Gatchaman
– Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a five-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters..
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a five-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters in several anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later adapted into several English-language versions. It is also known by the abbreviated name Gatchaman.
The original series, produced in 1972, was eponymously named Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman and is most well known to the English-speaking world as the adaptation titled Battle of the Planets. The series received additional English adaptations with G-Force: Guardians of Space and ADV Films' uncut 2005 release. Tatsunoko also uses the official translation Science Commando Gatchaman, as shown in numerous related products and media. Because the English-language versions are notoriously inconsistent not only with one another but also with the original Japanese series, viewers most familiar with the English versions often experience some confusion upon re-examining the series after a long hiatus.
The original 1972 Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman series was followed by an animated film, two sequel series, Gatchaman II, and Gatchaman Fighter. In the 90's, episodes from both series were dubbed into English by Saban as Eagle Riders. In 1994, the original series was remade as a condensed OVA series.
01 Oct 1972
Japanese
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In the year 2001, Earth is under attack by a terrorist organization named Galactor, which is waging a destructive campaign of conquest and terror using super-high technology in the form of bizarre and supremely powerful war machines and biological weapons. The United Nations's forces are helpless to stop this menace, but Professor Nambu of the International Science Organization has a counterforce of his own: the Science Ninja Team, a team of super-agile youngsters who operate with a bird theme and have fighting skills that are a match for any foe, regardless of numbers or firepower. The team is made up of Ken (Eagle), aka Gatchaman, their noble leader with an incomplete past; his hotheaded second-in-command Jô (Condor), their level-headed electronics and demolitions expert; Jun (Swan), their young and impulsive reconnaissance specialist; Jinpei (Swallow), Jun's adopted brother and eighth-generation decedent of the Iga ninja; and their jovial and rotund pilot, Ryû (Owl) are determined to frustrate Galactor at every turn. They have advanced personal vehicles that are carried inside their main vehicle, the God Phoenix, an advanced, supersonic, and heavily armed aircraft that can go into any environment and can temporarily transform into a destructive bird of fire to escape danger. However, the fight won't be any easier because Galactor's leaders, who are the mysterious entity known only as Sôsai X, and his immediate human subordinate, Berugu Katse, have even darker secrets that our heroes can only suspect.