Tatsunoko's original anime : Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman

Premise

The Team

Gatchaman follows the adventures of the five young heroes in the Kagaku Ninjatai (Science Ninja Team): Ken Washio, Joe Asakura, Jun, Jinpei, and Ryu Nakanishi.

Ken is Gatchaman, Joe his second in command and ace marksman. Jun provides tech and munitions knowledge, Jinpei does recon, and Ryu pilots the Phoenix, which often, to his dismay, means he has to stay behind with it.

The Vehicles

The team's arsenal includes the God Phoenix, which operates fully only when all of the team members' vehicles (Ken's plane, Joe's car, Jun's motorcycle, and Jinpei's dune buggy) are docked. The Phoenix carries first Bird Missiles and later Super Bird Missiles (at least one ambitious fan estimates that the Phoenix can stock about 30 at a time), and can transform into a flaming firebird.

The team's base is Crescent Coral, an appellative underwater technological hub that can be moved by firing rockets attached to it. Towards the end of Gatchaman I, Galactor finds and destroys the base and, he hopes, the team's ability to develop, reproduce, and repair their vehicles and weapons.

The Post-WWIII Gatchaman World

What makes the Gatchaman world particularly different from the world we live in is its overarching government situation and its eco-friendly world.

The series is set after World War III, when the United Nations governs the subsequent global peace. The ISO, one of the UN's branches, is committed to further improving the world by finding natural energy resources that won't cause pollution. Because he fought in WWIII beside Kentaro Washio (Ken's father), the team's mentor, Dr. Kozaburo Nambu is paranoid enough, rich enough, and and educated enough to independently fund the creation and training of the kagaku ninjatai. "Inside sources say that he got the technology for the Science Ninja Team's equipment from benevolent aliens, but this never appeared in the series."¹

Because of his work with the team, Nambu is unusually powerful within the ISO. Because his boss is Director Anderson, who is both the head of the ISO and a powerful member of the UN, Nambu has access to the planet's governing body.

When Galactor makes its first seemingly insurmountable attack in episode 1 of the series, only Nambu knows what's going on...and how to deal with it.

Allies and Enemies: Galactor

The Galactor terrorist organization smashes into this idyllic setting with every intent of world domination. With seemingly endless financial and technological resources, Galactor easily overturns all the traditional military might the UN throws at it.

The entire syndicate is headed by Berg Katse. But as the series progresses, the team learns that there is someone higher than Katse—Sosai (Overlord) X, an alien mastermind bent on world domination.

Though how long Galactor has been in operation is unclear, Joe's father was a high-level operative before he was murdered, so its history predates Katse.

Until the first episode of Gatchaman I, the organization has maintained a low profile, but their launch of the Turtle King mecha leaves Nambu no choice but to break out his pet project: the Kagaku Ninjatai.

In Gatchaman II and F, Katse is replaced by Gelsadra and Count Egobossler, respectively.

The Galactor Mission

Galactor is often seen trying to exploit or control the planet's natural resources (from sugar to uranium), and while the mecha were often modeled after animals and humanoid figures, there are exceptions (think bowling balls and Goodyear tires).

The Devil Star girls and the Blackbirds

An elite ninja team headed by Onna Taicho (the female version of Katse), the Devil Star girls are never given a name in the series—fans have dubbed them with their descriptive moniker.

one of the Devil Star girls' trademarks is a rose bomb, like the one that killed Joe's parents. Probably because Onna Taicho's in charge, the Devil Star girls fare better against the Kagaku Ninjatai than other Galactors.

The Blackbirds were another ninja squad formed to fight the Kagaku Ninjatai, and at one point they were led by an old boyfriend of Jun's. Eventually, though, they just became more cannon fodder.

Cannon Fodder

Fans often refer to the green-garbed Galactor minions as "cannon fodder," because they're ridiculously expendable and are invariably blown up with the mecha of the week. (One wonders exactly what Galactor's recruiting posters look like to keep drawing them in.) Typically there's one member of the Cannon Fodder crew who's been promoted (or brought in) to captain the latest mecha, and while he usually gets a better costume (always one that fits the mecha's theme), in the end his belief that Katse will care enough to let him on the escape pod is in vain.

 

page  1 (back)   2

—

References & Works Cited:

 ¹ Rogers, Alara. (1995). Gatchaman Overview. http://www.alara.net/gatchaman/gatchman.html