Chōjin Sentai Jetman
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is a Japanese
tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...
television series produced by
Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by i ...
and
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
. It is the fifteenth entry of the ''
Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The sho ...
'' metaseries, following the previous series ''
Chikyu Sentai Fiveman is a Japanese Tokusatsu television series. It was Toei Company's fourteenth installment of the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. It aired on TV Asahi from March 2, 1990 to February 8, 1991, with a total of 48 episodes. The name given by Toei for inte ...
''. The series aired on
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
on February 15, 1991, to February 14, 1992, with a total of 51 episodes. It was the last Sentai series until '' Ressha Sentai ToQger'' to not get adapted into a ''
Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS Entert ...
'' series. It was also the first series to have a third robot, Tetraboy. The international English title is listed by Toei as simply ''Jetman''.
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
released this series in North America on September 25, 2018. This is the 10th incarnation of ''Super Sentai'' to be released in North America and was the first series released that did not have a ''Power Rangers'' counterpart.


Plot

This series takes place in 199X. On the Earth Ship, the command center of a defense agency called Sky Force, the guardians of peace on Earth, scientists have developed "Birdonic Waves", a newly developed technology that gives the subject superhuman abilities. Experiments called "J-Project" were successful. Aya Odagiri, the director of the project, chooses five elite Sky Force officials from Earth to use this technology. Ryuu Tendou, one of the Sky Force officers, is successfully exposed to the Birdonic Waves, making him the first Jetman, the Red Hawk. However, the Earth Ship is suddenly attacked by Vyram, an evil outer-dimensional organization bent on inter-dimensional domination. They successfully destroy the ship, apparently killing Ryuu's lover and fellow candidate member Rie. In the chaos, the remaining Birdonic Waves for the other four officials become scattered on Earth, hitting four civilians. Odagiri and Tendou successfully escape and begin searching on Earth for the four remaining Jetmen, training them to aid them in stopping Vyram's plans of conquering their dimension. The series later follows the tribulations of Ryuu as he learns of Rie's survival and enlistment in the Vyram forces, as well as a love triangle between Gai, Ryuu, and Kaori.


Characters


Earth Defence Force Sky Force

is the military organization the Jetmen belong to.


Jetmen

Based at the , a high-tech base provided by the Sky Force, the Jetmen are formed by five people who gain superhuman strength through exposure to Birdonic Waves: one intentionally and the other four accidentally. Each Jetman is equipped with a
wingsuit Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the sport of skydiving using a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased lift, which allows extended air time by gliding flight rather than just ...
uniform known as the that allows them to glide in the air, the right-handed Wing Gauntlet, a combat sword known as the Bringer Sword, and a handgun known as the Bird Blaster.


=Ryū Tendō

= /: Born at May 10, 1965. He is 25 years old at the beginning of the series, but his 26th birthday occurs in episode 13. He is originally a Sky Force soldier codenamed "W6" and leader of the Jetmen. Being the only member of the Jetmen who is of military background, his policy is to be always professional and never let feelings affect himself in battle, and he expects the same from his teammates. This leads to a conflict when he discovers that his beloved Rie has become Maria, eventually coming to terms with the revelation as he resolves to save Rie from the Vyram control. However, Rie's death at the hands of his nemesis Radiguet proves to be the last straw, causing him to challenge Radiguet alone before Kaori consoles Ryū and encourages him to stay true to his own belief in justice rather than revenge. Three years later, he marries Kaori. *Attacks: He is portrayed by .


=Kaori Rokumeikan

= /: The 22-year-old heiress of the Rokumeikan Enterprises empire. She is taken care of by her butler, Jiiya, since her parents reside in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. She becomes a Jetman to escape the boredom of her heiress life. She is good at
Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords (shinai) as well as protective armor (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spread ...
and is the best shot among the Jetmen. She was in the middle of a love triangle with Ryū and Gai. She was also learning through hardships brought on by her new profession as it clashed with her life as a spoiled rich girl while figuring out what are truly important to herself. She was once engaged to a wealthy businessman named Soichiro Kitaoji and was close to marrying him, but she quickly ended their relationship when she saw his selfishness in contrast to her team's selfless determination as warriors of justice. She does sometimes use her wealth to help the team, like when she purchased a large number of diamonds and other jewels to try and snap Ako out of the curse of the dimensional monster Diamond Dimension. At the end of the series, she marries Ryū. *Attacks: , , (with Yellow Owl). She is portrayed by .


=Raita Ōishi

= /: A 22-year-old large-framed,
eyeglasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...
-wearing nature lover who enjoys vegetables, Raita hates Vyram for their destruction of nature. He was raised by his grandmother, Kiyo, because his parents were busy running a restaurant. He harbors a crush for Kaori, vowing to be there for her even if he has no chance with her, although eventually, his ultimate subject of affection turns out to be his childhood friend, Satsuki. As Yellow Owl, he specializes in raw strength techniques like head butts, body blows, sumo-based techniques, and hurling boulders. Three years after Vyram is defeated, he runs a farm with Satsuki. *Attacks: , , (with Black Condor), Double Kick (with White Swan). He is portrayed by (Credited under ).


=Ako Hayasaka

= /: An 18-year-old senior student at Miharakita High School, Ako is a bright and cheerful girl who wants to marry a rich man. She first thought of being a Jetman as just a high-paying job, but her first battle helps her sense of justice take hold and makes her realize that she must use her newfound power to protect Earth. She is best friends with her classmate, Kyoko, who learns of her true identity during the Voice Dimension incident. From the Trash Dimension incident, the monster being her childhood toy ''Teddy'', Ako learns of how wasteful humans can be. She debuts as an idol singer three years after the fall of Vyram. *Attacks: . She is portrayed by .


=Gai Yūki

= /: The 26-year-old second-in-command of the Jetmen, a loner who hates being told what to do. Gai loves challenges and risks and is a womanizer and an avid if occasional gambler. his fighting styles are street fighting and mixed martial arts: his combat skills match those of Ryū, though he fights dirty and hits below the belt sometimes. He initially clashes with the straight-laced Ryū when drafted against his will but eventually comes to respect Ryū's largely principled disposition (Ryū falters only over the issue of his lost girlfriend, something Gai, being a womanizer, can sympathize with), ultimately becoming friends with him. He loves Kaori and often tries to flirt with her, leading to much frustration due to his initially unreciprocated feelings. When she finally accepts him, they frequently have problems in their relationship as they are too different. He later develops a rivalry with Vyram general Grey. He defeats Grey in their final encounter, in which a part of his helmet was damaged. Three years after Vyram's defeat, while buying a bouquet for Ryū and Kaori's wedding, he intervenes in a robbery and is stabbed in the stomach for the trouble. He makes it to the church after the wedding and talks to Ryū before he dies of his wound, passing it off as a hangover, satisfied that everyone he cares for has found happiness. In the manga, his position on the team is taken by Jeffrey Kensaki, a new hero who takes on the powers of Green Eagle. *Attacks: , Condor Owl Howling Attack (with Yellow Owl). He is portrayed by .


Allies


=Aya Odagiri

= : The first female commander in the Super Sentai franchise. She is good at martial arts, and the inventor of the team vehicles. She is both caring and stern to the Jetmen, and she is not above fighting alongside those under her charge and even personally covering their maneuvers if necessary. As befitting to her status as the Jetman team's commanding officer, her subordinates call her simply "Commander". She is also an able pilot, having flown Sky Force aircraft and even Jet Garuda on two occasions. Commander Aya Odagiri is portrayed by .


=Supreme Commander Akira Ichijou

= : A Sky Force officer who cares only for himself and bears a grudge against Commander Odagiri for being the commanding officer in the Jetmen project, which fell to civilians. With his Neo Jetmen, Ichijou gains appointment to assume command of Sky Camp base, bent on making Odagiri suffer while removing her Jetmen from the picture. However, he subsequently proves himself to be utterly incompetent in his new capacity when Bio-Dimension Beast Meteor BEM infiltrates and wreaks havoc within Sky Camp, being instantly demoralized at the first sign of Meteor BEM gaining the upper hand, refusing to even defend himself when offered the option to do so, and trapping his own Neo Jetmen team (and Commander Odagiri, who is attempting to aid the Neo Jetmen at the time) with the monster in a futile act of desperation. It is implied at the end of Episode 41 that Sky Force has since removed Ichijou from command and reinstated Odagiri in the aftermath of the attack. Supreme Commander Akira Ichijou is portrayed by .


