Dengeki Sentai Changeman (電撃戦隊チェンジマン, Dengeki Sentai Chenjiman; Electric Strike Squadron Changeman) is a Japanese television tokusatsu series broadcast by TV Asahi. The series is the ninth installment of Super Sentai. Directed by Minoru Yamada, Takao Nagaishi and Nagafumi Hori, it stars Haruki Hamada, Kazuoki Takahashi, Shiro Izumi, Hiroko Nishimoto, Mai Ooishi, Jun Fujimaki, Shohei Yamamoto, Yoshinori Okamoto, Kana Fujieda and Fukumi Kuroda. It aired from February 2, 1985 to February 22, 1986, replacing Choudenshi Bioman and was replaced by Choushinsei Flashman. The international English title is listed by Toei as simply Changeman.
Plot
After conquering hundreds of planets, the Star Cluster Gozma sets its sights on Earth. To defend it, the Japanese military forms an elite Earth Defense Force. Under Commander Ibuki, the force begins rigorous training.
Meanwhile, as their first act, the Gozma decide to eliminate those who pose the greatest risk of interfering with their invasion: the military. After a brutal day of training, the Earth Defense Force recruits are fed up with Ibuki's cruel ways and leave the training session. Soon afterwards, they are attacked by Gozma troops. Five surviving officers gather together, beaten and exhausted but refusing to retreat from the threat. The Earth trembles, empowering them with the Earth Force, giving them the power of mythological beasts and becoming the Changemen. With the mystical power of the Earth Force and military technology, the Changemen begin their war against Gozma.
Characters
Changemen
The Changemen transformed. From left to right: Mai Tsubasa, Yuma Ozora, Hiryu Tsurugi, Sho Hayate, and Sayaka Nagisa.
The eponymous Changemen are all former members of the various branches of Japanese military who were hand picked by the Earth Defense Force to combat Gozma. As the Changemen, they derive their powers from a mysterious energy called Earth Force (アースフォース, Āsu Fōsu), which gives its users the power to protect Earth from any threat to it.
Hiryu Tsurugi (剣 飛竜, Tsurugi Hiryū): Hiryu was previously an officer from Kōchi Prefecture in the Japanese Air Force before becoming the red-colored Change Dragon (チェンジドラゴン, Chenji Doragon). Tsurugi is a passionate leader with a kind heart, often getting so focused on a task that he does not think of the possible danger he puts himself in to complete it. He is a sharpshooter and a skilled motorcycle driver. He was also his high school's best baseball player until an accident forced him to quit the game. As Change Dragon, Hiryu is a master of airborne attacks as well as close-range and long-range attacks, even adding some of his baseball skills into his techniques.
Sho Hayate (疾風 翔, Hayate Shō): Sho was previously a Japanese Army Ranger from Aomori Prefecture before becoming the black-colored Change Gryphon (チェンジグリフォン, Chenji Gurifon). He's a narcissistic womanizer, often combing his hair before entering battle, though it's an exterior for his kind personality.
Yuma Ozora (大空 勇馬, Ōzora Yūma): Yuma was previously a Branch Officer in the Japanese Army before becoming the blue-colored Change Pegasus (チェンジペガサス, Chenji Pegasasu). He serves as the group's tech member with the ability to tap into superhuman strength. As the youngest, he tends not to respect authority much and often associates himself with the children that the Changemen help. Yuma also has a dream to open up a tonkatsu shop after getting enough money to start it up.
Sayaka Nagisa (渚 さやか, Nagisa Sayaka): Sayaka was previously a task force officer in the Japanese Army before becoming the white-colored Change Mermaid (チェンジマーメイド, Chenji Māmeido). She is the team's strategist, and sometimes focuses too much on the etiquette of her fellow Changemen. However, Sayaka has a loving and caring aspect of her seen in animals and her feelings for Hiryu.
Mai Tsubasa (翼 麻衣／チェンジフェニックス, Tsubasa Mai): Mai was previously a spy for the Japanese Army before becoming the pink-colored Change Phoenix (チェンジフェニックス, Chenji Fenikkusu). Like Hiryu, she is also skilled at motorcycle driving. Though appearing to be a tomboy who is rough around the edges, Mai is a caring figure and good friends with Sayaka despite their differences.
Allies
Commander Ibuki (伊吹長官, Ibuki-chōkan): The head of the Blitzkrieg Squadron who seems cruel at first but has a caring side too. He is eventually revealed to be Yui Ibuki of Planet Heath which was destroyed by Gozma.
Electric Strike Squadron (電撃戦隊, Dengeki Sentai): A group of people from various military organization like the Changemen, who function as the team's support. They help out the Changemen in certain situations.
