Skysurfer Strike Force is a syndicated cartoon show that aired on the Amazin' Adventures cartoon block (later renamed BKN)note . Created by Ruby-Spears Productions, this series ran for two seasons from 1995 to 1997. It was Ruby-Spears' final production before closing down.
As the Opening Narration above explains, the series featured a titular team of five heroes, led by Jack Hollister aka Skysurfer One, who fight show Big Bad Cybron and his Bioborgs to stop his attempts at world domination and clear Jack's late father Adam's name. The Skysurfers used technologically advanced wrist-worn Digitrans that transformed them from their casual clothing to battle gear and weapons. During the transformations, their cars transform into rocket-powered aerial surfboards that they ride.
Skysurfer Trope Force:
- Action Bomb: One of Cybron's mooks, Grenader, was a living bomb who could blow himself up, then reform unharmed. It was rarely effective.
- Animesque: As with Ruby-Spears' Mega Man series, the animation was by Ashi Productions, meaning that a Japanese anime group is acting as the animator of a American-original superhero animated series.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever:
- Sliced Ice after she was enlarged and brainwashed by Cybron in "Titan of Terror".
- Also the Slitha Monsters, giant Bioborg worms in "Attack of the Slitha Monsters".
- Clothes Make the Superman: All of the Skysurfers' powers came from their armored suits and equipment.
- Flying Car: Indirectly. The Skysurfer's vehicles can't fly in civilian mode, but can once they're turned to battle mode.
- Frame-Up: Jack Hollister's father, Adam, for Cybron's crimes.
- Henshin Hero: The Skysurfers used their Digitrans to transform from civilian.
- Hover Board: The Skysurfers' all-purpose vehicles, which can change from civilian cars to flying surfboards. The boards are clearly rocket powered, can be controlled from the Digitrans, and are surprisingly hard to knock the Surfers off of.
- Nineties Anti-Heroes: The heroes, by looks and names only. Over-the-top "xtreme", definitely, but in a family-friendly way.
- Replaced the Theme Tune: The first season Title Sequence used an Instrumental Theme Tune as musical backing for the Opening Narration. The second season retained the visuals, but replaced the narration and background music with an original, and less heroic-sounding but still pretty rocking, song by Japanese funk metal band Super Junky Monkey.
- Sky Surfing: The premise of the show. The heroes use rocket-powered flying surfboards to fly into action as they fight Cybron's gang.
- Transformation Trinket: The Digitrans. It doesn't even require a code phrase; they just tap it, there's a brief, dramatic light show as their battle gear forms, and they're ready to go. It also permits video calls.
