is a programming block on the Japanese

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...

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 ...

featuring new episodes of

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 from 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 ...

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media generall ...

and

Metal Heroes The is a metaseries of tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television. The protagonists of the ''Metal Hero Series'' are mainly space, military and police-based characters who are typically either androids, cyborgs, o ...

. Both series have decades of history and have been intertwined in the public imagination for some time, not least of all because the driving creative force behind both was

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...

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 both were produced by the same production company,

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 ...

; however, they did not air together until

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

with ''

Kamen Rider Kuuga is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is the tenth installment of the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu shows and the first of the series to air entirely in the Heisei period, as well as the first standalone Kamen Rider TV series sin ...

'' and ''

Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive is the twenty-third entry of the long-running Japanese ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. Its footage was used in the American television series, '' Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue''. It aired from February 21, 1999 to February 6, 2000, ''Seijuu Sent ...

'' (which was quickly replaced by ''

Mirai Sentai Timeranger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television series and the 24th series in Toei Company, Toei's Super Sentai metaseries. Footage from this series was used in the American production ''Power Rangers Time Force''. The opening narration of the series a ...

'' 2 weeks later), though at the time they were not acknowledged together. Super Hero Time airs every Sunday morning, from 9:00 to 10:00 JST. The block is shown all over Japan via the

All-Nippon News Network , or ANN, is a Japanese commercial television network run by TV Asahi Corporation. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to its regional affiliates, and news exchange between the stations. ...

. Though, in other prefectures, one or both shows can be seen on other stations which are not affiliated with ANN.

History

Starting in the late 1960s, the hour was originally meant for educational children's programs. Over the years the hour began including ''henshin'' (transforming) hero programs, one of the first being . On October 4, 1987, Toei's ''

Choujinki Metalder is the sixth and shortest entry of the Metal Hero Series franchise, running from March 16, 1987, to January 17, 1988, for only 39 episodes. It was the first series to air on Sundays instead of Mondays. ''Metalder'' bears many similarities to ...

'' was moved from a Monday evening 19:00 JST time slot to a Sunday morning 9:00 JST time slot, followed by a move of '' Kidou Keiji Jiban'' to 8:00 JST Sunday morning on April 2, 1989. Similarly, on April 6, 1997, ''

Denji Sentai Megaranger is Toei's twenty-first production of the Super Sentai metaseries, and the Second Sentai where all heroes are high school students. The footage was also used in the American series, ''Power Rangers in Space''. ''Megaranger'' premiered on February ...

'' was moved from a Friday evening 17:00 JST time slot to the Sunday morning 7:30 JST time slot, pairing it up with ''

B-Robo Kabutack is a Japanese television series and is the sixteenth series as part of Toei's Metal Hero Series franchise of tokusatsu programs. It aired from February 23, 1997, to March 1, 1998. It is the first of shows made by Toei in the Metal Hero Series t ...

''. The ''Super Sentai'' Series programs would continue to air at 7:30 JST after the ''Metal Hero'' Series ended and ''

Moero!! Robocon is a Japanese tokusatsu comedy family robot television series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. It ran from October 4, 1974, to March 25, 1977, on NET TV. ran from January 31, 1999 (a week after the finale of '' Tetsuwan T ...

'' aired in its slot on January 31, 1999, and was followed by the premiere of ''

'' on January 30, 2000. Although a ''Super Sentai'' Series and a ''Kamen Rider'' Series aired side-by-side, the Super Hero Time branding of the shows did not begin until the Autumn 2003 broadcast season (known as until the 2005 broadcast season). As part of the block, actors from the programs often interact with each other to promote each other's shows, films, and perform skits. Satoru Akashi ( Mitsuomi Takahashi) and Souji Tendou (

Hiro Mizushima , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor, creative director, and writer. He appeared in a number of Japanese TV dramas, including ''Mei-chan no Shitsuji'', ''Hanazakari no Kimitachi e'' and ''Zettai Kareshi''. Additionally, he was well kn ...

) talked about each other's universes, and Master Xia Fu (voiced by

Ichirō Nagai was a Japanese actor, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and narrator from Ikeda, Osaka. He was previously affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, and was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of his death. Career Nag ...

) often showed up on the Den-Liner to talk with the

Imagin is the seventeenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. It premiered January 28, 2007 on TV Asahi, and concluded airing on January 20, 2008. Its le ...

and Ryotaro Nogami (

Takeru Satoh is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his leading role as Ryotaro Nogami in the ''Kamen Rider Den-O'' franchise, and as Himura Kenshin in the live-action ''Rurouni Kenshin'' film and its sequels. Satoh was born on 21 March 1989 in Iwatsuki ...

) in cartoonish caricatures. The 2008 broadcast introduced new changes to the block, including scenes from the show's episode. For the 2009 television season, ''

Kamen Rider Decade is the title of the first installment of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider special anniversary Series, having begun with ''Kamen Rider ...

'' only aired for 31 episodes, allowing for the broadcast of ''

Kamen Rider W , is a 2009-2010 Japanese tokusatsu drama, the eleventh series in the Heisei period run of the Kamen Rider Series and the twentieth overall. It premiered following the finale of ''Kamen Rider Decade'' on September 6, 2009, and aired alongside ''Sa ...

'' for a full 49-episode run. This has introduced an offset of five months between the series premieres of the yearly ''Super Sentai'' Series (which premieres in mid-February) and ''Kamen Rider'' Series (which premiered in early September since then), instead of an approximate month-long offset that had existed before (''Kamen Rider'' Series premiered in mid-January). This offset was shortened to four months after the finale of the 53 episode-long ''

Kamen Rider Wizard is a Japanese tokusatsu drama in Toei Company's '' Kamen Rider'' franchise, being the fourteenth series in the Heisei period run and the twenty-third overall. It began airing on TV Asahi on September 2, 2012, joining ''Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters' ...

