Choushinsei Flashman

Storyline

In 1966, five infants from Earth are abducted by an alien group known as the Alien Hunters on behalf of the Reconstructive Experiment Empire Mess, which seeks human subjects for experimentation. The children are rescued by Mess’s enemies, the Flash alien race, who take each child to a different planet within their solar system for training.

There, each is raised separately and trained in a range of superhuman abilities, with their bodies adapting to the planets’ environments and gaining unique powers. When they return to their birth planet, Earth in 1986, 20 years later, to confront Mess—now attempting to invade—they also take the opportunity to search for their biological parents.

Characters

Flashmen

Raised in the harsh conditions of Planet Flash and its four moons, gaining powers in the Flash Star System, the eponymous Flashmen was brought up for the purpose of defeating Mess. The team can perform team attacks like the Combination Super Spear, a large energy spear created from the combined powers of the Flashmen.

Jin (ジン, Jin)/Red Flash (レッドフラッシュ, Reddo Furasshu): He learned science on the desert planet Flash Star, gaining scientific mental powers and scientific knowledge including a wealth of knowledge dealing with machinery. Kidnapped from Earth at age 3, given a scar by an Alien Hunter in the process. Since he was the oldest of the five kidnapped, his memories about the kidnapping are the strongest, although still fuzzy. He is the strongest of the team and as the eldest, takes an older brother-like role, making him a strong leader. Red Flash would reappear again 15 years after the series ending in Gaoranger VS Super Sentai along with his 23 fellow Red Warriors led by Red Falcon, in which all 24 Red leaders performed their respective role calls.

Dai (ダイ, Dai)/Green Flash (グリーンフラッシュ, Gurīn Furasshu): He gained great strength training on the rocky Green Star, enduring the most physical pain compared to his teammates. He made friends with boxer Ryuu Wakakusa, who further trained him in his boxing abilities. He arms himself with brass knuckles. Although he has a cold exterior, he is actually a very warm and charming person. He has a weak spot for women and loves nature and ramen. He befriended the teenage Sumire, who had actually died some years back and had been contacting Dai through telepathy.

Bun (ブン, Bun)/Blue Flash (ブルーフラッシュ, Burū Furasshu): He gained speed and agility on the deserts of the Blue Star planet. He learned survival skills on the harsh planet of Blue Star, such as surviving 30 days on one cup of water and how to climb walls. He is sarcastic. As the youngest team member, he yearns most to find his parents.

Sara (サラ, Sara)/Yellow Flash (イエローフラッシュ, Ierō Furasshu): She developed a sharp mind on the ice planet Yellow Star, often seen as cold and serious herself by most people. However, she is actually a caring person. She is able to analyze the attacks and strategies of the villains. In the series finale, Sara learns that she is the biological daughter of Doctor Tokimura.

Allies

Mag (マグ, Magu): A robot programmed by the aliens of the Flash Star to guard the Round Base from intruders. After being subdued by the Flashmen, Mag is reprogramed to assist them. He upgrades the prisms in their helmets to give them stronger prism weapons when the Mess officers power up, Mag can also pilot the Star Condor as seen in an episode where Jin Needs parts for his Flash Hawk.

Doctor Tokimura (時村博士, Tokimura-hakase): A scientist and family man who lost one of his children 20 years to the Alien Hunters. Because the Alien Hunters blurred his memories of the event, he has created a time machine to return to that time to find out more information regarding the events. He helps the Flashmen with his inventions. In the series finale, he discovers that Sara is his daughter.

Setsuko Tokimura (時村節子, Tokimura Setsuko): The wife of Doctor Tokimura, who is also Sara's mother.

Hero Titan (英雄・タイタン, Eiyū Taitan): A legendary warrior of the Flash Stars. He is the one who the Flash aliens based their Flashman technology and mecha after. He was an honorable soldier who tracked down Mess from planet to planet to stop them. As a result of his travels away from the Flash system, he developed the Anti-Flash Phenomenon and died while in battle with Baraki.

Leh Baraki (レー・バラキ, Rē Baraki): The first creation of Lie Köpflen. He fought with Hero Titan and was saved by him. In awe of the legendary warrior's courage and honor, Leh Baraki decided to defect from Mess and promised the dying Titan that he would deliver the Flash Titan when it was needed. Therefore, he fell into a slumber aboard the Flash Titan, who followed the Star Condor when it arrived to Earth, lying dormant until it was needed. He was killed by Kauler and the monster The Drake. In his dying breath, he tries to warn the Flashmen about a weak point of theirs that shall be their downfall, but expires before succeeding.

