The History of Anime's Strongest Star Knight, Tekkaman Blade (2025)

Anime fans today may be horrified to learn this, but once upon a time, most anime series were only released in Japan. That’s right—there once was a time when a vast majority of the industry’s best and most influential anime series during its Golden Age were only viewable in Japan. Unless a person lived in Japan or jumped through a series of very convoluted hoops, there were very few options for Western anime fans to join in on the fun. This was the time when liking anime was not only rare (US localizations notwithstanding), but also something of a social faux pas. There used to be a time when being uncool was legitimately uncool.

Nowadays, though, most series, whether anime or manga, can be enjoyed at a moment’s notice through streaming apps, physical releases, and fan translations. For anime fans today, catching up on a favorite series is as simple as booting up a streaming service or doing a quick online search. Western anime fans back in the ’70s, ’80s, and early ’90s, however, had to make do with very limited and rare VHS releases and various Western localizations, which could be very spotty at best. A prime example of this ancient anime culture is Tatsunoko’s Tekkaman, a series that nearly faced total oblivion, but enjoyed an amazing rebirth that can still be felt today.

Tatstunoko’s Original Tekkaman Series Was an Ardent, Yet Short-Lived Series

Produced by Tatsunoko in 1975, Tekkaman: The Space Knight was an ambitious, but ill-fated action-adventure series starring the titular hero. Set far in the 21st century, the future of Earth is horrifically grim. “The Green Earth” project, an attempt at revitalizing the planet, has been scrapped. Humanity looks to the stars for a “Second Earth” so that humanity averts impending extinction. Unfortunately, humanity’s expedition into the vast frontier of space is brought to a violent halt when it is attacked by an alien race known as the Waldarians. This attack is catastrophic as it leads to the destruction of the Space Angel, the spacecraft tasked with finding humanity’s new home.

To make matters even worse, the destruction of the Space Angel also resulted in the death of Joji Minami’s father. Joji, a young and brash pilot, is filled with angst and a burning sense of vengeance and opts to subject himself to a radical new experiment. Doctor Souzou Amachi, scientist extraordinaire, creates the super-powerful tekka alloy and with it a series of potent weapons. Joji dons an entire suit of armor crafted from tekka and becomes equipped with the powerful Tek Lancer weapon, the transforming spacecraft robot called Pegas, and the Teksetter program within it. With such an impressive arsenal, Joji becomes Tekkaman the Star Knight, and vows to save Earth from the alien menace. Tekkaman was slated to run for 52 episodes but only ran for 26 before it faced cancelation.

Tekkaman Blade Brought the Star Knight Back Into the Limelight With a Brand New Story and Cutting-Edge Look

Fans of Tekkaman were given a gift of the ages in 1992 when the armored Space Knight made an unexpected and triumphant return. Produced by Tatsunoko, Tekkaman Blade continued the Tekkaman name while introducing a brand-new hero and a whole host of new enemies to contend with. Taking many of the classic elements that helped define the original Tekkaman series, Tekkaman Blade was a step-up in virtually every regard. The animation quality and art direction were cleaner and smoother; the story was more fleshed-out and had a definitive narrative trajectory; and the classic elements of Tekkaman received boosts and upgrades, transforming the character from a simple armored warrior into a planet-level threat, a being capable of eradicating entire star systems if left unchecked.

Tekkaman Blade ran for 50 episodes, and unlike its predecessor, was able to air all of its slated episodes. The story is set on a future Earth overrun by an alien race known as the Radam. Humanity has been pushed to the edge of eradication and all attempts at defeating the Radam have proven fruitless—but when a mysterious young man is discovered by the Earth’s final line of defense, the Space Knights, a gigantic shift in the war effort occurs. The young man, named Takaya Aiba (or D-Boy to his friends, D for “Dangerous”), possesses the supremely powerful alien power of the Tekkaman suit. Equipped with a transformation crystal, the transforming spacecraft Pegas, ultra-powerful energy projection, and the power of righteous vengeance fueling him, Takaya proves himself to be the most powerful being in the galaxy. As Takaya battles his way through the Radam hordes, he comes face to face with the truth behind his father, his relationship with the evil Tekkamen, and his destiny as Tekkaman Blade.

Tekkaman Blade Nearly Never Happened and Was Almost Pushed Aside For Another Classic Tatsunoko Series

By all accounts, Tekkaman Blade should never have been created. The original series, despite its positive reception in Japan, faced an unceremonious cancelation, the cause of which is still unknown today. The fates of anime back in the day were very fickle and uncertain, regardless of how much time and energy was put into their planning. Any number of factors could impact an anime’s cancelation, including low viewership, lack of funding, lack of studio interest, and lack of subscriptions (yes, believe it or not, but there were anime series that asked viewers to subscribe to and order VHS tapes for home viewership). Tekkaman, despite having a successful US localization and home VHS sales, most likely faced one of these issues which resulted in its cancelation.

But as the ’90s approached, Tatsunoko became interested in revitalizing one of their classic series for a new generation. Among the possible series to reboot was the seminal Gatchaman, but that series proved difficult to create toy models for, so it was scrapped. As Bandai was the primary sponsor of the show and its subsequent models, the decision to choose Tekkaman did not come lightly. Tekkaman Blade was originally titled Tekkaman: Cyber. The reboot proved to be so successful that a direct sequel OVA series, Tekkaman Blade II, was released in 1994. The six-episode OVA series continued the story from the ending of the original series, further exploring the Radam and Takaya’s fate after the culmination of his previous adventure.

Tekkaman Blade Has Enjoyed a Lively Legacy Since His Last Adventure

Tekkaman didn’t enjoy just an anime resurgence in the early ’90s. Loads of model kits and action figures were released to coincide with Tekkaman Blade. 1992 saw the release of Tekkaman Blade for the Game Boy, an action platformer developed by Sun L. In 1993, BEC released Uchū no Kishi: Tekkaman Blade for the Super Famicom, a hybrid horizontal shooter and fighting game starring the cast of Tekkaman Blade. 1994 saw the release of Tekkaman Blade: Orbital Ring Dakkai Sakusen, a strategy game developed by Matrix and released for the PC-98. Years later, Tekkaman would make an appearance in 2005’s Super Robot Wars J by Banpresto for the Game Boy Advance. Most spectacularly, however, was the inclusion of both the original Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade in 2010’s Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, a massive cross-over fighting game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Wii. And to think, none of this could have ever been possible if Tatsunoko had decided to resurrect any other classic IP from their backlog.

Tekkaman and Tekkaman Blade are not the first names that come to mind when people think of space animes, what with the popularity of Mobile Suit Gundam, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes taking up ample amounts of space. But for those who are seeking rousing space-faring action and adventure, Tekkaman Blade is the way to go. By blending elements of hard science fiction, Super Sentai-style armor powers and transformations, plus plenty of human drama, Tekkaman Blade is the full package. For those who discovered him through Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom and always wondered where he came from, this is the answer you’ve been searching for. Tekkaman Blade’s story ended many years ago, but if his original rebirth is anything to go by, there’s always a chance that he can enjoy another comeback. So come, Pegas! Voltekka!