#001 · 1960s · REMOTE CONTROLLED

TETSUJIN 28-GO

鉄人28号 — Tetsujin Nijuhachi-go — Iron Man #28

REMOTE CONTROLLED 97 EPISODIOS 1963 — 1966 FUJI TV

— GENERAL DATA —

Original name
鉄人28号 (Tetsujin Nijuhachi-go)
Translation
Iron Man #28 / Hombre de Hierro #28
English name
Gigantor
Latin American name
Iron Man 28
Robot type
Remote Controlled
Category
Giant robot — no internal pilot
Genre
Mecha · Dieselpunk · Sci-Fi

— ORIGIN —

Creator
Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Manga first appearance
July 1956 — Shonen magazine (Kobunsha)
Anime first appearance
October 20, 1963 — Fuji TV
Anime end date
May 25, 1966
Episodes
97 — Black & White
Animation studio
TCJ (currently Eiken)
Original network
Fuji TV (Japan)

— THE ROBOT —

Height
~18–20 meters (scale varied during the series)
Origin
Developed during WWII by the Imperial Japanese Army
Previous prototypes
27 failed attempts — Tetsujin 28 is the definitive model
Control system
Remote control — Shotaro uses a special device
Intelligence
None — as good or evil as who controls it
Propulsion
Integrated jetpack — enables flight

— POWERS & ABILITIES —

IMMENSE STRENGTH
Capable of lifting and throwing entire buildings against enemies.
FLIGHT
Integrated jetpack on the back enables sustained flight.
HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT
High-power punches — its primary weapon in battle.
ROCKET PUNCH
Launches fists at high velocity as projectile weapons against enemies.
EXTREME RESILIENCE
Built to withstand severe combat damage without failing.

— MAIN CHARACTERS —

Shotaro Kaneda
Protagonist. Young detective, 10–12 years old, son of Dr. Kaneda. Controls Tetsujin 28 with a special remote control.
Dr. Kaneda
Shotaro's father. Scientist who built Tetsujin 28 for the Imperial Army. Dies before the series begins.
Prof. Shikishima
Dr. Kaneda's assistant and Shotaro's mentor. Serious and dedicated. Repairs Tetsujin when needed.
Inspector Otsuka
Head of the Tokyo Police. Warm personality, acts as a father figure to Shotaro.
Kenji Murasame
Special agent who collaborates with the team.

— ANTAGONISTS —

Black Ox
Most famous antagonist robot of the series. Direct rival of Tetsujin 28.
The Magmans
Alien invaders from the planet Magma — appear near the end of the series with the Magma robots.
Criminal organizations
Multiple gangs that attempt to seize control of Tetsujin 28.

— MUSIC —

Opening theme 1
鉄人28号 — by Duke Aces
Opening theme 2
鉄人28号の歌 — by Nishirokugou Children's Choir
Ending theme 1
正太郎マーチ — instrumental, Nobuyoshi Koshibe
Ending theme 2
進め正太郎 — by Nishirokugou Children's Choir
Music composer
Nobuyoshi Koshibe · Hideo Arashino

— ICONIC PHRASES —

進め正太郎！— Susume Shoutarou!
"Go forward, Shotaro!" — iconic line from the ending theme
鉄人、行け！— Tetsujin, ike!
"Tetsujin 28, go!" — Shotaro's attack command

— ADAPTATIONS —

1960
Live-action series — 13 episodes on NTV
1963
Anime series — 97 episodes on Fuji TV — black and white
1980
Shin Tetsujin 28-go — 51 color episodes
1992
Tetsujin 28 FX — 47 episodes on NTV
2004
Anime series — 26 episodes on TV Tokyo — dir. Yasuhiro Imagawa
2005
Live-action film with CGI — dir. Shin Togashi, distributed by Shochiku
2007
Animated film — Tetsujin 28-go: Hakuchu no Zangetsu

— INTERNATIONAL VERSIONS —

UNITED STATES

US name
Gigantor
Adapter
Fred Ladd
Shotaro Kaneda →
Jimmy Sparks
Dr. Shikishima →
Dr. Bob Brilliant
Inspector Otsuka →
Inspector Ignatz J. Blooper
Kenji Murasame →
Dick Strong
US broadcast
1969 — syndication
Changes
Westernized names, war setting removed, era moved to year 2000

LATIN AMERICA

Name
Iron Man 28
Based on
US version (Gigantor)
Notes
Dubbed in Spanish from the US version — aired across multiple Latin American countries

EUROPE

France name
Tetsujin 28
Notes
Aired in France and Italy in the late 1970s — closer to the original Japanese version

— COLLECTIBLES —

Tetsujin 28-go — Complete Blu-ray Collection
97 episodes remastered — Japanese audio with English subtitles
VIEW ON AMAZON →
Tetsujin 28-go — Die-cast Figure
Classic poseable die-cast collectible figure
VIEW ON AMAZON →

— HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE —

Tetsujin 28-go is credited as the first series to present a giant humanoid robot controlled externally by an operator via remote control. It established the foundations of the mecha genre that would dominate Japanese animation for decades, directly inspiring Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and every series that followed. Yokoyama established the premise that the robot is a weapon — and a weapon is neither good nor evil by itself: everything depends on who controls it.

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