Spider-Man (Japanese TV series)


Spider-Man, also referred to as Japanese Spider-Man or Toei Spider-Man, is a Japanese live-action tokusatsu superhero television series produced by Toei Company, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name through a contract negotiated by producer Gene Pelc. The series aired for 41 episodes on Tokyo Channel 12 from May 17, 1978, to March 14, 1979. A theatrical episode aired at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival on July 22, 1978. From March 5 to December 24, 2009, Marvel uploaded English subtitled versions of the episodes to their website.
While Toei's version of the character, Takuya Yamashiro/Spider-Man, wore the same costume as his Marvel Comics counterpart and had similar powers, the series' storyline and the origin of his powers differed from the source material. In addition to fighting, he piloted the giant mecha Leopardon, which he would summon to fight off enlarged versions of the show's monsters; the giant robot concept would later be used in Toei's Super Sentai franchise. Yamashiro later appeared in the comic storylines Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon.

Plot

Motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro witnesses a UFO fall to Earth, a space warship called the Marveller. Takuya's father Dr. Hiroshi Yamashiro, a space archaeologist, investigates the case, but is killed upon finding the spaceship. The incident attracts the attention of Professor Monster and the evil Iron Cross Army, an alien group that seeks to rule the universe.
Takuya follows Hiroshi to the Marveller and discovers Garia, the last surviving warrior of Planet Spider, which was destroyed by Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army, and was hunting Professor Monster. However, he needs someone to take up the fight and injects Takuya with some of his blood, giving him spider-like powers. He also gives him a bracelet that activates his spider protector costume, shoots web-lines, and controls the Marveller, which can also transform into the giant mecha Leopardon. Using his powers, Takuya fights Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army as well as other threats to Earth under the name Spider-Man.

Characters

Protagonists

; Spider-Man
In the series, Spider-Man's civilian identity is 22-year-old motocross racer Spider-Man. He has the ability to sense threats from the Iron Cross Army with his spider-senses and fights them in order to avenge the death of his father Hiroshi. To hide his superhero identity, Takuya acts weak in front of his friends and is often made fun of for running away from danger and compared unfavorably to Spider-Man. As well, his financial income as a motorcycle racer decreases after becoming Spider-Man because he has less time to race, forcing him to help Hitomi with her job to make money.
Takuya assumes the identity of Spider-Man when he dons the protective suit called the Spider-Protector. He is genetically altered as a result of the Spider-Extract that Garia injected into his body, giving him enhanced physical strength and spider-like abilities, such as being able to stick to and climb up walls and sense the activities of nearby enemies with his Spider-Senses. However, he also has some weaknesses of spiders, such as sensitivity to cold temperatures.
Spider-Man keeps his true identity a secret from the public, though is well known as a defender of justice. Only Juzo Mamiya and the staff of the Interpol Secret Intelligence Division know of his true identity, beginning with the movie and episode 11, and aid him in stopping the schemes of the Iron Cross Army.
Spider-Man spends most of the series fighting off Ninders, the foot soldiers of the Iron Cross Army, as well as the Machine BEMs, which he usually cannot fight alone due to their ability to grow in size, forcing him to summon Leopardon to fight them.
When Spider-Man confronts an enemy, he introduces himself while striking a pose and a version of the show's theme song plays as he begins to fight. Due to budget issues, he rarely uses his web shooter to swing between buildings, instead using a car called the Spider Machine GP-7 and the Marveller for transportation. His web shooter shoots rope instead of webbing, which he attaches to surfaces to swing from.
; Venom
First and exclusively appear in 2025 crossover comic event Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse, the identity of the Venom Symbiote's host is Yaleo, the sole survivor of the Planet Spider, who then bonded with Venom, which in turn a survivor of its home planet. Afterwards, he and Venom are hellbent to get revenge on Iron Cross Army, and often clashes with Takuya for getting in their ways.
Yaleo was recruited by the Symbiote Hive-Mind to take part in a contest against the Spider-Totem avatars of the Web of Life and Destiny. However his main target is Takuya instead of fighting other Spiders.
; Spider Bracelet
Spider Bracelets are bracelets worn by Spider-Man and Venom on their left wrists which can shoot webbing and store their respective costumes when not being worn. The Spider Bracelet's webbing takes the form of nets and strings made from Spider Fluid, which is stored in it. It is also equipped with a homing device that allows Spider-Man and Venom to summon their respective vehicles, such as Takuya's the GP-7 and the Marveller. A lighter version of the Spider Bracelet was built specifically for action scenes, as the one used in close-up shots was too heavy for the suit actor to wear during stunts.
  • Spider Protector: Takuya's Spider-Man costume. Unlike his Marvel counterpart, Takuya stores the costume in the Spider Bracelet and only wears it when changing identities. When Takuya releases the Spider Protector from the Spider Bracelet, it instantly wraps around his body, allowing him to change into it quickly. It is a modified version of the costume used in the show's American counterpart, The Amazing Spider-Man, but with slanted lens rather than circular lens.
  • * Takuya's suit later being upgraded by Web Weaver/Cooper Coen during the 2025 crossover comic event Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse, to completely differentiate than the costume wear by Peter Parker. The costume has white essences on body suits, neck scarf and boots, as black eyes lenses on his mask. The new Spider Protector also has red web-lined web wings.
  • Venom Symbiote: Yaleo's costume-like alien partner from a Symbiote planet, who is stored inside the Spider-Bracelet. Yaleo summons the Venom from the Bracelet to form a costume-like appearance. Like other Symbiotes, it can also bond to another host, such granting Takuya's new Spider-Protector suit a Symbiote armor.
  • Spider Strings: A rope made of spider webbing shot from the Spider Bracelet, which can pull heavy objects.
  • Spider Net: A net made of spider webbing shot from the Spider Bracelet, which can capture enemies.
; Vehicles
  • The Spider Machine GP-7: Spider-Man's flying car, which is equipped with machine guns and missile launchers in its hood and is usually stored inside the Marveller. The name GP-7 is a reference to producer Gene Pelc.

