Battle Fever J (バトルフィーバーJ（ジェー）, Batoru Fībā Jei) is a Japanese television tokusatsu series broadcast by TV Asahi. The series is the third installment of Super Sentai. Directed by Koichi Takemoto, Itaru Orita and Minoru Yamada, it stars Hironori Tanioka, Yukio Itou, Narimitsu Kurachi, Kenji Ohba, Diane Martin, Naomi Hagi, Daisuke Ban, Chiyonosuke Azuma, Noriko Hidaka, Masashi Ishibashi and Maki Ueda. It aired from February 3, 1979, to January 26, 1980, replacing J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai and was replaced by Denshi Sentai Denjiman.
Battle Fever J was the first series to use the term Super Sentai (unlike the previous two who were just called Sentai, without the “Super”) until Toei announced in 1995 that its predecessors Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai were also part of the Super Sentai series, when Chouriki Sentai Ohranger was announced as the 19th Super Sentai team.
Contents
Plot
General Kurama assembles four young agents who had been dispatched around the world for training. They are joined by FBI investigator Diane Martin, whose father was murdered by Egos. The five don powered suits to become the Battle Fever Squad. The Battle Fever Squad's trump card is the Battle Fever Robo. Egos tries to stop the construction of the Robot, but the monsters they send to perform this task are defeated one by one by the Battle Fever Squad. Egos then unleashes the "younger brother" of the Buffalo Monster, a giant robot replica of its "older brother". The Robot, fortunately, is finished in time. Aboard it, the Battle Fever Squad defeats the Buffalo Monster and its successors. The Battle Fever Squad never stops, even when it lost two of its members (the original Miss America and Battle Cossack). With new members, the team defeats Hedder, now the Hedder Monster, and breaks into Egos' headquarters, where they are fed into the Egos Monster Making Machine so that they may be used as material for a Battle Fever Monster. The team destroys the machine and slays the mysterious deity Satan Egos himself with the Lightning Sword Rocketter sword-throwing move.
Characters
Battle Fever Squad
The Battle Fever Squad (バトルフィーバー隊, Batoru Fībā Tai) is unique among Super Sentai shows in that, originally, they did not "transform" into their costumes (as in the previous two series, Gorenger and JAKQ), instead they resorted to an unseen costume change. In most episodes, however, the members yell "Fever!" and spin around to transform although in episode 24 it is revealed they can store their costumes in their Battle Ceiver (バトルシーバー, Batoru Shībā) bracelets.
Masao Den (伝正夫, Den Masao) / Battle Japan (バトルジャパン, Batoru Japan): The red-colored warrior who received his combat training while in Japan. A former National Defense Ministry officer. He is good at judo and karate. He wields a spear. During the team's roll call, he performs a martial arts-inspired dance. 21 years after Battle Fever J ended, Battle Japan appeared as one of the 24 Red Rangers in Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai, introduced by Choujyu Sentai Liveman Red Falcon to inspire the current team.
Battle Cossack (バトルコサック, Batoru Kosakku): The orange-colored member of the Battle Fever Squad whose moniker was utilized by its original user and his successor. They dual wield a pair of sai. During the team's roll call, they perform a traditional Soviet dance.
Kensaku Shiraishi (白石謙作, Shiraishi Kensaku; 1–33): He was good at science as well as war. He was the original second in command of the team. In episode 33, he left the Big Baser without his Battle Cossack uniform and was fatally shot by a troop of Cutmen, attempting to save a little girl named Mayumi from Egos' forces. He loved to play Pachinko and enjoyed eating caviar.
Makoto Jin (神誠, Jin Makoto; 33–52): A silent cowboy. A man of action, not words. A scientist who trained in the Defense Ministry along with Kensaku. He joined Battle Fever to avenge the death of his friend. Makoto is an expert marksman. He is a loner, preferring to go off by himself. Makoto plays a trumpet to distract Egos.
Kyousuke Shida (志田京介, Shida Kyōsuke) / Battle France (バトルフランス, Batoru Furansu): The blue-colored warrior who received his combat training while in France. He became the new second in command of the team after Kensaku's death. He is normally a beautician, a dandy and playboy. He enjoys eating escargot. He wields a rapier. During the team's roll call, he performs a flamenco dance.
Allies
General Tetsuzan Kurama (倉間鉄山将軍, Kurama Tetsuzan Shōgun): The chief of the special science office of the National Defense Ministry who established the Battle Fever Squad. He is a master of traditional Japanese swordsmanship.
Keiko Nakahara (中原ケイコ, Nakahara Keiko): One of the operatives that runs Big Baser.
Tomoko Ueno (上野トモコ, Ueno Tomoko): The other operative that runs Big Baser.
Masaru Nakahara (中原マサル, Nakahara Masaru): Keiko's little brother.
Yuki Ueno (上野ユキ, Ueno Yuki): Tomoko's little sister. Was used by Egos in episode 27 to find Battle Fever's base.
Kyutaro (九太郎, Kyūtarō): Robot mynah bird built by Tetsuzan as a present. Often had insight into the situation. Revealed in episode 51 to have a freezing ray built in.
Secret Society Egos
Secret Society Egos (秘密結社エゴス, Himitsu Kessha Egosu) is a religion of mad egocentrists who intend to plunge the world into chaos.
