is a

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

Kyodai Hero is a television subgenre in ''tokusatsu'' that involves Japanese superheroes or robots either with the ability to grow to immense heights to fight kaiju, giant monsters or who are originally giant as a part of their lives. The Kyodai Hero is th ...

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

produced by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

in 1973. It ran from November 12, 1973, to September 27, 1974. It emerged as a follow-up series to '' Ike! Godman'', but the two share no continuity. Compared to the anthology-like storylines of ''Ike! Godman'', ''Go! Greenman'' has a single overarching plot.

Synopsis

Deep beneath Japan, a demonic orange, fang-faced creature with glowing red eyes called Maoh awakes in

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

and plots his escape after being imprisoned there by God. But, in order to do this, he has to obtain the blood of human children and summons his cowardly purple

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

-like female servant Tonchiki to assist him. Through her he uses

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for pecking, grasping, and holding (in probing for food, eating, manipulating and ...

-faced, pointy-headed clay doll phantom warriors called Maoh-no Teshita ("Minions of Maoh") that can be transformed into hideous

to complete his task. A set of four special minions, dubbed the 'Kaijin', appeared towards the end of the series, each bearing unique abilities and fighting without the requirement to transform. However, his plans are quickly foiled after the mighty robot Greenman, a self-described "envoy of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

" who can grow to giant size and fire

missiles A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this u ...

from his chest, descends from space to do battle against Maoh's pawns. After his first battle on Earth, he gives the kids two devices called 'Green Calls' which can be used to summon him whenever the children are in danger.

Returning Monsters

Famously, and in line with the previous ''Ike! Godman'', numerous monsters from Toho's library of Kaiju made appearances in the series. *04. Gair

from '' The War of the Gargantuas''. *14. Gabar

from '' All Monsters Attack''. *31. Sand

from '' The War of the Gargantuas''. *38. King Kong (Toho), King Kong from '' King Kong Escapes''. **Due to copyright reasons the character was simply called "Gorilla". It was the same suit from the film, but looked slightly different due to repairs having been made to it for the show. *46. An evil version of

Minilla is a fictional monster, or kaiju, who first appeared in Toho's 1967 film '' Son of Godzilla''. He is the adopted son of Godzilla, and is sometimes referenced as Minya, Godzilla Jr., and Baby Godzilla in the American dubbed versions. Overview De ...

, the son of

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

Other monsters

These are the monsters from the various episodes. The show lasted 52 episodes (each one broken into three parts). *01. Garamedon *02. Antguiru

*03. Gegi

*05. Bullpul

*06. Tsunozilla

*07. Stock *08. Valingar *09. Megahert

*10. Dragonda *11. Totsaurus *12. Danbaraki *13. King Takora

*15. Gyaro

*16. Mohtles *17. Bulguerilla *18. Alien Dorok *19. Spider *20. Foxaus *21. Blanca *22. Ibo Killer *23. Gowarakadon *24. Jairock *25. Dankett *26. Seguro No. 1 *27. Inbelun *28. Lorbabla *29. Giringa *30. Red Rock *32. Sibirego

*33. Zarizo

*34. Flasher (red and blu

*35. Stegodzilla

*36. Alien Tiborus *37. Yasugon *39. Spider II *40. Shilarji *41. Akumon *42. Kappalge *43. Kupad *44. Hotter *45. Cross Dressing Kaijin *47. Fonshugaron *48. Ninja Kaijin *49. Magic Kaijin *50. Tonchiki *51. Pattern Kaijin *52. Maoh the Devil King (a.k.a. "The Devil") -Note: The henchmen are known as Maoh-no Teshita (Devil's Underlings).

Costumes

*Like in '' Ike! Godman'', Gabara's suit was green instead of blue. *Sanda had a new head and wig, and can spray out a mist which makes people sleepy. *Gaira, like Sanda, also had a new head and wig. *The Gargantuas' suits in this show were in very poor condition. Not only did the suits look like they were rotting (despite a new paint job), but tears could clearly be seen in the legs. *The Minilla suit in this show was brand new (but looks very cheaply built) and was not an actual suit from any of the Godzilla films. *The Flasher kaiju (from episode 34) had previously been seen in the show '' Assault! Human!!''. Since Nippon TV co-produced that show, and co-produced this show with Toho, they were able to use the Flasher costumes. Red Rock, Shibiregon, Zarizon, Spider, Giringa, Gejiru, Stalk, Megahertz, Danbarki, Gyraron and Garmeddeon also appeared on ''Assault! Human!!''.

Theme songs

The various theme songs that appear in this show are: *"Green-Man" Sung by: ‘Call Unizone’ Lyrics by: Fuji Konosuke Music by: Yamashita Takeo Arrangement by: ‘Bob’ Sakuma -Note: This is the song that plays during the show's openin

*"Green-Man March" Sung by: Nakatsu Tomoyoshi & Green Peace Lyrics by: Fuji Konosuke Music by: Setitguchi Tokichi Arrangement by: ‘Bob’ Sakuma *"Green-Man No Chosenjou" ("Green-Man’s Challenge") Sung by: Nakatsu Tomoyoshi & Green Peace Lyrics by: Fuji Konosuke Music by: Yamashita Takeo Arrangement by: ‘Bob’ Sakuma

External links

* http://minicard.hp.infoseek.co.jp/agreenman/agreenman.htm {{Godzilla 1973 Japanese television series debuts 1974 Japanese television series endings Tokusatsu television series Toho tokusatsu Godzilla television series Fiction about the Devil