The BEST episodes of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Every episode of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman!
In the future, earth is attacked by Galactor with a series of mechanical menaces. Each with their own vehicle and unique weapons, only Gatchaman's high tech group of five young people can defend the earth from Galactor's repeated attacks as they attempt of fulfill their mission to find Galactor's hidden headquarters and finally defeat Galactor. Gatchaman originated the concept of teams of 5 members, with their own vehicles, which has been reused in many incarnations, including the ranger series (which came over to the US as Power Rangers). Gatchman spawned two sequel series: Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter. Gatchaman was brought to US audiences in a heavily edited form known as Battle of the Planets Battle of the Planets and later as G-Force. The information for all the episode synopses was generously contributed by Veronika Henkels. Please visit her web page. Veronika's Gatchaman Page
#1 - The End of the Crescent Base
Season 1 - Episode 92 - Aired 6/30/1974
One after the other, the torpedoes hit right on target.The props of the camouflaging coral reef get stuck in the base which loses its balances and starts sinking towards the bottom of the sea.Inside, the engineers don't want to just leave their research, but Ken and Jun convince them the really important thing is their lives. They make them escape. Meanwhile, while Nambu is destroying the data a big computer falls over and traps his leg, rendering him immobile.
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#2 - The Mysterious Red Impulse
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/1972
While flying, Ken is surprised to encounter the plane of the Red Impulse commander. He pursues him, but Red Impulse gets away using some superb flying technique; Ken longs to be able to use similar techniques. The Science Ninja Team gets order to guard the super powerful plane "Blue Hawk", pride of the country Toritan. But the crew of the plane has been killed before take-off and has been replaced with Galactor members. Nambu learns of this situation after take-off. He mobilizes Red Impulse in order to protect the Science Ninja Team from the Blue Hawk, since it is more powerful than the God Phoenix. The God Phoenix continues to accompany the Blue Hawk without knowing the situation onboard. Red Impulse appears, attacking the Blue Hawk and, after shooting a timebomb into it, disappears again. Ken sees that and firmly believes that Red Impulse is actually an enemy. Ignoring Nambu who wants to stop him, he pursues Red Impulse alone in the G-1. While Ken is away, the other four members get abducted and taken to a base located in a volcano. Ken however follows Red Impulse, who in turn is following the signal emitted by the time bomb. They arrive together and save the team just before they're executed. Nambu tells them that Red Impulse is a friend battling on their side. The G-1 and the Red Impulse plane fly through the sky wing-to-wing, reminiscent of bird parents flying with their children. Nobody at the time knows the meaning of the tear appearing in the Red Impulse commander's eye.
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#3 - Mystery! Mystery? Gel Sadra's Mother
Season 2 - Episode 50 - Aired 9/16/1978
Gel Sadra wonders about her own past and goes to ask Governor X. Soon, she learns the shocking truth. She is Pandora's daughter! Governor X uses this fact and invites Pandora to the base. He had promised to Gel Sadra that if Pandora joined Galactor, she could be reunited with her mother. At the same time, the Science Ninja Team discovers the base and sneaks in. While fighting the team, Gel Sadra is worried about the well-being of her mother and goes back, shouting "Mother!" The team is astonished. However, Gel Sadra learns that Governor X has put Pandora in a rocket and has launched it, letting it self destruct high in the sky. For the first time, Gel Sadra doubts Governor X. Human emotions like anger and grief dwell in her heart again.
Watch Now:Amazon#4 - Certain Death! Two Firebirds
Season 2 - Episode 47 - Aired 8/26/1979
Because of the Solarshifter plan and the consequently unusual weather, icebergs break out one after the other at the North Pole. In order to stop a huge iceberg, G-Town goes to Sanbur City in the country Aberika. When Dr. Pandora goes out for a meeting, the Galactor ninja group Galakon sneaks into G-Town instead of her. Through the actions of the Ninja Team, the enemy is completely defeated, but the propulsion system is destroyed and G-Town goes out of control. It falls into a deep sea trench and above it, a huge iceberg starts to cover the trench, making it impossible to exit G-Town. It's Gel Sadra's Seafang plan. The communication network is also destroyed, and the only hope is Dr. Pandora. She gets into the old God Phoenix which is located at Nambu's villa. Straining her untrained body, she melts the iceberg with the Firebird. But Gel Sadra attacks and Pandora gets into a critical situation! Saving her is the Firebird of the New God Phoenix, which was now able to exit G-Town. Then, in the dark blue sky, the two firebirds, the old one and the new one, beat their wings.
