Inazuman

Inazuman (イナズマン) is a television series starring a mutant fictional character of the same name created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The first television series ran from October 2, 1973 to March 26, 1974 with a total of 25 episodes. A second season named Inazuman Flash (イナズマンF(フラッシュ), Inazuman Furasshu) aired in 1974 from April 9 to September 24 with a total of 23 episodes.

Inazuman is, in reality, young college student Goro Watari (渡 五郎, Watari Gorō), a mutant. He lost his mother as a child and had other dark moments in his childhood (he had a childhood girlfriend named Teresa (テレサ) who was taken away by an American soldier during the US occupation of Japan). However, when the Neo-Human Empire Phantom Army (新人類帝国ファントム軍団, Shinjinrui Teikoku Fantomu Gundan) begins its attacks on humankind with its Phantom Soldiers (ファントム兵士, Fantomu Heishi) and Demon Creatures (悪魔の生き物, Akuma no ikimono), he puts his psionic powers to the test.

First, he performs a henshin (transforming) pose (crossing his arms in front of his chest) and uttering the phrase, "Gōriki Shōrai" (剛力招来; literally "Summon Mighty Power"), he is wrapped in a blue cocoon, which bursts, revealing the creature Sanagiman (サナギマン). He resembles an armored brown pupa mutant with a white belt which has a biomechanical power meter on it.

Sanagiman is able to absorb the kinetic energy of any attack used against him, and when he gathers enough energy into his belt, he crosses his fists in front of his chest, uttering the phrase, "Chōriki Shōrai" (超力招来; literally "Summon Super Power"), and spreads them aside, with his chest emitting a swirl of colorful energy. Sanagiman's exterior then explodes to pieces, and in his place is Inazuman. He is a moth-like mutant wearing the same power belt as Sanagiman and resembles a blue humanoid with huge colorful oval eyes, prominent lightning-shaped antennas, black gloves and boots, yellow lightning-shaped marks that stream down his body, and a yellow scarf he can transform into various weapons, including a whip-like chain.

As both Sanagiman and Inazuman, his kiai fighting cry is "Chest!" (チェスト！, Chesuto!), which originates from the Japanese island of Kyūshū where the main character, Goro Watari, hails.

Goro is a member of the Youth League (少年同盟, Shōnen Dōmei), a Science Patrol-style group of similarly psychic-powered young people, and has a telepathic link with the sentient flying car Raijingo (ライジンゴー, Raijingō) which can fire missiles and bite bad guys with the teeth built into its mouth-like grill ("Raijin" is the Japanese god of thunder).

A manga adaptation by creator Shotaro Ishinomori was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1973 to 1974. In the manga adaptation, Goro Watari is a junior high school student named Saburo Kazeta (風田 サブロウ, Kazeta Saburō), and is nicknamed "Sabu" (サブ). The character first appeared in Ishinomori's manga "Mutant Sabu".

Inazuman appeared somewhat different than in the live action tokusatsu version, and was created when the series was in development as an animated series, provisionally titled "Mutant Z". In these versions, the character appeared to be naked, with a curled proboscis stemming from his forehead, and was even able to sprout moth wings from his back. The manga version of Sanagiman was also slightly different from the tokusatsu version. In the manga, Saburo has also a childhood girlfriend nicknamed "Miyoppe" (ミヨッペ) who is usually the victim of Saburo's jokes with his psychic powers.