Bikkuriman

is a line of wafer snacks produced by Lotte, made notable for the randomly assorted bonus stickers included inside each snack. First released in 1977, Bikkuriman (ビックリマン, “Surprise Man”) become wildly popular in Japan with the introduction of the Akuma vs Tenshi Seal (悪魔VS天使シール, "Devil VS Angel Seal") series of stickers, leading to a prolific number of media tie-ins.

Unfortunately, the popularity of the stickers led to trouble for the series. The zeal for trying to obtain Head Seals would lead children to buy Bikkuriman in mass quantities, retrieve the stickers inside, and simply throw away the snack. This, along with the fact that children and collectors were willing to pay high amounts of money for the rarer cards, led to parent groups expressing concern of possible gambling undertones to the stickers. This led to action by the Japanese Fair Trade Commission, and the number of Head Seals per pack was increased from the average 4 to 24 individual Seals.

The series has been adapted into the following anime.
 * , the first series based on the 1st to 18th packs which is co-produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, Asatsu-DK and Toei Animation and aired on TV Asahi channels from October 11, 1987 to April 2, 1989.
 * , a sequel to the first series based on the 19th to 24th packs which aired from April 9, 1989 to August 26, 1990.
 * , a series based on the SF side-story series produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and aired on TV Asahi channels from May 17 1992 to April 4, 1993.
 * , a series based on the pack series of the same name. It was co-produced by NAS and Studio Comet, and aired from November 1, 1999 to February 26, 2001.
 * , a series based on the "Hikari Legend" packs. It was produced by Toei Aimation and aired on TV Asahi channels from October 15, 2006 to September 30, 2007.

Plot
n a world divided between angels and evil creatures, only the young hero Yamato Shintei has the power to defeat the demons...