Great General of Darkness
Encyclopedia
was a fictional character, a supervillain
and warlord
from the series Great Mazinger
. He takes the form of a gigantic warrior wearing a helmet decorated with three horns, a long red cape and vaguely Roman-like armour. His true face is that of a bearded old man and is set into his chest.
He also appeared in the OVA Deathmatch! Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness, redesigned. His new look has him sporting black armour, a black cape
with red insides and a smaller true face.
discovered and used to create his Mechanical Beasts
. Instead of purely mechanical mecha, the Mikene Battle Beasts
are a nightmarish combination of flesh and machine, and are far more powerful than their purely mechanical cousins.
He is the one who dispatched Archduke Gorgon
to the surface world and allowed him to give Dr. Hell newer, more powerful mecha to use against Kouji Kabuto and Mazinger Z
. It is a safe bet to say the ancient warlord likely intended to betray and overthrow Dr. Hell once Mazinger was defeated. When Mazinger Z instead vanquished Dr. Hell once and for all, the Great General ordered his forces to mobilise. Realising that as long as Mazinger Z existed the people of the surface world would never surrender, he commanded the seven armies to focus their attacks on Japan.
The Fortress of Black Iron Mazinger Z was quickly overcome, but unexpectedly a new threat appeared in the form of the even mightier Great Hero Great Mazinger. After numerous battles with the powerful Super Robot, the General decided to personally deal with this thorn in his side. Alas, after a long and difficult battle the Great General of Darkness was slain and his position taken up, ironically enough, by Dr. Hell in the guise of the Great Marshall of Hell.
, was in Paris and thus unable to call on the Super Robot, he has the city destroyed.
As his armies launch simultaneous attacks all over the globe, he dispatches his personal assassin, Archduke Gorgon
to hunt down and kill Kouji before he manages to return to Japan and activate Mazinkaiser. Having observed Kouji's battles with Dr. Hell's forces and knowing full well what a threat Mazinkaiser would be to the Mikene Empire's attempt to take over the surface world, the Mikene Supreme Commander wanted to make sure he nipped the problem in the bud.
Meanwhile, his forces battled the so-called Mazinger Army worldwide for domination. On virtually every front, victory was with the Mikene. Two of the inferior mass-production Mazingers Baion Beta and Daion Gamma were dispatched easily by General Julius Caesar in Egypt
and General Draydou
in China
, while Venus A
was defeated by General Ardias in Australia
. Unlike the pilots of the mass-production Mazingers, Jun was seriously injured but managed to survive.
However, some of these victories were costly: General Birdler
managed to track the plane carrying Kouji and Sayaka
and launched an attack with his entire corps. The escorting robot Million Alpha, piloted by the twin sisters Lori and Loru, was no match for the Mikene General, who crushed both girls to death in their cockpits much to the horror of Koji and Sayaka. Before she died, the eldest twin Loru managed to activate Million Alpha's self-destruct sequence that sent the mecha and Birdler hurtling into the Mikene Mikeros flying fortress. The resulting explosion wiped out Birdler's Aerial Corps, but also forced the plane carrying Kouji to crash land in Siberia
.
Meanwhile, Great Mazinger
managed to defeat the majority of General Angoras
and General Scarabeth
's forces in New York
, but was in no condition to battle two of the Mikene Generals simultaneously. Despite this, Tetsuya Tsurugi managed to pull off an impressive victory, killing both of the generals through clever use of Great's remaining arsenal (specifically a combination of the Great Boomerang and Great Typhoon). Unfortunately, Great was so badly damaged it collapsed and took no further part in the battle with the Mikene.
These losses, and the loss of General Rigarn and his Battle Beast army to a suicidal missile attack, finally prompted the Great General to take action. Aboard the aerial fortress Demonika, he began making his way to the ruins of the Photoatomic Research Facility. With the help of a trucker girl, Koji and Sayaka reach the surrpundings of the Facility, but Sayaka is injured and Koji barely escapes from an attack with the help of Boss and his gang.
By the time he arrives, however, Kouji has successfully activated Mazinkaiser and already wiped out the entire surviving Mikene force, including Generals Caeser, Ardias and Draydou. The General attempts to crush Mazinkaiser beneath the immeasurably heavy Fortress Demonika (325,000 tons weight), but in a supreme display of power Mazinkaiser manages to push it back and hurl it into the air, where it is split in half by the Kaiser Scrander Boomerang.
