Choudenshi Bioman
Encyclopedia
is Toei Company
's eighth installment in the Super Sentai
series. It was aired on TV Asahi
from February 4, 1984 to January 26, 1985, with a total of 51 episodes, as well as a movie. Its international English title as listed by Toei is simply Bioman.
}: It is used by Red One and Pink Five, forming the upper half of Bio Robo. It reappeared in Gaoranger Vs. Super Sentai.
}: It is used by three other Bioman, forming the lower half of Bio Robo.
}: The leader of the Big Three and the first of the trio to battle the Bioman, Red One's frequent rival. Given Bio Killer Gun, Mason only managed to kill Mika when she intentionally had him empty out all his Anti-Bio Particle ammo on her while he wanted to kill Shiro. He once plotted against Doctor Man himself upon leaning his origins. He is armed with a staff which fires energy bolts which was later broken in half by Red One. He later fired an energy bolt to Red One from his chest after his Staff was Broken. Doctor Man apparently puts more importance on him than the other two. He later shares a close relationship with Farrah. He was later rebuilt and armed with Mason Rockets and Mason Machine Gun. He was eventually killed by Silva, praising Doctor Man one final time for he explodes.
}: The female member of the Big Three, she uses beam weapons and leaves the dirty fighting to Farrah Cat. She often disguises herself as human in her schemes, favoring cunning and deception above brutal force. She used to show resentment towards Mason but later developed a close relationship with him starting with the plot to steal gold bars which Mason designed. Later rebuilt and armed with Farrah Fire Storm and Farrah Kiss (blows an explosive flying kiss). She is rivals with Yellow Four and Pink Five. She died after receiving damage in battle while piloting Balzion.
}: The brute of the Big Three who uses a battle axe as his usual weapon of choice, though he can use nearby heavy objects in his fights as well. He usually works with Zyuoh. He was later upgraded and armed with Black Mace, Iron Paw. Despite being an android, he is revealed to have feelings for Farrah which she resents and Mason considers it disgusting suggesting a love triangle. He was killed while trying to capture Balzion in Super Megas.: Farrah's android bodyguard who does the dirty work, dressed in black and purple skins, she is quick, agile and acrobatic. She has claws for weapons and uses twin nunchukus as well. She eventually meets her end when Yellow Four and Pink Five blew off her circuits with a full blast.: The robotic foot soldiers of Gear. They have black bodies with red eyes, and silver masks that hide their mechanical faces. Their arms include swords and guns. They can be programmed to pilot Mechadrone jet fighters or act as laboratory assistants.
on ABS-CBN
in 1988 - making it the first Sentai show to be broadcasted in the country since Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai. It was also the last tokusatsu title in the Philippines to be dubbed in English, as Uchuu Keiji Shaider
- which was aired on the same year - began the trend of dubbing tokusatsu in Filipino
. In recent years, Bioman was re-broadcast and re-dubbed in Filipino.
The series was also popular in France
, with singer/actor Bernard Minet
recording a French version of the show's theme for that country.
Like most Super Sentai series, Bioman was also broadcasted in Thailand
. The series was aired on Channel 7.
In 1986, Haim Saban
produced a pilot episode
of an American adaptation of the series simply titled Bio-Man.
Ending theme
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
's eighth installment in the Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
series. It was aired on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
from February 4, 1984 to January 26, 1985, with a total of 51 episodes, as well as a movie. Its international English title as listed by Toei is simply Bioman.