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#5 - A Reversal! Checkmate X!
Season 1 - Episode 102 - Aired 9/8/1974
A message comes in that a mecha has appeared, but since he can't contact Nambu, Ken goes out based on his own decision. But that mecha is bait to lure the team away from Nambu. Meanwhile, Joe visits an unlicensed doctor. The Female Commander appears, unnoticed by Joe. The doctor watches Nambu, who has locked himself up in his house, pushing his analysing work. Nambu is abducted by Galactor. Joe, who has visited the doctor again, sees the commander, follows her and arrives at the mecha where Nambu is held.
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#6 - G-2 Risks Death
Season 1 - Episode 103 - Aired 9/15/1974
The illness progresses and Joe goes racing at the track in order to shake off his fear. There he is captured by Galactor and dragged before Katse. Katse presses him to reveal the true faces of his comrades. Because he declines, Joe goes mowing down the Galactor members who assaulted him, but he is attacked by another blinding. On the way to the cell he escapes by jumping off the mecha, but he collapses on the street and is brought to a hospital. After regaining consciousness, Joe hears Nambu and the doctor talking on the phone and learns that he has still about a week or ten days left to live.
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#7 - The Evil Grand Black Hole Operation
Season 1 - Episode 104 - Aired 9/22/1974
The mecha serving as bait is destroyed by the God Phoenix. Then, the order from Nambu to search Joe comes in. X is agitated because of the disappearance of Selector. He accidentally tells he will have the Earth extinguished and orders Katse to set the timer in the mantle.
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#8 - The Return of Joe?!
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/1978
In the country Amelia, between the cities New Jork and Scratton, there's the Dera Desert. Below that desert, Galactor is building a scecret base which is supposed to become a very important military strong point. But because they have rushed its completion, a huge explosions occurs and triggers a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in the area. The two cities get into a very critical situation. In order to find out what is happening, the team launches a sensor-equipped rocket drill into the Earth. The data is sent to the New God Phoenix and analyzed by Nambu. However, after the launch, the team is ambushed by Galactor and, yet again, the mysterious person saves them. The only way to save the cities is to dive under the desert in the Condor Attacker, since it can take the pressure. Through the explosive power of the Fire Targetter, which is equipped with the ultra powerful Tektay explosive, the mantle convection can be calmed down. However, there's no G-2 to pilot the attacker. Just at this moment, Condor Joe finally appears alive before the Science Ninja Team. Then Ken and the others face the mecha which has appeared, while Joe accomplishes his task perfectly.
Watch Now:Amazon#9 - The Secret of Dr. Raphael
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1978
Observatories and weather stations all over the world are attacked by UFOs. Additionally, authorities in the field of space communication are assassinated one after the other. Even Nambu can't guess the true intentions behind the incidents. In order to protect Dr. Kasshingu of the Irigutchi observatory, the Science Ninja Team goes to his whereabouts. But it's too late, they meet Dr. Kasshingu as he is already dying. The culprit is Galactor. Before dying, Dr. Kasshingu tells them that it was Dr. Raphael's Leapwave which made space communication possible. Upon hearing Dr. Raphael's name, Joe disappears from the sight of Ken and the others. Elsewhere Governor X is afraid of Dr. Raphael because he could unveil his secret. When X learns that Dr. Raphael is the only one able to send out the Leapwave, he goes berserk and orders Gel Sadra to pull the modulation waves of the Leapwave into his base and to reverse them. This way, he gives the nuclear missile launch systems a "go" order, with the aim of provoking a nuclear war. The whole world is plunged into a nuclear crisis without warning. Raphael has learned this and murmers "I am the one who called Sosai X from space. I have to take the responsibility." He then orders Joe to destroy the missiles of both parties with the antigravitational missile. A nuclear war is averted by a hair's breadth.
