Zone Fighter

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Hikaru Sakimori/Zone Fighter Giant TransformationZone FighterHikaru Alternate names Zone, Zone the Meteor Man, Meteor Man Zone, Fighter Subtitle(s) Meteor Human (流星人間,   Ryūsei Ningen) Giant Warrior (巨大戦士,   Kyodai Senshi) Hero of Justice (正義のヒーロー,   Seigi no Hīrō) Species Peacelandian warrior Height 62 meters (Giant) Weight 55,000 metric tons (Giant) Forms Hikaru Sakimori, Zone Fighter, Zone Fighter (Giant Transformation) Place(s) of emergence Planet Peaceland Relations Hotaru Sakimori (sister), Akira Sakimori (brother), Yoichiro Sakimori (father), Tsukiko Sakimori (mother), Raita Sakimori (grandfather) Allies Hotaru Sakimori, Akira Sakimori, Yoichiro Sakimori, Tsukiko Sakimori, Raita Sakimori, Takeru Jo, Godzilla Enemies Garogas, Terror-Beasts Designed by Nobuhiro Okaseko Modeled by Nobuyuki Yasumaru Played by Kazuya Aoyama (Hikaru Sakimori), Tatsumi Nikamoto (Zone Fighter), Kinichi Kusumi (Giant Form), Goro Naya, Masao Nakasone (voice, stock) First appearance Zone Fighter episode 1, "Destroy the Terror-Beast Missile!" Latest appearance Zone Fighter episode 26, "Pulverize! The Garoga Gamma-X Strategy" Roar(s)

For the 1973 television series, see Zone Fighter (series).

Zone Fighter (ゾーンファイター,   Zōn Faitā), given the civilian name Hikaru Sakimori (防人 光,   Sakimori Hikaru), is a kaijin who first appeared in the 1973 Toho tokusatsu kaiju series Zone Fighter.

Name

As part of the Zone Family (ゾーンファミリ,   Zōn Famiri), the "Zone" in the "Zone Fighter" moniker is shared with his relatives Zone Angel, Zone Junior, and Zone Great. The "Fighter" (ファイター,   faitā) in his name, which he is often simply referred to as within the show, perhaps indicates his superior combat ability. Direct origins or inspiration for the name are unknown. Zone Fighter is also referred to as Meteor Human Zone or Meteor Man Zone (流星人間ゾーン,   Ryūsei Ningen Zōn).

Zone Fighter can transform into a giant state, referred to as either Zone Fighter (Giant Transformation) (ゾーンファイター（巨大変身）) or Zone Fighter (Giant Man) (ゾーンファイター（巨大人）).

Development

Zone Fighter was designed by artist Nobuhiro Okaseko, who was instructed by producer Kimihiko Eto to come up with "something similar to Ultraman." The hero's mask was modeled by Toho veteran Nobuyuki Yasumaru, and, as with other kaiju productions of the time, a wire-operated prop was used for flying scenes. That prop, along with the upper half of the suit and a miniature Hikaru have survived into the present day and are sometimes put on display at expos. Kazuya Aoyama played Zone's civilian form, while Tatsumi Nikamoto and Kinichi Kusumi donned the suits for his superhero and giant forms, respectively.

Design

Zone Fighter has a silver humanoid face, with yellow eyes and a silver antenna protruding from his forehead. His body is mostly silver except for a blue triangular pattern on his upper chest, two red lighting bolts across his body, and a large multi-colored belt buckle-like object on his lower body. His legs and arms are blue and his gloves are silver. The outer parts of his boots are green while the inner parts are red.

History

• Zone Fighter (TV 1973)
• Godzilla Singular Point (TV 2021) [end credits]

Zone Fighter

Hikaru Sakimori and his family are natives of the planet Peaceland, which became under attack by the beings of a neighboring planet, Garoga. The planet was ultimately seized and destroyed, forcing the Zone Family to flee to Earth. The Garogas, wanting only for Hikaru's death, followed the family to Earth and began plotting its subjugation. Hikaru and his siblings possess the ability to transform into the superheroes known as Zone Fighter, Zone Angel, and Zone Junior. However, Hikaru is the only one of the three who is also able to grow to giant size. The Garogas often deploy giant monsters to terrorize Earth and Hikaru uses his unique ability to challenge them. By day, Hikaru is a test driver for a car manufacturer, but harbors only contempt for the Garogas, battling against them to protect his new home planet.

