8Man

Police officer Hachiro Azuma (Peter Brady) is murdered by a criminal gang, but Professor Tani (Genius) installs his memories in a robot body, the 008 military prototype model from the Republic of Amarco. With his new body, he takes on the cyborgs and mutants of an international crime syndicate in a show partly inspired by James Bond 007 but way ahead of its spiritual descendants Cyborg 009 and Robocop.

Based on a story by Harmagedon-author Kazumasa Hirai that was previously adapted into a manga in Shonen Magazine by Jiro Kuwata, the TV series was notable for the script contribution of real SF authors such as Hirai himself and Ryo Hanmura, though much of the original impact was lost in the U.S. dub Tobor the Eighth Man (1965), in which our hero must defeat such creatively named adversaries as Saucer Lips (the man who "killed" Peter Brady), as well as Armored Man, Baron Stormy, Dr. Spectra, the Satan Brothers, and the Intercrime spy ring. The TV series has since been rereleased on video in the U.S., though the later video compilations downplay Azuma's novel way of recharging his batteries-smoking nuclear isotope cigarettes.

After the success of the Robocop films, the story was remade as the live-action 8 Man (1992, aka 8 Man Returns). Nobuyasu Furukawa's belated anime video sequel, Eight Man After (1993) plays up the drug subculture, as gangsters receive cybernetic prostheses with built-in weapons. Cybernetic implants, however, require stimulants, and the criminal fraternity is soon fighting a new turf war over control of its own drugs. Detective Azuma is sent to investigate the disappearance of a scientist from the Biotech Corp, but he is killed trying to save pretty Sachiko. He is brought back to life by Dr. Tobor, who makes him the new "Eight Man." The video series was also released in the U.S. in a dubbed version from Streamline Pictures.

Season/Ep#	Name
1 - 56	Episode #56	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 55	Episode #55	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 54	Episode #54	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 53	Episode #53	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 52	Episode #52	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 51	Episode #51	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 50	Episode #50	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 49	Episode #49	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 48	Episode #48	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 47	Episode #47	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 46	Episode #46	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 45	Episode #45	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 44	Episode #44	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 43	Episode #43	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 42	Episode #42	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 41	Episode #41	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 40	Episode #40	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 39	Episode #39	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 38	Episode #38	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5
1 - 37	Episode #37	0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Name	8Man
Name:	8マン
Romaji:	8Man
Publisher	?
Start Year	1963
Genres	Add a new genre Science Fiction
Themes	Add a new theme Mystery
Aliases	Tobor the Eighth Man

8Man

Original US Poster Art

The Top 10 Vietnam War Movies

Before THX: The Cinema Shaking Technology of Sensurround