Flame of Recca

A high schooler convinced he's a modern-day ninja, Recca Hanabishi picks fights constantly and maintains this standing challenge: beat him, and he'll serve you as your loyal ninja. It's a ridiculous flex that gets him into trouble more than anything. Then he meets Yanagi Sakoshita, a quiet girl who can heal any wound, and after she saves him from a nasty accident, he pledges himself as her protector — no defeat required. Things get interesting when a mysterious woman named Kage Hōshi shows up and reveals Recca can actually control fire, which opens the door to his real lineage and a world of elemental weapons called Madōgu. From there, it's tournament arcs, rival fighters with their own Madōgu, and Recca learning what loyalty actually costs when people start coming after Yanagi for her healing power. The show leans hard into its power system — each Madōgu has distinct abilities and limitations, so fights have actual strategy instead of just power scaling. The 42-episode TV series from Studio Pierrot keeps a solid pace without dragging too much. If you liked Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament or Rurouni Kenshin's blend of historical flavor with action, this hits a similar nerve. It also shares DNA with early Naruto in how it treats ninja mythology, but came first. It's a '97 shounen through and through — straightforward, loyal to its characters, and comfortable being exactly what it is.