Super Robot
Encyclopedia
is a term used in manga
and anime
to describe a giant robot or mecha
, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes, and often shrouded by mystical or legendary origins. This is distinct from a Real Robot
, which is a mecha portrayed as a relatively common item, used by military organizations in the same manner as tanks or aircraft.
(dubbed and released in the US as Gigantor
), by manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, which featured a giant robot piloted by remote-control by a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who used it to fight against evil. However, the first anime to use the phrase Super Robot and the one that set the standards for the genre was Mazinger Z
, created by Go Nagai
and making its debut in manga publications and TV in 1972. The main difference between Mazinger Z and previous robots was that the hero, Koji Kabuto
, would pilot the robot from the inside in the same manner as one would drive a car. This anime show was hugely popular and spanned numerous sequels and imitations during the 1970s, and revival shows later during the 80s and 90s.
, Getter Robo
, Combattler V
, etc.), and tend to use a "monster of the week
" format in that the villains introduce a single antagonist at the beginning of the episode that the heroes usually defeat by its end. While some have leveled criticisms at the super robot shows for having this format, a vast number of series, both Japanese and abroad, engage in exactly the same plot structure, introducing minor antagonists while slightly developing the main struggle between the chief protagonists and the major villains. In the 70s, with a common episode count around 50 to 52 episodes for many series, more if especially popular, a more minor chief conflict would be resolved at the end of the first 'season', around episode 26, with another developing directly afterwards and leading, in the final episodes of the series, to the ultimate confrontation with the chiefest of antagonists. This remains a trend in anime
and, despite what casual critics of super robot shows might claim, is not unique to the super robot genre.
Antagonists tended to come from either outer space or ancient civilizations, with common elements being a monstrous appearance or an entirely strange, occasionally even beautiful, one. Many foes employed robot or cyborg
henchmen, whom they often sent against the heroes in their robot. The goals of these antagonists varied, although many were megalomaniacal or outright genocidal in their ambitions.
In the 1980s the Real Robot
genre spawned by the Gundam
films and the popular Space Battleship Yamato
-style space opera films enjoyed a comparatively brief dominance upon trends of the mecha anime in Japan, and new Super Robot shows were less frequent for a time as space opera
and militaristic mecha became popular. However, in the 1990s a renaissance in the Super Robot genre occurred, due at least in part to the economic problems of Japan which led many TV stations to rerun numerous series popular in the 70s. Of course this included classic super robot series, which renewed the public's interest in them and spawned rejuvenation of the Yuusha series. All these may have had some influence upon subsequent anime series and OVA
s like Giant Robo which combined the basic concept of Super Robot shows with storylines rife with attempts at profundity and occasionally philosophical or political messages.
Many remakes and updates of old Super Robot shows, such as Getter Robo Armageddon
, Tetsujin-28, and Mazinkaiser
and others were produced, sometimes using complex plots while others remained with simple "Good vs. Evil" stories. Super robot shows were not the only ones to receive this attention however, as so many classic series enjoyed a resurgence in popularity due to the reruns leading to a new generation of fans now directly familiar with the material.
Inevitably, there are some types of mecha that are difficult to classify as either a real robot or a super robot. Some of these include the Aura Battlers from Aura Battler Dunbine
or the Evangelion units
from Neon Genesis Evangelion
, which follow the general motif of real robots, but their origin and abilities are more like the typical super robot (though Evangelions are technically cyborg
s). The Mortar Headds from Five Star Stories
are unique artifacts, treated like individual works of art by the fictional society present in the story, and their power often borderlines on super robot. However, their intricate engineering and the motif of their weaponry is often scientifically explained by series creator Mamoru Nagano which makes them very real robot-esque in other ways.
