The is a genre of tokusatsu

Tokusatsu

is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....

 superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 TV series produced by Toei

Toei Company

is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...

 for Japanese television.

The protagonists of the Metal Hero Series are mainly space

Space

Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...

 and police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

-based characters who are typically androids, cyborgs, or humans that don "metallic" suits. Henceforth, most of the Metal Heroes are also referenced as "Henshin

Henshin

is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...

 (transforming) Heroes." Usually, the genre revolves around a technological theme where technology, in the right hands, can be used for the greater good.

The shows were produced by Toei

Toei Company

is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...

 from 1982 through 1999 in conjunction with their other Tokusatsu superhero shows, such as Kamen Rider

Kamen Rider Series

The is a metaseries of manga and tokusatsu television programs and films created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The various Kamen Rider media generally feature a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains often referred to as...

 and Super Sentai

Super Sentai

The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...

. Not only are some of them popular in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 but also in several other countries like France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, Malaysia, and Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. Additionally, in the 1990s, Saban Entertainment used some of the shows to produce programs similar to their Power Rangers

Power Rangers

Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...

series.

Some of the Metal Hero Series even spawned sequels which followed the continuity of the previous shows, resulting in the genre developing sub-categories based mainly on space and police-related characters.

List of Metal Hero Series

: This series aired in 1982. This series is also known as X-Or in France, Sky Ranger Gavin in the Philippines, and Space Cop Gaban in Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. This series began the and featured a police hero sent to Earth to battle a rampaging force of aliens

Extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

. This series is visually influenced by Star Wars

Star Wars

Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

. Gavan proved popular enough to spawn two direct sequels and introduce a new genre in Japanese television. Gavan was played by Kenji Ohba.
: This series aired in 1983. This direct sequel to Gavan features Gavan's protege taking over the role of Earth's protector when Gavan gets promoted in rank (from sergeant to captain) in the Space Sheriff organization. Sharivan was played by Hiroshi Watari.
: This series aired in 1984. The third and last of the Space Sheriff trilogy. This series featured a Earth-born, galactic police force-trained officer taking over Sharivan's job alongside a female deputy. Footage from Shaider was used for Ryan Steele's action scenes in the second season of Saban Entertainment's VR Troopers

VR Troopers

VR Troopers was a syndicated live action show produced by Saban from 1994 to 1996...

. Shaider was played by the late Hiroshi Tsuburaya, grandson of Eiji Tsuburaya

Eiji Tsuburaya

was the Japanese special effects director responsible for many Japanese science-fiction movies, including the Godzilla series...

, the creator of Ultraman

Ultraman

is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...

. The series received a "sequel" in the Philippines in the show Zaido

Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan

Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan is a Philippine fantasy-drama television series by GMA Network. It is a remake of the Japanese Metal Hero Series Uchuu Keiji Shaider...

.
: This series aired in 1985. Similar in filming, tone, and style of the Space Sheriff shows, this series features a warrior sent to stop Satan Gorth and his diabolical son Mad Gallant from destroying the Earth with giant monsters. Juspion had his own giant robot, Daileon, to combat the evil creatures.
: This series aired in 1986. Along with his sidekick

Sidekick

A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...

, Diana, this program dealt with a hero who crosses through dimensions to combat an alien force that took his father's life and corrupted his sister into the evil Hellvira, who later joined her brother as Lady Helen. Footage from Spielban was used for J.B. and Kaitlin's action scenes in VR Troopers

VR Troopers

VR Troopers was a syndicated live action show produced by Saban from 1994 to 1996...

.
: This series aired in 1987. Inspired by the classic tokusatsu hero Kikaider, this show dealt with an android given human memories, yet programmed to fight an insidious group that his creator once belonged to. Footage from Metalder was used for Ryan Steele's action scenes in the first season of VR Troopers

VR Troopers

VR Troopers was a syndicated live action show produced by Saban from 1994 to 1996...

.
: This series aired in 1988. This program features an actual ninja

Ninja

A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...

 master from a historically known ninja clan preparing his son, daughter, and youngest child, along with a family relative and a police officer with ninja roots to combat the re-emergence of a centuries-old demon samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

, his evil offspring, and a host of international ninja warriors from around the world hoping to tip the scales of justice. Jiraiya, the son of the ninja master, is destined to wield an enormous power that Dokusai, the demon samurai, hopes to seize. Jiraiya is unusual amongst the Metal Heroes in that the main characters are not cyborgs, androids, or use advanced armor.
: This series aired in 1989. Having a similar premise to the 1980s American film RoboCop

RoboCop

RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...