=Neo Jetmen

= * (40 & 41): J1 through J5, team created by Supreme Commander Ichijou to replace the Jetmen, having Birdonic Reactors implanted in bodies, bypassing the need for regular exposure to Birdonic Waves. J1 (
Yūta Mochizuki is a former Japanese actor and voice actor. He is best known for playing Geki/TyrannoRanger in ''Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger'' and the titular character of ''Kamen Rider J''. He also voiced Keisuke Harukaze in the ''Ojamajo Doremi'' franchise, Thie ...
, who later went on to play Geki/Tyranno Ranger in ''
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series and the sixteenth installment in the long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of superhero programs. Produced by Toei and Bandai, it aired on TV Asahi from February 21, 1992 to February 12, 1993, wi ...
'') is armed with the Neo Sword, J2 is armed with the Neo Stinger scythe, and J4 is armed with the Neo Slicer boomerang. All five wield Neo Shooter guns and Neo Mine grenades, and their group attack is the Flare Buster twin cannon. They eventually give the Birdonic energies to the original Jetmen in order to restore their powers.


Others

* (23 & 24): The last three warriors of Dimensia, a realm in the Reverse Dimension destroyed by Vyram. The group composed of (portrayed by Yasuhiro Ishiwata, who previously played Bun/Blue Flash from '' Chōshinsei Flashman''), his lover (portrayed by Kanako Maeda, formerly Momoko/Pink Mask in ''
Hikari Sentai Maskman is Toei Company, Toei's eleventh entry of the Super Sentai metaseries. It aired on TV Asahi from February 28, 1987 to February 20, 1988, replacing ''Choushinsei Flashman'' and was replaced by ''Choujyu Sentai Liveman'' with a total of 51 episode ...
''), and the youthful (portrayed by Hideki Fujiwara, who would go on to play Dan/Tricera Ranger in ''
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series and the sixteenth installment in the long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of superhero programs. Produced by Toei and Bandai, it aired on TV Asahi from February 21, 1992 to February 12, 1993, wi ...
''), they chased Vyram to Earth with the Bird Garuda. While Ray and Kanna working with the Jetmen in their fight against Semimaru, Dan becomes romantically interested at Ako when they meet, causing him to express his feelings in a comical fashion. After Ray and Kanna are killed by Radiguet when he hijacks Jet Garuda, Dan assumes his fighting form and is mortally wounded taking the robot back from Radiguet. He dies soon after Ako expresses her feelings about him. * (29): The two warriors from the Berserk region, destroyed by Vyram force under Radiguet whose people can change anything they hold into weapons, though they can give up that very power to save a life instead. Arriving to Earth, while is cared for by the Jetmen, attempts to kill Radiguet. However, after Ru realizes the error of her ways and Duran is saved from the control of the monster Armor Snake, the two leave Earth to find a world they can find peace in.


Dimensional War Party Vyram

The appears as a clan of outer-dimensional nobles, who conquered many worlds in the Reverse Dimension, and are now moving on to Front Dimension, ours. They boast about having achieved godhood, while they despise humans and see them as stupid and worthless. Their base of operations is the , a brain-shaped castle capable of traversing dimensions and sending its forces to Earth due to its Dimensional Transfer Machine. After their leader got lost in the Reverse Dimension, its four leading members compete in a game to defeat the Jetmen with the prize being full-leadership. Tran eventually becomes powerful enough to assume command, but is deposed by Radiguet, who leads Vyram up to its destruction.