Mecha which employ both Super Robot and Real Robot principles are referred to as Hybrid Robots; since the production of Evangelion, this approach has gained some popularity and developed into its own niche, as evidenced by shows such as Brain Powerd
, RahXephon
, Overman King Gainer
and Zegapain
. Nevertheless, several pure Super Robot series have been produced in modern times, such as Gear Fighter Dendoh
, Gravion
and Godannar
. The 2007 anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is notable for featuring 1970s-inspired Super Robot protagonists (Spirals) in conflict with Evangelion-inspired Hybrid Robot antagonists (Anti-Spirals) in the second half of the series.
In late 1972, a Japanese toy company called Popy released a die-cast metal version of Mazinger Z
, whose series was airing at that time. The figure was about 4 inches tall, it launched spring-loaded fists like the robot "Rocket Punch" on the series and was quite heavy, being made of metal.
This toy revolutionized the Japanese toy industry, spawning lots of toys for almost every Super Robot show that was aired on Japanese TV. Sometimes the case was the opposite: a TV anime giant robot show was created based on the toys produced. The Chogokin line of robots (the name given by Popy to the toyline), eventually lost its popularity in the early 80's after its rival company, Bandai
, took the industry by storm with their Gundam franchise and their new plastic toy lines. The original die-cast Popy SR toys have become rare collector's items, with those in mint condition fetching thousands of dollars in the collector's market.
Ironically, it was Bandai itself that revived the Super Robot die-cast toys in recent times. Having acquired the Popy toys rights, and due to the renaissance in popularity of the giant robot of the past, Bandai began release a line of solid, highly detailed and quite expensive models made of die-cast metal. This line is called Soul of Chogokin
, and is currently producing a fine line of toys that is aimed primarily at collectors. One of them, a super deluxe model of the Super Robot called Grendizer
(complete with the die-cast robot, a flying saucer, four ships and other accessories), which currently is out of production, is known to reach over US$400 in specialized stores and auctions.
A good quantity of "Soul of Chogokin" toys from different Super Robot series of the past have been produced, like Mazinger
(which has over 12 models based on different robots from the anime), Gaiking
, Dancougar, Tetsujin 28-go
, and a few others.
series, which was a compilation of different Japanese giant robot shows, and with the Mattel
Shogun Warriors
toyline. Super Robots are much more likely to be known in the United States by way of Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984), a translated and edited compendium of two earlier Japanese series, King of the Beasts, GoLion
(1981) and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV
(1982), which became the top-rated children's show on U.S. television and a 1980s pop-culture icon in America.
Largely due to Mazinger Z and redubbed versions of other Super Robot series, the Super Robot genre garnered much more visibility in other parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and the Arab world. Mazinger Z also had a short-lived U.S. TV broadcast in the mid-1980s under the title TranZor Z, but was regarded by many viewers as a rip-off of Voltron, despite the fact that Mazinger preceded the first Voltron series, Golion, on television in Japan by almost a decade. However, the series proved much more popular abroad, especially in the Spanish-dubbed version in Mexico
and other Latin America
n countries.
Another Super Robot show which was shown in America but had a more significant impact in Europe and the Middle East
was another Go Nagai creation, UFO Robo Grendizer. In the United States, this series was part of the Force Five package. However, in France
, Grendizer, retitled Goldorak, became a major hit in its initial broadcast there in 1978, three years after its Japanese premiere, and paved the way for other successful European dubs of the series (such as Goldrake in Italy); in fact, in 2005, Toei Animation and Go Nagai's Dynamic Planning won a substantial judgment against a French company selling pirated Goldorak DVDs. One European country where the Super Robot genre has been particularly successful is Italy
, where a number of Super Robot series not shown in any other territory outside Japan (such as Zambot 3
) have been screened on TV especially from the late 70s to the mid 80s giving rise to phrases like "The invasion of the animated Japanese robots". Grendizer has also gain a wide fanbase in the Arabic part of the Middle East during the 1980s and 1990s and still airs on several Arabic networks to this very day, where it is considered one of the anime titles responsible for the creating the Anime Invasion in that part of the world especially mecha anime and is considered one of the most popular Arabic dubbed cartoons of all time. Unlike the Italian and French dub, it kept the original Japanese names of the characters. In the Philippines, Voltes V was broad casted in the 1970s and 1990s, and he is immensely popular among Filipinos.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
to describe a giant robot or mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes, and often shrouded by mystical or legendary origins. This is distinct from a Real Robot
Real Robot
is a genre of Japanese animation. The genre contains mecha robots that are powered by conventional power sources and weapons explainable by real world science, and that use ranged weapons and speed to survive battle situations....