Watch Now:Amazon#10 - Dr. Nambu's Death!
Season 2 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/1/1979
The Science Ninja Team hurries to the hospital. When Dr. Pandora announces that she's giving the orders now, Joe tries to shoot her. Ken stops him. Because the person who shot Dr. Nambu is not known, Dr. Pandora then orders the team to investigate a certain spot from where specific brain waves are emanating. While the team is on its way there, they receive a message that Dr. Nambu has died. Joe still distrusts Dr. Pandora and returns to the hospital alone. The rest of the team wants to return too, but Ken tells them to obey Pandora's orders (and slaps Jun). They detect a Galactor base at their destination and sneak into it right away. Galactor has amplified Gel Sadra's special brain waves and has created a monster which is about to attack Dr. Nambu. Pandora has foreseen that and has put Dr. Nambu in a state of suspended animation (by shooting him), thus resisting the monster's brain wave radar. Joe has punched Pandora, but when she tells him what was really going on, Joe resists Gel Sadra with his own brain waves. With the brain waves, he creates a figure of his own and defeats Gel Sadra - just before the team finds her in the Galactor base. Clarifying the whole affair, Pandora is no longer a suspect. But she finishes telling Ken and the others that Joe is a cyborg.
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#11 - Duel on Galactor Island
Season 1 - Episode 81 - Aired 4/14/1974
BC Island is an island ruled by Galactor. A man visits the grave of Giuseppe Asakura and his wife, which has not been visited by anybody for ten years. Because the man on the photo transmitted is disguised and looks like Giuseppe, Katse goes to the island. It is said that Giuseppe's child died in the hospital it was brought to, but when Katse learns that the man who brought that child was Nambu, he has the child's grave opened. It is empty. The order to capture the man is issued to the whole island. While escaping Galactor's continuous pursuit, that man, Joe, encounters his friend from childhood, who is now Father Alan. At midnight Joe, who has been wounded, appears at the church and asks him to shelter him. While Alan is treating him, Joe learn's from Alan's words that the Devil Star girl he killed earlier was Alan's fiancé. Slipping by Alan, who left, Galactor enter the church and Joe collapses because of the bullets. At that time, the Science Ninja Team has learned of Joe's past and hurries to him. The Science Ninja Team has defeated Galator, but then Alan appears holding a gun. Alan points the gun at them, asking who Joe, the Condor is. Ken answer that it is him. When Alan's finger touches the trigger, Joe's bullet penetrates Alan's chest. However, Alan's gun did not hold a bullet. Joe wails that Alan was the most needed man on this island. By the hand of the inhabitants of the island, a solemn funeral is held for Alan. Behind the rows of people, the God Phoenix takes off.
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#12 - The Bracelets Exposed
Season 1 - Episode 76 - Aired 3/10/1974
When the mobilisation order from Nambu comes in, Joe is in the middle of a race. Because he finishes it, he is too late. On the way to the meeting he transforms. The electrical waves emitted while transforming are intercepted by Galactor and Joe is targeted by the completed Megazainer. His leg is hit by the high frequency and its transformation is undone. Joe falls behind a rock, Dr. Misuno however is afraid of an explosion because of the continuous use and retreats.
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#14 - Farewell, Red Impulse
Season 1 - Episode 53 - Aired 9/30/1973
The Galactor rocket explodes in the Van Allen belt and humankind enters the worst crisis ever. Upon the message from Galactor saying that a rocket restoring the belt will be launched if the world surrenders within 24 hours, the representatives of all countries assemble. They feel the time pressure and want to come to a conclusion. Nambu tells them to believe in the Science Ninja Team and puts an autolock on the doors so that they won't open until the following morning. The Science Ninja Team is mobilized to take away the Galactor rocket and to restore the Van Allen belt. At approximately that time, Ken sneaks alone into the construction facility for the rocket. In order to complete the rocket within the timeframe, it is changed from automatically controlled to manned. Ken, in the middle of Galactor members who are sleeping, tired from the now finished incessant work, emits a bird signal. But then Katse's gun is pointed at him. Ken transforms into birdstyle. The gun of the Red Impulse commander, who sneaked in as well, is then pointed at Katse. The God Phoenix breaks in and Katse escapes and the defense minister falls to his death. Taking the responsibility, Ken says he will get into the rocket himself. Jun then tells him that Red Impulse himself is Ken's father. The dream of Ken to reunite with his father also becomes their eternal separation at the same time. The Red Impulse commander throws Ken away and gets into the rocket himself. Ken runs after him, calling for his father. In Red Impulse's mind, the figure of Ken in his youth is turning around. The rocket disperses across the sky and Earth is saved.
