Drawing inspiration from such disparate sources as Astro Boy and Ian Fleming's James Bond, pioneer manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori created a serial called "Cyborg 009" in 1964. The manga enjoyed enduring popularity, running until 1985 and being serialized in numerous publications. In 1966, the manga was the basis of an animated movie called "Cyborg 009," followed by the 1967 sequel "Kaiju Sensou" (translated from Japanese as "Monster Wars"). Next came a 26-episode animated series that ran on Japanese television in 1968 and another series that premiered 11 years later.
The story of "Cyborg 009" follows Joe Sunamura, a race-car driver abducted by the nefarious Black Ghost Organization. He is one of nine innocent people who are given super-powers as part of an experiment. Renamed Cyborg 009, he can now can run at superhuman speed and leads the rest of the team (who each have different superpowers) after they are set free by one of the scientists who worked on the project. Together, the super-powered team of rogue agents takes on the group that transformed them from ordinary people to cybernetic supermen.
A 130-minute, 1980 feature film titled "Cyborg 009 Cho Ginga Densetsu" ("Legend of the Super Galaxy") featured many of the same characters and voice actors as the previous TV series. In the film, the cyborgs have been apart for many years but reunited when an extraterrestrial child arrives on Earth warning of danger. This warning is fulfilled when a despotic alien named Zoa attempts to use the Super Galaxy, a vortex possessing unlimited power, to rule the universe. Cyborg 009 and the team must stop him.
"Legend of the Super Galaxy" was finally released in the U.S. on video in 1988 by a company called Celebrity Home Entertainment on its Just for Kids imprint. Retitled "Defenders of the Vortex," this version was trimmed by a full 40 minutes and dubbed into English, with American voice actors substituting for the Japanese actors. Despite its enduring popularity in Japan, "Defenders of the Vortex" is the only "Cyborg 009" project to be released in English.