Abilities

Transformation and size changing

Hikaru Sakimori and his siblings can assume their Zone forms by shouting "Zone Fight Power" (ゾーンファイト・パワー) whilst pointing toward the sky. In this state, Hikaru's natural attributes are heightened, such as his strength, sight, and even hearing ability, the latter increasing twofold. Hikaru can revert back to his human form by shouting the phrase "Zone Back". Hikaru can further transform into his giant state by shouting "Zone Double Fight" (ゾーンダブルファイト), and is the only member of his family to possess the ability to do so. Hikaru may on occasion transform from his human state directly into giant form, skipping over the intermediate Zone Fighter stage entirely. Inversely, Zone Fighter is able to willingly shrink from his giant state back into human form, but may also be forcibly returned to regular size if he runs short on power or sustains too great of damage, as was the case during one of his various battles against King Ghidorah.

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  Hikaru Sakimori assuming his Zone Fighter form

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  Zone Fighter transforms into his giant state

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  Zone Fighter transforms directly into his giant state from human form

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  Zone Fighter returns back to human size

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  Zone Fighter is forcibly returned to regular size after being blinded by King Ghidorah's Gravity Beams

Physical abilities

Strength

Zone Fighter's strength is on par, or equal, to that of most Terror-Beasts. Zone Fighter possesses superhuman strength even in his human sized form, able to lift Goram's foot as it attempted to crush him. He was also able to combat Dragon King's strength when the latter tried to crush him in between two hillsides, with Zone Fighter pushing back while lying on his side on the ground and even overpowering the Terror-Beast at one point before Dragon King regained the upper hand.

Meteor Punch

Described as being fast as a meteor, sharp as a knife, and as fast as a machine gun, Zone Fighter can perform an attack known as Meteor Punch (流星パンチ), where his fists speed up into a blinding fury. A single punch is capable of destroying 50 centimeters of solid concrete.

Meteor Kick

Zone Fighter can use a variety of super-charged kicking attacks known as Meteor Kicks (流星キック), usually jumping into the air and using the kicks to knock foes off balance. Zone Fighter is able to use this ability even while rolling with him using his arms to propel his body off the ground and sticking his legs up in the air to hit his opponent with the heel of his boot. His kicking power was described as being able to knock over the Keio Plaza Hotel. Zone Fighter used his Meteor Kick repeatedly to launch and juggle Spideros during their first fight.

Sky Jack

This attack is used when Zone Fighter extends his arms and grapples his opponent's neck or legs with extreme power. When used on an opponent's neck, he will perform a choke-hold.

Sky Stroke

Although unused in the show, Zone Fighter has the ability to land an unexpected punch on an opponent by extending his arms to the sky while standing still.

Other techniques and capabilities

The July 1973 issue of TV Magazine specifies two other melee attacks seen in the show, Meteor Meteorite Press and Meteor Roundhouse Kick, as well as three that are not: Meteor Chin Lock, Meteor Rotating Press, and Meteor Chop. It also specifies that his Zone Eyes can see Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture from Tokyo as well as see into the 4th dimension, his skin can withstand temperatures from -150 degrees to 1,000 degrees, he can jump 37 times his own height, and he can regulate the force that his Bayonet Boots exert, allowing him to lightly kick off of a building without damaging it or leap 53 times the height of the Earth.

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  Meteor Punch

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  Meteor Kick

Movement

Speed

According to All Kaiju Kaijin (First Volume), Zone Fighter is capable of running at a speed of 800 kilometers per hour, while the TV Magazine issue instead gives his maximum running speed as 1,000 kilometers per hour.

Flight

Zone Fighter can achieve flight similar to Jet Jaguar, by raising his arms in a 'Y' shape and levitating off the ground, and is capable of flying as far as 40 times his body length.

Meteor Windmill

While in the sky, Zone Fighter can perform an attack known as Meteor Windmill (流星風車), where he loops in the air multiple times, building up speed, before ramming an opponent. Another version of this attack exists where Zone Fighter is grounded: he throws his opponent over his head, spins them in a circle until they end up in a tornado-like state, then slams them into the ground.