Plot
The once prosperous is destroyed after a world war erupted over the use of a scientific discovery called "Bio Particles". The , which sought to use Bio Particles for peaceful purposes, sends the giant robot Bio Robo and an assistant robot named Peebo in order to prevent the same tragedy from happening on Earth. Bio Robo arrives on 15th century Japan, where it showers Bio Particles on five young individuals. Five centuries later, the descendants of these individuals, infused with Bio Particles, are chosen by Peebo and Bio Robo to become the Bioman team in order to protect the Earth from the Neo Gear Empire, an organization led by the mad scientist Doctor Man.Bioman
The Bioman are the descendants of five people showered with Bio Particles centuries ago who were spirited way by the Bio Robo during Gear's initial attack to obtain the from Peebo to become the Bioman. To transform individually they call their color and number and to transform as a group they call Bioman. Along with their , a versatile sidearm with sword, dagger, and blaster modes, the Bioman are fairly unique in that they have a variety of team attacks that are executed after their Bio Brain Computers are synched up. Among their team attacks are and .- Shirō Gō is the pilotAviatorAn aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of the first JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese space shuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
before getting caught in the crossfire just as the Gear begins the invasion. In him, passion and responsibility unite in an unusual combination. He possessed a charm since he was born. He grew up believing that his father was dead. However, after meeting Professor Shibata, even he is not so sure. The Bio Particles within him enable him to communicate with animals. His Bio Brain Computer allows him to target any opponent with his ability. Armed with and special attacks.: Shingo Takasugi is a race car driver. Shingo can be very tough to enemies yet very kind to children, for whom he has a soft spot. Yet despite his bravado, there are times when he doubts his own abilities. Yet despite these doubts, he knows what he must do and does them as well as possible. He is the designated driver of Bio Turbo. His Bio Brain Computer allows him to use his ability to see through any deception. Armed with , as well as the and special attacks.: Ryūta Nanbara is a water sportsman who is boyish and adventurous* he loves to explore and discover things new. His years of diving have made him very nimble* thus, he is very skilled in stealth techniques. He also has an intolerance towards bullies. His Bio Brain Computer allows him to use his ability to enhance his sense of hearing. He wields the and his special attack is .: Mika Koizumi is a photographer who dreams of following in her late brother's footsteps to photograph the wildlife in Africa. Initially, she is hesitant to join the Bioman team until she is convinced that Gear's evil would eventually put the animals of Africa in danger. When Gear managed to gather a bit of Anti-Bio Particles to weaponize, Mika dies by Pysgorn's hand after she sacrificing herself to empty Bio Killer Gun's ammo so her allies can fight without being poisoned by the Anti-Bio Particles. The others mourn for her lost as Bio Robo activates her Bio-Brain Computer to present her memories to give the Bioman hope. Her Bio Brain Computer allows her to present photographic projections in her ability. Her weapon was the . Her special attack is Yellow Flash.: Jun Yabuki is an OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
archerArcheryArchery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
. Sometimes dressing up like an American Indian cowgirl/feudal Japan hybrid outfit. The last two letters in her surname "ki" is the kanji for her color. After watching the Bioman in action when she returned from an archery contest in Europe, she tries to join them, but is initially refused due to her lack of understanding how serious the fight is. However, her fearlessness enabled the Bioman to learn that she is also a descendant of the humans bombarded with Bio Particles. When she accidentally injured Shirō during the Samecanth incident, Jun is confronted her old squad captain who learns of her reasons of leaving the Olympics team and allows her to remain with the Bioman. Having the same abilities and arsenal as her predecessor, the new Yellow Four also uses the as her weapon.: Hikaru Katsuragi is a carnivalTraveling carnivalA traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
flutist. Sweet yet strong, and a mistress of disguise. An unusually strong spirit yet with a strong motherly instinct. She plays the flute both to calm her spirits and to strengthen her resolve. She is able to befriend the evil computer Brain and teach him about friendship, which pays off when Brain sacrifices himself to save the Bioman as well as the world from destruction. She is also the most emotional member of the team, especially when crying. Her Bio Brain Computer allows her to use her ability. She wields the . Her special attacks are , and . Her name means light.
Team Attacks
Unlike most Sentai teams, the Bioman used several team attacks. These are:- Bio Miracle Wave: The Bioman use their swords to fire an elemental beam. It was first used in episode one against Messerjū.
- Bio Revolver: The Bioman execute a spinning kick attack from all sides to send the opponent away. It was used only in episode two against Psygorn.
- Bio Burn Bar: The Bioman sends a series of energy blasts from the ground. It was used only in episode three against Jūō and later in the movie.
