I'm curious about the relationship between buddy heroes! The Owl Warrior Toshimach! [Local Hero Super Compendium #1

Hello everyone.

Starting this month, we will begin a series of articles focusing on local heroes.

Local heroes or local heroes are those who are based in a limited area and are responsible for promoting peace and publicity in their hometowns. They may look different, but they are heroes and heroic heroes who love their hometowns and can be seen there now.

First, let me explain the rules. First of all, you must decide your starting point by throwing a dart at a map of Japan. We would like to introduce our heroes by having the heroes in the neighborhood of the starting point introduce their friends. There may be heroes who say, "My justice is only mine, and my fight is solitary. In such a case, we will dart again to re-select them.

Our first hero this time is ......

Tokyo!　There are many heroes active in Tokyo, but this time, I have selected my hometown, Toshima-ku, and pushed "Toshimach, the Owl Warrior"!

There are so many local heroes whose names are embodied in their bodies, and their transformation suits vary from person to person. The TV tokusatsu hero "Showa Rider" is a bio-based insect type, "Ultraman" is an alien-based Buddhist statue type, and "Super Sentai" is a Noh mask-based half visor type. However, Toshi Mach introduced here is a full visor type that does not belong to the Super Sentai series, Kamen Rider, or Ultraman. We dare to say that he is inspired by Takara Tomy's "Majidan Senki Ryukendo," which was the fifth force in the Heisei Tokusatsu series. One of the criteria to distinguish a local hero from other minor heroes is whether the costume design includes local specialties or local symbols.

I am the type of person who loves homemade hero suits with a handmade feel, but when Toshimach first appeared in the 2012s, the high degree of perfection of his suit, the tall and muscular actor, and the sophisticated visuals that rivaled TV heroes had a strong impact on me and the neighborhood kids. At the time, the trend for local heroes was to incorporate two or three motifs, but Toshimach's suit embodied the owl, the symbol of Toshima Ward, and looked innovative with its simple design that focused on a single motif. Their stage show was so well executed that it became the talk of the town and was picked up by various media outlets, and their fame began to spread nationwide.

The "local hero" introduced this time is "Toshimach, the Owl Warrior," a handsome speedster who possesses such individuality and the fastest ability setting in the local hero world.

Toshima Ward, Owls, and

The town Toshimach the Owl Warrior protects is Toshima Ward, the 16th special ward of the capital city of Tokyo.

The ward's tree is the Someiyoshino, the ward's flower is the azalea, and the estimated total population is 297,763 (as of 10/01/2017).

The ward is an overcrowded ward in the Johoku area, with Ikebukuro Station, a huge terminal station with the second largest number of passengers in Japan, spreading its lines in the shape of a swastika in the center of the ward, and Sunshine 60 towering beside it. The area around Ikebukuro East Exit is becoming the center of anime culture, centering on Otome Road. On the other hand, the Rikkyo University campus, located toward the west exit of Ikebukuro, still preserves Edogawa Rampo's library, "Genkeijo," and is well known to manga fans as "Namiki House" in Zoshigaya, where manga god Tezuka Osamu lived, and "Tokiwaso" in Minami-Nagasaki, where Fujiko Fujio, Ishinomori Shotaro and Akatsuka Fujio spent their adolescent days. Manga fans are familiar with these places.

In the Mejiro neighborhood, there was a SOHO for modern painters called "Montparnasse" during the Meiji era. In this way, Toshima Ward has long developed as a town of art and culture.

In Toshima City, statues and buildings with owl motifs are often seen.

The reason why the owl is used is because the shape of the ward looks like an owl spreading its wings, which is why it became popular as a symbol.

Appearance of Toshimach

Toshimach appeared in 2012.

At a time when the world was still in a state of low spirits after the earthquake, rumors of the birth of a new hero began to spread among the people of the city via newspaper inserts and city bulletin boards.

