, also referred to as Japanese Spider-Man or Toei Spider-Man, is a Japanese live-action tokusatsu superhero television series produced by Toei Company, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name through a contract negotiated by producer Gene Pelc.Marvel's 616 The series aired for 41 episodes on Tokyo Channel 12 from May 17, 1978, to March 14, 1979. A theatrical episode aired at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival on July 22, 1978. From March 5 to December 24, 2009, Marvel uploaded English subtitled versions of the episodes to their website.
While Toei's version of the character, Takuya Yamashiro/Spider-Man (portrayed by Kōsuke Kayama (Shinji Tōdō), wore the same costume as his Marvel Comics counterpart and had similar powers, the series' storyline and the origin of his powers differed from the source material. In addition to fighting, he piloted the giant mecha Leopardon, which he would summon to fight off enlarged versions of the show's monsters; the giant robot concept would later be used in Toei's Super Sentai franchise. Yamashiro later appeared in the comic storylines Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon.
Plot Motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro witnesses a UFO fall to Earth, a space warship called the Marveller. Takuya's father Dr. Hiroshi Yamashiro, a space archaeologist, investigates the case, but is killed upon finding the spaceship. The incident attracts the attention of Professor Monster and the evil , an alien group that seeks to rule the universe.
Takuya follows Hiroshi to the Marveller and discovers Garia, the last surviving warrior of Planet Spider, which was destroyed by Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army, and was hunting Professor Monster. However, he needs someone to take up the fight and injects Takuya with some of his blood, giving him spider-like powers. He also gives him a bracelet that activates his spider protector costume, shoots web-lines, and controls the Marveller, which can also transform into the giant mecha Leopardon. Using his powers, Takuya fights Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army as well as other threats to Earth under the name Spider-Man.
Characters Protagonists Spider-Man
In the series, Spider-Man's civilian identity is 22-year-old motocross racer . He has the ability to sense threats from the Iron Cross Army with his spider-senses and fights them in order to avenge the death of his father Hiroshi. To hide his superhero identity, Takuya acts weak in front of his friends and is often made fun of for running away from danger and compared unfavorably to Spider-Man. As well, his financial income as a motorcycle racer decreases after becoming Spider-Man because he has less time to race, forcing him to help Hitomi with her job to make money.
Takuya assumes the identity of Spider-Man when he dons the protective suit called the Spider-Protector. He is genetically altered as a result of the Spider-Extract that Garia injected into his body, giving him enhanced physical strength and spider-like abilities, such as being able to stick to and climb up walls and sense the activities of nearby enemies with his Spider-Senses. However, he also has some weaknesses of spiders, such as sensitivity to cold temperatures.
Spider-Man keeps his true identity a secret from the public, though is well known as a defender of justice. Only Juzo Mamiya and the staff of the Interpol Secret Intelligence Division know of his true identity, beginning with the movie and episode 11, and aid him in stopping the schemes of the Iron Cross Army.
Spider-Man spends most of the series fighting off Ninders, the foot soldiers of the Iron Cross Army, as well as the Machine BEMs, which he usually cannot fight alone due to their ability to grow in size, forcing him to summon Leopardon to fight them.
When Spider-Man confronts an enemy, he introduces himself while striking a pose and a version of the show's theme song plays as he begins to fight. Due to budget issues, he rarely uses his web shooter to swing between buildings, instead using a car called the Spider Machine GP-7 and the Marveller for transportation. His web shooter shoots rope instead of webbing, which he attaches to surfaces to swing from.
Venom First and exclusively appear in 2025 crossover comic event Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse, the identity of the Venom Symbiote's host is , the sole survivor of the Planet Spider, who then bonded with Venom, which in turn a survivor of its home planet. Afterwards, he and Venom are hellbent to get revenge on Iron Cross Army, and often clashes with Takuya for getting in their ways.
Yaleo was recruited by the Symbiote Hive-Mind to take part in a contest against the Spider-Totem avatars of the Web of Life and Destiny. However his main target is Takuya instead of fighting other Spiders.
Spider Bracelet are bracelets worn by Spider-Man and Venom on their left wrists which can shoot webbing and store their respective costumes when not being worn. The Spider Bracelet's webbing takes the form of nets and strings made from Spider Fluid, which is stored in it. It is also equipped with a homing device that allows Spider-Man and Venom to summon their respective vehicles, such as Takuya's the GP-7 and the Marveller. A lighter version of the Spider Bracelet was built specifically for action scenes, as the one used in close-up shots was too heavy for the suit actor to wear during stunts.
: Takuya's Spider-Man costume. Unlike his Marvel counterpart, Takuya stores the costume in the Spider Bracelet and only wears it when changing identities. When Takuya releases the Spider Protector from the Spider Bracelet, it instantly wraps around his body, allowing him to change into it quickly. It is a modified version of the costume used in the show's American counterpart, The Amazing Spider-Man, but with slanted lens rather than circular lens. Takuya's suit later being upgraded by Web Weaver/Cooper Coen during the 2025 crossover comic event Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse, to completely differentiate than the costume wear by Peter Parker. The costume has white essences on body suits, neck scarf and boots, as black eyes lenses on his mask. The new Spider Protector also has red web-lined web wings. : Yaleo's costume-like alien partner from a Symbiote planet, who is stored inside the Spider-Bracelet. Yaleo summons the Venom from the Bracelet to form a costume-like appearance. Like other Symbiotes, it can also bond to another host, such granting Takuya's new Spider-Protector suit a Symbiote armor. : A rope made of spider webbing shot from the Spider Bracelet, which can pull heavy objects. : A net made of spider webbing shot from the Spider Bracelet, which can capture enemies.
