Flint the Time Detective

Flint the Time Detective, known in Japan as Space-Time Detective Genshi-kun (時空探偵ゲンシクン), is an animated Japanese television series directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi. It was based on a manga by Hideki Sonoda and Akira Yamauchi and was published by Kodansha in Japan. The anime aired from 1998 to 1999 in Japan and ran for 39 episodes.

Enoki Films and Sanrio hold the license to Flint the Time Detective.

Plot
The show is centred around the adventures of Flint Hammerhead, the "Time Detective", a boy from the prehistoric era who was resurrected from a fossil and became a Time Detective, although his competency as a detective is dubious. Much like Inspector Gadget, much of the heavy thinking is done by Flint's accomplices, Sarah and Tony Goodman who accompany him on his adventures. Flint, however, pulled his weight in battle, when he would fight with the aid of his father Rocky Hammerhead, who had also been partially resurrected from a fossil (however, his resurrection was not completely successful, leaving him as a sentient rock with a face; all he could do was talk). He was fashioned into a hammer for Flint, who, in addition to being a sturdy weapon, could give him sage advice in and out of combat. Flint's job as a Time Detective was to go back in time and convince a race of time-shifters to ally with him to protect the timeline.

Usually he fought against Petra Fina and her cronies Dino and Mite (very reminiscent of Marjo, Grocky, and Walther from Time Bokan) who were in employed by a masked being called the Dark Lord to retrieve the time-shifters for his own purposes - invade the Land of Time (where he scattered the Time Shifters from). The creatures were similar to Pokémon or Digimon in that, in addition to their collectivity, they originate as small, cute creatures, who can evolve into much stronger forms (usually they had two evolutions, an evil one induced by Dark Lord's magic in the form of the Petra Stamp/Uglinator's mark, and a good one later induced by Flint and company) before reverting back again.