- Bio Team Kick: The Bioman execute a Bio Kick together. It was first used in episode four against Mettzler and later as a counterattack when Mettlzer was upgraded.
- Bio Electron Beam: The Bioman fire their pistols at the monster together. It was first used in episode five against Beast King. It was later used as a counterattack against an upgraded Psygorn.
- Bio Miracle Beam: The Bioman fire a series of energy beams from the forehead. It was first used in episode eight against Messerjū.
- Bio Big Bow: This attack arrived when Jun Yabuki replaced Mika Koizumi. It was first used in episode 13 against Messerjū.
- Bio Electron Charge: In episode 34, the Bioman created a new technique to defeat stronger Jūnoids.
Allies
: An android who is the guardian of the Bio Particles, Bio Robo and Bio Dragon, built as an experimental robot when the Bio Particles were in development. He came to Earth 500 years ago and showered five courageous people with Bio Particles. Now that Gear has made its move, Peebo and Bio Robo gather the descendants of the original five. He shows a great fear for Silva. In the last two episodes, he used himself to energize Bio Robo.: Thinking himself an orphan, named , he learns he is in reality Shūichi Kageyama, the son of Doctor Man and basis of Prince's design. At first, Doctor Man tries to get him to join Gear, but Shūichi rejects Doctor Man. Eventually, Shūichi finds and joins Doctor Shibata. Later, he helps the Bioman ultimately defeat Gear. He manages to convince Doctor Man to help them stop the bomb that could destroy the whole Earth through the use of human emotions.: Doctor Kageyama's former wife and the mother of Shūichi. After Kageyama became Doctor Man, she left her husband and gave away their son Shūichi for adoption to the Nakamura family. 17 years later, the Bioman team and Shūichi stumble onto a letter she left behind, along with a video recording, which revealed Doctor Man's true identity. She never actually appears in the series besides a photograph of herself with Kageyama and Shūichi as an infant, and a voice-over while Shūichi reads her letter.: Shirō's estranged father and the former research partner of Hideo Kageyama. After Kageyama became insane, he faked his death and left his wife and son in order to stop his former friend. He turned himself into a cyborg like Doctor Man did in order to continue his research and overthrow the Neo Gear Empire. Adopting the alias of , he disguises his true identity by wearing rose-colored eyeglasses and a fake beard. He creates a "conscience circuit" that is capable of giving Mecha Clones free will.: A young friend of Peebo from Bio Star. He recorded a video message on a compact disc addressed to Peebo that was sent to Earth from Bio Star before its destruction. Doctor Man managed to get a hold of the disc before Peebo does and decides to create a Mecha Clone of Joy in order to trick Peebo into revealing the location of the Bioman's headquarters. Peebo is deceived by the duplicate at first, but manages to see through the deception after he views Joy's video recording, which revealed that the real Joy was unable to escape Bio Star's destruction and that he recorded the video as his final farewell to Peebo. Doctor Man, who did not understand the language of Bio Star's people, did not realize that Joy was already dead.: Jun's former coach and the captain of the Japanese Olympic Archery Team. He tries to investigate Jun's sudden departure from the team in order to convince her to return, only to discover Jun's secret identity as Yellow Four and allows her to remain with the Bioman.: A protector of nature who lives in Mt. Nekura by himself. When the Bioman team first encounter Yamamori, Shiro ponders the possibility of whether Yamamori might carry Bio Particles within him. After falling in love with Jun, Yamamori tries to join the team desperately, but is ultimately rejected when Bio Robo finds no traces of Bio Particles within his body. Disillusioned, Yamamori is tricked by a disguised Farrah into undergoing a procedure that would transform him into the , which puts under Gear's control. However, Yamamori manages to break free of Gear's influence and helps the Bioman team destroy the Magne Megas. Yamamori is considered a prototype of the "sixth warrior" additions featured in later Super Sentai shows.: A special Mecha Clone developed by Doctor Man to be coupled with Satan Megas in episode 43-44, Miki had the unusual appearance of a young girl in school uniform. As long as she existed, Satan Megas was able to re-assemble himself indefinitely, making him virtually invincible. After being implanted with Professor Shibata's conscience circuit, however, Miki felt guilt for the ravages caused by Gear, and resorted to activate her self-destruct so Bio Robo could defeat Satan Megas.Mecha
: A carrier ship for Bio Jets One and Two. On the fuselage side, two laser guns are equipped. With its magnetic force crane, it can pick up an inert Bio Robo. It can even transport a fully formed Bio Robo to the scene of battle.: Coming from Bio Star 500 years ago, Bio Robo is a semi sentient robot that showered five people with Bio-particles upon arriving on Earth around the time of Feudal Japan. Years later, Bio Robo activates upon detecting Gear's attacks and gathers the Bioman team together. It is formed from the two Bio Jets when the command is given. Bio Robo is armed with the sword and it destroys monsters with a variety of finishing attacks including, but not limited to, , , , , , and . It uses a powered up attack, the against later monsters.}: It is used by Red One and Pink Five, forming the upper half of Bio Robo. It reappeared in Gaoranger Vs. Super Sentai.
