The Hero Of Dreams - A Complete Retrospective On The Hyper Agent Gridman

When it comes to the world of Tokusatsu, there are the 3 obvious kings. Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman. But one franchise that I feel has never truly gotten its flowers in the manor it deserves is The Hyper Agent Gridman! Born from an economically turbulent Japan, the Hero Of Dreams first came into the world in 1993, with a successful television run. After that, for some years the property was put on ice, that is until Studio Trigger's hit 2018 anime, SSSS.Gridman. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the series this is a complete retrospective on every angle of Gridman as a series, from its initial pre production origins, to Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, its american re-adaptation. To my favorite anime of the last decade, SSSS.Dynazenon. To the brand new anniversary film, Gridman Universe in 2023. This video became massive in scale, and I couldn't have done it without the support of everyone who watches these videos and has contributed to this channels growth. Thank you so much.
You can support me here, it means alot as earnings off of this video are touch and go due to inconsistent content claims: / cheesegx_yt
Follow me on twitter for updates and tomfoolery!: x.com/CheeseGX_
All About The 電光超人グリッドマン Scan and Upload: archive.org/details/book_2023...
Special Thanks to: www.artstation.com/artmark88 for providing some extra research and fact checking
And: / windiigitlord for providing translations for a handful of the interviews featured in the video!
00:00 Intro
03:14 Part 1: The history and production of Gridman
13:18 Part 2: Denkou Choujin Gridman
33:55 Part 3: Gridman Sigma and the "end" of Gridman
42:20 Part 4: Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad
50:49 Part 5: The decade after and Boy's Invent Great Hero
56:26 Part 6: SSSS.Gridman
1:22:37 Part 7: The SSSS spinoffs
1:38:24 Part 8: SSSS.Dynazenon, The Best Anime Of The Decade
2:10:40 Final Part: Gridman Universe and the joy of Gridman
#gridman #anime #tokusatsu

[@CheeseGX_]

Minor spelling mistake twice in the video spelled Patrons and Patreons im so cooked dog

[@typhlodenxyz]

This was amazing! I'm a big fan of Gridman so thank you for doing this and respecting this series. I even learn a few things I didn't know. Look forward to more in the future. Access Flash!!!

[@daddyinthestreetsenpaiinth9250]

Would you cover the greater Ultra series in the future? Curious to see your thoughts about it.

[@CheeseGX_]

Yes but one at a time if I did, a full retrospective would be way longer than I'd be comfortable uploading

[@docbaker3333]

@@CheeseGX_ Toku Suggestion: Kiramager now I watched some Sentai series from a while a lot of them My first being Kakuranger then Carranger Megaranger and a bunch of Others so I can say with confidence that Kiramager is probably the best Sentai Series ever made you need to do a Video on it specifically some time in the future preferably after the updated Symphogear one.

[@Kuikkamies]

Let's add the gross mispronunciations of Diaclone and Waruder to the list too.

[@reapthegirlwind]

God that bit at the end just reminds me of the lead-in to the true end in SRW30, where the spirit of Gridman's heroism not only resolves their plot, but is instrumental in getting through to the game's rival. Good shit, man.

[@maxspecs]

SRW30 is entirely to blame for getting me into the series, they did an amazing job with it in that game.

[@andrewkos5560]

The Gridman Universe is my platonic ideal of a franchise revival. It respects the themes and past of the ip, while not being afraid to put hyper talented people in charge and have them give their own spin. It's a genuine miracle that every part of the trilogy is great.

[@Specsp421]

To me, the OG Gridman design is the perfect hero design. I remember seeing some Superhuman Samurai Cyber Squad toys at a dollar store when I was younger and thinking that the design was way too cool for something with such a silly name.

[@SonicHedgehog1991]

I personally like the Superhuman Samurai Sybersquad names way more than Gridman's. I mean, if you're gonna name the bad guy with the word "Kahn" in it then you gotta make sure it's their last name.

[@tf2godz]

38:56 If anyone wants to know truly how disastrous Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero production was, Major Havoc Studios used money that should have went to the show on expensive vacations to Hawaii for its executives. There's a good chance that the studio was just a scam, and they robbed Tsuburaya Productions, and left the production crew dry to finish the show, and that's not even gettting into the inexperienced crew, delicate suits that weren't made for fighting, American censorship laws that made it impossible for Ultraman to punch, Tsuburaya experience workers not being allowed to help because of a contract that force them to be hands off with the production, and finally not being allowed to show the show in America because of union fees, and Major Havoc Studios refuse to help pay the fees. Would it surprise you if I said that Major Havoc Studios only did The Ultimate Hero, and nothing else?

