Space Warrior Baldios

Space Warrior Baldios (宇宙戦士 バルディオス, Uchū Senshi Barudiosu) is a Japanese super robot mecha anime series from 1980. A film with the same title was released on December 19, 1981.^[1]

Production

The original anime TV series was produced by Production Reed, with its full-length feature film (which has a strong environmental theme) produced once again by REED and distributed by Toei Company in 1981. Many of the pivotal episodes were joined and released as a "movie" in the United States as "Space Warriors: Battle for Earth Station S/1." The name of the Baldios mecha was unchanged, although it played a surprisingly small part in the movie that was created. In Italy, the TV series and feature film were exhibited under the name Baldios, Il Guerriero dello Spazio. In Cuba, another feature film version of Baldios was released in theaters, including much of the bloodshed and disturbing scenes that had been excised from the American version, under the name of Yaltus. However this version had some sexual content excised as well. As of today, the most complete version of the film is the Japanese DVD and Blu-ray releases.

Story

In the distant future, another world, S-1, has been badly polluted. Just as scientists find a way to clean up the planet, the followers of military fanatic, Zeo Gattler, invade his laboratory and destroy his work. The scientist's son, Marin, escapes and is angered over what his people have done but before he can do anything, he gets caught in a time warp and ends up near Earth in the year 2100. When Gattler's Aldebaren Army appears after destroying a Martian colony, Marin finds himself joining the military organization, Blue Fixer, which uses his ship as part of their recently completed robot, Baldios. Together, Marin and the Blue Fixer team face off against Gattler and the S-1 forces which are poised to take over the Earth and make it their new home.

During the final conflict with the Aldebaren Army, Gattler manages to trigger a massive tsunami which effectively destroys the surface of the Earth, leaving the Blue Fixer team helpless and unable to stop it. Marin can only watch in horror as wave after wave destroy the surface until a shot of the wave freezes and we are left with a caption saying "End". The last two episodes in the series deal with the Fixer Team's family and loved ones being destroyed by the natural disasters with the climax involving them removing the highly radioactive core of the World Union submarine base that threatens to cause radioactive contamination across the planet. The ending involved the unstable core exploding after being transported near Gattler's fleet, killing him and his troops. However, the Baldios movie which came out afterwards gave a slightly more fulfilling conclusion with Marin and Gattler getting a proper final confrontation and the fate of the Earth turning out to be not as abrupt.

In both the TV series and the movie it is disclosed that S-1 and the Earth are actually the same planet, the massive dimensional travel of S-1 troops being, in fact, a time travel and that the environmental catastrophe that's actually destroying S1 is the lasting effect of Gattler's Artificial Sun.

Mecha

Baldios

• Height: 100 meters
• Weight: 900 tons
• Flight Speed: Mach 25 in Earth's atmosphere, 30% the speed of light in space
• Body Components: Pulser Burn (Upper Half), Baldy Prize (Right Leg), Cateranger (Left Leg)
• Weapons and Powers:
  • Dimensional teleportation into Subspace for up to five minutes.
  • BaldiCutters: A launchable boomerang on each leg.
  • Shoulder Cannons: An energy cannon stored in each shoulder.
  • BaldiMissiles: A missile launcher on the outer section of each leg. A third was developed in the abdomen, but was only used in episode 26.
  • Bald Cutters: A small double edged sword.
  • Pulse Sabers: A large sword stored in the torso. In episode 24 a second is added and both can combine to create a powerful whirlwind.
  • Bald Beam: An energy beam from the diamond on the forehead.
  • BaldiCluster: A chained mace stored in the left leg.
  • Thunder Flash: Energy blasts from the torso that can rival the power of hydrogen bombs.
  • BaldiRoizer: A more powerful version of the Thunder Flash; Baldios charges up with energy to form a destructive barrier and releases the energy at the enemy upon contact.

S-1 Forces

Various war machines used by the Aldebaren Army throughout the series to invade Earth and fight Baldios. All of them are capable of teleporting through Subspace like Baldios.

