# Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972)

> A five-member science ninja team of bird-named heroes battles a secret criminal organization in this classic Japanese anime.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/12636

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 205
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, science fiction
- Created by: Tatsuo Yoshida
- Network: Fuji TV
- Cast: Katsuji Mori, Isao Sasaki, Kazuko Sugiyama, Yoku Shioya, Shingo Kanemoto, Mikio Terashima, Nobuo Tanaka, Hisayoshi Yoshizawa
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068792/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: earnest, playful, brisk, colorful, retro, heroic

## What critics say

Viewers regard the original 1972 series as a positively received classic of Japanese superhero animation, with a fond but sometimes confused relationship to its English adaptations.

## Synopsis

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a classic Japanese animated superhero series from the early 1970s, created for television by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. Five young members of a science-powered ninja unit, each code-named after a bird, fight a secret criminal organization whose masked commanders and grotesque villains plot to dominate the world. Each episode builds around a new threat that the team must stop using transforming costumes, aircraft and gadgets, while the larger conflict grows across multiple seasons. The show belongs to the sentai tradition of costumed team heroes and stands as a landmark of seventies Japanese television animation. Its tone is brisk, colorful and earnest, with playful retro energy, bold action set pieces and a steady heroic optimism. Viewers who enjoy Battle of the Planets, Power Rangers or Kamen Rider will recognize the same team spirit, color coded heroes and serialized villain warfare that defined this era of cartoon storytelling.

## Shows like Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

- [Ultraseven (1967)](https://ember.film/tv/66963)
- [Mazinger Z (1972)](https://ember.film/tv/17790)
- [Choushinsei Flashman (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/61891)
- [Birdman and the Galaxy Trio (1967)](https://ember.film/tv/966)
- [Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/29205)
- [Galaxy Express 999 (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/29200)
- [Mobile Cop Jiban (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/499)
- [Megabeast Investigator Juspion (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/5879)
- [Choujuu Sentai Liveman (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/5360)
- [Battle of the Planets (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/4468)

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