"It is the United Earth Year 192. A mysterious alien race known as the Radam have invaded the orbital space ring and dropped mysterious plants all over the surface of Earth. Huge spidercrab creatures, led by humanoid armored warriors called Tekkamen, have crushed almost all human opposition. All seem hopeless, until one day, the unit Space Knights receives help from mysterious man that falls to earth. Given the nickname D-Boy, his ability to transform as the powerfully advanced Tekkaman Blade may be the only hope for humanity left…”
Written by Leo Wei | Published 2023-3
"It is the United Earth Year 192. A mysterious alien race known as the Radam have invaded the orbital space ring and dropped mysterious plants all over the surface of Earth. Huge spidercrab creatures, led by humanoid armored warriors called Tekkamen, have crushed almost all human opposition. All seem hopeless, until one day, the unit Space Knights receives help from mysterious man that falls to earth. Given the nickname D-Boy, his ability to transform as the powerfully advanced Tekkaman Blade may be the only hope for humanity left…”
Written by Leo Wei | Published 2023-3
Tekkaman/Teknoman Blade
Released 1992(Japan) | 1994(International) | 1995(U.S.)
Directed by Hiroshi Negishi
49 TV (Japan) 43 (International) Episodes with 3 OVA Episodes
Age recommendation: 13+ for violence and brief nudity
History
Tekkaman Blade is an updated “reboot” of the 1970 show Space Knight: Tekkaman from Tatsunoko Production, better known for their series Speed Racer and Gatchaman. Despite sharing the same name and some design aesthetics, the heavy environmental (and at times, confusing) theme from the original was altered to a more straightforward, but character driven show about an alien invasion of Earth. The Japanese show had a total of 49 episodes and 3 follow up OVAs. Saban Entertainment released the international English dubbed version renamed to Teknoman, was released by and cut to 43 episodes with some changes (mostly name and terminology). The U.S. received another dubbed version through UPN network but was cancelled after only 26 episodes.
The series was released in Japan as the Tekkaman Blade Complete 1, 2, 3, a three-volume collection on 9 DVDs. The English language version was also released on a three-volume DVD collection under the title Teknoman Collection Vol. 1, 2 and 3.
In 1994, a 6-episode OVA sequel called Tekkaman Blade 2 was released, taking place 10 years later starring a new cast of characters and villains.
King Records released the Blu-Ray collection in 2016 consisting of all 49 episodes, 3 OVAs and the sequel Tekkaman Blade 2, but only in Japan. Being out of production, it goes for a high price. The series has not been released on any official streaming platforms, but you can find it online rather easily through unofficial channels.
Show Cast (Japan/International)
Takayak Aiba /Slade, Nick Carter
The human that falls to earth after battling Radam forces in the space ring. He has the capability to transform into Tekkaman Blade, and for the majority of the series is the only one capable of standing up to the alien force. He is also called D-Boy by Noel, for his reckless attitude.
Aki Kisaragi/ Star Summers
A navigator in the Space Knights and one of the two members that initially found Takayak. She is compassionate, but headstrong, and eventually develops feelings for Takayak.
Noel Vereuse/Ringo Richards
A pilot and the other member that found Takayak after he crashed to Earth. Initially hostile to Takayak, he eventually develops a friendship and equal respect for him.
Miletta Le Rouge/Tina Corman
The youngest member of the Space Knights team, and develops a close relationship with Takayak, who resembles his younger sister, Miyuki.
Commander Heinrich Van Freeman/Jamison
The stoic commander of the Space Knights and goes to great lengths to protect Blade from coming under military control.
Honda/Mac MacElroy
The main mechanic and responsible for coming up with building and repairing the ship Blue Earth and eventually Pegas.
Levin/Maggie Matherson
The computer analyst and support tech for the team. In the Japanese version, Levin is trans, but in the English language version Maggie is female.
Pegas
A robot created to help Takayak transform into Tekkaman Blade after his crystal is shattered. He can also help Blade augment his powers.
Balzac Asimov/Balzac St. Jacques
A journalist and spy for General Colbert and is later given the specs for the Tekkaman armor.
General Xerxes Colbert/Gault
The commander for Earth’s Allied Defense Force. He is eager to take Tekkaman Blade from under the auspices of the Space Knights.
Dagger/Gunnar
The first Radam Tekkaman that leads the initial invasion force and shatters Takayak’s Tek crystal, stopping him from transforming into Tekkaman temporarily.
Shinya Aiba/Cain Carter
The twin brother to Takayak who quickly becomes a persistent nemesis. He fights Blade out of personal grievances, even at times over the overall war goals of the Radam.
Miyuki Aiba/Shara Carter
The younger sister of Takayak and Shinya, who escapes Radam’s complete Tekkaman process but arrives on Earth terminally ill as a result.
Omega/Darkon
The mysterious Tekkaman Commander of Radam’s invasion force who resides on the far side of the moon.
