Anime / Time Bokan

"8!
7!
6!
5!
4! 3! 2! 1!
TIIIIIIME BOKAN!"

A long running meta-series by Tatsunoko Production, the Time Bokan meta-series typically involves a Battle Couple, a Robot Buddy, and Mini-Mecha based off animals stopping a Terrible Trio (maybe even THE Terrible Trio) from doing misdeeds.

The first in the series was the aforementioned Time Bokan in 1975. It involved the aforementioned Battle Couple traveling through time to find a Plot Coupon and a missing scientist, while racing and going up against a Terrible Trio consisting of a Fat and Skinny male duo and a Stripperiffic female. Following this it was decided that Time Bokan would become a meta-series and each of the sequels would carry the name as a subtitle.

The second series in 1977 would become the longest and arguably most memorable in the entire meta-series: Yatterman. While maintaining a similar plot as well as having Expies of the heroes and villains, the story this time didn't involve time travel, instead opting for a Sentai, "Mecha of the Week"-type format. Yatterman would eventually get a Revival in 2008, as well as a live action adaptation in 2009. It even found itself a sequel series in 2015 with Yatterman Night, which also serves as the Time Bokan franchise's 40th anniversary special.

The rest of series: Zenderman, Otasukeman, Yattodetaman, Ippatsuman, and Itadakiman would more or less feature the same concept. Some series would feature time travel, and others would be set in the present day. Yattodetaman and Ippatsuman are the only two series to not have a Battle Couple but rather a titular hero fighting the antagonists. They are also the only two series to feature Humongous Mecha. Following a 1993 OVA involving the then seven Terrible Trios in a parody of Wacky Races, the eighth and final series Kiramekiman aired in 2000.

Many of the series in the franchise became big international hits across Europe and Latin America, but the original 1975-76 series was the only one from the original franchise to reach the United States, in two dubbed feature-length edits titled Time Fighters and Time Fighters in the Land of Fantasy, released in 1984. Spanish-speaking Americans were more fortunate, getting the entire series on Univision as La máquina del tiempo ("The Time Machine").

Compare to Superbook and Flying House, two other Tatsunoko productions featuring time travel that ran (on a rival channel) contemporaneous with the Time Bokan franchise, but substituting Biblical themes for the slapstick comedy and scantily clad villainesses.

In 2016, Tatsunoko announced that, as part of celebration for their 55th anniversary, they are producing a new entry in the series called Time Bokan 24, co-produced by Level-5. The new series debuted in the Fall 2016 season. The 1993 OVA, Time Bokan: Royal Revival, has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks for a US release.

Since Yatterman sort of became its own entity outside of the Time Bokan franchise, it gets its own page here. Otasukeman also gets its own page here.

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Tropes found in most or all the series of Time Bokan:

