Space Knight Tekkaman

Tekkaman, the Space Knight (宇宙の騎士テッカマン, Uchū no Kishi Tekkaman) is a 1975 Japanese anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions.

This animated series was canceled only after 26 episodes (after a planned 52 episode, year-long order) due to low ratings. In the even shorter-lived American dub, there were major alterations to the series such as the main character, Johji Minami was changed to Barry Gallagher, and a different plot was given, as a race car driver.

Although the movements and animation were advanced for its time, it's original plot was somewhat repetitive.

The opening theme, “Tekkaman Theme” was performed by Ichirou Mizuki, written by the planning department of Tatsunoko Pro. (Lyrics) and Asei Kobayashi (music) and arranged by Bob Sakuma, who composed all the music for the series.

An alternative version of Tekkaman the Space Knight appears in the anime series Infini-T Force (インフィニティーフォース Infinitī Fōsu), a Japanese 3DCG anime series featuring a crossover between characters from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Casshan, Hurricane Polymar and Tekkaman: The Space Knight, all series produced by Tatsunoko Production in the 1970s. The series is a co-production between Tatsunoko and Digital Frontier and aired from October 3 to December 26, 2017.

Overview

In the not too distant future, planet Earth lost all its vegetation due to pollution and wars. Johji Minami, the son of a famous space researcher, Dr. Minami, seeks with his father to find another planet for humanity to migrate since the Earth has only 3 years of subsistence left. Nearing Saturn's orbit, Dr. Minami leaves in the Space Angel spaceship, but gets intercepted from a surprise attack by the Waldasters, a race of planet-conquering aliens. The Waldasters destroy the Space Angel, but Johji who was not present on board, was devastated to witness his father die in front of his eyes.

Following these events, Professor Amachi, a world-renowned researcher, and Dr. Minami's friend of unveils the secret project they were collaborating. A giant robot called Pegas that would envelop its pilot special metal coating and granting superhuman abilities. Thus the Space Knight, Tekkaman, an unimaginable power in the universe, was born to protect the Earth against the Waldasters.

This is the third installment of Tatsunoko's sci-fi action hero series, following after Neo-Human Casshan and Hurricane Polymar. The hero "Tekkaman" transformed into by the protagonist, Johji Minami, is based on the motif of a medieval iron mask (tetsu kamen).

The genesis of the Tekkaman project started a year earlier in 1974 at Tatsunoko, when Jinzo Toriumi and Satoshi Suyama expected the popular Science Ninja Team Gatchaman to be renewed for yet another broadcasting year on Fuji TV. They drafted out a rough "Part 2" pitch that would take the characters from Earth into outer space, admitting that elements like an Andro Umeda-like guy existed that early on. This "Space Gatchaman" was rejected though, but the planners decided to recycle some ideas for the new Tekkaman pitch as a separate work, and pitched it to NET instead.

The series was canceled after only 26 chapters due to low ratings related to the "space anime fatigue" that also doomed Space Battleship Yamato. The story cuts off where Tekkaman and Pegas launch an attack against the Waldasters, while the other Space Knights teleport to a planet presumed to be a "second Earth". It is debated among fans of the time whether Joji Minami died during the attack and along with him, the secret of the warrior of the sun, or if the "Tekkaman Victorious" title points to his survival.

The LD-BOX for the series by Pioneer LDC would eventually answer some fans' questions about how the show would have gone past episode 26, when the manual reprinted the text for the series proposal. In the third cour onwards (27 and on), a new battle between the Tekkaman group, who set off to search for a new place for humanity to migrate to using leap navigation, and the Waldaster fleet was planned to be depicted, incorporating unknown natural phenomena in the universe. In addition, Johji's father, who was thought to have died in episode 1, appears as an enemy Tekkaman on Waldaster's side, and a tragic father-son showdown unfolds.

Later in the pitch, it is revealed that Lord Dobrai is an immortal super life form that can be said to be the "will of the entire universe," and the final development was also planned, in which "the Earthlings, who destroyed their home planet with pollution, cannot be allowed to advance into space."

As for the endgame, Satoshi Suyama and other staff members envisioned this concept: "After a fierce battle, Tekkaman and his crew win the final showdown with the Waldaster fleet and finally discover a planet that is suitable for human habitation. However, the planet's native inhabitants had been wiped out in a nuclear war, and the land has long since fallen into ruin. However, it is possible to restore it by adapting the Clean Earth Project."

Characters

The Space Knights are the Earth's resistance organization against the Waldasters, led by Professor Amachi from Earth and aboard the Blue Earth spacecraft face the various challenges of defending the planet. The members of the Space Knight are:

Space Knights

• Johji Minami: The protagonist and the Tekkaman.
• Hiromi Amachi: Dr. Amachi's daughter and female lead of the Space Knights.
• Andro Umeda: The extraterrestrial member of the Knights
• Mutan: A mutant from the planet Sanno.

Support Characters

• Professor Amachi: Earth's head scientist; mentor of the Space Knights; Dr. Minami's friend, and father of Hiromi Amachi.

PEGAS

Diminutive of Pegasus, it is a giant robot developed by Prof. Amachi and Dr. Minami that is the key for Joji to become Tekkaman just by giving the order "Tek-Set"; It is a bit slow but with great strength and endurance. The conversion booth is inside Pegas's chest and Joji accesses it from his legs. It is Tekkaman's main means of transport and what guarantees its return to its original form.

