Battle Fever J is a live-action Japanese TV series. The third entry of the Super Sentai series franchise, Battle Fever J was a co-production of Toei Company and Marvel Comics. A total of 52 episodes aired on TV Asahi between February 3, 1979 and January 26, 1980. The team have codenames named for countries around the world, also respectively named in their theme song: Battle France, Battle Cossack, Battle Kenya, Miss America and Battle Japan. It was also the first series in the Super Sentai franchise where the heroes must control giant robots to defeat a monster who itself has grown to a gigantic size. It also marks the first appearance of a Black Ranger in the franchise. Toei's tokusatsu adaptation of Spider-Man was the first to introduce this format and was also the inspiration for this series. The series was also partially inspired by the Marvel Comics characterCaptain America. Battle Fever J was the first series to use the term Super Sentai until Toei announced in 1995 that its predecessors Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai were also part of the Super Sentai series, when Chōriki Sentai Ohranger was announced as the 19th Super Sentai team.
Plot
General Kurama assembles four young agents who had been dispatched around the world for training. They are joined by FBI investigator Diane Martin, whose father was murdered by Egos. The five don powered suits to become the Battle Fever team. The Battle Fever team's trump card is the Battle Fever Robo. Egos tries to stop the construction of the Robot, but the monsters they send to perform this task are defeated one by one by the Fever team. Egos then unleashes the "younger brother" of the Buffalo Monster, a giant robot replica of its "older brother". The Robot, fortunately, is finished in time. Aboard it, the Fever team defeats the Buffalo Monster and its successors. The Fever team never stops, even when it lost two of its members. With new members, the team defeats Hedder, now the Hedder Monster, and breaks into Egos' headquarters, where they are fed into the Egos Monster Making Machine so that they may be used as material for a Battle Fever Monster. The team destroys the machine and slays the mysterious deity Satan Egos himself with the Lightning Sword Rocketter sword-throwing move.
Team Battle Fever is unique among Super Sentai shows in that, originally, they did not "transform" into their costumes , instead they resorted to an unseen costume change. In most episodes, however, the members yell "Fever!" and spin around to transform although in episode 24 it is revealed they can store their costumes in their Battleceivers.
Masao Den / Battle Japan: A former National Defense Ministry officer. He is good at judo and karate. He is armed with a spear. He does a kung fu dance. 21 years after
Battle Fever J ended, Battle Japan appeared as one of the 24 Red Rangers in Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai, introduced by Liveman'' Red Falcon to inspire the current team.
Kensaku Shiraishi / Battle Cossack I : He was good at science as well as war. Wielded twin sais. He does a Cossack dance. He was the original second in command of the team. He left the Big Baser without the Battle Cossack uniform and was killed by Egos with Machine Guns, attempting to save Mayumi from Egos. He loved to play Pachinko and enjoyed eating caviar.
Kyousuke Shida / Battle France: He is trained in France. He became the new second in command of the team after Kensaku's death. He is normally a beautician, a dandy and playboy. He enjoys eating escargot. He is armed with a fencing sword. He does a Spanish dance.
Shiro Akebono / Battle Kenya: Unofficially the first Black Warrior in Super Sentai history. He was trained in Kenya. He is a wild child who can talk to animals. He is armed with a whip and does a tropical dance. He eats just about anything. The smell of his cooking is not appreciated by the other team members. Shirou later appeared in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. He is also thematically similar to the Marvel superheroBlack Panther.
Diane Martin / Miss America I : An FBI agent who joined the Fever team to avenge her father Bosner, who was slain by Egos. She is armed with throwing knives. She does a disco dance. After she was wounded by the Dracula Monster, she returned to the United States. Diane has a sister named Catherine.
María Nagisa / Miss America II : An FBI agent trained by Diane Martin's father. When Diane was injured, Maria took her place as Miss America and then stayed on permanently when Diane decided to return to the United States.
Makoto Jin / Battle Cossack II : A silent cowboy. A man of action, not words. A scientist who trained in the Defense Ministry along with Kensaku. He joined Battle Fever to avenge the death of his friend. Makoto is an expert marksman. He is a loner, preferring to go off by himself. Makoto plays a trumpet to distract Egos.
