In addition to Jaspion, how are Japanese stars of Jiban, Jiraiya and others

Actor Hikaru Kurosaki, Japanese actor and stuntman who gave life to the protagonist of the series "The Fantastic Jaspion", has died at the age of 64. The information was released by Masaki Sekiguchi, a friend of the artist, through social media.

In recent years, Kurosaki lived in Motobu, on the island of Okinawa, Japan, where he worked as a diving instructor and guide. He was responsible for the Mother Earth diving school, an activity he had dedicated himself to since leaving his artistic career.

The series was successful in Japan, but it was in Brazil that Hikaru Kurosaki gained enormous popularity. Aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s, "O Fantástico Jaspion" became a phenomenon on Brazilian television and transformed the actor into one of the biggest tokusatsu icons among fans.

See how the Japanese stars of "The Fantastic Jaspion" are doing
Esquadrão Relâmpago Changeman
Produced by the Toei Company, the series was originally shown on TV Asahi in the 1980s. The production marked the history of tokusatsu in Brazil when it was shown on Rede Manchete until mid-1994.

The group was made up of five warriors, who held the powers of five legendary animals: dragon, griffin, pegasus, mermaid and phoenix, instantly transforming them into Changeman.

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Haruki Hamada

The actor played Change Dragon, from the defenders' air troop, who was the leader of the team. In addition to "Lightning Squadron", his second and last appearance in a tokusatsu series was in November 1991, when he appeared in episode 38 of "Choujin Sentai Jetman" as the scientist Yanagi. Hamada stopped being an actor in the mid-1990s and started working as a narrator on sports programs and documentaries on Japanese TV in the 2000s.

Shiro Izumi (left) and Haruki Hamada (right) at a 2019 reunion - Reproduction/X

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Kazuoki Takahashi

The actor played the bad boy Change Griffon. His first appearance in a tokusatsu series was in 1985, as the womanizer Shou Hayate/Change Griffon in Esquadrão Lâmpago Changeman. He continues his artistic career, especially in tokusatsu, and in 2008 he acted as Kurosawa, the human form of Moose Fangire in "Kamen Rider Kiva"; in 2012, in episode 49 of "Gokaiger", where he briefly reappeared as Hayate from Changeman.

Kazuoki Takahashi played Change Griffon - Reproduction/X

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Shiro Izumi

The actor, born in Chiba, whose real name is Ichiro Tokiwa, played Change Pegasus, a greedy, childish and out of tune character, who manages to defeat a monster just by singing with a boy. The actor left the artistic world in 2000 and lives a reserved life with his family in Japan.

Shiro Izumi, who played Change Pegasus - Reproduction/Instagram

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Hiroko Nishimoto

The actress became known among "Super Sentai" fans as Sayaka Nagisa and, in "Lightning Squadron", she played the Change Mermaid. Nishimoto has been away from the artistic world since the late 1980s. The actress was one of the few stars to have an academic background in Political Science and Economics, while fighting space villains on the Toei Company screens.

Hiroko Nishimoto, who represented Change Mermaid. - Reproduction/X

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Mai Ooishi

The actress, whose real name is Hiroko Ouchi, played Change Fênix. His first work was in the tokusatsu series Sharivan, at the age of 20. She also appeared in Shaider, but gained prominence as Mai Tsubasa, the Change Phoenix from Changeman Lightning Squad. After this role, Oishi stayed away from the screen until 2019, when she appeared at the end of Lupinranger VS Patranger. In 2023, she came to Brazil to participate in Anime Friends.

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Star Command Flashman
The series was produced by Toei Company and aired for the first time in 1986 on TV Asahi. It debuted in Brazil in March 1989 on Rede Manchete, where it remained until 1992. From 1994 onwards, it aired on Rede Record, remaining until the end of 1995. The series follows five young people who were kidnapped from Earth by space hunters when they were children and, after twenty years of training on Planet Flash, return to defend their home planet from the Mess Empire.

