Super Rescue Solbrain

Plot

After the Winspector police team leaves Japan to fight crime in France, Chief Shunsuke Masaki realizes he must create a new police team to defend Tokyo from crime. He creates Solbrain – a high-tech special rescue force, expert in missions requiring rescue and firepower. Its leader is Daiki Nishio, a rookie detective who can use the Plus Up command in his car to transform into SolBraver. Other members are Reiko Higuchi, also able to use the Plus Up command to transform into SolJeanne, SolBraver's female counterpart; and SolDozer, a yellow bulldozer robot. Later in the series, the Winspector team returns to Japan and teams up with Solbrain for a three-part story (episodes 21-23). From episode 34 on, Ryouma, the protagonist from Winspector, returns as a member of Solbrain, wearing a suit dubbed the Knight Fire.

The team

Daiki Nishio/SolBraver (西尾 大樹/ソルブレイバー, Nishio Daiki/Sorubureibā): Ryoma's successor. He wears blue armor, and his primary vehicle is SolGallop. He only can wear his solid suit, and his transformation call is "Plus Up" (プラスアップ, Purasu Appu). He is armed with Cerberus Delta (a triangular gun), which can transform into a rod or a sword.

Reiko Higuchi/SolJeanne (樋口 玲子/ソルジャンヌ, Higuchi Reiko/Sorujannu): Junko's successor. She wears red armor, a black-and-white flameproof suit and a helmet without a mouthplate (so she can wear also an oxygen mask). Her primary vehicle is SolDrecker, which also carries Dozer. Her transformation call is also "Plus Up" (プラスアップ, Purasu Appu), and her weapon is a small gun.

SolDozer (ソルドーザー, Sorudōzā): Bikel and Walter's successor. He is a yellow heavy-duty robot (with design elements from a bulldozer, as the name implies) and can transform into a rescue machine.

Other members

Jun Masuda (増田 純, Masuda Jun): A Solbrain member, unlike Daiki and Reiko he does not wear a solid suit; however, he is always in action.

Shunsuke Masaki (正木 俊介, Masaki Shunsuke): Chief of Solbrain. Compassionate and dedicated, he usually goes into the battlefield to help his subordinates.

Kamekichi Togawa (戸川 亀吉, Togawa Kamekichi): A machine expert, he is Nonoyama's successor.

Takeshi Yazawa (矢沢 武, Yazawa Takeshi): A pilot of the mothership Solid States-I, he leads the mothership's operating team and is senior to Daiki.

Midori Aikawa (相川 みどり, Aikawa Midori): Solbrain's Operation's team leader, she sees computer literacy as a main duty.

Ryoma Kagawa/(Knight) Fire (香川 竜馬/(ナイト) ファイヤー, Kagawa Ryōma/(Naito) Faiyā): Winspector's former leader, he first reappears in episode 21 with the Winspector team (robots Bikel and Walter) chasing an android named Messiah. He later transformed into Fire and helped the team with Bikel and Walter. Later returns in episode 34 as Knight Fire, a new member of Solbrain, armed with Cerberus Delta and Pile Tornado. He is portrayed by Masaru Yamashita, reprising his role from the previous Metal Hero series.

Cross 8000 (クロス8000, Kurosu hassen): Solbrain's supercomputer, and Madocks' successor.

Arsenal

Solid Suit (ソリッドスーツ, Soriddo Sūtsu): Daiki, Reiko, and Ryōma's armor.

Proto Suit ( プロトスーツ, Puroto Suutsu ? ) The prototype of SolBraver's Solid Suit, Katsuhito Sasamoto (笹本勝彦, Sasamoto Katsuhito) steals the armor to destroy SolBraver, but the armor had a timeout, similar to the Crush Tector's 5 minute time limit. Sasamoto was known as a psychotic person who had no qualifications to become the SolBraver.

SolGallop (ソルギャロップ, Soru Gyaroppu): Daiki's car, based on the Toyota Sera

SolDrecker (ソルドレッカー, Soru Dorekkā): Reiko's car, sometimes also driven by Jun. Based on the Toyota Previa

Knight custom (ナイトカスタム, Naito Kasutamu): Ryōma's car, based on the Mazda RX-7 FC

Masaki's undercover car: Chief Masaki's car. Initially, a Third-Generation Mazda Luce seen on Winspector, but in mid-series changed to a Mazda Persona.

Winsquad Stock-type (市販車型ウインスコード, Shihansha-gata Uinsukōdo): In the episode 21, when Ryoma chases an android, he drives this car, a tenth generation Cadillac Eldorado with all the equipment and transformation mechanisms installed inside the car.

Solid States I (ソリッドステイツI, Soriddo Suteitsu wan): the mothership (abbreviated S.S.-I (エスエスワン, Esu Esu Wan)). S.S.-I takes off from Solid Hanger (ソリッドハンガー, Soriddo Hangā) in one minute.