Lord Dobrai

He is the supreme leader of the Waldasters, his appearance is similar to an octopus crossed with a jellyfish, he has only one eye and apparently his location is on the planet of origin of the Waldasters, he communicates by psychic means with Rambos, General of the Waldaster army. The main reason for the attack on earthlings is the mere conquest of the Galaxy, a recurring theme in the Tatsunoko Pro series. It is extremely cruel and intelligent, although very tolerant of its incompetent general. Apparently he is omniscient and gives orders to his general to execute them. The final match against Dobrai is never seen as the series was canceled in episode 26.

General Rambos

As its title indicates, it is responsible for commanding Waldaster troops. Its appearance is thin, with yellow skin and a similar appearance to an anthropomorphic insect. It differs from its troops that are more slender and generic, wears a red cape and is cruel, though incompetent. It is understood that he has been very successful in conquering other worlds, since Andro blames him for being the one who conquered the Sanno Planet, where he and Mutan came from. He is a coward like any cliche of a seventies anime minion, but very confident in his army. Due to his constant defeats before Tekkaman, he is punished by Lord Dobrai, through the psychic and telekinetic powers of this. Something that should be noted is that it uses several strategies against Tekkaman, from massive attacks with a diversity of battleships, special weapons, giant robots, special infiltration attacks, deception, kidnapping, ambushes, espionage, sabotage, attacks on military and political leaders, the introduction of alien species to the earth, etc.

Episode Guide

1. Hero of the Sun
2. The Stellar Rogue Cluster, Waldastar
3. The Shadow-Hunting Alien!

Differences between Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade

While both series are produced by Tatsunoko Pro itself, it has substantial differences:

• Tekkaman Blade is not the continuation of the first series, but an updated parallel series with a similar background, but different protagonists.
• Tekkaman is an armor painfully forged around Joji's body; Tekkaman Blade is an armor but as a mutation of the body of Takaya extracted from the Radam crystal that is part of it following the mutation suffered by the Tekplant of the Radam.
• Tekkaman technology is an achievement of the work of the human race; on the other hand, Tekkaman technology in Tekkaman Blade is an achievement of the alien race called Radam, as a weapon to use the same inhabitants of the planets that conquer as their heralds and generals in command of the army of radam beasts, which is why you can see Tekkaman aliens from other stars in the Tekkaman Blade II OVAs.
• Joji is the only one who can transform into Tekkaman; in Tekkaman Blade is Takaya with his whole family who can become Tekkaman. Humans subsequently learn Radam technology and are able to build their own armor, called Sol Tekkaman. also in Tekkaman Blade II, the humans engulfed by the Radam Plants can become a class of Tekkaman, weaker than the Tekkaman generals of the Blade family, called Tekkaman Primary Bodies.
• Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade have limited fighting time. In Joji's case, his fighting is restricted within 37 minutes with 33 seconds before the armor collapses due to his wave spectrum being not fully compatible. But Tekkaman Blade has only 30 minutes to fight until the Tekkaman armor takes possession of Takaya's mind and makes him unstable, violent and unstoppable, and unable to differentiate between friends or enemies. The armor's Radam system is complemented by a Radam parasite that during the conversion process, the Tek-plant is grafted into the base of the host's skull and that submits the host's will; Blade is the only Tekkaman who does not have the invasion of the Radam parasite in his body.
• In Tekkaman Blade Miyuki and Dr. Aiba, sister and father of Takaya respectively, apparently do not have the physical conditions to be a Tekkaman. In Miyuki's case, she is not fully compatible and in the end her body decomposes at the cellular level, while Dr. Aiba is regurgitated by the Tek Plant for not being compatible. In other cases, tekplants disintegrate in the act the main cells of unfit guests.
• Joji's Voltekker is a ball of energy that is ejected from his forehead, while Takaya's is a constant ray that is generated by two panels with four reactors in each, located on both Blade's shoulders.
• The Waldasters and Radam are both warmonger aliens who seek to conquer Earth, but the latter in Tekkaman Blade are never seen.
• According to PSX's Tatsunoko Fight game, the leader of the Waldasters, "Lord Dobrai" can perform the Tekset, something that never occurred due to the series' sudden cancellation, giving it a very cybernetic appearance.
• It is presumed that Joji Minami died during the last Waldaster attack, but in Tekkaman Blade his presence can be seen in the penultimate chapter (ep. 48) along with Hiromi, when Joji saves a child from being crushed by some rocks; Andro also appears on the side of the land base next to Rebin.
• The Pegas of the original series has the same performance of the Pegas in Tekkaman Blade, although Takaya's transformation is sourced from the Radam Crystal and Pegas was built to withhold the glass that was cracked by Tekkaman Dagger.

Video Games

Tekkaman The Space Knight appears as a selectable character in the Tatsunoko Fight fighting game for PlayStation. Share history with Andro Umeda and his faithful companion Pegas, who unlike Andro is not a selectable character, rather it is a weapon used by the Space Knight in one of his super moves. Also next to Tekkaman appears Lord Dobrai who becomes a kind of Tekkaman when executing the Tekset.

Tekkaman also appears in the crossover fighting game Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom for the Nintendo Wii console, with a similar gameplay to Marvel vs. Capcom. In this video game, he has been endowed with more own characteristics, such as a heavy and strong character, alluding to his title of Knight in armor, with medium-range attacks thanks to his double-pointed spear, uses Pegas to charge against the enemy and has its classic Volt Tekker, which in this version, is not an energy ball as in the original series, but is a constant plasma flow emanated from its forehead. Share a series of basic and special moves with Tekkaman Blade that is also selectable in the same game, but this one is lighter and more agile compared to its original counterpart.

Videos

"Space Knight Tekkaman" (1975) - Opening