Spiral Zone

20min

Animation

Action & Adventure

Spiral Zone is a 1987 American science-fiction animated series produced by Atlantic-Kushner-Locke. Based in part from a toy line made by Japanese company Bandai, the series focused on an international group of soldiers fighting to free the world from a scientist who controls much of the Earth's surface. It only ran for one season, with a total count of 65 episodes. Tonka acquired the license from Bandai and created a different treatment to the series, plus a short-lived toy line. Spiral Zone is known among fans as a series that stood out from other contemporary cartoons of the 80s because of its dark story. The series has not been officially released on DVD by Hasbro, who had acquired Tonka in the 90s, including all the copyrights to their properties.

Production Companies

Atlantic/Kushner-Locke

The Maltese Companies

Orbis Communications, Inc.

AKOM Production Company

Visual 80 Productions

Episodes

Cast

Holographic Zone Battle

1. Holographic Zone Battle

21st Sep 1987

While the Riders prepare to take out a zone generator that is blocking San Francisco harbor, Bandit infiltrates their base and tricks Hiro into accepting a hypnotic device disguised as a holographic computer game.

King of the Skies

2. King of the Skies

22nd Sep 1987

The Zone Riders rescue King Donovan, a retired military pilot and Dirk's former CO, as he is being pursued out of the zone. He has details on an Overlord plot to increase the size of the zone by hooking a generator up to the Hoover Dam, and a plan to stop it. But instead of allowing them to sneak up on the generator, the suggested rout leads the Raiders into an ambush, and King ends up suspected of treason.

Errand of Mercy

3. Errand of Mercy

23rd Sep 1987

Mission Into Evil

4. Mission Into Evil

24th Sep 1987

Back to the Stone Age

5. Back to the Stone Age

25th Sep 1987

Small Packages

6. Small Packages

28th Sep 1987

The Black Widows slips a miniature zone pod into McFarlands clothes, activating it inside the MCC while the Zone Riders are on a mission. Forced to go up against their own defenses and Overlord at the same time, the Riders have one hour to take out the pod before a UN ordered air strike reduces the place to rubble.

Zone of Darkness

7. Zone of Darkness

29th Sep 1987

The Zone Riders bring a scientist to Miami, looking for a possible cure to the zone bacteria in the form of a local plant. Dirk also hopes to find an old friend who was in the area during the zone attack.

The Gauntlet

8. The Gauntlet

30th Sep 1987

Ride the Whirlwind

9. Ride the Whirlwind

1st Oct 1987

The extreme weather is slowly flooding San Juan, while making airborne evacuation impossible. The only route of escape is through the zone, but can the Riders take out the generator in time?

The Unexploded Pod

10. The Unexploded Pod

2nd Oct 1987

An unactivated zone generator, found in Katerina's hometown, could provide the first and only opportunity to study the zone release mechanism. Well aware of this, Overlord is determined to keep it out of the Riders hands.

Duel in Paradise

11. Duel in Paradise

5th Oct 1987

The Imposter

12. The Imposter

6th Oct 1987

The Hacker

13. The Hacker

7th Oct 1987

Overlord's Mystery Woman

14. Overlord's Mystery Woman

8th Oct 1987

In this episode we discover Overlord's romantic side. The Zone Raides find the woman he was in love before he entered the take-over-the-world business. Using her as bait the riders set a trap to capture the leader of the Black Widows. Dashing out of the Zone in shining armour Overlord goes to rescue his love, but he doen't have only romance in mind.

The Sands of Amaran

15. The Sands of Amaran

9th Oct 1987

Zone Train

16. Zone Train

12th Oct 1987

A train carrying scientists reseaching the Spiral Zone to a conference is routed by the Black Widows into the Zone. The Zone Riders are dispatched to stop the train from reaching a power plant within the zone; however things go from bad to worse when Tank's suit fails and he becomes a Zoner and is ordered by Dutchess Dire to stop his colleagues.

Breakout

17. Breakout

13th Oct 1987

When the Cat's Away

18. When the Cat's Away

14th Oct 1987

Island in the Zone

19. Island in the Zone

15th Oct 1987

The Shuttle Engine

20. The Shuttle Engine

16th Oct 1987

The Mind of Gideon Rorshak

21. The Mind of Gideon Rorshak

19th Oct 1987

Canal Zone

22. Canal Zone

20th Oct 1987

The Lair of the Jade Scorpion

23. The Lair of the Jade Scorpion

21st Oct 1987

The Man Who Wouldn't Be King

24. The Man Who Wouldn't Be King

22nd Oct 1987

The Way of the Samurai

25. The Way of the Samurai

23rd Oct 1987

The Best Fighting Men in the World

26. The Best Fighting Men in the World

26th Oct 1987

The Ultimate Solution

27. The Ultimate Solution

27th Oct 1987

Hometown Hero

28. Hometown Hero

28th Oct 1987

In the Belly of the Beast

29. In the Belly of the Beast

29th Oct 1987

The Last One Picked

30. The Last One Picked

30th Oct 1987

So Shall You Reaper

31. So Shall You Reaper

2nd Nov 1987

The Secret of Shadow House

32. The Secret of Shadow House

3rd Nov 1987

Zone of Fear

33. Zone of Fear

4th Nov 1987

Bandit and the Smokies

34. Bandit and the Smokies

5th Nov 1987

Heroes in the Dark

35. Heroes in the Dark

6th Nov 1987

Zone with Big Shoulders

36. Zone with Big Shoulders

9th Nov 1987

Behemoth

37. Behemoth

10th Nov 1987

The Power of the Press

38. The Power of the Press

11th Nov 1987

Starship Doom

39. Starship Doom

12th Nov 1987

The Electric Zone Rider

40. The Electric Zone Rider

13th Nov 1987

An Australian in Paris

41. An Australian in Paris

16th Nov 1987

The Enemy Within

42. The Enemy Within

17th Nov 1987

Anti-Matter

43. Anti-Matter

18th Nov 1987

The Siege

44. The Siege

19th Nov 1987

A Little Zone Music

45. A Little Zone Music

20th Nov 1987

The Element of Surprise

46. The Element of Surprise

23rd Nov 1987

Seachase

47. Seachase

24th Nov 1987

The Right Man for the Job

48. The Right Man for the Job

25th Nov 1987

High and Low

49. High and Low

26th Nov 1987

Profiles in Courage

50. Profiles in Courage

27th Nov 1987

The Darkness Within

51. The Darkness Within

30th Nov 1987

Power Play

52. Power Play

1st Dec 1987

Duchess Treat

53. Duchess Treat

2nd Dec 1987

Oversight

54. Oversight

3rd Dec 1987

Assault on the Rock

55. Assault on the Rock

4th Dec 1987

They Zone by Night

56. They Zone by Night

7th Dec 1987

Conflict of Duty

57. Conflict of Duty

8th Dec 1987

The Final Weapon

58. The Final Weapon

9th Dec 1987

The Face of the Enemy

59. The Face of the Enemy

10th Dec 1987

Brother's Keeper

60. Brother's Keeper

11th Dec 1987

Little Darlings

61. Little Darlings

14th Dec 1987

Nightmare in Ice

62. Nightmare in Ice

15th Dec 1987

Evil Transmissions

63. Evil Transmissions

16th Dec 1987

Zone Trap

64. Zone Trap

17th Dec 1987

Countdown

65. Countdown

18th Dec 1987

First air date

21st Sep 1987

Last air date

18th Dec 1987

Status

Ended

Type

Scripted

Original language

en

Networks