A ninja training accident accidentally unleashes hell, and three kids get giant robots to fight it, the show treats this like the funniest possible problem to have. Ganbaruger knows exactly what it is: transformation sequences that make you want to shout along, comedy timing that lands harder than shows trying twice as hard, mecha battles that actually let you breathe and laugh between explosions. Koutarou is selfish enough that you're rooting against him half the time, which somehow makes the whole thing funnier. This is super robot shows remembering they're supposed to be fun first.
In Blue Sky City, young ninja trainee Kotarou is practicing with his father Toubei when a misfired bomb damages a shrine and breaks the seal holding back a great demon. Eldoran, a spirit of light, manages to contain the demon again, but one of its servants gets away and schemes to set his master free. To stop him, Eldoran gives Kotarou and his friends Rikiya, a baseball player, and Yousuke, a studious boy, three machines: Gotiger, King Elephan and Mach Eagle. Each also receives a suit with a special power, and together they become the Miracle Ninja Ganbare Team, piloting the robot Ganbaruger against the Demon Empire. After a curse from Yamino Ryusei, the boys must also keep their identities secret, or they will be turned into dogs. The result is a mecha series built around kid heroes, ninja training and giant robot fights.