• Animal Mecha: Almost every series features a good share of animal-based mechas, used by either the good guys, the bad guys or even both.
• Bathing Beauty: Generally all the villainesses love taking baths or showers (like part of their Ms. Fanservice status).
• Battle Couple: Standard formula found in almost all series, save for Ippatsuman and Yattodetaman.
• Bragging Theme Tune: All the series have one either about their heroes (Yatterman through Kaitou Kiramekiman), or about their mechs (Time Bokan). Subverted with Time Bokan 24 and Yatterman Night.
• Canon Discontinuity:
  • There was a 3-episode OVA in the 90s called Sengoku Bushou Retsuden Bakufu Hissatsuman, made by the same studio behind the Casshan: Robot Hunter OVA. Despite being directed by franchise director Hiroshi Sasagawa and being thematically similar to other Time Bokan series, Tatsunoko does not consider it a part of the franchise.
  • In a similar fashion, the 2012 1-episode OVA Ippatsu Hicchū!! Devander, also directed by Sagasawa and with a similar tone (including a cameo appearance by Reporter Sasayaki from Yattodetaman), isn't counted as part of the franchise.
• Character Title: Every series save for Time Bokan and Time Bokan 24, which are instead named after the mechs.
• Clothing Damage: To the villains. The female leader tends to get the "worst" of it.
• Dastardly Whiplash: Grocky and all his expies (with the only exception of Kokematsu from Yattodetaman).
• Fanservice: Often shows partial nudity to the female lead villain, complete with Panty Shot and Shower Scene.
• Fat and Skinny: Found in ALL installments.
• Fourth-Wall Mail Slot: Many series featured the Terrible Trio reading fan mail in many episodes, and in some series fans were also asked to send them suggestions for new mechas.
• Mini-Mecha: Rode or driven by the protagonists and antagonists. Usually based off some form of animal.
  • Subverted by Yattodetaman and Ippatsuman, which features Super Robots instead.
• Ms. Fanservice: All the leaders of the Terrible Trio are the main source of Fanservice.
• Naked People Are Funny: The villains regularly end up half-naked.
• Nipple and Dimed: Applies to all the series (minus modern shows like the Yatterman remake or Yatterman Night), especially on the villainesses that regularly end up half-naked.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Used more or less by all the villains. The Doronbo Gang and the Muujo team are masters of this.
• Pigeonholed Voice Actor: All three members of each Terrible Trio starting from Time Bokan have been voiced by the same Japanese voice actors, for the past 30 years. Time Bokan 24 sets up a new tradition by reusing the same voice actors from Yatterman Night.
• Recycled Soundtrack: Multiple pieces of background music have been reused in later series. For example, the theme heard during the Dorombo gang scams in Yatterman is sometimes used in Otasukeman when the Ojamamen seem to be very close into succeeding with their plan, while a fanfare associated with the Time Patrol in Otasukeman comes back in the second half of Yattodetaman as Daikyojin's entrance theme.
• Robot Buddy: The good guys always have one on their side. How much it's useful to the plot depends from the series.
• Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: Generally the heroines wear more modest outfit compared to the villainesses.
• Series Mascot: Odate-buta, the robot pig that often appears in in the bad guys' mecha cockpit starting from Yatterman is arguably the franchise's mascot.
• Spotlight-Stealing Crossover: The Royal Revival OVAs, by way of having the results of Yatterman's ending as a major plot. By the second OVA, the other series barely get a passing reference.
• Stripperiffic: The villainess wear very skimpy mission-outfit except Mirenjo and Atasha.
• Terrible Trio: Can possibly be the Trope Codifier, if not Trope Namer.
  • Inverted in Kiramekiman - the trio is still comedic and rather incompetent, but they're technically the good guys (being detectives), while the heroes are thieves.
  • Subverted in Otasukeman (except for the very first few episodes) and Yattodetaman, where the villains are a group of four.
• Time Travel: The main deal of the franchise, with each episode set in a different era (and some times even in fictional stories). Ironically, Yatterman, the most successful entry in the series, is the only exception.
• Villain-Based Franchise: Let's be frank, who remembers the names of the heroes? Everyone loves the Terrible Trio, though.
  • Specifically, one Terrible Trio: the Doronbo Gang. These wacky villains have been at the center of many adaptations, including both Royal Revival OVAs and numerous games. So much, in fact, that the distant sequel series is about their descendants instead of Gan and Ai's (although they have Expies as main characters too).
• Wacky Racing: The 1993 OVA Royal Revival (volume 1) involving all the villains of the franchise in an epic race with the winner became protagonist of the next volume. Naturally all try to cheat and sabotage the opponents, but, at the end, the winner is the Dorombo team (see above), but they still end up being punished by Dokurobei regardless.

