Japanese Superheroes · 12:51am Feb 10th, 2015
Now when I say Japanese superheroes I mean characters who are in fact superheroes. As such, characters like Son Goku from the Dragon Ball series
Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto
And Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach
Do NOT count as Japanese superheroes. While they certainly are superhero LEVEL, have readily identifiable outfits of choice, and appear in manga(Which is just a shorter way of saying Japanese comic book) they are not superheroes per-se.
A Japanese superhero, like Western superheroes, are varied and have numerous differences from one to the next in a lot of cases much like their Western counterparts. However, to look at where Japanese superheroes got their major popularity, we need to go back to 1958 to Gekko Kamen(Or Moonlight Mask in English)
Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger and Batman. Whereas Super Giant is Japan's first celluloid superhero (i.e.: he had debuted in movies), it was Moonlight Mask who set the standard as Japan's first live-action TV superhero, and was a huge success with children. Television was already new in Japan, so many children that didn't have a TV set were gathered around to watch it at a friend or neighbor's house. Children also bought toy capes, sunglasses, masks and pistols and played Moonlight Mask in schoolyards and backyards.
Moonlight Mask's identity has always been a mystery (which is why the Moonlight Mask persona is credited as being played by "?" in the original series). Decked out in white tights, white & red cape, white scarf, yellow gloves & boots, dark glasses, face cloth and Indian-style turban (pinned with a "moon" ornament), Moonlight Mask is armed with a whip, two six-shooters, shuriken and moon-shaped boomerangs. He also rides a motorcycle.
However, only audiences knew that Moonlight Mask could very well have been detective Juro Iwai who would always disappear from his friends before the caped crusader rides to the rescue in his motorcycle. While never confirmed, it is so blatantly obvious that it IS Juro.
A parody/homage of Moonlight Mask would appear in Sailor Moon, under the name Moonlight Knight
The next big Japanese superhero however would be Kamen Rider(Alternatively known as, in some U.S. releases, as Masked Rider... Kamen meaning mask)
The series takes place in a world plagued by Shocker, a mysterious terrorist organization. To further its plans for world domination, Shocker recruited its agents through kidnapping, turning their victims into mutant cyborgs and, ultimately, brainwashing them. However, one victim named Takeshi Hongo escaped just before the final brainwashing. With his sanity and moral conscience intact, Hongo battled Shocker's minions as the grasshopper-themed superhero Kamen Rider to deal out justice atop his trusty motorcycle. Another victim of the altered human process, freelance photographer Hayato Ichimonji, became Kamen Rider 2 after Kamen Rider, who renamed himself as "Kamen Rider 1", saved him from Shocker's brainwashing. Assisted by motorcycle race team manager Tobei Tachibana and FBI agent Kazuya Taki, the Kamen Riders fought in both solo and partnered missions against Shocker and its successor organization, Gel-Shocker.
The difference between Kamen Rider, and the later Super Sentai(Or Power Rangers for those more familiar with the U.S. version of Super Sentai), was that generally with each new series, it would begin with just ONE Kamen Rider with others added as sidekicks/partners or merely occasional allies despite sharing numbered names. This is subject to change as later series can have MANY Kamen Riders, but generally you could compare Kamen Rider to Spider-Man. Starting as a loner, but later gaining more individual partners who work WITH him, but not all the time(Similar to Spider-Man's working relationships with Arana/Spider-Girl, Venom, Black Cat, etc).
Later, after the success of the live action Japanese Spider-Man TV series in the late 70's,
The world would be introduced to the Super Sentai
However, you all may be more familiar with THIS version....
A small note to add is that the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was based on the 14th Super Sentai series, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger
If Kamen Rider was the Spider-Man of Japan? Then Super Sentai were the Avengers/Justice League.
However, in the manga and anime scene, there would be even more. Some of the more examples of a Japanese superhero that sticks out in most peoples minds would be Astro Boy
Sailor Moon
The Gatchaman series
And a more recent example being Tiger & Bunny
The series takes place in "NC 1978" in a fictional, re-imagined version of New York City called Stern Bild City, where 45 years before, superpowered individuals known as "NEXT" (an acronym standing for Noted Entities with eXtraordinary Talents) started appearing and some of them became superheroes. Each of the city's most famous superheroes work for a sponsor company and their uniforms also contain advertising for real-life companies. Their heroic activity is broadcast on the popular television show "Hero TV", where they accumulate points for each heroic feat accomplished (arresting criminals or saving civilians, for example) and the best ranked hero of the season is crowned "King of Heroes". Essentially in this world, superheroes are like WWE wrestlers... If the wrestler's stage personas were real.
