Golion

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GoLion
百獣王ゴライオン
(Hyakujuu-ou GoLion)
Genre Mecha
TV anime
Directed by Kazushi Nomura
Studio Toei animation
Network
Original run 1981 – 1982
No. of episodes 52

Golion is the original Japanese version of Lion Voltron. Instead of Honerva being the one who split up the five lions, it was an angel who wanted to teach the hero Golion humility.

Contents

[edit] Story

Golion's story starts in the year 1999 when the planet Altea is subdued by Galra Forces and enslaved. Five space explorers return to find their planet decimated by nuclear war with Planet Galra. Eventually they are captured, taken as slaves and forced to fight for their lives under the grip of the Emperor Daibarzar in the arena. Emperor Daibarzar has conquered countless worlds as well. They land on Altea (viewed by some fans as Earth) where they discover the secret of the mighty sentient robot, named Golion, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat the evil Emperor Daibarzar's forces. Unlike its predecessors Voltes V and Combattler V, it is a mystical combining robot and the robot is not formed in episode one.

[edit] The Golion Team

  • Akira Kogane (ːː ː Kogane Akira /Keith Kogane)- A high-tempered guy who leads the Golion team. Like most combining-robot leaders, he wears the stereotypical red colored attire. He thinks of strategies and is seen reading or fighting with team members when they disagree with him, like most leaders in super robot shows.
  • Isamu Kurogane (ːː ː Kurogane Isamu /Lance Charles McClain) — Second-in-command of Golion, who pilots the Red Lion, and wears a blue uniform. He is a tall man, both wiry and wily, about 21-23 years of age. Isamu is always cracking jokes and teasing others whenever he gets the chance. He is the only one in the group who has the guts to contest any of Akira's commands. He is also a ladies' man, a great pilot, though a bit too daring at times like most rebels in super robot shows.
  • Takashi Shirogane (銀貴 ː Shirogane Takashi /Sven Holgersson) — Takashi was the original second-in-command. He piloted the Blue Lion and wore a black uniform in the very beginning of the series. In episode 6, he was badly injured during an attack by Honerva and died from it, given a hero's burial. Farla replaced him as the Blue Lion's pilot. He had a younger brother named Sho who, along with Princess Omuvei, joined the heroes in the fight against the Galra Empire. Like his brother, he also died in battle.
  • Hiroshi "Chibi" Suzuishi (ːː ːː Suzuishi Hiroshi /Darrell "Pidge" Stoker) — Hiroshi is the youngest and smallest of the group; he pilots the Green Lion, and wears a green uniform. He is approximately 12 years old. Hiroshi graduated from the academy at a young age, and his specialty is science like most super robot geniuses. Like the others, he is well-trained in martial arts, and uses his size and agility to his advantage. Hiroshi is not afraid to speak his mind, especially to the villains.
  • Tsuyoshi Seido (青銅強 Seidō Tsuyoshi /"Hunk" Garett) — Tsuyoshi is the strong-man of the group, piloting the Yellow Lion, and wearing a yellow uniform. He is about 22-24 years old. He may look tough and mean, but he has a soft heart, especially when it comes to children. He is never late for a meal. Though his friends tease him about his appetite, most of Tsuyoshi's bulk is muscle.
  • Princess Farla (ファーラ姫 Farura Hime /Princess Allura)— Farla of the Planet Altea is the ruler of the Kingdom of Altaire (as well as the entire planet, for the most part). She takes over for Takashi as the pilot of the Blue Lion, and wears a pink uniform. Her age is 16. Though a bit naïve, especially with matters of romance, she is a strong-willed woman. She is lustfully pursued by Prince Sincline due to her somewhat strong resemblance to Emperor Daibarzar's concubine who was killed and bore Sincline, or possibly that Sincline has the same taste of women with his father.

