Fireman is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series ran for 30 episodes from January 7 to July 31, 1973, commemerating the 10th anniversary of the company's founding alongside Ultraman Taro and Jumborg Ace.
Production[]
Fireman's initial program plan.
In the early 1970s, the rising popularity of tokusatsu productions led to a sharp increase in the number of television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions.[1] Among these was Fireman, a collaboration between Tsuburaya and Mannensha. This partnership originated from Mannensha’s work with Toho on the tokusatsu series Rainbowman, an adaptation of a story by Kohan Kawauchi. However, before its official announcement, Mannensha discovered that the title Rainbowman had already been trademarked by Tsuburaya Productions.
Tsuburaya had previously proposed multiple project ideas to television networks, one of which was "Rainbow Fighter" .[2] This concept featured seven young protagonists operating from a large land-based carrier, each riding a uniquely colored motorcycle to respond to various incidents. As part of their planning, Tsuburaya had secured multiple trademarks related to the term "Rainbow". Upon being notified of the trademark conflict by the copyright association, Mannensha approached Tsuburaya Productions in the spring of 1972 to negotiate the transfer of the Rainbowman trademark. Noboru Tsuburaya readily agreed, solidifying the collaboration between the two companies.[3]
That summer, Mannensha proposed the idea for a new television series, prompting Noboru Tsuburaya to draft an initial project plan overnight. The resulting concept, Fireman, was outlined in "The Authentic Monster Television Film Project Proposal: Fireman" . Surviving records confirm the existence of three different versions of the Fireman project proposal. It is believed that an earlier iteration, titled "Redman" , was initially conceived, featuring a transformation device called the Red Stick and a special investigation team known as "GSS."[3]
The design of Fireman was provided by Mannensha, but the designer's name is unknown.
The early production philosophy of Fireman aimed to return to the roots of traditional monster tokusatsu programs, embracing a more classic science fiction approach. At the time, the tokusatsu market was saturated with numerous monster-themed productions, many of which were derivative and of varying quality, leading to an overall decline in standards. The proposal emphasized three key goals: simple yet engaging storytelling, visually dynamic and entertaining presentation, and high-quality monster designs. Creature concepts were grounded in plausibility to enhance realism, ensuring that only "authentic" prehistoric-style monsters appeared in the series.[4][3]
Additionally, the proposal acknowledged Japan’s growing awareness of environmental issues. With increasing interest in space exploration, there was also a renewed fascination with unexplored realms such as the deep sea and underground environments. The series sought to leverage Tsuburaya’s expertise in special effects to depict these lesser-explored settings, reflecting themes of environmental consciousness while delivering an entertaining and contemporary show. The SAF within the story was established within this thematic framework.[3]
Originally, a variety show titled Gingira! Bonbon! was scheduled to air during the prime-time Sunday evening slot. However, due to poor ratings, the program was canceled within the same year. The time slot (Sundays at 18:30), managed by Dentsu, was then reassigned by Nippon TV to broadcast Fireman, leading to an unexpected advancement of its premiere date to January 7, 1973. To meet this sudden schedule change, Tsuburaya Productions accelerated the production timeline, officially beginning filming on October 30, 1972. However, this also resulted in a highly compressed pre-production phase. In terms of casting, Shin Kishida was confirmed early on, and the rest of the cast was selected accordingly. It is said that Masaaki Daimon was initially considered for the lead role, but it ultimately went to Naoya Makoto.[5][3]
Despite these efforts, Fireman struggled in the ratings due to direct competition with Sazae-san. Viewership remained low, averaging between 6% and 7%. In an attempt to boost ratings, from episode 13 onward, the series was moved to Tuesdays at 19:00.[6] The opening sequence was also revised to feature highlight clips of Fireman battling monsters as a preview. Additionally, more comedic alien were introduced. However, these changes did not significantly improve ratings. Instead, they diluted the series' distinct identity. As a result, Fireman concluded after 30 episodes.
Synopsis[]
When giant, mutant dinosaurs start to awaken, the people of the Aban continent, who have been living underground for the last 12,000 years, send a courageous young man named Daisuke Misaki to live as an archaeologist and join SAF, an organization founded to defend humanity from monsters. Whenever monsters and space aliens attack the world, Misaki transforms into Fireman using the Fire Stick and battles them to protect the human race.
