is a Japan

Japan

Japan 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 tokusatsu

Tokusatsu

is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....

 television franchise that began in 1972 by P Productions

P Productions

is a Japanese production company, which has produced anime and tokusatsu programs, with minor work in motion pictures. It was founded by the late TV producer Tomio Sagisu. The company exists today as a stockholder...

 as Kaiketsu Lion-Maru

Kaiketsu Lion-Maru

, The Vigilant Lion Knight , was a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Lion-Maru franchise that aired in 1972-1973, produced by P Productions and set during Japan's Sengoku period .- Plot :During the late 16th century, a trio of ninja orphans are wandering Japan and saving people from evil...

. The basic premise of the series is that the main character has the ability to transform into a superpower

Superpower

A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...

ed anthropomorphic lion

Lion

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

, usually wielding a katana

Katana

A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

. The original two series were set in feudal Japan and were, essentially, tokusatsu versions of the samurai drama

Jidaigeki

is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...

s that were extremely popular at the time. The 2006 program, Lion-Maru G

Lion-Maru G

is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from October 1, 2006 to November 24, 2006 in Japan, lasting 13 episodes. It is the third part in the Lion-Maru trilogy, following Kaiketsu Lion-Maru and Fuun Lion-Maru...

, is set in the near future, but still uses the samurai motif for the designs of the main characters.

Series

• Kaiketsu Lion-Maru
  Kaiketsu Lion-Maru
  , The Vigilant Lion Knight , was a Japanese tokusatsu television series in the Lion-Maru franchise that aired in 1972-1973, produced by P Productions and set during Japan's Sengoku period .- Plot :During the late 16th century, a trio of ninja orphans are wandering Japan and saving people from evil...
  
  (1972)
• Fuun Lion-Maru
  Fuun Lion-Maru
  , translated as Storm Cloud Lion Maru, was a tokusatsu series that aired in Japan in 1973. It was the second series in the Lion-Maru trilogy, and featured a third Maru-like character named Black Jaguar...
  
  (1973)
• Lion-Maru G
  Lion-Maru G
  is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from October 1, 2006 to November 24, 2006 in Japan, lasting 13 episodes. It is the third part in the Lion-Maru trilogy, following Kaiketsu Lion-Maru and Fuun Lion-Maru...
  
  (2006)