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Tropes specific for the series:

Time Bokan

• Animal Motifs: Bugs. Lots of bugs.
• Art Shift: The credits are styled after paper puppet shows.
  • The time travel sequences use pretty obvious Scanimation visuals.
• Bee Afraid: One of the scouting mechs on the Kuwagattan is modeled after a bee.
• Brick Joke: Early in episode 2, Chorobou threatens Perasuke with being grilled and eaten if he doesn't reveal where Dr. Kieta is. When the gang is sent back to Ancient Greece, Perasuke is taken by the Persians, who almost do exactly that.
• Brought To You By The Letter "T": This series' insignia uses a stylized "T" on everything belonging to Dr Kieta, often seen on the Time Bokans and quite prominently on Tanpei's outfit.
• The Cameo: Not in their series, but Junko and Tanpei show up alongside other Battle Couples in the Royal Revival OVA. They also appear as teenagers in the 2008 Yatterman reboot.
• Chromatic Arrangement: The Mechabuton (Blue), Dotabattan (Green) and Kuwagattan (Red) mechs follow this pattern.
• Compilation Movie: The series managed to get into U.S. video stores in 1984, editing the Fairy Tale Episodes into two movies called Time Fighters and Time Fighters in the Land of Fantasy.
• Continuity Nod: The Royal Revival OVA has the Time Skeletons use the Gorilla variation of Gaikotts as their mech. This version was also the first one they ever fought Tanpei and Junko with.
• Cool Helmet: Tanpei and Junko have these as part of their attire. They even go with the Bug motif, as they resemble bug eyes.
• Dub Name Change:
  • Tanpei and Junko become Jett and Starr, and Dr. Kieta becomes Professor Von Spock, in the U.S. TimeFighters dubs.
  • In the Spanish dub, Tanpei is Cosmo and Junko is Selena.
  • In the Italian dub, Majo is named Lady Margot, Grocky is Sgrinfia, Warusa is Birba, the Dotabattan is called Locustingam and the Kuwagattan becomes the Scorpio.
• Dub Species Change: The Italian dub changes the Kuwagattan from a stag beetle to a scorpion.
• Evil Counterpart: Gaikotts, the Time Skeletons' version of the Time Bokans.
• Frankenslation: Jim Terry's American Way company cobbled the first season of Time Bokan into two 95-minute features, Time Fighters and Time Fighters in the Land of Fantasy. This remains the only installation of the classic franchise to reach the United States (at least in dubbed form).
• Gadgeteer Genius: Tanpei and Junko, despite their young age. Tanpei was even the one who built Chorobou in the first place.
• Henpecked Husband: An almost literal example of the trope in Perasuke. In fact, he continues to avoid going back to his time specifically to avoid his wife.
• It Was with You All Along: Dr. Kieta was in the present day the entire time. After traveling back from Perasuke's time, the Doctor left the Time Bokan. Perasuke accidentally booted it back up while the Doctor wasn't looking, and ended up landing it where it should have landed in the first place—the lab. He then stumbled out of the cockpit, encountering our heroes in the process and kickstarting a 27-episode long search and a gang of thieves on their tails for their trouble.
• Japanese Beetle Brothers: The first and third mechs resemble a Rhinoceros and Stag beetle respectively, while the Mechabuton's scouting mech resembles a ladybug.
• Kid Hero: Junko and Tanpei are 10 and 13 years old, respectively. This makes them the youngest group of heroes in the franchise, since at the very least both members of the second youngest group are 13.
• Limited Wardrobe: Unlike later protagonists in the franchise, Tanpei and Junko always wear their Iconic Outfits. Slightly justified as they might be standard attire for Dr. Kieta's lab.
• Living MacGuffin: Perasuke for the Time Skeletons, as he's the only one who knows how to obtain Dynamonds.
• Lemony Narrator: The narrator tends to pepper in his own commentary during his recaps and concluding speeches.
  Narrator: Will they ever find Dr. Kieta? Eh, I don't know. Find out next week, maybe.
• Made of Explodium: Gaikotts and the titular Time Bokan tend to explode when leaving for new time periods.
• Mad Scientist's Beautiful Granddaughter: Junko qualifies, though her grandfather isn't completely mad.
• Meaningful Name: Marjo's name is derived from "Majo", the Japanese word for witch. The word can also mean "old hag" depending on how it's used.
  • Walther's romanized name (Warusa) means "Evil Behavior".
• The Mole: Grocky serves as this in episode 1, as he worked for Dr. Kieta for about half a year to get information on the Time Bokan project.
• Non-Action Guy: Marjo generally refuses to fight the heroes, often letting Grocky and Walther do the dirty work.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: The titular Time Bokan. It actually refers to three mechs over the course of the series: the "Time Mechabuton" (the first), the "Time Dotabattan" (a locust mech), and the "Time Kuwagattan" (a Stag beetle mech). The term "Time Bokan" itself just refers to its carrier functions, as they all carry smaller mechs inside them.
• Only One Name: Everyone, save for perhaps Junko.
• Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Junko and Tanpei.
• Polly Wants a Microphone: Perasuke, the parrot of Dr. Kieta.
• Post-Kiss Catatonia: Tanpei often goes into this whenever either Junko or another cute girl kisses him on the cheek.
• Robot Buddy: Chorobo.
• Smoke Out: One episode has the Time Skeletons pull a smoke bomb in order to disguise Gaikotts' time travel abilities.
• Spell My Name With An S: Perasuke/Parrosuke.
  • Majo/Marjo.
  • Grocky/Glocky.
  • Walther/Walter/Warusa.
  • Chorobou/Chorobo/C-Robot.
• Stealth Pun: Although Gaikotts goes through several design changes over the course of the series, its base form always serves as the skeleton for the changes.
• Symbol Motif Clothing: Like her successor Ai, Junko has hearts on her clothing.
• Terrible Trio: Marjo, Walther and Grocky make up THE Terrible Trio, Trope Codifier for all the trios that followed.
• The Theme Park Version: Being a kid's show, the cast of Time Bokan probably couldn't get away with being historically accurate with the time periods they went to.
• Time Machine: The titular Time Bokan.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Cream puffs for Perasuke.
• Unobtanium: Whatever makes up the contents of Dynamonds. In use, they have about 100 times the explosive power of Uranium, making it perfect for the Time Skeletons to power up their mechs.
• Villain Song: "Soreyuke Gaikottsu".
• Younger Than They Look: Despite looking the same age as Tanpei, Junko is actually 10 years old.
• Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: The series is a long string of our heroes going to different eras based on what Perasuke tells them that episode, but failing to find Dr. Kieta every time. He is found in episode 27, right in their home time period to boot.

