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The is a genre of Tokusatsu Superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television. The Metal Heroes are mainly Space and Police -based characters who don "metallic" suits and/or androids and cyborgs, hence, the most of the Metal Heroes are also referenced as " Henshin (transforming) Heroes." Usually, the genre revolves around a technological theme where technology, in the right hands, can be used for the greater good. The shows were produced by Toei from 1982 through 1996 in conjunction with their other Tokusatsu superhero shows, such as Kamen Rider and Super Sentai . Not only are some of them popular in Japan but also in several other countries like France , Brazil , the Philippines , Malaysia , and Indonesia .
Some of the Metal Hero series even spawned sequels which followed the continuity of the previous shows, resulting in the genre developing sub-categories based mainly on space and police-related characters.
- ''(1982)''
- ''(1983)''
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- (''1997'') (has minor ties to the B-Fighter series due to a crossover, but is part of the official Metal Hero Series)
- (''1998'') (has minor ties to Kabutack due to a crossover, but is part of the official Metal Hero Series)
- . Gavan proved popular enough to spawn two direct sequels and introduce a new genre in Japanese television. Uchuu Keiji Gavan was played by Kenji Ohba, who recently had a minor role in Kill Bill Vol. 2 as the Japanese swordsmith.
- Uchuu Keiji Sharivan (''Space Sheriff Sharivan'') (1983): Also popular in France, Indonesia, and Brazil, this direct sequel to ''Uchuu Keiji Gavan'' features Gavan's protege taking over the role of Earth's protector when Gavan gets promoted in rank (from sergeant to captain) in the Space Sheriff organization. Sharivan was played by Hiroshi Watari.
- in the second season of Saban 's '' VR Troopers ''. Uchuu Keiji Shaider was played by the late Hiroshi Tsuburaya, son of Eiji Tsuburaya , the creator of '' Ultraman ''.
- and his diabolical son Madgalant ('' Magaren '' in Brazil) from destroying the Earth with giant monsters. Juspion had his own giant robot, ''Daileon'', to combat the evil creatures. The show failed in Japan, but had a tremendous impact in Brazil.
- , Diana, this program dealt with a hero who crosses through dimensions to combat an alien force that took his father's life and corrupted his sister into the evil Hellvira, who later joined her brother as Lady Helen. Americanized as '' VR Troopers ''.
- , this show dealt with an Android given human memories, yet programmed to fight an insidious group that his creator once belonged to. Americanized in the first season of '' VR Troopers ''.
- , but also had elements of the 70's series . This armored robot hero is a rookie cop gunned down and reborn as a fighting machine against the Criminal Syndicate Bioron, a group of bio-genetic freaks. Jiban is the first Metal Hero to actually bear the emblem of the Japanese National Police, although his "badge" shows a regular American-style sheriff star.
- alongside his creator in shutting down the hidden crimelords that use super science to subjugate the masses. Made a cameo in '' Big Bad Beetleborgs ''.
- Tokkei Winspector (''Special Police Winspector'') (1990): The first of the ''Rescue Police'' trilogy, this team of two robots and their human armored field commander dealt with real-life crime, mad scientists, rogue cyborgs, and dangerous rescue situations. The mix of fantasy and realistic action proved to be immensely popular with viewers, spawning two sequels.
- game console, which was also released for the NES as '' Shatterhand ''.
- Tokusou Exceedraft (''Special Investigation Exceedraft'') (1992): The last of the ''Rescue Police'' series, this program featured a trio of male human armored police officers doing what the previous two teams were doing, without the help of any super-powered robots. By this time, the series had stepped away from realistic villains and swerved back towards more sci-fi oriented opponents.
- 's '' Big Bad Beetleborgs ''.
- , this program features 7 new heroes who utilize the previous tech and insect magic to fend off a horde of monsters from under the Earth. Americanized as '' Beetleborgs Metallix ''.
- master from a historically known ninja clan preparing his son, daughter, and youngest child, along with a family relative and a police officer with ninja roots to combat the re-emergence of a centuries-old demon Samurai , his evil offspring, and a host of international ninja warriors from around the world hoping to tip the scales of justice. Jiraiya, the son of the ninja master, is destined to wield an enormous power that Dokusai, the demon samurai, hopes to seize. Jiraiya had tremendous success in Brazil.
- Blue SWAT (1994): Hidden to the general public, a police organization has been combatting alien menaces for years until a sneak attack destroys all but three officers, who alongside some civilian helpers who are aware of the alien infestation, must continue the fight. Despite the alien theme, was one of the most "realistic" Metal Hero shows.
Other similar heroes, such as Nebula Mask Machine Man, Fist of the Brothers Byclosser, Super Shining Warrior Changerion, and Seven Star Fighting God Guyferd also appeared during the ''Metal Heroes'' era, but are not included as part of the ''Metal Heroes'' franchise for various reasons. Machine Man and Byclosser were created by the late Shotaro Ishinomori , while Changerion's armor is not metallic, and Guyferd was produced by Toho .
Currently, the Metal Heroes are a defunct genre in place of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider . Kamen Rider itself has adopted many of the Metal Hero franchise's traits. Today, the present versions of these type of heroes are merged in with the Henshin Heroes description.
Some Metal Hero characters have made cameo appearances. For example, in 2004, a special Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger stage show had a special appearance by Gavan, who assisted Hurricane Red from '' Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger '' and Abared from '' Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger '' in battling various Alienizer monsters from ''Dekaranger''.
Some Metal Heroes merchandise and video games have also been released. In 2005, Toei released some ''Uchuu Keiji'' trilogy merchandise. Later that year, Bandai released a "Souchaku Henshin" figure of Gavan, followed by "Souchaku Henshin" figures of Sharivan and Shaider in early 2006. In May 2006, a PlayStation 2 video game titled '' Uchuu Keiji Damashii '' was released. The game featured Gavan, Sharivan and Shaider all teaming up to battle past enemies from the Space Detective Trilogy. The game was panned by critics, however, for bland graphics and dull gameplay.
Saban has adapted some of the Metal Hero shows for American audiences in the United States. Stock footage from ''Metalder'', ''Spielvan'' and ''Shaider'' were adapted in '' VR Troopers '' (1994-1996). Footage from both ''B-Fighter'' series were used in '' Big Bad Beetleborgs ''. Both shows ran for 2 seasons and ended when all the stock footage from these Metal Hero series were used up.
In the Philippines , where several series have aired and dubbed into local languages, an upcoming production '' Zaido '' has been given the go ahead from Toei to be allowed to be a "sequel" to ''Shaider'', featuring characters intended to be the descendents of those of the original series.
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