is a Japanese
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
created and produced by
Toei Company
() (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by i ...
. The series is the seventeenth and final installment of the
Metal Hero Series
The is a metaseries of tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television.
The protagonists of the ''Metal Hero Series'' are mainly space, military and police-based characters who are typically either androids, cyborgs, o ...
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
and the partial sequel to ''
B-Robo Kabutack
is a Japanese television series and is the sixteenth series as part of Toei's Metal Hero Series franchise of tokusatsu programs. It aired from February 23, 1997, to March 1, 1998. It is the first of shows made by Toei in the Metal Hero Series t ...
''. It premiered on March 8, 1998, the week following the finale of B-Robo Kabutack and ended on January 24, 1999. It joined ''
Seijuu Sentai Gingaman
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It is Toei's 22nd entry of the ''Super Sentai'' metaseries. The series aired from February 22, 1998, to February 14, 1999. Its footage was used in ''Power Rangers Lost Galaxy''. The lead screenwriter f ...
'' as part of the block that would ultimately become
Super Hero Time
is a programming block on the Japanese television network TV Asahi featuring new episodes of tokusatsu television series from the Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and Metal Heroes. Both series have decades of history and have been intertwined in the ...
in 2003. Like
its predecessor, it bears some similarities with
Robocon
The ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (ABU Robocon) is an Asian-Oceanian college robot competition, founded in 2002 by Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. In the competition robots compete to complete a task within a set period of time. The contest ai ...
in characters and themes styles.
Plot
The story begins when the Ruling Elder of Harappa Land sent a few of his robotic people to seek out the sacred treasure of their kingdom: The Landtool. Two such robots, Robotack and Kamerock, arrived to a place called Yumegaoka. It was there that Robotack befriended a boy named Kakeru and aided the boy's uncle, Kaoru Sugi, in his Private Investigation business. But also on the quest for the LandTool is DarkCrow and his lacky Kabados, who were exiled and intend to make money off the LandTool.
Characters
Shardock P.D. Agency
The
* : Red Wonder
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
-type robot with a dog-type biochip. He came to seek out the Land Tool after arriving in Japan. He also stole Sugi's meal while on the verge of starvation and is soon drafted into the Shardock P.D. Agency in compensation for Sugi's meal. His favorite food is a sausage and ends his sentences with "Bow." When Kakeru plays the Wonder Flute, Robotack performs the Magnet Change and transforms into Special Mode from Normal Mode, but he could later transform by himself afterwards. Super Mode's weapon is the . His motif is based on the legend of
Hanasaka Jiisan , also called , is a Japanese folk tale.
Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford collected it in ''Tales of Old Japan'' (1871), as "The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom". Rev. David Thomson translated it as "The Old Man Who Made th ...
and his name is based on
Lobo. He can replace his arms with Mog-Lucky's and add Takkard's wings to become .
* : Blue Wonder
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
-type robot with a turtle-type biochip. He came to Japan from China following Robotack. He lives in the apartment near the Shardock P.D. Agency. He is troubled by Mimeena's courting. His Super Mode weapon is the . His motif is based on the legend of
Urashima Tarō
is the protagonist of a Japanese fairy tale (''otogi banashi''), who in a typical modern version is a fisherman rewarded for rescuing a turtle, and carried on its back to the Dragon Palace (Ryūgū-jō) beneath the sea. There he is entertained ...
. He can replace his arms with Darkrow's left arm and Kabados' right arm to become .
* : The president of Shardock P.D. Agency; he is a detective, Kakeru's uncle, and Kakeru's mother's younger brother. Forcing a request upon Kakeru and Robotack, he is working at a part-time job while bent on catching Cherry to get the 5,000 reward. He closed down the Shardock P.D. Agency and left Yumegaoka for London in the finale.
YST
The
* : Robotack's first human friend and the leader of the YST. He plays the Wonder Flute and supports Robotack. Because his parents reside in London, he is under the care of Sugi. He left Yumegaoka for London.
* : Kakeru's classmate and a mood maker of the YST.
* : Kakeru's classmate and a member of the YST. He had a trauma due to
Chinese dumplings
Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, Fish ...
.
* : Kakeru's classmate and a member of the YST, though technically the only female member.
Yumegaoka Police
The
* : Green Wonder
mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
-type robot with a mole-type biochip. He is working under Karamatsu for the Yumegaoka police. He had worked for the
Prefecture of Police In France, a Prefecture of Police (french: Préfecture de police), headed by the Prefect of Police (''Préfet de police''), is an agency of the Government of France under the administration of the Ministry of the Interior. Part of the National Pol ...
in Paris, adapting a French accent as a result. Since he is mainly an underground working-type robot, his sensor causes a system error to an intense light. Super Mode's weapon is the . His name is based on "Lucky" of slang.
* : The detective who was Sugi's
senpai and bent on bringing Cherry to justice. He can give off an intense light from his shaven head. He took advantage of Mog-Lucky's weakness, having him transferred to the Yumegaoka Police forcibly as his assistant. His favorite food is a
takoyaki
is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus
An octopus ( : octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bod ...