, which is a mecha portrayed as a relatively common item, used by military organizations in the same manner as tanks or aircraft.
Beginnings: Tetsujin 28-go, Mazinger Z
The idea of a robot controlled by a young hero was first used in 1956 with Iron Man 28 or Tetsujin 28-goTetsujin 28-go
is a 1956 manga written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who also created Giant Robo. The series centred on the adventures of a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who controlled a giant robot named Tetsujin 28, built by his late father....
(dubbed and released in the US as Gigantor
Gigantor
Gigantor is an American adaptation of the anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on U.S. television in 1964. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers...
), by manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, which featured a giant robot piloted by remote-control by a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who used it to fight against evil. However, the first anime to use the phrase Super Robot and the one that set the standards for the genre was Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
, created by Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
and making its debut in manga publications and TV in 1972. The main difference between Mazinger Z and previous robots was that the hero, Koji Kabuto
Koji Kabuto
', also written Kouji Kabuto, is a fictional character featuring in the works of manga artist Go Nagai. He is the main character and pilot of super robot Mazinger Z. He makes a comeback in the sequel series Great Mazinger where he helps defeating the Mycenaean Empire...
, would pilot the robot from the inside in the same manner as one would drive a car. This anime show was hugely popular and spanned numerous sequels and imitations during the 1970s, and revival shows later during the 80s and 90s.
Basic characteristics
The Super Robot anime shows are usually named after the title robot (Mazinger ZMazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
, Getter Robo
Getter Robo
is a Super Robot manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an anime series produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes.- Plot :...
, Combattler V
Combattler V
is the first part of the Robot Romance Trilogy of Super Robot series created by "Saburo Yatsude" and directed by Tadao Nagahama. The robot's name is a portmanteau of Combine, Combat and Battle, and the V is intended both as an abbreviation for "victory" and in reference to the five component...
, etc.), and tend to use a "monster of the week
Villain of the week
"Villain of the week" is a term that describes the nature of one-use antagonists in episodic fiction, especially ongoing American genre-based television series...
" format in that the villains introduce a single antagonist at the beginning of the episode that the heroes usually defeat by its end. While some have leveled criticisms at the super robot shows for having this format, a vast number of series, both Japanese and abroad, engage in exactly the same plot structure, introducing minor antagonists while slightly developing the main struggle between the chief protagonists and the major villains. In the 70s, with a common episode count around 50 to 52 episodes for many series, more if especially popular, a more minor chief conflict would be resolved at the end of the first 'season', around episode 26, with another developing directly afterwards and leading, in the final episodes of the series, to the ultimate confrontation with the chiefest of antagonists. This remains a trend in anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and, despite what casual critics of super robot shows might claim, is not unique to the super robot genre.
Antagonists tended to come from either outer space or ancient civilizations, with common elements being a monstrous appearance or an entirely strange, occasionally even beautiful, one. Many foes employed robot or cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
henchmen, whom they often sent against the heroes in their robot. The goals of these antagonists varied, although many were megalomaniacal or outright genocidal in their ambitions.
In the 1980s the Real Robot
Real Robot
is a genre of Japanese animation. The genre contains mecha robots that are powered by conventional power sources and weapons explainable by real world science, and that use ranged weapons and speed to survive battle situations....
genre spawned by the Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
films and the popular Space Battleship Yamato
Space Battleship Yamato
is a Japanese science fiction anime series featuring an eponymous spacecraft. It is also known to English-speaking audiences as Space Cruiser Yamato; an English-dubbed and heavily edited version of the series was broadcast on North American and Australian television as Star Blazers...