and the 1970s tokusatsu Robot Detective, Jiban is a rookie cop gunned down and reborn as a fighting machine against the Criminal Syndicate Bioron, a group of bio-genetic freaks. Jiban is the first Metal Hero to actually bear the emblem of the Japanese National Police, although his "badge" shows a regular American-style sheriff star.
: This series aired in 1990. The first of the , this team of two robots and their human armored field commander dealt with real-life crime, mad scientists, rogue cyborgs, and dangerous rescue situations. The mix of fantasy and realistic action proved to be immensely popular with viewers, spawning two sequels.
: This series aired in 1991. A direct sequel to Tokkei Winspector, the former base captain of Winspector opens an additional police branch, this time with two humans (a male and a female) and a construction-vehicle styled transforming robot to continue the fight against everyday villains, gangsters with high-tech weapons of destruction, and the occasional robot gone mad. A video game version of Solbrain was released for the Family Computer video game platform in Japan. An altered version of the same game was released overseas for the Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...

 titled Shatterhand

Shatterhand

Shatterhand is a side-scrolling action game for the Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Natsume and published by Jaleco in North America and Europe in . An alternate version of Shatterhand was released in Japan as a licensed game for the Family Computer based on the live-action superhero...

: This series aired in 1992. The last of the Rescue Police Series, this program featured a trio of male human armored police officers doing what the previous two teams were doing without the help of any super-powered robots. By this time, the series had stepped away from realistic villains and swerved back towards more sci-fi oriented opponents.
: This series aired in 1993. Another series similar to Robotto Keiji. An abandoned police experiment robot is revived by its creator to combat three different organizations of crime in Japan. With a gruff, rougish, gun-totting robot partner named Gungibson, Janperson patrols the streets of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 alongside his creator in shutting down the hidden crime lords that use super science to subjugate the masses. Janperson and Gungibson made a cameo in Big Bad Beetleborgs

Big Bad Beetleborgs

Big Bad Beetleborgs is an American television series produced by Saban Entertainment. It aired for two seasons on Fox Kids between September 7, 1996 and March 2, 1998. Reruns later aired on UPN Kids during 1998-1999...

.
: This series aired in 1994. Hidden to the general public, a police organization has been combating alien menaces for years until a sneak attack destroys all but three officers, who alongside some civilian helpers who are aware of the alien infestation, must continue the fight. The show was one of the more "realistic" Metal Hero shows despite the alien theme.
: This series aired in 1995. An alien attack is repelled by a combination of true heroism, super technology, and insect magic housed within three suits of armor. Action footage from B-Fighter was used in Saban Entertainment's Big Bad Beetleborgs

Big Bad Beetleborgs

Big Bad Beetleborgs is an American television series produced by Saban Entertainment. It aired for two seasons on Fox Kids between September 7, 1996 and March 2, 1998. Reruns later aired on UPN Kids during 1998-1999...

.
: This series aired in 1996. A direct sequel to Juukou B-Fighter

Juukou B-Fighter

, was a 1995 Japanese tokusatsu television series. B-Fighter is short for "Beetle Fighter". It was part of Toei's ongoing Metal Hero Series. It dealt with three members of the prestigious fighting against the evil forces of the otherworldly Jamahl Empire...

, this program features seven new heroes who utilize technology of the previous Beetle Fighters and insect magic to fend off a horde of monsters from under the Earth. Action footage from B-Fighter Kabuto was used in the second season of Big Bad Beetleborgs: Beetleborgs Metallix.
: This series aired in 1997. It is the first of the Metal Heroes shows to be geared towards younger children. The characters in Kabutack met several characters from Juukou B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto.
: This series aired in 1998. It was similar to Kabutack, but featured a dog robot who was also a detective. It is the last Metal Heroes series.

Current status

Other similar heroes, such as Seiun Kamen Machineman

Seiun Kamen Machineman

was a Japanese tokusatsu series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. The Series aired in January 13 until September 28, 1984, telling the adventures of Nick, a.k.a Ken Takase, a college student from the Ivy planet to study the behavior of the Earthlings.-Plot:Travelling in the ship...

, Kyodai Ken Byclosser

Kyodai Ken Byclosser

is a serial Tokusatsu made by Shotaro Ishinomori and Toei Company. Series consisting of 38 episodes is a result of production with Nippon Television, and aired in Japan began on January 10, 1985 until September 26 the same year....

, Choukou Senshi Changéríon

Choukou Senshi Changéríon

is a Tokusatsu series created by Toei Company. The series aired from April 3, 1996 to December 25, 1996. It was originally planned to run for a full 52 episodes before being cut down to 39 due to low ratings...

, and Seven Star Fighting God Guyferd

Seven Star Fighting God Guyferd

was a Tokusatsu series made by Toho and Capcom, and aired on TV Tokyo in 1996. Guyferd borrows aspects from Bio Booster Armor Guyver and Fist of the North Star the roots of Metal Hero Series.-Plot:...

also appeared during the time that the Metal Hero Series were on the air, but are not included as part of the Metal Hero Series for various reasons. Machineman and Byclosser were created by the late Shotaro Ishinomori

Shotaro Ishinomori

was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...

, Changéríon aired on TV Tokyo

TV Tokyo

is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

, and Guyferd was produced by Toho

Toho

is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...

.

