Speed Racer X facts for kids

Speed Racer X is an exciting animated TV show from Japan. It's also known as Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo, Mahha GōGōGō) or New Mach GoGoGo (新・マッハGoGoGo, Shin Mahha GōGōGō). This series is a remake (a new version) of the classic 1967 show Speed Racer. The same company, Tatsunoko Productions, made both.

The show first aired in Japan in 1997 on TV Tokyo. It was planned to have 52 episodes, but only 34 were made.

In 1998, there were plans to bring an English version of the show to the United States. It was going to be called Speed Racer Y2K. However, this project didn't work out, and only one episode was dubbed into English.

Later, another English version called Speed Racer X was made by DIC Entertainment Corporation. This version aired in the United States on Nickelodeon in 2002. It was part of a special action block called "SLAM!". Unfortunately, this show was also taken off the air quickly. Only 13 episodes were dubbed because of a legal issue.

Years later, in 2017, the series was released in Japan on Blu-ray. Funimation then released the series with English subtitles. They called it Mach Go Go Go: Restart.

What's Different in This Show?

This version of Speed Racer has some cool changes from the original series.

Story Changes

• In the original, Speed's older brother, Rex Racer, ran away. But in Speed Racer X, Rex is thought to have died in an accident. This happened while he was testing the famous Mach 5 car.
• Speed's dad, Pops, later rebuilds the Mach 5. He adds a new safety system called "Safety Seven" to protect the driver.
• Speed, Rex's younger brother, decides to follow in Rex's footsteps and become a racer.
• Trixie, a character from the original, is a reporter in this show. She becomes friends with Speed.
• Spritle, who was Speed's younger brother in the original, is Trixie's younger brother in Speed Racer X.

Character Name Changes

Even in the original Japanese version, some names are different:

• Speed's Japanese name is Gō Hibiki (instead of Gō Mifune).
• Mai Kazami is like the original Trixie (Michi Shimura).
• Mai's younger brother, Wataru, is like the original Spritle (Kurio Mifune).
• Pops is still called Daisuke.
• Mom Racer's name is Misuzu (instead of Aya Mifune).
• Chim-Chim the monkey is named Rocky in this version.
• The English dub of Speed Racer X uses the familiar names from the first Speed Racer English show. However, the family's racing team is still called "Hibiki Motors."

Time Travel Adventures

Later in the series, things get really interesting with time traveling!

• When the Mach 5 car reaches a super-fast speed of 555 kilometers per hour, it sends Speed and his friends into the future.
• They end up in the year 2555. In this future, a blue-skinned alien named Handler rules the world.
• Handler plans to use a special device called the Ezekiel Wheel to control all of time. Speed and his friends must stop him!

Who Are the Voices?

Here are some of the talented people who lent their voices to the characters:

Japanese Voice Actors

• Kōichi Tōchika as Go Hibiki (響 剛, Hibiki Go)
• Kazusa Murai as Mai Kazami (風見 舞, Kazami Mai)
• Motoko Kumai as Wataru Kazami (風見 ワタル, Kazami Wataru)
• Minoru Inaba as Daisuke Hibiki (響 大輔, Hibiki Daisuke) (Pops)
• Yōko Sōmi as Misuzu Hibiki (響 美鈴, Hibiki Misuzu) (Mom Racer)
• Toshiyuki Morikawa as Masked Racer (覆面レーサー, Fukumen Rehsaa)/Ken'ichi Hibiki (響 健一, Hibiki Ken'ichi) (Racer X/Rex Racer)
• Kaneto Shiozawa as Handler (ハンドラー, Handora)

English Voice Actors

• Dave Wittenberg as Speed Racer
• Dan Woren as Pops Racer
• Tifanie Christun as Trixie, Spritle
• Michelle Ruff as Mom Racer
• Joshua Seth as Sparky
• Richard Epcar as Racer X/Rex Racer

Episodes

The Speed Racer X TV series has a total of 34 episodes. The first episode, "Its Name is Mach 5!!", aired in Japan on January 9, 1997. The last episode, "A Showdown for the Future: The Fall of Handler Castle", aired on September 24, 1997. The English dub only released 13 episodes.

Other Cool Stuff

Besides the TV show, Speed Racer X also has other media:

• Manga: A two-volume manga (Japanese comic book) version was published in 1997 in a magazine called CoroCoro Comic. This manga was a kodomo manga, which means it was made for younger kids.
• Video Game: A video game based on the series was made by TOSE. It was published by Tomy Corporation and released only in Japan for the Game Boy handheld console. The game could also be played on the Super Game Boy.

See also

In Spanish: Speed Racer X para niños