Jushin Liger (anime)
Encyclopedia
is an anime
superhero
TV series created by Go Nagai
. Produced by Sunrise Inc.
with cooperation of Dynamic Planning
(Nagai's own company), the series was originally broadcast on Nagoya Broadcasting Network (NBN)
/TV Asahi
from to with a total of 43 episodes.
A manga
series, written and drawn by Go Nagai, was also released alongside the anime, originally published by Kodansha
in the magazine Comic Bom Bom
from to .
This anime series inspired the real-life pro-wrestler, Jushin "Thunder" Liger
.
The opening theme , which was performed by Yumi Hiroki, is also wrestler Jushin "Thunder" Liger's theme song
. The song was also used by Liger on occasion.
, three bodies of Dragonite appear. Possessing overwhelming destructive force, they attack the city. They also awaken the evil Jashin Drago from the holy seal he was trapped in. 200 years ago, Drago was trapped in the seal by a holy warrior with the tattooed mark of the Liger
. Assuming that the warrior is dead, Drago and Empress Zara are free to conquer the Earth using their army of biomechanical beasts. Even the Japan Self-Defense Forces
are no match for the Dragonites' awesome power. One of the people fleeing is the protagonist, a milquetoast 16 year old boy named Ken Taiga. Unbeknownst to the Dragonites, Ken realizes that he is the descendant of the Liger warrior. In a burst of anger, Ken's Liger birthmark appears, and he rises his palm into the air, shouting the henshin
command, "LIGER!" which then covers him in demonic, long-haired biomechanical armor. Ken transforms into Jushin Liger to fight the evil forces of the Dragonite!
Source(s)
Source(s)
This was one of the first TV anime to feature two opening and two ending themes, a tendency that has been followed since then by several TV anime. The Ikari no Jushin, besides being still by Japanese wretler Jushin Liger, has been used by the Hanshin Tigers
as the climbing theme of pitcher Hirotaka Egusa
. It's one of the anime themes that has been in constant use even after the TV show ended.
format by this company. Instead, it was published by Keibunsha, Daitosha and Daiso Shuppan.
Jushin Liger appears in the Wii
video game Super Robot Wars NEO
.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
TV series created by Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
. Produced by Sunrise Inc.
Sunrise (company)
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
with cooperation of Dynamic Planning
Dynamic Planning
is a licensing company owned by manga artist Go Nagai. It was established in 1974 as a sister company of Dynamic Productions.Dynamic Planning is credited in all of Go Nagai's animated works since 1974 as the "planner" and/or "producer"....
(Nagai's own company), the series was originally broadcast on Nagoya Broadcasting Network (NBN)
Nagoya Broadcasting Network
, Nickname: Mētele is a TV station joining All-Nippon News Network in Nagoya. It is broadcast in Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture.-Analog:JOLX-TV*Nagoya TV Tower - Channel 11...
/TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
from to with a total of 43 episodes.
A manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, written and drawn by Go Nagai, was also released alongside the anime, originally published by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
in the magazine Comic Bom Bom
Comic Bom Bom
was a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Kodansha and targeted at elementary school boys. Each issue had 700+ pages, with 80 of them being full-color advertisements. Similar to its rival CoroCoro Comic, it featured tie-ins with game makers and toy makers but toward the end of its run had...
from to .
This anime series inspired the real-life pro-wrestler, Jushin "Thunder" Liger
Jushin Liger
, better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...
.
The opening theme , which was performed by Yumi Hiroki, is also wrestler Jushin "Thunder" Liger's theme song
Music in professional wrestling
Music in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
. The song was also used by Liger on occasion.
The story
It is 199X A.D. In Kushiro, HokkaidoKushiro, Hokkaido
is a city located in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Kushiro Subprefecture, as well as the most populous city in eastern Hokkaidō....
, three bodies of Dragonite appear. Possessing overwhelming destructive force, they attack the city. They also awaken the evil Jashin Drago from the holy seal he was trapped in. 200 years ago, Drago was trapped in the seal by a holy warrior with the tattooed mark of the Liger
Liger
The liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress . Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. It is distinct from the similar hybrid tiglon. It is the largest of all known cats and extant felines.Ligers enjoy swimming, which is a characteristic of tigers, and...
. Assuming that the warrior is dead, Drago and Empress Zara are free to conquer the Earth using their army of biomechanical beasts. Even the Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
are no match for the Dragonites' awesome power. One of the people fleeing is the protagonist, a milquetoast 16 year old boy named Ken Taiga. Unbeknownst to the Dragonites, Ken realizes that he is the descendant of the Liger warrior. In a burst of anger, Ken's Liger birthmark appears, and he rises his palm into the air, shouting the henshin
Henshin
is the Japanese word for "transformation," literally meaning, "to change or transform the body." This word is primarily used in manga, anime, and tokusatsu dramas for when a character transforms into a superhero. usually have a "henshin call", a catchphrase which they recite when they transform...
command, "LIGER!" which then covers him in demonic, long-haired biomechanical armor. Ken transforms into Jushin Liger to fight the evil forces of the Dragonite!