In 1987, a one-shot OVA called Campus Special Investigator Hikaruon

Campus Special Investigator Hikaruon

is a Japanese original video animation produced by AIC. Directed by Kazuhiro Ochi, the OVA was released in 1987. The OVA is a one-shot tribute to the Metal Hero genre of live-action superhero shoes that were prevailent in the 80's and 90's. Specifically it is a tribute to the Space Sheriff Series...

, was released as an homage of the Space Sheriff Series.

Currently, the Metal Hero Series are a defunct genre in place of Super Sentai

Super Sentai

The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...

 and Kamen Rider Series

Kamen Rider Series

The is a metaseries of manga and tokusatsu television programs and films created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. The various Kamen Rider media generally feature a motorcycle-riding superhero with an insect motif who fights supervillains often referred to as...

 of shows. The Kamen Rider Series itself has adopted many of the Metal Hero Series' traits. Today, the present versions of these types of heroes are merged in with the Henshin

Henshin

is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...

 Heroes description.

Some Metal Hero Series characters have made cameo appearances. For example, in 2004, a special Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

is the twenty-eighth production of the Super Sentai television series produced by Toei. The action footage from the show was used for the American series Power Rangers S.P.D..The opening catchphrase of the series is .-Story:...

stage show had a special appearance by Gavan, who assisted Hurricane Red from Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger and AbaRed from Bakuryū Sentai Abaranger in battling various Alienizer monsters from Dekaranger.

In 2005, Toei released some Space Sheriff trilogy merchandise. Later that year, Bandai released a "Souchaku Henshin" figure of Gavan, followed by "Souchaku Henshin" figures of Sharivan and Shaider in early 2006. In May 2006, a PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 video game titled The Space Sheriff Spirits

The Space Sheriff Spirits

, is an action game for the PlayStation 2. This game is based on the popular Japanese live-action TV series Space Sheriff trilogy produced by the famous Toei Company. The three seasons were directed by Hattori Kazuyasu and Yoshiaki Kobayashi, and were named , and . This series helped the Metal...

was released. The game featured Gavan, Sharivan and Shaider all teaming up to battle past enemies from their series. The game was panned by critics, however, for bland graphics and dull gameplay. In early 2008, the trading card company Cardass announced a new, Metal Heroes based expansion to their Rangers Strike

Rangers Strike

is a Japanese trading card game created by Carddas initially based upon Toei's Super Sentai Series television franchise. It was released in 2006 in commemoration of the Super Sentai series' 30th anniversary...

card game, entitled Special Metal Edition, featuring characters and vehicles from the various Metal Hero Series for use within the game.

In 2011, Toei announced the production of the film Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan, set for release in January, 2012.

United States

In the 1990s, Saban

Saban

Saban Entertainment , was a worldwide-served independent American television production company formed in 1984 by music and television producers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy as "Saban Productions", a U.S...

 adapted some of the Metal Hero Series shows for American audiences in the United States. Stock footage from Metalder, Spielvan and Shaider was used in VR Troopers

VR Troopers

VR Troopers was a syndicated live action show produced by Saban from 1994 to 1996...

(1994–1996). Later, footage from both B-Fighter series was used in Big Bad Beetleborgs

Big Bad Beetleborgs

Big Bad Beetleborgs is an American television series produced by Saban Entertainment. It aired for two seasons on Fox Kids between September 7, 1996 and March 2, 1998. Reruns later aired on UPN Kids during 1998-1999...

. Both shows ran for two seasons and ended when all the stock footage from those series were used up.

Philippines

In the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, where several series have aired and dubbed into local languages, Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan

Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan

Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan is a Philippine fantasy-drama television series by GMA Network. It is a remake of the Japanese Metal Hero Series Uchuu Keiji Shaider...

has been given the go ahead from Toei to be allowed to be a "sequel" to Shaider, featuring characters intended to be the descendents of those of the original series. Later on, Toei had refused the production to be aired. Instead, a spin-off series set 20 years after the end of Shaider was given the go ahead.

Brazil

The Metal Hero series were arguably the most successful tokusatsu in Brazil. In 1988, Juspion, under the title Jaspion, was broadcast by TV Manchete

Rede Manchete

Rede Manchete was a television network from Brazil. It first aired on June 5, 1983 in Rio de Janeiro and simultaneously in other 5 Brazilian cities, like São Paulo on Rede Exclesior's old channel 9 frequency...

 and became an instant hit. Manchete followed by broadcasting Jiraiya in 1989, Jiban in 1990, Spielvan (renamed Jaspion 2) in 1991, Winspector in 1994 and Solbrain in 1995. Other networks also brought shows, with TV Bandeirantes broadcastingMetalder and Sharivan in 1990, and two networks, Rede Globo

Rede Globo

Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...

 and TV Gazeta, showing Sheider and Gavan (renamed Gyaban) simultaneously in 1991. Jaspion,Jiraiya and Jiban were later released on DVD in Brazil.