Why is Spider-Man so loved in Japan? Kojima explains it to us

With the arrival in cinemas of Spider-Man: Far from Home, Hideo Kojima (crazy man author of Metal Gear and the long-awaited Death Stranding) wanted to tell in an interview with Famitsu why the adventures of Peter Parker are so popular in Japan.

Spider-Man in the land of the rising sun

Climbing the walls of the house The Marvel movies can boast several incarnations, as evidenced by the animated feature film A New Universe, some of which are real tributes to Japanese comics, here are a couple of examples.

Spider-Man Mangaverse

The so-called Mangaverse was an alternative series released in 2002 in which the different heroes of the Marvel universe were reimagined with the typical style of Japanese design, trying to wink at the typical Shounen narrative as well.

In this version, the origins of Peter Parker are a little different: the young hero is in fact one of the last ninja of the Spider Clan, trained in martial arts by Uncle Ben. After the death of the latter at the hands of Venom and Kingpin, our hero will begin his crusade against crime to one day avenge the killing of poor uncle sensei.

penny parker

The young high school student already protagonist in A New Universe sees her origin in 2004 in the comic strip Edge of Spiderverse (from which the animated film is based). Unlike her animated counterpart, Peni Parker sees a much more articulate design in print that is very reminiscent of Evangelion (don't tell Cannarsi!).

Here the story is completely upset by the classic canon: The city of New York is protected by SP // dr, a mech piloted by a human and a radioactive spider in telepathic connection. The pilot in question is initially the father of Peni who disappears in mysterious circumstances, so our protagonist is approached by uncle Ben and aunt May who inform her that only she can pilot the SP // dr thanks to her genetic makeup after being been bitten by the same spider. She will then become the protector of the city until she collides with the VEN # m unity (and perhaps even some Apostles).

Supaidaman

If we talk about Japan and Spider-Man we cannot fail to mention Supaidaman, an iconic series from 1978 that presents our hero in Sentai sauce (heroes in onesie like the Power Rangers to be clear). Here the fantasy takes flight: the protagonist is Takuya Yamashiro, a motorcyclist who to face a criminal organization turns into Supaidaman who with the American hero has only the costume in common since here we see him fighting aboard a robot called Leopardon (and oh well).

It must be said, however, that this trash masterpiece was the first to launch the fashion of robots in Japanese shows, so we can say that Leopardon is the father of all the Megazord that came after.

The answer of Kojima

Spider- Man: Into the Spider-Verse was great masterpiece! Live action, full CGI, Japanimation, puppet anime, tokusatsu, manga, American comic, graffiti, it carries all the DNA and MEME SCENE, SENSE to make the next gen entertainment art. Good story too! The theme is like TPP+DS? pic.twitter.com/dYTKH1SkPM

- HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 3, 2019

During his interview, Hideo Kojima wanted to draw a parallel between cinecomics and Sentai shows by comparing Spider-Man to Kamen Rider (Masked Rider here in Italy).

He's a hero with worries, just like Japanese heroes […] Don't you think Spider-Man's origins are similar to Kamen Rider's? Both become masked heroes due to an accident: the first is bitten by a radioactive spider, the second is kidnapped by a terrorist organization and transformed into a mutant grasshopper. He could also be compared to the Tiger Man! In general, rich and emotionless heroes don't get my attention very much, lately I've also become a Flash fan thanks to the TV series.

In short, not all heroes wear a cloak, some just need a onesie (and many traumas) to bring East and West together.

Full interview.