This is an utterly ridiculous Troma film from 1990. Now that I consider it, “ridiculous Troma” is redundant.
Sergeant Detective Harry Griswold, a clumsy N.Y.P.D. cop. is investigating a string of murders involving kabuki actors. While attending an amateur kabuki play, Harry witnesses thugs gun down the entire cast. In the ensuing gunfight, Harry is forcibly kissed by one of the dying actors, unknowingly becoming blessed with the powers of kabuki. Before he knows it, Griswold finds out that he has the ability to transform into Kabukiman, a colorfully dressed slapstick superhero who has the ability to fly and access to such unique weapons as heat seeking chopsticks and fatal sushi.
With the assistance of the beautiful Lotus, he helps clean up the crime-ridden streets of New York and try to stop maniacal businessman Reginald Stuart and his Goons, who plan to fulfill an ancient evil prophecy that will summon The Evil One, whose demonic powers can enslave the world.
Kabukiman is one of the least powerful superheroes, right down there with Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, who could remove his arm and beat people with it, and Kikkoman, who commanded all the powers of salty Asian sauces.
Pamela Alster
Susan Byun
Traci Mann
Johnny Moronic’s clips from this film are here
After that third sentence of the synopsis, I had to stop reading for a while to collect myself.
OMG, Arm-Fall-Off Boy is real!
UncleScoopy does indeed know everything.
What I was going to say was that there actually was a little known version of Captain Marvel, who could shout “SPLIT” and throw both his arms and his legs at the enemy. It is referenced in this article:
I don’t actually know much at all, but I am curious about everything. I didn’t know about Arm-Fall-Off Boy. Hey, I’m a nerd, but that’s a subject even too nerdy for me. (Although I did read Jim Steranko’s history of the comics, and loved it!)
The story is this: I read the plot summary for this film and wondered if there could be a worse concept for a superhero than Kabukiman. Kikkoman came immediately to mind, but I felt like I needed a real one as well, so I Googled “silliest superheroes” and got this result.
I was also intrigued by Almighty Dollar. Great name, and a totally ridiculous power. I was reminded of Thurston Howell III, who once said “I speak the universal language – money.”
Here’s what the interwebs says (great article, by the way):