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 | "I know I should be excited and scared and all but I--all I think of is sweaty Japanese guys..." |  |
"Tokusatsu", often shortened to just "Toku", is the Japanese live-action effects genre. Though the overlap is not total, it can, at least casually, be considered the live-action analogue toAnime (at least, to the subset of anime best known to casual viewers in the west).
Originally, Toku differentiated itself from western visual effects genres by its preference for "live" effects (ie.People in Rubber Suits) over the equally phony special effects created during editing (at the time of the genre's birth, specifically the stop-motion techniques pioneered byRay Harryhausen, now CGI). Modern Toku uses both forms of effect, but "live" effects are still preferred. Toku is closely identified withWire Fu.
Far and away, the most popular early example of Toku is theGodzilla film franchise, which exemplifies many of the genre's tropes: people in rubber suits smashing scale model cities, and an abundance ofsquibs.
Most of the examples of Toku series are actuallyfranchises of theSentai andHenshin Hero variety, producing many separate but related series.
Notable Toku series and franchises include:
- Aikoku Sentai Dai-Nippon A parody of Super Sentai.
- Ambassador Magma (first color toku)
- Armor Hero
- Bio Planet WoO
- Bishoujo Kamen Poitrine
- Choujin Barom 1 (One of Toei's most famous manga-to-live-action adaptations!)
- Choukou Senshi Changerion
- Chou Sei Shin Series - Done by Toho, who made the originalGodzilla movies.
- Daitetsujin-17 - Shotaro Ishinomori and Toei's own take on aGiant Robo-type series.
- Demon Hunter Mitsurugi - an early-70sJidai Geki series, about a trio ofNinjas who fight of alien invaders byfusing into a giant warrior. Notable for usingStop Motion puppetry to create itsKaiju, rather than the standardPeople in Rubber Suits.
- Denjin Zaboga
- Denkou Choujin Gridman
- Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop - Toho's late-80s entry in the genre. Essentially a mix betweenMetal Heroes andSuper Sentai.
- Dinosaur Prince
- Fireman - Possibly the first "Giant Hero" made for adults in 1973.
- France Five - A French homage to Super Sentai.
- Gamera
- Garo - A comparatively darker take on the genre.
- Giant Robo (akaJohnny Sokko and his Flying Robot)
- Godzilla
- Godzilla 2000
- Mothra: A franchise that mostly overlaps with the Godzilla series, though has it's solo films.
- Henshin Heroes - Not technically a tokusatsu, more of a tokusatsu themedPlay By Post Game.
- Inframan - while Chinese rather than Japanese, it's an obvious effort by the Shaw Bros. to cash in onUltraman's success.
- Japanese Spider-Man - Notable for being the spiritual predecessor toSuper Sentai'sHumongous Mecha elements.
- Jumborg Ace
- The Kagestar
- Kaiju Big Battel - An AmericanAffectionate Parody of thiscombined withProfessional Wrestling.
- Kaiketsu Zubat - Take aSuperhero toku show,stir in a helping ofNew Old West, and then castHiroshi Miyauchi,a veteran actor who already had multiple leading roles in toku as the title character.
- Kaiketsu Lion Maru - 70'sSuperhero toku show about a man in feudal Japan who can turn into a swordsman with lion head. No links with Zubat despite the title. Spawned the immediate sequelFuun Lion Maru.
- Lion Maru G - over 30 years after the last Lion Maru comes thisGeorge Lucas Throwback from the makers ofGaro.
- Kamen no Ninja Akakage
- Kamen Rider
- Kankyou Choujin Ecogainder - A series by Japan's Ministry of the Environment to teach kidsGreen Aesops.
- Kodai Shoujo Dogu-chan, a.k.a.The Ancient Dogoo Girl
- K-tai Investigator 7 - Officially counted as a toku show by its creators, but is more half-toku/half-drama.
- Lightspeed Esper
- Madan Senki Ryukendo
- Matango
- Metal Heroes
- Mighty Jack
- Mirrorman
- Moonlight Mask (The very first Toku show from 1958!)
- The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog - This show was notable for being an attempt by Saban to introduce American-original tokusatsu to television. Of course, it was also produced to feed off the success of thePower Rangers andBig Bad Beetleborgs.
- Ninja Captor (a Sentai-esqe series that was apparently once classed as part of theSuper Sentai franchise)
- Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, notable for being aLive Action Adaptation ofan already immensely popular manga/anime.
- Robo Geisha
- Robot Detective- Take a police drama, throw inIsaac Asimov-style robotics and you've got this series
- Spectreman
- Seiun Kamen Machineman- Created byShotaro Ishinomori, aired in 1984. MostlyZorro meets Superman.
- Seven Star Fighting God Guyferd- A fighting series made by Toho and Capcom taking inspirations from many different sources, includingGuyver,Kamen Rider, andStreet Fighter.
- Silver Kamen
- Space Ironmen Kyodain
- Sport Ranger - A Thai production created in the same vein asSuper Sentai.
- Star Kid - Taking a lot of inspiration fromGuyver andKikaider, this 1997 film is a rare, non-Saban original American take on the genre. Fortunately, it has since beenVindicated by Cable after it flopped at the box office.
- Super Robot Red Baron - An early-70s example ofMecha in toku, intentionally done in the style ofMazinger Z. Its popularity later resulted in a few successor series and a 90s anime revival.
- Super Sentai
- Tomica Hero Rescue Force andTomica Hero Rescue Fire have more of aRescue slant to them than a "fight the bad guys, save the world" one, but they're both toku series nonetheless.
- Ultra Series
- Warrior of Love Rainbowman- Toho's first henshin hero and anEnhanced Remake of7-Color Mask from 1959. It was remade into a giant robot anime in 1982.
- Voicelugger - A Sentai series. The last production by Shotaro Ishinomori, godfather ofSuper Sentai, released posthumously,
Super Sentai,Metal Heroes andKamen Rider franchises on this list were adapted, with varying degrees of success, by Haim Saban to produce the U.S. seriesPower Rangers,VR Troopers,Big Bad Beetleborgs andMasked Rider.Kamen Rider Ryuki was later adapted intoKamen Rider Dragon Knight, which considered better thanMasked Rider.Toku series use many of the sametropes often associated with Anime, though have become synonymous with others.
Interestingly, a number of Western television programs are considered Toku by the Japanese due to their use of special effects and certain themes; this list includes such names asSmallville,Stargate SG-1,Doctor Who,Knight Rider, andRed Dwarf. This list also includes shows that use puppetry, like Gerry Anderson'sSupermarionation seriesThunderbirds andTerrahawks, and evenThomas the Tank Engine.
Tropes common to this genre include:
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever
- By the Power of Grayskull
- Conservation of Ninjutsu
- Hour of Power
- In the Name of the Moon
- Japanese Beetle Brothers
- Merchandise-Driven
- Monster of the Week
- People in Rubber Suits
- Super Mode
- Stock Footage
- Technology Porn
- Theme Music Power-Up
- Transformation Sequence
- Wire Fu
Tropes about this genre include:
Names To Know In Tokusatsu include:
Major Companies producing Tokusatsu include:
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Toku?oldid=2001810"
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