is a Japanese television tokusatsu series broadcast by TV Asahi. The series is the fifteenth installment of Super Sentai. Directed by Keita Amemiya, Kiyoshi Arai, Shohei Tojo, Masao Minowa and Taro Sakamot, it stars Kōtarō Tanaka, Rika Kishida, Ikko Tadano, Sayuri Uchida, Toshihide Wakamatsu, Mikiko Miki, Masaki Tachi, Maho Maruyama, Miku Kuga and Yutaka Hirose. It aired from February 15, 1991, to February 14, 1992, replacing Chikyu Sentai Fiveman and was replaced by Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The international English title is listed by Toei as simply Jetman.
Shout! Factory released this series in North America on September 25, 2018. This is the 10th incarnation of Super Sentai to be released in North America and was the first series released that did not have a Power Rangers counterpart.
Plot This series takes place in 199X. On the Earth Ship, the command center of a defense agency called Sky Force, the guardians of peace on Earth, scientists have developed "Birdonic Waves", a newly developed technology that gives the subject superhuman abilities. Experiments called "J-Project" were successful. Aya Odagiri, the director of the project, chooses five elite Sky Force officials from Earth to use this technology. Ryu Tendo, one of the Sky Force officers, is successfully exposed to the Birdonic Waves, making him the first Jetman, the Red Hawk.
However, the Earth Ship is suddenly attacked by Vyram, an evil outer-dimensional organization bent on inter-dimensional domination. They successfully destroy the ship, apparently killing Ryu's lover and fellow candidate member Rie. In the chaos, the remaining Birdonic Waves for the other four officials become scattered on Earth, hitting four civilians. Odagiri and Tendo successfully escape and begin searching on Earth for the four remaining Jetmen, training them to aid them in stopping Vyram's plans of conquering their dimension.
The series later follows the tribulations of Ryu as he learns of Rie's survival and enlistment in the Vyram forces, as well as a love triangle between Gai, Ryu, and Kaori.
Characters Earth Defence Force Sky Force is a military organization that the Jetmen belong to.
Jetmen Based at the , a high-tech base provided by Sky Force, the eponymous Jetmen are five people who gain superhuman strength through exposure to .
The team utilizes bracelets to transform. While transformed, each member gains a pair of that allow them to glide in the air. They also each carry a , a , and a , the latter two of which can combine to form the , as their sidearms. Later in the series, they acquire handguns, which can combine with a Bird Blaster to form the rifle.
Ryu Tendo /, born on May 10, 1965, is 25 years old at the beginning of the series, but his 26th birthday occurs in episode 13. He is originally a Sky Force soldier codenamed "W6" and leader of the Jetmen. Being the only member of the Jetmen who is of military background, his policy is to be always professional and never let feelings affect himself in battle, and he expects the same from his teammates. This leads to a conflict when he discovers that his beloved Rie has become Maria, eventually coming to terms with the revelation as he resolves to save Rie from the Vyram control. However, Rie's death at the hands of his nemesis Radiguet proves to be the last straw, causing him to challenge Radiguet alone before Kaori consoles Ryu and encourages him to stay true to his own belief in justice rather than revenge. Three years later, he marries Kaori.
As Red Hawk, Ryu rides the buggy, which can be reconfigured into the to destroy human-sized Dimension Beasts.
Gai Yuki / is the 26-year-old second-in-command of the Jetmen and a loner who hates being told what to do. Gai loves challenges and risks and is a womanizer and an avid if occasional gambler. his fighting styles are street fighting and mixed martial arts: his combat skills match those of Ryu, though he fights dirty and hits below the belt sometimes. He initially clashes with the straight-laced Ryu when drafted against his will but eventually comes to respect Ryu's largely principled disposition (Ryu falters only over the issue of his lost girlfriend, something Gai, being a womanizer, can sympathize with), ultimately becoming friends with him. He loves Kaori and often tries to flirt with her, leading to much frustration due to his initially unreciprocated feelings. When she finally accepts him, they frequently have problems in their relationship as they are too different. He later develops a rivalry with Vyram general Grey. He defeats Grey in their final encounter, in which a part of his helmet was damaged. Three years after Vyram's defeat, while buying a bouquet for Ryu and Kaori's wedding, he intervenes in a robbery and is stabbed in the stomach for the trouble. He makes it to the church after the wedding and talks to Ryu before he dies of his wound, passing it off as a hangover, satisfied that everyone he cares for has found happiness. In the manga, his position on the team is taken by Jeffrey Kensaki, a new hero who takes on the powers of Green Eagle.
As Black Condor, Gai rides the motorcycle, which is also ridden by Ako.
Raita Oishi / is a 22-year-old large-framed, eyeglasses-wearing nature lover who enjoys vegetables and hates Vyram for their destruction of nature. He was raised by his grandmother, Kiyo, because his parents were busy running a restaurant. He harbors a crush for Kaori, vowing to be there for her even if he has no chance with her, although eventually, his ultimate subject of affection turns out to be his childhood friend, Satsuki. In battle, he specializes in raw strength techniques like head butts, body blows, sumo-based techniques, and hurling boulders. Three years after Vyram is defeated, he runs a farm with Satsuki.