-style space opera films enjoyed a comparatively brief dominance upon trends of the mecha anime in Japan, and new Super Robot shows were less frequent for a time as space opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
and militaristic mecha became popular. However, in the 1990s a renaissance in the Super Robot genre occurred, due at least in part to the economic problems of Japan which led many TV stations to rerun numerous series popular in the 70s. Of course this included classic super robot series, which renewed the public's interest in them and spawned rejuvenation of the Yuusha series. All these may have had some influence upon subsequent anime series and OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
s like Giant Robo which combined the basic concept of Super Robot shows with storylines rife with attempts at profundity and occasionally philosophical or political messages.
Many remakes and updates of old Super Robot shows, such as Getter Robo Armageddon
Getter Robo Armageddon
, often simply referred to as Change!! Getter Robo in Japan, is an original video animation released in 1998 by Bandai Visual, based on the manga and anime series Getter Robo, created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa...
, Tetsujin-28, and Mazinkaiser
Mazinkaiser
is an anime OVA series, inspired by Go Nagai's Mazinger series. The OVA follows Kouji Kabuto, Tetsuya Tsurugi and the rest of the "Mazinger Team" as they fight against Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts....
and others were produced, sometimes using complex plots while others remained with simple "Good vs. Evil" stories. Super robot shows were not the only ones to receive this attention however, as so many classic series enjoyed a resurgence in popularity due to the reruns leading to a new generation of fans now directly familiar with the material.
Inevitably, there are some types of mecha that are difficult to classify as either a real robot or a super robot. Some of these include the Aura Battlers from Aura Battler Dunbine
Aura Battler Dunbine
is an anime television series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sunrise Studios.Dunbine is set in Byston Well, a parallel world that resembles the countryside of medieval Europe with kingdoms ruled by monarchs in castles, armies of unicorn-riding cavalry armed with swords and crossbows,...
or the Evangelion units
Evangelion (mecha)
In the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, , are the fictional mecha piloted by the Children chosen by the Marduk Institute . The Evas were created by Nerv. Their principal purpose is defending Tokyo-3 from the Angels...
from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise
The franchise is an umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax. It has grossed over 150 billion yen since 1995. The central works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic mecha action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization...
, which follow the general motif of real robots, but their origin and abilities are more like the typical super robot (though Evangelions are technically cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
s). The Mortar Headds from Five Star Stories
Five Star Stories
is a manga series created by Mamoru Nagano, building on his work on the anime series Heavy Metal L-Gaim.The story is staged at an alien cluster of four major planetary systems. The God of Light, Amaterasu, the immortal emperor of the Grees Kingdom on the planet Delta Belune, is destined to rule the...
are unique artifacts, treated like individual works of art by the fictional society present in the story, and their power often borderlines on super robot. However, their intricate engineering and the motif of their weaponry is often scientifically explained by series creator Mamoru Nagano which makes them very real robot-esque in other ways.
Mecha which employ both Super Robot and Real Robot principles are referred to as Hybrid Robots; since the production of Evangelion, this approach has gained some popularity and developed into its own niche, as evidenced by shows such as Brain Powerd
Brain Powerd
is a Japanese anime television series created by Sunrise. The series is set on a future, decimated Earth after the discovery of a mysterious, alien spacecraft dubbed "Orphan". A group of researchers scour the planet for Orphan's disc plates using mecha called "Antibodies" in order to revive the...
, RahXephon
RahXephon
is a Japanese anime series about 17-year-old Ayato Kamina, his ability to control a godlike mecha known as the RahXephon, and his inner journey to find a place in the world...
