Finding your next obsession
Finding your next obsession
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".
LUXEN Decision Guide
A character-led series where relationships, personal stakes, and the gradual build of a story are central to the experience.
Best fit
Who it is for
Best suited to viewers who prefer character investment over a purely episodic watch.
Commitment
Compact commitment · 262 episodes
Use the season and episode count to judge how much time you want to invest.
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Read the synopsis.
Read the synopsis first; the contained season makes it easier to judge whether the full story fits your time.
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The series
262 episodes
1968
Cast
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