SSSS.Gridman

SSSS Gridman (stylized as SSSS.GRIDMAN) is a Japanese anime television adaptation of the 1993–1994 tokusatsu series Denkou Choujin Gridman.[3] The production is a joint collaboration between Tsuburaya Productions, the production company behind Gridman and the Ultra Series, and Trigger. The two production companies previously collaborated on the Denkou Choujin Gridman: boys invent great hero short original net animation for the Japan Animator Expo. The "SSSS" in the title stands for "Special Signature to Save a Soul" as revealed in the final episode. It is also a reference to Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, a US adaptation of Gridman the Hyper Agent.

SSSS.Gridman
Key visual
グリッドマン
(Guriddoman)
GenreAdventure, superhero mecha, kaiju, Kyodai Hero, science fiction[1][2]
Anime television series
Directed byAkira Amemiya
Produced byTsuburaya Productions
Written byKeiichi Hasegawa
Music byShirō Sagisu
StudioTrigger
Licensed by
Original networkWOWOW, Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11
Original run October 7, 2018 – December 23, 2018
Episodes12
Anime
SSSS.Dynazenon
Directed byAkira Amemiya
Written byKeiichi Hasegawa
Music byShirō Sagisu
StudioTrigger

On December 14, 2019, SSSS Dynazenon (stylized as SSSS.DYNAZENON) was announced at Tsuburaya Production's own convention, Tsubucon. The animation project is a continuation of SSSS.Gridman set in the same shared "Gridman Universe".[4]

Synopsis

The story focuses on Yūta Hibiki, an amnesiac first-year high school student living in the fictional Japanese city of Tsutsujidai. He meets the Hyper Agent Gridman in an old computer, who states that the boy has a mission he must fulfill; Yūta sets out to find the meaning to those words and his memory loss. The sudden appearance of kaiju eventually changes the usual dynamics of Yūta and his classmates.[5] Yūta is able to merge with Gridman to fight kaiju, but after the kaiju attack, people's memories are reset and those who die are forgotten. As the "Gridman Alliance", Yūta and his friends now seek to stop the kaiju and uncover the truth behind the disappearances, with assistance from mysterious friends of Gridman who can transform into weapons that Gridman can use in combat.

Characters

Gridman Alliance

Gridman Alliance (グリッドマン同盟, Guriddoman Dōmei) is a trio of high school students who assisted the Hyper Agent Gridman in fighting Kaiju attacks within the city. Due to their connection with the hero, they were the only ones who are not affected by the changes made when one of Akane's Kaiju killed a victim, causing them to be erased from existence. Their base of operation is Junk Shop Aya, Rikka's shophouse.

Yūta Hibiki (響 裕太, Hibiki Yūta)
Voiced by: Yūya Hirose[6][7] (Japanese); Brandon McInnis[5] (English)
An amnesiac young boy who wakes up near Rikka's house. He has the special ability to see Gridman and illusions of monsters within the city. By merging with Gridman, Yūta can fight against monster attacks. He lives by himself in his family's apartment, since his parents left on a business trip.
Gridman (グリッドマン, Guriddoman)
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa[3][8][9][6][7] (Japanese); Robert McCollum[5] (English)
A Hyper Agent (ハイパーエージェント, Haipā Ējento) who resides within an old PC, Junk. He reminds the boy to "fulfill his mission" and merged with the boy to become giant, as well as materialized in the real world to fight against monster threats. Members of the Gridman Alliance and Neon Genesis Junior High Students are the only ones who can perceive his existence.
By himself, Gridman's true color is purple and changes into red once he became optimized by Junk's upgrade. His finisher is Grid Beam (グリッドビーム, Guriddo Bīmu), an attack fired from his Accepter on the left hand. The Assist Weapons provided Gridman with additional strength in combat.
  • Heracles Combine Max Gridman (剛力合体超人 マックスグリッドマン, Gōriki Gattai Chōjin Makkusu Guriddoman): A formation with Battle Tracto Max forms a pair of gigantic forearms and increases his brute strength. His finishers are Max Grid Beam (マックスグリッドビーム, Makkusu Guriddo Bīmu) and Super Lightning Kick (超電撃キック, Chō Dengeki Kikku).
  • Full Armor Combine Buster Gridman (武装合体超人 バスターグリッドマン, Busō Gattai Chōjin Basutā Guriddoman): A formation with Buster Borr, granting him a chest armor and a set of ranged weapons from his caterpillar threads and Twin Drills in Buster Mode (バスターモード, Basutā Mōdo). His finisher is Twin Buster Grid Beam (ツインバスターグリッドビーム, Tsuin Basutā Guriddo Bīmu).
  • Empyrean Combine Sky Gridman (大空合体超人 スカイグリッドマン, Ōzora Gattai Chōjin Sukai Guriddoman): A formation which occurs when Sky Vitter forms as Gridman's helmet, waist and leg armor. In this form, Gridman gains superiority in high-altitude combat and disorient his opponents with Lucky Smokescreen (ラッキースモークスクリーン, Rakkī Sumōkusukurīn).
  • Hyperlink Combine Full Powered Gridman (超合体超人 フルパワーグリッドマン, Chō Gattai Chōjin Furu Pawā Guriddoman): Gridman's ultimate formation attained by combining with the four Assist Weapons at the same time. In this case, both Gridman and the Assist Weapons are deployed in half their usual size to conserve energy, forming a full-sized robot once combined. In this form, Gridman has all the abilities and techniques from his other formations at his disposal. His finisher is the Grid Full Power Finish (グリッドフルパワーフィニッシュ, Guriddo Furu Pawā Finisshu).
Shō Utsumi (内海 将, Utsumi Shō)
Voiced by: Sōma Saitō[6][7] (Japanese); Greg Ayres[5] (English)
Yūta's classmate and founder of the Gridman Alliance, specialized in human networking. He is a fan of tokusatsu, including the Ultra Series.
Rikka Takarada (宝多 六花, Takarada Rikka)
Voiced by: Yume Miyamoto[6][7] (Japanese); Jill Harris[5] (English)
The sole female member of Gridman Alliance and Yūta's classmate, who found the amnesiac boy in front of her house. Out of her teammates, she desires a normal life but wishes Yūta to keep fighting as Gridman to save her friends.

