Tekkaman Blade
| Tekkaman Blade | |
 DVD cover of Teknoman | |
| 宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレード (Uchū no Kishi Tekkaman Burēdo) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure, Drama, Science fiction |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Hiroshi Negishi |
| Written by |
Mayori Sekijima Satoru Akahori |
| Studio |
Tatsunoko Production Sotsu Agency |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | |
| Original run | February 18, 1992 – February 2, 1993 |
| Episodes | 49 + 1 + 3 |
| Game | |
| Uchū no Kishi: Tekkaman Blade | |
| Developer | Bec |
| Publisher | Bec |
| Genre | Scrolling shooter/Fighting game |
| Platform | Game Boy, Super Famicom, NEC PC-9801 |
| Released | July 30, 1993 |
| Original video animation | |
| Tekkaman Blade II | |
| Directed by | Hideki Tonokatsu |
| Produced by |
Kyoko Okazaki Shuji Uchiyama |
| Written by | Hiroyuki Kawasaki |
| Music by | Takashi Kudo |
| Studio | Tatsunoko |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | July 21, 1994 – April 21, 1995 |
| Episodes | 6 |
Tekkaman Blade (Japanese: 宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレード Hepburn: Uchū no Kishi Tekkaman Burēdo, lit. "Space Knight Tekkaman Blade") is a 1992 Japanese anime television series created by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency. The series was directed by Hiroshi Negishi and written by Mayori Sekijima and Satoru Akahori. The story follows an organization called the Space Knights and their war against the alien invaders of Earth called Radam. The Space Knights are assisted by a mysterious person called Takaya Aiba who has the ability to transform into a mechanized suit of armor called Tekkaman.
The main anime series aired in Japan between February 18, 1992 and February 2, 1993 on TV Tokyo and ran for 49 episodes. This was followed by three special episodes and a sequel series called Tekkaman Blade II which details the events following the Radam invasion. A video game titled "Uchū no Kishi: Tekkaman Blade" was also released in Japan in 1993. The original series was released in English in Australia and the United States as Teknoman despite being highly cut.
Plot
During United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam; parasites that take other creatures as hosts. The Radam forces are composed of grotesque bug-like monsters and armored soldiers known as the Tekkamen. Surrounding the Earth is an enormous man-made ring-shaped structure known as the Orbital Ring System. The Orbital Ring was a space station that once served as a launch point into space and was constructed well before the arrival of the alien invaders. It was thus the first human structure attacked and occupied by Radam, with its human inhabitants having either fled or been killed. Now it serves merely as a battle ground for the military against the aliens.
Fighting against the Radam and their Tekkamen are the Space Knights. Led by Commander Heinrich von Freeman, the Space Knights are a special defense force and Earth's last hope for defeating the Radam. The Space Knights consist of Noal Vereuse, the pilot of the Space Knights' ship the Blue Earth; Aki Kisaragi, the Blue Earth's navigator; Milly, the communications operator; Levin, computer mechanic; and Honda, mechanic and repairs. The Space Knights have been unsuccessful at repelling the aliens until the arrival of D-Boy, a young man who has the ability to transform into an armored warrior known as Tekkaman Blade.
Commanding the Radam is Tekkaman Omega, a Tekkaman general who leads the alien invasion of Earth. Omega's base is located on the dark side of the Moon, where he waits for the moment to gain enough strength to raise his spaceship from the Moon's surface for the Radam's conquest of the Earth and the universe.
Also commanding the Radam armies are other Tekkamen. Once ordinary humans, the Tekkamen were captured and transformed by the Radam to assist in the takeover of Earth. They are endowed with impenetrable armor, superhuman strength, and quantum energy weapons. The Tekkamen transform using crystals that are unique to each holder. Blade is one of a handful of Tekkamen. Unlike the others, he fights to defend Earth and for the most part, is free of the brainwashing which the Radam have imposed over their captives to make them subservient.
Before the arrival of the Radam there was a deep space exploration ship called the Argos. It was the Argos that first encountered the Radam spaceship. Aboard the Argos were Blade's family, the Aibas, and their ship crew. While exploring the outer rings of Saturn, the Argos' radar picks up an unusual gravitational disturbance. Going to investigate, the crew discover the disturbance to be an alien ship, and as they get closer, they are drawn in by a tractor beam. Excited at the prospect of encountering alien life, the crew board the vessel and discover the Radam.
