Takatoleague: Local Superheroes Save the Day at Ikebukuro Festival

By Mishio Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Specialist

12:00 JST, November 8, 2024

I served as the emcee at “Takatoleague,” an event featuring many regional superheroes, on the second day of the recent Ikebukuro Mangetsusai festival held at a park outside the west exit of JR Ikebukuro Station in Toshima Ward, Tokyo.

The event’s title, Takatoleague, comes from the surname of popular singer Hideaki Takatori, a major hit maker of the anime and tokusatsu superhero show scene who has also composed and sang the theme songs of the Super Sentai Series franchise. Takatori has also produced theme songs for many local superheroes, who are often designed like Power Ranger-type heroes and tasked with promoting their regional municipalities. Two years ago, he wrote “Heroes Go!” a cheer song for these local heroes, sung with the band Zetki, which is fronted by Takatori.

Called on by Takatori, 15 individual and group regional heroes and their enemy monsters gathered at the event. Among the heroes were TekkaMen, whose motifs are roses and lilies; Chokosoku Q Fighter, belonging to Fuji-Q Highland amusement park; Lloyd, a superhero borne from a Zetki song and KIWA FILLES, a cute but determined fighting girl duo. They came on stage one by one and hyped up the crowd with their superb action sequence demonstrations and nanori name-introducing poses. They were also joined by Toshimach, a local hero of Toshima Ward.

Additionally, the event welcomed singers Yuka Uchiyae and Kotanikinya. Accompanied by Zetki’s brilliant band performance, they turned up the heat performing superhero songs with Takatori.

Local superheroes featuring characteristic regional motifs began appearing roughly just after the turn of the century. The first local heroes who caught attention were perhaps Chojin Neiger in Akita Prefecture and Ryujin Mabuyer in Okinawa Prefecture. When “Dogengers” began broadcasting in 2020, with superheroes mostly from Fukuoka, the presence of local superheroes was already widely recognized nationwide. As if to keep up with this growing popularity, their costumes and fight moves have become sophisticated and more professional — or so I have observed, having occasionally taken a peek into the world of local superheroes.

From their immaculate full-body suits to their high-level performance skills, the superheroes and superheroines who performed were completely brilliant. Their fight moves were sharp, and they danced along to the songs flawlessly. I was particularly impressed by each performer’s complete superhero transformation the moment they put on the character’s mask, staying in character even when standing in the wings with event staff and other cast members. It’s what made their performances of fighting to protect those dear to their hearts so convincing.

To close out the event, Takatori passionately sang “Heroes Go!” with Uchiyae and Kotanikinya. before defeating the “enemy” character on stage together with the superheroes. I was very touched watching the heroes fight alongside Takatori as well as observing the delighted audience. While none of the superheroes were major TV characters, they were all real heroes who protect the peace of their respective localities. At the same time, as Toshima Ward’s International City of Arts and Culture producer, I was glad to participate in the event at the park, renovated by the late former ward mayor, Yukio Takano.

In one of my books, I wrote that tokusatsu superheroes are a unique part of Japanese culture and that “Japan is a country with 8 million heroes,” a play on words on the old saying that Japan is a country with 8 million gods. Those wonderful local superheroes are truly part of the 8 million heroes and represent the superhero culture that Japan can be proud of. I connected wholeheartedly to one of the lyrics Takatori sang — “Tomo ni Yume no Saki e Susumo” (Let’s go to beyond the dream together).