Yatterman
Yatterman is a Japanese anime television series broadcast from January 1, 1977 to January 27, 1979, comprising 108 episodes. It is the second and longest show in the Time Bokan series by Tatsunoko Productions. The series succeeded Time Bokan and preceded Zenderman. It was also the final series to be produced by company founder Tatsuo Yoshida prior to his death.
A remake of Yatterman aired on NTV and Yomiuri TV from January 14, 2008 through September 27, 2009, with the original voice actors for the Doronbo gang. A live-action adaptation was released theatrically in March 2009. Another entry in the franchise, Yatterman Night, began airing in January 2015 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Time Bokan franchise.
Plot
Fragments of a mysterious stone known as the Skull Stone are scattered across the globe. Once all four pieces are assembled, the location to the world's largest deposit of gold will be revealed. The villainous Doronbo Gang are searching for the Skull Stone. Standing in their way are Gan and Ai who become the masked heroes Yatterman-1 and Yatterman-2. The two are aided in their adventures by a large mechanical dog Yatterwan.Unlike previous series in the Time Bokan franchise, Yatterman does not cover any specific time/space travel. Instead, the places where the hero travel to and the individuals they encounter are either a homage or parody. The fictional characters or places are usually represented by purposely misspelled names or familiar actions. For example, a revolution leader is named "Yashington" as a homage to George Washington; and a place resembling ancient Japan is named "Yametai" , as a spoof of Yamatai.
Characters
Heroes
;Gan Takada Gan-chan Yatterman-1;Ai Kaminari Ai-chan Yatterman-2
;Omotchama
Villains
;Doronjo;Boyacky
;Tonzura
;Dokurobei
Mechas
;Yatter-Wan;Yatter-King
;Yatter-Pelican
;Yatter-Angler
;Yatter-Phant
;Yatter-Bull
;Yatter-Dozilla
;Yatter-Panda Little Panda
;Yatter-Yokozuna
;Yatter-Jinbee
;Yatter-Mogura
;Yatter-Dragon
Villains' machines
The shape and function of their mechas is fully dependent on the theme of the scam-business they run at the beginning of each episode. Their machines usually feature a familiar interior with Boyacky and Tonzura sitting at the sides, and Doronjo sitting in the middle bossing the two. The villains' machines are often seen packing a lot of weaponry and usually temporarily defeat Yatterman mechas at the beginning of each fight. Later in the show, the villains start to deploy their own armies of miniature robots to counter those of Yatterman.Media
Anime
1977 television series
The original series aired on Fuji TV between January 1, 1977 and January 27, 1979, running for 108 episodes. For episodes 1-58, the opening theme is "Theme of Yatterman" by Masayuki Yamamoto whilst the ending theme is "Genius Doronbo" by Noriko Ohara, Jōji Yanami and Kazuya Tatekabe. For episodes 59-108, the opening theme is "Yatterking" by Yamamoto whilst the ending theme is "Dorobo's Shirake" by Ohara, Yanami and Tatekabe. The series also aired in Spain, Italy and Poland.2008 television series
Nearly 31 years following the previous series, a remake of the series, called Yattermen!, aired on YTV between January 14, 2008 and September 27, 2009, running for 60 episodes. The story is a retelling of the original series, with more modern references to suit the current tastes. The opening themes are variations of "Yatterman's Theme" sung by, in order, Saemon Onyakichi, ET-KING, Yuki Nishio, Nakano-Bujo Sisters and Toshihiko Takamizawa, with the final episode using the original version by Yamamoto. The ending themes in order are "diverge" by mihimaru GT, "Total Eclipse" by Juleps, "Like Love Song" by Manami Kurose, "Now" by ET-KING, "Give Me Up" by Nami Tamaki, "I Win!" by Nakano-Bujo Sisters and "A Story That Starts From ZERO" by Wakaba. The series, along with the original show is currently streaming in North America via Yomiura Group's planned Anime Sols video service, as of spring 2013. However, due to the failure to successfully crowd-fund it for DVD, the show will soon be removed from the site, with the possibility of considering a crowd-funding opportunity in the future.On August 22, 2009, an anime film based on the 2008 television series was released in Japan. Titled Yatterman: Shin Yatter Mecha Daishūgō! Omocha no Kuni de Daikessen da Koron! and directed by Masakazu Hishida, the film opened at #10 with US$702,155 on 210 screens.
''Yatterman Night''
A 2015 television series, Yatterman Night, began airing in Japan from January 11, 2015 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Time Bokan franchise. The series takes place several years in the future and follows the descendants of the Doronbo Gang as they fight against the Yattermen, who have become corrupt. The series is licensed in North America by Funimation, who are simulcasting the series as it airs.Live-action film
On April 10, 2007, Nikkatsu Corporation agreed to produce two live-action movies based on two popular 1970's anime series: Yatterman and Gatchaman.Filming began on March 27, 2008, and concluded at the end of May 2008. It is directed by Takashi Miike. Character and mechanical designs were handled by Katsuya Terada, who has worked on and Cutie Honey. The film opened on March 7, 2009, and became Japan's top movie at the box office on its first week. Video label Eureka have licensed released the film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2012. Discotek Media released the film in North America in 2013.
Video games
Several video games have been released based on the series. NEW Yatterman: Nandai Kandai Yajirobe was released for Super Famicom on March 22, 1996. A Mobile Game was released on 2003 developed by Hudson Soft. Two Nintendo DS titles based on the 2008 series, Yatterman DS: Bikkuri Dokkiri Daisakusen da Koron and Yatterman DS2: Bikkuri Dokkiri Animal Daibōken, were released in April 2008 and October 2008 respectively, followed by a Wii title, Yatterman Wii: Bikkuri Dokkiri Machine de Takeshi Race da Koron, released on December 11, 2012.Yatterman-1 and Doronjo appear as playable characters in the cross-over fighting game, , released by Capcom for Wii in Japan in 2008. An updated version, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, which was released internationally in 2010, adds Yatterman-2 as a playable character. Doronjo, Boyacky and Tonzura's voice actors reprise their respective roles, whilst Yatterman-1 and Yatterman-2 are voiced by Eri Kitamura and Emiri Katō respectively.
The skin, Akihibara Accept, for the AUG in Counter Strike: Global Offensive reads "Yatta!" at the end of its description.
Other appearances
Yatterman also makes an appearance in the third episode of Sket Dance as a playable character.Japanese pro wrestling fed Michinoku Pro is currently running a Yatter Man tribute gimmick, with wrestlers Hercules Senga, Tsutomu Oosugi, and Misaki Ohata as "Yapper Man #1", "Yapper Man #2", and "Yapper Man #3". #1 and #2 have been Tohoku Tag Team Champions.
Also the characters Phase 4, Kasumi, and Nyotengu can wear as Yatterman 1, Yatterman 2, or Doronjo respectively in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round as part of the Tatsunoko Mashsup Set DLC for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC versions of the game.
Ai Kaminari debuted as a Virtual YouTuber on October 19, 2018 with the character visual designed by Fly who is known as the illustrator for the Kemono Friends manga titled Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park!. She was later joined by Boyacky.