Giant Robots

; Marveller / Leopardon
The Marveller: The spacecraft in which Garia arrived to Earth. It is 45 meters tall and weighs over 25,000 tons. It is usually stored underground and emerges when Spider-Man summons it. Its bridge is shaped like a leopard's head, which is where Leopardon's head is stored, and cracks left and right when transforming into robot mode called Leopardon. Because the Marveller is usually transformed into Leopardon when Spider-Man boards it, it is rarely seen in spacecraft mode, but can be used for transportation and is capable of flying to outer space at the speed of light. The Marveller is equipped with cannons on its bow, which can destroy most Machine BEMs.
Leopardon's size is over tall and weighs over 25,000 tons.
Only the first few episodes of the series featured actual fight scenes between Leopardon and the giant-sized Machine BEMs. As the series progressed, it focused more on drama and fight scenes were shortened to keep up with the runtime, with some episodes not featuring Leopardon.
Leopardon and the giant-sized Machine BEMS rarely appeared together in the same shots; most giant-sized battles involved Leopardon in one shot and the Machine BEM in another launching. This was because the large Leopardon model was often bigger than the stuntmen in the Machine BEM suits. Due to structural problems, the Leopardon suit was difficult for the stuntman to move in and, over the course of the series, was damaged and later lost. As a result, future fight scenes with Leopardon could only be done using stock footage from previous fights.
; Centurion
Venom's giant robot, first and exclusively appeared on Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse. Being powered with Symbiote cells, Centurion can use tendrils which can also be used to create weaponry.

Allies

; Hitomi Sakuma
; Shinko Yamashiro
; Takuji Yamashiro
; Dr. Yamashiro
; Garia
; Juzo Mamiya

Iron Cross Army

The Iron Cross Army are the main villains of the series. They are an alien army that has destroyed numerous galaxies in their path of conquest.
; Professor Monster
; Amazoness
; Bella and Rita
; Ninders
; Machine BEMs