Radiguet

: A cold-hearted officer who is the nearest presence to a leader of the Vyram, refusing to acknowledge anyone above and will do anything to accomplish his goals including being the one who kills the Jetmen. In battle, Radiguet wields the and can transform into his true form when enraged. When Juuza returned to power, Radiguet attempts to kill her and ends being punished for his treachery by living as a human with no memory of his life in Vyram. Cared for by Saki, a girl on the verge of death, Radiguet unconsciously saves her life with his power. But though he wanted nothing to do with his past, Radiguet eventually regains his memories and helps the Jetmen in fighting Juuza. After killing Juuza to acquire Semimaru, Radiguet kills Saki to discard his humanity before nurturing Semimaru to assume its adult form though it was destroyed by the Great Icarus. Radiguet later attempt to bring the Demons under his control, managing to succeed with Ramon when he absorbed Gorg. When Tranza takes over the Vyram throne, Radiguet attempts to kill him, only to be made an example of by the stronger opponent and forced into humbling himself before Tranza. Baring a terrible grudge against Tranza since then, Radiguet allied himself with Maria and Grey to summon the meteor used to create Meteor BEM to take out the Jetmen, enraged to find Tranza used his plan as a springboard from his own scheme. Attempting to sabotage Veronica, Radiguet is hooked up to have his life force sucked out. However, instead of having the life sucked out of him, Radiguet drains Veronica's power. Later, after using the Jetmen to do his dirty work, Radiquet tortures Tranza before breaking his mind and leaving him powerless, becoming Vyram's leader. Ultimately, the side effects of his power boost manifest in his newly gained giant form, the armored (48, 50 & 51). After killing Rie so Red Hawk could not have her, Radiguet battles him until the other Jetmen arrive. After the five Jetmen defeat him, Radiguet assumes his Raguem form which not even the Great Icarus is a match for until the Tetraboy punches the weak point Rie made. To counter their advantage over him, Raguem assimilates the Vylock into armor that he uses to overpower Tetraboy. The Great Icarus separates and Ryuu uses the Jet Garuda to rip the armor off and the others destroy both the Jet Garuda and Raguem. Radiguet says that his soul will continue to curse the Jetmen for eternity from the Reverse Dimension before he explodes. Radiguet is portrayed by (credited as ).


Tran

(1-36) / (36-47): A
psychokinetic Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
child who suggested a game to settle who would be Vyram's new leader. He specialized into creating toy-ish monsters to satisfy his fun desires, and thought both enemy or ally fatalities as "just part of the fun". Being the youngest of the Vyram was a big complex to him until his failed attempt to take out the Jetmen during their retreat to the Yamada Ranch was the last straw. The constant anger became unbearable to the point of Tran using it to accelerate his growth. With his new-found power and maturity, Tranza easily defeats both his comrades and the Jetmen for underestimating him before seizing leadership of Vyram. In addition to his psychokinetic powers from his gauntlet, and new-found arrogant nature, he can now assume disguises and wields the blade. After his giant robot Veronica was ruined by Radiguet, and after completing his new Bio Gun, Tranza heads out to hunt both him and the Jetmen down. Fighting the entire Jetman team on his own, Tranza uses his Bio Gun to turn each Jetman member into a rock plate until only Ryuu remained. However, with Radiguet aiding Red Hawk before betraying him, the Bio Gun is destroyed by Red Hawk's charged Bringer Sword and the others are freed with the destruction of Tranza's gauntlet as they use the Fire Bazooka on Tranza. Though he survives the attacks, Radiguet tortures Tranza before sparring him to live with a severe brain injury at the Joutou Neurosurgery Hospital. Tran is portrayed by . Tranza is portrayed by .


Maria

(1-49): She was formerly known as , ranked Sky Forcer W3, a love interest of Ryuu's who plays the piano. Though originally to be a Jetman, Vyram's attack on the Earth Ship resulted with Rie being sucked into space. However, Rie is saved by Radiguet, who brainwashed her to be devoid of her memories as a human and made an official of Vyram. However, though he loved her and tells her that she is his, Maria defies Radiguet to suit her own agenda to be leader of Vyram. She loves to battle, and her methods are cruel and cold. She is armed with the Necrod, which has sword, gun, and whip modes. The monsters created by her were often motivated by envy, and attacked mainly women. Since the Camera Dimension incident, unconsciously playing the piano, Maria develops a relationship with Grey. Since then, she played piano music for Grey despite not knowing why, until her identity was found out and the relationship got difficult. Grey was willing to let her go if it made her happy. During the Demons incident, Maria momentarily reverted to Rie until Radiguet forced her back to her Vyram persona with a vendetta against Red Hawk. Eventually forfeiting their contest, Maria accepts Radiguet's proposal of ruling by his side in return of becoming even stronger than she is now. As a result, Maria is infected by a cell born from Radiguet's blood that turns her into a vampiric beast as she targets men, though unaware that she would transform into mindless puppet overtime. While fighting Ryuu, Maria assumes her monstrous form as she battles Red Hawk before assuming Rie's appearance to catch him off guard as the cell transfers itself to Ryuu in order to have him take out the Jetmen. While Ryuu manages to return to normal, Maria is in the final stage of her transformation as she defeats the other Jetmen before Ryuu arrives and manages to reach Rie, causing Maria to remember her true self as she reverts to her true form. When Radiguet comes to reclaim her, Rie pretends that she will go with him, only to stab him in the back before he mortally wounds her. Before her death, Rie asks Ryuu to leave her out of it before being spirited away by Grey. Her ghost later appeared in the finale, saying farewell to Ryuu after his marriage to Kaori. Maria is portrayed by .