Vehicles The : Spider-Man's flying car, which is equipped with machine guns and missile launchers in its hood and is usually stored inside the Marveller. The name GP-7 is a reference to producer Gene Pelc.
Giant Robots Marveller / Leopardon The : The spacecraft in which Garia arrived to Earth. It is 45 meters (approx 150 feet) tall and weighs over 25,000 tons. It is usually stored underground and emerges when Spider-Man summons it. Its bridge is shaped like a leopard's head, which is where Leopardon's head is stored, and cracks left and right when transforming into robot mode called . Because the Marveller is usually transformed into Leopardon when Spider-Man boards it, it is rarely seen in spacecraft mode, but can be used for transportation and is capable of flying to outer space at the speed of light. The Marveller is equipped with cannons on its bow, which can destroy most Machine BEMs.
Leopardon's size is over tall and weighs over 25,000 tons.
Only the first few episodes of the series featured actual fight scenes between Leopardon and the giant-sized Machine BEMs. As the series progressed, it focused more on drama and fight scenes were shortened to keep up with the runtime, with some episodes not featuring Leopardon.
Leopardon and the giant-sized Machine BEMS rarely appeared together in the same shots; most giant-sized battles involved Leopardon in one shot and the Machine BEM in another launching. This was because the large Leopardon model was often bigger than the stuntmen in the Machine BEM suits. Due to structural problems, the Leopardon suit was difficult for the stuntman to move in and, over the course of the series, was damaged and later lost. As a result, future fight scenes with Leopardon could only be done using stock footage from previous fights.
Centurion Venom's giant robot, first and exclusively appeared on Spider-Verse vs. Venomverse. Being powered with Symbiote cells, can use tendrils which can also be used to create weaponry.
Allies
Takuya's girlfriend, a 20-year-old freelance photographer.
Takuya's 18-year-old younger sister, who takes care of household chores for the Yamashiro residence.
Takuya's 7-year-old younger brother.
Takuya's father. An astronomer who is killed during after his research leads to the discovery of the Iron Cross Army.
An alien from Planet Spider. 400 years prior to the events of the series, he pursued the Iron Cross Army seeking revenge after they destroyed his homeworld, but crash-landed on Earth and was imprisoned in a cave for centuries. After Takuya finds him and the Marveller, he injects him with the Spider Extract and gives him his powers, tasking him with continuing his fight before dying.
An investigator in charge of Interpol's Secret Intelligence Division, who learns that Spider-Man is Takuya and asks for his assistance in their battle against the Iron Cross Army. After agreeing to help him, he gives Takuya a radio transmitter, allowing him and Interpol to communicate.
Iron Cross Army The are the main villains of the series. They are an alien army that has destroyed numerous galaxies in their path of conquest.
The leader of the Iron Cross Army, who was responsible for the destruction of Planet Spider 400 years ago and now seeks to conquer Earth. The blood of other lifeforms is the source of his immortality. In the final episode, he transforms into "Big Monster", but is defeated by Leopardon.
The female commander of the Iron Cross Army, who is in charge of espionage and planning attacks. From the beginning of the series, she assumes the identity of , the editor of magazine. After Spider-Man sees through Saeko's true identity, she disappears from her job and Weekly Woman is discontinued soon afterward. Although she suspects that Takuya is Spider-Man, she is unable to prove this until the final episode.
Ancient female warriors from an uncharted region of the Amazons whose mummified bodies are resurrected by Professor Monster. Bella wields a bow with poisoned arrows, while Rita wields a machine gun.
The foot soldiers of the Iron Cross Army. They disguise themselves as humans while conducting undercover missions in public, but are identifiable by the exposed circuits behind their ears and their metallic hands.
Biological weapons created by the Iron Cross Army to carry out their plans or serve as bodyguards, which have the ability to change size at will. Their origins are not fully clarified, although some, such as Samson, are genetically modified humans, while others, such as the Monster Cat, are resurrected apparitions.
Cast Takuya Yamashiro / Spider-Man: Shinji Tōdō Hitomi Sakuma: Rika Miura (episodes 1–12, 14, 15, 17, 18 & 20–41) Shinko Yamashiro: Izumi Ōyama (episodes 1-39 & 41) Takuji Yamashiro: Yoshiharu Yabuki (ep. 1–16, 18–24, 26, 27, 29–33, 35-39 & 41) Professor Monster: Mitsuo Andō (all episodes) Amazoness: Yukie Kagawa (all episodes) Garia: Toshiaki Nishizawa (episodes 1 & 2) Dr. Hiroshi Yamashiro: Fuyuki Murakami (episode 1) Jūzō Mamiya: Noboru Nakaya (episodes 11, 12 & 14 & Movie) Rita: Rie Rinehart (episodes 35–41) Bella: Tina Margo (episodes 35–38) Wanita Somaborudo (episodes 39–41) Narrator: Tōru Ōhira