Golion

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Golion

Title Card
百獣王ゴライオン
(Hyakujūō Golion)
Genre Mecha
TV anime
Director Katsuhito Taguchi
Studio Toei Animation
Licensor Flag of the United States Media Blasters
Network TV Tokyo
Original run March 04, 1981 (1981-03-04) – February 24, 1982 (1982-02-24)
Episodes 52

King of the Beasts Golion (百獣王ゴライオン Hyakujūō Goraion?) is a Japanese Super robot anime television series. The animation from Golion was edited and cut 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. An uncut Region 1 DVD containing the first 18 episodes was released on May 27, 2008 as Collection 1.[1] Collection 2 will be released on August 12th, 2008.

Contents

[edit] Story

Golion's story starts in the year 1999, when the planet Altea is subdued and enslaved by the Galra Empire. Five space explorers return to Earth to find the planet annihilated by thermonuclear war. Eventually, the explorers are captured and enslaved and forced to fight for their lives in Emperor Daibazaal's arena. The explorers eventually land on the planet Altea, where they discover the secret of the mighty sentient robot Golion, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Emperor Daibazaal's forces.

[edit] Characters

[edit] The Golion Team

Nickname: Chief (チーフ Chīfu?). A short-tempered young man, Akira leads the Golion team in the Black Lion. A strategic thinker and is usually seen reading or fighting with team members who disagree with him. Kogane is a Japanese word for gold.
  • Isamu Kurogane (黒鋼 勇 Kurogane Isamu?)/Voiced by: Yū Mizushima
Nickname: Moody (お天気屋 Otenkiya?). Second-in-command of Golion, he pilots the Red Lion and wears a blue uniform. He is tall, wiry and wily, and is about 21-23 years of age. Isamu is always joking and teasing others whenever he gets the chance. He is the only one in the group who contests any of Akira's commands. He is also a ladies' man, a great pilot; though a bit too daring at times. Kurogane is a Japanese word for iron.
  • Hiroshi Suzuishi (錫石 宏 Suzuishi Hiroshi?)/Voiced by: Masako Nozawa
Nickname: Shorty (チビ Chibi?). 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 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. Suzuishi is a Japanese word for Casserite, a common tin ore.
  • Tsuyoshi Seidō (青銅 強 Seidō Tsuyoshi?)/Voiced by: Tessho Genda
Nickname: Hothead (向こうっ気 Mukōkki?). Tsuyoshi is the strong-man of the group; he pilots the Yellow Lion and wears 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, Tsuyoshi is very muscular. Seidō is a Japanese word for copper.
  • Takashi Shirogane (銀 貴 Shirogane Takashi?)/Voiced by: Ryūsei Nakao (1-6)
Nickname: Quiet (黙り Danmari?). Takashi was the original second-in-command. He piloted the Blue Lion, and wore a black uniform. He is approximately the same age as Akira. In episode 6, he was wounded during an attack by Honerva and later died from his injuries. He was given a hero's burial. Fala replaced him as the Blue Lion's pilot. He had a younger brother named Sho who, along with Princess Amyū, joined the heroes in the fight against the Galra Empire. Like his brother, Sho also perished in battle. Shirogane is a Japanese word for silver.
  • Princess Fala (ファーラ姫 Fāra Hime?)/Voiced by: Rumiko Ukai
Fala, of the Planet Altea, is the ruler of the Kingdom of Altair. She takes over for Takashi as the pilot of the Blue Lion and wears a pink uniform. At 16 years of age, she is strong-willed and a bit naïve especially with matters of romance. She is lustfully pursued by Prince Sincline, due to her somewhat strong resemblance to his dead mother, Emperor Daibazaal's concubine.

