Yeah, Manimal! Despite bieng about ten years old I do remember that. About 1982.
I recall the hero of the show was supposed to be an ex-Vietnam vet who got lost in the jungle and stumbled upon a shapeshifting wiseman-ninja sorta’ guy who taught him the tools of the trade.
That was a really weird television season. It was the same one that had “Misfits of Science” and “Supertrain” and some kind of ninja-in-America show (I remember thinking "Hmmm, do I wanna’ watch “Square Pegs” or do I wanna’ plug in my Atari and play “Frogger” again?).