Grey

(1-50): A robot who ironically was always the most reasoning member of the Vyram. He is armed with the , , and . Despite being a robot, he showed human feelings, especially love for wine, music, cigars, and particularly Maria, learning to play the piano from example. As a result, Grey supports Maria in shielding her when fighting Jetman, seeing Gai Yuuki as an ideal rival. Learning of Radiguet's plan for her, Grey attempts to talk Maria out of it to no avail. This forces Grey to ask the Jetmen to save Maria. However, he instead takes her dying body away as he takes her death hard. With nothing to live for other than his code as a soldier, Grey calls the Jetmen out in a final match, with Gai wanting to fight him alone. Eventually, Grey is mortally damaged as Gai lit one last cigar for him as a sign of acknowledgment as a worthy rival before Grey shuts down. Grey is portrayed by .


Empress Juuza

: The true leader of Vyram, referring to herself as mother of all creation, Juuza along her underlings Radiguet, Grey, and Tran had conquered many dimensions. While able to teleport, fire lasers from her hook use telekinesis, being intangible, and breathe fire in her human form, Juuza can become where she fires a beam from her eyes, bullets from her fingers, and shock-waves and beams from her mouth, as well as become an intangible head. Thought to be killed during the Reverse Dimension Invasion War, she actually went under a long sleep after acquiring the Semimaru and incubating it, and came to Earth via a meteorite. She makes her presence known by causing a momentary blackout across the city. By the time the Jetmen investigate, finding Radiguet as he was about to kill her while asleep, Juuza emerges and resumes control of Vyram. She then proceeds to use the humans' pain and suffering from crystals sprouting from their bodies before becoming crystals themselves to feed Semimaru. The Jetmen nearly lose to her as Gai is affected by Juuza's crystal beam while shielding Kaori from it. After punishing Radiguet to live as a human for his treachery, Juuza resumes her attack as the Jetmen battle her before Gai succumbs to Juuza's spell and dies. With some unexpected assistance from Radiguet, White Swan destroys her forehead crystal after asking for Gai's strength in order to revive everyone she turned into crystals. Enraged that her face is hurt, Juuza assumes her Demon Beast Juuza form as the rest of Vyram and Black Condor join the fight against her as the Jetmen use the Fire Bazooka to defeat her. Near death, she is killed by Radiguet when he throws his sword into her throat just before Semimaru hatched.


Grinam soldiers

: The black-skinned grunts born from Grinam seeds. They are armed with axes and capable of launching explosive shells from their hands. The group were later summoned by Zaigan during ''Super Sentai World''.


Production

''Chōjin Sentai Jetman'' is the first Sentai series that paid homage to another show, ''
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a Japanese animated franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman ...
'' with the same birds and the Jet Garuda being a clear influence of God Phoenix. There is also some influence from the 1985 American movie ''
The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film t ...
''. Ryu wears a sports jacket very similar to Andy and is also the more athletic of the group, Kaori, the princess, like Claire; Raita the geek, like Brian; Gai, the bad boy, like John; Ako the greedy girl similar to Allison being a Kleptomaniac. Developed before the ending of ''
Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman is a Japanese Tokusatsu television series. It was Toei Company's fourteenth installment of the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. It aired on TV Asahi from March 2, 1990 to February 8, 1991, with a total of 48 episodes. The name given by Toei for inte ...
'', Toei chose
Keita Amemiya is a prolific Japanese character designer and director from Urayasu, Chiba. Amemiya is known for his distinctive fantasy designs and directorial style. Biography After graduation from the Asagaya College of Art and Design, he joined the Den ...
to be the series' director and searched for actors who would play the main characters. One of them was Toshihide Wakamatsu who would go on to play Gai Yuuki/Black Condor. Before the series, the members were all referred to by their color but both Amemiya and Suzuki said that "this asunnatural" and decided the characters to refer to each other by their names instead of their colors. Episodes without the characters transforming and fighting were also proposed but was opposed by Bandai until the later half of the series. The more mature themes such as drama, romantic love triangles and tragedy were in the series' after Takeyuki Suzuki watched ''
Tosho Daimos ''Tosh.0'' ( ) is an American television series that aired on Comedy Central from June 4, 2009, to November 24, 2020. The series is hosted and produced by comedian Daniel Tosh, who provides satirical commentary on online viral video clips, intern ...
'', and wanted to capture its "high romance". Both the comedy and dramatic tones influenced the series' overall popularity and had become its defining part.