Characters
Note: Japanese names go first, then the transliterated English (if any), and then the Saban character names.
 * Genshi (ゲンシ) / Flint Hammerhead - The main protagonist of the story. Flint is a young, strong caveboy who was fossilized by Petra Fina with his father upon discovery of Getalong.  He was freed by Dr. Bernard Goodman's technology and became a member of the Time Police.  His weakness is when his stomach runs on empty, apparently the same weakness taken from Son Goku in Dragon Ball.
 * Sora Yamato (大和ソラ) / Sarah Goodman - A girl from the 25th century who is a niece of Dr. Goodman and accompanies Flint on his missions.
 * Tokio Yamato (大和トキオ) / Tony Goodman - Twin brother of Sarah Goodman who also accompanies Flint on his missions.
 * Professor Yamato (大和博士) / Dr. Bernard Goodman - A scientist who is the uncle of Sarah and Tony Goodman. He has a crush on Jillian Gray and sends Time Shifters to aid Flint.
 * Rei Jinguji (神宮寺レイ) / Jillian Gray - Chief of the Time Police. She sends Flint on his missions in time to retrieve the Time Shifters.
 * Dad-tan / Rocky Hammerhead - Flint's father who was fossilized alongside his son. When his son was de-fossilized, he ended up as a flat, stone rectangle.  Dr. Goodman made him into a high-tech stone ax for Flint to use as a weapon.  In this form, Rocky has a beam that can fossilize and de-fossilize anything and can grow for his Hammerhead Rock attack.
 * Puu / Pterry - A small robotic Pterodactyl that accompanies Flint on his missions. He is responsible for his Memory Beam Erase Mode which erases the events of anyone who meets Flint and his friends.
 * Kyoichiro Narugami (鳴神京一郎) / Merlock Holmes - A dhampir who is a member of the Time Police and has a crush on Sarah. He is accompanied on his missions by Bindi.  His English name is an obvious play on Sherlock Holmes.
 * Time-G (トキG) / Old Timer - A Father Time-esque man who handles the Land of Time and watches Flint's adventure while riding a floating pig.
 * Akira Aino (愛野 瞳), also known as Time Pilfer Lady or T.P. Lady (TPレディ) / Petra Fina Dagmar/Ms. Iknow - Petra Fina is an enemy of the Time Police wanted for stealing and messing up time and space. She allied herself with the Dark Lord out of having a "school-girl" infatuation with him. Though she eventually realized too late she was a pawn. When not on missions given to her, she takes the form of Ms. Iknow, a strict teacher of Flint, Sarah, and Tony's class. By the finale, she had a temporary truce with the heroes that only lasted until the Dark Lord was defeated.
 * Mr. Dino / Dino - An experimental eel who was freed from the lab he was in and made humanoid by Petra Fina. He serves as one of her lackies. When not on missions, he takes the form of a teacher named Mr. Dino.
 * Principal Mite / Mite - An experimental frog who was freed from the lab he was in, and made humanoid by Petra Fina. He serves as one of her lackies. When not on missions, he takes the form of Principal Mite.
 * Dark Lord (仮面の方) / - Petra Fina's boss and the main bad guy of this show. He is a blue-haired, white-skinned man who wears a mask that made him powerful and faster. He was the one responsible for scattering the Time Shifters across time. He also turned four flowers into his Great Four. In the end, it turned out the Dark Lord was actually a young boy.
 * Great Four - Dark Lord's four strongest minions, created from flowers. Only the last three displayed abilities of Time Shifters (like morphing into evil forms). In the finale, the four decided to revert back to original selves on their own.
 * Ni-ooja / Deva / Super Ninja - An Oriental-themed warrior who fights with a staff. He fought Flint on different occasions. He takes the form of a pin that Dark Lord sent to Petra Fina. He was eventually sent back to his master.
 * Desudasu / Deathdas / Uglinator - A skull-type imp (with a chalk-white body, dark blue horns, red eyes and pale-yellowish teeth) who first appeared in the form of Petra Fina's Petra-Stamp, which enabled her turn any Time Shifter into a slave. His presence was soon revealed when he was awaken to replace Super Ninja and take over Petra Fina's group. He can headbutt Time Shifters for Petra Fina to control. Can possess people (he once possessed Merlock) and assume a giant demonic "Con" form. In the original Japanese version, he ends his sentences with "-dasu".
 * Nasukaru / Nascal - A bird-like creature capable of teleportation. Flint had to fight Nascal in his triple-headed "Con" form in order to get into Dark Lord's castle.
 * Gera / Ominito - A mushroom-type creature who uses video game-based attacks to prevent Flint, Dino, and Mite from reaching Petra Fina. In battle, he attacks with mushrooms where one of them had mushrooms that became evil versions of Flint's friends.

Time Shifters
Time Shifters (also called Time Fairies or Time Devices) are creatures that help the Old Timer to run the Land of Time until the Dark Lord came and scattered most of them across time and space. Each one has its own special powers and can transform into their Master (super) or Con (evil) forms depending if they are controlled by good or evil. Most of the Time Shifters' super/master forms have a humanoid appearance (notable exceptions are Lynx and Wing). All Time Shifter's Con forms have a demonic appearance. In the original Japanese version, the Master forms of the shifters are called "Super (insert Time Shifter's name here)". The Time Shifters are:


 * Raburabu / Love-Love / Get-A-Long: Time Shifter who has a love beam that makes people "get along". Found in the Stone Age where she first met Flint Hammerhead. Get-A-Long is the only one that neither have Con nor Master forms. At the end of the series, she was the only shifter to stay with Flint and the others instead of going back to the Land Of Time.
 * Hanihani / Honey-Honey / Jitterbug: Dogu-type Time Shifter who can make people dance. Jitterbug-Con can eat earthenware and shoot them from his mouth. Found in early Japan. As Jitterbug-Master, he can perform the Power Whirl attack.
 * Erudora / Eldora: Feathered serpent-type Time Shifter who can turn anything to gold. Eldora-Con is a dragon-like creature protruding from a cube that can perform the Petra-Blast attack. Eldora-Master is a humanoid version of Eldora that can fire gold-colored blinding beams. Found in Latin America when the Spanish invaded.
 * Teirun / Talun / Talen: Fox-like Time Shifter that can enter any story books. Talen-Con had five tails that it stood on and can use them to perform the Petra-Spike attack. Talen-Master looks like a humanoid fox. She was found in Edo-era Japan with Murasaki Shikibu.
 * Mosubii / Mosbee: Mammoth head-type Time Shifter that can freeze anything (whatever form he was in). Mosbee-Con is a real woolly mammoth and has a club attached to his trunk which fires the Petra-Freeze attack. Mosbee-Master is a humanoid mammoth who's Mosbee-Master Freeze Blast can freeze anything from his ears. He was found in Russia when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded the country.
 * Kokoron / Cocolon / Coconaut: Time-Shifter that can tell if people are right or wrong and control weather. Coconaut-Con can call upon a deadly storm and shoot water from its mouth. Coconaut-Master looks like Coconaut but more "advanced", but with a fish-like water gun for a left arm to perform the Tidal Wave attack. Found by Christopher Columbus.
 * Tanegan / Tannegun / Bubblegum: Time Shifter that can shoot bubbles. Bubblegum-Con is a hermit crab who can trap people inside his shell and uses the Petra-Fire attack. Bubblegum-Master is a humanoid robot with machine guns for both arms which he uses to shoot stinging bubbles. His Japanese name is a play on dangan, a Japanese word for "bullet". Found in Edo-era Japan with Nobunaga Oda.
 * Sufin / Sphin / Lynx : Sphinx-type Time Shifter who's good at riddles. Lynx-Con looks similar to a sarcophagus that can split in half. Lynx-Master is depicted as a wemic with the helmet of a pharaoh that was only shown as an image in Dr. Goodman's computer. He was found in Ancient Egypt.
 * Horurun / Artie: Bird-like Time Shifter that can bring drawings to life. Artie-Con has a long, sharp drill-like beak that can Petra-Drill into almost anything. Artie-Master can really fly and has super-strength. Found by a young Auguste Rodin.
 * Nekketsu / Gutty / Batterball: Baseball-themed Time Shifter who looks like a catcher's mitt, helping Babe Ruth when he was a kid. He can turn anything into a baseball and can hit fast balls at his opponents, no matter what his form was. Batterball-Con looks like a four-armed umpire with a left arm for a head and neck. Batterball-Master resembles a baseball player who is equipped with a bat that can hit flaming home runs.
 * Anmon / Bindi: Ammonite-like Time Shifter that give or take life force, she became Merlock's partner. She has feelings for him. Bindi-Con can drain the life force of her enemies and use this advantage to become stronger. Bindi-Master is an angel-like fairy. Found in Transylvania by Vlad III Dracula.
 * Omochiyan / Toyman / Elfin: Santa Claus-themed Time Shifter who can turn anything into a toy. Elfin-Con took on a form of a reindeer with a skull-like head. Elfin-Master is merely a "superpowered" version of himself as shown on Dr. Goodman's computer. Found somewhere in 19th century England.
 * Reddoman / Redmen / Cardians: Playing card-themed quartet made up of Blademan the Swordsman, Thud the All-Powerful, Arrowman the Archer, and Snapper the Camera Whiz. They are modeled on The Three Musketeers. The four can merge together while transforming into their powered forms. Cardian-Con looks similar to a jester-like grim reaper. Cardian-Master, on the other hand, is a knight equipped with a sword and shield. Found in the year 2000 in Tokyo.
 * Monarisu / Monolise / Plumella: Squirrel-like Time Shifter that can trap anyone in their self-portraits. Plumella-Con can not only use the Petra-Bash, she can also trap her opponents in paint goo. Her Japanese name is a play on Mona Lisa and "risu", the Japanese word for "squirrel". She was found in the time of Leonardo da Vinci.
 * Uingu / Wing: Bird-like Time Shifter that can put wings on anyone. Wing-Con is a vulture-like flying fortress that attacks with flying propellers and darts. As Wing-Master, he becomes similar to a jet aircraft flying at great speeds and can be ridden by anyone. He was found in the care of the young Wright brothers.