NGJHS

The NGJHS, short for Neon Genesis Junior High Students (新世紀中学生, Shinseki Chūgakusei), is a quartet of Hyper Agents who pose as youths dressed in black. In reality, they were actually fragments of Gridman and can recombine with the Hyper Agent to unlock his true form. The group's name is a reference to another popular mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

They can transform into Assist Weapons (アシストウェポン, Ashisuto Wepon) that can combine with Gridman and, when he is absent, fuse to form a giant robot called War God Combine Powered Zenon (合体戦人 パワードゼノン, Gattai Senjin Pawādo Zenon). In contrast to the agile Gridman, Powered Zenon relies on strength and its signature move is Powered Breaker (パワードブレイカー, Pawādo Bureikā).

Samurai Calibur (サムライ・キャリバー, Samurai Kyaribā)
Voiced by: Ryōsuke Takahashi[10][11] (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)
A man who helped the Gridman Alliance to optimize Junk and search for the missing victims of Ghoulghilas' attack. He is named after the Samurai Sword from Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. He has four swords stored on his back, one being a katana and two other is a pair of barbed broadswords.
His Assist Weapon form is Electrifying Great Sword Gridman Calibur (電撃大斬剣 グリッドマンキャリバー, Dengeki Daizanken Guriddoman Kyaribā), a sword that allows Gridman to perform Grid Calibur End (グリッドキャリバーエンド, Guriddo Kyaribā Endo). During the formation of Full Power Gridman, the Axe Blade (アックスブレード, Akkusu Burēdo) jettisoned and becomes the formation's breastplate. When the rest of his teammates combine into Powered Zenon, Gridman Calibur turns into Powered Axe (パワードアックス, Pawādo Akkusu), allowing them to execute Jumbo Saber Slash (ジャンボセイバースラッシュ, Janbo Seibā Surasshu). Under possession of Gridknight, the Gridman Calibur transforms into Gridknight Calibur (グリッドナイトキャリバー, Guriddonaito Kyaribā) to perform Knight Calibur End (ナイトキャリバーエンド, Naito Kyaribā Endo).
Max (マックス, Makkusu)
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi[10][11] (Japanese); Cris George (English)
A tall man with a mask, his weapon is a pair of gauntlets, transforming into a mace for self-defense purpose. His Assist Weapon form is named after the Tracto combat vehicle and its pilot Tanker from Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad.
His Assist Weapon form is Battle Tracto Max (バトルトラクトマックス, Batoru Torakuto Makkusu), a ten-wheel drive armed with a pair of Tanker Cannons (タンカーキャノン, Tankā Kyanon).
Borr (ボラー, Borā)
Voiced by: Aoi Yūki[10][11] (Japanese); Apphia Yu (English)
An androgynous boy who is named after the twin-driller tank from Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. He has a pair of handheld knives stored under his sleeves.[12]
His Assist Weapon form is Buster Borr (バスターボラー, Basutā Borā), a yellow twin-driller subterrene armed with Forrester Extinguisher Missiles (フォレスター消火弾, Foresutā Shōka-dan) and Buster Grid Missiles (バスターグリッドミサイル, Basutā Guriddo Misairu). Despite the existence of his Twin Drills (ツインドリル, Tsuin Doriru), his teammates proclaimed them as non-functional in combat.
Vit (ヴィット, Vitto)
Voiced by: Masaya Matsukaze[10][11] (Japanese); Chris Burnett (English)
A man with a laid-back attitude who is named after the Vitor fighter jet from Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad.
His Assist Weapon form is Sky Vitter (スカイヴィッター, Sukai Vittā), a blue-colored fighter jet armed with Laser Circus Amp (アンプレーザーサーカス, Anpu Rēzā Sākasu).

