Mazinger Z is a fictional mecha

Mecha

A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...

 from the anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 and manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series of the same name

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...

, created by 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...

. Within the story, Mazinger Z was created by Professor Juzou Kabuto and piloted by his grandson Kouji. Mazinger Z is often credited as the first piloted robot, making it the ancestor of the wildly popular mecha genre.

History

Professor Juzou Kabuto was a brilliant scientist in his own right; during a mining expedition on Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...

, he discovered a new element which he dubbed Japanium. Later, while researching Mediterranean legends of metal giants, one of his colleagues went mad with power and decided to use the ancient 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...

 to dominate the world. Kabuto only barely survived the newly-renamed Doctor Hell's assassination attempt and hurried back to Japan. There, he devised a defense against the Mechanical Monsters: a giant battle robot that would combine a super-strong alloy of Japanium (dubbed Chogokin Z, or Super Alloy Z) with the Photonic Energy that his friend Professor Yumi had discovered. Since this machine would have power rivaling even a god or devil, Kabuto named it Mazinger Z (from the Japanese words "Ma" (魔), demon, and "Jin" (神), god). Unfortunately, shortly after Mazinger Z's completion, Kabuto was found and murdered by Doctor Hell's hit squad. However, he managed to get word to his grandson Kouji Kabuto, who learned of his grandfather's death and of Mazinger Z. Learning to pilot the giant machine, Kouji swore to defend the Earth in his grandfather's place. Though Mazinger Z would serve Kouji to battle the Mechanical Monsters, he found himself outclassed by the stronger battle beasts unleashed by the Mycene Empire, and Mazinger Z was badly damaged until it was rescued by the 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...

 and its pilot, Tetsuya Tsurugi.

Later, the Mycene Empire revived Doctor Hell and they began a last-ditch assault while the Great Mazinger and Tetsuya were recovering from their final fight with Ankoku Daishogun. Both Kouji and the Mazinger Z returned, stronger than before, to save the Photon Power Plant, but failed to save the Science Fortress. Together with the returned Great Mazinger, Boss Borot

Boss Borot

' is a fictional mecha from the anime and manga series Mazinger Z, first premiering in episode 48. Within the story, Boss Borot was created by three engineers from the Photon Power Laboratory and piloted by Boss and his cohorts Mucha and Nuke...

, Diana A

Diana A

is a female mecha from the Mazinger Z anime and manga series, created by Go Nagai. It was the successor of Aphrodite A after its destruction.She was named after Diana the Roman goddess of hunt.- History :...

 and 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 :...

, the Mycene were destroyed.

Mazinger Z was last seen locked away in the Robot Museum with a Great Mazinger as the Great Mazinger was being taken away to be used against Grendizer.

Shin Mazinger

In the new anime Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen

Shin 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...

, Mazinger is not only created as a response to Dr. Hell's mechanical beasts, but is actually based on Zeus

Zeus

In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...

, the great god who had sealed the beasts away in Bardos Island. After escaping from Dr. Hell, Juuzo Kabuto apparently spent 10 years hiding in his mansion with his grandsons Kouji and Shiro, the former of whom got acquainted with the legends of Zeus by reading books in his grandfather's room. When 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....

 begins his attack on the Photon Power Labs and the Kabuto manor, Juuzo sends the Pilder to rescue Kouji and then instructs him on how to dock with Mazinger Z. In this series, Mazinger's resemblance to Zeus is such that Baron Ashura goes into a rage and attacks the robot bare handed, knocking it down before he is reminded by Dr. Hell of his mission to destroy the Photon Power Labs.

Statistics

• Power Source
  Photonic Energy
• Armor Materials
  Super-Alloy Z
• Dimensions
  • Height
    18 meters
  • Weight
    20 tons
  • Neck Circumference
    5.6 meters
  • Chest Circumference
    13.6 meters
  • Arm Circumference
    5.3 meters
  • Leg Circumference
    6.2 meters
  • Arm Length
    7 meters
  • Leg Length
    9 meters
• Performance
  • Walking Speed
    50 kilometers per hour
  • Running Speed
    360 kilometers per hour
  • Swimming Speed
    20 knots
  • Flight Speed
    Mach 3
  • Ceiling
    630 meters
  • Maximum Lift
    150 tons
  • Output
    65,000 horsepower

Weapons and Attacks

• Koushiryoku Beam
  Mazinger Z can channel pure Photonic Energy through its eyes, unleashing a pair of powerful lasers, which are said to be equal to 10 tons of explosives. This was originally considered Mazinger Z's weakest attack, however, in Shin Mazinger the power of this attack is greatly magnified to the point where it can now be considered the strongest.
• Missile Punch
  Mazinger Z mounts a missile launch bay in its belly, which can store several missiles.
• Rocket Punch
  Mazinger Z's signature attack; it fires off its forearm like a missile, punching straight through an enemy before returning and docking with the elbow again.
• Rust Hurricane
  The powerful turbines in Mazinger Z's head create gale-force winds, launching them through the mouth grill. The attack includes highly corrosive particles (thought to be ionized hydrogen), almost instantaneously causing an enemy to rust over and fall apart. This is the only weapon in Mazinger Z's arsenal which can damage Super-alloy Z, for example when and enemy (Rhine X1) reverse it against Mazinger with a blow of her giant fan. As requested by her pilot Sayaka Yumi, it has been also used as a funeral ceremony to destroy completely Aphrodite A, that has been reduced in pieces after have shielded Mazinger from a deadly attack.
• Breast Fire
  The large red fins on Mazinger Z's chest act as heat sinks for its Photonic Energy reactor. Mazinger Z can fire off this stored thermal energy as a powerful, 30,000 degree white-hot beam that melts almost anything. In the Super Robot Wars
  Super 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...
  