[edit] Others

  • Princess Omuvei / Princess Romelle — Princess Omuvei is Farla's cousin. She lives on the planet Pollux, where she co-rules with her brother, Prince Bandor. Her father once had an alliance with Emperor Daibarzal and even her brother was transformed a Beast Fighter, which caused his death at the hands of Galra for refusing to fight further. She is a dead-ringer for Princess Farla in terms of physical appearance. Though once a slave of Sincline, Takashi's brother Sho came to her rescue, and together they fight for her people against the Garla Empire. She joined in effort to defeat the Garlans.
  • Raible / Coran — Raible is Farla's royal advisor, and is in charge of the Castle Control. He also advises the Golion team, and is very wise, though he can be very overprotective and opinionated at times like most super robot professors.
  • Hisu / Nanny — Hisu is Farla's over-protective caregiver, who always wants to make all of Farla's decisions for her. Like Raible, Hisu fusses over the Princess, and is bent on keeping her away from all harm. She dies near the finale of Go Lion. She is cross-referential to Bertha in Daimos.
  • King Raimon / King Alfor— King Raimon is Farla's deceased father and previous ruler of planet Altea. Years ago, King Raimon went forth to battle against Emperor Daibarzal and his Galra forces. He was tragically killed on that day with his wife. His body was placed in a royal tomb, located right underneath the castle. Nowadays, he returns to the world of the living every so often in a ghostly form to give advice to his daughter to help her in her struggles to maintain peace.

[edit] Golion Specifications

Initially none of them are mecha. Instead, they are supernatural, sentient machines that form into the mighty Golion. They were split up by an angel in no way related to Honerva so Golion can be taught humility until the right time comes. Later, Golion gains a soul in the five pilots who want to protect the universe from Emperor Daibarzar's evil.

Golion is the first combining mech as a sentient being.

Each Lion have a Lion Blade, Missiles and Laser Beams.

  • Black Lion- Forms the body and head of Golion. Powered by air. Piloted by Akira.
  • Green Lion- Forms the right arm of Golion. Powered by life. Piloted by Hiroshi.
  • Red Lion- Forms the left arm of Golion. Powered by fire. Piloted by Isamu.
  • Yellow Lion- Forms the right leg of Golion. Powered by earth. Piloted by Seido.
  • Blue Lion- Forms the left leg of Golion. Powered by water. Piloted by Farla later after the death of Takashi, completing the team of five.

Golion's Weapons:

  • Blazing Sword- Default finishing move of most combining robots against the enemy beast fighter.
  • Wing Boomerang- Boomerang attack from the wings of Golion.
  • Spinning Blades- Similar to the Electromagnetic Yoyo of Combattler V in purpose.
  • Hurricane Attack- Wind attack similar to Daimos Blizzard but not as strong.
  • Lion Torches- Torch attack similar to that of Combattler V's Ground Fire.
  • Electromagnetic Beam- Laser beams fired from the eyes.
  • Electromagnetic Cross- Cross-shaped boomerang fired from the chest.
  • Gattling Missiles- Self-explanatory weapons. Fired from the legs of Golion instead of the arms in the past combining robots.
  • Electromagnetic Lance- Weapon used as a spear at times.
  • Melee Missile- Fired from the feet of Golion.

[edit] Members of the Galra Empire

Known as Planet Doom in Voltron.

The Galra Empire are a race of merciless individuals who even oppress their own people. They capture other planets and enslave them, forcing them to serve its Emperor Daibarzar.

The Empire's history isn't very clear. However it's true that Emperor Daibarzar seized Altea (which some fans ended up viewing as "Earth" and Altea as a nation of nobility) by slaying its monarch Raimon. Prince Sincline conquered other worlds and beheaded their leaders.

They invade planets with the aid of Garla Beast Fighters, which are considered the apex of Galra Imperialism. These Beast Fighters can sometimes be seen in the arenas fighting to the death in some episodes, as well as people getting killed.

