See ‘Boonboomger’ Superhero Stage Show in Tokyo for a Chance to Catch Tokusatsu Action Live

By Mishio Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:00 JST, March 14, 2025

If you have never seen a superhero stage show in Japan, I think you are missing out. These “hero shows” feature superheroes from TV tokusatsu sci-fi action dramas delivering realistic action performances, before a cheering audience of children. With an over 50-year history, it is a cultural asset Japan takes pride in.

Theatre G-Rosso in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, is a pioneer venue, regularly staging superhero shows. Located inside the Tokyo Dome City amusement complex, tokusatsu fans regard it as a holy site. It was here that a stage show based on “Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger” — a recent Super Sentai series TV drama — opened in February. It is the fourth installment of the Boonboomger stage show and titled “Uchu o Koeru Atsuki Kizuna! Bakuage! G-Rosso Final Lap!!” (“A Passionate Bond Across the Universe! Bakuage! G-Rosso Final Lap!!”).

What is special about this stage show is that it features the six actors who play the main characters prior to their Boonboomger superhero transformations. The same actors you can see on TV “transform” and fight in front of the audience. They are Haruhi Iuchi (who transforms into Bun Red), Yuki Hayama (Bun Blue), Miu Suzuki (Bun Pink), Ryu Saito (Bun Black), Satoru Soma (Bun Orange) and Yu Miyazawa (Bun Violet).

What’s more, the stage show is joined by the same “suit actors” (as you may know, suit actors are action performers who play superheroes and other characters in masks and full-body tights) as on TV, too. The full cast was announced in advance, which I thought was a very nice gesture. As someone covering tokusatsu stories for many years, I have often lamented suit actors not being named and recognized for their work. With this year marking the 50th anniversary of the Super Sentai series, it feels as if the gears of history have finally begun to turn. The featured suit actors for the six Boonboomger superheroes are Hirotsugu Mori, Takahiro Yoneoka, Yume Sakanashi, Shigeki Ito, Yukimasa Ono and Masato Tsutamune. In addition, Yuichi Hachisuka and Yuki Miyazawa, suit actors for other characters in the TV drama, appear on stage as well.

A great cast makes for a wonderful stage show in its own right. This cast demonstrate fantastic stunts one after another both before and after transformation, giving the audience the privilege of watching amazing action sequences, such as wire-flying and leaping from high places. Having worked together for about a year, their chemistry and timing on stage are perfect, even more so than other regular shows at the venue. Of course, the venue’s regular veteran suit actors also play a key supporting role, livening up the show.

While the production uses the latest theater technology, such as projection mapping, there are also traditional staging techniques, like the audience cheering the superheroes on when they get in a bind. Your spirits are lifted by hearing children scream “Boonboomger!” feeling as if the audience has become one in rooting for the battling superheroes. That is the best part of superhero stage shows.

The Boonboomger show will run until March 23 on weekends and Vernal Equinox Day. There is also a limited-time-only pop-up shop selling limited-edition Boonboomger merchandise. For a fee, fans can also take photos of the Boonboom super car, as seen on TV. If you are coming to Tokyo this month, please visit the theater. I bet you will be enchanted with the show!