Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

tv show

poster for Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

205 total episodes

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3 seasons

First Aired October 01, 1972

Overview

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a five-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters in several anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later adapted into several English-language versions. It is also known by the abbreviated name Gatchaman. The original series, produced in 1972, was eponymously named Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman and is most well known to the English-speaking world as the adaptation titled Battle of the Planets. The series received additional English adaptations with G-Force: Guardians of Space and ADV Films' uncut 2005 release. Tatsunoko also uses the official translation Science Commando Gatchaman, as shown in numerous related products and media. Because the English-language versions are notoriously inconsistent not only with one another but also with the original Japanese series, viewers most familiar with the English versions often experience some confusion upon re-examining the series after a long hiatus. The original 1972 Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman series was followed by an animated film, two sequel series, Gatchaman II, and Gatchaman Fighter. In the 90's, episodes from both series were dubbed into English by Saban as Eagle Riders. In 1994, the original series was remade as a condensed OVA series.

tv poster

The Diabolic Aurora Operation

Season 1 - Episode 34 - 0h 26m

Air Date

May 20, 1973

Overview

Strange radio waves attack people together with an aurora. Afterwards they run amuck and cause grave accidents. While fishing, Ryu is also bathed in these radio waves. Because Ryu's speech and behaviour are strange after he comes back to the base, an investigation is conducted. It results that Ryu's brain waves are like those of a cat. Additionally, Nambu is touched by those radio waves as well. In a rage, he tries to activate the switch for the self-destruct mechanism of Crescent Coral. Joe punches him out. Ken and Joe take Ryu with them and go to the place where Ryu got hit by the radio waves, in order to find clues. Because they can't get any answers, Joe gets angry and punches Ryu, who then hits the boat's panel and suffers an electrical shock. However, this causes him to return to his true personality. They think that an electrical shock might also work in Nambu's case, but because Nambu's brain waves keep changing their frequency, they have to destroy the mechanism producing the radio waves. The God Phoenix is therefore mobilised, and they seek the suspicious aurora Ryu saw. What they finally find is Thundersaurus, but the Science Ninja Team has to fight hard because the mecha's barrier of radio waves. A rocket is fired, but gets stuck and does not work. But as the mecha increases its electrical voltage, the blind shell explodes. Jun has made all the necessary installation to create the situation in which the increased voltage causes an explosion. The mecha is destroyed and all the people running amuck become their usual selves again.