}: It is used by three other Bioman, forming the lower half of Bio Robo.
Neo Empire Gear
The was founded and led by the cyborg Doctor Man, from his Neo Grad fortress at the South Pole. Gear's forces believe themselves to be a technologically advanced society with the right to rule Earth.- The supreme ruler of Gear, Doctor Man was actually a human named who experimented on himself to accelerate his intelligence, only to have his body rapidly age in the process. To extend his life, Kageyama converted himself into a cyborg with a deep disgust for humanity, planning to conquer the world with his army of Mecha Clones while remaining alive long enough to find a worthy heir to his empire. When his true origins are revealed, Doctor Man countered the coup with a Mecha Clone copy of himself and later reprogrammed the Big Three and reorganized the empire. With his empire dying, he goes and fights the Bioman with King Megas only to be defeated. He activated the Neo Bomb but he ended up stopping it when his son and the Bioman prodded him eventually resulting in his death.: An advanced Mecha Clone constructed by Doctor Man in the image of his estranged son Shūichi as a teenager, he was created to be the perfect heir to Gear. A cold-headed sadist, Prince is armed with a baton and a laser-shooting shotgun. He first appears to take over Mason's scheme to cause an energy crisis, his sadist actions getting blue's disdain. However, Nanbara's confrontation stirs the memories Prince has of Shūichi's mother and had to be brought back by Mason and Farrah as his nature as a Mecha Clone is revealed. After Doctor removed his human emotions, Prince calls out Blue Three for a one-on-one fight before piloting Grotescanth and is consumed in the explosion that destroyed his Mecha Gigan. Episodes 49 and 50, Silva construct a replica of Prince in order infiltrate Neograd and recover Balzion, but Shūichi trades place with it instead and poses as Prince.
- Big Three (1-50): The three android generals who supervise field missions. They can also disguise themselves as humans.
}: The leader of the Big Three and the first of the trio to battle the Bioman, Red One's frequent rival. Given Bio Killer Gun, Mason only managed to kill Mika when she intentionally had him empty out all his Anti-Bio Particle ammo on her while he wanted to kill Shiro. He once plotted against Doctor Man himself upon leaning his origins. He is armed with a staff which fires energy bolts which was later broken in half by Red One. He later fired an energy bolt to Red One from his chest after his Staff was Broken. Doctor Man apparently puts more importance on him than the other two. He later shares a close relationship with Farrah. He was later rebuilt and armed with Mason Rockets and Mason Machine Gun. He was eventually killed by Silva, praising Doctor Man one final time for he explodes.
}: The female member of the Big Three, she uses beam weapons and leaves the dirty fighting to Farrah Cat. She often disguises herself as human in her schemes, favoring cunning and deception above brutal force. She used to show resentment towards Mason but later developed a close relationship with him starting with the plot to steal gold bars which Mason designed. Later rebuilt and armed with Farrah Fire Storm and Farrah Kiss (blows an explosive flying kiss). She is rivals with Yellow Four and Pink Five. She died after receiving damage in battle while piloting Balzion.
