Kaiketsu Zubat

Kaiketsu Zubat (快傑ズバット), is a tokusatsu superhero series that aired in 1977. Created by Shotaro Ishinomori, this 32-episode series (which aired on TV Tokyo from February 2, 1977 to September 28, 1977), harkens back to tokusatsu superhero shows of the 1950s, but with a late-1970s twist. The series was first released on DVD in 2008.

Premise and plotlines

 * "Here with a "zubat"! Solving problems with a "zubat"! I call myself the wandering hero! Kaiketsu Zubat!" (ズバッと参上、ズバッと解決、人呼んで さすらいのヒーロー！ 快傑ズバット！)

The star of the show is a private detective named Ken Hayakawa, played by veteran Hiroshi Miyauchi. In the first episode, his best friend Goro Asuka is mysteriously killed. Ken takes over his friend's gear that Asuka had invented: a suit and a flying vehicle, which he names the Zubat Suit and the Zubat Car. He travels the land as a wandering hero, fighting evil and injustice while in the guise of Zubat, and also trying to find Asuka's killer. Zubat's name is based on the sound effect "zubatto," which is the sound of something being hit right on target.

The series is unusual in the tokusatsu genre as the title hero Zubat does not "henshin" (transform) like the other superheroes Ishinomori created. Ken Hayakawa normally dresses in black & red gringo cowboy attire, but he just puts on his red & black "Zubasuit" hidden in his guitar when deciding to face his enemies as Zubat. His outfit looks no different from that of a Sentai hero:
 * A helmet with "Z"-themed features and an open/close visor and mouthpiece
 * A streamlined rubber jumpsuit with a white scarf (another Ishinomori trademark).

The villains are also unusual for the genre. There are no monsters; rather, Zubat fights against a large criminal organization named Dakker and its mysterious leader, as well as other outlandishly-dressed criminals. Many episodes of this series have a bizarre Japanese "wild west" style setting, perhaps to explain why justice is meted out by a traveling superhero rather than lawful authorities expected in a more populated and dense setting like Japanese big cities.

An episode would generally have a single head criminal, and a yojimbo ("bodyguard"), somehow terrorizing a group of people. Ken Hayakawa would happen upon this and meet the yojimbo, which would lead to a demonstration of the latter's quirky skill they've used to threaten people. Ken Hayakawa would then defeat the villain and their gimmick.

Episode List

 * 1) Right After the Wandering Blast (さすらいは爆破のあとで)
 * 2) Migratory Birds Right in the Flames (炎の中の渡り鳥)
 * 3) The Sorrow Solid-Golden Angel (悲しき純金の天使)
 * 4) The Tearful Enemy Breaks Right Through (涙の敵中突破)
 * 5) The Flower Vendor Girl and the White Flour (花売り少女と白い粉)
 * 6) The Machine Gun Howls in the Sea (海にほえるマシンガン)
 * 7) The Nefarious Wind Blows Through the Seaport (悪い風だぜ港町)
 * 8) The Sorrowful Propane Blast (哀しみのプロパン爆破)
 * 9) Looking Back at the Tearful River (涙の河を振り返れ)
 * 10) The Baseball Opponent Flies to the Curb (野球の敵を場外へ飛ばせ)
 * 11) Don't Die, my Friends! Crisis One Second Back (死ぬな友よ! 危機一秒前)
 * 12) An Executioner 10 Seconds Ago (死刑執行10秒前)
 * 13) The Boy Killer's Ballade (少年殺し屋のバラード)
 * 14) The White-Feathered Arrow's Farewell Tears (白羽の矢 涙の別れ)
 * 15) The Sorrowful Mother's Lullaby (哀しき母の子守唄)
 * 16) The Sorrowful Ken's Accused of Murder (殺しのぬれぎぬ 哀しみの健)
 * 17) The Little Wailing Sister: Two Kens (嘆きの妹 ふたりの健)
 * 18) Look Out! The Soap Bubble's Love (危うし! シャボン玉の恋)
 * 19) The Tragic Love Breaks the Love Letter (悲恋 破られたラブレター)
 * 20) The Female Dragon Vowed to Shed Tears (女ドラゴン 涙の誓い)
 * 21) Farewell, Eyelidded Mother (さらば瞼の母)
 * 22) The Young Boxer: Tearful Father (少年ボクサー 涙の父)
 * 23) The Okami Family Home: The Three Sisters and Ten'ichibo (大神家一族の三姉妹と天一坊)
 * 24) The Tearful Ken: The Unknown Town's Lover (涙の健 見知らぬ街の恋人)
 * 25) Kojin'yama's Tearful Farewell (荒神山 涙の別れ)
 * 26) Forgive Me, My Child! (許せ我が子よ!)
 * 27) Surprise! Is that the Perpetrator who killed Asuka?! (意外! 飛鳥殺しの犯人?!)
 * 28) And then, He Becomes Nobody (そして、誰も居なくなる)
 * 29) Orphaned Children: Tearful Revenge (父母なき子 涙の復讐)
 * 30) Between the Sorrowful Life and Death (悲しき生と死の間に)
 * 31) Showdown! Leader L's the Real Culprit? (対決! 真犯人首領L?)
 * 32) The Day-to-Day Battle Bids Farewell, And then (さらば斗いの日々、そして)

Cast

 * Ken Hayakawa (早川 健): Hiroshi Miyauchi (宮内 洋)
 * Midori Asuka (飛鳥 みどり): Nobuko Ōshiro (大城 信子)
 * Osamu Terada (寺田 オサム): Nobuyuki Nakano (中野 宣之)
 * Shingo Tōjō (東条 進吾): Shin Saitō (斉藤 真)
 * Leader L (首領L): Ryūji Hayami (はやみ 竜次)
 * Narrator (ナレーター): Shin Aomori (青森 伸)

Songs

 * Opening Theme
 * Jigoku no Zubat (地獄のズバット)
 * Lyrics: Shōtarō Ishinomori
 * Composition & Arrangement: Kensuke Kyō
 * Artist: Ichirou Mizuki


 * Ending Theme
 * Otoko wa Hitori Michi o Yuku (男はひとり道をゆく)
 * Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude
 * Composition & Arrangement: Kensuke Kyō
 * Artist: Ichirou Mizuki

Kamen Rider 40th Anniversary film
Zubat, along with Kikaider, Kikaider 01, and Inazuman made an appearance in OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders (オーズ・電王・オールライダー レッツゴー仮面ライダー) in commemoration of the Toei Company's 60th Anniversary in 2011. This brief appearance saw the four heroes destroy the Kamen Rider Stronger villain, General Shadow.

Legacy
This series would also be parodied by Daicon Films (now Gainax) in 1982, in a series of short films starring the superhero Kaiketsu Noutenki (who also has the same alter-ego, Ken Hayakawa). Zubat's costume was also a basis for the video game superhero parody Viewtiful Joe.