Antagonists
Alexis Kerib (アレクシス・ケリヴ, Arekushisu Kerivu)
Voiced by: Tetsu Inada[13][10][11] (Japanese); Barry Yandell[5] (English)
A digital being who performs Instance Abreaction (インスタンスアブリアクション, Insutansu Aburiakushon) to bring kaiju sculpted by Akane to life. Despite his good relationship with Akane, he seems to be manipulating her from behind the scenes and is fine with literally anyone else creating kaiju. He eventually begins showing his true nature as he begins acting more and more without Akane's permission. It is also revealed that he only sought out Akane so he could feed on her negative emotions. At the end of the series, Gridman manages to defeat him and place him in his custody.
Akane Shinjō (新条 アカネ, Shinjō Akane)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda[6][7] (Japanese); Lindsay Seidel[5] (English)
Yūta's classmate who sits next to him and is the most popular student in class, as well as a fan of kaiju. She is the person behind the kaiju attacks, which she causes by having Alexis bring kaiju sculptures she makes to life, to kill people over seemingly petty reasons. It is eventually revealed that the city and its inhabitants are all part of an alternate reality she created to escape her problems in the real world, and the actual reason why she has her kaiju kill people is because a need to feel in control. At the end of the series, she realizes the error of her ways and decides to return to the real world.

Kaiju
Poison Gas Monster (毒煙怪獣, Doku Kemuri Kaijū)
A group of monsters whose appearance is identical to Venora from Gridman the Hyper Agent. They function as the Tsutsujidai's maintenance system by repairing all the damages done by Akane's Kaiju and unleashing sleeping gas across the city to conceal the city's true nature. Their existence were hidden from the townspeople, except to Gridman Alliance and the Neon Genesis Junior High Students. By the time Anonymous was deployed, all Poison Gas Monsters were decapitated in its rampaging spree.
Ghoulghilas (グールギラス, Gūrugirasu)
Created by Akane to exact revenge on Tonkawa for ruining her Special Dog with her volleyball, the monster went on a rampaging spree until it was killed by Gridman. Although the damage was fixed by the next day, Tonkawa's death was permanent and irreversible.
Mecha Ghoulghilas (メカグールギラス, Meka Gūrugirasu)
At some point of time, Akane recreated Ghoulghilas as a cyborg to interfere with the school festival as means of declaring war with the Gridman Alliance. With no other options left, Yūta proposes the plan on using a half-sized Gridman to scare the participants in the festival as Ghoulghilas rampages, allowing the battle to continue with little casualties. The rest of the Assist Weapons appear and combine with him to form Full Power Gridman and slay Ghoulghilas with Grid Full Power Finish.
Dévadadan (デバダダン, Debadadan)
Created to murder Akane's homeroom teacher for bumping into her without apologizing. The monster is armed with a chest laser and the ability to reflect Gridman's Grid Beam. With Gridman's transformation time almost hit its limit, Samurai transforms into Gridman Calibur to aid the former and slices Dévadadan with Grid Calibur End, saving the teacher.
Gonglee (ゴングリー, Gongurī)
Created to attack the members of Arcadia after their date interrupted her attempts in gathering information regarding Gridman from Akane. Gonglee ambushed and killed three members with its smog, shrouding its presence from Gridman until the next day when it try to prey on Yamato. During their fight, Anti interfered and fought the monster over Gridman before Max Gridman defeated it, as his rival reverted to his human form due to the time limit.
Go'yavec (ゴーヤベック, Gōyabekku)
A gigantic monster that Akane created to kill Gridman and his human associates during their class field trip. Having disguised itself as the mountains, Go'yavec terrorizes the countryside until Buster Gridman destroyed it with Twin Buster Grid Beam.
Diriver (ヂリバー, Jiribā)
Created by Anti as means of drawing Gridman's attention and fight him. Diriver operates a flying miniature UFO and use it to attack Gridman before Sky Vitter joins in to form Sky Gridman. As both Diriver and Anti went against their target, Gridman separated from Sky Vitter to slice the monster into half.
Bujack (バジャック, Bajakku)
An illusory monster used to trap the members of Gridman Alliance within a dream, each having befriended Akane. Due to Bujack's influences on its victims, it was rendered intangible in real life until Gridman intruded through Grid Kinesis, ripping Bujack's wings for the Neon Genesis Junior High Students to fuse into Powered Zenon and finish the monster at once.
Anonymous (ナナシ, Nanashi)
The final monster in Akane's collection, brought to life under desperation from Alexis. After its first destruction by Full Powered Gridman, Anonymous shed its skin and reveals a sinister figure empowered by Akane's twisted will, as it progressed to kill the Poison Gas Monsters. Anonymous managed to tear off Full Powered Gridman, leaving the Hyper Agent defenseless until Anti interferes with a resolve to protect Gridman evolves him into Gridknight. With his new form, Anti read through the monster's movements before killing it with a slicing disc attack.
Zegga (ゼッガー, Zeggā)
A gigantic monster that was born from Akane after she was radiated by Alexis' Instance Abreaction. Zegga went on a rampage across the city before Gridknight appears, pulling out Akane from it before Alexis absorbed her. With no host, Zegga was left as an empty husk that rolled in Tsutsujidai before Gridman wiped it from existence with his Grid Fixer Beam.