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#15 - The Secret of the Crescent Coral Reef
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/1972
A secret base. In order to resist their terrible enemy, Nambu thinks about a base for the Science Ninja Team. But fearing enemy intervention, he gives the Ninja Team orders to fly a patrol at Point G in the southern Pacific Ocean. Following orders not to intervene there, the God Phoenix leaves a smoke screen and flees when it encounters a sea anemone mecha. That night, Jinpei is with the other four team members, but he is not tired at all. He takes the G-4 and dives to the bottom of the sea. Children in the park had told him that G-4's popularity is the lowest of all the team members, and he intends on gaining their favour by being the best. Despite the worries of the other team members, he wanders around the sea bottom searching for the mecha. He never notices that he is being tailed by the mecha he seeks.
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#16 - Completion of the Plan to Destroy the Crescent Base
Season 1 - Episode 91 - Aired 6/23/1974
Galactor has a spy infiltrate a passenger ship with a lot of ISO engineers onboard. He attaches a homing system to the ship and it is then blown up by firing torpedos into it. Nambu, afraid that such a incident may happen again, sends the Science Ninja Team on a patrol. The God Phoenix dives at the spot where the ship sank and encounters crab-shaped tanks. Seizing the opportunity when the Science Ninja Team is distracted by the tanks, a submarine attaches itself to the belly of the God Phoenix. When the crab-shaped tanks are sure of this, they retreat. The Science Ninja Team doesn't trust this move, but they nevertheless go back to their base when Nambu orders them to do so. The Galactor submarine manages to easily sneak into Crescent Coral. The crew kills some engineers disguise themselves and install the homing system in the base.
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#17 - Gatchaman, 20 Years Later
Season 1 - Episode 100 - Aired 8/25/1974
A by-product of the Mantel plan is the Mantel condensation energy formula whose immense destructive power is kept a secret. In order to bury that equation forever, Ken goes together with Dr. Maxim towards the North Pole Sea in a cargo plane. Underway, a screw in the throttle comes loose and they get into trouble steering the plane. However, Ken puts in a clip as replacement and makes a forced landing. But the cargo plane is swallowed by a sudden crack appearing in the ice field.
Watch Now:Amazon#18 - Mysterious Stonehenge
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/25/1979
People keep collapsing everywhere. 20,000 humans die of unknown causes. Since radioactivity has been detected at the same time, the Science Ninja Team starts searching for its source. While investigating, Jinpei and Ryu encounter three boys and go with them to the Negiris plateau. The boys love UFOs and wanted to try to establish a contact with the extraterrestrials. They say they caught some strange radio waves while doing so. Following its source, Jinpei, Ryu and the boys arrive at Stonehenge. At that moment, a solarshifter appears out of the Stonehenge stones and Jinpei and the boys are taken away. Ryu is left behind. He meets up with Ken and the others. They want to save Jinpei, but can't approach because of a strong barrier in form of a dome. Elsewhere, Jinpei has heard the whole secret of the base. He tricks Gel Sadra, taking advantage of her way of thinking, and escapes the holding cell, taking the solarshifter's programming chip with him. Then he has one of the boys bring the chip to Ken and the others and goes back to save the other two boys. The Galactor plan had been to unite the Mantle energy with space energy, but the experiment was what caused the cruel side effects. Its weak point is exactly at the top of the barrier dome. The God Phoenix penetrates there (after Jinpei managed to escape with the two boys) and destroys the Galactor base.
