VR Troopers
VR Troopers is a syndicated live action superhero television series that aired from 1994 to 1996 on Saban Entertainment. The show attempted to capitalize on the early 1990s' obsession with virtual reality as well as the success of Power Rangers. Early CGI and video effects were blended with Japanese stock material from three separate Metal Hero Series: Superhuman Machine Metalder, Dimensional Warrior Spielban, and Space Sheriff Shaider. This type of adaptation technique—combining numerous episodes into one—was initially utilized in anime programs such as Robotech and Voltron, albeit this was one of the first times it was done for a tokusatsu adaptation. VR Troopers' copyright was transferred from BVS International to SCG Power Rangers on May7, 2010. Saban's VR Troopers was the first official "sister series" to Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, the most popular "action fighting kid show" of the time. This, like it, was an Americanization of a Japanese tokusatsu children's program by Toei Company LTD. The series was deemed successful, though not as successful as the Power Rangers franchise. Unfortunately for the series, the Japanese footage was quickly depleted due to extreme circumstances where many tokusatsu scenes were combined in one episode to the point that stock footage had to be repeated multiple times throughout the series. Similarly, another Saban show, Big Bad Beetleborgs, would do well but eventually stop owing to a lack of stock footage. Both shows were based on the Japanese Metal Heroes series. The program inspired a toy line as well as a video game for the Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear.
Released: 1994-09-03
Genre:
Action & Adventure