  • Emperor Daibarzar (ːːː ː Daibazaru Daitaiou /King Zarkon)- The sadistic, tyrannical Supreme ruler and the emperor of Garla. Unlike in the American version where he still lives, he has no scruples and is not controlled by any other power. He is an absolute and gains the title of Emperor, being the ruler of all planets he's taken under control of his brutal empire. He uses his subjects or even his own son Sincline as his scapegoats whenever he fails. He hates all that is good and wants to conquer the universe and has enslaved countless civilizations, claiming it for the glory of himself while saying it's for his people. He loses his temper easily and even kills one of his allies when his birthday celebration was ruined by Golion. Later, he sentences his son Sincline to imprisonment as part of the Garla law against repeated failures to a harder extent. Presumably extremely racist, his slaves are usually humans (who are usually displayed as suffering at the hands of the enemy in most super robot shows) but raped a blonde human woman (presumably he may have wanted to marry her but she refused so he killed her after giving birth) to produce his son, Sincline. When he failed in his mission after imprisoning his own son for failure, his son backfired at him and forced him to pilot the last Beast Fighter made in his image. Although he was able to defeat Golion at first with massive energy, however a miracle of Golion managed to backfire at him and weakened him. Golion destroyed his robot and left him for dead, a death long overdue in Voltron. Much more of a coward than Sincline is.
  • Prince Sincline (ːːː ːː Shinkurain Kotaishi /Prince Lotor)- Crown prince of Galra and half-human. A dangerous and cunning adversary, his only weakness to his victory is at the fact he fell in love with Princess Farla, who somewhat resembles his blonde mother whom his father, Emperor Daibarzar, kills presumably for refusing marriage. He plots to overthrow his own father and marry Princess Farla due to the like father, like son in preferences of women. He is a sly, scheming villain who has no sense of honor in contrast to Prince Heinel of Voltes V and is a real villain, and the son of the Emperor himself. His conquests are legendary but his failure in Altea makes it ironic to how he falls to one woman namely Farla which causes his multiple failures. Because of this, he was sentenced to imprisonment by his own father. However, he managed to fire back at his father, forcing his father to pilot the last Beast Fighter which was created in the image of the Emperor. Later after Emperor Daibarzar's obvious death long overdue which never happened in the American version, he tries to kill Golion while Golion invades the castle. When his officers demand surrender, he doesn't give in and slays them all, preferring to fight to the last drop of blood instead of surrendering, as he believes mercy is for the weak. In one last confrontation, after being defeated by Akira in a duel a la Kenichi and Heinel of Voltes V, he is killed by Takashi's kid brother Sho where he is stabbed at the side (which is another common scene in super robot shows, but less blood which is the glitch) and both fall to their doom as well, another death long overdue in Voltron.
  • Honerva (Hagar)- A scientist/witch that uses certain magic spells like hypnotism and disguises. She also creates the legendary beast fighters which is the apex of Garla technology (which became a common fodder for super robot TV in the past, as the apex of the enemy) and sends them against Golion. She used to be gorgeous but turned twisted and evil. She also dies in the end of the series after the end of Galra, being brutally killed by Sincline after she dared to taunt Sincline of his treachery and refused to assist him in the final battle against Golion.
  • Zadak (Yurack)- Commander of Planet Galra. He heads the invasion team as the Emperor's best general. However his constant failures against Golion for so long caused him to be condemned like most super robot commanders, i.e. to death by the Emperor. Banished, however, Prince Sincline gave him a chance to become a gigantic Beast Fighter and fight Golion to redeem himself. When this happens, he is killed by Golion in battle allowing Sincline to step in to the missions.
  • Galra Soldiers- Typical scuds in super robot shows that perform sadistic operations like starving, whipping and killing of slaves. This time, however, they seem to be robots but aren't.
  • Galra Beast Fighters/Beastmen (Robeasts)- Beast Fighters sent by Honerva against Golion. They are usually robots. They are made to fight in the arena and are the apex of Garla's technology, the weapons that Garla uses in conquering one world after the other, which is typical in super robot shows.

