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 A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

created by

Shotaro Ishinomori was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as ''Cyborg 009,'' the ''Super Sentai'' series (later adapted into the ''Power Rangers'' series), an ...

and 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 ...

. It aired from January 13 until September 28, 1984. It revolves around the adventures of Nick (''Nikku''), a college student from the Ivy planet (located at the

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance of ...

) and his arrival on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

to study the earthlings' behavior. Upon arrival, he is called in for the activities of the evil organization called "Tentacle", whose

don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

, Professor K, wishes to eliminate all children in the world. The series is rumored to have been inspired by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

, although this was never confirmed by either Ishinomori or Toei.

Plot

Traveling in the spaceship "Space Colony", Nick, with the help of his

ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

-shaped

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

"Ball Boy", arrive on Earth to study the behavior and manners of human beings for his

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

thesis. Under the human identity of a young man named Ken Takase, he meets Maki Hayama, a photographer at Shukan Hit

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

, and later saves her from a building fall. Maki was taking pictures for a scoop about a building which had been mysteriously demolished. Later, she and Ken find that the evil organization "Tentacle" is behind the demolitions and other evil deeds around the world. Nick then decides to extend his stay on Earth and uses his advanced technology and superior powers to protect Maki and the children of Earth under the

alter-ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...

of Machineman, a red- and yellow-suited superhero. Armed with an advanced technology weapons, he begins fighting Tentacle's cyborgs and protect humankind. A few episodes later, Machineman succeeds in dismantling Tentacle; however, Professor K flees to Spain and his niece, Lady M, appears. With her aide Tonchinkan, they establish a new organization called "Octopus". Like her uncle, she is allergic to children (whenever she is near one, her nose turns red). In the beginning, she calls up various thieves and legendary criminals from around the world, but later robotic drones are assembled to combat Machineman. By the end of the series, the missing Professor K returns, bringing with him the biggest threat the hero had ever faced: Golden Monsu, a fortified version of Tetsujin Monsu.

Main characters

* : the series' protagonist and main hero, Ken was born at the Ivy Planet and eventually graduated with a degree in

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

. Upon arriving on Earth, his primary objective is studying human behavior and mannerisms in order to obtain his doctoral degree. However, upon meeting Maki and learn about Tentacle, he decides to stay longer in order to protect her and the children from Professor K's plans. * : a baseball-shaped robot who is Nick's companion. Smart and clever, it usually serves as his friend, advisor and sidekick, to a certain point. It is also used as a throwing projectile by Machineman in battles, under the name "Fighting Ball". Ironically, Ball Boy says it does not have any information about

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. * : a photographer and journalist at Shukan Hit newspaper. She is involved in a traffic accident with Ken and they eventually become friends. She instantly falls for Machineman (exactly like

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

and Superman) after being saved by him, but begins to fall in love with Ken a few episodes later. * : Maki's 10-year-old brother. Usually serves as victim of Tentacle's inventions and is saved by Ken/Machineman. * : The editor-in-chief of Shukan Hit, and Maki's boss. * : A member of Shukan Hit's junior editorial staff. * : The greengrocer for the Hayama family. * , , & : Masaru's classmates, that were involved with the incidents of Tentacle and Octopus.

Criminal Groups

Tentacle

is the organization led by Professor K. * : The leader of the Tentacle criminal organization. * : A humanoid robot that serves as Tentacle's chief executive. In episode 17, Monsu was defeated by Machineman. * : A robotic parrot created by Professor K, and can speak fluently.

Octopus

is the succeeding organization led by Lady M, after taking over Tentacle. * : The niece of Professor K, who made her appearance in Episode 20 after her trip from Spain. She renovated Tentacle's headquarters to form Octopus. * : Lady M's henchman.

Episodes

# : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Michio Konishi # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Michio Konishi # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by

Noboru Sugimura was a Japanese television and video game writer best known for his work on the ''Metal Hero'', ''Super Sentai'', ''Resident Evil'', ''Dino Crisis'', and ''Onimusha'' series. Career He had studied under Ei Ogawa, one of the main writers of the Jap ...

, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Atsuko Osoya, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Isao Matsumoto, directed by Atsuo Okunaka # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Atsuo Okunaka # : written by Susumu Takaku and Tatsuro Nagai, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Atsuo Okunaka # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Atsuo Okunaka # : written by Susumu Takaku, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by Shohei Tojo # : written by Shozo Uehara, directed by

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 ...

Cast

* Ken Takase (Nick)/Machineman (close-ups): * Professor K:

Hideyo Amamoto was a prolific Japanese actor from the Wakamatsu ward of Kitakyūshū best known for portraying Dr. Shinigami in the original '' Kamen Rider'' series as well as many other characters in tokusatsu films and the ''Godzilla'' series. Amamoto also ...

* Maki Hayama: Kiyomi Tsukada * Lady M/Meiko: Chiaki Kojo * Ball Boy (voice):

Machiko Soga was a Japanese actress and voice actress. She also performed by the stage name Stella Soga. Life and career Early life and family Machiko was born on March 18, 1938, in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. She had a humble upbringing and was raised to ...

* Tetsujin Monsu (voice): Toku Nishio * Golden Monsu (voice):

Shōzō Iizuka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Fukushima Prefecture. He graduated from the fine arts department of Nihon University. He is most known for the roles of Hakaider (''Android Kikaider''), Doctor Neo Cortex ( ''Crash Bandicoot'' s ...

* Machineman (suit actor): * Narrator: Osamu Kobayashi

Songs

;Opening theme: * **Lyrics: **Composition: **Arrangement: **Artist:

MoJo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

, Columbia Yurikago Kai ;Ending theme: * **Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude **Composition: Yuji Ohno **Arrangement: Yuji Ohno **Artist:

References

{{Shotaro Ishinomori Shotaro Ishinomori Toei tokusatsu Tokusatsu television series 1984 Japanese television series debuts 1984 Japanese television series endings Nippon TV original programming Fictional bounty hunters Fictional vigilantes