 * Moaiwa / Mo-Ai-Wah / Moah: Moai-type Time Shifter who is the biggest of the Shifters. Moah-Con is depicted as a floating creature with a Moai statue for its head which shoots magma and can even cause volcanic eruptions. Moah-Master is a giant humanoid golem who can communicate with the giant stone "Moai" to prevent a tidal wave using a seawall. He was found in the Pacific on what is now Easter Island.
 * Erekin / Elekin: Elekiter-type Time Shifter with power over electricity. Elekin-Con can attack with electric shocks. Elekin-Master is bigger than his normal self (save for the addition of two arms and two legs like a real human) which looks like and pays tribute to giant robots like Voltes V and Daimos. He was found in Edo-era Japan with Hiraga Gennai.
 * Masurun / Muscles: A Time Shifter that can make anyone strong by simply touching them. He looks similar to a dumbbell in his normal form. Muscles-Con can attack people (especially Flint) with heavy, metallic balls and tie people up with ropes. Muscles-Master has enormous strength. He was found in Ancient Greece, in the year 5 AD.
 * Yuniita / Unita: A telepathic Time Shifter that looks like a winged unicorn (Pegasus to be exact). Old Timer's aid, he travels through time and space without any mechanical assistance. He is always shown in his Master form (which is a flying white unicorn). Unita-Con is a fiery, flying black unicorn that can breathe fire. He was found in the Grand Canyon in an unknown period.
 * Rarudo / Raldo: Turtle-like Time Shifter that can trap anyone in his shell. Raldo-Con can shoot crystal spikes from his shell and can turn into a large rolling ball of crystal spikes. Raldo can also transform into Raldo-Master which can freeze any enemy with his Raldo Freeze. He was found in the time of Petra Fina's childhood.
 * Riifii / Leafy: Time Shifter that has power over plants. Leafy-Con is a cross between a rose and a dragon that can breathe fire and her head is hard like diamonds. She also can turn into Leafy-Master which looks like a pink flower and attacks with pollen. Founded in the time of young King Arthur.
 * Bouzan / Bowsan / Monk: Time Shifter that collects weapons (especially the naginata and the backsword) and is an expert samurai. As the multi-armed Monk-Con, he can shoot spikes from his body and relies too much on weapons which is one of his weaknesses. He helped Saito Musashibo Benkei.
 * Guusuu / Zoo-zoo / Nightcap: Tapir-type Time Shifter that helps people sleep. Nightcap-Con can confuse his opponents (he even causes Flint and Talen-Master to fight each other). He was found by the famous author Hans Christian Andersen who used Nightcap to sleep.
 * Myuujii / Muscy / Musey: Time Shifter who resembles an eighth note symbol with a mouth of a bugle that can recognize beautiful music and can use it to overpower any person's emotions. Musey-Con is a frog-like creature equipped with a phonograph using ultrasonic attacks. Musey-Master looks similar to a conductor that can wrap his enemies in sheet music. Found in the time of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and young Ludwig van Beethoven.
 * Kozenii / Co-Zenny / Change: Time Shifter that looks like a walking purse. and can hypnotize people using the persuasion of wealth. It can make real money by eating takoyaki. Change-Con (which looks like Change but bigger and has spikes all over his body) can shoot gold bullions. Found in Edo-era Japan with Kinokuniya Bunzaemon.
 * Musshuu / Morphy / Bugsy: Caterpillar-type Time Shifter that can turn anyone into an insect by looking at them through his magnifying glass. Bugsy-Con is a moth-like creature that attacks with sickle-like arms and a morphing ray. Found in the period of a young Jean Henri Fabre.
 * Jiyaba / Java / Dipper: Elephant-type Time Shifter and brother of Mosbee. He can locate water. As Dipper-Con, he can shoot fire from his trunk. As Dipper-Master, he also shoots fire but from his hands. Founded by Marco Polo.
 * Nakkuru / Knuckle: A Chinese dragon-like Time Shifter who's an expert of martial arts and makes a great master. One of the most powerful of this group even when he's in his Knuckle-Con. Found in Hong Kong in the year 1972 by Bruce Lee. Knuckle could be a reference to the film Enter the Dragon.
 * Doron: Time Shifter that looks like a pumpkin-headed ghost. He can scare people by spitting out illuminous spooks. Found in the time of Thomas Edison. Doron-Con is a gigantic version of himself with ivy branches for arms and legs and attacks with throwing axes.
 * Kagenin / Shadow Ninja / Shadow: Fox-like Time Shifter who can make shadow clones of anyone. When he is under Petra's control, Shadow-Con attacks with shurikens and creates evil shadow doubles. Found by a cowardly Miyamoto Musashi.
 * Kometto / Commet / Orbit: Star-type Time Shifter who has the power of encouragement, the only missing Time Shifter not to be found in any period. Orbit-Con has a tank-like bottom with cannons that can break through walls. Orbit-Master is a humanoid version of herself.