.
Yumegaoka Elementary School
The
* : Blue and White Wonder
hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
-type robot with a hawk-type biochip. He had studied to become a teacher without knowledge of the Land Tool missing. He teaches Kakeru and his friends at the Yumegaoka Elementary School. In the Special Mode, Takkard flies at 800 km/h, using the to protect himself. His motif is unknown.
Citizens
* : Wonder
bunny
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit spec ...
-type robot with a rabbit-type biochip. She is the Wonder-type robot, but does not have the Magnet Change function. She supplies robots with the repair services. She has fallen in love with Kamerock. She ends her sentences with "Pyon." Her motif is based on the legend of
The Tortoise and the Hare
"The Tortoise and the Hare" is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 226 in the Perry Index. The account of a race between unequal partners has attracted conflicting interpretations. The fable itself is a variant of a common folktale theme in wh ...
.
* : A poor middle-aged man who lives in the apartment. The wall of his room is sometimes broken through by robots. His favorite foods are instant noodles.
Gold Platinum P.D. Agency
The
* : Yellow Wonder
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
-type robot with a tiger-type biochip who is the president of Gold Platinum. He is the prototype robot created by Dr. Takamine and is Robotack's elder brother robot. He has known that Robotack was his younger brother robot for some time. The creation of the tiger-type biochip by Dr. Takamine did not go smoothly, and so he had a
cat
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...
-type biochip instead, but it was exchanged for the tiger-type biochip by Dr. Takamine in the finale. He is indignant to Dr. Takamine and plots the fall of Harappa. He is a
Hanshin Tigers
The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...
fan. He ends his sentences with "Nya." His Special Mode's weapon is the . His motif is based on a tiger and a
tabby cat
A tabby is any domestic cat (''Felis catus'') with a distinctive 'M'-shaped marking on its forehead; stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, and around its legs and tail; and (differing by tabby type), characteristic striped, d ...
and his name may be based on
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...
.
* : Black Wonder
crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifical ...
-type robot with a crow-type biochip. The deputy branch manager of Gold Platinum's Yumagaoka Branch. Since he broke the Elder's precious vase, he was exiled from Harappa. He has rivalry with Kamerock. Although he is a crow-type robot, he has a fear of heights. He ends his sentences with "Dacchūno" or "Dacchūni." Special Mode's weapon is the . His motif is based on the folklore about a crow.
* : Orange Wonder
hippopotamus
The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
-type robot with a hippopotamus-type biochip. Darkrow's follower and was too exiled from Harappa. He ends his sentences with "Dosu." Special Mode's weapon is the ax. His motif is based on the legend of
Kintarō
is a folk hero from Japanese folklore. A child of superhuman strength, he was raised by a yama-uba ("mountain witch") on Mount Ashigara. He became friendly with the animals of the mountain, and later, after catching Shuten-dōji, the terror of t ...
.
* : The executive of Gold Platinum's head office who employed Darkrow and Kabados. Assuming the guise of Phantom Thief Cherry, she steals to save a church and a child care institution. She's a master of disguise and armed with a whip. During an attempt to steal a painting, she is nearly caught by Robotack and Kamerock before escaping them after she puts them on right trail to the 5th Shyubido Badge.
Others
* : The doctor of engineering who is a designer of Robotack and other robots, and Sakurako's father.
Harappa Robots
The robots who like Robotack and the others come from and live like humans. The elite robots of Harappa kingdom can transform into from by the . They are based on legends or myths, with some ending their sentences with onomatopoeic sound representations of the animals they are modeled after.
* : A
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
-type robot. He is governing Harappa.
* : An
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
and a
whale
Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...
robot who appears when a Badge is found. He judges the game for CongraTrophies, his carrier unit changes into the Ranking Arena. While he gives the CondraTrophy to the winner, he executes a failure game to the losing player. His motif is based on
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...
.
* : They are four baby
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
-type robots that assist Master Ranking.
** : He prepares the contests within the Ranking Arena. While Master Ranking was self-training, he worked as an assistant director of a TV station.
** : He watches players. While Master Ranking was self-training, he worked as a pool watcher.
** : He interferes players. While Master Ranking was self-training, he worked as a bodyguard of idol's on the recommendation of Reflecting Elephant.
** : He administers punishment to players. While Master Ranking was self-training, he served as a father of a church.
* : Red Wonder
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
-type robot with a dog-type biochip. He is the latest model scientist robot of Harappa who is a candidate in the next senior, and he is the designer of Mightburn. Whenever he and Mightburn eat a fully ripened red Wonder Seed, they execute into the fastest hero Speedy Wonder. He knew that Robotack and Torabolt are brothers. He ends his sentences with "Wan"(Bow-Wow). Speedy Wonder's weapon is . His motif is "dog and monkey"
* : Purple Wonder
monkey
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
-type robot with a monkey-type biochip who was created by Speedam, although he is evil. Whenever he and Speedam eat an unripened green Wonder Seed or a crushed, fully ripened Wonder Seed, or a dead Wonder Seed, they "Reversal Combine" into the strongest evil robot Mighty Wonder. He became a good robot by the shock of crashing into a temple bell. His favorite food is bananas. He ends his sentences with "Kī"(Monkey noise). Mighty Wonder's weapon is . His motif is "dog and monkey".
