Zebraman 2007

It is the year 2010, and Shinichi Ichikawa is grappling with his failures. A struggling 3rd-grade teacher, a husband to a cheating wife, and a father to a troubled teenager who dates older men, he feels trapped in a life that brings him little joy. His son also suffers, facing bullying at school due to the stigma of having a father who teaches there. To escape his mundane reality, Shinichi transforms into Zebraman each night—an homage to a 1970s tokusatsu TV series that he adored in his youth, which had been cut short after just seven episodes.

His mundane existence takes a turn when he connects with a wheelchair-bound transfer student named Shinpei Asano, a fellow fan of Zebraman. This friendship not only rekindles Shinichi’s passion for teaching but also sparks a romantic interest in the boy’s mother. However, as these personal developments unfold, a series of bizarre crimes and murders plague the school community.

In a surprising twist, while on his way to surprise Shinpei at his home donned in his Zebraman costume, he encounters a crab-masked serial killer. The confrontation results in a pivotal moment when Shinichi discovers he possesses actual superpowers, something he had only imagined during his childhood escapades.

As the story deepens, Shinichi faces adversaries who are influenced by a bizarre, slime-based alien force. He comes to realize that the Zebraman series serves as an ominous prophecy regarding a real alien invasion. The twist? The school’s principal, previously regarded as a mere authority figure, is unveiled as an alien who attempted to thwart the invasion, even as he faced threats from his own people lurking beneath the school.

Despite his knowledge of the show’s dismal conclusion—where Zebraman meets his demise and evil triumphs—Shinichi refuses to succumb to his destined fate. With the unique ability to combat this alien threat, he stands as the singular hope for humanity’s survival. As the extraterrestrial beings emerge from the ground, the situation escalates, prompting the government to alert the United States for an airstrike against the impending invasion. Realizing the full extent of his newfound powers, Shinichi battles the aliens, determined to protect Earth from destruction.