[@UltramanUltimo]

Yeah that sums it up.

[@harrysmith581]

Seems the studio lived up to it's name.

[@boogerman908]

That's honestly really sad. I've watched the first episode recently and it honestly had good vibes. It kinda felt like if the original series had an xfiles twist

[@docbaker3333]

Ouch poor Tsuburaya Pro they did not deserve such a fate.

[@pocket-pin]

The wait for this video was so worth it! You can rest now in peace, Mr Cheese!

[@manueltavares5057]

Not too much peace, I hope! We still need a video on Yasuhiro Imagawa, and Mr Cheese is the one who can do him justice! 🤩

[@mr.goblin6039]

Gridman! The American version and Power Rangers were my introduction to Tokusatsu. The Japanese OP of Gridman is one of my favorite songs ever.

[@Reapermaskhybrid]

To think the Gridman Universe movie came out on my birthday this year, must've been my lucky day~!

[@spagredo]

Dynazenon is probably one of my favorite shows of all time, SSSS.Gridman was/is a show that made me cry so hard, a message I needed during its airing. I’m glad that your struggles getting this together coalesced into this amazing project just as great as all your other content, if not more so. I was lucky to get to see the AX showing and I am waiting with anticipation and exciment to get to watch Universe again with my friends. Great as always, man!

[@JBOboe720]

Quick correction at 01:18:56, Nonaka was a long-time Bandai/PLEX designer; he never worked for Takara. Great video though!! Really loved it.

[@KazuyaMithra]

God Zenon being an homage to Convoy from Transformers, followed by Grand Convoy from TF Superlink being designed to resemble God Zenon is some beautiful poetry.

[@Biofan813]

Grand convoy?

[@KazuyaMithra]

@@Biofan813 Energon Optimus Prime in America

[@raseaces]

Hearing you talk so passionately about Dynazenon got me to reflect on just how much I love that show to the point that I teared up a little. I got to see Gridman Universe back in Japan and was so happy to see the Dynazenon gang together again. Such a beautiful, beautiful show and one of the best anime in the past 20 years, showing you that just because you have scars doesn't mean that they can't heal, and maybe even become what leads you to something better. Turns out fighting together in a combining giant robot really is the best form of group therapy.

[@june_flower]

cant believe the villain to the original gridman is literally just Akemi Nakajima... legend

[@RagnorokKing]

Its funny cause I LOVE Gridman Dogma's art style. Something you can't replicate is roughness and i find it fascinating to see early or unpolished work.

[@vivienjoly7617]

GRIDMAN ! BABY DAN DAN ! BABY DAN DAN !

[@perotekku]

Your long form content is amazing, I have rewatched your Getter Retrospective at least 4 times, more times than most movies. Would love to see you cover Kamen Rider, Godzilla, Mazinger, and Ultraman one day!

[@UltramanUltimo]

There is one piece of information missing. Gridman was prior to being changed from Bigman, was going to also be called Cyberman. But thats a minor detail. Otherwise. Love this video and the work put into it.

[@macabrecomics6311]

Love these long retrospective videos keep up the amazing work.

[@adamntcaponewholikesbigcoo1749]

BABY DAN DAN FUCKING INTENSIFIES

[@JoJoRama]

120% worth the wait! I just watched a few SSSS Gridman episodes back in the day, but didn't keep up with it 'till the end. Watching your video had my interest sparked once again, especially for Dynazenon. Your style for videos is unique, well documented and emotional, always gets me to go after whatever you're talking about. Also, ABSOLUTE king behaviour for scanning and uploading the Gridman fanbook.

[@bjanes4766]

The goat has returned!!

[@turbostrike1632]

This video is amazing! You put so much love and care into this, and the dive into Gridman's history and themes makes me appreciate this series even more! Can't wait to someday see Gridman Universe!

[@XenogearsEXE]

It's finally here! I know you've been cooking this one up for a while and I'm excited to watch it.

[@ultave]

As expected, yet another beautifully put together and well-researched video brimming with passion. Just as your Getter Robo video ignited a love for super robots in myself and many others, I hope to see this bring new viewers into the worlds of Gridman and Tsuburaya Productions.

[@CatboyYume]

Finally i found a review that can put my thought on Dynazenon so well and why i love the series so much.

[@alwayshome2610]

you can't understand how excited I was when I saw this in my feed, I've been waiting for it since you announced it, and the wait paid off! fantastic retrospective!

[@amazingstudios7889]

Peak video. I managed to get time to watch SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon, but I'll also try to make time for the original series, and Universe if ever available.

