Trivia / Zone Fighter

• Alternate Continuity: Maybe, because while Jun Fukuda says the show is not canon with the Showa films, Toho says otherwise. So basically it's Word of God vs. Word of God.
• Creator Backlash: Reportedly, director Jun Fukuda refused to talk about the show if asked about it. However, he softened up in later years.
• Cut Short: The show was cancelled midway through because of the downturn in the Japanese economy caused by the Energy Crisis during the 1970s (as well as poor ratings), leaving the story of the Zone Family and the Garoga forever unfinished.
• Follow the Leader: Giant hero similar to Ultraman? Check! Of course, it has to be remembered that Zone Fighter was not the only series copying Ultraman at the time, but it is certainly one of the more notable ones.
• No Export for You: The show has never been sold out of Japan.
• Prop Recycling: The suits of Godzilla (specifically the one used in Godzilla vs. Megalon), King Ghidorah, and Gigan are all recycled from their movie appearances.
• What Could Have Been: Originally the Garogas had nothing to do with Peaceland’s destruction, instead the planet would have died on its own similar to Krypton.
  • In addition, Zone Angel was going to have a giant form of her own and a sidekick in the form of a giant stuffed panda called Pandaran.
  • Akira was not originally going to be able to transform like his older siblings and wouldn’t have been directly involved in the fight against the Garogas.
  • Zone Fighter and Zone Angel’s transformation was activated by shaking hands with each other or another member of their family.
  • At one point the first episode was going to feature Godzilla and Gigan.
  • During development, Toho was considering the possibility of a stand alone Godzilla tokusatsu TV show before ultimately deciding to have him, Gigan and Ghidorah appear in Zone Fighter instead.

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