Fireman, also known as Magmaman in other markets, is a 1973 series made by Tsuburaya Productions of Ultra Series fame. Perhaps one of the first adult-oriented tokusatsu out there, Fireman lasted for 30 episodes and aired on Nippon Television.
In the last few years, Earth has been experiencing all sorts of strange phenomenon, causing kaiju to appear around the globe. In response to this threat exists the paramilitary organization Scientific Attack Force (SAF), and among their team is archaeologist Daisuke Misaki. Unbeknownst to his teammates though, Daisuke is in fact one of a race of ancient but advanced humanoids from the underground continent of Aban. The Aban people have sent Daisuke out to protect the surface world, and by drawing upon magma energy with his trusty Fire-Stick, Daisuke is able to transform into a gigantic fire-powered superhero to battle the weekly kaiju threats and the occasional alien invader.
Fireman was created by Tsuburaya as part of their celebration of the company's tenth birthday (alongside Jumborg Ace and Ultraman Taro), and while it was ultimately short-lived, the character has not been forgotten by TsuPro. In 2011, Fireman was homaged by the Ultra Series film Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial with an Expy named Glen-Fire.
Fireman provides examples of the following tropes:
- By the Power of Grayskull!: "FAI-YA!"
- Critical Annoyance: The light on his forehead is his "Color Timer".
- Downer Ending: The series ends on a tragic note with Fireman and the alien ship he was carrying exploding in space.
- Hour of Power: Fireman can only stay in his original Aban form for 3 minutes.
- Monster of the Week
- Playing with Fire
- Ultraman Copy: One of Tsuburaya's many Ultraman-inspired heroes, with a red/white color scheme and a "Color Timer" as well as being restricted to remain 3 minutes transformed before Fireman's energy drains completely.*
- Weakened by the Light: Abans live in the Earth's core, so Fireman could die due to sunlight if his three minutes are up.
