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Samurai Pizza Cats

From Alfawiki
Saban Entertainment
Company typePrivate company
IndustryEntertainment, television production
FateLicense ended November 2000 for Samurai Pizza Cats
Key people
Haim Saban, Shuki Levy
ProductsAnimated TV shows (including Samurai Pizza Cats)

Samurai Pizza Cats is an animated TV show produced by Saban Entertainment, adapted from the anime Kyatto Ninden Teyandee created by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency. The original Japanese broadcast ran on TV Tokyo from February 1, 1990, until February 12, 1991, comprising 54 episodes. In 1991, Saban secured the North American rights and developed a 52-episode English-language adaptation.

Because of limited reliable translations and scarce details about the original episodes, Saban crafted entirely new dialogue for the English version. This adaptation was designed as a fast-paced comedic series loaded with numerous pop culture allusions, which helped the show gain a dedicated cult audience among anime enthusiasts.

Saban’s distribution license ended in November 2000. Presently, Discotek Media holds the North American home video rights, while licensing for Australia and New Zealand is managed by Madman Entertainment.

The series became available for streaming on Crunchyroll starting in December 2015 but was removed in 2025. It later appeared on Amazon Prime in late 2018, followed by releases on Tubi in 2020 and Peacock in 2021.

A video game adaptation inspired by Samurai Pizza Cats was announced in February 2025, with plans for release set in 2026.

Plot

The narrative unfolds in Little Tokyo, a mechanical metropolis that combines elements of feudal Japanese tradition with futuristic technology, inhabited by cybernetic anthropomorphic animals. Although Emperor Fred is the nominal ruler, actual authority rests with the city council and Princess Violet. The council is headed by Prime Minister Seymour "The Big" Cheese, a rat who plots to usurp the Emperor’s throne with assistance from his adviser Jerry Atric and Bad Bird, the leader of ninja crows.

Unaware of Big Cheese’s treacherous schemes, palace guard commander "Big" Al Dente discovers evidence of the conspiracy but lacks proof to take direct action. Instead, he enlists Speedy Cerviche, Polly Esther, and Guido Anchovy—three cyborg samurai cats employed at a local pizzeria—alongside their operator Francine. Together known as the Samurai Pizza Cats, they are charged with preventing Big Cheese’s attempts to seize control over Little Tokyo.

Production

Upon acquiring the license for the Japanese series Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, Saban found that original production resources were incomplete due to the show’s underperformance in Japan. This situation compelled the localization team to develop scripts based on limited or poorly translated material. With minimal constraints imposed on them, the writers produced a humorous dub filled with pop culture references, wordplay, meta-humor, and frequent breaks of the fourth wall. Voice actor and writer Michael McConnohie recalled enjoying significant creative freedom during this process.

The English dub premiered on Canada’s YTV from 1992 to 1993 before airing in U.S. syndication between 1996 and 1997. Out of the original 54 Japanese episodes, 52 were dubbed into English; two clip show episodes remained untranslated. Some episodes were withheld from broadcast due to censorship concerns—YTV excluded four episodes while U.S. syndication omitted twelve.

The English adaptation featured a new soundtrack composed by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban (credited under the name Kussa Mahchi), replacing the original music score. The revamped theme song incorporated American pop culture references such as nods to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ajax cleaner slogans, humorously acknowledging the absence of original scripts with lyrics stating "As soon as someone finds the script, we might begin the show."

Michael Airington, one of the series’ writers, performed the theme tune under the alias "Googie Gomez," emulating Paul Lynde’s style. Producer Andy Thomas shared that Airington’s accidental stutter during recording was kept in the final cut, adding a distinctive charm to the theme song.

Broadcast

The series' English-language version premiered in the United Kingdom on ITV on August 31, 1991, with reruns continuing through 1995. In Canada, it made its debut in 1992 on YTV, while in the United States, it was first broadcast in 1996 via first-run syndication. Additionally, the show aired in Australia as part of the morning children's program Agro's Cartoon Connection starting April 1992, with a subsequent repeat airing in early 1994.

Release

In Australia, Madman Entertainment issued the series on DVD in two volumes: Collection 1 containing episodes 1–26 was released on October 16, 2013, followed by Collection 2 encompassing episodes 27–52 on December 4, 2013. A comprehensive box set featuring the entire series was later made available on April 6, 2016.

Between 2012 and 2013, Discotek Media distributed both the original Japanese audio and North American English-dubbed editions in region 1 format. The Kyatto-Ninden Teyandee: Complete Uncut Japanese Language Collection, including all 54 episodes, was released on April 30, 2013. The English-language set titled Samurai Pizza Cats: Complete English Language TV Series Collection – 8 Disc Set, containing 52 episodes, followed on July 30, 2013. Notably, the Japanese collection contains every original episode, including two clip-show installments that were never dubbed into English.

A French adaptation named Samouraï Pizza Cats, based on the English dub, was issued on DVD by Declic Images in France across two box sets during 2004.

On January 19, 2016, a Blu-ray edition called Samurai Pizza Cats: The Complete Collection was released, presenting all episodes in standard definition consolidated onto a single disc.

Merchandise

Bandai produced a variety of toys and model kits for both Japan and Europe markets; European releases frequently consisted of repackaged Japanese originals. Action figures representing the Samurai Pizza Cats and the Rescue Team were available—Japanese versions were sold as model kits akin to Gundam collectibles, whereas European figures arrived pre-assembled. The product range also included large and small (Gachapon-sized) rubber figures and playsets such as the Great Catatonic vehicle and the pizza parlor setting.

In Japan, Tecmo launched a platform video game based on Kyatto Ninden Teyandee for the Famicom in 1991. Although this title never received an official Western release, an unofficial fan-made translation adapted it to reflect the English dub's character and location names.

The primary characters from the series were considered for inclusion in the Wii fighting game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. Producer Ryota Niitsuma acknowledged strong fan interest but explained that negotiations did not succeed, preventing their addition to the roster.

Speedy is featured as a playable character with Guido and Polly serving as support fighters in the arcade game Jitsu Squad, which was revealed at Amusement Expo 2024 held in Las Vegas.

Comic stories starring Samurai Pizza Cats appeared as backup features within Saban Powerhouse, published by Valiant/Acclaim for two issues during 1997.

An action RPG titled Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past! is currently under development by Blast Zero and published by Red Dunes Games. It aims for a 2026 launch on Windows and major console platforms. Most of the original English and Japanese voice cast will return to their roles except for Guido Anchovy (Sukashi), who will be voiced by Seiichiro Yamashita in the Japanese version.

External links

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