Watch Now:Amazon#19 - Sad Gel Sadra
Season 2 - Episode 51 - Aired 9/23/1978
The team learns that Pandora's daughter, Sammie, was taken by Governor X and mutated into Gel Sadra due to her unlimited cells. Joe's energy is diminishing, and Dr. Nambu discovers a bomb built into Joe that is supposed to destroy Governor X. This is the reason why Dr. Raphael said that only Joe can defeat Governor X. Later, the team discovers the main beam cannon, but is forced into a hard fight with the defense mecha. At that time, Gel Sadra learns the true aim of the Solarshifter Plan and becomes crazy. Meanwhile, the main beam cannon doesn't fire, and Governor X is baffled. The reason is that Gel Sadra has destroyed the mechanism and berated him for the death of her mother. Gel Sadra escapes. The Science Ninja Team has destroyed the enemy mecha and follows her.
Watch Now:Amazon#20 - The Downfall of Governor X
Season 2 - Episode 52 - Aired 9/30/1979
The Solarshifter plan is progressing very well in its Solar System-wide scale, and unusual phenomena keep occurring everywhere. Gel Sadra is being pursued and wounded by Galactor. Her ship crashes, but Ken finds her. Joe joins them, and then punches Ken out. Joe has recharged his energy at a power plant. He goes along with Gel Sadra towards the headquarters of Governor X and confronts him. Meanwhile, Ken has found some spots of blood on the snow. Reunited with the rest of the Science Ninja Team, they sneak into the enemy's base. Ken leaves Jun and the others to fight against Galactor, while he hurries towards the location of Governor X. There, he finds Joe and Gel Sadra, both collapsed. The three of them approach Governor X, but there's no way to go past the overwhelming power. Gel Sadra tells Gatchaman that Governor X's weak point is the destruction of his central mechanism, and she opens the hatch leading there. She is then hit again by a beam of energy from Governor X. Joe and Ken's death-defying attack finishes off the fight, and Governor X and the base finally end in a big explosion. Was it Joe that caused it? Is he still alive? Ken's Bird Saucer had stopped X's functions in one hit, and Joe is still there. Gel Sadra is hurt and weakened. When she cries at the Earth's beauty, she hears a voice from the sky. Gel Sadra dies and goes to her deceased mother. Her body shrinks and gradually takes on the form of Dr. Pandora's daughter, Sammy. Through the sacrifice of mother and daughter, the Earth has been saved. But, has Governor X really been destroyed? No one notices the terrible, red glowing thing in the middle of the debris of the exploded mecha
Watch Now:Amazon#21 - Suspicious G-2
Season 2 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/11/1979
Galactor releases test waves of the solarshifter. At the same time, in the city of Owari, accidents due to anomalities in the main computer keep happening, which provoke a panic. The Science Ninja Team goes to Owari in order to find out the reason for all this. But when they arrive in the city, Pimer and the New God Phoenix also cease to function properly. Galactor takes advantage of this opportunity and attacks with hang gliders. In order to return their attack, the Science Ninja Team leaves the God Phoenix, but Joe's condition is not good. Ryu returns to G-Town with the God Phoenix. Joe is not to be deterred though and starts his attack. However, the huge shield of electromagnetic waves around the solarshifter affect his cyborg body in a bad way. He gets into a critical situation and becomes unconscious. He is saved and treated by Dr. Raphael, who revives him. Even though Dr. Raphael warns Joe about the electromagnetic field, Joe does not want to let down his friends. He then sneaks into the Galactor base alone. However, the field affects him again, leaving him helpless. He cannot completely enter the center of the base and shoots a rocket through a closing door, thus provoking a major explosion. The God Phoenix, which just returned to the city from G-Town, sees the explosion and finishes off the base. Then they rescue Joe out of the sea.
