Spectreman
Entry updated 6 October 2025. Tagged: TV.
Japanese tv series (1971-1972; vt Uchū Enjin Gori; vt Gori vs. Spectreman). P-Productions. Created by Daiji Kazumine and Sôji Ushio (aka Tomio Sagisu). Directors include Kôichi Ishiguro and Keinosuke Tsuchiya. Writers include Tsunehisa Itô, Susumu Takaku, Sôji Ushio and Haruya Yamazaki. Cast includes Machiko Konishi, Tetsuo Narikawa and Takanobu Tôya. 63 24-minute episodes (plus the pilot). Colour.
This entry focuses on the US dub of Spectreman first broadcast in 1978, which reportedly stays reasonably true to the original, though some of the more violent scenes were edited out (in one episode, children seem to die, but the dub assures us they are merely injured). The US dub was co-written by Mel Welles – best known as the florist in Roger Corman's The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) – who is believed to be responsible for much of the dub's verbal Humour and to have voiced many of the characters.
Jôji Gamô (Narikawa) (George in the US dub) arrives at the offices of the Japanese government agency tasked with controlling Pollution, insisting that he will be working for them and that, furthermore, a disaster is about to hit the coast of Tokyo. Sure enough, a nearby bay reports severe pollution; but then a hydra-like Kaiju rises from the sea and begins to destroy the area's factories. The creature was made by the Alien Dr Gori (Tôya) (ape-faced, but blonde-haired and human-shaped) and his assistant Ra (Konishi) (gorilla-like, named Karras in the US). They are from a world 40,000 light years away, whose advanced and peaceful society had unwisely made Gori their leader; he is a Mutant and wanted to use their Technology to take over other planets (see Imperialism). His people imprisoned him and were about to perform an operation to remove his evil tendencies when army officer Ra freed him. The pair fled in a flying saucer (see UFOs), eventually reaching Earth; the Scientist falls in love with its beauty, but is horrified by the environmental disfiguration caused by humanity, so plans to conquer us by creating Monsters which feed on industrial waste.
Arriving at the bay with his new colleagues, Jôji is informed by his superior, Overlord, of the Kaiju's presence and sneaks off to assume his "Robot shell" (at other times he is called a Cyborg), only to be injured by a weapon fired from the flying saucer; his mask is dislodged. Retrieved by Dr Gori, his Computer informs him it originates from the World Ship Nebula 71, part of the Universal Federation, and is worn by Spectreman (see Superheroes), whose mission is to protect the underdeveloped planets of the universe from destruction by their own hands or others' – on Earth his job is to fight the pollution that threatens the planet's ecological balance: "how annoying" is the doctor's response. Spectreman recovers and destroys the monster with his spectral Rays.
Dr Gori goes on to build a secret base Under the Sea, creating and releasing more pollution monsters, which Jôji defeats, though hindered by the need to hide his real identity from humanity, particularly his colleagues (though an orphan boy learns his secret). Many monsters are fought, such as numerous Dinosaur-like creatures; Uplifted gorillas made into giants, giving an excuse for nods to King Kong (1933); people kidnapped and given poisonous breath; giant bugs; and a man turned into a monster that grows from devouring pollution. Spectreman cannot defeat him, but some of his humanity remains and he commits Suicide, his last words being "Tell my son I love him"; unfortunately the combination of monster design and voice acting means any pathos is lost, though it turns out this sacrifice restores him to life and human form. Further menaces include an Invisible flying whale; the Sphinx; a giant Ant that drinks the blood of its victims, making them both obedient and in possession of supernatural powers; Magurah, a monster living in a volcano that is awoken by a fight between Spectreman and Dr Gori's Satanking (despite the name, a traditional-looking kaiju); extinct creatures restored by Dr Gori ("Three million years ago the Three-Headed Dragon ruled the Earth ... with my scientific powers I have revived this masterpiece."); and three children, angry with grown-ups, who are given a device that transforms people into monsters, a teacher being their first victim.
To liven up the formula, other aliens turn up with increasing frequency; for example, episode #21 features not only Giragindo – one of the most memorable of the kaiju created in Dr Gori's laboratory – but also Zunou, an alien who has crashlanded on Earth. Able to possess people's bodies (see Identity Transfer), Zunou kills anyone who suspects him (voicing some regret); but Dr Gori promises to return him home if he possesses the powerful but scatterbrained Giragindo then defeats Spectreman. He fails and, despite having some sympathy for Zunou's plight, our hero kills him. In #34 Apollo astronauts return from the Moon with a purple stone suspected to be evidence of extra-terrestrial life – but Dr Gori is angered at humanity's presumption: "Interlopers! – only I have the right to explore this solar system!". In fact, the stone is an egg and an angered parent follows the astronauts back to the USA. #44 and #45 see a member of the Space Patrol (see Crime and Punishment) asking Spectreman to assist in the capture of Kyudorah, the Space Vampire, who feeds on "polluted blood" and has arrived on Earth; the last planet he visited is now lifeless, all its inhabitants sucked dry. #54 finds an alien planning to take Earth's uranium for their own planet, located in another galaxy, even if it means killing all humanity; Spectreman breaks the news their homeworld was destroyed by a comet four years previously. A masked and caped space cowboy appears in #55 and #56, a space witch in #57 and #58. In the final episode #63 Spectreman takes on and kills Ra, then confronts Dr Gori, urging him to use his genius to help humanity, but the scientist will have none of it: "You can't teach an old ape new tricks – evil is long remembered, good is so difficult to sustain." He then jumps off a cliff with a bomb, exploding in mid-air. In the Japanese original it is grief at Ra's death that causes his suicide.
Aside from his spectral rays and other Weapons, Spectreman can grow into a giant (see Great and Small), enabling him to engage in hand to hand combat with the larger monsters in most episodes, often amidst models of Tokyo. There is also conflict with Overlord when Spectreman gives priority to saving his friends over immediately engaging with a threat. Jôji's habit of disappearing at key moments regularly gets him fired from the environment agency, only to be rehired; his colleagues eventually receive uniforms and Ray Guns.
Part of the appeal of other Tokusatsu Television shows of this era – most notably Ultraman and Kamen Rider – is the imaginative use of their budget to create memorably eccentric monsters; sadly, with a few exceptions such as Giragindo, those in Spectreman are forgettable, while combat scenes are often clumsy with little of the lively fight choreography seen in other series. The initially prominent environmental message is also watered down. The most entertaining parts of the show are the scenes featuring Dr Gori and Ra, who both continually make eccentric hand gestures and strike odd poses during conversations; Ra engages in Popeye-like muttering, whilst Dr Gori is prone to generous self-congratulation ("It takes true genius to combine a catfish and a mole into an instrument of destruction.") and Mad Scientist laughter. Despite looking like a gorilla, Ra needs only to put on clothes to wander among humanity without arousing comment. He sometimes chafes against Dr Gori's treatment of him (though there is a heartfelt moment at the end, with the latter apologizing: "I take back what I said about baboons in your family tree."). Aside from a few scenes, when the pair are not on-screen Spectreman often tends toward dullness.
The show was originally named Uchū Enjin Gori (episodes 1-20), then Gori vs. Spectreman (21-39), only becoming Spectreman from #40. Dr Gori has been acknowledged by Craig McCracken as an inspiration for the evil chimpanzee genius Mojo Jojo in The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005). [SP]
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