is a Japanese television tokusatsu series broadcast by TV Asahi. The series is the twelfth installment of Super Sentai. Directed by Takao Nagaishi, Minoru Yamada and Shouhei Toujou, it stars Daisuke Shima, Kazuhiko Nishimura, Megumi Mori, Seirou Yamaguchi, Jin Kawamoto, Jouji Nakata, Yutaka Hirose, Akiko Amamatsuri, Toru Sakai and Yoshinori Okamoto. It aired from February 27, 1988 to February 18, 1989, replacing Hikari Sentai Maskman and was replaced by Kousoku Sentai Turboranger. Its international English title as listed by Toei is simply Liveman.
Plot Science Academia is an elite school that various genius students from across the globe attend. Among them are Yusuke Amamiya, Joh Ohara and Megumi Misaki who with Takuji Yano and Mari Aikawa sought to create a suit strong enough for space exploration. However, three of their classmates and friends Kenji Tsukigata, Rui Senda, and Goh Omura felt their talents were being wasted and leave to join an evil organization called Volt who offers to raise their full scientific potential.
In 1988, the present day, with Kenji, Rui, and Goh now known as Doctors Kemp, Mazenda and Obular, Volt begins its attack by devastating Science Academia. As a result, Yusuke, Joh, and Megumi take up the suits they created and become the Livemen to battle against their former classmates and Volt.
Characters Science Academia
Livemen The eponymous Livemen utilize two-piece to transform. While transformed, each member carries a sidearm, which can switch between and . They can also use the cannon to destroy human-sized Brain Beasts. Their special team attack is the .
The primary members composed of Yusuke, Joh, and Megumi ride motorcycles for transportation. When facing enlarged Brain Beasts, they combine their personal mecha to form . Later in the series, Yusuke and Joh acquire new personal weapons that can combine with Megumi's to form the .
The secondary members composed of Tetsuya and Junichi ride the four-wheel-drive for transportation. When facing enlarged Brain Beasts, they combine their personal mecha to form , which can further combine with Live Robo to form .
/ A poor student at Academia, but a strong leader and quick at thinking under pressure. He is a brave hard worker and enjoys rock music and work outs. Initially starts as a hot-headed and sarcastic rebel, but grows into the role of dependable leader as the series progresses. Yusuke was once in love with Rui Senda, but she did not return his love. He was good friends with Kenji during their first year or so at Science Academia until things went sour between them once Kenji started down a dark path.
In the crossover film Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai, Yusuke is found visiting the graves of Takuji Yano, Rui Senda, Kenji Tsukigata, and Mari Aikawa. He briefly dueled Gao Yellow in a sword fight and then lectured Gaku on the many sword-wielding warriors of the Super Sentai franchise, and introduced the Gaorangers to all the 23 other Red Warriors. He performed his roll call twice in that special, one along with the Dream Sentai and Gaorangers and then again with the other Red Warriors.
As Red Falcon, Yusuke initially wielded the before it was replaced by the . He also pilots the mecha, which forms the head, back, hips, and upper legs of Live Robo.
/ He is at the bottom of the class at Academia and a sportsman and skateboarder. He is short-tempered and ready to dive into danger. Joh has the strength to back up his actions. He was once good friends with Goh and was heartbroken when their friendship dissolved once the weak-willed Goh fell into a bad crowd.
In Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Joh would appear to the Gokaigers and grant them the Great Power of Liveman, which is Super Live Robo.
As Yellow Lion, Joh initially wielded the gauntlet before it was replaced by the . He also pilots the mecha, which forms the chest and arms of Live Robo.
/ A top class student at Academia who was nonetheless friends with Yusuke and Joh and did powered suit research with them and the late Takuji Yano and Mari Aikawa. She is good at swimming and bicycling and was taught archery by her father. Megumi often criticizes Yuusuke's strategies. A caring figure, feeling even for her enemies.
As Blue Dolphin, Megumi wields the bow. She also pilots the mecha, which forms the lower legs of Live Robo.
/ The younger brother of Takuji and older brother of Takeshi. He is good at boxing. He nearly destroyed the Gran Tortoise after being taken over by Volt. Tetsuya is generally a good-hearted person, but has a temper and hatred, mostly fueled by his desire for revenge on Kemp for the murder of his older brother.
As Black Bison, Tetsuya wields the staff. He also pilots the mecha, which forms the head, body, arms, and left foot of Live Boxer.
/ The younger brother of Mari and a rugby player. He calls Tetsuya "Tetsu-chan", looking up to him as an older brother. The youngest member of the team, temporarily leaving high school in order to fight Volt. While impregnated by Vega Zuno, Junichi was fearful of the life inside him to the point of getting an abortion until the unborn Vega Baby pleas for its life and Junichi decides to "give birth," only to lose the child when it was killed by its biological parent and ended up getting a newfound respect for mothers.
As Green Rhino, Junichi dual wields the twin boomerangs. He also pilots the mecha, which forms the legs and right foot of Live Boxer.
Allies : The principal of Science Academia who made the Gran Tortoise and gave the Livemen mecha the ability to combine before dying. He died helping a pregnant woman trapped in the rubble of Science Academia's escape. : A female robot built by Doctor Hoshi to be in charge of the Gran Tortoise and assist the team. : A Science Academia student studying on the power suits for space travel with Yusuke, Joh, Megumi, and Mari. The older brother of Tetsuya and Takeshi. His prototype power suit featured a swallow. : A Science Academia student studying on the power suits for space travel with Yusuke, Joh, Megumi, and Takuji. The older sister of Junichi. Her suit featured a dog. : Tetsuya and Junichi's benefactor, the leader of the Science Academia group that built the Bison Liner and the Sai Fire. She later arrives to help the Livemen by providing a new power core for the Bison Liner. She was played by French children entertainer Dorothée.
