Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad

While some may say that Superhuman Samurai was a second banana to the Power Rangers it was really a second fiddle to Ultraman (who came before Power Rangers/Sentai). SS was based on show from Japan called Grid Man which was produced by Tsuburaya Productions who in turn produced Ultraman.

The show focused on middle schooler Sam Collins who gets sucked into a computer and becomes Servo who defends cyberspace from computer monsters created by classmate Malcom Frink and brought to life by Kilokahn an evil cyber being. However Collins along with his friends who help him with his fight with the cyber monsters don't know that Malcolm is in league with Kilokahn. They see him as stuck up know it all. Malcolm as much as he hates Sam Collins does not know that Collins is Servo and neither does Kilokahn.

The Japanese counterpart does not last long and neither did this one, although it did produce a few more shows than Grid Man. It was fun to watch I admit, but at the time nothing could stop Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

I loved that show! I still have the action figures of all the robots on my shelf in my room. I used to come home every day and turn the T.V. to channel 23 (TBS). I'd watch Saved By The Bell at four (just to waste time) and then at 4:30 the greatest show ever came on. Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad had the jankey costumes and props of Godzilla, and combined them with an awesome, well written script. It's a classic show that should not be missed by anyone. This is my personal recommendation to all you SHSCS virgins out there - if this show is ever (EVER) on in your near future, you take a sick day and cancel all of your plans just to watch this show. I know I would.....

I was a fan of the original Ultraman TV series, watching old reruns when I was a child. When Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad came along (first as a toy line), I was immediately attracted to it. Tsuburaya Productions, who made Ultraman, also made the source for Syber-Squad ("Gridman"). I'll probably seek out that as well. What I like most about Syber-Squad, apart from the spectacular special effects brought from the Japanese original, is the incidental music score and the enthusiasm of the new cast, who more than make up for the corny puns and minimalist production values. I own the third tape of the series, "The Glitch That Stole Christmas", which I consider the best of them.

Yes, it was a fairly cheesy show, yes it has many features of what we call 'old technology' I'm sure nowadays Kilokahn is shuddering only being able to run at 400MHZ processor speed. But it was a good show! I remember a few episodes and I own the 'To Servo and Protect', 'A Skorn In their Side' (my favorite villain) and 'The Glitch that Stole Christmas' Videos. It was still an excellent series for its time :D I had come up with so many ways they could bring it back but eh guess it's not going to happen at this point.

Honestly, I know the whole teen superhero thing had been done plenty to this point, but there will always be a place in my heart for the shows that display such a cool fantasy, I'm sure at one point or another, Power Rangers, SSSS, VR Troopers, even Beetleborgs had inspired us what the possibilities are. Anyway that's enough raving from me :) I just decided to put in my 2 Cents

Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (also known as Lightning Superman Gridman in Japan) was brought over to the states by DIC in an attempt to dethrone Mighty Morphin Power Rangers after Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters From Beverly Hills (which also had some very Ultraman like elements to it) had failed.

The show, which at times is VERY in line with the source material, is about a young teen named Sam Collins and his three friends who play in a band called Team Samurai. One day Sam is mysteriously sucked into his computer and bonds with an anti-virus program called Servo in an attempt to take out a rouge government computer program named Kilokhan and his lackey Malcom Frink, who supplies him with digitally scanned artwork of monsters which he uses to create "mega-virus monsters" so that they can wreck havoc on the digital world.

To assist Servo are "helper programs" that are piloted by his band mates. There's Vitor (a red jet fighter), Borr (a mobile unit with twin drill bits), and Tracto (a tank with two laser guns on the sides). Servo combines with these to obtain powerful armor that transforms him into "Samurai Synchro" in order to better combat Kilokhan's minions. There is also Jamb and Torb, which create "Samurai Phomo". Jamb can also be used as a projectile flamethrower, not to mention that the two can form their own independent mecha. Same with Vitor, Borr, and Tracto.

Now do keep in mind that this show came out when the internet was in it's infancy. The show could hardly be called a success in it's home country, but surprisingly it did rather well here. Had it been released or conceptualized a bit later, it probably wouldn't have been just a footnote in Eastern Superhero culture.

All in all though, the show is very enjoyable and I'd dare to say that it's even BETTER than Power Rangers, but that's just my own opinion So if you like Ultraman, Megaman NT Warrior, & Tron, then do yourself a favor and seek this show out You WILL NOT regret it, trust me