Space Knight Tekkaman

'Tekkaman, the Space Knight' (宇宙の騎士テッカマン, Uchū no Kishi Tekkaman) is a 1975 Japanese anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions.

This animated series was canceled only after 26 episodes. In the American dub, there were major alterations to the series such as the main character, Johji Minami was changed to Barry Gallagher, and a different plot was given, as a race car driver.

Although the movements and animation were advanced for its time, it's original plot was somewhat repetitive.

The opening theme, “Tekkaman Theme” was performed by Ichirou Mizuki, written by the planning department of Tatsunoko Pro. (Lyrics) and Asei Kobayashi (music) and arranged by Bob Sakuma, who composed all the music for the series.

An alternative version of Tekkaman the Space Knight appears in the anime series Infini-T Force (インフィニティーフォース Infinitī Fōsu), a Japanese 3DCG anime series featuring a crossover between characters from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Casshan, Hurricane Polymar and Tekkaman: The Space Knight, all series produced by Tatsunoko Production in the 1970s. The series is a co-production between Tatsunoko and Digital Frontier and aired from October 3 to December 26, 2017.

Story

In the not too distant future, planet Earth lost all its vegetation due to pollution and wars.

Joji Minami, the son of a famous space researcher, Dr. Minami, seeks with his father to find another planet for humanity to migrate since the Earth has only 3 years of subsistence left. Nearing Saturn's orbit, Dr. Minami leaves in the Space Angel spaceship, but gets intercepted from a surprise attack by the Waldasters, a race of planet-conquering aliens. The Waldasters destroy the Space Angel, but Joji who was not present on board, was devastated to witness his father die in front of his eyes.

Following these events, Professor Amachi, a world-renowned researcher, and Dr. Minami's friend of unveils the secret project they were collaborating. A giant robot called Pegas that would envelop its pilot special metal coating and granting superhuman abilities. Thus the Space Knight, Tekkaman, an unimaginable power in the universe, was born to protect the Earth against the Waldasters.

Overview

The series was canceled after only 26 chapters due to the latter taken as an interruption not very well specified because everything ends in an abrupt manner at the last minute.

Though at the series' end where Tekkaman and Pegas were launched against the Waldasters, while his Space Knights friends teleport to a planet presumably to be the next Earth. It is also presumed that Joji Minami died during the attack and along with him, the secret of the warrior of the sun.

Characters

The Space Knights are the Earth's resistance organization against the Waldasters, led by Professor Amachi from Earth and aboard the Blue Earth spacecraft face the various challenges of defending the planet. The members of the Space Knight are:

Space Knights

• Johji Minami: The protagonist and the Tekkaman.
• Hiromi Amachi: Dr. Amachi's daughter and female lead of the Space Knights.
• Andro Umeda: The extraterrestrial member of the Knights
• Mutan: A mutant from the planet Sanno.

Support Characters

• Professor Amachi: Earth's head scientist; mentor of the Space Knights; Dr. Minami's friend, and father of Hiromi Amachi.

PEGAS

Diminutive of Pegasus, it is a giant robot developed by Prof. Amachi and Dr. Minami that is the key for Joji to become Tekkaman just by giving the order "Tek-Set"; It is a bit slow but with great strength and endurance. The conversion booth is inside Pegas's chest and Joji accesses it from his legs. It is Tekkaman's main means of transport and what guarantees its return to its original form.

Lord Dobrai

He is the supreme leader of the Waldasters, his appearance is similar to an octopus crossed with a jellyfish, he has only one eye and apparently his location is on the planet of origin of the Waldasters, he communicates by psychic means with Rambos, General of the Waldaster army. The main reason for the attack on earthlings is the mere conquest of the Galaxy, a recurring theme in the Tatsunoko Pro series. It is extremely cruel and intelligent, although very tolerant of its incompetent general. Apparently he is omniscient and gives orders to his general to execute them. The final match against Dobrai is never seen as the series was canceled in episode 26.

General Rambos

As its title indicates, it is responsible for commanding Waldaster troops. Its appearance is thin, with yellow skin and a similar appearance to an anthropomorphic insect. It differs from its troops that are more slender and generic, wears a red cape and is cruel, though incompetent. It is understood that he has been very successful in conquering other worlds, since Andro blames him for being the one who conquered the Sanno Planet, where he and Mutan came from. He is a coward like any cliche of a seventies anime minion, but very confident in his army. Due to his constant defeats before Tekkaman, he is punished by Lord Dobrai, through the psychic and telekinetic powers of this. Something that should be noted is that it uses several strategies against Tekkaman, from massive attacks with a diversity of battleships, special weapons, giant robots, special infiltration attacks, deception, kidnapping, ambushes, espionage, sabotage, attacks on military and political leaders, the introduction of alien species to the earth, etc.