Radam "Tek System" plants rain down upon the crew, beginning the process of turning them into Tekkamen. All of the crew aboard the ship were put into Tek System pods, though only the most ideal humans could become Tekkamen. While this occurred, the Argos was slowly being assimilated into the Radam spacecraft. Takaya Aiba's father was rejected by the process and used what little time he had left to free Blade, who was the only member of the family that wasn't brainwashed by the Radam. It is through the crew of the Argos that the Radam discovers the planet Earth and plan their invasion. On his last legs, Blade's father helps him into the escape pod and before activating the Argos' self-destruct sequence, he ejects Blade into space, telling him that the fate of the Earth rests in his hands. Upon the explosion, the Radam spaceship crash lands on the dark side of the Moon.
Takaya spends the six months in the confines of his escape pod drifting back to Earth, still in his basic Tekkaman form and alone with his thoughts. By the time he arrives, the Earth is already under heavy attack from the Radam. Fueled by his hatred for the Radam, Takaya bursts free from his pod and fully transforms into his full Tekkaman armor. He then begins to attack the Radam which draws the attention of a Tekkaman called Dagger. The two fight and Blade is sent hurtling towards Earth, however, his armor protects him and he crash lands on Earth without sustaining serious injury. His arrival attracts the attention of Noal Vereuse and Aki who discover a naked and bleeding Takaya walking out of a crater and take him back to their headquarters.
In the beginning, Takaya is mysterious and hostile towards the otherwise helpful Space Knights. However, Takaya has no memory of anything before the battle on the orbital ring with Tekkaman Dagger and as time progresses, he begins to respect and admire the Space Knights for their dedication in even the toughest of situations and eventually develops a romantic relationship with Aki.
The Space Knights, with the help of Takaya who is given the nickname of Dangerous-Boy ("D-Boy") by Noal because of his dangerous ideology, slowly begin to repel the Radam troops until, during a battle with Tekkaman Dagger, Blade's crystal is shattered, rendering him unable to transform. Takaya gives up hope until Levin then develops a battle robot who later takes the name Pegas. Pegas contains the shards of Blade's crystal and amplifies its power, allowing Blade to transform once more. Pegas and Blade develop a close friendship, despite Pegas being a robot. In his first transformation using Pegas, Blade challenges Dagger and easily overpowers him, destroying him with a blast from his Voltekka shoulder cannons.
Eventually more Tekkamen arrive on Earth to challenge Blade, led by Tekkaman Evil, Blade's twin brother; Tekkaman Lance, Tekkaman Axe, and Tekkaman Sword, are all keen to destroy him. Blade's sister Miyuki also arrives on Earth. However, like Blade, she is not under the control of the Radam. After pulling herself free from Omega's base, she arrives very ill and is given a blood transfusion from Takaya and Aki. Evil, Lance, Axe and Sword attack the Space Knights' base, attempting to kill Miyuki. Although outnumbered, Miyuki strikes back and fights them, eventually self-destructing in the form of her own Voltekka in a vain attempt to destroy the other Tekkamen. Blade, now left without a family, is strengthened by these events and resolves to destroy the Radam. He manages to kill Lance and Axe and later gains the power to take on the Blaster transformation mode, but at the expense of having worse effects on his brain and body. Evil is given the same ability to serve as the final line of Omega's defense, while Sword is killed by Balzac as they both burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, preventing the Blue Earth from reaching the Moon.
Towards the end of the war, Blade and Evil meet for one last time to fight. They battle and eventually Blade kills Evil. As he dies, Evil is freed from the Radam parasite's control and hands Blade his crystal, instructing him that he will need its power to reach Omega's base on the Moon. Evil also tells Blade that despite all the events that have led to his death, he is glad to have fought his own brother on equal ground for the first time, and that he is glad that he became Tekkaman Evil.
Blade takes off on Pegas while falling further and further into the depths of his rage. He arrives on the Moon and confronts Omega, who reveals the entire Radam plan and that he is Kengo, Blade's eldest brother. Omega begins to resurrect the alien mothership in order to land upon Earth. Blade attacks Omega, who proves too powerful and easily defeats Blade. Omega is about to kill Blade when Pegas sacrifices itself for Blade, stepping in front of the killing blow. Pegas' last words are a farewell to Blade.