Episodes


Related media


Novels

Following the conclusion of the TV series, the series main screenwriter,
Toshiki Inoue is a Japanese screenwriter from Saitama Prefecture. He is known for his work on anime and tokusatsu dramas and films. He is the son of , who himself was a screenwriter for tokusatsu dramas. He is also a manga author, and has written both ''Mebiu ...
, wrote a trilogy of ''Jetman'' novels from 1992 to 1995 that retold the events of the TV series. The novels were written specifically for adult fans of the TV series and included mature content, such as detailed descriptions of sexual intercourse between Ryuu and Rie, Gai and Kaori, and Radiguet and Maria. Empress Jūza, a one-off villain in the series, had an extended role while the Dimensional Beasts and giant robots were eliminated, with the Jetmen fighting humans subjected to the Vyram's experiments instead.


Manga

A manga sequel to ''Jetman'' was published in 1996 authored by Akiko Fujii, in cooperation with the series' writing team (still under the
Saburo Yatsude () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by ...
pen name). It was titled . Set five years after the series (and, therefore, two years after the story ends), it shows the four remaining Jetmen rejoining to battle a revived Radiguet, who had possessed Tranza's broken body. Radiguet kidnaps Ryuu and Kaori's one-year-old daughter Aya Tendou and, much in the same way he turned Rie into Maria before, he accelerates her growth and brainwashes her into becoming Ruma, whom he considers a daughter. Meanwhile, Gai's empty spot in the team is filled by a young rock guitarist called , who is empowered by Birdonic Waves after a meteorite crashes next to him, and becomes whose suit is Green instead of Black. In this manga series, the Jetmen uniform is slightly different, with the helmets more closely resembling those of ''Gatchaman'' (translucent, protruding visors, and uncovered faces).


Video game

A video game version of ''Chōjin Sentai Jetman'' was released for the
Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
on December 21, 1991. The game was published by Angel Time (a subsidiary of
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
) and developed by Natsume. It is a single-player side-scrolling action game where the player assumes role one of the Jetmen members as they fight against the forces of Vyram. The player can choose which Jetman they want to control at the start of each stage, each having their own weapon and maximum hit points: * Red Hawk and Black Condor: Bringer Sword, 8 hit points * Yellow Owl: Wing Gauntlet, 7 hit points * Blue Swallow and White Swan: Bird Blasters, 6 hit points The initial five stages, Area A to Area E, can be played in any order, while the sixth and final stage, Area F, becomes available once the others have cleared. Each stage begins with a standard side-scrolling level in which the player fight their way to the end of the level in order to reach the stage's boss. Each Jetman has three types of attack: a weapon attack, a kick, and a special attack that destroys all enemies, but can only be used once (unless a replenishment is found). The boss segments consists of one-on-one battles between the team's giant robot, the Great Icarus, and a giant monster (all of them based on monsters from the show). The player has a four-level power gauge that will gradually fill up during the course of battle, which can be used to perform one of four possible special attacks. The following is a list of bosses in the game and the stages where they appear: * Mirror Dimension (Area A) * Camera Dimension (Area B) * Bus Dimension (Area C) * Light Armadillo (Area D) * Dimensional Mammoth (Area E) * Destruction Beast Semimaru (Area F) The game features four difficulty settings, a password option, and a Battle Mode where the player can fight against any of the first five bosses.


