Tokusatsu Heroes: Collecting the Costumed Champions
Tokusatsu means special effects, and in Japan it names a whole genre of live-action film and television: giant monsters, costumed heroes and miniature cities built to be destroyed. Since the 1960s it has produced some of Japan's most enduring characters and an enormous world of toys and memorabilia.
Three great families
- Ultraman. First broadcast in 1966 by Tsuburaya Productions, the giant silver and red hero fought a new monster each week. The series and its successors fuelled the kaiju toy boom.
- Kamen Rider. Created by Ishinomori Shōtarō and first broadcast in 1971, the masked hero on his motorcycle started a franchise that continues every year.
- Super Sentai. Beginning in 1975, teams of colour-coded heroes fought with combining robots. The format was later adapted abroad as the Power Rangers.
Transformation belts
When Kamen Rider aired, Popy's toy version of the hero's transformation belt, with a spinning, light-up centre, became one of the best-selling Japanese toys of its time. Belts have been made for every hero since, and early examples with working mechanisms and original boxes are highly prized. Since the 2010s, Bandai has also made detailed replicas for adult collectors.
Snack cards and paper goods
In the early 1970s, Kamen Rider cards packed with potato snacks became a craze, with children buying snacks just for the cards. Cards, menko playing cards, stickers, posters and magazines now form a field of their own, valued for rarity and condition.
Figures and vehicles
Soft vinyl figures of heroes and monsters, die-cast robots and vehicles, and later action figures cover every era. Collectors often focus on one hero, one maker or one decade, building complete sets.
Props and costumes
Items used in production, such as masks, props and costumes, occasionally reach the market. They are rare and valuable, and provenance is everything. Ask for the history of a piece and any documentation from the production company or crew.
Condition and authenticity
- Check that electronic toys work and that battery compartments are free of corrosion.
- Boxes, inserts and instructions add significant value.
- Many popular items have been reissued. Compare markings, dates and packaging with documented originals.
- Keep paper items flat, dry and out of sunlight.