J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai

J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai (ジャッカー電撃隊) is the second Sentai series. It aired from April 9 to December 24, 1977. Unlike most of the other Sentai which start out with a team of 5 members, the JAKQ team started out with only 4. A fifth member (Big One) appeared in episode 23. J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai was not nearly as popular as Gorenger, only running for 35 episodes. J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai is the second and final Sentai created by Shotaro Ishinomori.

J.A.K.Q. or JAKQ comes from Jack, Ace, King, Queen. The J.A.K.Q. team members are named after playing cards. Their leader goes by the code name of "Joker".

There are no giant monsters or giant robots to fight them in J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai. CRIME uses human sized monsters assisted by masked soldiers called Crimers. CRIME also has bat-winged aircraft called Devil Sharks.

JAKQ was the final Sentai series to use only the Sentai name. Afterwards the name "Super Sentai" was used.

As a Super Sentai
JAKQ was the final Sentai series to use only the "Sentai" name. Battle Fever J was the first series to use the "Super Sentai" name. Prior to the 1995 series Ohranger, JAKQ and Goranger were not recognized as "Super Sentai" series. During episode 0 of the 1989 series Turboranger, Battle Fever J was introduced as the first Super Sentai. Toei's announcement of Ohranger as the 19th Super Sentai series signaled the inclusion of Goranger and JAKQ as Super Sentai series.

It should be noted that even if Goranger and JAKQ were not labelled as Super Sentai during the time that term was introduced in Sun Vulcan's run in 1981, AkaRanger and Spade Ace were part of an official Red Warrior picture.

Although Choujuu Sentai Liveman was officially treated as the tenth Super Sentai show at the time, there was a VHS released at the time of Choushinsei Flashman that had all of the Super Sentai openings, including Goranger's and JAKQ's. Also, during Gosei Sentai Dairanger in 1993, the term "Cho Seiki Zen Sentai" (Super Century All Sentai) was coined as an umbrella term for both, Super Sentai and the Ishinomori shows. It was later dropped in Mirai Sentai Timeranger's run back in 2000 and declared Goranger and JAKQ as part of the Super Sentai franchise.

Development
After the massive success of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, Toei and Ishinomori Productions decided to work together on another team show. However instead of following Gorenger's formula to a tee, the series went in a different direction: influence by crime, police and spy shows, they decided to go with a harder-approached series where humans were transformed into cyborgs and fought against an international criminal organization. The first title for the series was Dengeki Sentai Grossbomber, then Kagaku Tokusoutai Borg Hunter before settling on J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai; however elements of the second name remain with the original Japanese name of group ISISS: Kokusai Kagaku Tokusoutai. The series took advantage of many of the popular elements within Japanese pop culture at the time, including supercars and spy shows as elements within the early episodes hoping for success.

However when the show failed to find ratings, a period of retooling began to emerge that would change the show completely. More kid elements were introduced to make it similar to Gorenger as well as more "kid-plot episodes" were written from the thirteenth episode. One idea for a complete overhaul involved introducing a being known as "Empirian", a man from the future who controlled CRIME behind the scenes who was pursued by another future man named "Page One" which would join the team. While the concept was not quite used due to difference of opinions on the current direction of the world, a new "leader" was still brought to the team in the form of Big One, portrayed by Hiroshi Miyauchi after working on fellow Ishinomori series Kaiketsu Zubat; the show was completely overhauled and expected to have big success. However the ratings didn't improve and the show ultimately was cancelled, becoming the shortest Sentai series with the worst ratings and potentially bringing an end to costumed team shows...until a unique fluke occurred over a year later.

Plot
Iron Claw is the "Crime Czar" of a global criminal empire known simply as "Crime". With a network of wealthy and influential sympathizers and employing an army of faceless, leather- masked thugs (Crimers) and cyborg/robot assassins, "Crime" seeks to become the most powerful mafia organization in the world.

