Iron King

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Iron King
Iron King title card
Format	Science fiction, action, adventure
Created by	Mamoru Sasaki
Directed by	Noriaki Yuasa
Starring	Shōji Ishibashi Mitsuo Hamada
Country of origin	Japan
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	24 minutes (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel	TBS
Original run	October 8, 1972 – April 8, 1973
External links
IMDb profile

Iron King (アイアンキング, Aian Kingu^?) is a tokusatsu television program about a giant cyborg. It premiered on October 8, 1972, and lasted for 26 episodes.

Contents 1 Plot description 2 Episode list 3 Availability 4 Notes 5 References

[edit] Plot description

The Shiranui clan have planned for 2000 years to conquer Japan, in retaliation for being banished from the country by the Yamato clan (who eventually become known as the Japanese people). Each member of the clan controls a gigantic robot warrior in order to overthrow the "Yamato Government," as they call it. In response to the threat, Japan's National Security Organization send agent Gentaro Shizuka (Shoji Ishibashi), best described as a singing cowboy, to stop their plans with the assistance of comical, mountain climbing-clad, Goro Kirishima (Mitsuo Hamada). In an unusual direction for such tokusatsu (visual effects) programs, it is not Gentaro but Goro who has the power to become the giant cybernetic hero Iron King by touching the medals on his Turning Hat, and shouting "Iron Shock!" when danger threatens.

However, often Iron King is unable to defeat the clan's giant robots without help from Gentaro, who wields a weapon called the Iron Belt that can become a slender sword or a whip capable of hurting giant monsters. Transforming into Iron King quickly dehydrates Goro and he can only remain as Iron King for a short period of time. Strangely, though Gentaro knows Iron King's time limit comes from dehydration he never manages to connect it with Goro's omnipresent thirst.

In the tenth episode the Shiranui Clan is destroyed but their place is taken by the Phantom Militia who also use giant robots to enact conquest of Japan, but rather than being humanoid in shape theirs take the form of kaiju. From the eighteenth episode to the end of the series Gentaro and Goro battle the alien Titanians who have various inhuman powers such as flight, mind control and the ability to enlarge their bodies to giant size. Upon doing so they are able to assume insect-like monster forms.

[edit] Episode list

#	Title[1]	Guest cast	Director	First aired
1.	Secret Messenger of the Morning Wind 朝風の密使	Shinzo Hotta Kiro Abe Fudeko Tanaka Kinji Takinami Hiroshi Ikaida	Shozo Tamura	1972-10-08
2.	The Swan in the Ruins 廃墟の白鳥	Shinzo Hotta Hiroshi Ikaida	Shozo Tamura	1972-10-15
3.	The Warrior's Smile 戦士の微笑	Shinzo Hotta Hiroshi Ikaida	Shozo Tamura	1972-10-22
4.	Gentaro Travels Alone 弦太郎孤独旅	Shinzo Hotta Yosuke Akimoto	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1972-10-29
5.	The Duel in the Autumn Wind 秋風の中の決斗	Shinzo Hotta Shogo Hanagi	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1972-11-05
6.	Lullaby for a Warrior 戦士の子守唄	Shinzo Hotta Seishiro Kuno Masayuki Tobuyo	Shozo Tamura	1972-11-12
7.	Those That Fly the Skies 大空を征く者	Shinzo Hotta Kaori Seki Hisashi Kato	Shozo Tamura	1972-11-19
8.	The Shadow Area 影の地帯	Shinzo Hotta Mitsuko Hoshi Yoshinori Furukawa Shinobu Miura	Noriaki Yuasa	1972-11-26
9.	Gentaro in a Close Shave 弦太郎危機一髪!	Shinzo Hotta Yuki Ikazaki	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1972-12-03
10.	A Kiss for the Dead 死者へのくちづけ	Katsumi Muramatsu Shima Mizue Kiyoshi Tokugawa Gin Minemura	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1972-12-10
11.	Tokyo Is Burning 東京は燃えている	Katsumi Muramatsu Kiyoshi Tokugawa Gin Minemura	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1972-12-17
12.	State of Emergency in Tokyo 東京非常事態宣言	Katsumi Muramatsu Teresa Noda Junko Natsu Wataru Mitsui Ikuo Kosaka	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1972-12-24
13.	Attacking the Underground Fortress 地下要塞攻撃命令	Katsumi Muramatsu Junko Natsu Wataru Mitsui Isamu Matsuzawa	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1972-12-31
14.	Secret of the Brainwave Robot 脳波ロボットの秘密	Katsumi Muramatsu Hijiri Matsuki Teppei Takasugi Kazuo Arai	Hiromu Edagawa	1973-01-14
15.	Marathon Monster Capri-Gon マラソン怪獣カプリゴン	Katsumi Muramatsu Masahiro Takashina Harue Kyo	Hiromu Edagawa	1973-01-21
16.	Destroy Tora-Girasu! トラギラスを倒せ!	Katsumi Muramatsu Yumi Mizusawa	Hiromu Edagawa	1973-01-28
17.	The Order to Assassinate Iron King アイアンキング殺害命令	Katsumi Muramatsu Chidori Tashiro Koetsu Omiya	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1973-02-04
18.	Monster Robot Annihilation ロボット怪獣全滅作戦	Katsumi Muramatsu Eiko Ogawa	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1973-02-11
19.	The Giant Bug Kabutoron Appears 大虫人カブトロン出現	Chiaki Ukyo Hajime Izu	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-02-18
20.	The Titanians Strike Back 宇虫人タイタニアンの逆襲	Chiaki Ukyo	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-02-25
21.	Kama Guras Wants Lethal Gas! カマギュラス殺人ガスを狙う	Chiaki Ukyo Mari Sakurai Tetsuya Sano	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1973-03-04
22.	Terrifying Titanian Hell 恐怖のタイタニアン地獄	Chiaki Ukyo Fumio Ikeda	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1973-03-11
23.	The Insect Humanoid Masquerades as a Woman 女に化けた虫人	Chiaki Ukyo Ryoko Sakaguchi Hideo Saito	Shozo Tamura	1973-03-18
24.	Tokyo Assault Frontline Base 東京攻撃前線基地	Chiaki Ukyo Yoku Shioya	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-03-25
25.	Iron King in a Panic! アイアンキング大ピンチ!	Chiaki Ukyo	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1973-04-01
26.	The Great Tokyo War 東京大戦争	Chiaki Ukyo Hajime Izu	Tetsuro Sotoyama	1973-04-08

[edit] Availability

On November 6, 2007, the complete series was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on BCI Eclipse's Ronin Entertainment label.^[2]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Ragone, August (2007). The Super Hero Samurai Spaghetti Western. Ronin Entertainment.  (From the Iron King liner notes booklet)
• 10/12/2007: "BCI brings Iron King to DVD" (English). animated-news.com (2007-10-12). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
• "Aian kingu" (1972) at the Internet Movie Database