[edit] Other allies

  • Raible (軍師ライブル Gunshi Raiburu?) Voiced by: Yūji Fujishiro: Raible is Fala's royal adviser, and is in charge of the Castle Control. He also advises the Golion team and can be very overprotective and opinionated at times.
  • Hys (女官長ヒス Jokanchō Hisu?) Voiced by: Kazuyo Aoki: Hys is Fala's over-protective caregiver, who always wants to make all of Fala's decisions for her. Like Raible, Hys fusses over the Princess, and is bent on keeping her away from all harm. Suzuishi sometimes derogatorily calls her "Hys-teria". She dies near the finale as she protects Raible.
  • King Raimon (ライモン王 Raimon Ō?) Voiced by: Mahito Tsujimura: King Raimon is Fala's deceased father and previous ruler of planet Altea. Fifteen years prior, King Raimon went forth to battle against Emperor Daibazaal and his Galra forces. He was tragically killed on that day with his wife and older children, leaving Fala as his only surviving descendant. His body was placed in a royal tomb located right underneath the castle. He returns to the world of the living every so often as a ghost to give advice to Fala to help her in her struggles to maintain peace.
  • Space Mice (宇宙鼠 Uchū Nezumi?)
A family of five mice that live in Gradam Castle. They were Princess Fala's only friends while she was growing up, and she is the only one that can understand their language. The father mouse's name is Plat (プラット) and the mother mouse is Chichuru.
  • Sho Shirogane (銀亮 Shirogane Sho?) Voiced by: Ryūsei Nakao: Takashi's kid brother who appeared on planet Galra and rescued Princess Amyū. He bears a strong resemblance to his older brother Takashi and made a vow to avenge him. He then kills Sincline in the end at the cost of his own life. It is not known how he ended up on planet Galra.
  • Princess Amyū (アミュー姫 Amyū Hime?): Princess Amyū is Fala's cousin. She lives on the planet Hercules, where she co-rules with her brother, Prince Aron (Bandor in Voltron). Her father once had an alliance with Emperor Daibazaal, and even her brother was transformed into a Beast Fighter, which caused his death at the hands of Galra for refusing to fight further. She is a dead-ringer for Princess Fala 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 Galra Empire.

[edit] The Galra Empire

The Galra Empire are a race of merciless individuals who even oppress their own people. They capture other planets and enslave their population, forcing them to serve its evil ruler Emperor Daibazaal. Prince Sincline conquered other worlds, and beheaded their leaders. The Galra Empire invades planets with the aid of Galran Beast Fighters. Daibazaal and Sincline were responsible for the destruction of Earth.

  • Emperor Daibazaal (ダイ・バザール大帝王 Dai Bazāru Daiteiō?) Voiced by: Kosei Tomita (1-50): The Emperor of Galra and a sadistic, tyrannical supreme ruler. 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 Galran law against repeated failures. Daibazaal's slaves are usually humans, but at one point he raped a blond human woman to produce his son, Sincline. When he failed in his mission after imprisoning his own son for failure, his son turned the tables, and forced him to pilot the last Beast Fighter made in his image — forcibly attached to it, presumably without any escape capsule. Although he was able to defeat Golion at first with massive energy, however, a miracle occurred — Golion emitted a sudden energy boost, and its repaired Laser Sword managed to backfire at him and weaken him severely. Golion destroyed his robot and left him for dead. Daibazaal refused to escape and committed suicide.
  • Prince Sincline (シンクライン皇太子 Shinkurain Kōtaishi?) Voiced by: Akira Kamiya (14-52): Crown prince of Galra, and a half-human. A dangerous and cunning adversary, his only weakness is the fact he fell in love with Princess Fala, who somewhat resembles his mother whom his father, Emperor Daibazaal, killed for refusing to marry him. He plots to overthrow his own father and marry Princess Fala. He is a sly, scheming villain who has a sense of honor, preferring to fight fair over his father's dirty tactics, and is Akira's frequent rival. In one last confrontation, after being defeated by Akira in a duel, he decides to use Sho as a hostage. While attempting to destroy Golion to avenge himself of his previous defeats and rule the universe, an enraged Sho stabs him and they fall to their deaths, killing him.
  • Honerva (妖婆ホネルバ Yōba Honeruba?) Voiced by: Masako Nozawa: A scientist/witch who uses certain magic spells like hypnotism and disguises. She also creates the legendary Beast Fighters, which are the apex of Galran technology and sends them against Golion. She used to be gorgeous, but turned twisted and evil. When Emperor Daibazaal piloted the last Beast Fighter, she wanted to grant the Emperor victory. She is killed by Prince Sincline's sword at the end of the series after the destruction of Galra castle.
  • Yaga (ヤガ?): Honerva's pet Space Cat, with whom Honerva is able to communicate (similar to how Fala can communicate with the Space mice). He is the arch-enemy of the Space Mice.
  • Sadak (サダック Sadakku?) Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata (1-14): Military 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 sentenced to death by the Emperor. Banished, Prince Sincline gave him a chance to become a gigantic Beast Fighter and fight Golion to redeem himself. When this happened, he was killed by Golion in their final battle, allowing Sincline to step in as commander of the Galran military against Planet Altea.
  • Galran Soldiers: Foot soldiers that perform sadistic operations like starving, whipping, and killing slaves.
  • Red Baron: He was trying to get the position of governor-general of Galra. However, he was unfortunately killed in battle against Golion while piloting a seemingly undefeatable Beast Fighter, where he presumably committed suicide.
  • Galran Deathblack Beastmen (デスブラック獣人 Desuburakku Jūjin?): Beast Fighters sent by Honerva against Golion. They are usually robots. They are made to fight in the arena, and are the apex of Galra's technology.