Characters[]
SAF[]
- Daisuke Misaki
- Futoshi Chiba
- Mariko Hayama
- Saburo Mizushima
- Gunpachi Unno
Heroes[]
Kaiju[]
- Dorigorus
- Dorigon
- Alien Meteor
- Stegorus
- Jurasaurus
- Planet Gomerus
- Spacer
- Kinokurages
- Kumagorus
- Rodoguros
- Nerogiras
- Stegorus II
- Gudon
- Alien Baranda
- Baranda V
- Scoradon
- Tyrasaurus
- Alien Barog
- Alien Tran
- Dorango
- Tyrannodon
- Lanosaurus
- Tyrasaurus II
- Alien Velder
- Alien Atla
- Long Neck
- Alien Sulpher
- King Zaura
- MukuMuku
- Makunosaurus
- Alien Gagango
- Gagango
- Double God
- Destrosaurus
- Alien Prima
- Alien Green
- Green Giller
- Harmonigan
- Alien Virenus
- Gadorasaurus
- Blacker
- Black Satan
- Alien Emusa
- Bemutan
- Devilsaurus
- Bemusa King
- Spegz
- Spegz Jr.
- Dark Mander
- Object X
Cast[]
- Daisuke Misaki : Naoya Makoto
- Futoshi Chiba : Sei Hiraizumi
- Mariko Hayama : Keiko Kurihara
- Saburo Mizushima : Shin Kishida
- Gunpachi Unno : Goro Mutsumi
Voice Actors[]
- Fireman: Michihiro Ikemizu
- Narrator: Ichiro Murakoshi
Suit Actors[]
- Fireman: Mitsuru Saijo
Staff[]
- Directors: Jun Oki, Kanji Otsuka, Tatsumi Ando, Toshitsugu Suzuki, Takaharu Saeki, Hiromi Higuchi, Hiroshi Okamoto
- Screenwriters: Bunzo Wakatsuki, Fumito Imamura, Toyohiro Ando, Shin Kishida, Ikuko Okamoto
- Special effects directors: Kazuo Sagawa, Jun Oki, Masao Kobayashi, Iwataro Ishii, Masuya Nakamura
- Music: Toru Fuyuki
- Art: Shu Yamaguchi (main story), Noriyoshi Ikeya (special effects), Kazumasa Otani (special effects)
Music[]
- Opening Theme
- Fireman
- Lyrics: Yu Aku
- Composition: Asei Kobayashi
- Arrangement: Bob Sakuma
- Artist: Masato Shimon
- Other Songs
- Shutsugeki! SAF
- Lyrics: Hajime Tsuburaya (as Kyouichi Azuma)
- Composition and Arrangement: Toru Fuyuki
- Artists: Columbia All-Stars and The Photons
- Honou no You ni Moero
- Lyrics: Hajime Tsuburaya (as Kyouichi Azuma)
- Composition and Arrangement: Toru Fuyuki
- Artists: Masato Shimon with The Photons
- Haruka na Aoi Chitei ni
- Lyrics: Mieko Arima
- Composition and Arrangement: Go Misawa
- Artist: Masato Shimon
Home Media[]
Fireman first released on VHS. Later, Bandai Visual released a complete LaserDisc set in 1998 and Pioneer LDC released a complete DVD box set in 2002. Geneon Entertainment released the series on 5 DVD volumes on March 21, 2004.
From October to December 2012, Toei Video rereleased the series across 6 DVDs, each with 5 episodes,[7][8][9] with the sixth also containing the show's soundtrack on CD.[10] Toei Video later released a 6-disc box set on March 9, 2016 alongside box sets of Mirrorman and Jumborg Ace.[11][12]
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Fireman at Tsuburaya Productions' official website
- Tsuburaya Tokusatsu Hero Series page
- Fireman at the Japan Hero Encyclopedia
References[]
- ↑ https://www.mapion.co.jp/news/column/cobs2585430-1-all/
- ↑ ウルトラマンDNA Vol.5, pg 40
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 35: Fireman, pg 4-5
- ↑ https://ameblo.jp/piyokoquari/entry-12783102735.html
- ↑ https://note.com/youmoreclub/n/n88803a1dada7
- ↑ https://magmix.jp/post/131067
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-1141
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/heroseries/fireman/dvd.html
- ↑ https://www.toei-video.co.jp/special/tsuburaya/
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-1580
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-3471
- ↑ https://www.toei-video.co.jp/catalog/dszs10004/