Denkou Choujin Gridman

Denkou Choujin Gridman
Information
Format/Genre	Superhero, Sci-Fi, Tokusatsu
Created by	Tsuburaya Productions
Starring	Masaya Obi Jun Hattori Takeshi Sudo Tsuyoshi Sugawara Hikaru Midorikawa Masaharu Sato
Opening Theme	Yume no Hero
Ending Theme	Motto Kimi o Shireba
Original Air Date	April 3, 1993
Number of Episodes	39
Running Time	24 minutes
Original Channel	TBS TOKU (US)
Continuity
Previous	None
Next	SSSS.GRIDMAN Hime and Samurai
Production/Release
Previous	None
Next	Denkou Choujin Gridman: boys invent great hero

Denkou Choujin Gridman (電光超人グリッドマン Denkō Chōjin Guriddoman), translated into English as "Gridman the Hyper Agent", is a Japanese tokusatsu series produced by Tsuburaya Productions. The show ran from 1993 to 1994. It was the inspiration and source material for DiC Entertainment's Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. This would be Tsuburaya's last non-Ultra superhero production before Bio Planet WoO.

Shot on live video, Gridman was the first series by Tsuburaya Productions to utilize D-2 digital video for its special effects scenes, allowing for smoother slow-motion photography. Tsuburaya, having switched to digital techniques since then, would continue to use D-2 for all future productions.

Synopsis

Three computer-savvy kids from Sakuragaoka town, Naoto, Yuka and Ippei, create their own video game superhero, but then discover it is possessed by an inter-dimensional hero, Gridman. Pursuing an evil being called Kahn Digifer, he merges with Naoto and fights Kahn Digifer's digitized monsters created by social misfit Takeshi in order to prevent the computerized demon from wreaking havoc on the Human World.

Episodes

1. The Birth of a New Hero
2. The Secrets of Acceptor
3. Imminent Telephone Panic
4. A Runaway Car
5. The Perfect Sword With A Man's Pride
6. A Terror Melody
7. Zero Second to Microwave Oven Explosion
8. Brother's Bond
9. Operation Evil Brainwashing
10. The Dangerous Gift
11. Is My Allowance ¥100,000?
12. Beware of The Phantom Thief Marty
13. I Hate Sports
14. Manipulated Time
15. The Distorted Target
16. Ippei is Scared!?
17. A Lonely Hacker
18. The Legend of Dragon
19. A Sexy Police Woman in Trouble
20. Colors Disappear From the Planet of Earth
21. The Execution, My Hero!
22. Revival! Dinosaur King
23. An Assassination! A Thunderclap in Hell
24. My Love! Bio-Flower
25. The Decisive Battle! The End of the Hero (Part 1)
26. The Decisive Battle! The End of the Hero (Part 2)
27. Big Surprise! A Toy Rebellion
28. Spirited Away! Yuka Has Vanished!
29. Pet Dog Bomb Project BLOOD
30. The Day the World Died
31. Monster Mama is a College Girl
32. Attack of the Human Vacuum Cleaner!
33. Another Takeshi
34. Bodyguard Benkei Has Arrived!
35. Shock! Sukeban Yuka!?
36. Did It! Baby
37. Huh-! The Death Penalty for Papa?
38. Danger On Earth
39. Farewell, Gridman

Characters

Protagonists

• Naoto Sho
• Yuka Inoue
• Ippei Baba
• Gridman

Antagonists

• Takeshi Todo
• Kahn Digifer

Side Characters

• Daichi Sho: Naoto's younger brother.
• Kana Baba: Ippei's younger sister.
• Soichiro Sho: Naoto's father.
• Michiko Sho: Naoto's mother.
• Hideyo Inoue: Yuka's father.
• Yoshie Inoue: Yuka's mother.
• Yoshihito Inoue: Yuka's elder brother.
• Hiroshi Baba: Ippei's father.
• Ayako Baba: Ippei's mother.
• Police Officer Koganemura: The police officer of the town in which Naoto lives.
• Police Officer Amagasaki: The police officer who appeared instead of Koganemura.