The destruction of Pegas sends Blade over the edge and he erupts, transforming him into Blaster Tekkaman mode for the last time. Before killing Omega, Blade says to his brother, "Come on, let's go home now", and causes the Radam spaceship to explode. The remnants of the spaceship fall to Earth along with Blade, now stripped of his armor. The series ends with Blade and Aki watching the sunset and Noal recalling what a miracle it was that he and Blade survived the war. However, Blade is now bound to a wheelchair and completely amnesic.
Episodes
Tekkaman Blade
Tekkaman Blade was broadcast in Japan on TV Tokyo and aired 49 episodes between February 18, 1992 and February 2, 1993. It uses four pieces of theme music: two opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is "Reason" by Yumiko Kosaka and is used from the first through twenty-sixth episodes. The second opening theme is "Eternal Loneliness" (永遠の孤独) by Yumiko Kosaka and is used from the twenty-seventh episode onwards. The first and second ending themes are "Energy of Love" and "Lonely Heart" respectively, both performed by Yumiko Kosaka.
The series aired an English dub in the United States and Australia under the name "Teknoman". The broadcast version was heavily cut from the original Japanese version and was hence reduced to 43 English episodes as opposed to the original 49 Japanese episodes. The series was eventually licensed by Media Blasters for an uncut home media release in an English dub and English-subtitled variants.[1]
| No. | English title Original Japanese title |
Original air date[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | "Nagaki tatakai no jokyoku" (長き戦いの序曲) | February 18, 1992 |
| 1 | "Super Man Racing Across The Heavens" (The Sky-Soaring Super Man) "Ama kakeru no chō jin" (天駆ける超人) | February 25, 1992 |
| 2 | "The Lonely Warrior" "Kodoku no Senshi" (孤独の戦士) | March 3, 1992 |
| 3 | "The Allied Defense Force's Ambition" (The Defense Army's Ambition) "Bōeigun no yabō" (防衛軍の野望) | March 10, 1992 |
| 4 | "Deserter Without a Cause" (Senseless Desertion in the face of the enemy) "Riyūnaki tekizentōbō" (理由なき敵前逃亡) | March 17, 1992 |
| 5 | "Kill Me!" (Kill Me) "Ore wo korose" (オレを殺せ) | March 24, 1992 |
| 6 | "Tek-Set Malfunctions!" (Tekk-set Impossible) "Tekkusetto funō" (テックセット不能) | March 31, 1992 |
| 7 | "Launch of the Mobile Unit Pegas" "Kidōhei Pegasu Hasshin" (機動兵ペガス発進) | April 7, 1992 |
| 8 | "The Mysterious War Correspondent" "Nazo no Jūgunkisha" (謎の従軍記者) | April 14, 1992 |
| 9 | "Save the Jupiter Crew!" (Rescue! The Jupiter Crew) "Kyūshutsu! Mokusei Kurū" (救出! 木星クルー) | April 21, 1992 |
| 10 | "Lullaby Echoing in the Battlefield" (A Lullaby Echoing in War) "Senka ni hibiku komori uta" (戦火に響く子守歌) | April 28, 1992 |
| 11 | "The D-Boy File" "Dboui Fairu" (Dボウイファイル) | May 5, 1992 |
| 12 | "The Red Menace, Tekkaman Evil" (The Red Horror, Evil) "Akai Senritsu Ebiru" (赤い戦慄エビル) | May 12, 1992 |
| 13 | "Twin Brothers Destined to Fight" (Brothers of Destiny) "Shukumei no Kyōdai" (宿命の兄弟) | May 19, 1992 |
| 14 | "The Demon's My Brother" (Demon Tied by Blood) "Chi wo waketa akuma" (血をわけた悪魔) | May 26, 1992 |
| 15 | "The Evil Spirit Revives" "Majin yomikaeru" (魔神蘇る) | June 2, 1992 |
| 16 | "Portrait of Betrayal" "Uragiri no shōzō" (裏切りの肖像) | June 9, 1992 |
| 17 | "Savior of Steel" "Kōtetsu no Kyūseishu" (鋼鉄の救世主) | June 16, 1992 |
| 18 | "The Price for Glory" (The Price of Glory) "Eikōhe no daishō" (栄光への代償) | June 23, 1992 |
| 19 | "Warrior With a Closed Heart" "Kokoro tozashita Senshi" (心閉ざした戦士) | June 30, 1992 |