Reconstructive Experiment Empire Mess

The Reconstructive Experiment Empire Mess (改造実験帝国メス, Kaizō Jikken Teikoku Mesu) is a space-traveling alien empire that takes over planets, using their lifeforms as raw materials in its experiments. Their goal is to transform its leader Lah Deus into the strongest being in the universe through repeated bio-augmentation. The Reconstructive Experiment Empire Mess' base of operations is the UFO-like spaceship called Labo.

Great Emperor Lah Deus (大帝ラー・デウス, Taitei Rā Deusu; 1–49): The leader of the Reconstructive Experiment Empire Mess who sought to become the ultimate life form. To fulfill that end, he recruited several Great Doctor's over the Eons, some he abducted like Doctor Köpflen. As a result, he has undergone several reconstructive operations in those years. He could fire energy shots from his fingers to punish his officers. Before the finale, after Kauler and Gardan dismantled Lah Deus, Lah Deus was transformed by Köpflen into the Deus Beast Warrior The Deusura (ザ・デウスーラ, Za Deusūra). After being destroyed by the Flashmen, his broken mask was taken by Köpflen to extract its DNA and fuse it with Kragen for his final creation The Demoss (ザ・デーモス, Za Dēmosu). A big immobile character, The Demoss is actually portrayed by a kaiju-sized puppet-like mannequin. THe Demoss was put down by Great Titan

Great Doctor Lie Köpflen (大博士リー・ケフレン, Dai Hakase Rī Kefuren): The right-hand man of Deus and creator of the empire's Beast Warriors by using a keyboard-like device called DNA Synthesizer. The centuries gave Köpflen a god complex as he turned his back on Lah Deus to become the ruler of Mess. Köpflen does not know that he is actually an Earthling just like the Flashmen and was abducted 300 years ago as a baby by Deus, who later trained him in genetics. In the final episode, he offers the Flashmen a chance to operate on them to repair their Anti-Flash Phenomenon in exchange for his life in the finale. After their refusal and the destruction of the DNA Synthesizer, Köpflen dies in Labo's explosion.

Leh Wanda (レー・ワンダ, Rē Wanda; 1–47): A bat-winged, zebra-striped swordsman full of pride and overconfidence. He believes himself to be superior but is disgusted once he learns from Köpflen that he was a composite being created from five grotesque and ordinary creatures making him similar to a Chimera. Later powered up as the monster Wandarla (ワンダーラ, Wandāra), in which he possessed the power to stop time for exactly 3 seconds. By combining his powers with a Beast Warrior, he could stop time in an area for an indefinite amount of time. He challenged Red Flash to a final duel to prove his strength after losing his power and was eventually destroyed.

Movies

Choushinsei Flashman (theatrical short released the same day as episode 3)

Flashman: Big Rally! Titan Boy! (theatrical edit of episodes 15–18)

Cast

Jin: Touta Tarumi

Dai: Kihachirō Uemura

Bun: Yasuhiro Ishiwata

Sara: Youko Nakamura

Lou: Mayumi Yoshida

Doctor Tokimura: Akira Ishihama

Setsuko Tokimura: Tamie Kubota

Great Doctor Lie Köphlen: Koji Shimizu

Leh Wanda: Yutaka Hirose (credited as Kazuhisa Harose)

Leh Näfel: Sayoko Hagiwara

Leh Gals: Hiroyuki Uchida

Wolk: Miyuki Nagato

Kilt: Yuko Kojima

Sir Kauler: Jouji Nakata

Hero Titan, Boh Gardan (43–48): Yoshinori Okamoto

Narrator: Eiichi Onoda

Voice actors

Great Emperor Lah Deus: Unshō Ishizuka

Mag: Hiroko Maruyama

Guest stars

Miran: Kazuoki Takahashi (credited as Kenji Kawai) (21)

Ryuu Wakakusa: Ryousuke Kaizu (27)

Sibelle: Mina Asami (40)

Songs

Opening Theme

"Choushinsei Flashman" (超新星フラッシュマン, Chōshinsei Furasshuman)

Lyrics: Reo Rinozuka (里乃塚 玲央, Rinozuka Reo)

Composition: Yukihide Takekawa (タケカワ ユキヒデ, Takekawa Yukihide)

Arrangement: Keiichi Oku (奥 慶一, Oku Keiichi)

Artist: Taku Kitahara (北原 拓, Kitahara Taku)

Ending theme

"Fighting Pose, Flashman!" (ファイティングポーズ、フラッシュマン!, Faitingu Pōzu, Furasshuman!)

Lyrics: Kōhei Oikawa (及川 恒平, Oikawa Kōhei)

Composition: Yukihide Takekawa

Arrangement: Keiichi Oku

Artist: Taku Kitahara