The age of Super Sentai is over, and so begins the time of Project R.E.D.! Overall details on Toei's newest tokusatsu franchise are still somewhat vague, but what we do currently know about Project R.E.D. (which is an acronym for Records of Extraordinary Dimensions) is that while it will primarily feature red-coloured heroes (no surprise there), the shows themselves won't necessarily follow a specific pattern. It's first entry, Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity, is already a pretty good example of this. As the title suggests the series is a reboot of 1982's Space Sheriff Gavan, however it is not explicitly a continuation of the series (in the same way the 2012 movie was) nor is it a relaunch of the Metal Heroes franchise. So just what is Gavan Infinity, and why has a reboot of the iconic Space Sheriff been chosen to spearhead a whole new franchise? We'll just have to watch on to find out!
The 21st century has entered an era of universal co-existence, with Earth welcoming aliens across from the galaxy. However crime still exists, and the Galactic Federation Police is here to put a stop to it. Reiji Doki is an officer working in the Archives Division, a section known to most as lazy and worthless. But in reality it's a top secret department investigating surges of negative energy across the multiverse.
Detecting a surge on Multiverse Lambda 8018, Reiji arrives to fight the police in conflict with a terrorist group. As he enters the fight, a monster suddenly emerges from the capsule their leader wears around his neck. To destroy it, Reiji dons his electroplate armour to become Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity!
Is it just me, or does it feel like Toei are pumping some real money into this show? Granted that all of their premiere episodes (be it Super Sentai or Kamen Rider) exhibit a flashiness that doesn't necessarily carry on throughout the entire show, but Gavan Infinity's opening scenes of a large scale space battle with multiple Gavans riding atop their giant robots (presented here as a prophecy of the future, so we'll have to see if it eventually comes to fruition) really sets the spectacle level at an all time high. The rest of episode one "Red Gavan" is a little lower stakes by comparison, but still keeps the spectacle going in a way that feels natural to the spiritual successor of both Space Sheriff Gavan and Super Sentai. Despite Sentai's waning sales/popularity over the last decade or so Toei are still a making a big gamble on retiring their established brand and making the (current) face of their new one a reboot of a franchise that's never quite managed to hit the same heights it did nearly 45 years ago. That said the fact Gavan is so beloved (and not just in Japan either) speaks for itself, and to Geki's credit the various movies and crossovers Gavan Type-G had probably weren't enough to spark a full Gavan revival. But now the Space Sheriff is back for a whole new generation, and it couldn't be a more exciting time.
Super Sentai fans shouldn't despair too much though, because if this episode is anything to go by then they'll still feel right at home. The opening narration about how the world has become a hub of various aliens and how the Galactic Federation Police are there to fight crime feels straight out of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, which shouldn't come as a huge surprise when you remember that Dekaranger itself is one massive love letter to the Space Sheriff trilogy. It feels like the perfect full-circle moment, with the Space Sheriff being kept alive through Dekaranger all these years and now the reins are being given back to Gavan. We also find out pretty early on that Gavan Infinity is jumping on the multiverse bandwagon, establishing Gavan Infinity as a multiversal warrior, Galactic Federation Police equivalents and that episodes will be taking place on different versions of Earth. The episode backs its science up with a nice dose of technobabble, further emphasising the sci-fi feel associated with the Space Sheriff shows.
Fans of the original Gavan will also revel in the number of references and homages present in the episode. Right off the bat the dialogue makes reference to Makuu Space, and this is accompanied by the first onscreen appearance of the Cosmo Gavarion in its robot mode. Sure the design might be something more out of Super Sentai's playbook (Gozyuger's Tega Sword almost feels like the prototype to its weapon-to-robot transformation), but spaceship mecha have always been just as much a part of the Space Sheriff shows. Then of course you have the one millisecond "jouchaku" transformation, complete with a lengthier (and flashier) "now let's watch that again" version - arguably a staple for any new Space Sheriff. Even little things like the commercial bumpers are a direct reference to the original, not just in the fact the show has them but the music that accompanies them is direct riff on the old ones. But while there are countless other things present in the episode that pay homage, the most significant aspect feels like the greater focus on people Gavan Infinity has. The end might feature a more traditional tokusatsu monster, but up until it appears nearly 18 minutes in the episode is all about actual people. Not just establishing characters either - there's a much bigger focus on out of suit fighting than we've seen from Super Sentai in years. With its incredible stunt work being one of the defining aspects of the original Gavan, it's wonderful to see this carried through to Infinity.