Yatterman

See—> Yatterman

Zenderman

• Absent-Minded Professor: Dr. Monjia. He is regularly fooled by the villain trio in incredibly obvious disguises.
• Bathing Beauty: Muujo has many Shower Scene and Bathtub Scene (because she thinks that it help her to stay young); also in ending credits.
• Cats Are Mean: Nyaravolta, the Akudama trio's Team Pet. Doubly so when it's revealed that he was the villain the whole time.
• Comedic Spanking: Muujo is victim of a spanking machine as punishment at the end of an episode.
• Cool Train: The heroes' main mecha is Zender-Lion, a combination of a train and a lion used to travel across the Time Tunnel and often fight against the Akudaman trio.
• Demoted to Extra: From episode 36 onward, Zender-Lion was put on the sidelines in favor of Zender-Gorilla and his support crew. He still escorted everybody through the Time Tunnel.
• Distracted by the Sexy: During the second half of the series, the heroes' Zender-Lion mecha is replaced with the Zender-Gorilla. The new gorilla mecha is much more vulnerable against the feminine wiles of Muujo, leading Muujo to come up with seductive poses and costumes to keep Zender-Gorilla's focus away from attacking in battle.
• The Dog Was the Mastermind: Oddly enough, it was the Trio's pet this turn around who turned out to be the Big Bad. Nyaravolta found the lake containing the elixir long ago and had actually lived for thousands of years due to a sample he obtained. However, the elixir’s effect wasn’t infinite, and by the end of the series he was in need of more. He used the Akudaman trio to locate the lake for him, and had no intention of letting them have any of the elixir.
• Driven by Envy: Despite being a beautiful woman, Muujo is jealous of Sakura because the girl is younger than her.
• Expy:
  • Tetsu serves as this for Time Bokan's Tanpei.
  • Our heroes also serve as one for Zorro, since they tend to use Flynning as their main method of attack and carve "Z"s with their swords.
• Fountain of Youth: The goal of the heroes and the villains is to find the lake containing the elixir.
• Interrupted Bath: The last episode Muujo and her minions end up transporting into ancient Egypt in the bathroom of Cleopatra VII Philopator while she was having a bath in her bathing pool.
• Kid Hero: Tetsu and Sakura.
• Laser-Guided Karma: In the following finale, the conclusion has the Akudaman reduced to babies due to Elixir.
• Rapid Aging: After Nyaravolta was defeated, the Akudaman trio then took his container away from him and drank the elixir. Shortly afterwards his immortality wore off, and he instantly withered up and died.
• Show Some Leg: Muujo often uses her beauty to seduce the heroes Gorilla mecha during the battles.