To combat this threat, INTERPOL organizes a special taskforce to spearhead the efforts to bring Crime to justice. Based in New York, ISSIS (International Science Special Investigation Squad [Kokusai Kagaku Tokusou Tai]) begins to organize its forces around the world to battle Crime. Tokyo ISSIS branch commander, Kujirai Daisuke, proposes a radical experiment to aid his forces in Japan. Taking the codename “Joker”, he recruits four young test subjects to undergo his cyborg enhancement project – multitalented athlete and Olympic Gold medalist Goro Sakurai, disgraced Junior Walter Weight Champion boxer Ryu Azuma, critically injured Pplicewoman Karen Mizuki and clinically dead and cryogenically sustained oceanographer Bunta Daichi. Surgically altered and given various energy manipulation powers and bionic enhancements, the four youths begin their mission to destroy Crime as the crime-busting quartet code-named "JAKQ – Dengekitai". Later on, uber cyborg and master of disguise Sokichi Banba is added to the team to strengthen their number and step up their attack on Crime.

International Science Special Investigation Squad

 * Commander Daisuke Kujirai / Joker
 * ISSIS Agents
 * Keiko Hayashi / Agent 7
 * Junko Yamamoto / Agent 8
 * Yoshiko Iijima / Agent 9
 * Agent 10
 * Hime Tamasaburou

Other Allies

 * Himitsu Sentai Gorenger

Criminal Organization Crime

 * Shine (23-35)
 * Boss (Warrior) Iron Claw (1-35, JAKQ vs. Gorenger)
 * Big Crime Four (JAKQ vs. Gorenger)
 * Baron Iron Mask
 * General Sahara
 * Captain UFO
 * Hell Boxer
 * Crimers
 * Crime Monsters
 * Mechanical Monsters (1-22)
 * Devil Killer (1)
 * Devil Drill (2)
 * Devil 'Mite (3)
 * Devil Gun (4)
 * Devil Wrestler (5)
 * Devil Amazon (6)
 * Devil Electric (7)
 * Devil Flower (8)
 * Devil Spider (9)
 * Devil Cane (10)
 * Devil Gang (11)
 * Devil Sphinx (12)
 * Devil Goo (13)
 * Devil Wolf (14)
 * Devil Mummy (15)
 * Devil Ball (16)
 * Devil Devil (17)
 * Devil Fishing (18)
 * Devil Athletic (19)
 * Devil BEM (20)
 * Devil Batter (21)
 * Devil Scrap (22)
 * Invader Robots (23-35)
 * Atomic Witch (23)
 * Hell's Angel (24)
 * General Antongam (25)
 * Captain Ghost (26)
 * Führer Crocodile (27)
 * Tentacles Lay Priest (28)
 * Chief Mantis (29)
 * Great Priest Cobra (30)
 * Shachira Khan (31)
 * Battalion Leader Chameleon (32)
 * Admiral Buffalo (33)
 * Great King Icarus (34)
 * Warrior Iron Claw (35)

Songs

 * Opening: J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai
 * Ending: Itsu ka, Hana wa Saku darou
 * Mecha Theme (Sky Ace): Ike! Sky Ace
 * J.A.K.Q., Susume J.A.K.Q. (the second J.A.K.Q. is written in katakana)
 * Spade Ace Wakai Shishi
 * Sore ga Hajimari Datta
 * J.A.K.Q. Covack
 * J.A.K.Q. Machine Rock
 * Crime no Theme
 * J.A.K.Q. Ai no Theme

Cast

 * Goro Sakurai (桜井 五郎): Yoshitaka Tanba (丹波義隆)
 * Ryu Azuma (東 竜): Tairayama Itou (伊東平山)
 * Karen Mizuki (カレン水木): Mitchi Love (ミッチー・ラブ)
 * Bunta Daichi (大地 文太): Yuusuke Kazato (風戸佑介)
 * Sokichi Banba (番場 壮吉): Hiroshi Miyauchi (宮内洋)
 * Iron Claw (アイアンクロー): Masashi Ishibashi
 * Narrator: Toru Ohira

Suit actors

 * Spade Ace/Big One: Jyunichi Haruta (credited as Misao Haruta), Yoshinori Okamoto
 * Dia Jack: Hiromichi Suzuki
 * Heart Queen: Minoru Yokohama
 * Clover King: Hirohumi Koga

Guest Stars

 * Karen's Father (1): Ousmane Yusef
 * ISSIS Soldier (1): Jyunichi Haruta
 * Police Officer (at airport) (1): Nenji Kobayashi
 * Hayato Kono (3): Kenji Ohba (credit as Kenji Takahashi)
 * Natsuki Kono (3): Etsuko Shihomi
 * Katsuya (9): Hiroyuki Sanada
 * Miki (10): Megumi Shimizu