Around the same time, a group of villains called the "Bukuro Darkness Army" appeared, terrorizing festivals and recreational activities in the shopping district. They are a group that professes to rule Toshima Ward, and whenever there is a festival, they invade, much to the horror of the children. Then, with a red flash, the "Owl Warrior Toshimach" and his sidekick "Owl Warrior Prism" appeared.

Toshimach and his sidekick Prism began to protect the people and events of Toshima Ward from this army of Bukuro Darkness at various festivals and recreational events in the ward, and to promote the culture of Toshima Ward.

Incidentally, the world of local heroes is characterized by overlapping stories, feeding back real-life events into the play settings and show stories.

By going to a show or event, you are creating the story together, and the audience can participate in the story. The world of local heroes today is like a social networking service, and the relationship between heroes and fans is evolving into an interactive one. This is one of the attractions that attracts many people. The tweets you send may end up creating their stories.

On a quiet note, "Toshimach the Owl Warrior" and his partner "Prism the Owl Warrior". What kind of relationship do they have?

Fans, of course, are curious about the relationship between the buddy heroes.

It seems that Prism, who is a little older than Toshimach, is the older warrior. Prism, who supports the mischievous Toshimach from behind, is a daughter of a good family in Mejiro and a descendant of a family that has kept the peace in this area for a long time.

The transformation suit was a gift from Prism to Toshimach after she recruited him, and it is rumored that the relationship between the two is like that of a senior and junior in club activities.

Toshimach spreads its wings across the country

In 2013, Toshi Mach was nominated to represent Tokyo in the Asahi Soft Drinks x Lawson "Local Hero Sticker Collection. In the same year, he was also nominated to represent Tokyo in "Gotochi Hero Daisakusen" by Terebikun magazine (Shogakukan), and was also nominated to represent Tokyo in the 2014 Asahi Soft Drinks x Lawson "Gotochi Hero Menko Collection," which shows his high popularity. Its popularity has also spread nationwide, as it fights together with local heroes active in other prefectures and collaborates on events.

A decade ago, super-deep tokusatsu otaku (special effects geeks) would come to see Toshimach in action, chasing after Prism, who they could tell from the atmosphere was an absolutely super beautiful girl, but now, however, there are many girls in their 20s with a side fetish (the general term for girls who moe about heroes' suits) who are calling Toshimach "a hero with a side fetish. At shows, the girls cheer more loudly than the children. Is she a hero or an idol?　Is she a hero or an idol?

As you can see, Toshimach is now so popular that it is almost like dropping a bird from the sky. If you happen to be in the neighborhood and see one of their shows, please come and see them. You may be instantly knocked out by their charm.

Here are the specs of Toshimach the Owl Warrior and Prism.

Right"Owl Warrior Toshimach"HeroSpecs

Height: 183 cm, Weight: 75 kg

Special move: Sunshine Kick
Special ability: Speed and jumping ability beyond Mach

Weapon: None
Vehicle: None
Before Transformation: Undisclosed
Occupation before transformation: Undisclosed

This hero was born when the hearts of people who love Toshima City gathered at the "Ikebukuro" at the east exit. The source of his power is his love for his hometown and his "bond" with people.

Left "Owl Warrior Prism"heroineSpecifications
・ Height Himitsu♡cm
・Weight: ♡kg

Special move: Some-illusion
Special ability: Speed beyond Mach and jumping power

Weapon: None
Vehicle: None

Before Transformation: Undisclosed
Occupation before transformation: Daughter of a former zaibatsu

The heroine was born when the hearts of people who love Toshima Ward gathered at the fountain (formerly the Castalia Fountain) that lies beneath the Prism Garden at the west exit of the city.

Her grandfather is Mach Mask, who was active in the black market area of Ikebukuro after the war.

She has an elder brother who has been separated from her life.

In the next issue, we will introduce Earth Warrior Zeros, who protects peace in Naniwa-ku, Osaka!

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(Text by Hiseki GFX, Cooperation by Toshimach Project)