Satan Egos (サタンエゴス, Satan Egosu): The mysterious head, entirely draped in black. He creates the Egos Monster's inside the Egos heart, calling them "My beloved Children". They call him "Father". He is ultimately slain by the Lightning Sword Rocketter.
Commander Hedder (ヘッダー指揮官, Heddā Shikikan): The high priest of Egos. He later becomes the Hedder Monster after his death at the hands of Kurama and is slain a second time as such by the Battle Fever J's new attack, Battle Fever Power.
Salomé (サロメ, Sarome): An Egos American branch officer who came to Japan to aid Hedder with her super strength. She is responsible for all the assassinations in America. She allowed herself to be captured by Battle Fever after attacking and replacing several policemen with disguised cutmen, with whom she stole a billion yen to give to Egos. She believes she is taken to the Battle Fever Base, but in reality she is taken to a warehouse. She carries a hand mirror with a tracker in it, which she uses to fire solar beams or to bludgeon people. She was killed in the collapsing castle as Satan Egos fled. Her last words were begging Egos to help her.
Cutmen (カットマン, Kattoman): The foot soldiers in grey and black who wield MP40 machine guns.
The Egos Monsters (エゴス怪人, Egosu Kaijin) are the divine children of Egos created by the heart-like Egos Monster Making Machine. Anything from objects, animals, and willing humans can be turned into an Egos Monster this way. Many from episode 5 onward have "little brother" giant robot doubles that fight the Battle Fever Robot.
Movie
There was a theatrical release of Battle Fever J, released as part of the Toei Manga Matsuri on July 29, 1979. It was a blown up version of Episode 5 "Robot Big Dogfight". This theatrical version did not appear on Toei's Super Sentai Movie compilation DVD's, but was included in Toei's Tokusatsu Hero The Movie DVD series, featured on Volume 5 of the collection.
Cast
Masao Den: Hironori Tanioka (谷岡弘規, Tanioka Hironori)
Kensaku Shiraishi: Yukio Itou (伊藤武史, Itō Yuiko)
Makoto Jin: Naoya Ban (伴直弥, Ban Naoya)
Kyosuke Shida: Yuuhei Kurachi (倉地雄平, Kurachi Yūhei)
Shiro Akebono: Kenji Ohba (大葉健二, Ōba Kenji)
Diane Martin: Diane Martin (ダイアン・マーチン, Daian Māchin)
Diane Martin (voice): Lisa Komaki (小牧リサ, Komaki Risa) (1–14, 17–24) / Keiko Yokozawa (横沢啓子, Yokozawa Keiko) (15–16)
Maria Nagisa: Naomi Hagi (萩奈穂美, Hagi Naomi)
General Tetsuzan Kurama: Chiyonosuke Azuma (東千代之介, Azuma Chiyonosuke)
Keiko Nakahara: Noriko Itō (伊東範子, Itō Noriko)
Masaru Nakahara: Takumi Satō (佐藤たくみ, Satō Takumi)
Tomoko Ueno: Keiko Kanno (菅野啓子, Kanno Keiko)
Yuki Ueno: Michiyo Satō (佐藤三千代, Satō Michiyo)
Akio Hamamura: Shin'ichi Yoshimiya (吉宮慎一, Yoshimiya Shin'ichi)
Shigeo Aoki: Seiji Suzuki (鈴木誠司, Suzuki Seiji)
Kyutaro (voice): Hisako Kyōda (京田尚子, Kyōda Hisako)
Commander Hedder: Kenji Ushio (潮建志, Ushio Kenji) (1, 3, 5, 7) / Masashi Ishibashi (石橋雅史, Ishibashi Masashi) (4, 6, 8–51)
Songs
Opening theme
"Battle Fever J" (バトルフィーバーJ, Batoru Fībā Jei)
Lyrics: Keisuke Yamakawa (山川 啓介, Yamakawa Keisuke)
Composition and Arrangement: Michiaki Watanabe (渡辺 宙明, Watanabe Michiaki)
Artist: MoJo with the Columbia Yurikago-Kai
"Battle Fever J (Alternate Opening)"
Lyrics: Keisuke Yamakawa
Composition and Arrangement: Michiaki Watanabe
Artist: MoJo, Columbia Yurikago-Kai, Feeling Free
Ending theme
"Yūsha ga Yuku" (勇者が行く; "Brave Men Go")
Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude
Composition and Arrangement: Michiaki Watanabe
Artist: MoJo
International broadcast and home video
In its home country of Japan, only Episode 8 was released on VHS by Toei Video. From June 21, 1999 to June 21, 2000, it was then released for the first time as a full series release on Laserdisc and spread through several volumes. Each volume contains two discs with eight episodes, with Volume 7 only having 1 disc with four episodes. From February 21, 2007 to June 21, 2007, it was given a DVD release for the first time. But it did go out of print for a while until September 21, 2012, when production resumed with the completion of all Super Sentai DVDs. Each volume contains 11 episodes (Volume 4 contains 10 episodes and Volume 5 contains 9 episodes).
In the Philippines, this series was aired on City2 from 1982 to 1983.
The series aired in the United States in the state of Hawaii where Battle Fever J got very popular. That along with Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, Android Kikaider, Kamen Rider V3, Warrior of Love Rainbowman and many others, all of which were shown in the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles provided by JN Productions on then KIKU Channel 13.
The show was also broadcast in Thailand late in the mid-1990s with the title Ranger J on MCOT Channel 9 with a Thai dub.
