is an anime superhero TV series created by Go Nagai. Produced by Sunrise Inc. with cooperation of Dynamic Planning (Nagai's own company), the series was originally broadcast on Nagoya Broadcasting Network (NBN)/TV Asahi from , to , with a total of 43 episodes.
A manga series, written and drawn by Go Nagai, was also released alongside the anime, originally published by Kodansha in the magazine Comic Bom Bom from to .
Plot Ken Taiga is a milquetoast 12-year-old 6th grader living in Hokkaido, Japan, in 199X AD who has a knack on flipping females' skirts and touching their breasts because he can be quite a pervert. In Kushiro, Hokkaido, the Drago Knights of the Dragon Empire attack. Possessing overwhelming destructive force, they attack the city to awaken their master, the devil god Jashin Drago from the Rock of Sealing he was trapped in. Two hundred years ago, Drago was trapped in the seal by a holy warrior with the tattooed mark of the Liger. Assuming that the warrior is dead, Drago and Empress Zara are free to conquer the Earth using their army of giant biomechanical beasts. Even the Japan Self-Defense Forces are no match for the Drago Knights' awesome power. One of the people fleeing is Ken Taiga himself. Unbeknownst to the Dragonites, Ken realizes that he is the descendant of the Lion Clan that once summoned Liger. In a burst of anger, Ken's Liger birthmark appears, and he rises his palm into the air, shouting the henshin (transforming) command, "LIGER!" which then covers him in demonic, long-haired biomechanical armor. Ken transforms into Jushin Liger to fight the evil forces of the Dragon Empire and its true purposes. With the forces of Goro Dan, his classmate, alongside Yui Kamishiro and Mai Kamishiro, the 12-year-old twin sisters who possess special powers and have the ability to summon Begaruda, and alongside the 22-year-old newscaster Saeko Yagami, his adventures with them boost up with the battles against the Dragon Empire. And with the power of Thunder Phoenix, Liger will soon become Thunder Liger. Soon afterwards, it is revealed that Ryu Dolk, who happened to be Ken's arch rival from the Dragon Empire was the Kamishiro twins' brother, and later helped Jushin Liger's new ultimate form as Agama eradicate the Dragon Empire and the boss once and for all.
Characters
He is a sixth grader born in Hokkaido who has the power of the Bio Armor Liger.
Ken's grandfather.
Media Anime The opening theme , which was performed by Yumi Hiroki, is also wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger's theme song. The song was also used by Liger on occasion.
Source(s)
Staff and production notes Airtime: Saturday, 17:30 - 18:00 hrs. Network: Nagoya TV, TV Asahi Planning: Sunrise Planning coordinator: Dynamic Planning Production: Nagoya TV, Tokyu Agency, Sunrise Original work: Go Nagai Work collaboration: Sunrise Episode Directors: Osamu Sekita, Toshifumi Kawase, Masao Ito Direction: Norio Kashima Scenario: Shō Aikawa (screenwriter), Yoshimasa Takahashi, Toshiki Inoue, Yoshiyuki Suga, Hiroyuki Kawasaki Animation director: Yorihisa Uchida, Masanori Yamada, Joji Kikuchi Character design: Yorihisa Uchida Bio Armor design: Yukihiro Makino Music: Hiromoto Tobisawa Source(s)
Theme songs 1st Opening theme: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, composition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroki) 2nd Opening theme: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, composition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroki) 1st Ending theme: The Fire (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, composition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroki) 2nd Ending theme: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, composition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Yumi Hiroki) Insert song: (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, composition & arrangement by Hiromoto Tobisawa, song by Yumi Hiroki) Arranged theme: Ikari no Jushin (lyrics by Yoshihiko Ando, composition by Takashi Kudo, arrangement by Kazuo Nobuta, song by MIO) (not used in the original series, but widely available in several music collections)
This was one of the first anime television series to feature two opening and two ending themes, a tendency that has been followed since then by several anime television series. The Ikari no Jushin, besides being still by Japanese wrestler Jushin Liger, has been used by the Hanshin Tigers as the climbing theme of pitcher Hirotaka Egusa. It is one of the anime themes that has been in constant use even after the TV show ended.
Manga The manga, which was originally published in Kodansha's magazine Comic Bom Bom, was not published in tankōbon format by this company. Instead, it was published by Keibunsha, Daitosha and Daiso Shuppan.
Keibunsha (Keibunsha Comic Han, 1990) Japanese release date Vol. 1 2
Daitosha (St Comics, 1999) Japanese release date Vol. ISBN 1
Daiso Shuppan (Daiso Comic Series, 2002) Japanese release date Vol. 1 2
Home video The TV series was released in VHS format by King Records in 1989 and 1990. The whole series was released in DVD by Geneon Entertainment in two DVD boxes of 4 discs each, with standard numbers GNBA-1230 and GNBA-1231 and released in , and .