'', delaying the premiere of subsequent ''Kamen Rider'' Series to early October until the debut of ''

Kamen Rider Build is a Japanese tokusatsu drama and the 28th entry of Toei Company's ''Kamen Rider'' metaseries. It is the nineteenth series to debut during the Heisei era. The show premiered on September 3, 2017, following the finale of ''Kamen Rider Ex-Aid'', jo ...

'' in early September, resulting in the increase of the offset to seven months. In 2019, this offset was reduced to six months with the premiere of ''

Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' drama and the 43rd entry of the Toei Company's long-running ''Super Sentai'' series, succeeding ''Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger'' and following the four week special TV miniseries ''Super Sent ...

'' in March after its time slot was occupied by the four-week-long miniseries ''

Super Sentai Strongest Battle is a Japanese tokusatsu minidrama (crossover special) based on the Toei's long-running Super Sentai metaseries featuring cast members from past installments and acts as a prelude to the events of ''Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger''. It aired from Feb ...

''. The ''Super Hero Time'' block is part of the larger block, which begins at 8:30 JST with the airing of an

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

-produced shōjo anime animated by

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

(currently the ''

Pretty Cure , also known as and ''PC'', is a Japanese magical girl anime franchise created by Izumi Todo and Bandai and produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Asatsu-DK, Toei Animation and Bandai. Each series revolves around a group of magical girls kn ...

'' series) and ends at 10:00 JST after the airing of the ''Super Sentai'' series. All of the shows are properties 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 ...

, who also sponsors the block. While ''Super Hero Time'' began airing with such anime in its inception, the "Nichi Asa Kids Time" branding did not begin until March 4, 2007. On Sunday, October 1, 2017, the block moved to 9:00 JST, with the ''Kamen Rider'' series airing before the ''Super Sentai'' series. In 2020, production of new episodes for both ''

Kamen Rider Zero-One is a Japanese tokusatsu drama series produced by Toei Company and TV Asahi. It is the 30th series in the '' Kamen Rider'' franchise and the first series in the Reiwa period. The show premiered on September 1, 2019, following the finale of ''Kame ...

'' and ''

Mashin Sentai Kiramager is a Japanese tokusatsu drama. It is the 44th entry of Toei's long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries and the first series to air exclusively in the Reiwa era. ''Kiramager''s main motifs are genies, gemstones and vehicles. It is the fifth veh ...

'' was temporarily halted due to the impact of

COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

, including one of ''Kiramager''s cast members being infected, with special episodes containing old, unreleased footage being aired in the block until June, when production resumed, following a series of health and safety compliances.

Line-ups

Japan

September 2003 - September 2017

October 2017 - present

Hong Kong

Coverage area

This block has been shown on TV Asahi (Tokyo), Mētele (Nagoya), ABC (Osaka) and all other stations of the All-Nippon News Network (Nationwide) via satellite. In other parts of the country, some stations not affiliated with ANN are showing either one or both shows. ; Yamanashi * Yamanashi Broadcasting System (YBS) (affiliated with the

Nippon News Network Nippon News Network (NNN) is a Japanese commercial television network owned by Nippon Television, which itself is controlled by the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'' newspaper. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news ...

, owned by

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

) - Super Sentai * UHF Television Yamanashi (UTY) (affiliated with the

Japan News Network The , or JNN, is a Japanese commercial television network run by TBS Television. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to its regional affiliates, and news exchange between the stations. Its m ...

, owned by TBS) - Kamen Rider ;

Toyama Toyama may refer to: Places and organizations * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...

* Kitanihon Broadcasting (KNB) (affiliated with the Nippon News Network, owned by Nippon TV) - Super Sentai and Kamen Rider (formerly) * Tulip Television (TUT) (affiliated with the Japan News Network, owned by TBS) - Kamen Rider (until Blade) ;

Fukui is a Japanese name meaning "fortunate" or sometimes "one who is from the Fukui prefecture". It may refer to: Places * Fukui Domain, a part of the Japanese han system during the Edo period * Fukui Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in ...

* Fukui Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) (affiliated with both NNN and ANN) - Super Sentai * Fukui Television Broadcasting (FTB) (affiliated with the

Fuji News Network Fuji News Network (FNN) is a Japanese commercial television network run by Fuji Television Network, Inc., part of the Fujisankei Communications Group. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news bulletins to ...

, owned by

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba today is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially b ...

) - Kamen Rider ;

Shimane is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

/ Tottori * Broadcasting System of San-in (BSS) (affiliated with the Japan News Network, owned by TBS) - Kamen Rider * San-in Chūō Television Broadcasting (TSK) (affiliated with the Fuji News Network, owned by Fuji Television) - Super Sentai ;

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

*Shikoku Broadcasting (JRT) (affiliated with the Nippon News Network, owned by Nippon TV) - Super Sentai and Kamen Rider ; Kōchi *Television Kochi (KUTV) (affiliated with the Japan News Network, owned by TBS) - Super Sentai and Kamen Rider (formerly) ; Miyazaki *

Miyazaki Broadcasting is a broadcasting station in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, and it is affiliated with Japan Radio Network (JRN) and Japan News Network (JNN). It is owned by the government of the prefecture, Mainichi Shimbun, the Bank of Miyazaki and various inve ...

(MRT) (affiliated with the Japan News Network, owned by TBS) - Super Sentai and Kamen Rider

External links

Official Bandai Hong Kong Super Hero Time Facebook Website
{{Metal Hero Series Toei tokusatsu Television programming blocks in Asia TV Asahi category:Japanese children's television series