Cast

  • Takuya Yamashiro / Spider-Man: Shinji Tōdō
  • Hitomi Sakuma: Rika Miura
  • Shinko Yamashiro: Izumi Ōyama
  • Takuji Yamashiro: Yoshiharu Yabuki
  • Professor Monster: Mitsuo Andō
  • Amazoness: Yukie Kagawa
  • Garia: Toshiaki Nishizawa
  • Dr. Hiroshi Yamashiro: Fuyuki Murakami
  • Jūzō Mamiya: Noboru Nakaya
  • Rita: Rie Rinehart
  • Bella: Tina Margo Wanita Somaborudo
  • Narrator: Tōru Ōhira
  • Spider-Man's suit actor: Hirofumi Koga, Ryusuke Sakitsu
  • Voice of various Machine BEMs: Shōzō Iizuka
  • Voice of various Machine BEMs: Hisako Kyōda
  • Voice of various Machine BEMs: Shin Aomori

Production

The show was the result of a three-year licensing agreement when publisher Gene Pelc visited Japan on the behalf of Marvel that allowed both to use each other's properties in any way they wanted. Toei initially planned to use Spider-Man as a supporting character for an unmade television series starring a fictionalized version of Yamato Takeru who was sent to the present via a time warp. The character who would have appeared on this show was intended to be identical to the Marvel version. However, Toei decided to make Spider-Man the protagonist instead and the character of Yamato Takeru was revised into Garia, an alien who gives Spider-Man his powers. The resulting show deviated from the source material completely, outside of Spider-Man's costume and some of his superpowers and gadgets. Other productions by Toei as a result of this licensing deal included Battle Fever J and an animated television film based on the comic book Tomb of Dracula. Marvel would use the main robots from two of Toei's anime programs, Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace and Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, in their comic book adaptation of the Shogun Warriors toyline. A toy version of Leopardon, Spider-Man's robot from the Toei series, was also sold in the United States as part of the Godaikin line.
Although the show's story was criticized by some for bearing almost no resemblance to the Marvel version, the staff at Marvel Comics, including Spider-Man's co-creator Stan Lee, praised the show for its special effects and stunt work, especially the spider-like movement of the character himself. While it is said that Marvel initially opposed the addition of Leopardon, the robot was viewed as a necessary gimmick to attract younger viewers and was ultimately kept. The show's mechanical designer, Katsushi Murakami, expressed concern about Toei's capability to market Spider-Man to Japanese audiences and was given permission by producer Yoshinori Watanabe to take whatever liberties he deemed necessary. Murakami came up with the idea of giving Spider-Man an extraterrestrial origin, as well as a spider-like spacecraft that could transform into a giant robot.
The action figure version of Leopardon was initially sold as a part of the Chogokin toyline and became an unprecedented success in the market, which contributed to the TV series' popularity as well. The success of the show made Toei introduce the giant robot concept to their Super Sentai franchise in Battle Fever J and contributed to Spider-Man's popularity when Marvel began to export more of their properties to Japan during later years.
The head writer of the series was Shozo Uehara, who wrote 15 episodes, while Uehara's Sentai collaborator Susumu Takaku wrote 15 episodes and the movie. There were many episodes in which the "monster of the week" was not relevant to the plot, as well as two episodes which featured no monsters at all. The show also featured a story arc in which the female antagonist Amazoness tries to uncover Spider-Man's secret identity.
Rather infamously, after the first 12 episodes of the series, every time Spider-Man's giant robot finished a monster, it always used the exact same shot only with a new monster composited in, but due to the nature of the splice, the very first monster of the series was always visible very briefly before exploding. Rumors persisted that the Leopardon suit had been stolen from the set and was the reason for the switch to stock footage. However, according to an account from Gene Pelc's son who had been on set, the suit had not been stolen and the switch to stock footage had been a budgetary measure. The Leopardon suit was later repurposed into Daidenzin, the main robot from Denshi Sentai Denjiman.

Film

A theatrical version of Spider-Man was shown on the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival on July 22, 1978. It was directed by series director Kōichi Takemoto and written by Susumu Takaku. The film was the first appearance of the character of Juzo Mamiya, who subsequently appeared in three episodes of the series. Because of this, the film takes place between episodes 10 and 11.