The story mainly focuses on veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi aka Wild Tiger who is assigned a new partner, a young man named Barnaby Brooks Jr. who is nicknamed "Bunny" by Kotetsu because of his armor's earpieces and his penchant for long jumps and kicks. However, Barnaby and Kotetsu usually have trouble working together as they have conflicting opinions on how a superhero should act while at the same time trying to crack the mystery of the murder of Barnaby's parents. In addition, the appearance of a homicidal vigilante NEXT named "Lunatic" stirs up the public and makes them question the meaning of heroes.
This series has more in line with Western superheroes, but still has plenty of Japanese superhero tropes. Also a small thing I love, is the alliterative names of the main characters. Just a good nod to that old trope
Another.... And personal current favorite of mine, is One-Punch Man
I've talked about One-Punch Man before, but lemme tell you it is AMAZING!
Still, I hope you guys enjoyed this little cultural trip, and if I missed any superheroes? Please tell me! This is currently one of my new big addictions..... So yeah. With that I leave you with this
I would like to point out the reason WHY Hayato Ichimonji became Kamen Rider 2. Around episode 10, Hongo Takeshi's actor accidentally broke his leg during filming for a motorcycle stunt. So after a little while where the episodes would mainly focus on other characters, with him only showing up already transformed to take on the Monster of the Week, with a different voice actor, they started running out of Stock Footage they could use for that. Cue them recruiting someone to take over protecting Japan while Hongo "went to fight Shocker in Europe" (really while his actor healed off that broken leg) and didn't return until episode 49, when the show had become very successful.
Question.
Does Mecha counts? Not all of them, but specifically super-robots, like the Tetsujin 28 (who fights crime like the mafia) or the Mazinger Z (who's pretty much an errant knight).
2783812 Ah
2783896 Yeah probably
Anyway...... Thoughts on this?
2783934
Good, as always an impeccable investigation with good arguments about the theme. Although japanese culture is not my strong side (besides mechas and kaijus) I can relate to the legacy theme, specially in Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.
With nothing left to ad, GO GO POWER RANGERS!
2783939 So thoughts on Tiger and Bunny and One-Punch Man?
2783950
I've yet to watch them.
2783953 One-Punch Man is still just a manga, no anime yet. Basically Saitama(The One Punch Man) is despised by both members of the Hero Association and normal people, the former because he takes fame and credibility away from them by defeating enemies so easily(Especially ones who have defeated multiple high level heroes) and the latter because of his total lack of heroic nature(He doesn't care about public opinion or property damage). He's a parody of all the really strong characters in superhero comics and manga who seem to be able to solve ANY problem with just a single hit.
Also the unique thing about One-Punch Man? All of his powers come from what a human could do. He's super strong, completely invulnerable, super fast, and can see and sense things at super sonic speed, and can leap miles into the air. I mean there is no energy powers or anything like Goku, or heat vision like Superman. He also can't fly since humans can't. There's a kind of realism to his over the top powers. He also claims to have gained his powers from doing 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, and a 100km run, every day for a year and a half. One character theorizes he actually broke his physical limits, the limits all people have, and thus became ultra powerful.
In other words, he's Golden Age Superman...... If he had Silver Age Superman's power levels
2783962
That's... pretty BADASS! actually.
2783965 His sidekick, and where most of the fights come from(Did I mention that One-Punch Man is KINDA a parody series?), is Genos
static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/146991/4333267-8049274107-Genos.jpg
A cyborg, who's parents and entire town was killed by another cyborg, and so he's on a quest to avenge them... He's kinda the Batman to Saitama's Superman in a sense. Difference being he wants Saitama to TRAIN him as part of his ongoing mission to find the cyborg responsible for the destruction of his town and the deaths of his parents.