Relatives : The younger brother of Takuji and Tetsuya, he met Yusuke and the others before Takuji was killed by Volt. He helps Yusuke complete the Live Cougar vehicle, which Yusuke started to build with Takuji. : Go's mother. When Go was young, Toshiko pressured her son into succeeding academically at the expense of giving him a normal childhood. : Megumi's father. A master of a form of archery known as the . He goes to Tokyo to visit his daughter with the intention of pairing her with a potential marriage partner. He becomes proud of his daughter when he sees her use the Dolphin Arrow. : A long-time friend of Yusuke who works as a day-care worker in a kindergarten, who also knew Kenji before he became Doctor Kemp.
Armed Brain Volt Army Believing most of humanity to be inferior, the is based on the orbiting space station with its officers using a triangular shuttle to journey between it and Earth.
: A super genius scientist whose appearance belies his actual age, well versed in all knowledge, and worshiped as a god by his officers. : Yusuke's former friend at Academia whose dream was to develop biotechnological means to make humans immune to any disease. However, Kenji became egotistical and power-hungry after taking the test Bias sent to him, killing Takuji and Mari while leaving to join Volt. : A haughty woman who was Megumi's rival at Science Academia and broke Yusuke's heart. Rui reconstructs herself as a cyborg to reflect her coldness and her desire to preserve her beauty, with concealed weapons within her robotic body like the Arm Gun, Elbow Gun, and Finger Gun. : Joh's one-time friend at Science Academia. Goh is a childhood prodigy who uses Volt's research with his inferiority complex as a motivation to turn himself into a completely inhuman monster, called ; in this state, he uses a battle axe as his weapon. : A tough-as-nails underworld figure and gang leader with a poor education who bears a grudge against the Science Academia and those smarter than he is. : Bias's robot bodyguard, a relentless machine who has knowledge of firearms and uses his Video Eye to locate targets. : A robot secretly built by Bias to spur his scientists to break their limitations, believing himself to be an alien intelligence from the planet Guildo. : An orange ape-like robot secretly built by Bias to spur on Kemp et al. : The green-skinned android soldiers with mohawk 'haircuts'. They are very difficult to defeat, as their head and limbs operate independently when dismembered.
Brain Beasts The are experimental lifeforms created by Guardnoid Gash who combined a brain core with a random object and chaos energy. Each one is used by either Guardnoid or one of the other Armed Brain Volt Army members. To make a Brain Beast grow, Guardnoid Gash would fire the Giga Phantom at them.
Guardnoid Gash's Brain Beasts The following Brain Beasts were used by Guardnoid Gash:
: A Brain Beast covered in smaller creatures. : A pyrokinetic Brain Beast with dragon heads instead of hands.
Doctor Oblar's Brain Beasts The following Brain Beasts were used by Doctor Oblar:
: A syringe-themed Brain Beast. : A chronokinetic clock-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Obular from the contents of his Time Chaos Capsule. : A baboon-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Obular whose bite from the large jaw he has in place of his right hand can turn anyone into Ape-Men. : A Jiangshi-themed Brain Beast used by Doctor Obular. : A brain-themed Brain beast created by Doctor Obular from his own brain.
Doctor Mazenda's Brain Beasts The following Brain Beasts were used by Doctor Mazenda:
: A transmission device-themed Brain Beast. : An oil tank/octopus-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Mazenda. : A barnacle-themed Brain Beast that emits toxic gas upon eating garbage. : A twin-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Mazenda from her DNA sample that contains the love aspect and posed as Rui Senda's twin sister. : A pig-themed Brain Beast. : An electric light-themed Brain Beast. : A Brain Beast created by Doctor Mazenda using the blueprints to Tetsuya's robot suit. : A turtle-themed Brain Beast. : A wolf-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Mazenda. : An alien-themed Brain Beast with a hammer gun for a right hand that lives in the gem that's associated with it. : A Chimera-themed Brain Beast who was created by Doctor Mazenda in her dream machine as the combined form of Transmission Brain, Test Brain, Gal Brain, and Meteor Brain after getting an inspiration from a dream she had of defeating the Livemen. When Gou revealed to Doctor Mazenda that Great Professor Bias and Guardnoid Gash were about to kill her, Doctor Mazenda exited the dream machine causing Nightmare Brain and the Ghost Brains that make up him to vanish.
Doctor Kemp's Brain Beasts The following Brain Beasts were used by Doctor Kemp:
: A vehicle-possessing engine-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Kemp. : An Oni-themed Brain Beast created by Guardnoid Gash for Doctor Kemp from the harvested rage of humans. : A maze-making Brain Beast whose vehicle form can manipulate time-space. : A pierrot-themed Brain Beast created by Doctor Kemp from a pierrot doll. : A demon-themed Brain Beast who was a clone of Doctor Obular. : An armored samurai-themed Brain Beast that wields a Giga Metal sword. : A blood-sucking Brain Beast created by Doctor Kemp from his own blood. : A hidden weapon-themed Brain Beast with a blade for a right arm and a gun for a left arm. : A shark-themed Brain Beast.