Kataban Blog
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun Is Back — A New Action Game Is Coming in 2027
This is news, not a buying guide
A dungeon-crawling action game is coming to a 40-year-old Famicom series — but not until 2027, so the original cartridge is still where the series began.
What was announced
On August 25, 2026, publisher City Connection revealed gameplay and platforms for Jajamaru no Hyakki Yakouden (じゃじゃ丸の百鬼夜行伝) during the "Pixel Arcadia" showcase. The game is a top-down hack-and-slash action title, co-developed with Amazing, in which JaJaMaru fights through a demon-filled dungeon to rescue the kidnapped Princess Sakura and defeat the yokai general Nurari Pyoko. Over 300 types of equipment are planned, including ninja swords, kusarigama, and shuriken. It's scheduled for PC (Steam), PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.
The title itself was first announced back in December 2025 at a City Connection anniversary event, with this showcase being the first look at actual gameplay. You can watch the trailer on YouTube, or see the announcement on City Connection's official X account.
Why the original Famicom game matters
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (忍者じゃじゃ丸くん) first released in Japan in 1985 for the Famicom, published by Jaleco. It's one of the earliest entries in the platformer-meets-action genre on the system, and the series just passed its 40th anniversary in 2025. The character has appeared across dozens of Famicom, Game Boy, PlayStation, Saturn, and Nintendo 3DS titles since, but the 2027 release marks the first all-new mainline action game in the series in years.
For collectors, the original 1985 Famicom cartridge is the series' starting point — the game that everything since, including the upcoming 2027 title, traces back to.
Finding the original 1985 release
If you're looking to add the original Famicom cartridge to your collection, here's the product code to search for:
| Title | Platform | Product code | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (忍者じゃじゃ丸くん) | Famicom | JF-06 | Jaleco |
The product code works as a search key on Kataban, but Suruga-ya's search matches it as a loose "JF" prefix shared by dozens of unrelated Jaleco titles, so the Japanese title is the more reliable key there.
Look up JF-06 on Kataban to confirm listings before you buy.
Where to buy: Suruga-ya.jp (by Japanese title) · Buyee · eBay