TV anime episodes
| # | Title | Writer | | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
Source(s)
Staff and production notes
- Airtime: Saturday, 17:30 - 18:00 hrs.
- Network: Nagoya TV, TV Asahi
- Planning: Sunrise
- Planning coordinator: Dynamic Planning
- Production: Nagoya TV, Tokyu Agency, Sunrise
- Original work: Go Nagai
- Work collaboration: Sunrise
- Producer: Osamu SekitaOsamu Sekitais a Japanese television, video, and film anime director and storyboard artist. He is known for directing series such as Beast Wars II, Beast Wars Neo, Cross Game, Strawberry 100%, and Transformers: Robots in Disguise, as well as the OVA series Osu!! Karate Bu, Shin Captain Tsubasa, and U-Jin...
, Toshifumi Kawase, Masao ItoMasao Itois a Japanese neuroscientist, and director of the Riken Brain Science Institute.He won the 2006 Gruber Neuroscience Prize, and the 1996 Japan Prize.-Life:... - Direction: Norio Kashima
- Scenario: Sho AikawaSho Aikawais a Japanese composer and actor.- Film and TV filmography:2010*Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City2008*SS, aka Special Stage*Kurosagi The movie2006*Waru: kanketsu-hen* Taiyō no kizu* "Kurosagi" TV Series* Waru...
, Yoshimasa Takahashi, Toshiki InoueToshiki Inoueis a Japanese screenwriter from Saitama Prefecture. He is known for his work on anime and tokusatsu dramas and films. He is the son of Masaru Igami, who himself was a screenwriter for tokusatsu dramas.-TV anime:*Akakage...
, Yoshiyuki Suga, Hiroyuki Kawasaki - Animation director: Yorihisa Uchida, Masanori Yamada, Joji Kikuchi
- Character design: Yorihisa Uchida
- Bio Armor design: Yukihiro Makino
- Music: Hiromoto Tobisawa
Source(s)
Theme songs
-
- 1st Opening theme: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, compsition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroko)
- 2nd Opening theme: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, compsition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroko)
- 1st Ending theme: The Fire (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, compsition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroko)
- 2nd Ending theme: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, compsition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroko)
- Insert song: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, compsition & arrangement by Hiromoto Tobisawa, song by Yumi Hiroko)
- Arranged theme: Ikari no Jushin (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, compsition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Kazuo Nobuta, song by MIOMioMio or MIO may refer to:*"My" or "mine" in Italian and Spanish* mio, a written abbreviation for "millions" as a unit indicator in the financial markets...
)(not used in the original series, but widely available in several music collections)
This was one of the first TV anime to feature two opening and two ending themes, a tendency that has been followed since then by several TV anime. The Ikari no Jushin, besides being still by Japanese wretler Jushin Liger, has been used by the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
as the climbing theme of pitcher Hirotaka Egusa
Hirotaka Egusa
is a Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball pitcher.-External links:...
. It's one of the anime themes that has been in constant use even after the TV show ended.
Manga
The manga, which was originally published in Kodansha's magazine Comic Bom Bom, was not published in tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
format by this company. Instead, it was published by Keibunsha, Daitosha and Daiso Shuppan.
- Keibunsha (Keibunsha Comic Han, 1990)
Japanese release date Vol. 1 2
- Daitosha (St Comics, 1999)
Japanese release date Vol. ISBN 1
- Daiso Shuppan (Daiso Comic Series, 2002)
Japanese release date Vol. 1 2
Home video
The TV series was released in VHS format by King Records in 1989 and 1990. The whole series was released in DVD by Geneon Entertainment in two DVD boxes of 4 discs each, with standard numbers GNBA-1230 and GNBA-1231 and released in and .Music
The anime has generated the following records and CDs, all of them produced by King Records.| Title | Format | Standard number | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) | EP record | K07S-10295 | |
| Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) | Cassette Compact Cassette The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel... |
K10H-23034 | |
| Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) | 8cm single CD | K10X-23049 | |
| Jushin Liger: Hoo Hisho Hen | LP album LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
230R-7 | |
| Jushin Liger: Hoo Hisho Hen | CD album Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
276A-7006 | |