, Overman King Gainer
Overman King Gainer
is a TV anime series, created by Sunrise. Directed by longtime animator Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of the Gundam series, written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, and featuring character designs by Yoshihiro Nakamura, Kinu Nishimura and Ken'ichi Yoshida, the series ran from September 7, 2002 to March 22, 2003...
and Zegapain
Zegapain
is a Japanese anime television series created by Sunrise. The series premiered in Japan on April 6, 2006 on TV Tokyo and also later aired on BS Japan and AT-X. On October 2, 2007, Bandai Entertainment released the first Region 1 volume of Zegapain.-Plot:...
. Nevertheless, several pure Super Robot series have been produced in modern times, such as Gear Fighter Dendoh
Gear Fighter Dendoh
is an anime series that aired in Japan. It ran for 38 episodes, from October 4, 2000 to June 27, 2001, on the TV Tokyo network and its affiliates.-Overview:...
, Gravion
Gravion
is an anime television series produced by Gonzo. It aired in Japan from October 7, 2002 to December 16, 2002 and ran for 13 episodes. In 2004, was released and aired from January 8 to March 25 in Japan, running for twelve additional episodes, answering the questions generated from the first...
and Godannar
Godannar
is an anime series created and directed by Yasuchika Nagaoka.-Background:In 2042, alien threats known as the laid waste to Japan. During a final battle against the Mimetic beasts, Goh Saruwatari defeats the alien "boss" and saves his fiance, Anna Aoi, with his robot, the Dannar.Now, on their...
. The 2007 anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is notable for featuring 1970s-inspired Super Robot protagonists (Spirals) in conflict with Evangelion-inspired Hybrid Robot antagonists (Anti-Spirals) in the second half of the series.
Merchandise
Possibly the real success expected from a sci-fi giant robot show would be the toys and merchandise sales they can produce. In fact, the Super Robot genre spawned a new type of toys that became the defining items of the genre.In late 1972, a Japanese toy company called Popy released a die-cast metal version of Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
, whose series was airing at that time. The figure was about 4 inches tall, it launched spring-loaded fists like the robot "Rocket Punch" on the series and was quite heavy, being made of metal.
This toy revolutionized the Japanese toy industry, spawning lots of toys for almost every Super Robot show that was aired on Japanese TV. Sometimes the case was the opposite: a TV anime giant robot show was created based on the toys produced. The Chogokin line of robots (the name given by Popy to the toyline), eventually lost its popularity in the early 80's after its rival company, Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
, took the industry by storm with their Gundam franchise and their new plastic toy lines. The original die-cast Popy SR toys have become rare collector's items, with those in mint condition fetching thousands of dollars in the collector's market.
Ironically, it was Bandai itself that revived the Super Robot die-cast toys in recent times. Having acquired the Popy toys rights, and due to the renaissance in popularity of the giant robot of the past, Bandai began release a line of solid, highly detailed and quite expensive models made of die-cast metal. This line is called Soul of Chogokin
Soul of Chogokin
or "Soul of Super-alloy", is a popular line of adult collector's toys produced by the Japanese company Bandai.The line, which began in 1997, focuses almost exclusively on mecha taken from various 70's/80's anime series, although the line has diverged from this on a number of occasions, most...
, and is currently producing a fine line of toys that is aimed primarily at collectors. One of them, a super deluxe model of the Super Robot called Grendizer
Grendizer
is a super robot TV anime and manga created by manga artist Go Nagai. It is the third entry in the Mazinger trilogy. It was broadcasted on Japanese television from October 5, 1975, to February 27, 1977, and lasted 74 episodes...
(complete with the die-cast robot, a flying saucer, four ships and other accessories), which currently is out of production, is known to reach over US$400 in specialized stores and auctions.
A good quantity of "Soul of Chogokin" toys from different Super Robot series of the past have been produced, like Mazinger
Mazinger
is a long running series of manga and anime featuring giant robots or mecha. The name can also be pronounced "Mazinga", as it is has been known in several countries, including in the United States of America.-Series:The series in order:...