Captain Inokuma: An Electric Strike Squadron mechanic who works on the Auto Changers
Aliens
The Changemen meet other aliens who end up on Earth because of Gozma:
Nana (ナナ): A young girl from the planet Rigel with superhuman abilities. She is used in tipping the scales for Gozma for when Rigelian girls reach an age they release a massive energy which would give power to whoever is caught in its path. Though aged by 20 years old thanks to Giluke's scheme to become stronger, Nana gains telepathic abilities along with heighten physical abilities.
Sakura (さくら): An alien from Planet Merle (メルル星, Meruru-sei)
Volta (ボルタ, Boruta) An alien from Planet Tora (トーラ星, Tōra-sei), also a Space Beast Warrior.
Shinpei Mizuhara (水原 新平, Mizuhara Shinpei): A boy who has the blood of Alien Posedonia (ポセドニア人, Posedonia-jin).
Zoorii and Waraji (ゾーリーとワラジー, Zōrī to Warajī): Gaata's wife and son. Their role in the plot grows towards the end of the series because Waraji is able to play in his ocarina a tune which induces homesickness on space creatures, and is eventually used against Gozma members themselves, causing them (even a reluctant Gaata) to target the boy, who angrily breaks the ocarina and storms off, declaring he has no father. Zoorii, in the meantime, becomes pregnant with her and Gaata's daughter, forcing him to abandon Gozma for good.
Great Star League Gozma
The Great Star League Gozma (大星団ゴズマ, Daiseidan Gozuma; Star Cluster Gozma) is an interstellar criminal shogunate that devastates planets and uses the survivors as warriors to invade other planets. The group is based on the battleship Gozmard (ゴズマード, Gozumādo).
Star King Bazeu (星王バズー, Seiō Bazū): Bazeu is the leader of Gozma who only appears to his followers as a giant blue limbless torso, which is an illusion created by his true form: the living planet Gozma Star (ゴズマスター, Gozuma Sutā) who absorbs other worlds throughout its interstellar conquest of the universe. Though he spares some planets, Bazeu uses them as a means to intimidate his minions with their destruction as both a drafting method and to ensure no failure. He manages to approach Earth undetected by hiding himself into the tail of Halley's Comet, but is ultimately destroyed by the Changemen after they ride the Change Robo deep onto his body and destroy its core.
General Giluke (ギルーク司令, Girūku-shirei): Originally from Planet Girath (ギラス星, Girasu-sei), Girook is the invasion leader and secretly plots on overthrowing Bazeu, his first attempt ending in failure. He uses a sword made for the strongest warrior from his homeworld. After being killed, he comes back in a ghost form called Ghost Giluke (ゴーストギルーク, Gōsuto Girūku; 38-43) after fusing with the body of Space Beast Warrior Zados in the Space Beast Graveyard and then force grows Nana to be endowed with the backlash of her energies to become Super Giluke (スーパーギルーク, Sūpā Girūku) before becoming the Space Beast Warrior Girath (ギラス, Girasu). He is finally defeated by the Changemen.
Adjutant Booba (副官ブーバ, Fukukan Būba): Booba is a former space pirate who has been conscripted to be one of the lieutenants of Giluke. Wielding the Buldobas Sickle, Booba is the rival of Change Dragon. Eventually, learning of the brain washing he went through after seeing his former love, Booba helps free Seama from the control of Gozma's before dying in a duel against Change Dragon.
Adjutant Seama (副官シーマ, Fukukan Shīma): Seama is the former princess of Planet Amanga (アマンガ星, Amanga-sei), whose people are able to fight with psychic powers called Amanga Energy (アマンガエネルギー, Amanga Enerugī). When her planet was conquered, she was taken in by a Space Beast Warrior named Uba and raised on its milk, turning her into a cold Gorgon-themed Space Beast Warrior with a deep male voice Zuune (ズーネ, Zūne) until Changeman uses their weapon to separate, disconnect and split the link between Seama and Zunne and she manages to joins forces with the Changemen after Zuune's been defeated by Change Robo.
Queen Ahames (女王アハメス, Joō Ahamesu): Ahames is the former queen of Planet Amazo (アマゾ星, Amazo-sei) who joined with Giluke in his attempt to overthrow Bazeu. After the attempt failed, Ahames's whereabouts were unknown until she arrives to Earth. After Giluke is killed the first time, she takes over as the leader of Gozma's forces until his return. With all her minions defeated or defected, she was transformed into a Space Beast Warrior, Maze by Super Giluke, until she's has been defeated by Change Robo.
Navigator Gator (航海士ゲーター, Kōkaishi Gētā): Gator the navigator of the Gozmard, originally from the Planet Navi (ナビ星, Nabi-sei), is a reptilian humanoid who reluctantly joins Gozma for the safety of his family. Also for the sake of his family, he eventually defects, siding with the Changemen through the rest of the series.