Story
Space Knights Aki Kisaragi and Noel Vereuse are investigating the mysterious plants the invading Radam alien force has dropped all over the surface of the Earth. Meanwhile, in the space ring above the Earth, a fight breaks out between two Tekkaman, humans fused with Radam’s bio-technological armor. Tekkaman Dagger, who is leading the invasion, and Tekkaman Blade, a traitor to the Radam force. Dagger forces Blade to fall to the surface of the Earth, who survives reentry but crashes near Aki and Noel.
They take him back to base, where he recovers and commandeers their ship called the Blue Earth to get back into space. Blade convinces Aki and Noel to help him fight Radam, which they reluctantly agree to. Although demanding to know more answers, Blade claims to have amnesia and cannot tell them who or even what he is. Commander of the Space Knights, Heinrich Van Freeman is initially cautious, but understands the Earth needs Blade’s help and asks him to fight on their behalf. Blade also gains the attention of General Xerxes Colbert, the overall commander of the Earth’s remaining Armed Forces. Using a potential crisis and the threat of force, he tries to take command of Blade and the Space Knights but is called off by Earth’s President.
Blade decides to stay with the Space Knights, but maintains a distance from the rest of the team as he slowly regains his memory. He faces continued trials as the result of his abilities, including risking control over his sanity if he stays as Tekkaman Blade past thirty minutes. When Dagger destroys Blade’s Tek crystal and his ability to transform into Tekkaman Blade, all seems lost. But Honda and Levin create the robot Pegasas, who can harness his shattered crystal, defeating Dagger who is caught off guard by Blade’s transformation. Meanwhile, General Colbert, undeterred by his initial failure to take control, tasks his operative Balzac Asimov to spy on the Space Knights as a journalist. Omega releases Tekkaman Evil to replace Dagger, and continue with the invasion. Evil has a personal stake in defeating Blade as his brother, and successfully duels him long enough for Blade to fall under Radam’s control. Blade is only brought back to his senses by Miletta Le Rouge, who knows she bears a resemblance to his younger sister Miyuki.
Commander Heinrich gives Balzac data on Blade’s Tekkaman armor, knowing he will take it to General Colbert but understands Earth will need more Tekkaman to fight against Radam. Balzac returns with a military version of the Tekkaman armor and uses it on a mission to attack the space ring from Radam forces. He fails, stopped by Tekkaman Evil, who presses his attack on the Earth Armed Forces Headquarters. Aki and Noel break into the headquarters to free Takayak who was arrested by General Colbert. They escape with Noel taking the second military prototype Tekkaman suit.
Miyuki, meanwhile, frees herself from the Tekkaman transformation and brainwashing process. She flees to Earth, with the hopes of reaching her brother and warning him about Radam’s final invasion plan and their actual location on the far side of the moon. General Colbert informs Commander Heinrich about his plan to use a special missile to strike the Space Ring and destroy the Radam threat, even risking falling debris on the remaining humans. Evil discovers the Space Knights headquarters and launches an all-out attack with several other Tekkamen, just as Blade races out to stop General Colbert. With the defenses destroyed and the base crumbling, Miyuki decides to confront them alone as Tekkaman Rapier. But can she and the Space Knights hold out long enough for Blade to return?
Manga
In 1994, Suzuki Noritaka created and Media Works published Tekkaman Blade the manga in Japan. It generally keeps the overall plot and characters the same. The Radam forces are invading Earth, while the Space Knights and Earth’s forces are trying to stop them. However, the manga is highly condensed, and some things have been changed to accommodate the shorter story. Although I do not read Japanese, these are some of the changes I see that are evident:
- The manga opens up with Takayak and his family discovering Radam’s ship already crashed on the moon instead of around Saturn.
- Time gaps are used more in the manga than the show. There is a 13-year time gap between first contact and the present invasion in the manga, compared to several months in the show.
- The Earth Military Force is shown to have more of a concerted military fleet in the manga compared to the show.
- Takayak needs Pegas to transform into Tekkaman Blade from the opening of the manga. By the end, he can transform into Blade without Pegas.
- Miletta instead of Miyuki can transform into Tekkaman Blade Rapier.
- Blade vs Dagger rivalry seems to be more emphasized in the manga, compared to Blade vs Evil in the show.
Overall, the manga seems to be an alternative re-telling of the show with similar cast of characters, but with a different story and pacing. If you like the show and can read Japanese, consider looking for it. It may not be easy to find, but it is possible to acquire either a used physical copy or find the scans online.
Games and Merchandise
There are three direct Japanese only videogames based on the show. SUN L and publisher Yutaka developed the Gameboy version in 1992, a side scroller that allows the player to use different skills to progress through the level infested by Radam forces. Al developed and Bec released the SNES game in 1993, a standard side-scrolling hack and slash games with the Tekkaman enemies acting as bosses. In 1994, Matrix developed and published Tekkaman Blade: Orbital Ring Dakkai Sakusen for PC-98, a real time strategy game where the player controls Earth or Radam forces in an attempt to control Earth.
Tekkaman Blade and other characters would later appear in crossover series, such as Super Robot Wars J and Super Robot Wars W, despite Tekkamen not quite being robots. In 2010, Capcom published and Eighting developed (best know for Marvel vs Capcom 3) Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, a crossover fighting game for the Wii where Blade is a playable character.
