The ’80s Sci-Fi Hyper-Violent Action Anime That Needs A Proper Revival

The Guyver anime started as Bio-Booster Armor Guyver, a Japanese manga series first released in 1985. It centers on a seventeen-year-old student, Sho Fukamachi, who comes across some kind of alien device, which turns out to be a symbiotic techno-organic device that provides the host with bio-armor and a whole range of alien combat abilities. Think of it as Iron Man, but the armor is biological, and it completely changes the physiology of the host, up to the point of making them immortal.

In fact, even in the case of near-total destruction, the Control Metal on the armor can regenerate the host—along with their personality and memories—from a single surviving cell. Now in possession of the Guyver unit (the name of the armor), Sho learns more about the Guyver and its abilities while fighting the evil Cronos Corporation and its biologically engineered employees and soldiers who want to take over the world. It’s a really fantastic manga series that has run into a hiatus in recent years, and fans are now petitioning for its continuation, as well as the revival of the Guyver anime.

The first adaptation of the manga came in the form of a 12-episode The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor original video animation (OVA) series—on VHS tape! Though it was a loose adaptation, it managed to garner enough interest to prompt the development of a proper 26-episode Guyver anime, Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor, which adapted ten volumes of the manga. In the meantime, two live-action adaptations were also produced: 1991’s The Guyver and 1994’s Guyver: Dark Hero—while the first also had Mark Hamil in a side role, the latter gained a massive cult following in the US.

Since the manga came to a halt, and at the most interesting moment in the series, we might add, the fans have been clamoring for the continuation of the franchise or even a possible revival of both the manga and the Guyver anime. Some could also argue that this is the right time for Guyver to receive another film adaptation with modern CGI effects and storytelling. But why not both?

The Guyver anime is a fantastic genre staple that does an excellent job of introducing audiences to the anime format. It could benefit from an HD remaster, but the movie could simply continue its narrative, especially since the anime ended with Sho learning how to re-program his Guyver unit and develop more powerful alien weapons—including bio-boosted armor for his bio-boosted armor called Guyver Gigantic.

Considering the expanding Guyver fanbase, very rich lore, and a rather strong trend in the entertainment industry towards rebooting and reviving classic series, the new Guyver anime or movies could greatly surpass the original in terms of commercial and critical success—which should be more than enough to warrant Guyver’s return to screens. Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.