Watch Now:Amazon#22 - History's Largest Tidal Wave
Season 2 - Episode 48 - Aired 9/2/1979
One disaster after the other occurs all over the Earth. In order to help and to understand the situation, the ISO travels from one location to the other. But that center for peace is finally occupied by Galactor as well. Gel Sadra addresses the whole world and publicly declares world supremacy. Gel Sadra then interrogates Dr. Nambu in the data chamber, in order to learn the location of the special radar which was developed to find the main beam cannon. But they are completely surprised by the onslaught of the tidal wave. Dr. Pandora takes advantage of this and points her gun at Gel Sadra right away. Just then the two of them experience this strange feeling again. The enemy leaves the data chamber. Nambu goes to the airtight project chamber in order to take the special radar with him. Elsewhere, Gel Sadra uses that strange feeling and goes in search of the radar, finally discovering it. Just when she is about to take possession of the radar, the Science Ninja Team arrives. They barely manage to defend the radar, but the center of peace, the ISO building, finishes collapsing.
Watch Now:Amazon#23 - Invaders From Mars
Season 2 - Episode 43 - Aired 7/22/1979
While investigating Mars, an Earth satellite is blown up, and a second space base on Solkila Island is destroyed as well. But the culprit is not Gel Sadra. She faces the fact the Governor X praised the destruction of the first base as a hint. She assures that she can do this as well and goes out to do so. When a third space base is about to be annihilated, the Science Ninja Team goes out to help. But the New God Phoenix has to make an emergency landing because it's attacked by a mysterious UFO. The base is destroyed and Gel Sadra arrives too late to do it herself. The Science Ninja Team goes to protect the fourth space base which is working on launching an unmanned exploration probe to Mars. Just after the launch, the UFO attacks again. The probe is destroyed. What is there on Mars?! Without pausing, the UFO goes on to attack the fourth space base. The G-Mechas fight back and through their intervention, the UFO disappears somewhere. The owner of the UFO is Marstora. He is a subordinate of Governor X and has been building the solarshifter bases on Mars so far. Gel Sadra reports to Governor X that a strong opponent has emerged. He answers that it's actually his subordinate Marstora, who has been ordered to destroy Earth's Mars bases and build Galactor's base on Mars. What are the true aims of Governor X, who has reached space wide dimensions now?
Watch Now:Amazon#24 - G-Town's Critical Moment
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/11/1979
Tojo island, in the country Rizoto, sinks into the sea because of mysterious movements in the Earth's crust. Jun has gone to investigate the small islands in the vicinity and goes into a cave on one island. There she falls into a trap of a Galactor spy disguised as a survivor. The spy then disguises herself as Jun and penetrates G-Town. In the engineering room she installs a cloaking device. G-Town is being led towards a Galactor trap on the bottom of the sea. In reality, the spy is Eva, the daughter of Bill Douglas, who has developed the machinery of G-Town. She is being used by Galactor who told her the lie that her father was killed by the Science Ninja Team. Elsewhere, Jun has escaped from the enemy's prison. She attended the death of Bill Douglas there who was severely tortured. Jun goes back to G-Town and tells Eva what actually happened. Jun gives her a keepsake from her father. Eva, having learned the truth, saves G-Town and sacrifices herself by blowing up the Galactor base with rockets she carries.
Watch Now:Amazon#25 - Trap in Another Dimension
Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/4/1979
Communication with police and military forces in the highland of Oshia keeps getting cut off. Joe has been behaving strangle as of late, and as Ryu follows him, he disappears in that same spot. Ryu leaves behind the words "spiral galaxy!?". The Science Ninja Team thinks that all this is the deed of Galactor and starts an investigation in the Oshia region immediately. There, Governor X's new weapon, Galamoeba, is hidden and waiting. The Science Ninja Team tries to resist with the God Phoenix, but they are hauled inside the enemy mecha. There they are released into another dimension. The humans who disappeared were also in that other dimension. They had been brainwashed in order to become soldiers to build the solar shift plan. The Science Ninja Team is sentenced by Gel Sadra to vanish with the other dimension in twenty minutes. Ryu is floating around in this dimension and Joe rescues him with his car. Meanwhile the others plot a daring escape with the Firebird, attacking and breaking the wall of the dimension. But Galactor's scientific power keeps coming up with horrible inventions day after day
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