Tsutsujidai High School
Namiko (なみこ) and Hass (はっす, Hassu)
Voiced by: Suzuko Mimori (Namiko), Akari Kitō (Hass)[10][11] (Japanese); Sarah Wiedenheft (Namiko), Amber Lee Connors (Hass) (English)
Rikka's circle of friends. Namiko has the tendency to tease Yūta and Rikka together, while Hass is frequently seen with a flu mask and is also a YouTuber by the name Hassun (はっすん).
Sakiru Tonkawa (問川 さきる, Tonkawa Sakiru), Hikari Toida (Toiko) (戸井田 光（といこ）, Toida Hikari (Toiko)), Rika Kenamura (Kenachan) (毛苗村 里香（けなちゃん）, Kenamura Rika (Kenachan)), Hako Doi (土居 ハコ, Doi Hako) and Nana Takara (Seven) (高良 奈々（せぶん）, Takara Nana (Sebun))
Voiced by: Kaede Yuasa (Sakiru), Riho Iida (Toiko) and Rin Miyazaki (Kenachan) (Japanese); Dani Chambers (Sakiru) and Jad Saxton (Toiko) (English)
The Tsutsujidai High School volleyball team led by Sakiru. After she accidentally ruined Akane's Special Dog that was meant for Yuta, the monster Ghoulghilas killed Sakiru and the entire team. Following its destruction by Gridman, the damage was reversed but their deaths were covered up as having happened in an "accident" during their middle school years.
Sakiru's father operates a Chinese family restaurant named Dragon Emperor (竜帝, Ryūtei).
Ramo Marusa (Marusan) (丸佐 蘭萌（まるさん）, Marusa Ramo (Marusan)) and Ako Furuma (古間 亜子, Furuma Ako)
Voiced by: Akira Sekine (Marusan), Kanako Miyamoto (Ako) (Japanese); Macy Anne Johnson (Marusan), Felecia Angelle (Ako) (English)
Akane's circle of friends.

Other characters
Orie Takarada (宝多 織江, Takarada Orie)[lower-alpha 1]
Voiced by: Mayumi Shintani[10][11] (Japanese); Anastasia Muñoz (English)
Rikka's mother, who runs a junk shop.
Anti (アンチ, Anchi) / Gridknight (グリッドナイト, Guriddonaito)
Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura[10][11] (Japanese); Stephen Fu[14] (English)
A sentient Kaiju with the capacity to copy all of Gridman's powers, he assumes the form of a human boy when not in combat. He was created to counter Gridman and would even interfere with Akane's monsters for that sole purpose, even though this would often result in him being beaten or put down by Akane for his insubordination. In his human form, his weapon is a handheld buzzsaw. Despite Anti's insistence of being a Kaiju, Gridman refuses to kill him as the youth slowly develops into a sentient being rather than a creation empowered by Akane's hatred. After being disowned by Akane, Anti becomes committed to find a new purpose and his action of defending Gridman results in the former's evolution as Gridknight. Anti was stabbed by Alexis during an attempt to rescue Akane from her monster form and later on initiates Access Flash before succumbing to his injuries. He was nursed to health by Anosillus the 2nd, with his scarred left eye fully healed.
As Gridknight, his attacks include Gridknight Circular (グリッドナイトサーキュラー, Guriddonaito Sākyūrā) and Gridknight Storm (グリッドナイトストーム, Guriddonaito Sutōmu).
Kaiju Girl Anosillus the 2nd (怪獣少女アノシラス（2代目）, Kaijū Shōjo Anoshirasu (Nidaime))
Voiced by: Karin Takahashi (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)
A mysterious girl who is the successor of Anosillus, whose capable of growing to the size of monsters despite her appearance. She reveals to Yūta that the world he inhabited is an illusion with Akane as its goddess.
Electron Animal Anosillus (電子アニマル アノシラス, Denshi Animaru Anoshirasu)
A monster who was rescued by Gridman from Gridman the Hyper Agent. It was last seen observing Anosillus the 2nd nursing Anti to health.

