Key Hunter
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2020) |
Key Hunter (キイハンター, Kī Hantā) is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) and its affiliates from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes,[1] and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time.[2]
The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes.
Key Hunter was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well.
Tetsuro Tanba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in Key Hunter.
Characters
[edit | edit source]Key Hunter
[edit | edit source]- Tetsuya Kuroki (黒木 鉄也, Kuroki Tetsuya) — played by Tetsuro Tanba
- ex-intelligence agent
- Keiko Tsugawa (津川 啓子, Tsugawa Keiko) — played by Yōko Nogiwa[3]
- ex-intelligence agent
- Ichiro Fubuki (吹雪 一郎, Fubuki Ichirō) — played by Hiroshi Kawaguchi (since episode #60)
- ex-FBI agent
- Tatsuhiko Shima (島 竜彦, Shima Tatsuhiko) — played by Hayato Tani
- power freak
- Yumi Taniguchi (谷口 ユミ, Taniguchi Yumi) — played by Eiko Ōkawa
- memory expert & genius
- Yosuke Kazama (風間 洋介, Kazama Yōsuke) — played by Sonny Chiba[4]
- ex-newspaper reporter
International Police
[edit | edit source]- Tokubetsu Muraoka (村岡 特別室長, Muraoka Tokubetsu Shitsuchō) — played by Noboru Nakaya (appeared very rarely)
- Chief of the Special Task Forces
- Shinji Odagiri (小田切 慎二, Odagiri Shinji) — played by Tadao Nakamaru (since episode #104)
- Shunsuke Dan (壇 俊介, Dan Shunsuke) — played by Hiroshi Miyauchi (since episode #92)
Key Hunter Detective Agency
[edit | edit source]- Yuji Taki (滝 祐二, Taki Yuji) — played by Masaya Oki (since episode #210)
- young private detective who admires Key Hunter members
Theme music
[edit | edit source]The theme song "Hijō no License" was written by Shunsuke Kikuchi, played as an instrumental for the opening theme, and sung by Yōko Nogiwa for the ending theme.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- DVD Selection from Toei
- Key Hunter at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- KeyHunter, at Beyond Japan Hero