Kousoku Esupâ

The character Lightspeed Esper was created in 1964 by manga artist Riji Asano, to be the mascot for Toshiba Electronics. In 1966, Asano would create a manga series to tie in with the mascot. In this version, young Koichi Hayami becomes Esper after his parents and scientist Dr. Norman (who invented the "reinforced clothing" exo-suit) were kidnapped by evil aliens. Elements from this manga would be used in this 1967 tokusatsu adaptation. In 1968, around the time the TV series ended, another "Lightspeed Esper" manga was made, this time by rising manga giant Leiji Matsumoto. Matsumoto's version leans a little more into the space opera genre he would popularize a few years later. In his story, the planet Bashiuto (Toshiba spelled backwards in Japanese characters) was invaded by a dictator, and the boy Esper was sent to Earth, entrusted with the "reinforced clothing" from his world. Adopted by the Godai family on Earth, he would go by the name "Susumu Godai" (who would ultimately be remade as the protagonist of I guerrieri delle stelle (1974), co-created by Matsumoto) and protect Earth from the same alien threats that invaded his home world.