| 20 | "Resurrected! Transformation of Rage" "Fukkatsu! Ikari no Henshin" (復活! 怒りの変身) | July 7, 1992 |
| 21 | "Premonition of Love and Death" "Ai to Shi no Yokan" (愛と死の予感) | July 14, 1992 |
| 22 | "Miyuki's Decision" "Miyuki no Ketsui" (ミユキの決意) | July 21, 1992 |
| 23 | "Reunion of Scarred Souls" (The Scarred Reunion) "Kizu darake no saikai" (傷だらけの再会) | July 28, 1992 |
| 24 | "Dark Past Revealed" (The Torn-Open Past) "Hiki sakareta kako" (引き裂かれた過去) | August 4, 1992 |
| 25 | "A New Demon" (New Demons) "Aratanaru Akuma" (新たなる悪魔) | August 11, 1992 |
| 26 | "Battle to the Death" "Shi wo kaketa tatakai" (死をかけた戦い) | August 18, 1992 |
| 27 | "Legacy for the Survivors" "Nokorishi monohe no Isan" (残りし者への遺産) | August 25, 1992 |
| 28 | "The White Spirit" (The White Majin) "Shiroi Majin" (白い魔人) | September 1, 1992 |
| 29 | "A Boquet on the Battlefield" (A Boquet of Followers on the Battlefield) "Tatakai no noni Hanataba" (戦いの野に花束を) | September 8, 1992 |
| 30 | "Traces of My Father" (Traces of Father) "Chichi no Omokage" (父の面影) | September 15, 1992 |
| 31 | "City of Vengeance" (Town of Vengeance) "Fukushū no Machi" (復讐の街) | September 22, 1992 |
| 32 | "Waiting Girl" (The Girl Who Waits Impatiently) "Machiwabita Shōjo" (待ちわびた少女) | September 29, 1992 |
| 33 | "Reunion in the Wilderness" "Kōya no Saikai" (荒野の再会) | October 6, 1992 |
| 34 | "Brothers of Light & Shade" (Brothers of Light and Shadow) "Hikari to Kage no Kyōdai" (光と影の兄弟) | October 13, 1992 |
| 35 | "Enemy in the Fog" "Kiri no Naka no Teki" (霧の中の敵) | October 20, 1992 |
| 36 | "Final Battle with Axe" (A Decisive Battle!! Axe) "Kessen!! Akkusu" (決戦!! アックス) | October 27, 1992 |
| 37 | "Afflicted Body" (The Decayed Body) "Mushibamareta nikudai" (蝕まれた肉体) | November 3, 1992 |
| 38 | "Labyrinth of Death" "Shihe no meikyū" (死への迷宮) | November 10, 1992 |
| 39 | "The Ultimate Warrior, Tekkaman Blaster" (Super Warrior Blaster) "Chō Senshi Burasutā" (超戦士ブラスター) | November 17, 1992 |
| 40 | "United in Love and Battle" (The Love and Struggle of Two People) "Ai to Tatakai no Ninin" (愛と戦いの二人) | November 24, 1992 |
| 41 | "Evil: The Demon Resurrected" (Evil, The Resurrected Devil) "Ebiru Yomikaeru Akuma" (エビル·蘇る悪魔) | December 1, 1992 |
| 42 | "Collision! The Red Nemesis" (Clash! The Old Red Enemy) "Gekitotsu! Akai Jukuteki" (激突! 赤い宿敵) | December 8, 1992 |
| 43 | "Farewell Bullets" (Bullet of Parting) "Ketsubetsu no jūdan" (訣別の銃弾) | December 15, 1992 |
| 44 | "The Approaching Darkness" "Semari kuru Yami" (迫り来る闇) | December 22, 1992 |
| 45 | "The True Invader" (The Truth of the Invaders) "Shinjitsu no shinryakusha" (真実の侵略者) | January 5, 1993 |
| 46 | "The House In Which Time Stood Still" (The House Where Time Stood Still) "Toki no tomatta ie" (時の止まった家) | January 12, 1993 |
| 47 | "Destiny of Darkness and Death" (The Fate of Darkness and Death) "Yami to Shi no Unmei" (闇と死の運命) | January 19, 1993 |
| 48 | "Heroic! The Death of Evil" (Heroic! Evil Dies) "Sōretsu! Ebiru Shisu" (壮烈! エビル死す) | January 26, 1993 |
| 49 | "A Life Ends" (Life Burns Out) "Moetsukiru inochi" (燃えつきる命) | February 2, 1993 |
Specials
| No. | English title Original Japanese title |
Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Burning Clock" "Moeta Tokei" (燃えた時計) | |
| Burning Clock shows Shinya's life in a series of flashbacks, focusing on Shinya and Takaya's rivalry; how Shinya felt how his family (especially his father) viewed him; and how his mother died. | ||
| 2 | "Twin Blood" | |
| Twin Blood is a retelling of Blade and Evil's first battle with different character and mecha designs from the series. | ||
| 3 | "Missing Link" | |
