SSSS.GRIDMAN

"You have to remember what your calling is." —Gridman

Special Signature to Save a Soul

SSSS.GRIDMAN is the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original 1993 Toku TV series Denkou Choujin Gridman (which came to English speaking countries by way of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad). The old show was about a group of three kids who had built their own computer named Junk in the dawn of the Internet age and were thrust into the fight between the Hyper Agent Gridman, protector of the Computer World, and the evil Kahn Digifer, a being who brought their classmate's digital kaiju virus creations to life to exact revenge on petty slights against him. Sounds familiar.

A collaboration between Tsuburaya Productions and Studio Trigger, it is a Continuity Reboot that makes many homages to the original toku (and its American adaptation), and is a Spiritual Successor to Trigger's previous homage to the series, Denkou Choujin Gridman: boys invent great hero for the Japan Animator Expo in 2015. (The show's lead director/animator, Akira Amemiya directed it.)

Yuta Hibiki wakes up in his classmate Rikka Takarada's room as an amnesiac. After getting him checked out and having their classmate Sho Utsumi help him out the next day, Yuta is only sure of two things: He can see a bunch of Kaiju hidden in the clouds, and someone calling himself Gridman is talking to him through an old computer in Rikka's mother's junk shop, telling him that he has a mission to complete. That mission, it turns out, is fighting Kaiju that his classmate Akane Shinjo is sending out to take revenge on people who have slighted her, with the help of her own computer-bound companion Alexis Kerib. With the help of Rikka, Sho, and a group of alleged middle school students wearing business suits, Yuta and Gridman save the city from Akane's Kaiju creations, otherwise, people get written out of history and they're the only ones to know about it.

SSSS.GRIDMAN was released worldwide in October 2018. Veteran anime composer Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Bleach) scores the show, while Masayoshi Ohishi (Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Ultraman R/B) and Tom-H@ck together as OxT (Diamond no Ace, Overlord (2012)) and Maaya Uchida perform the theme songs.

A second project set in the same universe, SSSS.DYNAZENON, began on April 2, 2021 with most of the same crew returning.

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Tropes used in SSSS.GRIDMAN include:

• Continuity Nod: There are multiple ones made throughout the series that are seen as Mythology Gags that reference the original Gridman.
• Henshin Hero: Yuta can use the Acceptor to fuse with Gridman to fight Kaiju that threaten the city.
• Kaiju: These Kaiju are creations of Akane Shinjo and brought to life by Alexis・Kerib that destroys the city to kill whom Akane dislikes.
• Mythology Gag: There are many that references the original series and even Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad:
  • The SSSS in the title is a reference to Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad.
  • The show takes scrapped ideas from the planned sequel of Gridman F such Yuta being host to Gridman, Alexis・Kerib being the main villain with five Kaiju, Akane taking the role of Takeshi, and taking place in a high school in Tsutsujidai.
  • The Assist Weapons reference both the weapons from Denkou Choujin Gridman and Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad. Samurai Calibur is named after Samurai Sword while also having the same initials as Sam Collins as a tribute. Vit or Sky Vitter is named after the jet plane, Vitor, from Syber Squad along with his attack Laser Circus Amp being named after Amp Ere. Borr has the same name as the drill vehicle from Syber Squad while his attack Sydney Super Adhesive Missile is reference to Sydney Forrester, driver of the vehicle in the American Adaptation. Max or Battle Tracto Max is the equalivent of the God Tank while being based on Tractor and its pilot, Tanker of Superhuman samurai Syber Squad.