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Marvel Comics finally acknowledges ‘Japanese Spider-Man’

Did you know that there was a live-action Spider-Man TV series in Japan?

If you said “no,” then you are not alone. The series was created by Toei and deviated from your typical superhero shows like Batman and the Incredible Hulk. It would not be a stretch to extend the deviation from the CW shows Arrow and The Flash.

Superhero shows in Japan are known to be different from superhero shows in the United States.

Japan has superheroes like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Android Kikaider and Super Sentai. The popular Power Rangers franchise, the VR Troopers series, and the Big Bad Beetleborg series are adapted from Japan’s Super Sentai franchise.

Masked Rider, a spinoff from Power Rangers, is adapted from Kamen Rider. There were two episodes in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that took the heroes to the planet where Alpha-5 originated from.

The story served as the backdoor to Masked Rider.

What does this have to do with the Spider-Man series in Japan? The answer is “everything” because the series is similar to Kamen Rider and Android Kikaider.

Japanese Spider-Man aired from 1978 until 1979.

There were legal complications between Toei and Marvel Comics because the former used the property without the latter’s permission. The complications arise due to intellectual property law and international business law.

Marvel Comics is finally acknowledging the show and is currently streaming it on Marvel.com, where new episodes will be uploaded every Thursday. The episodes are not exactly “new,” since they aired in the late 70s.

Japanese Spider-Man is different from every Spider-Man movie and cartoon you have seen.

The series centers on protagonist Takuya Yamashiro, who is a professional motorcycle racer and not a journalist.

As “Spider-Man,” Takuya fights the Iron Cross Army, which is something you would normally see in a Japanese superhero show. It is also important to know that this Spider-Man is the only one with his own mecha, which is named Leopardon.

Takuya is portrayed by Shinji Todo.

It is also important to point out that Takuya is the first Spider-Man, as the video shows, to shoot firearms.

Todo’s credits include Electronic Squadron Denziman, Chojinki Metalder, Uradeka, and Manbiki G-Men Nikaido Yuki. His last movie, titled Keishicho Shinri Sosakan Asuka 2, was in 2012.

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