Zone Fighter (1973): TV Series Review

 

Byrd and Matt are joined again by Kevin Derendorf (author of Kaiju For Hipsters, Maser Patrol blog) to review Toho’s kaiju/hero series Zone Fighter! With Japanese cinema nearly dead and the rise of Ultraman and Kamen Rider on TV, Toho of course got into tokusatsu hero game in the early 70s. For Zone Fighter, they enlisted some of their top talent, including directors Ishiro Honda and Jun Fukuda and special effects directors Teruyoshi Nakano and Koichi Kawakita, and suit maker Keizo Murase, among others. Although the series is known for its guest appearances by Godzilla, Gigan and King Ghidorah, the entire 26 episode run has lots more to offer than appearances of iconic Toho kaiju. We watched the entire series and are here to tell you all about it! Enjoy the conversation!