Production

Anime

SSSS.Gridman was announced during Studio Trigger's panel at Anime Expo 2017, alongside Darling in the Franxx and Promare. Trigger described the show as "their anime take on the tokusatsu series", with an original storyline unrelated to the earlier live-action series.[15][16] During Tokyo Comic Con 2017, more details about the show were provided, including the main staff, October 2018 premiere, Masayuki Gotou as Gridman's character designer, and voice actor Hikaru Midorikawa reprising his role as Gridman.[3][8][9]

On March 24, 2018, the official website revealed another visual and main voice cast details.[6][7] During Studio Trigger's Anime Expo 2018 panel, Trigger acknowledged the differences between the US and Japanese releases of Gridman, clarifying that SSSS.Gridman is a new show with the same concept. They emphasized that despite having an all-new story, SSSS.Gridman wasn't a reboot. Production of SSSS.Gridman took place alongside Promare; staff related stories during the panel about production details for SSSS.Gridman being worked out during Promare meetings and vice versa. A special video featuring director Akira Amemiya was shown, emphasizing the story "would focus on the youth of Japan and their relationship to technology". The world premiere of the show took place after the panel ended.[17]

The series aired from October 7 to December 23, 2018.[18][lower-alpha 2] The series is directed by Akira Amemiya, written by Keiichi Hasegawa, and animated by Trigger. Masayuki Gotou designed Gridman with Masaru Sakamoto handling the other character designs. Shirō Sagisu composes the music.[8][19] The opening theme is "UNION" by OxT, and the ending theme is "youthful beautiful" by Maaya Uchida.[11] During their Anime Expo 2018 panel, Funimation announced they licensed the series for streaming on FunimationNow and an English dub.[20] The anime was also licensed by Funimation in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The anime was simulcast by Crunchyroll in those countries.[21]

