Skip to main content

Celebrating the best of tv, movies, and comics

Subscribe
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Gatchaman returns with new stories set in the classic continuity

The new stories will be set in the world of the original 1972 anime classic

Gatchaman
Image credit: Mad Cave Studios
Graeme McMillan avatar
News by Graeme McMillan Staff Writer
Published on
1 comment

More than half a century after their debut, everyone’s favorite anime science team is headed back to save the day, with Mad Cave Studios announcing a new partnership with Tatsunoko Productions to create new Gatchaman comics for both adult and teen audiences.

Gatchaman
Image credit: Mad Cave Studios

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman debuted on Fuji TV in 1972 under the title Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatchaman; the series would run for two years and lead to not only an animated movie, but two separate TV spin-offs (Gatchaman II in 1978, and Gatchaman Fighter a year later). The show would be re-edited and translated into English in 1978 as Battle of the Planets; in 1986, a more faithful English-language version would appear under the name G-Force: Guardians of Space.

The science ninja team in question are five superheroes in colorful bird-themed costumes, who work for the fictional International Science Organization with mission to stop Galactor, a terrorist organization trying to control the Earth’s natural resources. Galactor has its own secrets, however; its leader is actually a shape-changing mutant working for alien overlords. Thankfully, the Gatchaman team have more than right on their side: they also have their own unique martial arts fighting style, special weapons, and even a supersonic plane with the understated name The God Phoenix. (To be fair, it can transform into a giant bird made out of fire.)

“Gatchaman has entertained and influenced fans around the world for over 50 years, and it could not be a better time to introduce their futuristic world to a new generation of readers,” Kaz Haruna, Tatsunoko Productions Director of International Business, says in a statement about the announcement. “Tatsunoko is absolutely excited to work with the team at Mad Cave Studios.”

Under the new agreement, Mad Cave will create all-new stories set in the world of the original series. The first Gatchaman releases are set for a 2024 debut, with more information coming across the next few months.

Revisit Popverse’s recent visit to Anime Expo 2023.

Featured events