2 Years Before Toonami, G-Force: Guardians of Space Became Cartoon Network’s First Anime

Toonami has been such a major player in terms of popularizing anime for mainstream North American audiences that it’s sometimes easy to take for granted. Toonami established a dedicated programming block that showcased anime and became the first place that many audiences saw titles like Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Cowboy Bebop.

As much as Toonami was essential for giving anime a mainstream presence in North America, it very likely wouldn’t have even happened if not for another anime blazing trails two years earlier. G-Force: Guardians of Space, an adaptation of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, is an important part of history as not only Cartoon Network’s first anime, but also a breakthrough series for the anime dubbing industry in general.

G-Force Improved Upon Battle Of The Planets’ Foundation

G-Force looks at a powerful team of five teenagers who battle against nefarious aliens, Galactor and Computor, who are dead set on Earth's conquest. G-Force is an adaptation of 1972’s Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, a popular Tatsunoko sci-fi anime, but it's actually not the first attempt at an Americanized version of this Tatsunoko series. G-Force’s origins chart back to Battle of the Planets. Battle of the Planets had a very successful run during the early 1980s, but it was a seriously altered version of the original Gatchaman.

Not only were many changes made to the narrative and characters, but the broadcast television standards of the ‘70s also meant that violence and death were heavily censored. Battle of the Planets found an audience in syndication on TBS (then SuperStation WTBS), but had run its course by 1985. Sandy Franks, the domestic rights holder of Gatchaman, was interested in doing more with the brand. This led to Ted Turner acquiring the rights from Franks and proceeding with G-Force.

G-Force’s goal was to be a more faithful Gatchaman adaptation that could take advantage of the sensibilities of ‘80s broadcast television and the freedom that was now present, but wasn’t in the ‘70s. Turner specifically recruited Fred Ladd, a renowned talent in the field of translating and distributing anime, with Astro Boy, Gigantor, and Kimba the White Lion being some of his highest profile titles. G-Force’s improved scripts ditched all of Battle of the Planets’ inauthentic ideas in favor of a truer version of the source material. Even Gatchaman’s deaths and more mature backstories were retained in G-Force, albeit edited and sanitized to some extent. It was still a step in the right direction.

G-Force’s Initial Run On Cartoon Network Made Toonami Possible

G-Force was an exciting improvement from Battle of the Planets, but its groundbreaking broadcast history is also a pivotal part of its story. Battle of the Planets made TBS its home, but G-Force also technically premiered on WTBS in 1987, running for just a single week, in what’s presumed to have been a contractual arrangement to continue holding the rights. G-Force would soon follow on Cartoon Network, but it’s also technically a breakthrough anime for TBS. G-Force would migrate to Cartoon Network because it was also owned by Ted Turner, who was still the rights' holder.

Curiously, the push to get G-Force on Cartoon Network was influenced by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ popularity. G-Force premiered alongside James Bond Jr. as new additions to the channel’s Super Adventuresblock. This makes G-Force the first anime to air on Cartoon Network, although it was quickly followed byRobot Carnival, Vampire Hunter D, and Twilight of the Cockroaches within the same year, with Speed Racer following in ‘96. G-Force, along with the small sample of anime that followed, set the stage for Toonami in March 1997. G-Force even experimented with late night and weekend airings, which is a strategy that Toonami would also adopt. G-Force’s Saturday evening airings were even canceled to make way for Toonami.

It’s significant that Toonami’s initial programming block included anime like Robotech, Voltron, and ThunderCats, which are all cut from the same cloth as G-Force. Toonami’s non-anime programs, like Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and Super Friends also still felt tonally at peace with G-Force. Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon were bigger swings that grew out of this initial anime curiosity that G-Force triggered. It’s no surprise that the next iteration of Toonami’s block evolved to include an even broader range of anime that included Gundam Wing, Ronin Warriors, and several Tenchi Muyo! titles.

It’s even possible to draw a direct correlation between G-Force and IGPX, which was Toonami’s first original series. Many of the block’s earliest original programs, like Clone Wars, still feel like a response to G-Force’s sci-fi adventures. G-Force also made a brief and final return to Toonami from January to March 2000 on Toonami Midnight Run’s weekend edition. G-Force, appropriately enough, acted as a temporary replacement for Robotech and Voltron. Accordingly, only a handful of episodes aired before Toonami Midnight Run’s ended in March 2000. It was still appreciated to have this OG anime series help conclude the block during a time when Toonami’s overall future was less certain.

G-Force’s Legacy – On Toonami & Elsewhere – Is Still Felt To This Day

G-Force and Gatchaman don’t come up nearly enough when landmark anime are under discussion. This anime even helped establish the concept of the five-member hero team, which may now seem basic, but was pivotal at the time and made a real impact on tokusatsu series like Super Sentai. G-Force’s influence is still felt on Toonami as the anime’s adventurous ethos is a guiding force in the block’s programming. It’s practically been imprinted in Toonami’s DNA, despite preceding it.

It’s also impressive that G-Force and Gatchaman have built a sizable fandom that’s remained loyal to the franchise for decades. G-Force was an improvement upon Battle of the Planets, but it was still an incomplete version of Gatchaman that was missing the anime’s final episodes. It wasn’t until 2005 that ADV Films would release an uncut English version of Science Ninja Team Gatchman’s complete 105 episodes.This 2005 release finally gave G-Force fans closure and a proper ending.

It’s comforting that Gatchaman, in its entirety, can now be enjoyed and compared to G-Force. It becomes a fascinating exercise in adaptation, and G-Force still makes plenty of original decisions that are genuinely smart. Gatchaman’s brand has also stayed alive through a series of sequels and remakes, including Gatchaman II, Gatchaman Fighter, and 2013’s Gatchaman Crowds reboot.

Most recently, Joe and Anthony Russo announced that they will be producing a live-action Battle of the Planets movie and may potentially even direct. The Avengers: Endgame directors helming a Gatchaman film is the perfect way to increase awareness and bring the series back in a big way. Adult Swim’s Toonami could even air the uncut version of Gatchaman in what would be a beautiful full-circle anime moment.