[TokuChris]

In Japan, it seems to be a flavor of the year in regards to tokusatsu - the new year of new heroes makes it interesting and exciting.

But come to the United States, and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are the icon of the "Power Rangers" franchise ... no matter how many series they adapt, everyone will say "I REMEMBER HIM!" of the Mighty Morphin variety, even celebrities and such.

Anime wise, I think there's some icons out there ... obviously Son Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks will always be icons for Dragonball Z. And Sailor Moon will always be an icon as well. Mostly, again, because of their distinct popularity across the world and not just Japan.

Marvel? They've got the edge on the movies right now, and thus are making their characters worldwide famous, such as the Avengers, and even to an extent, some of the X-Men (a few animes in Japan featuring the 90's uniforms, etc.).

DC has Batman and Superman, but I honestly don't think a lot of the world knows much more than that.