The group was made up of five characters: Jin/Red Flash, Dan/Green Flash, Go/Blue Flash, Sara/Yellow Flash and Lu/Pink Flash.

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Touta Tarumi

Touta Tarumi, whose real name is Touta Agawa, is an actor and former model and played Jin, the Red Flash, protagonist and charismatic leader of the series. In addition to Flashman, he made small appearances in established Tokusatsu franchises, such as "Gavan" and "Sharivan". Now retired from the screen, Tarumi worked for years as a model and managed fashion agencies in Japan.

Touta Tarumi played Jin, the Red Flash - Reproduction/X

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Kihachiro Uemura

The actor played Dan, the Green Flash. He brought to life the physically strongest warrior on the team, raised on Planet Green. Outside of the action screens, he pursued a career as a successful anime voice actor, voicing the character Chaka in the Alabasta saga in "One Piece" and participating in productions of "Digimon" and "Gundam".

Kihachiro Uemura played Dan, the Green Flash - Reproduction/X

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Yasuhiro Ishiwata

The actor, also known by his stage name Joe Ishiwata, played Go, the Blue Flash. Ishiwata won over the public with his physical agility in battles. After the success of 1986, he made notable appearances in other franchises. He retired from acting in the 1990s to dedicate himself full time to the business and corporate world in Japan.

Yasuhiro Ishiwata played Go (Bun, in the original), Blue Flash - Reproduction/X

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Yoko Nakamura

She is a former Japanese actress and singer best known for playing Sara, the Yellow Flash. Before breaking out as a heroine, she began her career in Japanese pop music (J-Pop). Between 1984 and 1985, he released four singles and a studio album. : After her brief stint on TV, Yoko completely retired from the artistic world to dedicate herself to her family. For decades, she avoided public appearances and photos in the media, living anonymously.

Yoko Nakamura played Sara, the Yellow Flash - Reproduction/X

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Mayumi Yoshida

The former Japanese actress and stuntwoman played Lu, Pink Flash, in the series. Before taking on the role of the pink heroine, she began her career in 1984 and underwent rigorous training at the legendary JAC (Japan Action Club), the renowned stunt school founded by martial arts star Sonny Chiba. Like other co-stars, Mayumi decided to completely move away from the screen and the artistic world in the 1990s, opting to lead a private life in Japan.

Mayumi Yoshida, Pink Flash actress - Reproduction/X
Jiraiya
"Jiraiya: The Incredible Ninja", produced by the Toei Company in the 1980s, is one of the greatest classics of the Metal Hero genre in Japan. The story follows Toha Yamaji, a young man who receives from his adoptive father the mission of inheriting Jiraiya's armor and title to protect the mythical Pako inscription, a plaque that reveals the location of an ancient treasure capable of destroying humanity.

In Brazil, the series premiered in 1989 on Rede Manchete and gained a huge audience, making actor Takumi Tsutsui (Toha) an extremely beloved figure in the country. The Japanese actor, stuntman and voice actor, born in Osaka, made a career in action series. In February 2026, Tsutsui publicly shared on his personal blog that he has been living with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease since 2020.

Takumi Tsutsui played Toha Yamaji, the protagonist of "Jiraiya: The Incredible" - Reproduction/X
Jiban
The series "Steel Police Jiban", also produced by Toei Company, is one of the biggest milestones in the Metal Hero genre. Inspired by the film "RoboCop", the story follows police officer Naoto Tamura, who dies heroically defending a scientist and is resurrected as a combat cyborg to face the bioterrorist organization Biolon.

The main actor, Shouhei Kusaka, became famous in Brazil after the series premiered in the country in 1990 on Rede Manchete. After the end of "Jiban", he made small guest appearances in series such as "Solbrain" (1991) and "Kakuranger" (1994). Kusaka decided to step away from his acting career in the second half of the 1990s. He changed careers and began working behind the scenes in entertainment, working for years as a producer and talent manager at acting agencies in Japan.

Japanese actor Shouhei Kusaka - Reproduction/X
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Source: CNN