Cast

*: *: *: (Credited under ) *: *: *: *Jiiya: */: *: *: * : *: *Narrator:


Songs

;Opening theme * **Lyrics: **Composition/Arrangement: **Artist:
Hironobu Kageyama is a Japanese singer and composer prominent in the soundtracks for anime, video game and tokusatsu productions. He is sometimes called Kami (Kei) by his fans. Kageyama got his big break at age 16, as lead singer of the rock band Lazy. By the ea ...
;Ending theme * **Lyrics: Toyohisa Araki **Composition: Kōji Tsuno **Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto **Artist: Hironobu Kageyama


International broadcasts

In France, this was the seventh and the very last of the original Super Sentai series to be dubbed and aired on TV in the country. It premiered on April 14, 1993 on
TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is par ...
's Club Dorothée block, with only 28 episodes aired and dubbed in French. Some episodes were skipped as psychologists from the network claimed that the series was deemed too violent to be airing and it was then suddenly taken off the channel. Then one year later, they would dub and broadcast
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is a superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along ...
instead of
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series and the sixteenth installment in the long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of superhero programs. Produced by Toei and Bandai, it aired on TV Asahi from February 21, 1992 to February 12, 1993, wi ...
due to Saban weighing competition in most international markets. In Malaysia, the series was released with an English dub by Speedy Video and there also exists a Malay dub as well. Both dubbed versions were released on VCD and VHS. In Thailand, three different Thai dubs exist for the series, with two airing on two different channels and one for home video release. In the Philippines, the series aired with a Filipino dub on
ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast broadcast network, network tha ...
from 1994 to 1995 and later re-aired on RPN and ABC-5 (now TV5). In Hong Kong, the series aired on
TVB Jade TVB Jade (), or simply Jade, is a Hong Kong Cantonese-language free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) as its flagship service, alongside its sister network, the English-language TVB Pearl. Bro ...
with a Cantonese Chinese dub on February 28, 1999 until December 11, 1999 with all the episodes dubbed and broadcast. In Indonesia, the series aired with an Indonesian dub in 2000 on
Indosiar PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri, commonly known as Indosiar, is an Indonesian over-the-air television network. It broadcasts nationwide on UHF and can be received throughout the Indonesian archipelago on analog PAL television sets, established on ...
and was also released on home video. In
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, the show was dubbed to
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
and all the episodes were broadcast in EITB (the only entry in the Super Sentai franchise to ever be given a Basque dub), from 1995 to 1996/1997. Even being part of the same country, this show was never dubbed to
Castilian Spanish In English, Castilian Spanish can mean the variety of Peninsular Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, the standard form of Spanish, or Spanish from Spain in general. In Spanish, the term (Castilian) can either refer to the Spanish langua ...
.


Reception

As of 2015, the series has become one of the most popular and darkest entries in ''Super Sentai''. It officially gained a much wider audience and got a rating of 7.1% average, beating Fiveman's 6.5%. Despite the series also receiving criticism for adding "romance drama to a children's show", Gai Yuuki became an instant hit with Japanese mothers, who sent clemency pleas to TV Asahi so that they did not kill him off. It is still today considered to Sentai fans a masterpiece and topped the number 1 popular vote in both Bandai's B-CLUB magazine and Toei's "Super Sentai Request Tournament". In the end, total revenue from the series greatly exceeded 15 billion yen. Jetman was one of the Super Sentai series originally going to be adapted into the first season of ''
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is a superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along ...
'', but Saban chose its successor, ''
Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series and the sixteenth installment in the long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of superhero programs. Produced by Toei and Bandai, it aired on TV Asahi from February 21, 1992 to February 12, 1993, wi ...
'' to be the first instead.


Home media

In 2018,
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
announced that it will release the series on DVD on September 25, 2018, in Japanese with English subtitles, marking it the 10th Super Sentai installment given an official DVD release in North America. It is the first pre-Mighty Morphin Sentai to be released in North America on DVD.


Notes


References


External links


''Chōjin Sentai Jetman''
at th
official ''Super Sentai'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chojin Sentai Jetman 1990s Japanese television series 1991 Japanese television series debuts 1992 Japanese television series endings Angel games Japanese action television series Japanese fantasy television series Japanese science fiction television series Super Sentai Fictional soldiers Television series about birds