Because of the striking suit and mech designs, Tekkaman Blade is a popular choice for model kits. Bandai, Max Factory and Sentinel Toys have all released model kits based on the series over the years, with Blade, Evil, and Pegas being popular choices.
Thoughts...
I first saw Tekkaman Blade when Saban brought the show to the U.S. and renamed it Teknoman. I was intrigued by the story, the animation and the armor design of Blade and that’s what got me coming back to watch it every Saturday morning when the next episode came out. I was annoyed to see that they cancelled it halfway through, especially during the pinnacle arc when Shara (Miyuki) sacrifices herself to save the Space Knights from the Radam Tekkamen before Blade can return from his mission in time. It would be years later until I could grab the entire DVD collection and watch the show to its conclusion. So, what are my thoughts now several years after the show’s original debut? Does it still hold up even to it’s today?
I still enjoyed the show, even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of transforming hero (or Henshin Hero) archetype. Which is similar to shows like Power Rangers or VR Troopers that were popular and also brought to the U.S. by Saban. But Tekkaman Blade is different by incorporated more drama and themes usually found in Mecha shows like Mobile Suit Gundam. I really dig the Tekkaman armor designs, and I know I am not the only one. All the characters the viewer spends the most time with hit that right spot; Takaya/Nick is the broody protagonist, held down by his personal and mental struggles from becoming Tekkaman Blade. He learns how his reckless actions can bring danger to the others around him, and his need to trust his friends and teammates in the Space Knights. Aki/Star is the emotional but logical woman who becomes the love interest for Takaya. She becomes the only thing left for him to mentally hold on to as he slips into madness and vengeance by the end. Noel/Ringo seems like a jerk early on but always willing to do the right thing. Even Commander Heinrich/Jamison, who may be the most emotionally aloof, comes off as a competent, hardworking leader that makes the hardest choices with the best reasons.
Every character in the show, even Balzac and Tekkaman Evil/Saber, all redeem themselves through trials and tribulations. Well except for General Colbert/Gault who seems to go down as the archetype megalomaniac. Which is a bit of a shame, I dislike that trope and I think there were plenty of opportunities to show how he gradually became more callous. For example, maybe the stress of the job with civilians demanding he do something against Radam, which makes him come up with the desperate plan to destroy the Space Ring.
Multiple characters, both good and evil, will live, struggle and die throughout the course of the show. Which is not unheard of in many Anime sci-fi dramas but wasn’t common for U.S. shows or animations. I really felt it when the terminally ill Miyuki sacrificed herself to save the Space Knights, when Balzac burned through the atmosphere after going one on one with Tekkaman Lance, and when Tekkaman Saber/Evil gaining a moment of lucidity before dying after his final bout with Blade. It makes every moment bittersweet as Blade, and even humanity, struggle to hold on just long enough to take the fight to Omega/Darkon.
Teknoman Opening, English
Tekkaman Opening, Japanese
The Japanese OST is a mix of different music; old school guitar/heavy rock for key moments and openings and pseudo-orchestral music used as background during the show. This is similar to other Anime space operas, like Mobile Suit Gundam, where the orchestral music establishes an epic tone to the conflict. At key moments, the show will insert choir-like vocals such as the final fight between Blade and Omega. Some of this is saved for the U.S. or international version, but most of the Japanese vocals are not. Instead, a more high-tempo electronic score is created for the western audience. This includes the opening and certain key fight scenes. For better or worse, it’s interesting how the choice of music changes the same scenes between the Japanese and English version. In theory, I don’t prefer one over the other, but I am naturally biased for the western soundtrack.
At almost 50 episodes I argue it’s a bit too long. There are several episodes (especially the recap episodes) that could be cut entirely, while others could be condensed outright. Even down to 43 episodes is arguably not enough, and any further revisions would require a rewrite of sort. On one hand, the length gives plenty of time to flesh out most of the characters and their respective arcs. But it also breeds repetition. For example, how many times do you need to see Blade fight one on one against Saber? Or see Takaya transform into Tekkaman Blade using the same animation? I argue whatever it is, the show more than exceeds it. Additionally, the length of the show introduces another issue: spotty animation. It is apparent different studios were used to animate the show. And the quality suffers as a result. Some episodes will rely heavily on cut animation frames, frozen action scenes, or simplified coloring to keep costs down. It’s not obvious to why some episodes are like this, other than the more plot intensive episodes are the ones that received the proper funding. Which reinforces my earlier argument they should have condensed the episodes from the beginning, instead of stretching out the costs through all 49 episodes.
So, despite these issues, how does Tekkaman Blade stand in entirety? I think it’s a show that largely stands up even today, but I do find myself skipping some episodes where the animation budget and pacing takes a dip. If redone, I think it needs to address all the issues I outlined. But if you can keep those limitations in mind, and power on through the slower parts, I think you will find Tekkaman Blade enjoyable. At the very least, you will dig the armor design.