• Battle Carriers: Appear throughout the series starting with the first episode with one being commanded by Aphrodia. Powers include flight, a 3-tube missile launcher on each side, laser cannons, and storing large amounts of transparent saucers. Appear in Super Robot Wars Z.
• Transparent Saucers: Appear throughout the series starting in episode 2. Powers include flight and red lasers from their front. Appear in Super Robot Wars Z.
  • Ace Transparent Saucer: Appears in episode 19 and consists of dozens of transparent saucers after combining. Powers include flight, twin yellow electric bolts from the "ears", green electric surges from the body, and a coiling tail.
• Big Octo: Appears in episodes 3 and 4. Powers include flight, storing its eight regenerative tentacles within itself, emitting red electric bolts from its body, swimming, and emitting a dense force field from the tentacles. Appears in Super Robot Wars Z
• Megadozer: Appears in episode 5. Powers include large tank treads, a heat ray from the "head", large punching arms with launchable fists that emit electricity, a 3-tube rocket launcher on the underside, and regeneration.
• Moguser: Appears in episode 6. Powers include flight, a giant drill on its "face", an extendable drill in the top side, emitting red electric bolts, summoning rattlesnake-like probes with red lasers and webs from their mouth, a high resistance to heat that allows it to withstand lava, and storing humans in itself.
• Section Guide Fortress: Appears in episode 8. It is actually a military base for the transparent saucers. Its only known power is Formation Z, a mode that reveals its robot form armed with red lasers from a pair of discs on its front legs, fly short distances, and using its bottom section to crush opponents.
• Silver Shark: Appears in episode 10. Powers include flight, a red mouth laser, and a 3-tube missile launcher in the mouth.
• Bemlar: Appears in episode 11. Powers include a tommy gun that fires rockets and jumping long distances.
• Bemroid: Appears in episode 12. Powers include levitation, a pair of dragon heads that resemble King Ghidorah that emit flames, four missile launchers from the lower section of the body, and a mace tail.
• Ganim: Appears in episode 13. Powers include levitation, purple eye beams, and a missile launcher on each side of the body.
• Sentry Twins: A pair of humanoid robots that appear in episode 17. Powers include flight and missiles. They are quickly killed off during an attack by Gamujado.
• Super Burn: Appears in episode 21 although is mentioned in episode 20. It is essentially a highly destructive orbital nuclear missile.
• Broliler: Appears in episode 22. They are essentially a pair of remote controlled rockets powered by brain waves.
• Raider: Appears in episode 23. Powers include flight, a yellow heat ray from its "mouth", and pincer claws armed with electric bolts and similar heat rays.
• Mirajaguar: Appears in episode 24. Powers include levitation, making illusions of itself, energy absorbing and rechanneling with its eye, and extremely bright eye flashes that spawn dimensional mirrors. Four clones of it are built armed with yellow mouth beams.
• Gamebarius: Appears in episode 26. It is a mass of blue slime that absorbs water to the point of completely dehydrating organisms in seconds.
• Akudaikan: Appears in episode 27. Powers include flight, green eye lasers, launchable fists, wind gusts from the torso, emitting green energy, and separation at the waist. Appears in Super Robot Wars Z.
• Joler: Appears in episode 30. Powers include morphing into a fighter to emit highly toxic green gas, a yellow energy beam from the head, flight, purple energy beams from the arms that can also morph into red energy bolts, twin pelvis machine guns, a propeller in the waist, and increasing its body temperature. Appears in Super Robot Wars Z.
• Dolka: Appears in episode 31.
  • Battleship Form Dolka: Powers include flight, dual missile launchers, twin pink energy beams near its wings, and a pair of laser guns on each side of its bridge with a fifth directly underneath.
  • Robot Form Dolka: Powers include flight, four missile launchers in the "torso", and self-destruction.
• Artificial Sun: Appears in episodes 32 and 33. It is a satellite-like machine that can split itself and fires extremely powerful heat blasts. Appears in Super Robot Wars Z.
• Gattler Spirit: Appears in episode 34. Powers include space flight, missiles from its sides, and energy cannons and turrets. Appears in Super Robot Wars Z.

Others

• Gamjado: Appears in episodes 17 and 18. It is an unmanned robot based on Baldios created in Alaska. Powers include flight, a sword similar to the BaldiSword, powerful thrusters under its feet, and a laser machine gun on each side of its pelvis. It is ultimately destroyed when the Battle Carrier rams into it. In the Italian dub its name is translated as Ganjard.
• Fixer-1: Appears in episode 29. It is a prototype space fighter made to assist Baldios piloted by Daivd Wein, although it is only used for a kamikaze attack. Although not shown in the series it is armed with red lasers. Appears in Super Robot Wars Z.
• Space Swanee: Appears in episode 31. It is a swan-like mech armed with a tractor beam used to assist Baldios to destroy a neutron star piloted by Jamie Hoshino.

Video game appearances

Baldios is included in the PlayStation 2 game Super Robot Wars Z. During the game's 44th scenario, should the player lose, a special Game Over screen based on the anime's tragic end will be shown. The Special Disk's karaoke video for Baldios' closing theme ends with the Baldios itself being scrapped by the Artificial Sun.

References

External links

• Space Warrior Baldios (TV) (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Space Warrior Baldios (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• An extensive review of and comment on the series