| Jushin Liger: Fuun Ryuko Hen | LP album | 230R-8 | |
| Jushin Liger: Fuun Ryuko Hen | CD album | 276A-7010 | |
| Jushin Liger (Kiseki no Jushin) | Cassette | 091S-10015 | |
| Jushin Liger (Kiseki no Jushin) | 8 cm single CD | 091X-10015 | |
| Jushin Liger: Majin Hoko Hen | CD album | 276A-7017 | |
| Jushin Liger: Hoo Hisho Hen | CD album | KICA-2158 | |
| Jushin Liger: Fuun Ryuko Hen | CD album | KICA-2159 | |
| Jushin Liger: Majin Hoko Hen | CD album | KICA-2160 | |
| Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) | 8 cm single CD | KIDA-2121 |
Appearances in other media
The theme Ikari no Jushin appears in both its original and arranged versions in these CD music collections.| Title | Label | Standard number | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettei Ban: Star Child Best Collection | King Records | 250A-50063 | |
| Pro-Wrestling: Pro-Wres Kakumeiji Theme Shu | Victor Entertainment | VDR-1649 | |
| The Pro-Wrestling '90's | Victor Entertainment | VICL-5041 | |
| Shin Nihon Pro-Wres | King Records | KICS-84 | |
| The Pro-Wrestling: Zen Nihon Pro-Wres Shin Nihon Pro-Wres Saishin Ban | Victor Entertainment | VICL-5111 | |
| Cho Gekisen Samurai Den | Victor Entertainment | VICP-5189 | |
| Gekitotsu Sengoku: Shin Nihon Pro-Wres vs. WAR | Victor Entertainment | VICL-5196 | |
| Shin Nihon Pro-Wres Best: King of Pro-Wrestling | King Records | KICS-361/2 | |
| Mazinger Densetsu | First Smile Entertainment | FSCA-10031 | |
| Super Robot Spirits Live Tour'98 | First Smile Entertainment | FSCA-10051 | |
| Shin Nihon Pro-Wres Best: King of Pro-Wrestling | King Records | KICS-2271 | |
| Shin Nihon Pro-Wres VIII ~Top of the super-junior~ | King Records | KICS-2278 | |
| Kakuto Ongaku Taizen Pro-Wres Q8 ~ Ji da yo! Zenin Shugo | King Records | KICS-2319 | |
| Euro Anime-J | Chapter One | CHCB-90004 | |
| Nagai Go Hero Densetsu Kotetsu Majin Hen | First Smile Entertainment | FSCA-10204 | |
| Toukonssuka! | Pony Canyon | PCCA-01928 | |
| Super Robot Spirits The Best Vol.1: Super Robot Hen | Be! Smile | BSCH-30001/2 | |
| Mazinger Densetsu + 7: The Legends of MAZINGER | Be! Smile | BSCH-30012 | |
| Live!! Super Robot Spirits The Best: SRS Hen Part 1 | Be! Smile | BSCH-30016/7 | |
| Super Robot Spirits The Instrumental: Super robot & Real Robot Hen Vol.1 | Be! Smile | BSCH-30030 | |
| Best of MIQ - MIQUEST: Tamashii wa koku o koete... | Be! Smile | BSCH-30032 | |
| Super Robot Spirits Shudaika Best Collection 2 | Be! Smile | BSCH-30038 | |
| Nagai Go Dynamic!! The chronicle | Be! Smile | BSCH-30040 | |
| Super Robot Spirits Best & Live: Girls Hen 2 | Be! Smile | BSCH-30042 | |
| Live! From Super Robot Spirits Tour'98 | King Records | KICA-1403/4 | |
| The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: Ultimate LIVE 10th Anniversary Edition | Be! Smile | BSCH-30057/60 | |
| The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: Super Robot Studio Recordings | Be! Smile | BSCH-30063/6 | |
| The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: Girls Best Collection | Be! Smile | BSCH-30077/8 | |
| Super Robot Spirits: Non stop mix Vol.3 | Be! Smile | BSCH-30086 | |
| Buraban! Tigers | Nippon Crown | CRCP-40217 | |
| The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: The Best Karaoke songs | Be! Smile | BSCH-30094/7 |
Jushin Liger appears in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game Super Robot Wars NEO
Super Robot Wars NEO
is a Super Robot Wars video game that was released on the Nintendo Wii console on 29 October 2009. Neo was developed by Banpresto and published in Japan by Namco Bandai Games.-Summary:NEO is the first Super Robot Wars title to appear on the Nintendo Wii...
.
See also
- Jushin LigerJushin Liger, better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...
the pro wrestler. - Jushin Liger: Fist of Thunder, the 1995 OVT tokusatsuTokusatsuis a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
film.
External links
- Jushin Liger (anime) official website at Sunrise Inc.Sunrise (company)is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
- Jushin Liger (anime) official website at Nagoya Broadcasting NetworkNagoya Broadcasting Network, Nickname: Mētele is a TV station joining All-Nippon News Network in Nagoya. It is broadcast in Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture.-Analog:JOLX-TV*Nagoya TV Tower - Channel 11...
- Jushin Liger (anime) DVD-box official website at Geneon Universal Entertainment
- Jushin Liger (manga) at The World of Go Nagai webpage
- Jushin Liger (manga) at d/visualD/visuald/visual incorporated d/visual incorporated d/visual incorporated (株式会社ディー・ビジュアル） is a Japanese publisher of manga books and anime home video.It was established in October 2002 by Federico Colpi and Kazuhiko Murata....