That said, Gavan clearly has learned a thing or two from Super Sentai (or similar shows) whilst its been away as well. The inclusion of the Emorgears, sentient battery-shaped collectibles akin to Kamen Rider Gavv's Gochizos, no doubt raised some scepticism amongst Gavan fans as it's an element of modern tokusatsu the Space Sheriff was previously untouched by. Although this episode doesn't go too much into their origins, it does reveal that they actually work quite nicely within the narrative. Their emotion-based powers are already opening story potential, with Reiji channelling "emorgy waves" through past memories to travel across the multiverse. The show is also already having plenty of fun with how to use these powers, as we see Reiji disable a trio of thugs using love-based powers. The Emorgears even offer a unique spin on Gavan's iconic finishing move - on top the suit glowing in the same way his predecessors' did, Gavan Infinity also reveals an angry face mirroring that of the Emorgear he draws his powers from. Admittedly the show is yet to draw any attention to the fact the Emorgears also have little butt windows printed on the backs of them, so I do wait with gritted teeth to see how that plays out on screen. Granted Project R.E.D. is for children primarily the same way Super Sentai was, but Toei have also said they hope to catch a wider audience with it as well. The other thing of course is that, unlike previous Space Sheriff series, this one is going to feature multiple Gavans. Some we've been introduced to already by way of promotional material, others are yet to be revealed. This respect, does it really feel like Super Sentai is gone? The name might be different, but its still a group of different coloured heroes with giant robots fighting monsters. There are aspects to Gavan Infinity that already set it apart from Super Sentai, but it's almost going to carry on its spirit.
Being the premiere episode it has the task of introducing the audience to a lot of characters, though arguably the only one that really matters here is Reiji. He's the focus, and through both his fight scenes and interactions with others we get a good sense of what the character is going to be like. Based on first impressions alone he seems like our most light-hearted Gavan yet. Don't get me wrong Retsu had some good comic timing every now and again (as did Geki as his character evolved past his initial introduction), but Reiji's cheeky smile and little movements like the way he bounces up and down just before his fight with the "Emons" monster give the impression of a far more free-spirited character. with a burning spirit That said there's definitely some trauma under there - we see glimpses of it as he recalls those aforementioned memories and his use of a rage-based Emorgear can't be a coincidence. The idea of his role being so top-secret that even members of the Galactic Federation Police don't even know of him either is an interesting one too. As we see from his brief interaction with investigator Wanibunchi and his robot partner Patran, Reiji is looked down upon and mocked for being part of Archives Division but Gavan is revealed. It's an interesting dynamic as well as a different spin on it just being a straightforward secret identity. Other key characters we meet in the episode include fellow Archives Division detective Daisuke Date, autonomous AI AGI and Galactic Federation Police Security Commander Karel Qom Vigiles. Rather surprising the show also jumps in quite early at introducing its second Gavan, with Reiji meeting Setsuna Aikokuin upon his arrival to the parallel Earth. Whilst his reveal as Gavan Bushido is saved for the next episode sting, there's enough here to get a sense of how different he is to Reiji. Again, the idea of a Space Sheriff team isn't really something that's been explored outside of crossover material, so how exactly Gavan Infinity plans to bring its characters together from across the multiverse is currently one of its most exciting aspects.
Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity is exactly what you'd expect from a Gavan show made in 2026, and seeing the way it plays out in this first episode has made the prospect of both it and Project R.E.D. as a whole even more exciting. Between the more sci-fi setting, the greater focus on out of suit action/stuntwork and various visual cues it has all the hallmarks of classic Gavan, but also incorporates more modern tokusatsu/Super Sentai-esque elements like a collectible gimmick and the promise of assembling a team. While it melds these two aspects brilliantly, my main hope for the series is that it'll also find unique ways to stand out on its own - making a name for itself beyond being a Gavan reboot and Super Sentai's replacement. Whether it'll manage it or not is far too early to tell, but this was more than enough to convince me to watch on and find out.
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