Kaiju

• Gilarus
• Bamora
• Volcadon
• Stealgun
• Bagira
• Anosillus
• Flamelar
• Blizzalar
• Shinobilar
• Terragaia
• Metallus
• Magnegauss
• Generadon
• Imitation Anosillus
• Mummy
• Dazzlba
• Clowns from the dream world
• Plandon
• Venora
• Boranga
• Jubagon
• Teleboze
• Gyurunba
• Chidogerah
• Abumaru
• Goromaking
• Devil Phazer
• Khan Giorgio
• Skubone
• Takeshi Todo's computer (transformed)

Songs

Opening Theme

• 

  Denkou Choujin Gridman opening

  The show's opening

  "Yume no Hero"
  • Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
  • Composition: Kisaburo Suzuki
  • Arrangement: Masaki Iwamoto
  • Artist: Norio Sakai

Ending Theme

• 

  Denkou Choujin Gridman Ending Theme

  "Motto Kimi o Shireba"
  • Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu
  • Composition: Kisaburo Suzuki
  • Arrangement: Masaki Iwamoto
  • Artist: Norio Sakai

Insert Song

• "Futatsu no Yūki"
  • Lyrics: Atsushi Aida
  • Composition & Arrangement: Osamu Totsuka
  • Artist: Compoid Three

Cast

• Naoto Sho (翔 直人 Shō Naoto): Masaya Obi (小尾 昌也 Obi Masaya)
• Yuka Inoue (井上 ゆか Inoue Yuka): Jun Hattori (服部 ジュン Hattori Jun)
• Ippei Baba (馬場 一平 Baba Ippei): Takeshi Sudo (須藤 丈士 Sudō Takeshi)
• Takeshi Todo (藤堂 武史 Todō Takeshi): Tsuyoshi Sugawara (菅原 剛 Sugawara Tsuyoshi)
• Daichi Sho (翔 大地 Shō Daichi): Masahiro Iwaoka (岩岡 真裕 Iwaoka Masahiro)
• Kana Baba (馬場 カナ Baba Kana): Kanako Nakatake (中武 佳奈子 Nakatake Kanako)
• Soichiro Sho (翔 宗一郎 Shō Sōichirō): Edo Yamaguchi (エド 山口 Edo Yamaguchi)
• Michiko Sho (翔 道子 Shō Michiko): Miru Hitotsuyanagi (一柳 みる Hitotsuyanagi Miru)
• Hideyo Inoue (井上 英世 Inoue Hideyo): Daisuke Ban (伴 大介 Ban Daisuke) (Played as Naoya Ban (伴 直弥 Ban Naoya))
• Yoshie Inoue (井上 良枝 Inoue Yoshie): Yumi Mitani (三谷 侑未 Mitani Yumi)
• Yoshihito Inoue (井上 良仁 Inoue Yoshihito): Masakazu Arai (あらい 正和 Arai Masakazu)
• Hiroshi Baba (馬場 寛司 Baba Hiroshi): Goro Kataoka (片岡 五郎 Kataoka Gorō)
• Ayako Baba (馬場 彩子 Baba Ayako): Yuko Tsuga (津賀 有子 Tsuga Yūko)
• Police Officer Koganemura (小金村 巡査Koganemura Junsa, Police Officer Koganemura): Shoichi Komatsu (小松 正一 Komatsu Shōichi)
• Police Officer Amagasaki (尼崎 巡査 Amagasaki Junsa): Daisuke Itsumori (五森 大輔 Itsumori Daisuke)
• Narrator (ナレーター Narētā): Yuji Machi (真地 勇志 Machi Yūji)

Voice Cast

• Gridman (グリッドマン Guriddoman): Hikaru Midorikawa (緑川 光 Midorikawa Hikaru)
• Junk (ジャンク Janku): Junko Shimakata (嶋方 淳子 Shimakata Junko)
• Kahn Digifer (カーンデジファー Kān Dejifā): Masaharu Sato (佐藤 正治 Satō Masaharu)

Home Video Releases

VHS

• The series is first released as a 11-volume VHS by Victory Entertainment. The first 6 volumes includes 4 episodes, and the remaining 5 volumes includes only 3 episodes.
• The "NON-STOP BATTLE ACTION" edition of the show is also released, containing only the fight scenes.
• The 13th episode is released in VHS as "Thunder Gridman Appears!".

DVD

• The "DVD+CD! HYPER COMPLETE BOX", released on January 26, 2005 by Avex Inc., comes with all 39 episodes and a new CD soundtrack titled "Gridman: More Original Soundtrack", containing the unreleased BGMs.
• In January 21, 2013, the series is released in individual DVDs for the very first time, containing 8 volumes and 5 (4 in Volume 8) episodes per DVD.

Blu-ray

• In December 20, 2017, the entire series is released under the "Blu-ray BOX" box set by Pony Canyon. The box set contains all episodes and credit-less opening and endings. Despite being labelled as a Blu-ray release, the episodes are entirely upscaled from the original 480p component masters.

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Trivia

• Denkou Choujin Gridman is the first series to be shot in interlaced 480i.