Time Patrol Tai Otasukeman

See —> Time Patrol Tai Otasukeman

Yattodetaman

• All Love Is Unrequited/Crazy Jealous Guy: Kokematsu is in love with Mirenjo without any hope and, obviously, he is jealous of Count Don Fan Fan.
• Big Sister Instinct: Mirenjo wants her brother to become king and is very protective of him.
• By the Power of Grayskull!: Wataru has to chant "Yuki" ("Courage") three times in order to transform into Yattodetaman.
• Celibate Villain: Invoked by Mirenjo by putting aside her feelings for Count Don Fan Fan until she catches the Firebird.
• Combat Commentator: The reporter Sasayaki appears to comment the robot-battle, often accompanied by a huge cameraman of which we only see his lower half.
• Crashing Dreams: In an episode, Kokematsu is dreaming of being a famous race car driver with two girls kissing him, he wakes up, and realizes he crashed his vehicle into a pig pen, with two pigs licking him.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Wataru is normally rather meek, clumsy, and wimpy, constantly upstaged by others around him. But, as Yattodetman, he is bold and confident, and acts without hesitation.
• Daydream Surprise: A constant running gag of the show are Kokematsu's daydreams, where whatever he's doing is exaggerated to ludicrous levels. Sometimes even Wataru haves a few of them.
• "Day of the Week" Name: The Italian adaptation, called Calendar Men, had a field day with this. Since the series' main theme is time travel, they decided to give everyone names related to days of the week, months and so on. For example, Mirenjo became Lunedì (Monday) and her little brother Komaro became Sabato (Saturday); her two lackeys were renamed Settembre and Ottobre, full names Primo Settembre and Due Ottobre ("September the First" and "October the Second"), the hero's wimpy alter ego Wataru Toki became Beppe Domani (something like "Joe Tomorrow")...
• Defeat by Modesty: Yattodetaman loves using this tactic. Mirenjo is often the victim to this ploy- in fact, it happened so often, that Mirenjo decides to undress herself during one episode to avoid seeing her dress getting destroyed yet again.
  • An episode has a reverse situation with Kokematsu use a corrisive liquid on Koyomi's clothes. In another episode he use an XRay pistol on Koyomi and Karen, but thanks to Yattodetman's interference the ray ends up on Mirenjo.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: A frequent Running Gag in this series. At the end of each battle, the bad guys are begging Daikyojin for mercy, but after he gives them his back they always end up insulting him accidentally (or not). The result... not so good.
• Dub Name Change: In Italy dub curiously all the characters had theme named after months and days. For example, Mirenjo is named "Princess Monday".
• Expy: The series has many similarities with Hurricane Polymar (another Tatsunoko show). They both star a leading male that works under an inept private detective and has a tomboyish girlfriend that helps him out. He gains access to an ability to transform into a powerful hero clad in red. To hammer this in even further, both Wataru and Takeshi even share the same voice actor, Kazuyuki Sogabe.
• The Faceless: Sasayaki's cameraman. He never spoke and was so tall that his face was always out of the picture frame. Sometimes he was so tall that could be seen only from the waist down!
• "Fantastic Voyage" Plot: Episode 37 has heroes go inside Kingoro (the detective Wataru and Koyomi work for)'s brain to heal him from a rare sickness from the future. The shrinking device turns out to be the Firebird in disguise, so the villains have to go inside too to get it.
• Fountain of Youth: Episode 43 has all the main characters (except for Karen) turned into children after a Mad Scientist that lives in their same building accidentally leaks a gas that makes living beings younger.