Out of curiosity why would you count One-Punch Man, but not the other Shonen manga? I mean, sure One-Punch Man is set in a world that more or less follows the classical superhero setup, as do the others on your list. Hmm.... Is that the pattern?
(and this might make me sound pretentious but...) I would also personally argue to the statement that Power Rangers is an alternate version..... English version of Super Sentai. Yes Power Rangers used a lot of Stock Footage from Super Sentai, which in turn required Power Rangers to follow with certain themes as well. But often the plot between them would vary wildly. One of the best examples would be the second season of Power Rangers. While Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger ended and made way for Gosei Sentai Dairanger which featured a new premise, heroes, and villains, Power Rangers kept their heroes, gave logical reasons as to why they were using new zords, and the previous season's villains now found themselves lackey's to Lord Zedd, the first American made and completely original villain for Power Rangers.
If the robots are allowed then would Voltron/Beast King Golion's pilot team count?
2783990 I listed the top ones I wanted to put.... I WOULD put My Hero Academia as a more recent example....... But, really it's not that far in and I don't like my blogs to be SO long it can put people off. If it was a review? Sure, but then again this is more or less me rambling on something
I understand all of that, but I was purposefully comparing it since, ultimately yes. Power Rangers IS American Super Sentai. Different plots? Yes, but ultimately it DOES fill that role and function.... Also for those unfamiliar with Super Sentai it would probably be the best thing to compare it to.
No mention of Ultraman? Or,,ur on DBZ The Great Saiyaman and his team?
2784114 Only mentioned those that I am familiar with to any major extent.... Know OF Ultraman, but haven't seen or done any research on it.... Yet.
As for Great Saiyaman......... He wasn't the MAIN focus of DBZ so....
Here are some heroes you might not have heard of.
Kikaider.
vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/kikaider/images/a/a2/Med-rah-kikaider.jpg/revision/20140327044047
An android who had a Conscience Circuit, he is colored red and blue because said circuit wasn't completed. Therefore, he is constantly struggling to make the right decision when faced with a moral dilemma. If the Conscience Circuit had been finished, he would have been all blue, since that's the color associated with good.
Kaiketsu Zubat (no, not the Pokemon, it's meant to be the sound that a whip makes)
1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVxGlSZVKLo/UuTySoLAfbI/AAAAAAAABe4/vcGNg0Tj88c/s1600/ZUBAT+2.gif
His real name is Ken Hayakawa. And damn, you know the trope The Ace? Every villain he faced had an enforcer who was supposedly the best at killing people a certain way. But he would constantly say said enforcer was only the second-best at that method. When he was asked who the best was, he'd whistle and point at himself. Then he'd back up that claim by demonstrating an even more improbable degree of skill than that enforcer has.
His goal was simple. The suit and car he uses as Zubat was created by a friend of his named Asuka Goro. But a crime boss killed Asuka for being too cheeky. So he set out on a quest to find said crime boss and defeat him, all while keeping his identity as Zubat a secret from almost everyone.
His introduction as Zubat was to say, "Here with a "zubat"! Solving problems with a "zubat"! People call me the wandering hero... Kaiketsu(Extraordinary/Swift Hero) Zubat!"
It's also worth noting that the suit he wore as Zubat, because he was forced to complete it, would overload itself after five minutes, meaning he had to be quick with his battles when he used it. He constantly risked his life by using that suit.
I will now take a page out of your book and leave you with this.
That's kind of an interesting idea; a hero's who identity is obvious but not directly stated.
Also, ASTRO BOY!!
2783812 That is what we would call the Doylist explanation, whereas Lunar gave the Watsonian explanation.
2784448 So like a heroic, superpowered Two-Face?
2785593 So I take it mine was insufficient?
If so, the purpose of this was to more or less go over the majority of what I KNOW about the in-universe stuff so as to make more people interested in my latest media addiction... Well I hesitate to say latest, Power Rangers fan for life here, but I've always been a manga and anime fan..... But before recently I've never gotten MAJORLY into Japanese superheroes as a genre or rather THEIR take on the superhero genre.
2785608 No, no, just different. A Watsonian explanation is an explanation for why something happened in-universe. A Doylist explanation is the reason the author made something happen. Both are accurate explanations.
2785657 Ah......... So any other thoughts on this?
2785686 Other than what I've already said? Not particularly.