There are many different versions of Spider-Man out there, many of them very weird. But the strangest of all to me that isn’t named Peter Porker is the Japanese Spider-Man of the 1978 live-action series, and he’s apparently coming to the Into the Spider-Verse sequel.
Producer Phil Lord responded to a fan’s tweet asking if the Japanese Spider-Man would be in the sequel, and if he could design the costume by simply saying “He’s designed!”
Dear @philiplord, @chrizmillr, @JDS_247 and @shinypinkbottle,Now that you’ve announced Spidey 2, IF, through some miracle of miracles, Japanese Spider-Man is written into the film, I will happily design him for you.
Sincerely,
Shannon pic.twitter.com/2jd7FfPr7Z
— Shannon Tindle (@ShannonTindle_1) November 5, 2019
As you might expect, the Japanese Spider-Man is vastly different from the version we know and love. The series was developed by Toei (the Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon folks) and reflected the Japanese culture. Instead of student photographer Peter Parker, it featured motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro who got his spider powers from an alien, the last living warrior from the Planet Spider. Really. Similar to many of the popular tokusatsu shows, Spider-Man would battle large groups of enemies only to summon his giant robot Leopardon to finish them off.
Sony only recently confirmed an April 8th 2022 release date for Into the Spider-Verse 2. Miles Morales will definitely return as his logo was featured prominently in the announcement teaser.