• Gadgeteer Genius: Wataru tries to be this in his civilian identity. Too bad that inventions often have no effect on Sukadon.
• Hidden Depths: While she usually seems harmless, Karen proved a few times to be an ace in extreme sports, shocking Mirenjo and her lackeys by using them as unorthodox fighting techniques.
• Humongous Mecha/Artificial Intelligence: On there heroes' side, the mechs are completely independent from the pilot.
• In the Name of the Moon: Yattodetaman's speech: “Surprise, peach tree, pepper tree! From the ends of time I’ll get you! At last I came through, I’ve finally came through, Earth’s Idol Yattodetaman!”.
• Kid from the Future: Karen is the great-granddaughter of Koyomi and Wataru.
• Living MacGuffin: The Firebird, the peacekeeping bird that travels through time and space. Both Mirenjo and Karen are after it because whoever manages to have it perched on their shoulder becomes the new ruler of the Nandara Kingdom.
• Loves My Alter Ego: Koyomi falls in love with Yattodetaman the moment she sees him for the forst time, but she sees Wataru as a loser and can't believe that according to Karen she's going to marry him.
• invokedMilestone Celebration: Episode 40, celebrating the sixth anniversary of the franchise, is set up as a theatre play with the characters playing themselves. All the characters from the first five series can be seen as part of the audience.
• Non-Standard Character Design: The lackeys in this installment finally manage to break the pattern that Walther and Grocky set before them, as they look nothing like the Fat and Skinny duos we've come to know. Lampshaded in the Royal Revival OVA.
  Kosuinen: We can't lose to the only group that looks different from us!
• Nudity Equals Honesty: Invoked and subverted in episode 42 where Mirenjo strips herself to prove her "new" honesty to Daikyojin. But is just the usual act.
• Perpetual Poverty: Mirenjo and her gang have just enough money to live in a decent apartment, but they spend most of their time trying to avoid paying rent and look for food.
• Pom-Pom Girl: A villanous example with Mirenjo. In episode 2 she start an exibition during the battle in a cheerleader outfit that end with a Wardrobe Malfunction distracting for a second the heroes mecha. She use a similar outfit in the OVA when his team face the Skull Lease trio.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Kokematsu costume is all pink.
• Reluctant Fanservice Girl: Mirenjo. After Doronjo, she is probably the Time Bokan villainess that gets stripped down more often. Later on she can end up naked even three times in the same episode.
• Something about a Rose: One of Yattodetman's favorite weapons to launch is the Rose Shurikens which often hit the top of somebody’s head or through their clothes.
• Super-Strength: Sukadon, as made evident by some of the gags in the recurring sketches about his superhuman abilities.
• Theme Naming: While not as evident as with their Italian dub equivalents, the names of some characters still have some time-related puns in them. Wataru Toki can be literally translated as "traveling through time", Koyomi means "calendar", Karen and Mirenjo sound like "calendar" and "millennium"...
• Transformation Is a Free Action: Averted with Wataru when he becomes Yattodetaman. Karen calls for a special team from the Nandara Kingdom to aid him. They engulf Wataru and themselves in a ray where time doesn’t pass, bonk him with a hammer to put him into a trance, and have him go through a rapid training exercise and costume switch which occurs the span of a few seconds outside the ray.
• You Owe Me: It's said in a few episodes that Totenkan, the blacksmith that builds the mechs used by the villains, does it only because his deceased father owed a lot of money to Kokematsu.

