Águila Roja

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
A Ninja in the Spanish Golden Age? Oh well, why not?

Águila Roja (Red Eagle) is a Spanish live action TV show about a masked hero who fights injustice in 17th Century Spain. Best known for its use of Ninja motifs, the show is (according to an article in the Spanish branch of Wikipedia) the most watched show in Spain's history, and also the most costly.

The series tells the story of Gonzalo de Montalvo, a man who (after being forced into exile to the Far East) learns Ninja-like skills, and then returns to Spain- only to find his wife murdered by a conspiracy known as "La Logia" (The Lodge). Adopting the identity of Águila Roja, he fights the corrupt local Sheriff, Hernán Mejías, and investigates the Lodge's plans- all while raising his young son, Alonso, who is unaware that his father is a hero. He also picks up Saturno, a lovable scoundrel who helps him with his wiles and adds a touch of humor to the otherwise dead-straight show.

It is eventually revealed that La Logia wants to kill The King, that Hernán is actually Gonzalo's brother, and Gonzalo himself is the King's son.

The series ran from 2009 to 2016, with its fourth season starting in Spain in September of 2011) and a movie adaptation came out in April 2011.

Tropes used in Águila Roja include: