Ep. 1: Assault!! Run to the Ballpark

Battle Fever J, Episode 1

## Episode Guide

**Assault!! Run to the Ballpark** (突撃！！球場へ走れ, *Totsugeki!! Kyūjō e Hashire*?) is the first episode of *Battle Fever J*. This episode marks the revival of *Super Sentai* and it is the first season without co-founder Shotaro Ishinomori. It also notably introduces a concept that will be the key factor to change the franchise starting from this series' fifth episode.

## Synopsis

Umbrella Monster, a member of the terrorist organization Egos, disguises into a woman and starts killing people with a red umbrella. Five agents become Battle Fever J and target Umbrella Monster in order to stop the murders.

## Plot

A series of murders is caused by a woman with a red umbrella and General Tetsuzan Kurama recruits four agents, Masao Den, Kyousuke Shida, Kensaku Shiraishi and Shirou Akebono. The four target the woman and find out it is Diane Martin, an FBI investigator. After capturing her, her father, Boiser Martin, explains them that he and his daughter have come to Japan to target the evil organization, Egos, which was behind these mysterious murders, and that Diane was used as a victim to trap the woman Egos sent.

Mr. Boiser was returning to America and bid farewell to Diane and the team. But before he leaves he is killed by the woman. Diane, heartbroken, joined the team and the five became the team Battle Fever J. Battle Fever trapped the woman and she called Egos' footsoldiers, the Cutmen, and the team fought and defeated them. They targeted Umbrella Monster and destroyed it with their finisher. The battle with Egos has just begun.

## Cast

* Masao Den (伝正夫, *Den Masao*?): Hironori Tanioka (谷岡弘規, *Tanioka Hironori*?)
* Kyousuke Shida (志田京介, *Shida Kyōsuke*?): Yuuhei Kurachi (倉地雄平, *Kurachi Yūhei*?)
* Kensaku Shiraishi (白石謙作, *Shiraishi Kensaku*?): Yukio Itou (伊藤武史, *Itō Yuiko*?)
* Shirou Akebono (曙四郎, *Akebono Shirō*?): Kenji Ohba (大葉健二, *Ōba Kenji*?)
* Diane Martin (ダイアン・マーチン, *Daian Māchin*?): Diane Martin (ダイアン・マーチン, *Daian Māchin*?)
* General Tetsuzan Kurama (倉間鉄山将軍, *Kurama Tetsuzan Shōgun*?): Chiyonosuke Azuma (東千代之介, *Azuma Chiyonosuke*?)
* Keiko Nakahara (中原ケイコ, *Nakahara Keiko*?): Noriko Ito (伊東範子, *Itō Noriko*?)
* Tomoko Ueno (上野トモコ, *Ueno Tomoko*?): Keiko Kanno (菅野啓子, *Kanno Keiko*?)
* Masaru Nakahara (中原マサル, *Nakahara Masaru*?): Takumi Sato (佐藤たくみ, *Satō Takumi*?)
* Commander Hedder (ヘッダー指揮官, *Heddā Shikikan*?): Kenji Ushio (潮建志, *Ushio Kenji*?)

### Guest cast

* Boiser Martin: David Friedman
* Fake Diane Martin (Umbrella Monster's Human Form): Eri Kanuma (鹿沼えり, *Kanuma Eri*?)

### Suit actors

* Battle Japan: Kazuo Niibori
* Battle Cossack: Hiroshi Atsum and Hirohumi Koga
* Battle France: Haruhiko Hashimoto and Tetsuo Mashita
* Battle Kenya: Kenji Ohba and Tsutomu Kitagawa
* Miss America: Lisa Komaki, Eiko Onodera and Tsutomu Kitagawa

## Notes

* This is the first Sentai episode which airs at the timeslot of 6:00PM on Saturday evenings; it will remain in this spot (even with some slight airing time adjustments) until the thirty-first episode of *Turboranger*.
* This episode as one of the first seven episodes (bar 4 and 6), which had Kenji Ushio playing Commander Hedder, was edited so that Ushio was replaced by Masashi Ishibashi as Hedder after he replaced him in the role starting from episode 9.
* Though not fully introduced, the Battle Fever Robo is seen under construction in the first episode.
* The Marvel universe where BFJ occurred (Earth-79203) is created from the date this first episode was aired. ("79203" = 19**79**, February (**2**) 3rd (**03**)).
* The human form of the Umbrella Monster is portrayed by Eri Kanuma, who previously portrayed Yoko Katou (Agent 007) in *Gorenger*.

## DVD releases

*Battle Fever J* Volume 1 features episodes 1-11.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.toei-video.co.jp/DVD/sp21/bfj.html