Ippatsuman

• Awful Wedded Life: Kosuinen is married with Tohoku Anna, a snobbish woman that blows Kosuinen’s wages on expensive material and that the only reason he married her was because she bore a striking resemblance to Mun-Mun. He lives in an apartment complex just to avoid her.
• Bedlah Babe: Mun-Mun wears a costume very similar to what either an Arabian princess or a belly dancer would wear in Episode 5.
• Big Bad: Con Cordo, the head chairwoman of the Skull Lease. She usually sends the Clean Aku trio to sabotage Time Lease activity, although her overall goal is seeing that the Skull Lease dominate the world.
• Chick Magnet: Sokkyu is really popular with the girls of the Time Lease.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Min-Min is in her own little world most of the time, either oblivious or indifferent to just about everything and everyone, including whether or not she’s wearing clothing.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity: But this is just an act. Towards the end of the series, Min-Min begins to act more competent and manipulative, with her comedic traits nearly vanishing altogether. This because she and Con Cordo are the same person.
• Christmas Episode: Episode 46 where Skull Lease chairwoman Con Cordo lets Mun-Mun arrange for a Christmas party that Gou and the orphanage he was raised at are invited to attend, with a Snow White motif. Unbeknownst to everyone, even her, it was a trap set up by Tamashiro and Agent 000 to expose Gou as Ippatsuman, killing him if he doesn’t confess. Furious at being manipulated, she and the rest of the Clean Aku trio attempt to stop them to no avail, fleeing when Ippatsuman seemingly arrives (who is actually Gou’s colleague Haruka standing in for him).
• Crossover: Episode 41 has team Otasukeman from Time Patrol Tai Otasukeman show up.
  • Ippatsuman himself got the honor of fighting alongside other Tatsunoko heroes in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Mun Mun, Kosuinen and Kyokanchin are all this for the Osteandel branch of Skull Lease.
• Expy: Ippatsuman serves as one for the Science Ninjas, Ken in particular.
• Frame-Up: The Skull Lease trio decide to make their MegaCorp become the most powerful company in Osteandel by making Time Lease the fall guy for their crimes. Subverted though, since it never works.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Kosuinen tends to get overtly serious to the point where a scar appears on his forehead whenever he’s angry.
• Humongous Mecha: Gyakuten-Oh, Ippatsuman's mecha.
• Killed Off for Real: At the end of the series, Con Cordo attempts to escape in her UFO only for Ippatsuman to take control of his Sankan-Oh and destroy it, doing away with the alien once and for all.
• MegaCorp: Time Lease and Skull Lease.
• Miniature Senior Citizens: Con Cordo that is a short and elderly Chinese woman.
• The Mole: The Time Lease manager Haruka, who was under Con Cordo’s control all along ever since an encounter between the two eight years ago.
• Number Two: Kosuinen, the head director of the Skull Lease’s Northern Ostendel Branch. His position renders him as second in command to Mun-Mun.
• Out of Focus: The villain trio in the last arc of the series has really little screentime.
• Pretty Boy: Sokkyu, apparently. Even Doronjo comments on his good looks in the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom crossover.
• The Reveal: It’s revealed at the end of the series that “Con Cordo” and “Min-Min” were both aliases and one and the same, and her true form is that of an alien seeking control of the entire universe. Believing that humanity was too self-destructive and greedy to be allowed to explore the galaxy, she planned to get the Psychic Robot data from the Time Lease and enslave Earth first.
• Sexy Backless Outfit: Mun Mun wears one in episode 4 and drawn the attention of the men.
• Shout-Out: In an episode Mun-Mun is dressed as Maetel of Galaxy Express 999.
• Show Some Leg: Mun Mun, in the episode 4, to ticket collector and not only the legs.
• Sixth Ranger: Min-Min, Con Cordo's granddaughter, is introduced as the fourth member to the Terrible trio.
• Take Over the World: Skull Lease's ultimate goal, right after beating out their business rivals.
• Tsundere: Once Min-Min joins the Clean Aku trio, Kosuinen goes back and forth from wanting to get cozy with her to wanting to strangle her for her annoying antics.
• Villainesses Want Heroes: One day the Clean Aku trio are rushing to get to work when Mun-Mun falls onto the path of a subway train, luckily saved in the nick of time by a mysterious man. Immediately falling in love with him, Mun-Mun expresses a desire to see her “Mr. X” again, whom she identifies as Sokkyu Gou in the episode 25. She give up after the Christmas Episode (see above).
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Con Cordo to Tamashiro.