Episode list
No. Title[22][lower-alpha 3] Original air date[23]
1"Awakening"
"Kakusei" (覚・醒)		October 7, 2018 (2018-10-07)
A young boy named Yuta Hibiki awakens in the home of one of his classmates, Rikka Takarada, with no memory of his past and sees hallucinations of a robot named Gridman in an old computer terminal in Takarada's family store. The next day, Yuta meets his friend Sho Utsumi, who helps him cope with his amnesia. Intrigued by Yuta's story about Gridman, Utsumi asks Yuta to show him the terminal (which he nicknames "Junk"), and they run into Rikka along the way. A kaiju then abruptly appears and begins attacking the city. Yuta is sucked into the terminal and reappears as Gridman to battle the Kaiju. With help from Utsumi and Rikka, Yuta is able to defeat the kaiju, but Gridman warns them that there will be more kaiju to come. Next day, Yuta and his friends are shocked to see that their school, which was destroyed in the kaiju attack, has somehow been completely rebuilt.
2"Restoration"
"Shūfuku" (修・復)		October 14, 2018 (2018-10-14)
Yuta and his friends discover that, in addition to all the damage being undone, nobody remembers the kaiju attack. In addition, several students are missing and nobody has any memory of them. After they decide to investigate, they are approached by a mysterious man named Samurai Calibur who "optimizes" Junk, allowing Rikka and Utsumi to see and hear Gridman. They investigate the missing students and find out that everybody's memories have been rewritten to believe they had all died before reaching high-school. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Yuta's classmate, Akane, and her electronic companion, Alexis, are behind the kaiju attack, which she instigated to kill the missing students for ruining her lunch. She then creates another kaiju to kill her homeroom teacher for not apologizing after bumping into her. Yuta once again fuses with Gridman to fight the Kaiju, but finds himself outmatched. This prompts Caliber to leap into Junk, transforming into a sword that Gridman uses to destroy the kaiju. The homeroom teacher survives the kaiju attack, and the next day, the damage and everybody's memories are reset like before.
3"Defeat"
"Haiboku" (敗・北)		October 21, 2018 (2018-10-21)
Akane creates a new Kaiju named Anti, who is intelligent and can take human form, and has him attack the city to draw Gridman out. Yuta fuses with Gridman, but even with Calibur's assistance, they are defeated by Anti and the day resets. Afterwards, Yuta does not reappear, leading Rikka and Utsumi to fear that he is dead, but they are too afraid to try to contact him to confirm it. While Akane celebrates her apparent victory, three strangers arrive at the shop looking for Calibur and Gridman and point out the hypocrisy of Rikka and Utsumi refusing to contact Yuta if they are so concerned. Rikka then finally works up the courage to call Yuta and it is revealed that he, Calibur, and Gridman were just in hiding in hopes of ambushing Anti. Gridman then appears and successfully draws Anti out. One of the strangers, named Max, enters Junk and combines with Gridman to form Max Gridman. Max Gridman and Anti then fight to a draw, with both running out of energy. Afterwards, Gridman introduces Caliber and his comrades as his allies, the Neon Genesis Junior High Students, while Akane rejects Anti for his failure.
4"Suspicion"
"Gishin" (疑・心)		October 28, 2018 (2018-10-28)
Akane tries to determine Gridman's true identity. She suspects Yuta, but has no proof, so she approaches Rikka. When Rikka's friends convince her to come with them on a group outing with Arcadia, a four-man Internet personality group, Akane tags along. However, the trip proves to be a waste of time, causing Akane to angrily order Anti to kill Arcadia. He refuses, though, claiming his sole purpose is to defeat Gridman, forcing Akane to make a new Kaiju for the task. Meanwhile, Yuta is concerned by Rikka hanging out with other boys, causing him to realize he has a crush on her. The next day, Rikka notices three Arcadia members have been killed by a kaiju, and attempts to warn the last member as the kaiju attacks. Gridman appears to battle it, but Anti appears as well, turning it into a three-way-battle. The entire NGJHS try transforming at once, but Junk is unable to handle the strain. They thus decide to stick to one combination and use Max Gridman to defeat the kaiju, while Anti runs out of energy again. Next day, Rikka wonders if she is the cause of the Kaiju attacks, since they always seem to appear near her.
5"Provocation"
"Chōhatsu" (挑・発)		November 4, 2018 (2018-11-04)
Yuta and his class go on a field trip into the mountains. During the trip, Akane questions Yuta about his amnesia and tricks him into admitting he is Gridman. She then summons a massive kaiju the size of a mountain in order to draw Gridman out. Unfortunately, since he is in the mountains, Yuta has no access to Junk and cannot transform. After some difficulty, they manage to contact the NGJHS, who purchase Junk from Rikka's mother and carry it all the way to Yuta's location to allow him to become Gridman. Anti also appears, but the NGJHS member Borr combines with Gridman to form Buster Gridman and overwhelms the kaiju with sheer firewpower, causing Anti to be buried beneath the rubble. Afterwards, Yuta and his class return home, with Max realizing kaiju always seem to be appear in proximity of Yuta's class. After they leave, the mountains the class visited are utterly destroyed by an unseen force.
6"Contact"
"Sesshoku" (接・触)		November 11, 2018 (2018-11-11)
Confident that Yuta is Gridman, Akane orders Anti to kill him. However, Anti begins succumbing to hunger, as Akane had not been feeding him, until Rikka comes across him and kindly feeds and bathes him before he runs off. Meanwhile, Akane approaches Utsumi and tries to extract more information from him, but he reveals nothing. While all this is happening, Yuta encounters a young girl who claims to be a kaiju and takes him on a train ride to show him that everything beyond the city is an obliterated wasteland. She then reveals that the city was made entirely by Akane, who uses kaiju to perpetually destroy and rebuild it without anyone knowing. She also warns him that Akane is being manipulated by someone before leaving. On the way home, Yuta is attacked by Anti, but Max and Calibur interfere and convince him to leave by pointing out that he will never have a proper battle with Gridman if he kills Yuta. Yuta then goes to the shop to report to Gridman, and finds his friends waiting for him.
7"Scheme"
"Sakuryaku" (策・略)		November 18, 2018 (2018-11-18)