Staff

  • Producer: Susumu Yoshikawa, Hiroshi Ishikawa, Gene Pelc
  • Creator: Saburo Yatsude
  • Music composer: Michiaki Watanabe
  • * Music producer: Andante
  • * Music performers: Colombia Percussion Ensemble
  • Character designer: Kikakusha 104, Muneo Kubo
  • Costume production: Ekisu Production
  • Screenplays: Shōzō Uehara, Susumu Takaku, Kuniaki Oshikawa, Hirohisa Soda, Mikio Matsushita
  • Directors: Kōichi Takemoto, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Takaharu Saeki, Kimio Hirayama, Hideo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Kobayashi
  • Stunt Coordinators: Osamu Kaneda, Junji Yamaoka
  • Special Effects Director: Nobuo Yajima
  • Assistant Directors: Masao Minowa and others
  • Producing Companies: Toei, Toei Advertising, Tokyo Channel 12

Theme songs

Opening theme
Ending theme

Home media

Spider-Man was a Marvel property until 2009, when it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, and in March 2023, Marvel officially closed and folded into other divisions of Disney, of which Spider-Man is now part of Disney Publishing Worldwide as of March 29, 2023. Toei was not allowed to rebroadcast the series or use publicity stills of Spider-Man from the show without paying licensing fees to Marvel, and since 2009, Disney. Original characters and other elements exclusive to Toei's television series were exempt from these licensing issues, as these were creations of Toei.
As a result, only a single VHS collection of episodes was released in Japan during the 1980s, and reprints of the official soundtrack had the original cover on the jacket replaced with an image of Leopardon. The rest of the series was unavailable on home video for many years. The 1995 superhero guidebook Chōjin Gahō was the last time Toei was allowed to publish a photograph of Spider-Man. Every retrospective coverage of Toei's Spider-Man published since then was done without using photographs of the Spider-Man character himself.
In 2004, Toei began renegotiating with Marvel for the rights to release the series on DVD in Japan. The Region 2 DVD box set was released on December 9, 2005, and includes all 41 episodes and the movie on seven discs, as well as a 148-page booklet which features every publicity still of Spider-Man shot for the series. In July 2006, Bandai released a series of toys related to the Toei's Spider-Man TV series, such as the Soul of Chogokin GX-33 Leopardon toy robot, the "Soul of Soft Vinyl" Spider-Man action figure, and a Popynica Spider-Machine GP-7 toy car.
On March 5, 2009, Marvel began broadcasting the series to an international audience for the first time on their video streaming website. A different episode was uploaded every week until the entire series was available on December 17 of the same year. These episodes were shown in their original Japanese audio with English subtitles. The episodes were later taken down following the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment by The Walt Disney Company, which owns rights to this series. Any distribution or production of this series would have to be authorised by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, as the official agent of Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the official agency for Spider-Man as a Disney property.

Legacy

Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which ran from 1994 to 1998, drew some influence from Japanese Spider-Man. The writer of Spider-Man TAS, John Semper, found Japanese Spider-Man to be the only previous Spider-Man adaptation that impressed him, as he thought it was a "great" show and "goofy fun". Japanese Spider-Man's giant robot influenced the final multi-part parallel universe arc where Spider-Man's wealthy alter-ego has a robot.
The massive success of the show and the sales for the Leopardon toys inspired Toei to integrate a Giant Robot to their Super Sentai series, which would not only lead it to become one of the most popular Tokusatsu franchises in Japan but also led to the success of Power Rangers.

In other media

Apart from the costume and powers of the main character, this TV series is unrelated to Ryoichi Ikegami's earlier manga adaptation of Spider-Man or the original Spider-Man comics. However, several manga adaptations of the Toei version were published by different magazines, such as TV Land, Tanoshī Yōchien, TV Magazine, and Bōken'ō.
Takuya Yamashiro and Leopardon appeared in several issues of the 2014 and 2018 comic book events Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon, alongside other alternate universe versions of Spider-Man such as Miles Morales and Miguel O'Hara, thereby allowing Yamashiro to interact with his fellow Spider-Men for the first time in Marvel canon.
In a 2025 crossover comic event Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse, Yamashiro receives an upgraded suit created by Web-Weaver, in order to completely differentiate himself from the one worn by Peter Parker. Additionally, the said crossover event also introduces a Venom from the same universe as Yamashiro's, whose identity is Yaleo, with his robot companion Centurion.
A version of Spider-Man's giant robot, Leopardon, appears in Ernest Cline's novel Ready Player One.