The General and Mazinkaiser engage in a fierce duel and for a time it appears Mazinkaiser is being pushed to the edge when everything Kouji throws is countered by the warlord. However, at the last moment Kouji is encouraged by his fallen friends and manages to disarm the General, pummeling the ancient warrior before knocking his cybernetic head off with a double Turbo Smasher Punch. As the bloodied and beaten warrior wonders if this is to be the end of the Mikene, his own blade (knocked into the air by Mazinkaiser) impales him between the eyes.
Oddly enough, despite being far more powerful than anything ever created by Dr. Hell in the original anime, the OVA version of the Great General of Darkness was unable to cause Mazinkaiser any significant damage. This is in contrast to Baron Ashura
's final appearance in the preceding OVA, where he managed to cause Mazinkaiser enough electronical damage to force Kouji to jury rig repairs in the middle of battle, although this could be possible because of the armor and power upgrades received while on the space station.
which occurs in medias res
. He is shown towering over Mazinger Z as a bloodied Doctor Hell mocks the robot and its pilot. Kouji then responds by calling for the God Scrander and attacking the general with the Big Bang Punch. The outset of the following episode shows that Kouji's attack fails and mazinger is defeated. He also appears in the series finale in which he and his seven generals are successfully revived by Baron Ashura's suicidal ritual. He uses his sword to slice the enormous Mount Fuji into two.
games, often as a very powerful boss character. His hit points in Super Robot Wars F and F Final, for example, were 42,000, considered a very large number in the earlier games in the series. In later games his hit points exceed 100,000,.
The Great General of Darkness also appeared in a series of animated shorts included in the Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo
OVAs. These shorts are notable for having nearly all of Go Nagai
's heroic mecha appear to assist Mazinger Z in battle against an army of villainous mecha. Towards the end, the Great General holds Aphrodite A
hostage and single-handedly batters all of the Super Robots present (excluding the already damaged Mazinger Z) but his hand is sliced off by Shin Getter Robo
and the captive rescued by Grendizer
. After a further attack by Shin Getter and Grendizer, the Great General is finished off by a pillar of flame, that reveals itself as the Emperor of Darkness, the Mikene Emperor. The shorts end as Kouji activates Mazinkaiser with the original theme of Mazinger Z, and makes a dramatic appearance on the battlefield.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
and warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
from the series Great Mazinger
Great Mazinger
is a manga comic book and anime television series by manga artist Go Nagai, made as a direct continuation of the successful Mazinger Z series...
. He takes the form of a gigantic warrior wearing a helmet decorated with three horns, a long red cape and vaguely Roman-like armour. His true face is that of a bearded old man and is set into his chest.
He also appeared in the OVA Deathmatch! Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness, redesigned. His new look has him sporting black armour, a black cape
Cape
Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...
with red insides and a smaller true face.
Powers/Abilities
In all of his incarnations, the Great General of Darkness is a force to be reckoned with. In close combat he wields a mighty sword capable of slicing mountains (in Shin Mazinger Z) and bashing through opponents. While at a distance, he can unleash purple-colored beams from his eyes that are powerful enough to match Mazinkaiser's Koushiryoku Beam. On the defensive end, the Great General of Darkness is no slouch either; as his cape can withstand Fire Blaster's intense heat, and his true face survived a direct strike from Great Mazinger's swords and in his 2003 incarnation, a direct blast from Mazinkaiser's Koushiryoku Beams (which were shown to be powerful to destroy the Mikene warrior Dante with one strike).Great Mazinger version
The supreme commander of the Mikene Empire (Mikene Teikoku), the Great General of Darkness leads the seven Mikene armies in their conquest of the surface world. Forced underground centuries before, the Mikene further developed the golem technology Dr. HellDr. Hell
Dr. Hell is the main villain of the fictional robot anime Mazinger Z. He is a brilliant, cunning and evil scientist, obsessed with world domination through his creations, the armies of Mechanical Beasts.- History :He was a colleague of Dr...
discovered and used to create his Mechanical Beasts
Mechanical Beasts
The Mechanical Beasts , also known as mechanical monsters or mechanical brutes, were the antagonist mecha from the Mazinger Z anime and manga series, created by Go Nagai. Almost all of them were created by Koji Kabuto's nemesis, Dr. Hell...
. Instead of purely mechanical mecha, the Mikene Battle Beasts
Warrior Beasts
The Warrior Beasts , also referred to as Battle Beasts in some translations, were the monsters and evil mecha from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger by Go Nagai...
are a nightmarish combination of flesh and machine, and are far more powerful than their purely mechanical cousins.
He is the one who dispatched Archduke Gorgon
Archduke Gorgon
Archduke Gorgon was a villain who was seen primarily in the fictional giant robot anime Great Mazinger, but appeared several times in its prequel series, Mazinger Z, as well. He resembles a centaur somewhat, as from the waist up he is a green-skinned man, but below the waist has the body of a...
to the surface world and allowed him to give Dr. Hell newer, more powerful mecha to use against Kouji Kabuto and 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...
