
Key Hunter is a prime-time Japanese television detective series. It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:56 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System network from April 6, 1968 to April 7, 1973. There were a total of 262 episodes, and it was one of the most popular action dramas in Japan at the time. The story involved "Key Hunter", a special clandestine unit of the International Police, which endeavored to solve various crimes. "Key Hunter" was a unique TV show, which started out as a grand scale spy thriller never before seen in Japan. The episodes were individually themed on global crimes and political strife. The initial hardboiled theme later evolved to include intellectual elements involving action, and occasionally with comical elements as well. Tetsuro Tamba starred in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice as Japanese Secret Service agent Tiger Tanaka, an ally of James Bond. This role greatly influenced his image in "Key Hunter".

Set in a general hospital in Tokyo, this drama depicts a woman and a nurse who are about to retire from active duty and continue to work day and night at the "scene of life."

Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. However, in Japan he manages to escape, and as they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game—the Japanese way.

Kokuchou Academy used to be an elite school but it is now a nest of evil. Accordingly, spunky schoolgirls Miho, Yumi, Ruri and Kei form the Sailor Suit Rebel Alliance to eliminate wrongdoers from the school premises, wearing heavy makeup in order to keep their identities hidden.

In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.

Jiro, a freelancer working at a delivery pizza shop, witnesses the brilliant killing techniques of professional assassin Nejime at a gangster's office where he makes deliveries. Jiro rescues the wounded Nejime and volunteers to become his apprentice. From that day on, Jiro learns the art of killing in a dog eats dog world.

Gokudo Shimamura comes to blows with the Delinquent Boss who rolls into town with his motorcycle gang.

After Kunisada's Yakuza leader and father figure is brutally murdered, he and his best friend go on a two-man mission to avenge his death, killing other Yakuza leaders leading to a final confrontation by the old man's killers.

Junko pretends to be a yakuza and gets more than he bargained for when he is tasked with avenging the murder of a fellow gang member. If he turns the task down, he will face the consequences for betrayal.

Melvin Junko was a nerdy weakling until he fell into a vat of toxic waste, turning him into the first ever superhuman creature from New Jersey. This time, he takes on Tokyo.

A young rock singer is not appreciated by her band, and gets a postcard from Japan saying "wish you were here". She takes what little money she has including ex-boyfriend's rent money and goes to Tokyo. She has numerous cross-cultural adventures and ends up singing with a Japanese rock group looking for a gaijin gimmick.

After saving a girl from rape, a bored rail worker finds out about a chemical that makes people sleep and gets carried away into a new, violent world of ideas.

Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.

Jiro is a rookie hitman. One day, his mentor dies a brutal death. Furthermore, the execution scene was filmed and leaked as a murder video. Jiro is furious and decides to take revenge. He sets out to track down the mastermind and steal the original video.