[edit] Episodes

01- Escape from the Slave Castle
02- The Extinct Star of Illusion
03- An Apparition and Five Keys
04- Resurrection of the Legendary Giant
05- Fortress of the New Battle
06- The Death of Brave Shirogane
07- Fight of the Beautiful Princess
08- Stolen Blue Lion
09- Girl of the Evil Country
10- The Secret of the White Lion
11- The Red Rain of Hell
12- The Evil Deeds of the Great Emperor
13- Honerva the Beauty Appears
14- The Crown Prince of Garla
15- Get Over the Spectre of Shirogane
16- The Love Bridge of Legend
17- Challenge of Space
18- The Sound of Steps in the Forest of Fear
19- The Ghost Castle of Mystery
20- Goodbye Earth
21- Sister Star of Altea
22- The Space Rose of Illusion
23- Friday the Thirteenth
24- Search for the Small Shadows!
25- Destroy the Huge Gun!
26- Defeat the Invisible Enemy
27- The Lullaby of the Giant Beast
28- Birthday of the Demon
29- The Sky of Fire Approaches
30- The Black Love of the Crown Prince
31- The Mecha Beast Fighter of Fear
32- Behold the One Hundred Ton Punch
33- Terror of the Space Frog
34- Underground Secret Operation
35- Defend the Soccer Stadium
36- Death Match of Light and Shadow
37- Speed Mania of Space
38- Go Lion Hunting
39- The Trap of the Super Armored Strength Star
40- Altea Devoid of Tomorrow
41- The Younger Brother of Brave Shirogane
42- The Sand Planet Calls out Death
43- Young Death Defying Squad of Anger
44- Vow of Planet Jalu
45- Great Army of Darkness
46- Aburada's Great Victory of Love
47- Target Mannaker
48- Rebellion of the Mecha Fortress
49- The Challenge of Mister Mecha X
50- Great Charge To Galra
51- Go Lion, Fighting Hard
52- Burn Galra Castle

[edit] Similarities and Differences with Super Robot Shows

  • Unlike most super robot shows, this is the first to present a mystical/fantasy, not sci-fi/technological robot. However the five members are similar to the team of Voltes V and Combattler V, as well as the personalities.
  • It was also known for the cliches such as that Garla is parallel to Boazanian in culture- Medieval yet scientific. Also its emperor, Daibarzar, is too disturbingly similar to Voltes V's Zanbazil- where they both use their subjects as scapegoats and intend to expand the glory for themselves under the guise it is for their people, even sacrifice their own relatives in the process.
  • It also managed to twist around some of the bad guys of Voltes V- Prince Heinel's counterpart in this show Prince Sincline is a dishonorable, cheap villain and the son of the Emperor himself in contrast to Heinel being honorable as a warrior and the Emperor shows up since the start of the show and he shows up later which is a twist from Voltes V. Zadak's final battle was similar to where Gilgun was forced to fight for Boazan in final battle but is twisted and evil while Gilgun is an honorable warrior.
  • Golion's final battle is almost similar to Voltes V- the Castle transforms into a giant space ship like Camp Big Falcon, they go to the enemy planet and face one final Beast Fighter but only this time, the Emperor pilots it to the death and eventually free the people. All the enemies die in the end, which is quite cliche for some especially the duel scene between Akira and Sincline is much similar to that of Kenichi and Heinel of Voltes V.
  • The brutality of slave treatment (they are treated like garbage in most super robot shows) and the bloody killings of people in arenas are quite cliche as they were presented in its predecessors Voltes V and Combattler V.
  • Apparently, this is the first super robot show that actually destroyed the Earth. The first opening has it what seems to be Earth suffering from what seems to be a nuclear war with Garla, apparently making Daibarzar succeed where Zanbazir of Voltes V and Janera of Combattler V failed.

[edit] External links

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[edit] The Series

[edit] Fansites

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