Meteor Spin Counter

Zone Fighter also uses a flight maneuver called Meteor Spin Counter (流星きりもみ返し), in which he does an upward loop and then spins downward. He used this when dodging one of King Ghidorah's Gravity Beams, during their first fight.

Astro Dash

In his human-sized form, Zone Fighter can perform an Astro Dash (アストロダッシュ), in which he flies through a broadcast from a TV set and arrives at the location displayed in his giant form.

Meteor Meteorite Collapse

Zone Fighter is shown as possessing impeccable jumping ability. This is used in an ability known as Meteor Meteorite Collapse (流星隕石崩し), where Zone confuses the opponent by jumping in front of it, before leaping over them and punching them in the back.

Meteor Jet

Zone Fighter can charge himself with energy to move at incredible speeds for a short burst in a technique named Meteor Jet (流星ジェット). When he is about to use this technique, he leaves a blurry purplish-white trail behind him before charging towards the enemy.

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  Flight

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  Meteor Windmill

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  Astro Dash

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  Meteor Meteorite Collapse

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  Meteor Jet

Weapons

Maser Shot

In Zone Fighter's human-sized form, he carries a special pistol weapon called the Maser Shot (メーサーショット), which is strong enough to dispatch Silver Garogas and even halt Terror-Beasts, as was shown against Mogranda.

Meteor Missile Might

Zone Fighter is capable of unleashing barrages of missiles, called the Meteor Missiles (流星ミサイル), from wrist-bound gauntlets that are strong enough to destroy most Terror-Beasts. This technique is known as Meteor Missile Might (流星ミサイルマイト) and is one of Zone Fighter's strongest attacks, used as his finishing move quite often. He was also shown to be able to perform the attack while flying. The gauntlets are summoned from the fourth dimension.

Meteor Double Anti-Missile Might

After his first battle against Super Jikiro, Hikaru was surgically implanted with pieces of the Terror-Beast to upgrade his gauntlets to counter its Anti-Missile Might technology. The upgraded attack is dubbed Meteor Double Anti-Missile Might (流星ダブルアンチミサイルマイト).

Zobot

He and his siblings each possess a rocket-powered device called a Zobot (ゾボット,   Zobotto), which they can use to send messages, call the Mighty Liner, use as a weapon in a pinch, and even summon Godzilla to their aid.

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  Maser Shot

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  Meteor Missile Might

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  Zone Fighter performs Meteor Missile Might while in flight

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  Double Anti-Missile Might

Energy attacks

Meteor Proton Beam

Zone Fighter can fire the Meteor Proton Beam (流星プロトンビーム) from the antennae on top of his head, although it uses much of his energy. The beam itself is made of pure proton energy and can destroy some Terror-Beasts in one shot, though Jellar was able to take several shots of the beam without suffering any ill effects.

Meteor Static Power

By rubbing an object rapidly against his body, Zone Fighter can use his Meteor Static Power (流星スタティックパワー) to charge it with deadly amounts of electricity. He used this ability on a tree he uprooted and gave it an electrical charge strong enough to weaken Garoborg.

Meteor Proton Cut

Zone Fighter can release a series of shocking energy waves from his body in an attack known as Meteor Proton Cut (流星プロトンカット), which he used to thwart Dorola's fourth dimensional abilities.

Meteor Slice Chop

Zone Fighter can release a stream of red arrow beams from his hands by concentrating proton energy in an attack named Meteor Slice Chop (流星スライスチョップ). They can be fired from one or both hands, or as a larger and wider variant. The single-handed chop can cause explosions across the area where the arrows hit and the two-handed chop is capable of removing a Terror-Beast's limbs, as demonstrated against Detragon. The larger and wider chop decapitated the Terror-Beasts Gelderah and Gundarguirus.

Meteor Zone Slice

Zone Fighter can channel and fire a golden energy arrow from each hand after charging energy from his shoulders. This technique is known as Meteor Zone Slice (流星ゾーンスライス) and was capable of cutting off the arms of Gundarguirus.

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  Meteor Proton Beam

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  Meteor Static Power

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  Meteor Proton Cut

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  One-handed Slice Chop

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  Two-handed Slice Chop

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  Wide Slice Chop

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  Meteor Zone Slice

Meteor Freezer

Zone Fighter finishes Barakidon off using his Meteor Freezer

Zone Fighter can spray a freezing mist from his fingertips capable of killing weakened opponents in a technique called Meteor Freezer (流星フリーザー). The mist has a temperature of -150 degrees Celsius.