}: The brute of the Big Three who uses a battle axe as his usual weapon of choice, though he can use nearby heavy objects in his fights as well. He usually works with Zyuoh. He was later upgraded and armed with Black Mace, Iron Paw. Despite being an android, he is revealed to have feelings for Farrah which she resents and Mason considers it disgusting suggesting a love triangle. He was killed while trying to capture Balzion in Super Megas.: Farrah's android bodyguard who does the dirty work, dressed in black and purple skins, she is quick, agile and acrobatic. She has claws for weapons and uses twin nunchukus as well. She eventually meets her end when Yellow Four and Pink Five blew off her circuits with a full blast.: The robotic foot soldiers of Gear. They have black bodies with red eyes, and silver masks that hide their mechanical faces. Their arms include swords and guns. They can be programmed to pilot Mechadrone jet fighters or act as laboratory assistants.
Silva
: A robot, given half of Bio Particles as a power source and with a built-in arrow launcher in his elbow, from Bio Star built by the Anti-Bio Union with the objective to terminate anything with Bio Particles. However, Silva malfunctions and uses his mecha to destroy Bio Star. Tracking Bio Particle signature of Peebo and Bio Robo, Silva arrives on Earth to complete his objective. Though an arch enemy of the Bioman, Silva is also at odds with Gear who desire to utilize Balzion's technology for their own use. Losing his robot, Silva retrieves Balzion while killing Mason. In the end, Silva is destroyed when Balzion was defeated by a sudden charge of Bio Energy from Bio Robo.Episodes
Movie
A movie version of Chōdenshi Bioman premiered at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival on July 14, 1984. It was directed by Nagafumi Hori and written by Hirohisa Soda, who both worked on the series. The events of the movie are set somewhere between Episodes 11 and 33 due to the presence of Jun Yabuki as Yellow Four and the appearance of all five Beastnoids.International broadcasts
Bioman aired in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
in 1988 - making it the first Sentai show to be broadcasted in the country since Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai. It was also the last tokusatsu title in the Philippines to be dubbed in English, as Uchuu Keiji Shaider
Uchuu Keiji Shaider
is the third part of the Metal Hero Series, the last of the Space Sheriff Trilogy. It aired on TV Asahi from March 2, 1984 to March 1, 1985. Its action footage was used for Season 2 of VR Troopers...
- which was aired on the same year - began the trend of dubbing tokusatsu in Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
. In recent years, Bioman was re-broadcast and re-dubbed in Filipino.
The series was also popular in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with singer/actor Bernard Minet
Bernard Minet
Bernard Minet is a French singer and actor.He started his career in the Pas-de-Calais in 1969 and arrived in Paris in 1970, where he was part of several bands during his studies: "Pop", the "Baloches" and the "Golf Drouot." In 1974 he won first prize in percussion at the Conservatoire national de...
recording a French version of the show's theme for that country.
Like most Super Sentai series, Bioman was also broadcasted in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The series was aired on Channel 7.
In 1986, Haim Saban
Haim Saban
Haim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:...
produced a pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of an American adaptation of the series simply titled Bio-Man.
Cast
- Shirō Gō:
- Shingo Takasugi:
- Ryūta Nanbara:
- Mika Koizumi:
- Jun Yabuki:
- Hikaru Katsuragi:
- Doctor Shibata:
- Shūichi Kageyama, Prince:
- Doctor Man/Hideo Kageyama:
- Mason:
- Farrah:
- Farrah Cat:
- Monster:
- Mettzler:
- Zyuoh:
- Psygorn:
- Aquaiger:
- Messer Beast:
- Bio Hunter Silva:
- Narrator:
Songs
Opening theme-
- Lyrics:
- Composition:
- Arrangement:
- Artist:
Ending theme
-
- Lyrics: Chinfa Kan
- Composition: Kunihiko Kase
- Arrangement: Tatsumi Yano
- Artist: Takayuki Miyauchi