Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

Seen it?

1972 | 3 seasons | 30 min | Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

It's still drawing plenty of interest, though it had a short run with a modest audience. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for sci-fi fans, action fans and animation lovers.
The mood
Feel-good.
The pace
3 seasons: a few weeks of evenings, short, snackable episodes, about 103 hours in all.
What might put you off
  • Rated TV-PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
  • It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1972: an older pace and style.

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a five-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters in several anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later adapted into several English-language versions. It is also known by the abbreviated name Gatchaman. The original series, produced in 1972, was eponymously named Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman and is most well known to the English-speaking world as the adaptation titled Battle of the Planets. The series received additional English adaptations with G-Force: Guardians of Space and ADV Films' uncut 2005 release. Tatsunoko also uses the official translation Science Commando Gatchaman, as shown in numerous related products and media. Because the English-language versions are notoriously inconsistent not only with one another but also with the original Japanese series, viewers most familiar with the English versions often experience some confusion upon re-examining the series after a long hiatus. The original 1972 Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman series was followed by an animated film, two sequel series, Gatchaman II, and Gatchaman Fighter. In the 90's, episodes from both series were dubbed into English by Saban as Eagle Riders. In 1994, the original series was remade as a condensed OVA series.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Ran for 3 seasons and reached a small audience so far

  • Buzz & cultural impactStrong

    About 114K people sought it out in the past year

Season by season

The show overall is a Sunday Safe Bet. Here's how each season stacks up.

  1. Gatchaman1972 · 105 episodes
    Not rated yet
  2. Gatchaman II1978 · 52 episodes
    Not rated yet
  3. Gatchaman Fighter1979 · 48 episodes
    Not rated yet

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Created by Tatsuo Yoshida

  • Katsuji MoriKen Washio, the Eagle (voice)
  • Isao SasakiJoe Asakura, the Condor (voice)
  • Kazuko SugiyamaJun, the Swan (voice)
  • Yoku ShioyaJinpei, the Swallow (voice)
  • Shingo KanemotoRyu Nakanishi, the Horned Owl (voice)
  • Nobuo TanakaLeader X (voice)
  • Hisayoshi YoshizawaRed Impulse (voice)
  • Tōru ŌhiraDr. Kouzaburou Nambu (voice)
  • Aiko KonoshimaFemale Berg Katze (voice)
  • Masako NozawaSeiji Nakanishi (voice)