Message from Space: Galactic Wars

A spin-off of the 1978 film *Message from Space*, the Japanese television series *Message from Space: Galactic Wars* aired on TV Asahi from July 8, 1978, to January 27, 1979. Co-produced by Toei Company and TV Asahi, the 27-episode show was written by Shotaro Ishinomori. The cast includes Hiroyuki Sanada as Hayato Gen/Maboroshi and Akira Oda as Ryu/Nagareboshi, with Ryo Nishida as Ape-Man Ballou, Iwao Tabuchi voicing Tonto, Yoko Akitani as Sofia, and Asao Koike as the narrator. Suit actors for Maboroshi and Nagareboshi were Jun Murakami, Osamu Kaneda, and Tsutomu Kitagawa. A manga adaptation by Kaoru Shintani ran in Kodansha's *TV Magazine* from August to December 1978.

Internationally, the series aired in the Philippines in the early 1980s as *Space Wars*, in parts of Europe in 1979 as *San Ku Kaï*, and in parts of Latin America in the early 80s as *Sankuokai*. In the United States, it was retitled *Space Ninja*, dubbed by 3B Productions (known for *Tranzor Z*), and released straight-to-video in 1981 with no documented television broadcast. 3B also produced a compilation feature, *Swords of the Space Ark*, which aired on the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1983. In Indonesia, it aired on SCTV in the mid-90s as *Ksatria dari Zelda* (not to be confused with *The Legend of Zelda*). Toei promoted the series overseas as *Message from Space: Galaxy Wars*. The French version featured opening and closing theme music composed by Eric Charden, different from the Japanese original.

At Otakon 2018, Discotek Media announced a license for the show, releasing it on a single-disc SD on BD on October 29, 2019, in Japanese with English subtitles. In popular culture, a television set playing an episode of the series appears in a scene from the 2021 Netflix film *Kate*, set in Japan, clearly showing the three main characters Hayato, Ballou, and Ryu.