culture with futuristic electronics: Edoropolis is a city of animal robots where the Pizza Cats restaurant is a cover for a secret ninja trio, Yattarou, Sukashii, and Pururun, who fight the schemes of Lord Korn and his crow ninjas.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) • [8](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2016/5/16/crunchyroll-adds-kyatto-ninden-teyandee-the-original-basis-for-samurai-pizza-cats) The show is a comedy, filled with Japanese pop culture references, but it takes itself somewhat more seriously than the Western version does.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606)
## The Saban adaptation
When Saban Entertainment licensed the series, information about and translations of the Japanese episodes were lacking, and Saban opted to have new dialogue written for the English version, making it more wacky and frenetic.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) The characters were renamed: Edoropolis was turned into Little Tokyo, and the trio of leads received the new names Guido Anchovy, Speedy Cerviche, and Polly Esther, felines operating Little Tokyo's busiest pizzeria as they protect the city against the Big Cheese's plots.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) • [9](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/samurai-pizza-cats/umc.cmc.12x878ylncxi54htqpqpcef8u) A new theme song was recorded, famously asking, "Who do you call when you want some pepperoni?"[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606)
The result is a gag dub: a deliberately comedic adaptation that strays considerably from the source material. Academic work on anime dubbing cites *Samurai Pizza Cats* alongside *Ghost Stories* as a well-known example of the form, in which the English version becomes a distinct work rather than a translation.[10](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/983431/7/Chouinard_PhD_S2018.pdf) The dub is a mix of pop culture references, absurd humor, and fourth-wall breaking.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) Saban aired 52 of the 54 episodes; episodes 10 and 51, [clip shows](https://www.edgepedia.org/clip-show) that did little to further the plot, were never dubbed.[3](https://samuraipizzacats.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide)
The adaptation reached Canada in 1993 and the United States in 1996.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) Saban also produced Americanized versions of other Japanese shows, such as *Power Rangers* and *VR Troopers*.[5](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past-video-game-announced/)
## Two versions of one show
The Japanese and English versions differ enough that they read as two separate series sharing footage. The original's leads are ninja, set in Edoropolis and opposed by an evil fox bent on taking over the city; the dub recasts them as samurai in Little Tokyo under new names, with a new comedic script layered onto the same animation.[1](https://tatsunoko.co.jp/en/works/samurai-pizza-cats/) • [2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606)
For years the original was hard to see legitimately outside Japan. Discotek Media released *Kyatto-Ninden Teyandee: Complete Uncut Japanese Language Collection*, an 8-disc set with the original Japanese audio and English subtitles on all 54 episodes, on April 30, 2013, presenting the show uncut outside Japan for the first time.[6](https://www.discotekmedia.com/kyatto_ninden_teyandee.htm) [Crunchyroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/crunchyroll) later added the subtitled Japanese version for viewers in the US and Canada.[8](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2016/5/16/crunchyroll-adds-kyatto-ninden-teyandee-the-original-basis-for-samurai-pizza-cats)
## Video games
The franchise's game history spans three decades. Tecmo released *Kyatto Ninden Teyandee* for the Famicom in 1991, a [Mega Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/mega-man)-style action platformer with multiple abilities and a comparatively accessible difficulty level. It arrived late in the console's life, at a point when the Super Famicom, released in 1990, was already in Japanese stores.[4](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/este-es-el-clasico-del-anime-de-los-90-que-regresa-en-forma-de-videojuego-y-se-ve-mejor-que-nunca-n/)
In February 2025, coinciding with the show's 35th anniversary, a new game was announced: *[Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past!](https://www.edgepedia.org/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past)*, a 2D action RPG developed by the Dutch studio Blast Zero, known for the beat 'em up *Jitsu Squad*, and published globally by Red Dunes Games.[5](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past-video-game-announced/) Players switch between the Pizza Cats at any time, using each character's unique abilities for puzzle solving and combat, while exploring Little Tokyo, leveling up, and equipping special cards that expand combat abilities.[11](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2413800/Samurai_Pizza_Cats_Blast_from_the_Past/) Both the English and Japanese voice casts from the television series are set to return; the Japanese cast includes [Kappei Yamaguchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kappei-yamaguchi), Ai Orikasa, Ikuya Sawaki, Naoki Tatsuta, and [Kenyu Horiuchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenyu-horiuchi).[5](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past-video-game-announced/) • [12](https://los40.com/2025/02/24/vuelven-los-gatos-samurai-esta-vez-en-forma-de-videojuego/) The game is planned for 2026 on all major platforms, including PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, and PC.[5](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past-video-game-announced/) • [12](https://los40.com/2025/02/24/vuelven-los-gatos-samurai-esta-vez-en-forma-de-videojuego/)
## Legacy
*Samurai Pizza Cats* gained international recognition in the early 1990s and has maintained a dedicated fan base since.[12](https://los40.com/2025/02/24/vuelven-los-gatos-samurai-esta-vez-en-forma-de-videojuego/) Its reputation rests on an unusual production decision: a localization written without translations that produced a comedy in its own right, alongside an original series that remained largely unseen in the West until home video releases made both versions available.[2](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606) • [6](https://www.discotekmedia.com/kyatto_ninden_teyandee.htm)
## References
1. [SAMURAI PIZZA CATS, Tatsunoko Production](https://tatsunoko.co.jp/en/works/samurai-pizza-cats/)
2. [The Samurai Pizza Cats Official Fanbook Explores The Series' Japanese Roots, Kotaku (Mike Fahey, 2019)](https://kotaku.com/the-samurai-pizza-cats-official-fanbook-explores-the-se-1833205606)
3. [Episode Guide, Samurai Pizza Cats Wiki](https://samuraipizzacats.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_Guide)
4. [Este es el clásico del anime de los 90 que regresa en forma de videojuego, MeriStation (2025)](https://as.com/meristation/noticias/este-es-el-clasico-del-anime-de-los-90-que-regresa-en-forma-de-videojuego-y-se-ve-mejor-que-nunca-n/)
5. [A game based on cult anime Samurai Pizza Cats is in development, Video Games Chronicle (Chris Scullion, 2025)](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/samurai-pizza-cats-blast-from-the-past-video-game-announced/)
6. [Kyatto-Ninden Teyandee: Complete Uncut Japanese Language Collection, Discotek Media](https://www.discotekmedia.com/kyatto_ninden_teyandee.htm)
7. [アニメOPED博物館: 1990年放送開始作品一覧](https://opedshiryoukan1963.jimdofree.com/1990%E5%B9%B4%E4%BB%A3/1990%E5%B9%B4/1990%E5%B9%B4-1-5/)
8. [Crunchyroll Adds "Kyatto Ninden Teyandee," the Original Basis for "Samurai Pizza Cats", Crunchyroll News (Joseph Luster, 2016)](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2016/5/16/crunchyroll-adds-kyatto-ninden-teyandee-the-original-basis-for-samurai-pizza-cats)
9. [Samurai Pizza Cats, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/samurai-pizza-cats/umc.cmc.12x878ylncxi54htqpqpcef8u)
10. [Chouinard, PhD thesis, Concordia University (2018), on gag dubs of Japanese animation](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/983431/7/Chouinard_PhD_S2018.pdf)
11. [Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past! on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2413800/Samurai_Pizza_Cats_Blast_from_the_Past/)
12. [Vuelven los Gatos Samurái, esta vez en forma de videojuego, Los40 (2025)](https://los40.com/2025/02/24/vuelven-los-gatos-samurai-esta-vez-en-forma-de-videojuego/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Anime series, episodes, and franchises › Anime television series, 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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