[@daviejones8862]

HELL YEAH! been waiting for this!

[@waywardwriter2953]

God hearing you gush about SSSS Gridman and Dynazenon was such a treat, this video was totally worth the wait! You can hear all the passion that went into this. You deserve a long rest and another viewing of Gridman Universe for all of your effort!

[@LabyrinthMaster]

HELL YEAH IT''S FINALLY HERE

[@tobiasarevalo9929]

I love how you talk about the cgi in the animes,my jaw was dropping every weeek when these fight scenes were on screen,i can't even imagine how cool graphinica studio's work is on the movie,very hype

[@HangGrenade01]

Outstanding work. Absolutely worth the wait.

[@BusterCorp]

I've been waiting for this!

[@felipevega830]

YES YEEEESSSS!!! BABY DAN DAN! SO STOKED FOR THIS!

[@user-wq9im1hx1p]

FINALLY!!! Thank you so much for another amazing video!

[@ae_double]

Very well researched and discussed, well done on making this piece! Keep up the good work!

[@TeeBalen]

Nice~, this is gonna be good!

[@frofrofrofrofro24]

Banger vid!! Loved how you even touched on the characters outfits/color schemes being based on Transformers figures. This vid goes hard in the paint. Absolutely love this series

[@dennisni5600]

Thank you for that video. Loved it a lot! :)

[@One.AutumnLeaf]

Not even done watching but this is already one of my favorite videos in all of KZbin. Great job!

[@xio7560]

I've always been a big fan of SSSS Gridman. To know more about its past and the production of the anime has been amazing. Thank you for making this video and nice job!

[@Raven236]

Over 2 hours long retrospective. Wowzers. Thanks for making this informative video on Gridman.

[@ProfDragonite]

This is making me want a crossover between MrCheese and Vintage Henshin. Gotta make it happen, my man! The possibilities are endless.

[@hyperios4756]

Thank you for making such a beautiful video on such an amazing series. Gridman is a story which grows on me more and more. :)

[@Starhound]

FANTASTIC work here. Thank you for talking about one of my all time favorite heroes

[@LV-42679]

Oh nice, I sympathize for all the difficulties that you had go through to get the retrospective released

[@wodanymir3163]

Can't wait to finish this when I'm off work. I really love the care you put into it and I'm only like 1/4 of the way done.

[@randyryry6656]

Been waiting for this for an entire month and it’s been worth

[@YohanJPark]

You're my fav retrospective guy. The video was fantastic thanks for your hard work!

[@UseYourTelescope]

phenomenal video!

[@BotsandMagic]

Hell yeah Gridman! Great video!

[@XenoJehuty84]

God this is another amazing video. I remember high off of Power Rangers finding out about Super-Human Samurai-Syber-Squad and jumping into it as well. As I got older and learning about the true Super Sentai origins of not just Power Rangers but other series like Syber Squad's original Gridman version has been a treat. As usual you bring a hefty, HEFTY boi of a documentary and it was worth the wait Mr. Cheese. Also you lucky bastard getting to see the flick in Japan! XD

[@180223]

Finally finished watching the video. You truly outdid yourself with this masterpiece. From the in-depth research and coverage as well as excellent video editing. The *BABY DAN DAN* energy was truly strong in this video. Great job and I look forward to your next project 👍

[@Robohime]

Thanks for making this video it got me to watch the Trigger shows and it's honestly one of my favorite things to ever come out of Gainax/Trigger. I haven't resonated with a show of theirs on every level this hard since Gurren Lagann. I'm watching Universe with a friend who's also never seen it before soon and I'm really excited to see how it ends.

[@jhawkdx4000]

It's a wonderful thing when I get to hear about the stories of humanitarianism by someone who puts as much care into the documentation of a series handled with seemingly equal care. Contemporary stories too, even in the span two decades. I could only hope to put as much effort into things.

[@Enshohma]

Another fantastic retrospective and equally well researched at that! You also have my full vote on the Ultraman Nexus / Ultra N Project retrospective. Keep up the amazing work on this channel!

[@ringkunmori]

Good to see a perspective of someone who's likes the anime. Because as a Mecha/tokusatsu fan who didn't know gridman I thought this show would be up my valley ended up not resonating with me.this video really makes me appreciate it for what it is.

[@nomoremrniceguy6534]

I loved SHSSS (Super Human Samurai Syber Squad). This show was loved by many kids like myself in India when it was aired on DD Metro or DD2 channel (i think..). Nevertheless, I thank deeply from my heart to all those who brought SHSSS to my eyes. I miss those good old golden days. Thank you Thank you Thank you & love you Servo aka Gridman/Sam collins

[@skyhound2889]

This is a well researched video essay for a not well known entry in the Ultraman universe. Good job.

