SSSS.GRIDMAN

Yuta Hibiki wakes up with no memory of who he is and a strange sense that something important is calling him. Voices echo from an old computer, nudging him to recall a mission that feels larger than life. In the distance he perceives a colossal, unmoving form that seems to hold the town in its gaze. Then the behemoth suddenly stirs and the world shifts. A doorway opens into a digital landscape where Yuta reappears as Gridman, a gigantic hero built from a mysterious, hybrid of man and machine. With the help of a small circle of friends, he must confront threats that blur the line between reality and cyberspace.

Produced by Tsuburaya Productions in collaboration with Studio Trigger, SSSS Gridman is directed by Akira Amemiya and based on the 1993 Gridman tokusatsu series. Keiichi Hasegawa conceived the project and it premiered in 2018, airing on Crunchyroll and other platforms.

The show leans into nostalgia for 90s tokusatsu while updating the format with sleek animation and meta humor. Fans praised its visual style and its playful nods to the Gridman legacy, which sparked remixes, discussions, and a renewed interest in the old character across new audiences around the world today.

Critics highlighted SSSS Gridman's blending of character drama with large scale battles, and its exploration of memory and identity. The series balances high energy action with ordinary teen problems, asking what it means to be real when technology constructs your world and your choices carry consequences in daily life today.

While SSSS Gridman wears its influences proudly, it also stands as a strong standalone work. It earned nominations at several notable anime award events, underscoring its animation craft, direction, and character design, and cementing its place as a standout among contemporary genre anime from a collaboration between major studios worldwide.