(which has over 12 models based on different robots from the anime), Gaiking
Gaiking
was a Japanese Super Robot mecha anime series produced by Toei Animation.It ran from April 1976 through January 1977 and consisted of 44 26-minute episodes. Gaiking was notable for being one of the few super robot series to take place in real places outside of Japan, and for being the first Super...
, Dancougar, Tetsujin 28-go
Tetsujin 28-go
is a 1956 manga written and illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who also created Giant Robo. The series centred on the adventures of a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who controlled a giant robot named Tetsujin 28, built by his late father....
, and a few others.
Super Robots outside of Japan
Apart from Gigantors cult-classic status in the United States, the only true impact Super Robot shows made in the States before the 1980s was in the form of the Force FiveForce Five
Force Five was a syndicated anime cartoon anthology during the late 1970s/early 1980s. In the US, this series was primarily shown only in New England and Virginia, though it did make brief appearances in other markets, such as Dallas, Texas and San Jose, California on KICU-TV 36. It was also shown...
series, which was a compilation of different Japanese giant robot shows, and with the Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
Shogun Warriors
Shogun Warriors
The Shogun Warriors were the central characters of a line of toys licensed by Mattel Inc. during the late 1970s that consisted of a series of imported Japanese robots based on the then popular anime shows featuring giant robots...
toyline. Super Robots are much more likely to be known in the United States by way of Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984), a translated and edited compendium of two earlier Japanese series, King of the Beasts, GoLion
Golion
is a Japanese super robot anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and trimmed to create the Lion version of the U.S. Voltron: Defender of the Universe series, with new names and dialogue, as well as several plot changes...
(1981) and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV
Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV
was an anime series aired in Japan from 1982 to 1983. It is also referred to as "Dairugger 15", "Dairugger XV", "Armored Armada Dairugger XV", "Armored Squadron Dairugger XV", or "Machine Platoon Dairugger"....
(1982), which became the top-rated children's show on U.S. television and a 1980s pop-culture icon in America.
Largely due to Mazinger Z and redubbed versions of other Super Robot series, the Super Robot genre garnered much more visibility in other parts of the world, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and the Arab world. Mazinger Z also had a short-lived U.S. TV broadcast in the mid-1980s under the title TranZor Z, but was regarded by many viewers as a rip-off of Voltron, despite the fact that Mazinger preceded the first Voltron series, Golion, on television in Japan by almost a decade. However, the series proved much more popular abroad, especially in the Spanish-dubbed version in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and other Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n countries.
Another Super Robot show which was shown in America but had a more significant impact in Europe and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
was another Go Nagai creation, UFO Robo Grendizer. In the United States, this series was part of the Force Five package. However, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Grendizer, retitled Goldorak, became a major hit in its initial broadcast there in 1978, three years after its Japanese premiere, and paved the way for other successful European dubs of the series (such as Goldrake in Italy); in fact, in 2005, Toei Animation and Go Nagai's Dynamic Planning won a substantial judgment against a French company selling pirated Goldorak DVDs. One European country where the Super Robot genre has been particularly successful is Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where a number of Super Robot series not shown in any other territory outside Japan (such as Zambot 3
Invincible Super Man Zambot 3
is a Super Robot anime series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yoshitake Suzuki, featuring character design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and produced by Sunrise. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1977. The series lasted for 23 episodes.- Story :...
) have been screened on TV especially from the late 70s to the mid 80s giving rise to phrases like "The invasion of the animated Japanese robots". Grendizer has also gain a wide fanbase in the Arabic part of the Middle East during the 1980s and 1990s and still airs on several Arabic networks to this very day, where it is considered one of the anime titles responsible for the creating the Anime Invasion in that part of the world especially mecha anime and is considered one of the most popular Arabic dubbed cartoons of all time. Unlike the Italian and French dub, it kept the original Japanese names of the characters. In the Philippines, Voltes V was broad casted in the 1970s and 1990s, and he is immensely popular among Filipinos.
External links
- List of Super Robot shows along with images and reviews via archive.org