Cerberus Delta (ケルベロスΔ, Keruberosu Deruta): SolBraver and Knight Fire's weapon. It has two operating modes: Shot Mode (ショットモード, Shotto Mōdo) (used as a ray gun) and Slash Mode (スラッシュモード, Surasshu Mōdo) (used, as a sword, to break obstacles such as girders and fighting enemies armed with knives).

BosWinder (ボスワインダー, Bosu Waindā): a tool which shoots a special carbon-fiber rope or a special bullet

Episodes

Tokyo Skies' SOS (東京上空SOS, Tōkyō Jōkū Esu Ō Esu): written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Masao Minowa

The Explosive ESP Sisters (爆襲!エスパー姉妹, Bakushū! Esupā Shimai): written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Masao Minowa

Is Father an Angel or a Devil? (父は天使か怪物か, Chichi wa Tenshi ka Kaibutsu ka): written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Michio Konishi

The Game-Software of Dreams (夢のゲームソフト, Yume no Gēmu Sofuto): written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Michio Konishi

The Mutant's Courage (怪人のくれた勇気, Kaijin no kureta yūki): written by Takahiko Masuda, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara

The Storyteller and the Bomb (バクダンと落語家, Bakudan to Rakugoka): written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara

The Reincarnated Human Machine (人間再生マシーン, Ningen Saisei Mashīn): written by Kyoko Sagiyama, directed by Kaneharu Mitsumura

The Vanishing Power-Suit (消えた強化スーツ, Kieta Kyōka Sūtsu): written by Takashi Yamada, directed by Kaneharu Mitsumura

Father and Daughter's Red Bond (父と娘の赤い絆, Chichi to Ko no Akai Kizuna): written by Junichi Miyashita, directed by Michio Konishi

The Naive Arson Team (わしら純情放火団, Washira Junjō Hōkadan): written by Nobuo Ogizawa, directed by Michio Konishi

The Elegy of Love and Revenge (愛と復讐の挽歌, Ai to Fukushū no Banka): written by Takahiko Masuda, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara

Birth! The New Dozer (誕生!新ドーザー, Tanjō! Shin Dōzā): written by Noboru Sugimura, directed by Takeshi Ogasawara

Cast

Daiki Nishio (西尾 大樹, Nishio Daiki): Kōichi Nakayama (中山幸一, Nakayama Kōichi)

Reiko Higuchi (樋口 玲子, Higuchi Reiko): Mitsue Mori (森 みつえ, Mori Mitsue)

Reiko Higuchi (child; 11): Miho Tamura

Shunsuke Masaki (正木 俊介, Masaki Shunsuke): Hiroshi Miyauchi (宮内 洋, Hiroshi Miyauchi)

Jun Masuda (増田 純, Masuda Jun): Hidenori Iura (井浦 秀智, Iura Hidenori)

Kamekichi Togawa (戸川 亀吉, Togawa Kamekichi): Mitsuru Onodera (小野寺 充, Onodera Mitsuru)

Ryōma Kagawa (香川 竜馬, Kagawa Ryōma): Masaru Yamashita (山下 優, Yamashita Masaru)

Takeshi Yazawa (矢沢 武, Yazawa Takeshi): Kaname Kawai (河合 要, Kawai Kaname)

Midori Aikawa (相川 みどり, Midori Aikawa): Mayuko Irie (入江 まゆこ, Mayuko Irie)

Norio Tsuruoka (鶴岡 則夫, Tsuruoka Norio): Mitsutaka Tachikawa (立川 三貴, Tachikawa Mitsutaka)

Hiroshi Tsuruoka (鶴岡 浩, Tsuruoka Hiroshi): Kunihiro Tomita (富田 晋寛, Tomita Kunihiro)

S.S-I Crew (S.S.-I乗組員, S. S. - I norikumiin): Koji Matoba, Takeshi Ishida, Tokio Iwata, Emiko Takahashi, and Kimiko Imai

Ryūichi Takaoka (高岡 隆一, Takaoka Ryūichi): Masaki Terasoma (寺杣 昌紀, Terasoma Masaki)

Voice cast

SolDozer (ソルドーザー, Sorudōzā): Seizō Katō (加藤 精三, Katō Seizō)

Cross 8000 (クロス8000, Kurosu hassen): Masaki Terasoma

Narrator (ナレーター, Narētā): Takeshi Kuwabara (桑原 たけし, Kuwabara Takeshi)

