Some of you may remember this series as Battle of the Planets, others as G-Force. You might even know it more recently as Eagle Riders. But before all of that, it was Tatsunoko's "Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman", a popular anime series that aired in Japan in the 1970s along with it's follow-up sequels Gatchaman II, Gatchaman Fighter and the 1994 OAVs.
The story takes place in Earth's future, which is threatened by an organization
of terrorists called Gallactor, out for world domination.The team consists
of five
teenagers
specially trained to combat Gallactor using their special abilities, weapons
and team spirit.
Did I forget to mention that they dress like birds?
Do you know our heroes?
Owashi no Ken, or Eagle Ken. The fearless and dedicated leader of the team,
driven to stop the forces of Gallactor. His weapon is the Birdrang
(or boomerang with a razor sharp edge). He's the pretty boy of the team but
is usually oblivious when a girl falls for him, as his role as Gatchaman
is way too important for him to be distracted. When he's not
Gatchaman, he is
a small plane pilot and lives on a small airfield.
Kondoru no Joe, or Condor Joe.
He's the team badboy with a scary temper, driven by revenge to stop
Gallactor. His weapon is the feather shuriken. When he's not kicking
Gallactor butt, he is on the racetrack and lives out of a trailer that gets
him from race to race. For more about Joe, complete with more images,
click the image of the Condor to the right....Spoilers
Galore....Ken and
Joe have a love/hate relationship as most brothers do, though they are
not related. For screencaps from various Gatchmana episodes, visit
Condor Joe's
Trailer.
Shiratori no Jun, or Swan
Jun. The girl of the team and certainly not the least capable.
She's the mechanical and computer expert of the team. Her fighting
ability usually leaves a few stunned Gallactor passed out on the floor.
Her weapon is a deadly yo-yo that has hooks and explosives attached
to it. She doesn't get into trouble "too" much...When she's not blowing
up mecha, she's running the Snack J, a bar/club. She has adopted and
takes care of Jinpei. The two are as close to each other as real siblings
can be.
Tsubakurou no
Jinpei, or Swallow Jinpei. The tiniest and youngest one of the team.
He's a tough and agile little guy who also gives Gallactors a run for
their money, but still in some need of resuing, at least in the first series.
His weapon is a bolo with razor edges and explosives attached. Though
dedicated, he's often the prankster of the team. When not on duty he
helps Jun run the Snack J, or ceaselessly teases her which results in him
getting yelled at, thwapped or both. For a great page dedicated to the swallow
go to Jinpei's
Room.
Mimizuku no Ryu, or Horned Owl Ryu, the GodPhoenix pilot. The biggest and
sweetest guy on the team, ruled by his heart. Though he can be gentle, I
wouldn't expect it if you're a Gallactor in disguise. His weapon is a gun
with a cable, but more often than not, his whole body. Ryu is the only member
who still has living family (who are unaware that he is the Horned Owl),
and as a result, Ken tries to keep him out of trouble. He enjoys
the simple life and enjoys cracking jokes at the expense of the others.
He considers the others an extension of his
family.
Dr. Nambu is the team mentor. He appears to be a quiet, mature, strict
and business-as-usual kind of guy. He is highly respected for his knowledge
of Astrophysics. He is also responsible for hand-picking and training each
member of the Science Ninja Team. He is the chief scientist of the ISO
(International Science Organization) that was formed to combat Gallactor.
Sometimes, he appears quite emotionless and other times he can be seen obviously
shaken, for example, when he lost his best friend.
Berg Katse is the general of
the Gallactor forces. He/She is a mutant created by SosaiX, Gallactor's leader,
who merged two fraternal twins. Katse can change from male to female
as he wishes, however when he was younger, was not able to control this change.
By digging up old records Nambu figured out Katse's secret. See the
pretty face behind the mask.
There are some great Gatchaman Pages out there and below are some links to
them. These are by no means all of them, but I didn't list them because each
of the below sites has a wealth of links in them. Be sure to visit them.
Kagaku Ninja Tai
Gatchaman with pictures and lots of information.
The Home of the White Shadow with more pictures, episode synopsis and links.
Gatchaman, G-Force, Battle of the Planets and Eagle Riders with more pictures, movies and music to download and more links.
Lori's Corner where Lori has an awesome page full of a fanfic archive and more links.
The Devil Star's Homepage is loaded with fanfic and fanart.
Julie Adolf's Battle of the Planets Universe with tons of trivia.
The Gatchaman Resource List A very good shopping guide.
The Gatchaman Goodies Page which lists probably every known piece of merchandise.
Gatchaman Forever with fanfic and a link to the Gatchaman Mailing List page.
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This page was created by a
fan for fans. All rights retained by Tatsunoko, Sandy Frank Productions,
Saban Entertainment, and Turner Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended.
This is only an appreciation page. None of the material on these pages may
be used for profit.