Crusher Joe

Enter the tale of the Crusher Council, a group of rugged individuals known for assignments ranging from transportation to terraforming and everything in between. In the early days of space exploration the Crushers took on the job of destroying asteroids and defining space lanes. Because of their work, they were nicknamed "Crushers" which eventually became their business moniker.

The Crushers work to a code that bars unethical and illegal assignments, and a Crusher who accepts one is expelled from the Union. Because the Union treats an accepted assignment as binding, clients with illicit aims attempt to secure the Crushers' agreement by misrepresenting the work. The series follows the team led by Crusher Dan and afterwards by his successor, Crusher Joe.

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction described Crusher Joe as more cynical than many contemporary anime works and criticized its characterization as negligible. Nevertheless, it considered the film a fun and action-packed production, highlighting its abundance of science-fiction and adventure imagery, including a giant space fortress, cyborgs, monsters, spaceship battles and elaborate action sequences. The encyclopedia also noted the film's irreverent tone, exemplified by its cane-wielding villain keeping an alien toad rather than the stereotypical pet cat.