Yuta tells Rikka and Utsumi what he learned, but they are skeptical. He then returns home to find Akane waiting for him. She gives him an offer to join her but he refuses, after which she takes him out for dinner. As they eat, Yuta realizes how twisted Akane is as she casually explains how she killed their classmates over petty reasons. Alexis then arrives and introduces himself to Yuta as the one who brings Akane's kaiju to life. Just then a kaiju suddenly appears, confusing Akane as she did not make one. Yuta goes to the shop and transforms to fight the kaiju, while Akane returns home and finds out Alexis allowed Anti to create his own kaiju to draw out Gridman. Meanwhile, the NGJHS member Vit combines with Gridman to form Sky Gridman and take on both Anti and his kaiju. The battle takes them high into the sky, where they discover an alien landscape hovering above. Gridman is able to defeat Anti and the kaiju, but Yuta and his friends are troubled by these new developments. Afterwards, Alexis convinces an angry Akane to allow him to "discipline" Anti, after which he attacks and grievely wounds him.
8"Confrontation"
"Tairitsu" (対・立)		November 25, 2018 (2018-11-25)
Akane announces to Yuta and his friends that she will launch a kaiju attack during the upcoming school festival. While Yuta and Utsumi make a counter-strategy, Rikka wants to talk Akane into stopping, causing her and Utsumi to fight. Ultimately, Yuta and Utsumi try Rikka's method and attempt to convince Akane not to target the festival, but she ignores them. Rikka also fails to stop Akane, who reveals that, like the city, all the people, including Rikka herself, were created by her. Meanwhile, an injured and starving Anti arrives at the shop, looking for Rikka's aid, and the NGJHS feed him in return for his contact info. Rikka tells Yuta she wants to apologize to Utsumi, intending to do so before he can apologize to her. This gives Yuta the idea to have Gridman appear at the festival before the kaiju, forcing an evacuation. By reducing Gridman's size, the entire NGJHS is able to transform and combine to form Full Powered Gridman. They then defeat the kaiju, allowing the festival to continue after the day resets. Afterwards, Rikka and Utsumi make up, while Akane is depressed over her own inability to defeat Gridman.
9"Dream"
"Musō" (夢・想)		December 2, 2018 (2018-12-02)
Yuta finds himself reliving the events of the first episode with Akane having taken Rikka's place. Similarly, Rikka relives her first meeting with Akane, and Utsumi lives a scenario where he and Akane became friends. In reality, Akane trapped them in different dreamworlds using a kaiju she created in an attempt to make them come to her side. They eventually realize what is going on and, despite Akane begging them to stay, decide to return to their friends in reality. Gridman then materializes in the dreamworld and attacks the kaiju there, causing it to materialize in the real world. The NGJHS, who were watching over the sleeping trio at the shop, all transform and combine to form Powered Zenon, defeating the kaiju on their own. Anti then angrily calls Calibur and asks why Gridman will not appear, and he replies that Gridman will not fight him as he is a living being with a heart. Afterwards, Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi awaken, while Akane, rejected her own creations, slips further into her depression.
10"Collapse"
"Hōkai" (崩・壊)		December 9, 2018 (2018-12-09)
Yuta, Rikka, Utsumi and the NGJHS decide to go to Akane's house to confront her, only to find an alien landscape inside. As they wait for her next move, Calibur confronts Anti and tries to convince him to find a new purpose. Akane meanwhile, in the midst of her depression, is only able to make a weak kaiju that is easily beaten by Full Powered Gridman. Anti then fights them, but runs out of energy again, causing Gridman to refrain from killing him. Mysteriously, the day does not reset and the kaiju's corpse remains. Anti attempts to comfort Akane, but she tells him he isn't a kaiju anymore. A new kaiju then emerges from the first one and Full Powered Gridman fights it, but is outmatched. However, Anti defends them, causing him to transform into a copy of Gridman, Gridknight, who then defeats the kaiju. Afterwards Akane, who witnessed Yuta's transformation, confronts everyone at the shop. Yuta tries to tell her that Alexis is manipulating her, but she suddenly stabs him with a knife.
11"Decisive Battle"
"Kessen" (決・戦)		December 16, 2018 (2018-12-16)
As a result of being stabbed, Yuta falls into a coma and is rushed to a hospital. Because the kaiju used to maintain the city were destroyed during the previous battle, the day does not reset and the city falls into chaos. Meanwhile, Akane continues to be depressed and is unwilling to make more kaiju, causing Alexis to resort to unleashing her old kaiju onto the city. While Anti holds them off as Gridknight, the NGJHS realize Yuta is linked to Junk and upgrade it in an attempt to wake him up. It works and Yuta wakes up, now realizing he is actually Gridman possessing the body of the real Yuta. He then takes off to stop Alexis, despite Utsumi protesting against him endangering Yuta's body any more. He, Max, Bor and Vit transform into Full Powered Gridman, while Calibur partners with Gridknight to form Gridknight Calibur, and together they defeat the kaiju. Meanwhile, Rikka confronts Akane and, despite the latter attempting to push her away, declares herself to be her friend. However, Alexis then appears before them and transforms Akane into a kaiju.
12"Awakening - Final Episode"
"Kakusei" (覚醒)		December 23, 2018 (2018-12-23)
Akane is turned into a kaiju and rampages throughout the city. While Gridman, in Yuta's body, goes to collect Rikka and Utsumi, Anti fights the kaiju as Gridknight and is able to pull Akane out, only to get stabbed by Alexis. Alexis then absorbs Akane and becomes a kaiju himself. Back at the shop, Rikka and Utsumi figure out Junk's access code, allowing Gridman, the NGJHS and Anti to all combine into Gridman's true form. Gridman then fights Alexis, but it appears hopeless as Alexis can revive himself by feeding on Akane's negative emotions. However, Gridman uses his true power, Grid Fixer Beam, to reset the city and make contact with Akane. He, Rikka and Utsumi then convince her to face her fears, allowing her to break free from Alexis. Gridman then defeats Alexis and seals him away. In the aftermath, Akane decides to leave, and she Rikka have a tearful goodbye. With Alexis is in their custody, Gridman and the NGJHS also return to their Hyper World, leaving Yuta's body behind. Afterwards, as the city returns to normal, the real Yuta wakes up with in the company of Rikka and Utsumi, while Anti finds he was saved by the kaiju girl and Akane wakes up in the real world.