Gyodai (ギョダーイ, Gyodāi): A one-eyed creature from the planet of the same name who is used by Gozma to enlarge its minions. Left alone into a derelict Gozmard, he is rescued by the Changemen and aids them in the final battle against Bazeu.
Jangeran (ジャンゲラン): Jangeran is the familiar of Ahames. It is a two-headed dragon/bird whose left head fires a cone of ice while its right unleashes a torrent of flame. When Bazeu grows impatient with Ahames' lack of results against the Changemen, he splits Jangeran into two separate beings called Jan (ジャン) and Geran (ゲラン).
Hidrer Soldiers (ヒドラー兵, Hidorā-hei): Gozma's foot soldiers, these blue-skinned zombie-like aliens are feral creatures that use their talons as weapons. If wounded enough, a Hidrer would bleed steam before evaporating within seconds.
Space Beast Warriors
The Space Beast Warriors (宇宙獣士, Uchū Jūshi) are inhuman alien warriors that work for Great Star League Gozma. Gyodai would be dispatched to enlarge the Space Beast Warriors in order to fight Change Robo. In their normal size, they can speak. In giant size, all they do is roar.
Episodes
"Arrival! The Secret Power!" (出現！秘密の力！, Shutsugen! Himitsu no Chikara!)
"The Wrath of Star King Bazoo" (星王バズーの怒り, Seiō Bazū no Ikari)
The opening theme is "Dengeki Sentai Changeman" (電撃戦隊チェンジマン, Dengeki Sentai Chenjiman) and the closing theme is "Never Stop Changeman" (Never Stopチェンジマン, Nebā Sutoppu Chenjiman). Both have lyrics by Yoshiaki Sagara (さがら よしあき, Sagara Yoshiaki), music by Katsuo Ohno (大野 克夫, Ōno Katsuo), arrangements by Tatsumi Yano (矢野 立美, Yano Tatsumi) and were sung by Kage.
Broadcast and home video
In its home country of Japan, the series aired in TV Asahi from February 2, 1985, to February 22, 1986, airing every Saturday at 6.00 p.m. Both of the Changeman films were released on VHS. Dengeki Sentai Changeman: The Movie and Dengeki Sentai Changeman: Shuttle Base! The Critical Moment! as well as on DVD for "Super Sentai THE MOVIE BOX" on July 21, 2003, later released on "Super Sentai The MOVIE VOL.3" on July 21, 2004, and a Blu-Ray release on June 21, 2011, as part of the "Super Sentai THE MOVIE Blu-Ray BOX 1976-1995." In 2009 from June 21 till October 21, the full series was released on home video for the first time with five DVD volumes and each volume contains 11 episodes in a 2-disc set. Seven episodes (being 1, 33, 43, 51-53 and 55) are included in the Super Sentai Ichimi Blu-ray 1982-1986" released on April 14, 2021, for a Blu-Ray release.
In Thailand, the series was aired with a Thai dub in 1987 on Channel 7, distributed and licensed by TIGA Company, Ltd. There were also two Thai dubs made for home video over the years, one released by Square Video and another later on by Focus, bringing the total of three Thai dubs.
The series was broadcast in Brazil under the title Esquadrão Relâmpago Changeman (Lightning Squadron Changeman) and was readily available on VHS throughout Mid-1987 with all 55 episodes dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese (produced between 1986 and 1987) and available as it was sold throughout several volumes, licensed by Everest Video Do Brasil when Toshihiko Egawara got the official rights from Toei to bring it over. The series then got extremely popular when it first aired on Rede Manchete on February 22, 1988, when it aired on prime time and became a huge hit. Changeman is the first Super Sentai series to air in the region and has enjoyed unprecedented success along with another Toei tokusatsu series MegaBeast Investigator Juspion (which aired as O Fantástico Jaspion) as that aired on the exact same day on the same channel, causing them to air more tokusatsu shows. Years later, it continued re-runs on other channels as well. On July 23, 2009, it even started receiving a full DVD release in two volumes by Focus Filmes with all episodes included with both the original Japanese audio with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles and also the Brazilian Portuguese dub included. Sato Company acquired the license to the series in 2015, until it expired in June 2021, due to Hasbro owning and controlling broader international rights, due to the connection of Power Rangers which adapts from Toei's Super Sentai, outside of Japan and the rest of Asia. This even includes the Sentai entries that were never adapted.
In South Korea, the series was imported and dubbed in Korean in 1993 exclusively for home video by Daeyoung Panda and released under the same title as the original Japanese title (전격전대 체인지맨, Jeongyeogjeondae Cheinjimaen). This marks the first and only time that a Korean dubbed Sentai kept the title as is. As for the Korean dub of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, it was officially renamed as Power Rangers Changeman. (파워레인저 체인지맨)