[edit] Golion specifications

Golion fully formed.
Golion fully formed.

Golion was separated into five separate sentient machines by a goddess who wished to teach Golion humility until it was reassembled. Golion later gains a soul after being reawakened by the five pilots who use Golion to protect the universe from Emperor Daibazaal's evil.

Golion is is 60 metres (197 feet) tall and weighs 700 tonnes (771 tons).

  • Black Lion (黒獅子 Kuro Jishi?): Forms the body and head of Golion. Powered by air. Piloted by Akira.
  • Red Lion (赤獅子 Aka Jishi?): Forms the right arm of Golion. Powered by fire. Piloted by Isamu.
  • Green Lion (緑獅子 Midori Jishi?): Forms the left arm of Golion. Powered by life. Piloted by Hiroshi.
  • Blue Lion (青獅子 Aoi Jishi?): Forms the right leg of Golion. Powered by water. Piloted by Takashi and later Fala after Takashi's death.
  • Yellow Lion (黄獅子 Ki Jishi?): Forms the left leg of Golion. Powered by earth. Piloted by Seido.

[edit] Weapons

Each Lion has a Lion Blade (a boomerang held in the lion's mouth), dorsal missiles and shoulder mounted lasers. Golion is armed with the following:

  • Ten Kings Sword (十王剣 Jūōken?)(pun: Jūō written with the kanji 獣王 means Beast King): Golion clasps both arms together and pulls out a sword, which is then used to defeat the enemy Deathblack Beastmen. Later in the series is used to perform the techniques Lightning Drop (稲妻落とし Inazuma Otoshi?) and Meteor Fifth Rank Slash (流星五段斬り Ryūsei Godan Giri?).
    Called "Blazing Sword" in the Voltron version.
  • Wing Boomerang — Boomerang attack from the wings of Golion.
  • Spinning Blades.
  • Electromagnetic Beam — Beams fired from the eyes of Golion.
  • Hurricane Attack — Wind attack similar to Daimos Blizzard, but not as strong.
  • Laser Magnum — Laser-like bullets fired from the mouth of the Green Lion.
  • Fire Tornado — A burst of flame emits from the mouth of the Red Lion.
  • Cross Beam — Cross-shaped boomerang fired from the chest.
  • Gatling Missiles — Small missiles fired from the legs.
  • Electromagnetic Lance — Weapon used as a spear at times.
  • Foot Missile — Missiles fired from the mouths of the Blue and Yellow Lions.

[edit] Changes for Voltron

Main article: Voltron#Changes from the Japanese version

In addition to the name changes mentioned above, footage was heavily edited and re-assembled by World Events Productions in the U.S. to create Voltron. Changes made to the series included rewritten dialogue, omitted character deaths, toned down violence, and altered plot developments. In addition, Toei Animation Ltd. created and animated a plot arc specifically for the U.S. Voltron series.

[edit] Episodes

  1. Escape from the Slave Castle
  2. The Extinct Star of Illusion
  3. An Apparition and Five Keys
  4. Resurrection of the Legendary Giant
  5. Fortress of the New Battle
  6. The Death of Brave Shirogane
  7. Fight of the Beautiful Princess
  8. Stolen Blue Lion
  9. Girl of the Evil Country
  10. The Secret of the White Lion
  11. The Red Rain of the Underworld
  12. The Evil Deeds of the Great Emperor
  13. Honerva the Beauty Appears
  14. The Crown Prince of Galra
  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 13th
  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 100 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. Golion, Fighting Hard
  52. Burn Galra Castle

[edit] Releases

Media Blasters released Collection 1 in the US on DVD May 27th 2008. It contains the first 18 episodes. Collection 2 will be released August 12th 2008.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Henshin Justice Unlimited: Media Blasters Acquires GO-LION and DAIRUGGER for R1 DVD!
  2. ^ Japan Hero Access: Original Go-lion And Dairugger Coming To R1 Dvd!, In 2008 from Media Blasters!

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