The Three Big Bads of the Space Sheriff Trilogy

We are introduced to three big baddies who were the main enemies of Gavan, Sharivan, and Shaider.  They have different methods in their quest to take over the Universe. It's unknown whether or not they battled for some time, but here they are, those stuck in the wall villains:

Don Horror of Ucchu Keiji Gavan

Gavan's foe was the Space Crime Organization Makuu. Don Horror was pretty much well... WALLPAPER! He was the background character that kept barking orders. It's never explained how Don Horror became the way he is. Did Don Horror get paralyzed or what? Is he a Dark Lord Under Life Support? It's a typical 1980s show, so don't expect too much from this Orcus on the Throne! He's pretty much like Horde Prime in She-Ra: Princess of Power in some way. 

I found Hunter Killer to be rather generic. Instead, things got better when San Dorva and his wife, Witch Kiba came along. Witch Kiba is an old hag -- suggesting that Don Horror is also an OLD MAN. However, I must wonder why's Don Horror is portrayed to be an immobile statue? Someone at TV Tropes even rightfully dares to raise up how San Dorva was even conceived. San Dorva proved difficult to defeat. However, San Dorva's weakness was that he slacks off inside Makuu Castle -- but still proved to be a difficult foe nonetheless. In fact, San Dorva's final stand against Gavan was far better than...

I'd call this an anti-climactic battle. Don Horror prevented his wife and son from overthrowing him. However, the fight with Gavan was pretty short-lived. Was it because San Dorva was regarded as a better villain than his father? Gavan beheads Don Horror, the decapitated head tries to get even, and THAT'S IT?! I bet a longer battle sequence was planned (or even filmed) but was deleted due to time constraints. I preferred San Dorva over Don Horror.

Interestly, he was voiced by the late Shozo Iizuka early on. The rest of the show had the late Takeshi Watabe voice him even more menacingly. 

Demon King Psycho

Can Ucchu Keiji Sharivan be considered the superior sequel to Gavan? In some way, I'd say yes. Gavan was the first entry. However, Sharivan finally takes the role meant for him, and Gavan practically steps back. Gavan returns to help every now and then but only as a secondary character. The new villain group is Space Crime Syndicate Madou -- an organization that launches horrifyingly cruel (yet also typically stupid) plans so they can conquer the Earth. Talk about a bizarre combination of cruelty and stupidity -- kinda like Gorgom in Kamen Rider BLACK in some way!

The new leader Demon King Psycho is voiced by Shozo Iizuka for the whole series. Was it to avoid confusing him with the already-deceased Don Horror? Regardless, I felt Demon King Psycho was better implemented than Don Horror. Both villains are For the Evulz -- meaning doing evil for the sake of it. 

It was interesing that a mysterious bald man showed up. It turns out that Demon King Psycho used a mobile extension of himself called Psycho Horror or Psychorror. It was revealed when Demon King Psycho's subordinate Raider was revealed as a traitor. Demon King Psycho showed off the power of Psycho Horror against Gavan and Sharivan. Gavan and Sharivan had to destroy both bodies at once to win the day.

Like Don Horror, it's not explained why Demon King Psycho never stood up. Somehow, explanations like those weren't too important back then! 

Great Emperor Kubilai 

The final villain of the trilogy. I found him the least interesting. Kubilai is served by his transvestite grandson High Priest Poe (who I thought was a woman, growing up). VR Troopers Season 2 used Ucchu Keiji Shaider footage. Oraclon was the computer to Grimlord. Kubilai is the main antagonist in Shaider. It was during that time I thought Toei should sue Saban -- that's until I read about copyright laws and the history of Power Rangers. 

Kubilai was just a head mounted on the wall. However, it was explained that Warrior Shaider (Dai Sawamura's ancestor) beheaded the monster. 12,000 years ago Somehow, Kubilai's body gained animal-like sentience on its own. It's just extremely funny how someone can be beheaded and STILL LIVE. 

The finale had Kubilai return with a mechanical body. Shaider managed to destroy the mechanical body -- leaving a battle between Shaider and the head! The most obvious weak spot is Kubilai's third eye -- though it takes REAL SKILL to carry it out. It was kind of refreshing actually to see Shaider destroy Kubilai one-on-one. 

Updated: April 11, 2025