Gear
Battleceiver: The Battle Fever Squad's communication device, in the Episode 24 is revealed that the Battle Fever suits can be stored inside
Command Bat: The Battle Fever Squad's standard issue weapon. It transforms into the Battle Fever Squad's assigned weapons. Forms the Penta Force cannon or boomerang.
Vehicles
Battle Fever Car: Stock green Mazda RX-7 used by Battle Japan and Miss America.
Three Machines: The motorcycles used by the rest of the BFS. In episode 35, Miss America rode Battle France's motorcycle.
Mecha
Big Baser: The Battle Fever Squad's box-like undersea headquarters. It can move from place to place under the sea.
Battle Shark: A submarine-like mecha carrier. Splits in half to launch the Battle Fever Robo and stores all of its weaponry.
Battle Fever Robo: Resembling a samurai, this the first mega-robot in Super Sentai history. It has a variety of weapons:
* Lightning Sword: Samurai-type sword with scabbard. On the grip are the letters "ACFKJ".
** Bamboo Slice: The Battle Fever Robo's primary finisher.
** Battle Fever Power: The auxiliary finisher using the robot's total energy. It was used to kill Hedder Monster.
** Lightning Sword Rocketter: The auxiliary finisher used to kill Satan Egos in the final battle.
* Swords Fever: The throwing daggers stored in sheaths attached to the robot's legs. It was used in the Cross Fever attack.
* Fever Axe: The hatchet.
* Chain Crushers: The chains stored in the robot's arms.
* Stick Attacker: A spear.
* Attack Lancer: A trident. It can be used in conjunction with either Chain Crusher.
* Cane Knocker: A shakujo. It was used in Episode 24 to fight the Dracula Robot.
* Battle Shield: A defense tool. It can withstand 28,000 tons of pressure.
* Knuckle Punchers: Knuckle dusters.
* Cross Turn: The robot can attack using its detached horns.
* Fever Cannons: The cannons stored inside the robot's lower legs.
Allies
General Tetsuzan Kurama: The chief of the special science office of the National Defense Ministry who established the Fever team. He is a master of traditional Japanese swordsmanship.
Keiko Nakahara: One of the operatives that runs Big Baser.
Tomoko Ueno: The other operative that runs Big Baser.
Masaru Nakahara: Keiko's little brother.
Yuki Ueno: Tomoko's little sister. Was used by Egos in episode 27 to find Battle Fever's base.
Kyutaro: Robot mynah bird built by Tetsuzan as a present. Often had insight into the situation. Revealed in episode 51 to have a freezing ray built in.
Society Egos
Society Egos is a religion of mad egocentrists who intend to plunge the world into chaos.
Satan Egos: The mysterious head, entirely draped in black. He creates the Egos Monster's inside the Egos heart, calling them "My beloved Children". They call him "Father." He is ultimately slain by the Lightning Sword Rocketter.
Commander Hedder : The high priest of Egos. He later becomes the Hedder Monster and is slain as such by the Battle Fever J's new attack, Battle Fever Power.
Salomé : An Egos American branch officer who came to Japan to aid Hedder with her super strength. She is responsible for all the assassinations in America. She allowed herself to be captured by Battle Fever after attacking and replacing several policemen with disguised cutmen, with whom she stole a billion yen to give to Egos. She believes she is taken to the Battle Fever Base, but in reality she is taken to a warehouse. She carries a hand mirror with a tracker in it, which she uses to fire solar beams or to bludgeon people. She was killed in the collapsing castle as Satan Egos fled. Her last words were begging Egos to help her.
Cutmen: The foot soldiers in grey and black armed with MP40 machine guns.
* Artist: MoJo, Columbia Yurikago-Kai, Feeling Free
;Ending theme
"Yūsha ga Yuku"
* Lyrics: Saburō Yatsude
* Composition and Arrangement: Michiaki Watanabe
* Artist: MoJo
International broadcasts
Battle Fever J was popular in Hawaii, along with Gorenger, Kikaider, Kamen Rider V3, Rainbowman; and many others, all of which were shown in the original Japanese dialogue and subtitled by JN Productions on then KIKU Channel 13. The show was also broadcast in Thailand late in the mid-1990s with the title Ranger J on MCOT Channel 9.
