Japanese Spiderman (Season 1)

Japanese Spiderman (スパイダーマン, 1978) is a Toei tokusatsu series you can watch online on iFILM. Forget a faithful comic adaptation — this is Japan's own wild take, made under a licensing deal with Marvel.

Motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro gains spider powers after meeting a warrior from Planet Spider and pulls on the familiar red-and-blue suit. From there it goes gloriously local: he tears around on his GP-7 bike, hides a battle car inside a spaceship, and fights the Iron Cross Army led by the sinister Professor Monster. And when an enemy grows to skyscraper size, Spider-Man summons a giant robot called Leopardon.

That single idea — a costumed hero plus a huge piloted mecha — went on to shape Super Sentai, and through it the Western Power Rangers. So this is a genuine landmark for tokusatsu fans, not just a curiosity. Goofy, colorful and weirdly charming. Stream Japanese Spiderman (1978) online on iFILM.