The BEST episodes of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman season 1
Every episode of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman season 1!
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 - 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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#4 - 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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#5 - 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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#6 - 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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#7 - Gatchaman Burns with Rage
Season 1 - Episode 54 - Aired 10/7/1973
Katse, who got into his stride by the funeral of Red Impulse, plans to destroy institutions related to uranium in the whole world.
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#8 - 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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#9 - 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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#10 - A Critical Moment for the Science Ninja Team
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/11/1973
A Galactor mole mecha appears. The Science Ninja Team is contacted and starts to meet, but on the way there, Joe wants to save a small dog beside his mother, who was killed in the attack. Joe suffers a rocket attack. The mecha starts attacking the God Phoenix as well, but, since it gets weak in the sun, it has to withdraw at dawn. In the examination it becomes known that Joe got hit in the head by a fragment of the rocket. Since it's a very dangerous area an operation is impossible. Also the attempt in the high speed centrifuge fails. Then a message arrives saying that the mecha has appeared again.
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#11 - 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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#12 - The Monstrous Aircraft Carrier Appears
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/8/1972
A spaceship disappears, along with a device that can report and record the location of the Earth's resources. The Science Ninja Team receives Nambu's instructions and heads towards the bottom of the sea, in the vicinity of the spot where contact with the spaceship was lost. There, prawn-shaped bulldozers leave a huge aircraft carrier located on the sea bottom to build a uranium factory. Ken stops Ryu who wants to fire a Bird Missile, and sneaks into the aircraft carrier alone.
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#13 - The Fearsome Ice-Kander
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/31/1972
It is reported that all kind of nuclear ships (cruise ships, submarines, battle ships etc) are disappearing. It is the deed of the Galactor mecha Icecander, aiming at nuclear energy. While investigating these incidents, the Science Ninja Team gets a message that a suspicious iceberg is moving forward against the current of the sea. The God Phoenix follows the iceberg, going to the north pole, where they discover a base in the middle of icebergs. Ken and Jun sneak into the base.
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#14 - Revenge! The Whale Operation
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 1/28/1973
A huge whale keeps attacking harbours. While investigating a group of whales, the Science Ninja Team discovers a huge whale heading for this group. The huge whales fires a rocket aiming for the God Phoenix and flees, pushing aside the other whales. In reality, it's a Galactor submarine camouflaged as a whale. They want to follow the huge whale submarine, but, in order to save a young whale under attack by orcas, the G4 flies away. During all this, the submarine gets away. Nambu reproves them because of their squeamishness and puts a transmitter on the small whale so that he can help in the search for the big whale. The God Phoenix goes to the Arctic Circle, following the small whale. In order to search for the base, Ken and Joe leave the God Phoenix and encounter two men who introduce themselves as forest-keepers, but are then attacked from behind. Ken is baffled. Joe says that this is Galactor's trick and that his parents got murdered by the very same trick.
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#15 - The Giant Mummy That Summons Storms
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/15/1972
Deadly crashes involving passenger planes keep happening. Ken, who's investigating these occurrences, encounters a boy named Makoto. The boy is awaiting the return of his father who was reported missing in one of the accidents. Makoto's father is the younger brother of the inventor of Uranless, Dr. Takahara. The string of plane crashes has been caused by Galactor. They are intent on getting the Uranless, since it is capable of neutralizing the means of propulsion of their giant mummy. Ken has encountered the mummy in his Cessna before, and because of that incident, he has data concerning the propulsion system of the mummy. He contacts Dr. Takahara in order to get the Uranless.
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#16 - Who Is Leader X?
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/18/1973
A horse owned by a doctor who is an authority in the area of cyborgs, participates and wins with an astonishing performance at the world-famous horse grand prix. When Nambu sees this video, he guesses that this horse is a cyborg. He orders the Science Ninja Team to guard the Doctor so that his astonishing cyborg technique is not abused. But when Ken and the others arrive, it's already too late. Only one Galactor badge has been left behind and the Doctor has vanished. Dr. Henjinman has been brought to the base where he recognizes X's real face. He threatens X, saying that he will reveal his secret if he is not made X's representative. X reluctantly agrees.
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#17 - 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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#18 - 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.