Defensive capabilities

Zone Barrier

When in his human-sized form, Zone Fighter can wrap his entire body in a red energy barrier for protection. This is known simply as Zone Barrier (ゾーンバリヤー).

Meteor Zone Barrier

Zone Fighter can create a wall of invisible energy to block varying degrees of projectile attacks, known as Meteor Zone Barrier (流星ゾーンバリヤー). The only visible part of the barrier are the edges, which glow different colors. The barrier was capable of nullifying Wargilgar's flame breath, making it wash over the barrier as if it was just a wall.

Meteor Reflection Barrier

Tracing the outline of a traditional shield, Zone Fighter can create a barrier that can catch and deflect a Terror-Beast's energy beams, known as Meteor Reflection Barrier (流星反射バリヤー). This was able to reflect King Ghidorah's triple gravity beams right back at the space dragon.

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  Zone Barrier

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  Meteor Zone Barrier

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  Meteor Reflection Barrier

Weaknesses

When in giant form, Zone Fighter runs off of proton power from the Sun, supplied to him via the Zone Marker (ゾーンマーカー) attached to his antenna. The belt buckle-like device attached to his waist, called the Zone Meter (ゾーンメーター), indicates how much power Zone Fighter has, and ranges from blue when at full power, to yellow when his power is draining, and finally to a deep red which indicates that he has only 110 seconds before he is forced back into human form.

This limitation can be overcome, however, and in a number of ways. The Zone Marker can be recharged by Zone Angel and Zone Junior using their own Meteor Proton Beams, or by a laser fired from their shared vehicle Smokey. The Smokey is also equipped with spare Zone Markers which can be fired directly onto Zone Fighter's head to replenish his energy, with this maneuver being dubbed a Zone Marker Change (ゾーンマーカーチェンジ). Additionally, in episode 5 of the series, Zone Great bestowed upon Zone Fighter the family's Proton Crystal, which he attached to his antenna in place of the Zone Marker to grant him with enough energy to lure King Ghidorah into space. Zone Angel and Zone Junior were unable to recharge the Zone Marker themselves in this episode due to King Ghidorah blocking out the sun.

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  Zone Angel and Zone Junior recharge Zone Fighter's Zone Marker

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  Smokey recharges Zone Fighter's Zone Marker

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  Smokey sends a replacement Zone Marker to Zone Fighter

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  Zone Fighter replaces his Zone Marker with the Proton Crystal

Gallery

Main article: Zone Fighter/Gallery.

Comics

• Zone Fighter's Desperate Situation (1973)
• Zone Angel's Critical Moment (1973)
• Zone Fighter (1973) - Adventure King
• Zone Fighter (1973) - TV Magazine
• Zone Fighter (1973) - Fun Kindergarten
• Zone Fighter (1973) - Fun Kindergarten, separate volume
• Zone Fighter (1973) - Akita Shoten

Video

Kyodai Hero Profile: Zone Fighter

Trivia

• An interview with Shunsuke Fujita revealed that at one point, Zone Fighter was considered for an appearance in the 2014 PlayStation 3 and 4 video game, Godzilla.
• Zone Fighter is Toho's second tallest tokusatsu hero, surpassed only by Megaloman.
  • While Zone Fighter officially stands 62 meters tall, in the show itself he is only slightly taller than the 50-meter Godzilla.
• Zone Fighter's suit actor was Tatsumi Nikamoto, who also played the Red Garoga, in addition to Ultraman Leo from the show of the same name, the various Zensei Majin from Diamond Eye, Titanosaurus from Terror of Mechagodzilla, and countless other tokusatsu roles. The suit actor for Zone Fighter's giant form, Kinichi Kusumi, played numerous tokusatsu roles in the 1970s as well, including Godman, Redman, Mirrorman, various aliens and kaiju in Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Series, and Anguirus and King Caesar in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.
• In Godzilla Singular Point, a cube-shaped robot controlled by Pelops II has a structure on its top that resembles Zone Fighter's antenna. Zone Fighter himself also cameos in the show's end sequence.

External links

• Zone Fighter on Tokupedia

References

This is a list of references for Zone Fighter. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

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