Guest cast

Dr.Inagaki (1): Shinya Ono

Kazuo Inagaki (1): Hirofumi Taga

Simulated Brain A320 (voice; 1): Yoshio Kawai

Ryuzo Makimura (2): Katsuhiko Kobayashi

Emi Makimura (2): Miki Takahashi

Rumi Makimura (2): Masami Hosoi

Yuka Mizusawa (2): Yoko Honna

Dr. Shibuzawa (3): Toshimichi Takahashi

Hatta (3): Koji Takahashi

Jun Tashiro (3): Shiro Saito

Kenta Tashiro (3): Mitsunari Hashimoto

Yukio Sano (4): Ryosuke Kaizu

Sano's minion (4): Kazuhiko Shimizu

Aoyama Electric Officer (4): Daisaku Shinohara

Aoyama Electric Researcher (4): Koji Imai

Game Machime Monster (4 - voices): Toku Nishio, Kaoru Shinoda

Koichi Ishikawa/Phanton Bond (5): Ritsuo Ishiyama

Yasuhiko Kujo (5): Maroshi Tamura

Naoto Yamaguchi (5): Shogo Kudo

Naoto's mother (5): Noriko Ikeda

Yumi Saiga (5): Mayumi Yoshida

Suit cast

SolBraver: Kazutoshi Yokoyama and Tokio Iwata

SolJeanne: Emiko Takahashi

SolDozer: Toshiyuki Kikuchi

Knight Fire: Hiroshi Maeda, Jiro Okamoto, and Tokio Iwata

Crew

Original story by Saburo Yatsude

Screenplay by: Noboru Sugimura, Nobuo Ōgizawa, Takahiko Masuda, Junichi Miyashita, Susumu Takaku, Takashi Yamada, Kyōko Sagiyama, Mayumi Ishiyama, Akiko Asatsuke

Music: Kaoru Mizuki

Photography: Susumu Seo, Takakazu Koizumi

Assistant Director: Hidenori Ishida, Masashi Taniguchi

Action Directors: Junji Yamaoka, Jun Murakami

Special-Effects Director: Nobuo Yajima

Produced by: Kyōzō Utsunomiya, Atsushi Kaji (TV Asahi), Nagafumi Hori (Toei)

Directed by: Masao Minowa, Michio Konishi, Takeshi Ogasawara, Kaneharu Mitsumura, Kiyoshi Arai, Hidenori Ishida

Production: TV Asahi, ASATSU, Toei

Songs

Opening theme

"Tokkyū Shirei Solbrain" (特救指令ソルブレイン, Tokkyū Shirei Soruburein)

Lyrics: Akira Otsu (大津 あきら, Ōtsu Akira)

Composition: Kisaburō Suzuki (鈴木 キサブロー, Suzuki Kisaburō)

Arrangement: Tatsumi Yano (矢野 立美, Yano　Tatsumi)

Artist: Takayuki Miyauchi (宮内 タカユキ, Miyauchi Takayuki)

Chorus: Morinoki Children Choir (森の木児童合唱団, Morinoki Jidō Gasshōdan)

Closing theme

"Ai ni Dakarete" (愛に抱かれて; "Embracing in Love")

Lyrics: Akira Ōtsu

Composition: Kisaburō Suzuki

Arrangement: Tatsumi Yano

Artist: Takayuki Miyauchi

Chorus: Morinoki Jidō Gasshōdan

Video game

A video game for Tokkyū Shirei Solbrain was released in 1991 for the Famicom, published by Angel and developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. It was localized into Shatterhand, which was published by Jaleco for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America and Europe shortly after the Japanese release. The differences are mainly cosmetic (changing music and graphics) but there were also several substantial changes, such as which boss appeared in which area. In addition, the theme-park stage from the Famicom version was replaced with a nuclear-submarine stage in the NES version.

Philippine English voice cast

All 53 episodes were covered and were visually aired uncut. However, some of the characters had their first names changed to be more anglicized, while their surnames were kept. However, several characters have kept their Japanese full names completely intact. For example, Daiki Nishio, Reiko Higuchi and Jun Masuda were renamed to Corey Nishio, Rachel Higuchi and John Masuda respectively.

Daiki Nishino/Corey Nishio/SolBraver - Earl Palma

Reiko Higuchi/Rachel Higuchi/SolJeanne - Unknown

Jun Masuda/John Masuda - Earl Palma

Shunsuke Masaki - Earl Palma

International broadcasts and home video

The series aired in Indonesia on Indosiar with an Indonesian dub in the mid-1990s produced by Erfas Studio. It also aired again in 2001.

It also aired in Thailand on Channel 3 with a Thai dub.

In Brazil, the series aired as Super Equipe de Resgate Solbrain on the now-defunct Rede Manchete in 1995 with a Brazilian Portuguese dub. This was the final Metal Heroes series to be released in the region with a dub.

The series received a Latin Spanish dub dubbed in Mexico with its dub produced by Comarex dubbed by Larsa Studios, recorded and released in 1996. It aired as Super Rescate Solbrain.

This series aired in the Philippines with all 53 episodes dubbed into English by Telesuccess Productions, Toei's Filipino branch. This is the first and only entry in the Metal Hero series to ever receive an English dub. It first began airing on IBC 13 in 1997 with all 53 episodes dubbed in English and later Tagalog (Filipino), both versions being fully uncut. However, most characters in the English dub had their first names changed, but several characters had their names either slightly modified or fully kept intact. It also aired again on ABC 5 (now TV5) in 1999. The English dub was also released on DVD in 2004 and is reported to be the only Metal Heroes series to ever be released with an English dub. Later on, the series was bought back on the air in 2006 on GMA Network with a newly produced Tagalog dub of the series.