The Best TV Shows on Tokyo Channel 12

Every Tokyo Channel 12 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Showcasing over 20 shows from 1970 up until 1981, Tokyo Channel 12 stands as a beacon of television excellence. Icons of Tokyo Channel 12, Ōedo Sōsamō and Fight! Dragon! made their debut in 1970 and 1974, setting industry standards. As of August 2025, we’ve curated over 20 of Tokyo Channel 12’s premier shows for your viewing pleasure.

  • Ōedo Sōsamō
    Ōedo Sōsamō (1970)10.0

    Set against the backdrop of the reign of the 11th Tokugawa Shogun, Ienari Tokugawa, this drama is a masterpiece of action period drama that broke the mold of traditional detective stories and attracted a great deal of attention.

  • Future Robot Daltanious
    Future Robot Daltanious (1979)8.4

    Future Robot Daltanious was an anime series that aired from 1979 to 1980. The show is one of the mecha shows which was and still remains very popular among Asian countries and Italy.

  • 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother
    3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (1976)7.7

    Italy is in a deep depression, so to support her family, Marco's mother goes to Argentina to work as a domestic. But after she writes to her family that she is sick, her letters stop coming. So Marco decides to go to Argentina to look for her. He travels across Argentina to find her, meeting many wonderful people, and having many adventures during his journey.

  • Dinosaur War Izenborg
    Dinosaur War Izenborg (1977)7.6

    Dinosaur War Izenborg was a Japanese television program produced by Tsuburaya Productions that aired from 1977 to 1978 on Tokyo 12 Channel. It combined Tsuburaya's trademark suitmation tokusatsu techniques with Japanese Animation, so this program can be categorized anime or Daikaiju tokusatsu. The show runs for about 39 episodes.

  • Beast King GoLion
    Beast King GoLion (1981)7.6

    Long ago, a powerful sentient robot known as GoLion, abused his great powers by attacking and killing creatures known as Deathblack Beastmen, boasting that no one could defeat him. For his arrogance, The Goddess of the Universe punished GoLion by separating him into 5 different lion robots. In the year 1999, a group of 5 young men returned to Earth after a space voyage, only to find it ravaged by nuclear war. After encountering the alien race known as the Galra, the 5 youths end up on the planet Altea and learn that the 5 lion robots that GoLion was split into are in hibernation in various parts of Altea. Somehow, they must reunite the lions and form GoLion, the only hope for the human race.

  • Kaiketsu Zubat
    Kaiketsu Zubat (1977)7.5

    Kaiketsu Zubat, translated as Extraordinary Zubat or Magnificent Zubat, was a tokusatsu superhero series that aired in 1977. Created by Shotaro Ishinomori, this 32-episode series, harkens back to tokusatsu superhero shows of the 1950s, but with a late-1970s twist.

  • Japanese Spiderman
    Japanese Spiderman (1978)7.3

    Follow the exploits of motorcycle racer turned super hero Takuya Yamashiro, as he slings and swings, battling the evil Iron Cross Army along the way.

  • Dinosaur Corps Koseidon
    Dinosaur Corps Koseidon (1978)7.0

    The series follows the adventures of Go, a superhero leading a patrol who travel in time to defeat the Godmess Empire, an alien armada who, after landing on Earth 70 million years ago, has altered the course of time. Go's enemies include dinosaurs which are telepathically controlled by the aliens. He has the ability to stop time for 30 seconds.

  • Gordian Warrior
    Gordian Warrior (1979)7.0

    The Earth had become a wasteland of deserts as the survivors work to rebuild communities. Daigo Otaki is a young orphan raised by his uncle. Becoming an adult, Daigo discovers that Victor City was in fact planned by his father who was a genius scientist. Daigo's sister Saori had been managing it. She pleaded with Daigo to take on the inheritance that Daigo's father left him, a super robot system known as Gordian. Daigo would join the Mechacon mechanic combat 18th regiment unit, an organization of law enforcers that defend Victor City against attacks from the Madokuta organization.

  • Hello! Spank
    Hello! Spank (1981)6.4

    Morimura Aiko is a junior high school student who is short for her age. Her father went on a yacht ten years ago and his whereabouts remained in obscurity. Her mother, a designer for hats, left for Paris, leaving Aiko in the care of her uncle, Mr Fujinami. Aiko had a pet dog, Papi, but it died in a car accident. Around the same time, another dog, Spank, appears before her. Having gone through so many unfortunate events in her life, Spank's presence begins to brighten up Aiko's life and put a smile on her face.

