The tokusatsu genre, also known as toku, has some truly amazing television series under its belt, and though every viewer has their own favorites and opinions, these are 13 of the best tokusatsu TV shows, ranked. Tokusatsu is a Japanese word which is used to describe live-action films or television that use an abundance of practical special effects. Toku is often used in conjuction with genres such as science fiction, fantasy, horror, or war. Furthermore, toku has spawned niche genres of its own, including kaiju, superhero, and mecha. One popular example of a tokusatsu film is the original 1954 Godzilla.
Although tokusatsu originated in the early 1900s via live theater, the genre took shape in the 1940s and gained traction in the 1950s. Since then, there have been countless toku series that have garnered varying amounts of success. Though toku is mostly created in Japan, there have been some American series that take after the tokusatsu tradition. The most popular of these is Power Rangers, which used actual footage from the Japanese series Super Sentai. All in all, toku has expanded past its origins and found international acclaim, leaving audiences with many amazing toku options.
13 Special Rescue Police Winspector
1990
Special Rescue Police Winspector is a toku television series that is part of the larger Metal Heroes franchise. It is also the first installment in the Rescue Police Series. Winspector tells the story of a special task force that takes on dangerous missions that the regular police cannot handle alone. The aforementioned team is made up of one human named Ryouma and two robot brothers, Walter and Bikel. The series is set in the future, which at that point, was Japan 1999. Special Rescue Police Winspector is one of many superhero toku series. It had a total of 49 episodes, and one season.
12 Magic Bullet Chronicles Ryukendo
2006
Another popular superhero toku is Magic Bullet Chronicles Ryukendo. This series is a partial prequel to the Tomica Hero series. Ryukendo takes place in the fictional city of Akebono, where a demon army called the Jamanga run rampant and are gathering energy for a nefarious purpose. Luckily, the city has protection from these demons via the Magic Bullet Warriors. These fighters, led by Kenji aka Ryukendo, have the ability to summon a Beast King, or an animal spirit, to take down the demons. Magic Bullet Chronicles Ryukendo has 50 episodes and 2 specials within one season.
11 Mirai Sentai Timeranger
2000
Mirai Sentai Timeranger is the 24th installment of the Super Sentai franchise. It takes place in the 30th century when time travel has been outlawed and the Time Protection Bureau must ensure that no time crimes are committed. When a mafia leader and his gang manage to travel to the year 2000 to commit various crimes, four time cadets, the Timerangers, along with a present-day martial artist named Tatsuya, must work together to take down the villains. Footage from Mirai Sentai Timerangers was used in the American toku Power Rangers Time Force. The series has 50 episodes and 1 extra special episode.
10 MegaBeast Investigator Juspion
1985
One of the older tokus on this list is 1985’s MegaBeast Investigator Juspion, otherwise known as Juspion or Jaspion. It is yet another installment in the Metal Heroes franchise. Juspion follows a young man from space named Juspion and his quest to stop the dark god Satan Goth and his minions, the MegaBeasts. Juspion is aided by his android friend Anri and his alien friend Miya. Notably, Juspion has Metal Tech armor, a Plasma Blazer Sword, and a Beam Scanner Gun to help him on his quest. MegaBeast Investigator Juspion has 46 episodes in total.
9 Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
2011
A very popular installment in the Super Sentai franchise is Kaizoku Sentair Gokaiger. This 2011 series is the 35th entry in the franchise. It follows a group of young pirates who come to Earth from space in search of the “Greatest Treasure in the Universe.” However, their plans are foiled when they must protect Earth from the Space Empire Zangyack. An interesting aspect of Gokaiger is that these protagonists are pirate-themed, but have the ability to access the powers of all 34 Super Sentai teams that came before them. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger has 51 episodes.
8 Gridman the Hyper Agent
1993
Yet another superhero toku that defined the genre was Gridman the Hyper Agent. The series follows three best friends, Naoto, Yuka and Ippei, who create a video game superhero that becomes possessed by an inter-dimensional police officer named Gridman. When an evil digital program called Khan Digifer begins causing problems for the world at large, Gridman merges with Naoto to fight the program’s monsters. Gridman the Hyper Agent has 39 episodes in total. It has been adapted into an American toku series called Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad and has an anime counterpart, SSSS.Gridman.
7 Space Sheriff Gavan
1982
The very first installment in the Metal Heroes franchise is one that should not be taken for granted. Space Sheriff Gavan tells the story of a man named Space Sheriff Gavan who is given the mission to take down Don Horror, the leader of a criminal organization that wants to turn Earth evil. Gavan poses as a human on Earth and is aided by allies Mimi and Marin to take down Don Horror once and for all. Space Sheriff Gavan has 44 episodes in all.
6 Garo
2005
Garo is a somewhat unique toku, because it usese the superhero subgenre, but also has a focus on relationships and darkness that is not always common in other series. The 2005 series follows Kouga, a young man who protects humanity from demons called Horrors. One day, Kouga saves a young girl named Karou, but finds that she has been stained with demon blood. Although those who have been stained are usually killed, Kouga struggles to do this and ends up forming a relationship with Karou. Overall, Garo has 25 episodes.
5 Kamen Rider W
2009
One of the most popular tokusatsu franchises of all time is Kamen Rider and its eleventh series, Kamen Rider W, is one of its standouts. The series is about the city of Fuuto which is ecologically friendly but suffering at the hands of Gaia Memories, devices that allow criminals, also called Dopants, to become so powerful that the police cannot stop them. Faced with the death of his boss, tough detective Shotaro Hidari teams up with a man named Phillip to fight the Dopants using Gaia Memories. Kamen Rider W has 49 episodes.
4 Zero: Black Blood
2014
A recent spinoff of 2005’s Garo has taken audiences by storm. Zero: Black Blood is a miniseries based on the toku Garo. It follows the original show’s character Rei Suzumura aka Zero the Silver Fanged Knight. In the series, Rei stumbles upon the white Horror Ring, a commune where Horrors and humans live together in harmony as long as one human is sacrificed to the Horrors each month. Rei, along with his allies, must take down the Ring and free the humans. The series has 6 episodes in total.
3 Power Rangers
1993
It would not be a list of the best tokusatsu without mentioning the Power Rangers franchise. The only American toku on this list, the Power Rangers began in the early 1990s with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Since then, the franchise has spawned various spinoff series and feature films, which are still being produced in the present day. However, Power Rangers would not be what it is without the Japanese Super Sentai franchise. Much of Power Rangers’ footage is actually scenes from Super Sentai with an English dub over it. In this way, Power Rangers brought Super Sentai, and toku in general, to a mass American audience.
2 Kamen Rider Build
2017
The most recent toku on this list is Kamen Rider Build. It is the 19th series in the Kamen Rider franchise. The story follows a version of Japan in which the country has been separated into three areas, and the tension between them has spawned monsters called Smash. Sento Kiryu is an amnesiac who is given a belt called the Build Driver, which allows him to turn into a Kamen Rider Build. Therefore, Sento works to defeat the Smash, and in turn, discovers how his forgotten past aligns with the events that destroyed Japan in the first place.
1 Ultra Q
1966
Tokusatsu would not be what it is today without the oldest entry on this list, Ultra Q. First created in 1966, Ultra Q is the first entry in the Ultraman franchise, and really jumpstarted the use of the toku genre in television. Ultra Q was intended to be an anthology series, similar to the American The Twilight Zone. In reality, it became something of a procedural, with a monster of the week. Ultimately, Ultra Q kept up interest in big toku monsters like Godzilla, and in the end, kept tokusatsu alive. Despite its age, it is still definitely worth the watch, especially to see where the genre got its beginnings.