Tool
* : A bone-like flute which transforms Robotack into Super Mode or recharges Robotack's battery.
* : The glasses which raise up thinking power and the sense of smell.
* : The arm part which strengthens up arm strength.
* : The countermeasures to Torabolt's Land Tool.
* : A multi-cellphone. It can also release the Reversal Gattai forcibly.
* : The seed for the Reversal Gattai. It grows or dies according to singing ability. The robot which combined by the Reversal Gattai obeys the person who gave the Wonder Seed.
* : When all five Land Tools are collected, it changes into the armor for the robot. The golden Land Tool is the most important item.
Episodes
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Toshinobu Oi, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Yoshio Urasawa, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Yoshio Urasawa, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Takeshi Yamada, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Yoshio Urasawa, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Toshinobu Oi, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Yoshio Urasawa, directed by Taro Sakamoto
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Katsuya Watanabe
# : written by Satoru Nishizono, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Yoshio Urasawa, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Naoki Iwahara
# : written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Hidenori Ishida
# : written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Hidenori Ishida
Special
is a special crossover that places the cast of ''Robotack'' and ''Kabutack'' in the fictional country of in .
Chasing a thief who stole his Daifuku across Tetsuwan before cornering him at the Tansan Kingdom, Robotack is arrested by a pair of Baby Elephant Robo guards. Brought before the king and queen of Tansan, Robotack is given the task to find their daughter Princess Lamune. Learning that a rhinoceros-beetle-like robot kidnapped Lamune, and finding a crow's feather at the scene, Robotack goes to a stand run by Mimeena who informs him that two robots mentioned seeing the kidnapper at the Desert Town. Heading into the desert, Robotack finds the kidnapper: Kabutack. The two robots proceed to comedically fight each other before assuming their fighting forms and getting serious. But after the two knock each other out, Kabutack sees the crow feather and shows Robotack one he found while getting into a scuffle with the retainers of the dictator Torabolt over a magical shield he found. With this new info, Robotack realizes that Darkrow posed as Kabutack and kidnapped the princess.
Though Kabutack remains to continue his search for the magical sword that can counteract the shield, he has assistant Kamerock accompany Robotack to Ohedo Town where they find Lamune and her two kidnappers. As Kamerock deals with Darkrow and Kabados, Robotack saves the princess and gets her to safety while learning her abduction was orchestrated by Torabolt. At that time, Torabolt arrives and uses the shield to blast Robotack into the river as he spirits the princess away to marry her. After an amnesic misadventure involving Takard and Moglucky, Robotack is joined by the young samurai Kakeru. Sneaking into the Union of Toruboruto with the help of a padre to stop the wedding, Robotack and his friends are at a disadvantage until Kabutack arrives with the magical sword. With Kamerock taking the princess to safety, Robotack and Kabutack defeat Darkrow and Kabados. However, the two are overpowered by the summoned Mighty Wonder before they destroy both him and the shield. Robotack then sends Toraboruto flying towards his castle, causing it to explode. When he then admits his feelings for her, Robotack is shot down as Lamune tells him that her heart belongs to the knight to treated her with kindness while in Torabolt's dungeon. Robotack freaks out further when the knight turns out to be the thief, Saburo Sazanki. After the wedding, Robotack eventually lightens up and joins in the party.
*Script: Yoshio Urasawa
*Director: Naoki Iwahara
Cast
*Kakeru Yukiyanagi -
*Misaki Tachibana -
*Kaoru Sugi -
*Shigeru Sakaki -
*Kōta Umeda -
*Detective Karamatsu -
*Sakurako Takamine -
*Saburo Sazanka -
*Dr. Yuichiro Takamine -
Voice actors
* Robotack -
* Kamerock -
* Mimeena -
* Darkrow -
* Kabados -
* Mog-Lucky -
* Takkard -
* Torabolt -
* Speedam/Speedy Wonder - (Played as "堀川 亮")
* Mightburn/Mighty Wonder - (Played as "竜田 直樹")
* Baby Elephant Robots -
* Master Ranking -
* Elder -
Songs
;Opening theme
*
**Lyrics:
**Composition & Arrangement:
**Artist:
;Ending themes
*
**Lyrics:
**Composition:
**Arrangement:
**Artist:
**Episodes: 1-31
*
**Lyrics: Tamanosuke Ōga
**Composition & Arrangement:
**Artist: Robotack All Stars
**Episodes: 32-45
References
{{Metal Hero Series
1998 Japanese television series debuts
1999 Japanese television series endings
Fictional detectives
Metal Hero Series
Japanese television shows featuring puppetry
TV Asahi original programming
Japanese comedy television series