Trivia / SSSS.GRIDMAN

• Creator's Oddball: Studio Trigger is one of the most anime anime studios out there...and then they create this. Despite being traditionally animated, it has no anime-isms whatsoever, nor does it have the high-energy, deranged style of animation seen in previous animes of the studio. The shot composition, editing, and acting all strive to mimic the live-action series it's based on, whether it's a high-octane "man in a rubber suit" fight scene or a simple dramatic dialogue scene.
• Fan-Work Ban: Tsuburaya Productions started to strike down every H-doujinshi related to the series' main female characters based on their old policy against such things. Following backlash and a massive amount of fan art introducing people to the show, Tsuburaya revised their guidelines to only restrict direct commercial products. For instance, a creator of fan-made body pillows was asked to cease and desist because Tsuburaya was set to release official ones.
• Lying Creator:
  • The initial interviews and reports said that the series wasn't connected to the original Gridman series, but an alternate universe. There was even a press release that had both the original and new Gridman side by side with the original costume and new look costume. This was all to hide The Reveal at the end of episode 12.
  • The initial summary for the series put out, even on the official website, says "Yuta's friends — Sho Utsumi, Rikka Takarada, and Akane Shinjō — would always help him and spend their days with him. But, their tranquil days are suddenly and easily crushed with the appearance of Kaiju." In the actual series, Akane is not part of Yuta's main circle of friends and the statement putting her among those who "would always help him" could not be more opposite of what her actual role is.
• No Export for You: As usual with any title licensed by Funimation, the anime adaptation isn't available in Latin America... and the rest of the world except Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
• Playing Against Type: Aoi Yūki confirms that Borr is a boy as opposed to her typecasting as little girls.
• Promoted Fanboy: Clifford Chapin is a fan of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, and has several toys on his desk. Robert McCollum has shown himself holding the sword while recording for Gridman.
• Referenced by...: The series made its debut in the Super Robot Wars series in 30, making it the first Toku-based anime to ever appear in the franchise. ^note While several other Toku works have appeared in Super Robot Wars X-Ω, it's a mobile game compared to 30 being mainline.
• Role Reprise: Hikaru Midorikawa reprises his role as the titular character from the original Denkō Chōjin Gridman.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: The "SSSS" doesn't seem to have a meaning now— the full name it was supposed to reference apparently has been permanently initialed thanks to the fact that Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad is owned by DHX Media (successor to DiC Entertainment, the original producers). It got its meaning in "Special Signature to Save a Soul".
• Screwed by the Network: [adult swim] hasn’t been too kind to the show, giving it a premiere timeslot of 2:30 AM right out of the gate and zero promotion outside of it’s premiere. Very unusual for a anime that is new to Toonami.
• Sleeper Hit: In Japan, while reaction from the original series' fans were positive, nobody expected this to be a hit, especially since the original series is usually remembered only by Tokusatsu fans. But as soon as it aired, it quickly gained popularity and its DVD/BD pre-order ranking are easily one of the highest of the Fall Anime season, outranking even anime based on more popular properties and established franchise. The first week of Blu Ray sales put it second only to another Sleeper Hit, Zombie Land Saga.
• Temporary Online Content: The "Grid Drama" short audio dramas were released weekly on Tsubaraya's YouTube account throughout the show's run, but would generally stay on for a week before being deleted. The audio clips were eventually released with the entire series once collections were available for purchase.
• What Could Have Been:
  • When Akira Amemiya first approached Tsuburaya, he proposed to them to make an Ultraman anime, but Tsuburaya told him Ultraman characters are basically off-limits, while giving him a choice between Gridman or Andro Melos. Imagine if he had given the permission for an Ultraman anime or had chosen Andro Melos instead of Gridman, particularly when an adaptation of the Ultraman manga ran on Netflix in 2019.
  • Rikka was supposed to look much more like Akane, but with Rikka's color palette. The crew decided this made certain later revelations and implications too obvious from the start.
  • Tonkawa originally was supposed to be a bully and pick on Yuta before she died like in the actual series, but was changed to emphasize Akane's pettiness and avoid making her too sympathetic.
  • The series as a whole is an interpretation of what was supposed to be a sequel series to the original Gridman called Gridman F.
• You Look Familiar: A character briefly seen talking with Vit in one scene is voiced by Masaya Obi, the actor behind protagonist Naoto from Denkō Chōjin Gridman.