Protodeviln
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The Protodeviln (プロトデビルン Purōtōdebirun?) are a race of alien beings hailing from an adjoining sub-universe in the anime series Macross 7. Though some appear humanoid, most are gigantic creatures with few human features, resembling devils.
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[edit] History
[edit] Genesis and conquest
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the Stellar Republic of a race known as the Protoculture controlled much of the Milky Way. They genetically created giant humanoid warriors known as the Zentradi and manipulated Earth's native life to shape the evolution of what would become humanity. However, internal divisions and conflicts within the Stellar Republic led to a project to create a race of even more advanced Zentradi to fight the ongoing wars. These beings, dubbed the Evil (pronounced "eh-vil"), were initially unsuccessful due to their high energy requirements; nevertheless, the project was reopened upon the discovery of a sub-universe containing abundant energy. However, experiments to develop organs capable of utilising this energy inadvertently allowed non-corporeal beings within the sub-universe to cross into our universe. These beings possessed the Evil entities, and used them to wreak immense havoc. The Protoculture called these beings in their new form the Protodeviln.
The Protodeviln realized they could not remain in our universe indefinitely, as they required an energy called spiritia to remain active. However, they quickly learned that humans and Zentradi generated this energy, and began conquering large portions of the Galaxy, feeding on spiritia wherever they went, and brainwashing captured humans into a massive fighting force, the Supervision Army.
[edit] Imprisonment and return
The Protodeviln drained so much spiritia from the Galaxy that they almost created a Spiritia Black Hole, into which the spiritia of all forms of life would be drawn inexorably, turning the cosmos into a lifeless void. However, before this could happen they were defeated and driven back by a special group of Protoculture people, the Anima Spiritia, possessed of a form of spiritia too pure for the Protodeviln to absorb. Overwhelmed and immobilised, the alien creatures were imprisoned within massive crystals in caves beneath the surface of an ice planet. Wary of the return of their fearsome enemies, the now almost extinct Protoculture left information -- for those who could find it -- of the Protodeviln and how they were defeated.
500,000 years later in the year 2025, the Megaroad-13 colonization fleet discovered an inhabitable planet and named its star system Varauta. A later research fleet launched an expedition to the icy fourth planet in the system and discovered a mysterious energy field beneath the surface. Entering a cave, the expedition encountered the source: the crystal prisons of the Protodeviln, brought back to consciousness by the arrival of fresh spiritia. High-ranking Protodeviln remotely possessed two of the expedition and brainwashed the rest into a new Supervision Army -- their next target, the colonization fleet Macross 7...
[edit] The Supervision Army
The Supervision Army are groups of Protoculture and Zentradi brainwashed by the Protodeviln to fight the Galactic Republic. Even after the Protodeviln were driven back, the Supervision Army remained the sworn enemies of the Zentradi, who have made their extermination top priority.
In the anime The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a Supervision Army gun destroyer (by no means the largest of their warships) crashes on Earth and, when restored by humanity, becomes the series' title ship.
[edit] Notable Protodeviln
The Protodeviln seen in Macross 7 share certain characteristics: they are at least vaguely humanoid, and they can travel faster-than-light through space without external means and even teleport (possibly the same space-fold technique used by Earth and Zentradi ships). In addition, many generate pentagram-shaped energy fields when attacking.
- Lord Geperuniti (ゲペルニッチ Geperunitchi?): the leader of the Protodeviln, Geperuniti spends most of Macross 7 -- from his initial appearance in episode 1 -- acting through the human body of fleet commander Ivane Günter. He aims to implement the Spiritia Farm Project of which he has dreamed: humans and Zentradi will be kept as cattle and harvested for their spiritia, making hunting unnecessary and, more importantly, preventing another Spiritia Black Hole from forming. This plan comes to the fore when he learns that the singing of Anima Spiritia, and in particular the band Fire Bomber, causes humans to regenerate their spiritia: he lures first the Macross 5 and then the Macross 7 fleets to an Earth-like planet (dubbed Rax by the crew of the former fleet), intending to trap and corral them there. Although the planet is ultimately destroyed, he has by this time transported the citizens of Macross 5 back to Varauta IV, intending to capture and use the band to create an endless supply of spiritia. His real Protodeviln form reemerges at the end of the series, but having fed on Anima Spiritia it begins to grow out of control into the very thing Gepelniti feared: another Spiritia Black Hole...