#19 - The Firebird Versus the Fire-Breathing Dragon
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/25/1973
A uranium mining factory at the bottom of the sea is attacked by the mecha "Kingdragon". Since a guard vessel with much more power than the God Phoenix was beaten during the attack, Nambu does not order the Science Ninja Team deployed. But Ken disobeys Nambu's orders and goes to face the mecha in the God Phoenix. But the God Phoenix is no match against the enemy and even their trump card, the firebird, is beaten by the much higher temperatures. Nambu orders the Red Impulse group to attack the mecha, but the Red Impulse commander believes that Ken should face the enemy again and refuses Nambu's order. So Nambu comes up with another plan. He wants to install a cooling device in the God Phoenix, which is then supposed to react with a minus bomb to be installed in the interior of the mecha to freezing the enemy. Knowing this will be very dangerous, Ken applies for the job of installing the minus bomb.
#20 - The Fearful Jellyfish Lens
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/7/1973
The town "Ghost City" has been destroyed 10 years earlier by environmental pollution. Communication with an investigation team sending data from there is lost. The Science Ninja Team goes there in the God Phoenix, which uses a soft skin (membrane) to protect it against the pollution. But as soon as they enter the city, they meet a Galactor attack. As it turns out, there's a base here. Nambu orders the U.N. military forces to attack. It seems everything is cleared after the attack. In reality however, a jellyfish lens created by Sosai X continues to grow at the bottom of the sea near the city. It uses the polluted sea water as its amniotic fluid.
#21 - The Grand Insect Operation
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/21/1973
X, intending on using the strong destructive tendencies of humans, especially children, releases Kabutoron in the city. It destroys things using the children's brain waves. The children are happy when they find big stag beetles in one of the open areas, something which rarely happens in town. Also Jinpei finds one of the bugs and brings it home. In that night, each of the children's stag beetles grow large and they pull the children inside their bodies, fly out the room and start to destroy the city. While flying, Ken discovers how Kabutoron attacks a nuclear plant. But since Jinpei is missing, the God Phoenix cannot take off.
#22 - The Indestructible Machine Mechanika
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/14/1973
The latest ISO weapon factory is used by Galactor and manufactures Mekanika. It's a machine which, according to the plan on a microfilm, can change its form constantly. The Science Ninja Team follows Mekanika. But when they lose sight of it, they continue searching individually before meeting in Nambu's house. While searching a tunnel where they lost sight of Mekanika, Jinpei discovers a base through a hole in the surface and sneaks into it. While trying to destroy the base, he finds a micro cassette. Judging from the behaviour of the Galactor members, this cassette seems to be very important and Jinpei takes it with him while fleeing. It contains the plans needed to change the form of Mekanika. Nambu makes a new plan, based off the cassette, and instructs the Science Ninja Team how to install this plan in Mekanika.
#23 - The Gluttonous Monster Ibukron
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1972
The world's raw material for sugar gets stolen by the Galactor mecha Ibukuron, and the world emergency sugar is getting very low. Ryu and Jinpei rush out into the street to buy candies. Just then, they get the order from Nambu to move out in order to follow Ibukuron and find the secret base. During the pursuit, the God Phoenix gets drawn toward the mecha by its strong magnetic force it uses to suck in the raw materials. Ken uses this force to sneak into the interior of the mecha, along with Joe and Ryu.
#24 - Galactor's Giant Air Show
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/1972
There's a new kind of plane that does not pollute the environment. In the middle of Ken's test flight of this ISO-developed plane, he is attacked by a biplane, piloted by a man who introduces himself as "Katzen Berig". Katzen Berig lashes with his whip at the ISO plane, causing it to crash, but Ken saves himself just in time by deploying a parachute. Nambu suspects from the name that Galactor is involved and orders the God Phoenix to attack immediately, but the God Phoenix's tailfin gets damaged by the whip. Analysis of the material stuck in the hull of the God Phoenix reveals that this kind of metal, called "super metal whisker", is something that has been researched by the ISO, but not manufactured. Nambu is taken aback at the scientific power of Galactor, but when the production factory is discovered, he gives the Science Ninja Team the order to destroy it.
#25 - The Great Underground Monster War
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/1972
Suddenly, a whole city has lost power. Ken, in his Cessna, is thinking about an anomaly in the power plant when he gets a message from Nambu that the nuclear power plant has been attacked by a large group of ants. The Science Ninja Team goes to the site in question, but since the missiles would have hardly any effect on the tiny groups, they wash them away by breaking a nearby dam and using the force of the water. Upon analysing an ant they brought back, they learn that it's a finely and precisely manufactured robot.