Kunai Academy is, without a doubt, a pleasure to read. If you're into shonen-ninja manga or just want a short and simple TTRPG to look at, this is for you.

To start off, the presentation and organization of the rulebook is charming. Each "section" flows naturally, containg a variety of colorful and distinctive character art to break up the information. While the rulebook is small and portable, what's condensed into it is quite efficient. If you're reading front to back, it takes only around an hour or two to read (with time flying by).

Character creation is, likewise, effective to pacing the introduction- You determine your ninja archetype, assign ranks to your attributes, and pick a trait and a few techniques. But, interwoven in the mechanics is a simple way to encourage player input into the story- village backgrounds, which let your players answer a few questions about the village and create a background character for the entire party. It feels very much like L5R, but far more personal- and, as a GM, this helps to tie players into the narrative all the more easily.

Both Combat and Skill checks are handled very well- each uses an Attribute + Attribute system (such as Spirit + Elemental Arts to create a flame slash), where the higher you roll the more "hits" you get. In addition, players can create "Edges" (rerolls) to help them depending on how many hits you get, whereas antagonists can make "Obstacles" (anything that impedes the players) that players can "Overcome" to create "Reversals".

I do hope that the publisher releases some sourcebooks for KA, but really nothing else is needed to run and play it.

I just happened to stumble across this game on DTRPG a few weeks ago, but I'm glad I did! For years I've wanted a game to play over-the-top anime ninja adventures in, but I've found few that can deliver anything close. This seems to deliver, however—ninja missions, secret villages, summons, mystical arts, and the ability to create almost any attack you can imagine without having to pour through an enormous list of abilities or overly specific rules. I haven't gotten a chance to play the game yet, but it looks flexible enough to deliver exactly what I was looking for: Naruto, but with indie RPG sensibilities.

The game uses six simple attributes (Body, Spirit, Mind, Martial Arts, Elemental Arts, and Illusion Arts) which you'll assign dice to, from a d6 to a d10—and you can even assign a d12 as you advance. You'll roll these dice—one for a scene check or a pair for most encounter actions—and try to get a 5 or more on as many of the dice as you can. Each die that rolls 5 or more counts as a hit, and each that rolls 10 or more counts as two. This lets you quickly determine the outcome of attacks (which deal more damage with more hits), and determine the effectiveness of other actions. Your stats will also determine which of the four basic attacks you're best at—Martial, Elemental, Illusion, or Verbal.

Abilities in the game are designed to be simple and flexible so they can be portrayed in the fiction of the game as best suits your character’s concept. The game heavily encourages customizing your techniques with new names and themes, coming up with an element to use for your elemental attacks, and coming up with ideas that you can use for Edges (to give you an advantage in battle). And yet, each technique and trait gives a specific feel to your character and shapes how you fight. It seems to find a happy medium between being simple enough to convey almost any anime-style special ability, while giving enough mechanical difference to make characters feel distinct.

The game also has built-in prompts to help players express their characters’ growth, explore their characters’ emotions, and develop the world they live in. When you make your character you select not only an archetype playbook, giving you a unique ability that shapes your character, but you choose a village playbook as well, letting you define important elements of the ninja village your character lives in.

All in all I really like this game, simple as it is. The book is clean and stylish, with a good amount of colorful art, and there's enough suggestions and examples to help almost any player get started. If I had any complaints, it would be that the layout of the rules feels a bit scattered in places.

I can't wait to get this game to the table. And if your looking for a game that gives a Naruto-like experience, you might want to give it a try as well.