Music The anime has generated the following records and CDs, all of them produced by King Records. Title Format Standard number Release date Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) EP record K07S-10295 Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) Cassette K10H-23034 Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) 8cm single CD K10X-23049 Jushin Liger: Hoo Hisho Hen LP album 230R-7 Jushin Liger: Hoo Hisho Hen CD album 276A-7006 Jushin Liger: Fuun Ryuko Hen LP album 230R-8 Jushin Liger: Fuun Ryuko Hen CD album 276A-7010 Jushin Liger (Kiseki no Jushin) Cassette 091S-10015 Jushin Liger (Kiseki no Jushin) 8 cm single CD 091X-10015 Jushin Liger: Majin Hoko Hen CD album 276A-7017 Jushin Liger: Hoo Hisho Hen CD album KICA-2158 Jushin Liger: Fuun Ryuko Hen CD album KICA-2159 Jushin Liger: Majin Hoko Hen CD album KICA-2160 Jushin Liger (Ikari no Jushin) 8 cm single CD KIDA-2121
Appearances in other media The theme Ikari no Jushin appears in both its original and arranged versions in these CD music collections.
Title Label Standard number Release date Kettei Ban: Star Child Best Collection King Records 250A-50063 Pro-Wrestling: Pro-Wrestling Kakumeiji Theme Collection Victor Entertainment VDR-1649 The Pro-Wrestling '90's Victor Entertainment VICL-5041 New Japan Pro-Wrestling King Records KICS-84 The Pro-Wrestling: All Japan Pro-Wrestling - New Japan Pro-Wrestling Saishin Ban Victor Entertainment VICL-5111 Cho Gekisen Samurai Den Victor Entertainment VICP-5189 Gekitotsu Sengoku: New Japan Pro-Wrestling vs. WAR Victor Entertainment VICL-5196 New Japan Pro-Wrestling Best: King of Pro-Wrestling King Records KICS-361/2 Mazinger Densetsu First Smile Entertainment FSCA-10031 Super Robot Spirits Live Tour'98 First Smile Entertainment FSCA-10051 New Japan Pro-Wrestling Best: King of Pro-Wrestling King Records KICS-2271 New Japan Pro-Wrestling VIII: Best of the Super Juniors King Records KICS-2278 Pro-Wrestling Q8 - Ji Dayo! Zenin Syugo King Records KICS-2319 Euro Anime-J Chapter One CHCB-90004 Nagai Go Hero Densetsu Kotetsu Majin Hen First Smile Entertainment FSCA-10204 Toukonssuka! Pony Canyon PCCA-01928 Super Robot Spirits The Best Vol.1: Super Robot Hen Be! Smile BSCH-30001/2 Mazinger Densetsu + 7: The Legends of MAZINGER Be! Smile BSCH-30012 Live!! Super Robot Spirits The Best: SRS Hen Part 1 Be! Smile BSCH-30016/7 Super Robot Spirits The Instrumental: Super robot & Real Robot Hen Vol.1 Be! Smile BSCH-30030 Best of MIQ - MIQUEST: Tamashii wa koku o koete... Be! Smile BSCH-30032 Super Robot Spirits Shudaika Best Collection 2 Be! Smile BSCH-30038 Nagai Go Dynamic!! The chronicle Be! Smile BSCH-30040 Super Robot Spirits Best & Live: Girls Hen 2 Be! Smile BSCH-30042 Live! From Super Robot Spirits Tour'98 King Records KICA-1403/4 The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: Ultimate LIVE 10th Anniversary Edition Be! Smile BSCH-30057/60 The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: Super Robot Studio Recordings Be! Smile BSCH-30063/6 The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: Girls Best Collection Be! Smile BSCH-30077/8 Super Robot Spirits: Non stop mix Vol.3 Be! Smile BSCH-30086 Buraban! Tigers Nippon Crown CRCP-40217 The Best!! Super Robot Spirits: The Best Karaoke songs Be! Smile BSCH-30094/7
Jushin Liger appears in the Wii video game Super Robot Wars NEO, as well as Super Robot Wars Operation Extend for the PSP. In 2020, the Jushin Liger anime was featured in the mobile game Super Robot Wars X-Ω as part of a special event to celebrate the retirement of Keiichi Yamada, the wrestler who based his gimmick on the series.
Cultural impact Professional Wrestling This anime series inspired the real-life professional wrestler Jushin Thunder Liger.
See also Jushin Thunder Liger the professional wrestler. Jushin Thunder Liger: Fist of Thunder, the 1995 OVT tokusatsu film.
References
External links Jushin Liger (anime) official website at Sunrise Inc. Jushin Liger (anime) official website at Nagoya Broadcasting Network Jushin Liger (anime) DVD-box official website at Geneon Universal Entertainment Jushin Liger (manga) at The World of Go Nagai webpage Jushin Liger (manga) at d/visual