As Yellow Owl, Raita shares riding the four-wheel-drive with Kaori.
Kaori Rokumeikan / is the 22-year-old heiress of the Rokumeikan Enterprises empire. She is taken care of by her butler, , since her parents reside in New York City. She becomes a Jetman to escape the boredom of her heiress life. She is good at Kendo and is the best shot among the Jetmen. She was in the middle of a love triangle with Ryu and Gai. She was also learning through hardships brought on by her new profession as it clashed with her life as a spoiled rich girl while figuring out what are truly important to herself. She was once engaged to a wealthy businessman named Soichiro Kitaoji and was close to marrying him, but she quickly ended their relationship when she saw his selfishness in contrast to her team's selfless determination as warriors of justice. She does sometimes use her wealth to help the team, like when she purchased a large number of diamonds and other jewels to try and snap Ako out of the curse of the dimensional monster Diamond Dimension. At the end of the series, she marries Ryu.
Ako Hayasaka / is an 18-year-old senior student at Miharakita High School and a bright and cheerful girl who wants to marry a rich man. She first thought of being a Jetman as just a high-paying job, but her first battle helps her sense of justice take hold and makes her realize that she must use her newfound power to protect Earth. She is best friends with her classmate, Kyoko, who learns of her true identity during the Voice Dimension incident. From the Trash Dimension incident, the monster being her childhood toy Teddy, Ako learns of how wasteful humans can be. She debuts as an idol singer three years after the fall of Vyram.
Allies Aya Odagiri is the first female commander in the Super Sentai franchise. She is good at martial arts, and the inventor of the team vehicles. She is both caring and stern to the Jetmen, and she is not above fighting alongside those under her charge and even personally covering their maneuvers if necessary. As befitting to her status as the Jetmen's commanding officer, her subordinates call her simply . She is also an able pilot, having flown Sky Force aircraft and even Jet Garuda on two occasions.
Supreme Commander Ichijo : A Sky Force officer who cares only for himself and bears a grudge against Commander Odagiri for being the commanding officer in the Jetmen project, which fell to civilians. With his Neo Jetmen, Ichijo gains appointment to assume command of Sky Camp base, bent on making Odagiri suffer while removing her Jetmen from the picture. However, he subsequently proves himself to be utterly incompetent in his new capacity when Bio-Dimension Beast Meteor BEM infiltrates and wreaks havoc within Sky Camp, being instantly demoralized at the first sign of Meteor BEM gaining the upper hand, refusing to even defend himself when offered the option to do so, and trapping his own Neo Jetmen team (and Odagiri, who is attempting to aid the Neo Jetmen at the time) with the monster in a futile act of desperation. It is implied at the end of Episode 41 that Sky Force has since removed Ichijo from command and reinstated Odagiri in the aftermath of the attack.
Supreme Commander Ichijo is portrayed by .
Neo Jetmen , J1 through J5, are a team created by Supreme Commander Akira Ichiro to replace the Jetmen, having Birdonic Reactors implanted in bodies, bypassing the need for regular exposure to Birdonic Waves. J1, J2, and J4 wield the , the kusarigama, and the bladed boomerang respectively. All five wield handguns and grenades, and their group attack is the Flare Buster twin cannon. They eventually give the Birdonic energies to the original Jetmen in order to restore their powers.
J1, J2, J3, J4, and J5 are portrayed by , , , , and , who is credited under 長門 美由樹 that shares the same reading, respectively.
Others : The last three warriors of Dimensia, a realm in the Reverse Dimension destroyed by Dimensional War Party Vyram. The group composed of , his lover , and the youthful , they chased Vyram to Earth with the Bird Garuda. While Ray and Kanna work with the Jetmen in their fight against Semimaru, Dan becomes romantically interested in Ako when they meet, causing him to express his feelings in a comical fashion. After Ray and Kanna are killed by Radiguet when he hijacks Jet Garuda, Dan assumes his fighting form and is mortally wounded taking the robot back from Radiguet. He dies soon after Ako expresses her feelings about him. Ray, Kanna, and Dan are portrayed by , who is credited under , , who is credited under 前田 賀奈子 that shares the same reading, and respectively. : The two warriors from the Berserk region, destroyed by Vyram force under Radiguet whose people can change anything they hold into weapons, though they can give up that very power to save a life instead. Arriving to Earth, while is cared for by the Jetmen, attempts to kill Radiguet. However, after Ru realizes the error of her ways and Duran is saved from the control of the monster Armor Snake, the two leave Earth to find a world they can find peace in. Ru and Duran are portrayed by and respectively.
Dimensional War Party Vyram The appears as a clan of outer-dimensional nobles, who conquered many worlds in the Reverse Dimension, and are now moving on to Front Dimension, ours. They boast about having achieved godhood, while they despise humans and see them as stupid and worthless. Their base of operations is the , a brain-shaped castle capable of traversing dimensions and sending its forces to Earth due to its Dimensional Transfer Machine. After their leader got lost in the Reverse Dimension, its four leading members compete in a game to defeat the Jetmen with the prize being full-leadership. Tran eventually becomes powerful enough to assume command, but is deposed by Radiguet, who leads Vyram up to its destruction.