Release Date: November 2019 RRP: 8800 yen Bandai Tamashii Nations' S.H. Figuarts line may rule the roost when it comes to collector-orientated tokusatsu action figures, but if you're looking for characters outside the Kamen Rider and Ultraman franchises then Evolution Toy  are offering some serious competition with their Hero Action Figure line. For several years now HAF have been delivering some of the lesser known names in Showa era tokusatsu – from Tsuburaya properties like Fireman , Jumborg and Mirrorman to Toei names like Inazuman and Kaiketsu Zubat . However the range stretches even further than the big name companies too, with one such example being Hero Action Figure Iron King – the titular hero from the 1973 kyodai hero series by Nippon Gendai and Senkosha. Though he may resemble an Ultra hero, Iron King is an entirely separate hero – the hydro-powered alter ego of bumbling Goro Kirishima , sidekick to the suave National Security agent Gentaro Shizuka .

The year is 1972, and with the success of Godzilla and Ultraman tokusatsu superhero series have truly landed in Japan. With the Ultra Series entering its fifth instalment ( Ultraman Ace ) and Toei making groundwork with the original Kamen Rider , Kikaider and more it seems everyone wants a taste of this success. One of the lesser known shows from this era is Iron King , a 26-episode series created Ultraman/Ultra Seven writer Mamoru Sasaki . Airing from October 1972 to April 1973, the series never quite took off in the same way as its rivals but remains an interesting piece of tokusatsu history.

Right now we're living in a pretty good time for English-subtitled tokusatsu . The internet and the hard work of fansubbers across the world have made the latest shows available mere days/hours after their release, Crunchyroll is adding various Ultraman series to its wide back catalogue of shows and Shout! Factory  are even licensing Super Sentai series in America. That said, there's a wide history of tokusatsu out there and many fans might find venturing outside the confines of Toei 's big two - Kamen Rider  and Super Sentai , a bit out of their comfort zone. So without further ado here are five accessible tokusatsu shows that are not only definitely worth your time, but aren't part of either Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, the Ultra Series or even Garo. No real favouritism was shown during the creation of this list, and there are plenty of other ones also available for fans looking to try something a bit different.