The Future of ‘Super Sentai’ Lies in ‘Project RED’

After weeks of rumors (and controversy in the series itself), Toei has officially confirmed that, at least in 2026, its legendary Super Sentai series will be replaced by a brand-new tokusatsu project. But while the project itself is new, the hero being used to launch it certainly isn’t.

This morning Toei officially confirmed that a new iteration of Super Sentai, which has aired annually for the past 50 years, will not air next year after the conclusion of the current series, No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger. Instead, its Sunday morning broadcast slot will air the first show in a new franchise that the company is referring to as Project RED, with the “R.E.D.†standing for “Records of Extraordinary Dimensions.â€

Described in a press release by the studio as being within a similar framework to Super Sentai, Project RED will encompass multiple series and heroes (and eventually cross them over), united by a broad theme of being focused on heroes who wear red outfits—inspired by Super Sentai‘s legacy of having its team leaders use the color red.

The first show in Project RED is a revival of the beloved ’80s Japanese hero Space Sheriff Gavan for a series called Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity, with a teaser poster highlighting Gavan’s new, red-chromed battle suit.

Space Sheriff Gavan aired in 1982, following the titular agent of the Galaxy Federal Police as he defended earth from invasion by the sinister intergalactic mobster Don Horror, battling in a special suit of high-tech armor. The series would go on to kickstart a new line of Tokusatsu shows alongside Kamen Rider and Super Sentai for Toei that aired throughout the ’80s and ’90s dubbed the “Metal Hero Series,†before largely becoming dormant after the release of Robotack in 1998. Toei attempted to revive Gavan specifically in 2012 with a new anniversary movie, which led to a few other theatrical spinoff attempts in the mid-2010s, but Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity will mark the first official TV entry in the Metal Hero franchise in almost two decades.

While Gavan itself never received an adaptation in the West, the Metal Hero Series does have a similar legacy to Power Rangers and Masked Rider. Multiple shows from the franchise formed attempts by Saban in the 1990s to capitalize on Power Rangers‘ cultural explosion: footage from Space Sheriff Shaider, Dimensional Warrior Spielban, and Super Android Metalder formed the action sequences and costume designs for VR Troopers, while B-Fighter and its successor B-Fighter Kabuto were used to create Big Bad Beetleborgs and its own successor, Beetleborgs Metallix.

Although Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity will replace Super Sentai in 2026, it’s unknown if the team-based series is being cancelled, entering a period of extended hiatus (as Kamen Rider itself did throughout the ’90s), or will eventually be reintegrated into this broader new Project RED brand. Given the series’ penchant for red-clad heroes, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the latter becomes the case, but for now, a special piece of Japanese superhero history is coming to a close.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.