English adaptation
Saban Entertainment did the English adaptation for Flint, which is very different from the original Japanese version.

All the original Japanese music score is replaced with a new American-made soundtrack; all the sound effects are changed as well. Traditional Japanese cultural music is heard in the American dub, but because the music and sound effects are changed, it sounds a lot different in the dub than in the original Japanese version.

All the dialogue is completely changed and rewritten to be a lot different from that of the original Japanese dialogue, in which puns, jokes, and humor are added. Even though the character names are changed to more Americanized full names, the setting of the country is still kept as in Japan, and much of the Japanese culture are kept as well as much of the Japanese text, left out untouched and untranslated. The Time Shifters don't speak in the Japanese version (they just say their names instead), whereas in the English version they are capable of speaking in English.

Japanese cast

 * Yukiji as Genshi-kun
 * Nana Mizuki as Sora Yamato
 * Chiaki Morita as Tokio Yamato
 * Chinami Nishimura as Puu-chan
 * Katsumi Suzuki as Time-G
 * Kappei Yamaguchi as Kyoichiro Narugami
 * Yumi Touma as T.P. Lady/Akira Aino
 * Toshiyuki Morikawa as Masked Man/Dark Lord

English cast

 * R. Martin Klein as Flint Hammerhead
 * Tifanie Christun as Sarah Goodman
 * Brian Donovan as Tony Goodman
 * Richard Cansino as Bernard Goodman
 * Mona Marshall as Getalong
 * Bob Papenbrook as Rocky Hammerhead
 * Greg Berg as Pterry
 * Dave Mallow as Merlock Holmes, Coconaut
 * Melissa Fahn as Bindi
 * Mari Devon as Jillian Gray
 * Barbara Goodson as Petra Fina Dagmar/Ms. Iknow
 * Lex Lang as Dino/Mr. Dino
 * David Lodge as Mite/Principal Mite
 * Kim Strauss as The Old Timer
 * Tom Wyner as Dark Lord
 * Joe Ochman as Nascal, Uglinator
 * Melodee Spevack as Eldora, Artie
 * Brianne Siddall as Mosbee
 * Michael Sorich as Lynx, Ominito
 * Derek Stephen Prince as Elekin

Trivia

 * The Japanese company Sanrio helped produce this series and is the only shōnen title they produced.
 * This series made its debut on the now-defunct Fox Family Made In Japan and Fox Kids blocks before making its way to ABC Family.
 * Dinosaur King's Ursula looks very similar to Petra, maybe as a tribute to her.