Top 5 Super Cool (and Super Weird) Japanese TV Superheroes

If you think the 1960s Batman series was campy, boy, you ain’t seen nothing yet. When it comes to the super cool and super weird, the Japanese have been beating us to the punch (ZOKK!) for quite some time. As with the United States, the 1960s and 70s were the golden age for ridiculously awesome live-action superhero TV shows in Japan. Out of the many, many amazing heroes, here are five of the best:

Ambassador Magma

Ambassador Magma may look like a robot, but don’t be fooled, gaijin. This badass is actually a living giant constructed completely of gold. And who would have the power to create a golden colossus with 80s metal hair that can shoot rockets out of his chest and lasers from his antennae? Why, the one and only Wizard Earth, of course.

Ambassador Magma, along with his human-size wife and son (also both created by Wizard Earth), work together to thwart the alien invader Goa, who wants to overthrow earth for some reason. If you can find it, a U.S. version of the show can be enjoyed under the title, The Space Giants.

Inazuman

This 1970s TV series again sees earth threatened to be overthrown, this time by Phantom Banba and his (awesomely named) Newmanity Empire. Enter college student, Goro Watari, a mutant who can transform into a moth-like hero named Inazuman. Roughly translated to “Lightning Man,” Inazuman uses his belt to absorb the energy of enemy attacks, has a yellow scarf that he can transform into any number of weapons, and shouts probably the most amazing battle cry when striking headfirst into battle…”CHEST!” Oh, and he also has a flying car that boasts free will, the ability to shoot missiles and front teeth that it uses to crunch up the baddies.

Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot

Alien Emperor Guillotine has come to earth to – surprise, surprise – conquer the human race (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I suppose). Luckily, a young boy by the name of Johnny Sokko (his name in the English-dubbed version), stumbles upon a giant Pharaoh-like robot, which is cleverly named Giant Robot (Giant Robo in Japanese). For some reason, the scientist who created the monster thinks it would be a good idea to hand control of the deadly device over to this school-aged boy. So he does, and Johnny climbs inside time and again to take on Guillotine and his many commanders (such as Fangar – an alien executioner with a pegleg and crutch).

If you’re interested (and I know you are), all 26 episodes of the English version are available on Hulu!

Rainbowman

Rainbowman wins points for originality. For one, the show doesn’t feature invading aliens, but rather a cadre of wealthy foreigners (the Die Die Army) seeking revenge for Japan’s role in World War II. To combat their evil plans, a low-life wrestler learns to transform into Rainbowman. As there are seven colors in the rainbow, so too are there seven form so Rainbowman – Moonman, Fireman, Waterman, Leafman, Goldman, Earthman and Sunman. Later in the series, Rainbowman also battles an evil sorcercess known as God Iguana.

If Rainbowman’s abilities remind you of Mega Man, that’s no coincidence. The Capcom hero was partly based off of Rainbowman, which was actually a proposed name for Dr. Light’s robot in early development.

Lion-Maru

Lion-Maru is actually a trilogy of TV shows – Kaiketsu Lion-Maru, Fuun Lion-Maru and Lion-Maru G (the G stands for Ghetto). The first two installments were created in the early 1970s, and the final installment would not be released until 2006. In each series, an anthropomorphic lion uses his katana and super powers to combat evil. One of Lion-Maru’s chief rivals is Tiger Joe (later reincarnated as a much less cool “Jonosuke Tora”).