[@Nitragon]

Great stuff. Dynazenon is the GOAT

[@arcana8035]

I will now learn everything about Gridman and walk away with incredibly strong opinions about it 💪

[@megamike70]

I thank the person in Bao's server that posted this, I'm going to watch the full Studio Trigger series of Gridman at some point. Lastly, but not least(-ly I guess?) I thank you and your patrons for creating this.

[@culIen]

Here doing my part to comment 🫡

[@TerryVideoZone]

went and watched dynazenon before starting this video's segment on it and you're absolutely correct it's peak fiction contemporary robot kino shouts tf out to shiro sagisu

[@HARLANDfigueroaZ]

Can't imagine the amount of restraint it took to not spoil and talk about Gridknight

[@mitchellshuttleworth3204]

Let me start by saying this was an unbelievably well made, well researched, and overall amazing video!!! As a tokusatsu fan, SSSS Gridman was my main introduction to the Gridman Universe, what I had believed was a largely forgotten part of Tsuburaya's impressive library of Kaiju shows. I did my own retrospective on an app called Amino that is not that well researched and has less than positive things to say in regards of Utsumi, the Neon Genesis Middle School Students, and the Kaiju Eugenicists. To me, SSSS Gridman and SSSS Dynazenon did the impossible in bringing back a forgotten character and giving him the praised he had deserved. I compare it with the Godzilla Anime Trilogy, where one had failed to bring a new spin on a beloved character, the other succeeded in bring back an obscure character to a modern age. In some ways it feels like a response to it, like two sides of the same coin. I absolutely agree with you, Gridman is the Hero of Dreams, who strives forward to a better tomorrow filled with hope and optimism. As you thanked the people who worked on this amazing franchise, I'd like to thank you for bringing us one of the best retrospectives I've had the pleasure of watching. Baby dan dan forever!

[@Nailfut]

Man, the moment Kaiser Gridknight showed up with its glossy purple-energy cloak, I bursted out laughing so hard, out of pure joy and fun, I woke up the whole house at midnight. That's the Trigger magic, for a moment I was a child once again.

[@uzumazin5099]

Gridknight’s coronation truly was an epic, praiseworthy, hype moment.

[@cyberdraco001]

Great video. Though I was a little disappointed that you didn't talk about the English Dub cast of SSSS.Gridman and SSSS.Dynazenon more. Other then that very well made video and love to see a video on Symphogear at some point.

[@Dinosaurianationazation]

Do more tokusatsu dude!

[@carltonlee17]

Gridman never fails to water my eyes whenever I revisit it. SSSS Gridman showed up exactly when I needed the message, as well as Dynazenon, while Dogma is a gem that sits in a weird place within my heart. Gridman Universe is the best finale of everything ever. I will never forget every second I get out of this franchise.

[@pixelatedshinobi2945]

TWO HOURS LONG HOLY HELL. I AM SO READY

[@ggggfan1]

Using this video to show that at I have more knowledge about transformers than I really should, while when talking about the character designs the cover of one of the IDW Shattered Glass comics is shown, however Shattered Glass is far older than the IDW version (indeed both SSSS.Gridman and Dynazenon predate them) this is why Yuta is based off of the classics toy of G1 Cliffjumper, who was s a universe-hopping regular in funpub's Shattered Glass fiction among the nearly all SG-inspired designs of the cast. As a side note, for a while a lot of transformers media had a running gag of Cy-Kill, lead villain from Tonka's Gobots toyline, showing up to die or as a corpse, this is relevant since the first person killed by a kaiju in the series is Saikiru Tonkawa, whose name and design are references to Cy-Kill.

[@elijahzilla619]

Oh my God my favorite non-Ultraman character Gridman our hero of dreams

[@JeremyLeal1695]

Excellent video, my guy 😁. Would love to see you do one on the Mazinger franchise some day.

[@srcoeiu6100]

Man this is such a good video, it both makes me love tokusatsu and Gridman more and make me sad that there's such an endless sea of beautiful art out there that most people aren't going to know ever existed or care for If i had a magic lamp I'd wish for more Gridman analysis videos in this world 1:38:39

[@dunphug4965]

only 4k views on this is crazy, the research and presentation on this video is a higher quality than most essay style videos i see

[@jessicalaplant9306]

Super human samurai was like what made me fall in love with the genre as a kid.