. It is a safe bet to say the ancient warlord likely intended to betray and overthrow Dr. Hell once Mazinger was defeated. When Mazinger Z instead vanquished Dr. Hell once and for all, the Great General ordered his forces to mobilise. Realising that as long as Mazinger Z existed the people of the surface world would never surrender, he commanded the seven armies to focus their attacks on Japan.
The Fortress of Black Iron Mazinger Z was quickly overcome, but unexpectedly a new threat appeared in the form of the even mightier Great Hero Great Mazinger. After numerous battles with the powerful Super Robot, the General decided to personally deal with this thorn in his side. Alas, after a long and difficult battle the Great General of Darkness was slain and his position taken up, ironically enough, by Dr. Hell in the guise of the Great Marshall of Hell.
Mazinkaiser version
The Great General of Darkness made his appearance in the Deathmatch! Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness OVA by projecting an image of himself and his seven generals over Paris. Having learnt that Kouji Kabuto, the pilot of MazinkaiserMazinkaiser
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....
, was in Paris and thus unable to call on the Super Robot, he has the city destroyed.
As his armies launch simultaneous attacks all over the globe, he dispatches his personal assassin, Archduke Gorgon
Archduke Gorgon
Archduke Gorgon was a villain who was seen primarily in the fictional giant robot anime Great Mazinger, but appeared several times in its prequel series, Mazinger Z, as well. He resembles a centaur somewhat, as from the waist up he is a green-skinned man, but below the waist has the body of a...
to hunt down and kill Kouji before he manages to return to Japan and activate Mazinkaiser. Having observed Kouji's battles with Dr. Hell's forces and knowing full well what a threat Mazinkaiser would be to the Mikene Empire's attempt to take over the surface world, the Mikene Supreme Commander wanted to make sure he nipped the problem in the bud.
Meanwhile, his forces battled the so-called Mazinger Army worldwide for domination. On virtually every front, victory was with the Mikene. Two of the inferior mass-production Mazingers Baion Beta and Daion Gamma were dispatched easily by General Julius Caesar in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and General Draydou
General Draydou
also known as the Dangerously Tempered General Draydou or Great Lizard Commander Doreido is a fictional character, a supervillain and warrior from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger. He was commander of the Reptilian Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, while Venus A
Venus A
is a female mecha from the Great Mazinger anime and manga series, created by Go Nagai. She plays the traditional role of the lady robot that helps the mazinger robot fight the enemy. She was named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty.- History :...
was defeated by General Ardias in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Unlike the pilots of the mass-production Mazingers, Jun was seriously injured but managed to survive.
However, some of these victories were costly: General Birdler
General Birdler
, also known as Mysterious Bird General Birdler or Sky Battalion Commander Birdler is a fictional character, a supervillain and warrior from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger. He is commander of the Aerial Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire. He resembles a demonic...
managed to track the plane carrying Kouji and Sayaka
Sayaka Yumi
is one of the heroine of Go Nagai's manga and anime Mazinger Z. She was a bit hot-tempered and tomboyish, and had a habit of clashing with the story's hero, Kouji Kabuto even though she had a romantic interest in him....
and launched an attack with his entire corps. The escorting robot Million Alpha, piloted by the twin sisters Lori and Loru, was no match for the Mikene General, who crushed both girls to death in their cockpits much to the horror of Koji and Sayaka. Before she died, the eldest twin Loru managed to activate Million Alpha's self-destruct sequence that sent the mecha and Birdler hurtling into the Mikene Mikeros flying fortress. The resulting explosion wiped out Birdler's Aerial Corps, but also forced the plane carrying Kouji to crash land in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
Meanwhile, Great Mazinger
Great Mazinger
is a manga comic book and anime television series by manga artist Go Nagai, made as a direct continuation of the successful Mazinger Z series...
managed to defeat the majority of General Angoras
General Angoras
Aquatic General Angoras, alternately known as Sea Demon Commander Angoras or Demon Fish General Anglerus, is a fictional character, a supervillain and warrior from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger. He is commander of the Aquatic Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire...
and General Scarabeth
General Scarabeth
also known as Big Bug Battalion Commander Scarabas or Great Insect General Scarabus is a fictional character, a supervillain and warrior from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger. He was commander of the Insect Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire. He resembles a...