  • Blonde Jeanie
    Blonde Jeanie (1979)6.0

    Based on a novel by Fumio Ishimori and a song by American songwriter Stephen Foster (1826-1864). The song was written with his wife, Jane McDowell, in mind.

  • Gold Lightan - Golden Warrior
    Gold Lightan - Golden Warrior (1981)6.0

    Hiro finds what appears to be a broken lighter. However, it is actually Gold Lightan, who has fallen to Earth from the Robot Dimension. He stays in compact size until called upon to act as a valiant warrior to save Earth from alien invasion.

  • GoShogun
    GoShogun (1981)5.8

    GoShogun was a super robot anime series produced in 1981 and aired in 1982 in Japan. It is variously referred to in English as "Demon God of the War-Torn Land GoShogun", "Warring Demon God GoShogun", "Civil War Devil-God GoShogun" and "Macron 1".

  • Ninja Captor
    Ninja Captor (1976)5.0

    Ninja Captor is a Japanese tokusatsu TV series aired from April 7, 1976 to January 26, 1977 on TV Tokyo 12 Channel, produced by Toei Company, Ltd. This Sentai-esque series aired during the run of Shotaro Ishinomori's original Super Sentai series, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and was notably first superhero team show produced by Toei under the Saburo Yatsude/Hatte pseudonym. Daisuke Izumo graduates from the Wind-Demon Stealth-Army, a secret army aiming for the conquest of Japan. He instead escapes, and becomes the leader of the "Captor," a ninja team supervised by Mujin Tendou. The Captor team's mission is to battle the ninja sent out by the Wind-Demon General, Retsufuu Fuuma. This show used to be considered by some to be a part of the Super Sentai franchise* , but was later excluded. In 2013, it got a Shout-Out in the fourth episode of Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger: Season 2.

  • Manga Mito Kômon
    Manga Mito Kômon (1981)5.0

  • Space Runaway Ideon
    Space Runaway Ideon (1980)4.8

    From the continuing reclamation of the ruins of the planet Solo, mysterious mechas are excavated. But suddenly, an alien called Baff Kuun attacks seeking the limitless energy “Ide.” The earthlings are backed into a corner, when the three mechas piloted by the earth boy Yuki Cosmo and others fuse together. Becoming the giant robot Ideon, they use their incredible power to fight back against Baff Kuun.

  • Fight! Dragon!
    Fight! Dragon! (1974)4.0

    Dragon and his comic sidekick, Kojiri fight an evil world wide organisation called Shadow.

  • Manga Sarutobi Sasuke
    Manga Sarutobi Sasuke (1979)4.0

    Manga Sarutobi Sasuke is a 24-episode anime series about the young Sarutobi Sasuke, a legendary ninja. It was first aired from October 9, 1979, to April 29, 1980 on Tokyo 12 Channel, and was later dubbed in several languages. The whole 24-episode run was aired in many European and Arabic countries. It is best known to the American fans as Ninja, The Wonder Boy: a highly edited, highly condensed feature-length version of this series. This version, dubbed in English, was produced by Jim Terry Productions of Force Five fame. The names of several characters were changed, with Sarutobi Sasuke becoming "Duke Hayakawa", his female companion Sakura being changed to "Blossom", and the villain Devilman became "Dragon."

  • The Littl' Bits
    The Littl' Bits (1980)3.0

    The Littl' Bits is a Japanese anime television series with 26 episodes, produced in 1980 by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan. First shown on TV Tokyo, its Saban-produced English translation was featured on the children's television station Nick Jr. from 1991 to 1995 alongside other children's anime series such as Adventures of the Little Koala, Maya the Bee, Noozles, The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Due to their similar size and naming scheme, an analogy is often drawn between the Littl' Bits and the Smurfs.

  • Space Emperor God Sigma
    Space Emperor God Sigma (1981)N/A

    Space Emperor God Sigma is an anime series aired from 1980 to 1981. There were 50 episodes. It is also referred to as "God Sigma Empire of Space" and "Space Combination God Sigma".