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Gigantor is the American adaptation of the Japanese anime Tetsujin 28-go (鉄人28号 Tetsujin Nijūhachi-gō), based on the manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It originally aired from October 20, 1963 to May 25, 1966 on Fuji TV in Japan.

Synopsis

Set in the year 2000, the show follows the exploits of Little Jimmy Sparks, a 12-year-old boy who controls Gigantor, a huge flying robot, with a remote control. The robot is made of steel and has a rocket-powered backpack for flight, a pointy nose, eyes that never move, and incredible strength, but no intelligence. Whoever has the remote control controls Gigantor.

Originally developed as a weapon by Jimmy's father, Gigantor was later reprogrammed to act as a guardian of peace. Jimmy Sparks lives with his uncle Dr. Bob Brilliant on a remote island. Jimmy usually wears shorts and a jacket, carries a firearm and occasionally drives a car. Together, Jimmy and Gigantor battle crime around the world and clash with the many villains who are always trying to steal or undermine the giant robot.


Dubbing History[]

In 1963, Fred Ladd, while working on the animated feature Pinocchio in Outer Space and the animated TV series The Big World of Little Adam, saw artwork of Mitsuteru Yokoyama presenting a giant robot remote-controlled by a young boy. Ladd, who had produced the successful international, English-language adaptation of Astro Boy, and Al Singer, formed a corporation called Delphi Associates, Inc. in order to produce and distribute an English-language version of Tetsujin 28-go. They took only 52 episodes of the Japanese series for the American market, and renamed the series Gigantor. Peter Fernandez wrote much of the English script, and participated in the dubbing. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers. The series debuted on U.S. television in 1964 and became an immediate hit with young audiences.

Cast[]

Image Character Original Name Seiyū Dub Actor
Gigantor-anime-1c Jimmy Sparks Shotaro Kaneda Kazue Takahashi Billie Lou Watt
Gigantor-anime-1d Inspector Blooper Chief Ōtsuka Kōsei Tomita Ray Owens
Gigantor-anime-1b Dr. Bob Brilliant Dr. Shikishima Minoru Yada Gilbert Mack
Gigantor-anime-1e Dick Strong Kenji Murasame Toshio Andō Peter Fernandez
Gigantor-anime-1f Narrator Yuzuru Fujimoto Gilbert Mack

Additional Voices[]

Notes[]

  • Although the Latin Spanish dub is based on the English dub, it uses the original title of Iron-Man 28 as "El Hombre de Acero" (The Man of Steel).

Transmission[]

Date(s) Channel Country
1964-1966 Syndication United States United States
1968 ATV Australia Australia
1968 TEN-10
1968-1969 SAS-10
2003 Cartoon Network
(Toonami)
United States United States
2005-2007 Cartoon Network
(Adult Swim)

Video Releases[]

Distributor Year Format Contents Region Country
The Right Stuff International 1989-1990 VHS 9 Episodes NTSC United States United States
3 Volumes
Lumivision 1994-1995 Laserdisc 8 Episodes
2 Volumes
Antarctic Press 2000 VHS Episodes 3-5
1 Volume
Rhino Entertainment 2002 DVD The Complete Series 1
NTSC
2 Volumes
E1 Entertainment 2009 The Complete Series
2 Volumes
Madman Entertainment 2010 The Complete Series 4
PAL
Australia Australia
2 Volumes

See Also[]

External Links[]

  • Gigantor (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
  • Gigantor at the Internet Movie Database
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