- Voice artist: Yo Inoue
- Gigile (ギギル Gigiru?): commander of the Varauta Army, Gigile appears from the first episode and spends most of the series acting through the human body of Captain Autremauer of the Blue Rhinoceros ground force. Uncouth and rebellious, he frequently vexes Geperuniti by violating orders and launching all-out spiritia raids on the Macross 7 fleet. Indeed, it emerges that his real aim -- other than to preserve the joy of the hunt over the Spiritia Farm Project -- is to gather enough spiritia to reawaken not himself or Geperuniti, but another Protodeviln named Sivil, with whom he is in love. This earns the anger of the other Protodeviln, who attempt to destroy him, but when he discovers the power of singing from Fire Bomber's lead singer Basara Nekki, he begins to generate his own spiritia and reawakens in his earlier form, a giant humanoid creature with no human facial features. Such is the intensity of his desire to protect Sivil that he generates an enormously powerful energy field which destroys the planet Rax -- and, to the horror of everyone, himself.
- Voice artist: Tomohiro Nishimura
- Sivil (シビル Shibiru?): a female Protodeviln who resembles a vampire, Sivil is awakened in episode 17 by Gigile, but being an undisciplined, free spirit, she ignores the other Protodeviln in order to seek her own supply of spiritia. She becomes fascinated by Basara Nekki, whom she terms Anima Spiritia, and possesses human women in an attempt to get close to him. However, his singing appears to cause her pain (or overwhelming pleasure), driving her away many times, and when she finally manages to kiss him, the energy released sends her into a coma. She is later reawakened by Basara and Gigile's combined singing, but Geperuniti considers her a danger to his plan and seeks to destroy her. Though she never returns Gigile's feelings, she is shocked by his sacrifice in her name, and because of this seeks to protect Basara from the other Protodeviln, and indeed from her own desire to feed on his spiritia.
- The Glavil (グラビル Gurabiru?): awakening in episode 27, Glavil is an enormous, muscular humanoid creature with tentacles, usually perched on all fours like an animal. He represents pure, untamed fury, crushing everything in his path, and generating enormous energy fields which rip apart all around him. He can also fire intense energy beams that surpass the Macross Cannon in power. He increases in size when he absorbs spiritia -- which he can drain from lower life forms as well as humans and Zentradi -- but the energy of Anima Spiritia causes him to shrink, and after several encounters he flees instinctively from it. Lacking any discernable intelligence of his own, he is frequently given instructions by Gavil (see below), the other half of an even more powerful being.
- The Gavil (ガビル Gabiru?): awakened by Gepelniti in episode 28, Gavil is a human-sized being covered in white fur, with wings like those of an angel. He disdains the innate abilities of his kind in favour of technology, piloting his own Saubergeran and using anti-noise and remote-controlled fighters to combat the effects of Basara's singing. Extremely vain and arrogant, he delights in the "beauty" of destruction -- particularly that created by Glavil, whom he regards as his own "flesh" -- yet he remains loyal to the plans of Lord Geperuniti, though he occasionally questions his leader's methods. He develops an intense hatred of ace pilot Gamlin Kizaki, who humiliates him time and again in battle, most notably on many occasions destroying his vehicle and forcing him to retreat under his own power.
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- Gavigla (ガビグラ Gabigura?): the "true form" of Gavil and Glavil, Gavigla is a mighty Protodeviln which combines the intelligence of one with the might and power of the other. He can produce energy waves which radiate outwards, destroying all in their path, as well as attacking in more conventional ways, crushing anything in his paws. He can easily survive a blast from the Macross Cannon, and the energy of Anima Spiritia has no apparent effect on him. Gavigla is first formed in episode 42.
- Valgo (バルゴ Barugo?): first appearing in episode 31, Valgo, a gigantic armored humanoid with batwings, is one of Geperuniti's most devoted followers, but a bitter rival of Gavil. He is capable of teleporting across space to his desired destination and attacking suddenly; he generates a large number of hideous pink monsters from a cavity in his chest; these creatures swarm over their prey, draining spiritia and growing larger. He is also capable of generating force fields which prevent spacecraft from space-folding, and uses this power to prevent the Macross 7 fleet from escaping the planet Rax, but he is destroyed (along with the planet) by Gigile.
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- Natter-Valgo (ナッターバルゴ Natta barugo?): a mechanical replacement for Valgo after he was destroyed, the Natter-Valgo unit appears in Macross 7: The Galaxy's Calling Me! as backup to Gavil and Gravil. It combines with them (in what Gavil calls the "forbidden technique") to form a creature even bigger and more invulnerable than Gavigla, though the time for which they can remain merged is limited.
- Goram (ゴラム Goramu?) and Zomd (ゾムド Zomudo?): multi-armed Protodeviln in some ways reminiscent of Vishnu, the male and female twins Goram and Zomd are released by Gepelniti in episode 47. They operate as two halves of a single entity: working in concert they can fire enormously powerful blasts and teleportation beams, and they complete each other's sentences to boot. As with Glavil, absorbing spiritia causes them to grow, and they can regenerate their bodies even after the destruction wrought by reaction weaponry. However, they are ultimately absorbed by Gepelniti as he grows out of control, and cease to exist.