Episode Guide

1. Hero of the Sun
2. The Stellar Rogue Cluster, Waldastar
3. The Shadow-Hunting Alien!

Differences between Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade

While both series are produced by Tatsunoko Pro itself, it has substantial differences:

• Tekkaman Blade is not the continuation of the first series, but an updated parallel series with a similar background, but different protagonists.
• Tekkaman is an armor painfully forged around Joji's body; Tekkaman Blade is an armor but as a mutation of the body of Takaya extracted from the Radam crystal that is part of it following the mutation suffered by the Tekplant of the Radam.
• Tekkaman technology is an achievement of the work of the human race; on the other hand, Tekkaman technology in Tekkaman Blade is an achievement of the alien race called Radam, as a weapon to use the same inhabitants of the planets that conquer as their heralds and generals in command of the army of radam beasts, which is why you can see Tekkaman aliens from other stars in the Tekkaman Blade II OVAs.
• Joji is the only one who can transform into Tekkaman; in Tekkaman Blade is Takaya with his whole family who can become Tekkaman. Humans subsequently learn Radam technology and are able to build their own armor, called Sol Tekkaman. also in Tekkaman Blade II, the humans engulfed by the Radam Plants can become a class of Tekkaman, weaker than the Tekkaman generals of the Blade family, called Tekkaman Primary Bodies.
• Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade have limited fighting time. In Joji's case, his fighting is restricted within 37 minutes with 33 seconds before the armor collapses due to his wave spectrum being not fully compatible. But Tekkaman Blade has only 30 minutes to fight until the Tekkaman armor takes possession of Takaya's mind and makes him unstable, violent and unstoppable, and unable to differentiate between friends or enemies. The armor's Radam system is complemented by a Radam parasite that during the conversion process, the Tek-plant is grafted into the base of the host's skull and that submits the host's will; Blade is the only Tekkaman who does not have the invasion of the Radam parasite in his body.
• In Tekkaman Blade Miyuki and Dr. Aiba, sister and father of Takaya respectively, apparently do not have the physical conditions to be a Tekkaman. In Miyuki's case, she is not fully compatible and in the end her body decomposes at the cellular level, while Dr. Aiba is regurgitated by the Tek Plant for not being compatible. In other cases, tekplants disintegrate in the act the main cells of unfit guests.
• Joji's Voltekker is a ball of energy that is ejected from his forehead, while Takaya's is a constant ray that is generated by two panels with four reactors in each, located on both Blade's shoulders.
• The Waldasters and Radam are both warmonger aliens who seek to conquer Earth, but the latter in Tekkaman Blade are never seen.
• According to PSX's Tatsunoko Fight game, the leader of the Waldasters, "Lord Dobrai" can perform the Tekset, something that never occurred due to the series' sudden cancellation, giving it a very cybernetic appearance.
• It is presumed that Joji Minami died during the last Waldaster attack, but in Tekkaman Blade his presence can be seen in the penultimate chapter (ep. 48) along with Hiromi, when Joji saves a child from being crushed by some rocks; Andro also appears on the side of the land base next to Rebin.
• The Pegas of the original series has the same performance of the Pegas in Tekkaman Blade, although Takaya's transformation is sourced from the Radam Crystal and Pegas was built to withhold the glass that was cracked by Tekkaman Dagger.

Video Games

Tekkaman The Space Knight appears as a selectable character in the Tatsunoko Fight fighting game for PlayStation. Share history with Andro Umeda and his faithful companion Pegas, who unlike Andro is not a selectable character, rather it is a weapon used by the Space Knight in one of his super moves. Also next to Tekkaman appears Lord Dobrai who becomes a kind of Tekkaman when executing the Tekset.

Tekkaman also appears in the crossover fighting game Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom for the Nintendo Wii console, with a similar gameplay to Marvel vs. Capcom. In this video game, he has been endowed with more own characteristics, such as a heavy and strong character, alluding to his title of Knight in armor, with medium-range attacks thanks to his double-pointed spear, uses Pegas to charge against the enemy and has its classic Volt Tekker, which in this version, is not an energy ball as in the original series, but is a constant plasma flow emanated from its forehead. Share a series of basic and special moves with Tekkaman Blade that is also selectable in the same game, but this one is lighter and more agile compared to its original counterpart.

Videos

"Space Knight Tekkaman" (1975) - Opening