Trivia
The full title of the anime the game is based on is Akai Kōdan Jirion which is Japanese for "Red Photon Zillion"
I have to correct Satoshi here: Zillion, the anime, was released in the United States. (I have a tape myself.) It was released in 1990 by Streamline Pictures and dubbed into English. A search for "Zillion" on eBay should find a few.
Yes, Zillion was based on an anime (or is that the other way around?). However, as it was never released Stateside, it's nearly impossible to get ahold of.
The Sega Master System's Light Phaser was modeled after the gun featured in Zillion.