[@MSTGamingTV]

I just came out of cinema. I was such a blast!! Now I can watch this awesome retrospective vid without worry about spoiler!!

[@Mozer_Kovalski]

Marwellous story, mrcheese! Many thanks! Looking forward to more mecha franchise stories. For magma flows in our veins, heating our hearts and there is no male romance stronger than stories in the mecha genre! (IMHO)

[@SaikoZam]

I'm working right now but leaving a comment, a like and the video running in the background in the hopes it does something for you. Looking forward to actually giving this my attention later!

[@NHOrus]

I just read Gridman Dogma. Those four misfits are fantastic, and I will recommend this manga to everyone.

[@vianenhive]

Return of the king

[@aliastheabnormal]

Ironic considering that SSSS Gridman managed to beat the Ultraman anime made by Netflix.

[@wryytart]

ngl, Gridman Universe bring me to tears, manly tears

[@beauoddball1435]

It’s Fucking Time!!! LETS GOOOO

[@alfianfawzi2064]

I LOVE THE GRIDMAN UNIVERSE FRANCHISE 🤩🤩🤩 See, this has gotta be one of the most epic comeback in the history of Japanese pop culture history. After years of dormancy since the end of its Tokusatsu series, Studio Trigger managed to pick up the reins through their sheer love and passion for the franchise and the media they partake in. I am utterly AMAZED by how they utilize the themes and motifs of Gridman that they made a deeper, in-depth story and it's meta commentary by dialing it all up to eleven, as well as how they managed to carry it all through its many installments. Trigger made a huge bet that they wouldn't make a sequel in mind when they produced SSSS.Gridman and they did it! There's also Hikaru Midorikawa himself whose suggestions ended up as SSSS.Dynazenon that completes the whole circle of the franchise. And now, I CAN'T WAIT to watch Gridman Universe and what else they'd bring to the table next. Far as I'm concerned, Gridman Universe might as well be Tsuburaya's secondary flagship franchise besides Ultraman, at this point. 😆

[@Celestial914]

GRIDMAN LETS GOOOOO!

[@MegamanNG]

Access Flash! This is a really good retrospective. If Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad had 12 more episodes, it would have implemented the Gridman Sigma bit allowing Malcolm Frink and Kilokahn capture Sam/Servo and is able to create a new body for Malcolm forming Servo Sigma. A few episodes in, battles between Servo & Servo Sigma happen until Malcolm realizes that he is being used and manipulated. He then betrays Kilokahn, joins Sam and his friends and they defeat Kilokahn once and for all. Malcolm befriends Sam and his friends as the series finally ends.

[@jordanforbes149]

God I loved Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad

[@Squiggles01]

Gridman gave me the Spark to ignite the fire of a dream in my heart... And its time I let the fire burn!!

[@blackRXrider]

I lived in Japan in the early 80s, so I have huge nostalgia for Ultraman 80 and Andro Melos. They're not the greatest, but I still like them.

[@mightquinnable]

Holy shit, I was just looking up gridman, I remember rent a tape of it so much as a kids. Or SSSS when I grabbed it

[@kuma2448]

Baby Dan Dan intensifies.

[@EbullientSMP]

When the world needed him, he returned...

[@thebaku818]

What an amazing retrospective, but have you heard of the symphogear x gridman collab on the former's mobile game?

[@thorscape3879]

Akane is based on the image of how Amemiya would want to be. We talked many times about what we'd do if we could customize ourselves a high school girls. We would want a cute face, big boobs, etc., and Akane was designed with everithing we chose. On the other hand, Rikka is a little more realistic-her chest isn't that big, and her legs are on the thicker side. By the way Amemiya was very adamant about the current design of Rikka's legs. When the director and I were discussing Rikka's design, we came to an impasse, so I ended up putting together all the ideas we had come up with. But there was a sketch that Amemiya handed me, saying, "I want you to keep this, at least." It was a sketch showing the lines of Rikka's legs. For Rikka's legs, I stayed faithful to Amemiya's wishes and traced what he gave me. - Masaru Sakamoto on the process of designing Akane, and Rikka A man of the people through-and-through.

[@volante56]

10/10 analysis, just like gridman series itself. im really dying to watch gridman universe. no release confirmation here yet but I think it got released in hong kong, so there are still hope for asia.

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

Gridman is a got damn masterpiece and is just as iconic as the Ultra Series. Hopefully this encourages the creation of more original Giant heroes

[@koontzsama]

I thoroughly enjoyed the script of superhuman samurai

[@zZiL341yRj736]

Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad. My God I was trying to find that damn Drago for a complete set but never could.