's forces in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, but was in no condition to battle two of the Mikene Generals simultaneously. Despite this, Tetsuya Tsurugi managed to pull off an impressive victory, killing both of the generals through clever use of Great's remaining arsenal (specifically a combination of the Great Boomerang and Great Typhoon). Unfortunately, Great was so badly damaged it collapsed and took no further part in the battle with the Mikene.
These losses, and the loss of General Rigarn and his Battle Beast army to a suicidal missile attack, finally prompted the Great General to take action. Aboard the aerial fortress Demonika, he began making his way to the ruins of the Photoatomic Research Facility. With the help of a trucker girl, Koji and Sayaka reach the surrpundings of the Facility, but Sayaka is injured and Koji barely escapes from an attack with the help of Boss and his gang.
By the time he arrives, however, Kouji has successfully activated Mazinkaiser and already wiped out the entire surviving Mikene force, including Generals Caeser, Ardias and Draydou. The General attempts to crush Mazinkaiser beneath the immeasurably heavy Fortress Demonika (325,000 tons weight), but in a supreme display of power Mazinkaiser manages to push it back and hurl it into the air, where it is split in half by the Kaiser Scrander Boomerang.
The General and Mazinkaiser engage in a fierce duel and for a time it appears Mazinkaiser is being pushed to the edge when everything Kouji throws is countered by the warlord. However, at the last moment Kouji is encouraged by his fallen friends and manages to disarm the General, pummeling the ancient warrior before knocking his cybernetic head off with a double Turbo Smasher Punch. As the bloodied and beaten warrior wonders if this is to be the end of the Mikene, his own blade (knocked into the air by Mazinkaiser) impales him between the eyes.
Oddly enough, despite being far more powerful than anything ever created by Dr. Hell in the original anime, the OVA version of the Great General of Darkness was unable to cause Mazinkaiser any significant damage. This is in contrast to Baron Ashura
Baron Ashura
is a fictional character featuring in the works of Go Nagai. It is the main henchman of Dr. Hell, the antagonist of Super Robot series Mazinger Z. It plagues the hero Kouji Kabuto for much of the series' run, until finally being killed in one of the later episodes....
's final appearance in the preceding OVA, where he managed to cause Mazinkaiser enough electronical damage to force Kouji to jury rig repairs in the middle of battle, although this could be possible because of the armor and power upgrades received while on the space station.
Shin Mazinger version
The Great General of Darkness appears in the first episode of the reboot series Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z HenShin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen
is a new Mazinger anime series, directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa which premiered in Japan on April 4, 2009. According to the production staff, it has no relation to the 1970s show and should not be described as a Mazinger Z remake...
which occurs in medias res
In medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
. He is shown towering over Mazinger Z as a bloodied Doctor Hell mocks the robot and its pilot. Kouji then responds by calling for the God Scrander and attacking the general with the Big Bang Punch. The outset of the following episode shows that Kouji's attack fails and mazinger is defeated. He also appears in the series finale in which he and his seven generals are successfully revived by Baron Ashura's suicidal ritual. He uses his sword to slice the enormous Mount Fuji into two.
Other appearances
The Great General of Darkness has appeared in many of the Super Robot WarsSuper Robot Wars
is a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Banpresto, which is now a Japanese division of Namco Bandai. The main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to...
games, often as a very powerful boss character. His hit points in Super Robot Wars F and F Final, for example, were 42,000, considered a very large number in the earlier games in the series. In later games his hit points exceed 100,000,.
The Great General of Darkness also appeared in a series of animated shorts included in the Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo
Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo
is an anime OVA series based on the works of Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa. It was released in four episodes on four DVDs from December 2000 to June 2001.Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo draws heavily from Ken Ishikawa's manga Getter Robo Go...
OVAs. These shorts are notable for having nearly all of 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...
's heroic mecha appear to assist Mazinger Z in battle against an army of villainous mecha. Towards the end, the Great General holds Aphrodite A
Aphrodite A
is a female mecha from the Mazinger Z anime and manga series, created by Go Nagai. It was the first giant robot in the genre to resemble the female anatomy.She was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty....
hostage and single-handedly batters all of the Super Robots present (excluding the already damaged Mazinger Z) but his hand is sliced off by Shin Getter Robo
Shin Getter Robo
Shin Getter Robo is a fictional mecha from Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa's Getter Robo universe. It first appeared in the last volume of the Getter Robo Go manga, then made famous by the Super Robot Wars series of video games...
and the captive rescued by 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...
. After a further attack by Shin Getter and Grendizer, the Great General is finished off by a pillar of flame, that reveals itself as the Emperor of Darkness, the Mikene Emperor. The shorts end as Kouji activates Mazinkaiser with the original theme of Mazinger Z, and makes a dramatic appearance on the battlefield.