National Kid
An immortal alien defender from the Andromeda Galaxy.
Produced by Toei Company in 1960, the Japanese TV series National Kid aired on NET with sponsorship from Matsushita Electric for its National brand. While little-known in Japan, it became a cult hit in Brazil.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Tokusatsu
- Science fiction
- Superhero
- Creator
- Minoru Kisegawa (eps. 1–30)
- Ichirō Miyagawa, ja, 宮川一郎 (eps. 23–30)
- Unno Juza (eps. 31–39)
- Writer
- Takashi Tanii; Nagayoshi Akasaka
- ja
- 赤坂長義
- Director
- Nagayoshi Akasaka
- Jun Koike
- Naruo Watanabe
- Starring
- Ichirō Kojima (actor)Ichirō Kojima
- ja
- 小嶋一郎 (eps. 1–22); Hidetarō Tatsumi
- ja
- 巽秀太郎 (eps. 23–39)
- Theme music
- Tasaku Sano
- ja
- 佐野鋤
- Composer
- Yasuo Fukazawa
- ja
- 深沢康雄
- Country
- Japan
Facts from the source article.
Plot
National Kid is an immortal messenger from the Andromeda Galaxy, thirty thousand light-years away, who protects Earth from invaders. His human alter ego is Ryusaku Hata (Massao Hata in the Brazilian dub), son and apprentice of scientist Dr. Masachika Hata. He possesses superhuman strength, flight, and the Eroruya Ray Gun. Hata raises five orphan children who use the Magic Radio to summon National Kid when in danger.
Story arcs
The series comprises four story arcs across 39 episodes. The first arc (13 episodes) features National Kid defending Earth from the Incas, an alien race from Venus who attack Japan with UFOs, worship a god named Abika, and release a virus. National Kid finds rare minerals to create a remedy. The second arc (9 episodes) introduces the Undersea People Coelacanth, ancient coelacanth fish evolved into humanoids with Komodo dragon-like faces, who ride an anglerfish-shaped submarine named Guilton. Characters include Fish No.1 (Akira Katayama), Fish No.3 (Nobuyuki Ezawa), and Dr. Kawamura (Haruni Kubo). The third arc (8 episodes) sees Hidetarō Tatsumi replace Ichirō Kojima as National Kid, battling the Underground People who seek a rare element formula. Their president is Helnstein (Koji Matsuyama).
Development
NET commissioned Toei to produce National Kid to compete with KRTV's Moonlight Mask. Sponsored by Matsushita Electric for the National brand, it was a relatively expensive series and became the first flying superhero in Japanese TV history. Shot in black-and-white, each 30-minute episode cost 1.5 million yen, far above the average 300,000 yen per episode at the time.
Release and reception
National Kid aired on NET from August 4, 1960, to April 27, 1961, across four seasons. Toei called it a big hit with strong popularity as of 2015, and released a digital remastered version on May 13, 2015. A manga adaptation by Daiji Kazumine ran in Kodansha's magazine from July 1960 to December 1961, comicalizing the first three seasons before creating original plots; it boosted the magazine's circulation. Kodansha released three book volumes covering the first two seasons, and Manga Shop issued a kanzenban edition on December 2, 2008. In Brazil, the series first aired in 1964 on TV Record, then on TV Globo in 1968, gaining cult status. It was redubbed and repopularized in the 1990s, with VHS release in 1993 and DVD in 2009. The phrase 'Celacanto provoca maremoto' referencing the Undersea People's submarine became a graffiti meme in Rio de Janeiro from 1977, and artist Adriana Varejão replicated it at the 2016 Olympic Aquatics Stadium. In 2009, samba school Unidos da Tijuca featured National Kid in a Carnival parade, and in 2018 the Olinda carnival used the superhero as a mediator for Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created National Kid?
National Kid was created by Minoru Kisegawa (eps. 1–30), Ichirō Miyagawa, ja, 宮川一郎 (eps. 23–30) and Unno Juza (eps. 31–39).
Who stars in National Kid?
National Kid stars Ichirō Kojima (actor)Ichirō Kojima, ja, 小嶋一郎 (eps. 1–22) and Hidetarō Tatsumi, ja, 巽秀太郎 (eps. 23–39).
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