See also

Notes
  1. Her true name is revealed in the Blu-Ray covers, while in the anime, she is credited as Rikka's Mother (六花ママ, Rikka Mama).
  2. Tokyo MX lists the show as premiering at 24:00 on October 6, which is at October 7, 2018 at 12:00 a.m.
  3. All English titles are taken from Crunchyroll.

References
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  2. "Our Most Anticipated Anime of Fall 2018". Anime News Network. September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  3. "完全新作TVアニメーション『SSSS.GRIDMAN』製作決定！". m-78.jp. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  4. "「SSSS.GRIDMAN」の制作陣が再集結！新作アニメ「SSSS.DYNAZENON」制作決定" (in Japanese). Natalie. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  5. Ressler, Karen (October 4, 2018). "SSSS.Gridman Anime's English Dub Trailer, Cast Unveiled". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  6. "SSSS.Gridman Anime's Video Reveals Cast". Anime News Network. 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  7. "2018年秋放送開始のTVアニメ『SSSS.GRIDMAN』よりキービジュアル・PV第1弾が公開。追加キャスト：広瀬裕也・斉藤壮馬 ほか" (in Japanese). moca-news. 2018-03-24. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  8. "Trigger Reveals SSSS.Gridman Anime's Cast, Staff, Fall TV Debut". Anime News Network. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  9. "Tokusatsu Hero Gridman Will Be Reborn in All-New TV Anime "SSSS.GRIDMAN" in Autumn 2018". Crunchyroll. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  10. "TVアニメ『SSSS.GRIDMAN』新キャラクター＆キャスト発表！「ウルトラマンフェスティバル2018」特別イベントでは会場全体で「アクセス・フラッシュ！」" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  11. Ressler, Karen (2018-07-26). "Trigger, Tsuburaya's SSSS.Gridman Anime Reveals New Visual, Additional Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  12. @staff_aoi (2018-10-20). "..." (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-10-22 – via Twitter.
  13. "アニメ『SSSS.GRIDMAN』、2018年10月に「TOKYO MX」「MBS」「BS11」で放送決定！トレーラー映像第2弾も公開！" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  14. "Clifford Chapin on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  15. "Studio Trigger Announces Gridman Anime". Tokusatsu Network. 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  16. "Studio Trigger Announces 3 New Anime Titles". Anime News Network. July 3, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  17. "Anime Expo 2018: TRIGGER Panel". Anime News Network. 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  18. "SSSS.Gridman Anime Reveals New Promo Video, New Visual, October 6 Premiere". Anime News Network. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  19. "SSSS.Gridman Anime Reveals 2nd Promo Video, New Character, More Staff". Anime News Network. 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  20. "Funimation Licenses SSSS.Gridman Anime for Fall Streaming". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  21. "Crunchyroll Announces Final Fairy Tail Anime and More for Fall 2018". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  22. "物語" (in Japanese). Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  23. "放送情報" (in Japanese). Tokyo MX. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
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