Superheroes never seem not to amaze us. With the big franchises dominating the Hollywood and Japanese film and animation industries, we always get our daily doses of superhero ambitions. One such five-membered Japanese superhero animated series is Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman, also known as Science Ninja Tai Gatchaman. Its adaptation “Battle of the Planets” has made this original version immensely famous in Hollywood.
Gatchaman II, followed by Gatchaman Fighter, was the sequel to The original version. If you are thinking about watching this series in a foreign language, then Saban Entertainment made it more accessible, and they brought out the English subbed version of the series.
So, what’s the main plot of the series? Read the article to know the series in detail and find yourself at home with the characters.
Table of Contents
The plot
Kozaburo Nambu is the employer of the five mighty superheroes who hail from the International Science Organization for creating a strong opposition to an internationally operating terrorist cell of the Galactors. They are the tech-savvy villains dedicated to the mission of usurping control of Earth’s natural resources.
Except for Jinpei, other clan members have reached the teenage doors. They are Ken Washio, the leader of the family, Jo Asakura, Jun, Jinpei, and Ryu Nakanishi. Jun is an expert in demolition and electronics, while Asakura is the second-in-command, Ryu is the pilot of the ship. The attire of these five stars is a T-shirt that shows their hierarchical ranks in the group.
Silent attacks, high jumping, and fast running are some of the unique skills of the Gatchaman. Nambu has adopted all these methods through his scientific strategies and experimentation. Their fighting system also has a unique name called the Science Ninja Technique.
There is a primary team vehicle that anchors the members’ vehicles. The prime vehicle, The God Phoenix, is a supersonic adventure aircraft that can travel underwater and in space.
It has Bird missiles, one of the most dangerous weapons deployed against the Galactors. It can even transform itself into a phoenix to avoid any incipient or immediate danger or attack. However, it consumes excessive fuel and even endangers the members because it creates a lot of pressure inside the cabin.
So, these are the tools they use to fight off the evil enemy.
Critical acclaim
The series was a hit at the time of its production. The chemistry between the characters and how they showed a perfect friendship in the face of intense grappled its audience. Thus, this anime has secured the place to successfully adopt the superhero genre, which is most prevalent in America. Also, the series is a perfect blend of sci-fi and ninja adventure, making it more appealing to its viewers.
Adaptation
Also, a film version was released in 1978 with the first two stories compilation. In 2015, Sentai Filmworks released it in English. The cast was from the first ADV dub of the initial anime version, and it also gained quite critical acclaim.
Final Thoughts
So, if sci-fis and ninja stories have fantasized you in your childhood, go down the memory lane and visit the world of Gatchaman in Kaguko Ninja Tai Gatchaman.