| Missing Link is a prequel to Tekkaman Blade II, showing events such as the beginning of the second Radam war; Aki's transformation into the Red Tekkaman; the Tekkaman Rebellion of Prague; and the restoration of Blade's Tek Crystal. | ||
Tekkaman Blade II
Tekkaman Blade II (宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレードII Uchu no Kishi Tekkaman Burēdo Tsū, lit. Space Knight Tekkaman Blade II) is a six-episode original video animation that was released in 1994 by Tatsunoko. It serves as the sequel to the Tekkaman Blade anime series. The series was eventually licensed by Discotek Media in 2012 for a home media release on DVD format in an English dub and English-subtitled options.[1]
| No. | English title Original Japanese title |
Original air date[3] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Stage 1: The New Generation - Part 1" (Virgin Flush) (「VIRGIN-FLUSH」) | July 21, 1994 |
| Three Space Knights are chosen to become Tekkamen. In space, the United Earth Fleet fights off another invasion by Radam. The Radam bring Tekkamen and wipe out the fleet, sending missiles to Earth. This causes a problem during the Tekkaman evolution process for the three new cadets, and a computer error results in Yumi (instead of Natasha) receiving the Reactor Voltekka. The Space Knights attack Radam, but are overpowered. When attempting to help them, Yumi uses Reactor Voltekka; Yumi is unable to control its power, which leads to a disaster. | ||
| 2 | "Stage 1: The New Generation - Part 2" (Virgin Blood) (「VIRGIN-BLOOD」) | August 24, 1994 |
| Yumi is training and improving. Radam hit the Space Knights' HQ. The Space Knights hold back, out of mercy for the enemy. Aki joins the fight and kills the Radam Tekkamen. | ||
| 3 | "Stage 2: The Alien Intruder - Part 1" (Virgin Dream) (「VIRGIN-DREAM」) | September 21, 1994 |
| Blade finally shows up, and destroys a group of Radam. Yumi contends with Aki for D-Boy's love. | ||
| 4 | "Stage 2: The Alien Intruder - Part 2" (Dead-Boy) (「DEAD-BOY」) | February 22, 1995 |
| Dead End makes his first appearance. He defeats Blade in the middle of Space, but is not killed. David tries to prevent this by attacking, but Dead End escapes. | ||
| 5 | "Stage 3: Final Encounter - Part 1" (Dirty Night) (「DIRTY-NIGHT」) | March 24, 1995 |
| David befriends Dead and remembers Black September. We also see Noal and Milly (from Tekkman Blade) in a flashback and learn what happened to Noal: he was apprehended by the military police supporting the General. His ultimate fate is unknown. | ||
| 6 | "Stage 3: Final Encounter - Part 2" (Dangerous Boys) (「DANGEROUS-BOYS」) | April 21, 1995 |
| Blade battles Dead in a final showdown. | ||
Related media
Video games
A video game based on the anime series titled Uchū no Kishi: Tekkaman Blade was released for the Super Famicom on July 30, 1993. The majority of the game is a scrolling shooter where the player takes control of Tekkaman Blade. Boss battles hold elements of a fighting game genre. There is also a two player versus mode.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Discotek Licenses Tekkaman Blade II Anime". Anime News Network. August 13, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ↑ 宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレード. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ↑ 宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレードⅡ. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
External links
- Space Knight: Tekkaman Blade
- Tekkaman Blade (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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