Iron King

Template:Infobox television/Short description is a tokusatsu superhero TV series about a giant cyborg. The series was produced by Nippon Gendai and Senkosha (now Senko Planning), and aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 8, 1972, to April 8, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes.

Plot description

The Shiranui Clan have planned for 2000 years to conquer Japan in retaliation for their nomadic ancestors being banished from the country by the Yamato Clan (who eventually became known as the Japanese people). Each armored ninja-like member of the clan controls a gigantic robot warrior in order to overthrow the "Yamato Government," as they call it.

In response to this terrorist threat, Japan's National Security Organization send agent Gentaro Shizuka (Shoji Ishibashi), disguised as what can best described as a Spaghetti Western version of a singing cowboy, to stop their plans with the assistance of comical, mountaineering-clad Goro Kirishima (Mitsuo Hamada). In an unusual direction for such tokusatsu (visual effects) programs, it is not the heroic but often surprisingly ruthless Gentaro but the bumbling, bespectacled Goro who has the power to become the giant cybernetic superhero Iron King by touching the medals on the sides of his funny red Turning Hat and yelling "Iron Shock!" when danger threatens.

However, often Iron King is unable to defeat the clan's giant robots without help from Gentaro, who wields a weapon called the Iron Belt that can become a slender rapier-like sword or an infinitely extendable metal whip capable of hurting giant monsters. In addition, transforming into the hydrogen oxide-powered Iron King quickly dehydrates Goro, and he can only remain as Iron King for a short period of time. Strangely, although Gentaro knows Iron King's time limit comes from exhausting his water supply he never manages to connect it with Goro's omnipresent thirst until the final episode.

In the tenth episode the Shiranui Clan is wiped out, but their place is taken by the skull-symboled keffiyeh-clad Phantom Militia (A/K/A the Phantom Opposition Party) who to enact their revolution against the Japanese government, use monsters. Their monsters initially appear to be traditional kaiju, though they are revealed to all be robots, commanded by agents of the Militia remotely.

And from the nineteenth episode to the end of the series, Gentaro and Goro battle black cloak and Puritan hat-clad white-masked aliens called Titanians, who despite looking human, have various inhuman powers such as flight, body-possessing mind control, and the ability to enlarge themselves to giant size. Upon doing the latter they are then able to assume insect-like monster forms.

Episode list

#	Title	Guest cast	Director	First aired	Monster appeared
1.	Secret Messenger of the Morning Wind Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Kiro Abe Fudeko Tanaka Kinji Takinami Hiroshi Ikaida	Shozo Tamura	1972-10-08	Vacumira
2.	The Swan in the Ruins Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Hiroshi Ikaida	Shozo Tamura	1972-10-15	Jairogesu
3.	The Warrior's Smile Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Hiroshi Ikaida	Shozo Tamura	1972-10-22	Double Satan
4.	Gentaro Travels Alone Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Yosuke Akimoto	Toru Sotoyama	1972-10-29	Devil Tiger
5.	The Duel in the Autumn Wind Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Shogo Hanagi	Toru Sotoyama	1972-11-05	Black Knight, Bronze Demon, Monster Bird
6.	Lullaby for a Warrior Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Seishiro Kuno Masayuki Tobuyo	Shozo Tamura Kiyoshi Suzuki	1972-11-12	Monster Bird
7.	Those That Fly the Skies Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Kaori Seki Hisashi Kato	Shozo Tamura Kiyoshi Suzuki	1972-11-19	Silver Rider
8.	The Shadow Area Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Mitsuko Hoshi Yoshinori Furukawa Shinobu Miura	Noriaki Yuasa Kiyoshi Suzuki	1972-11-26	Gold Fire
9.	Gentaro in a Close Shave Template:Category handler	Shinzo Hotta Yuki Okazaki	Toru Sotoyama	1972-12-03	Gold Fire
10.	A Kiss for the Dead Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Shima Mizue Kiyoshi Tokugawa Gin Minemura	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1972-12-10	Gold Fire, Zaira Unicorn
11.	Tokyo Is Burning Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Kiyoshi Tokugawa Gin Minemura	Toru Sotoyama	1972-12-17	Zaira Unicorn
12.	State of Emergency in Tokyo Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Teresa Noda Junko Natsu Wataru Mitsui Ikuo Kosaka	Toru Sotoyama	1972-12-24	Tongazaurus
13.	Attacking the Underground Fortress Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Junko Natsu Wataru Mitsui Isamu Matsuzawa	Toru Sotoyama	1972-12-31	Tongazaurus
14.	Secret of the Brainwave Robot Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Hijiri Matsuki Teppei Takasugi Kazuo Arai	Hiromu Edagawa	1973-01-14	Jurass-Don
15.	Marathon Monster Capri-Gon Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Masahiro Takashina Harue Kyo	Hiromu Edagawa	1973-01-21	Capri-Gon
16.	Destroy Tora-Girasu! Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Yumi Mizusawa	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-01-28	Tora-Girasu
17.	The Order to Assassinate Iron King Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Chidori Tashiro Koetsu Omiya	Toru Sotoyama	1973-02-04	Dodzilla, Kumagross
18.	Monster Robot Annihilation Template:Category handler	Katsumi Muramatsu Eiko Ogawa	Toru Sotoyama	1973-02-11	Kumagross
19.	The Giant Bug Kabutoron Appears Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo Hajime Izu	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-02-18	Kabutoron
20.	The Titanians Strike Back Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-02-25	Kabutoron
21.	Kamagyrus Wants Lethal Gas! Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo Mari Sakurai Tetsuya Sano	Toru Sotoyama	1973-03-04	Kamagyrus
22.	Terrifying Titanian Underworld Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo Fumio Ikeda	Toru Sotoyama	1973-03-11	Kirigirin
23.	The Insect Humanoid Masquerades as a Woman Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo Ryoko Sakaguchi Hideo Saito	Shozo Tamura	1973-03-18	Kangarole
24.	Tokyo Assault Frontline Base Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo Yoku Shioya	Hiroshi Fukuhara	1973-03-25	Cockroachaur
25.	Iron King in a Panic! Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo	Toru Sotoyama	1973-04-01	Cricketton, Possessed Iron King
26.	The Great Tokyo War Template:Category handler	Chiaki Ukyo Hajime Izu	Toru Sotoyama	1973-04-08	Cricketton, Possessed Iron King

DVD releases

File:Iron King DVD cover.jpg

Cover to the 2007 DVD release

On November 6, 2007, BCI Eclipse Entertainment Company LLC released the complete series of Iron King on DVD in Region 1. As of 2009, this release is now out of print as BCI Eclipse ceased operations.

On March 9, 2010, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the entire series on DVD in Region 1.

References

• (From the Iron King liner notes booklet)
• at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck

External links

• at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck