Tekkaman: The Space Knight
A space knight defends Earth from alien invaders.
Tatsunoko Production created the 1975 anime Tekkaman: The Space Knight. A brief English version aired in the U.S. during 1984. The series later spawned the far more famous 1990s successor Tekkaman Blade, which Saban dubbed as Teknoman.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Superhero, science fiction
- Creator
- Tatsunoko Production Planning Office
- Director
- Hiroshi Sasagawa; Hisayuki Toriumi
- Producer
- Ippei Kuri; Shinichi Miyazaki
- Executive producers
- Tatsuo Yoshida
- Country
- Japan
- Language
- Japanese
- Music
- Bob Sakuma
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In the 21st century, Earth is in peril after the Green Earth project is abandoned. Scientists seek a Second Earth, but the Space Angel, commanded by the father of hot-headed pilot Joji Minami, is destroyed by the Waldarians. Professor Souzou Amachi develops the alloy tekka and creates the flying robot Pegas and the Teksetter system, which augments a human into Tekkaman, an indestructible Space Knight with enhanced strength and a twin-bladed Tek Lancer. Joji gains the ability to transform into Tekkaman and ride Pegas.
Production
The opening theme, Tekkaman no Uta, was sung by Ichirou Mizuki, with lyrics by Tatsunoko's Planning Department, music by Asei Kobayashi, and arrangement by Bob Sakuma, who composed all the series' music. Character designs were by Yoshitaka Amano. The show was intended for 52 episodes but was cancelled after 26; the reasons remain unknown. An English version was produced by William Winckler Productions but was cancelled after 13 episodes. Over forty-thousand original VHS cassettes were sold in the U.S. by Congress Video Group and later by L.D. Video. Congress Video sold half-hour episodes, while L.D. Video sold two 96-minute film compilations. William Winckler aimed to stay true to the original, retaining Japanese music and sound effects and minimizing violence editing, contrasting with Sandy Frank's dub of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman as Battle of the Planets. Voice actors included Katsuji Mori as Joji Minami, Kan Tokumaru as Pegas, and others.
Appearances in other media
The PlayStation fighting game Tatsunoko Fight includes Tekkaman, Andro, and Dovrai as playable characters. Tekkaman later appears in both versions of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, while the Wii version adds Tekkaman Blade; his mini-game pits him against Waldester fighters with his Tek Lancer. He also features in the 2017 crossover anime Infini-T Force, a co-production between Tatsunoko and Digital Frontier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Tekkaman: The Space Knight?
Tekkaman: The Space Knight was created by Tatsunoko Production Planning Office.
When did Tekkaman: The Space Knight first air?
Tekkaman: The Space Knight first aired on 2 July 1975.
When did Tekkaman: The Space Knight end?
Tekkaman: The Space Knight last aired on 24 December 1975.
More in Japanese Children's Animated Science Fiction Television Series
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