The Coolest Spider-Man Adaptation Ever Made

TL;DR

Japan's 1970s live-action Spider-Man show works precisely because Toei ignored the source material and built something entirely their own.

Key Points

• 1.Takuya Yamashiro is a motocross-riding bad boy who gets Spider-Man powers from a dying alien named Garia from "Planet Spider," replacing the Peter Parker origin entirely
• 2.Toei and Marvel traded IP in the 1970s: Marvel got three Japanese robot properties, Toei got Tomb of Dracula, Captain America, and Spider-Man
• 3.This Spider-Man pilots a giant mech called Leopardon, whose only finishing move is "Sword Vigor" — throwing a sword — because the actual Leopardon costume was stolen and they couldn't afford a replacement
• 4.The show's monster-grows-giant-then-gets-defeated-by-mech formula directly inspired Super Sentai creator Shotaro Ishinomori, making it the blueprint for Power Rangers and decades of tokusatsu
• 5.Despite lasting only one season (41 episodes), Takuya Yamashiro has reappeared in Marvel Comics' Spider-Verse crossovers and reportedly has a role in the upcoming *Beyond the Spider-Verse* film