Itadakiman

• Big Good: Headmaster Ochaka.
• Cut Short: The series was cut after 20 episodes.
• Dirty Old Man: Headmaster Ochaka often harasses his vice.
• Evil Redhead: Yan-Yan.
• Hard Work Hardly Works: The Dirt Cheap Gang studied hard to apply for Oshaka academy, but only the pure and clearheaded descendants of Sanzo are admitted in.
• In-Series Nickname: "Kuuchan" for Kusaku.
• "I Want" Song: The OP, "Itadaki Mambo" (I Want it All Mambo).
• Kid Hero: Kusaku is only 10 years old, putting him at about the same age as Time Bokan's Junko.
• Macguffin: Three bronze plates are scattered across the globe. They're part of a larger puzzle board, which when completed will bring honor to the school it currently resides in.
• Non-Action Guy: The main trio's goal is to obtain the bronze plates. At the end of the day, it's always Itadakiman who always intervenes to save the situation.
• Pun-Based Title: The title is based on "Itadakimasu", usually said before eating a meal.
• Shout-Out:
  • An episode has a big parody of The Rose of Versailles with an Expy of Oscar who is a Straw Feminist that Does Not Like Men and turns into a monster towards the end. Her entire kingdom is similar to France and the Japanese name is a malapropism of Versailles.
  • Even the opening theme song (sung by Mayumi Tanaka) itself counts, with mentions of pop, film and sports idols both East and West, including Akina Nakamori, Seiko Matsuda, Nadia Comaneci, and Nastassja Kinski.
• Single Line of Descent: Averted big time. All of the protagonists save Itadakiman are descendants of Sanzo, and Headmaster Ochaka runs an entire school dedicated to Sanzo's descendants.
• Sixth Ranger: Ryuko serves as this for the Dirt Cheap Gang.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: Yan Yan suffer often of this.
• Whole-Plot Reference: To Journey to the West. Itadakiman himself is modeled after Sun Wukong (who else), and the rest of the protagonists are the descendants of Sanzo.
• Year X: The series takes place in the year 20XX.
• Younger and Hipper: The villain trio compared to their predecessors. Justified somewhat as all of the descendants of Sanzo are in high school.

Kaitou Kiramekiman

• Animal Motifs: Cats for the Kiramekimen, to go with their thief nature.
• Call-Back: The intro for this series starts with a countdown leading to a "TIIIME BOKAN!" Title Scream, just like the first series. Also counts as a series-wide Bookend, since this was the last series produced for the franchise before the revival in 2015.
  • The Kiramekimen are briefly shown with their shadows against a brick wall, similar to the Title Cards used for Yatterman episodes.
• The Cameo: The Dorombo Gang appear as the owners of the cafe the Flower Detectives frequently visit.
• Caper Rationalization: The Kiramekimen are actually stealing dangerous items to protect the future, rather than stealing random items for profit.
• Gender-Blender Name: Rip (the heroine) and Puff (the hero).
• Hero Antagonist: The Flower Detective agency, since their job is to capture thieves.
• Killer Yoyo: Puff uses this as his main weapon.
• Logging onto the Fourth Wall: The Kiramekiman announce their heists online on a website called Kiramekiman.com. While the show was running, the link was actually functional: the main page showed the calling card shown in the most recent episode, and clicking on it revealed the show's proper official website.
• invokedMilestone Celebration: The series was released on the franchise's 25th anniversary.
• Short-Runner: Kiramekiman only managed to last 26 episodes before getting canned.
• Spell My Name With An S: Alternate sources call the protagonists Lip and Pafu.
• Phantom Thief: Rip and Puff's stock in trade.
• Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Rip and Puff, compared to the names of the other protagonists.

Time Bokan 24

See—> Time Bokan 24

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