  series, Kouji and Tetsuya Tsurugi can use the Breast Fire and Breast Burn respectively in the Double Burning Fire attack, which they use in the MX
  Super Robot Wars MX
  is a video game for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Super Robot Wars series by Banpresto, a division of Bandai, and was released on May 27, 2004...
  
  version of the Final Dynamic Special (also involving Grendizer and a Getter
  Getter Robo
  is a Super Robot manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an anime series produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes.- Plot :...
  
  ).
• Kyoukagata Rocket Punch
  Mazinger Z's Rocket Punch was later reinforced with stronger armor, giving it a more powerful punch. This attack first appears in episode 54.
• Iron Cutter
  An improved Rocket Punch in which each forearm sprouts a pair of axe-like blades, allowing it to cut and slash as well as bludgeon. This weapon first premiers in episode 59.
• Drill Missile
  A barrage of small, needle-like missiles fired from ports in Mazinger's upper arms. This attack was typically performed after the Rocket Punch but before the forearm had returned. This weapon first premiered in episode 60.
• Daisharin Rocket Punch
  Mazinger Z spins its arms rapidly, building up momentum before firing off both fists in standard Rocket Punch fashion. This weapon first premiered in episode 72.
• Reitou Beam
  Mazinger unleashes a blast of intense cold; this attack was alternately fired from the mouth grill or the spikes on the sides of Mazinger's head. It first premiered in episode 71.
• Finger Missile
  A rarely-used attack where Mazinger fires the last joint of its fingers as miniature missiles. First used in episode 6.

Jet Scrander and Jet Scrander Weapons

• Jet Scrander
  First appearing in episode 34, the Jet Scrander, Mazinger Z is given the ability to fly, giving it a defense against aerial enemies. When needed, it is launched from a catapult in the Photonic Research Lab and flies to Mazinger's location. In some cases Mazinger Z will run and jump into the air to meet it, in other cases it will slow and approach a stationary Mazinger Z. The docking is accompanied by the command "Scrander Cross!"
  • Wingspan
    12.8 meters
  • Weight
    1 metric ton
  • Maximum Velocity
    Mach 3
  • Maximum Altitude
    20,000 meters

• Jet Scrander's Weapons
  • Scrander Cutter
    The wings of the Jet Scrander are strong and sharp enough to be used as blades.
  • Southern Cross Knife
    Contained Within the Jet Scrander's wings are shuriken
    Shuriken
    A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
    
     which can be fired as missiles. This weapon first premiered in episode 73.

Hover Pileder

• Hover Pileder
  The control center of Mazinger Z, the Hover Pileder is a small, lightly armed flying hovercraft with outboard VTOL fans at the ends of its wings, that folds and lands inside the head of Mazinger Z (unfortunately, when Sayaka tried to control Mazinger Z in Episode 52, her unfamiliarity with the controls led to the wings being clipped). When it makes a link with the giant robot, its pilot yells, "Pileder On!" When the Hover Pileder is destroyed, it is replaced by the Jet Pileder, which had more normal wings and a single VTOL fan in the center of its underside, which allows it to dock with the Mazinger Z while the latter is on its back (Kouji would use this to his advantage in the finale of 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...
  
  , after two failed attempts to dock normally due to Warrior Beast interference).
  • Length
    5.6 meters
  • Width
    3.2 meters
  • Height
    3 meters
  • Weight
    260 kilograms
  • Maximum Altitude
    10,500 meters
  • Ascent Speed
    120 kilometers per hour
  • Maximum Speed
    Mach 3
  • Output
    20,000 horsepower

• Pileder Weapons and Equipment
  • Pileder Beam
    Both the Hover Pileder and the Jet Pileder were equipped with a laser beam weapon.
  • Pileder Missile
    The Hover and Jet Pileder could fire a pair of side recessed missiles.
  • Emergency raft
    The Hover Pileder had a hatch in the center of its underside that could drop a self-inflating life raft. The Jet Pileder's VTOL engine was in this position, and there was never indication that the Jet Pileder carried a raft in some other way.

God Scrander

• God Scrander
  Seen in the first episode of Shin Mazinger
  Shin 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...
  
  ), the God Scrander like all "Scranders" attaches to the back of Mazinger giving it the power of flight. In addition to this, it also has three giant fingers that, together with Mazinger Z's arms, form a fist when closed which forms the basis of the Big Bang Punch. After docking, the command "Open Wing!" makes the God Scrander open its wings and unfurl its fingers.
• God Scrander Weapons
  • Big Bang Punch
    Big Bang Punch is literally the fist of Zeus. It is a glowing gold fist formed by God Scrander's fingers curling around Mazinger Z which is then rammed into opponent. The true strength of this attack has yet to be revealed, although in the first episode, it is shown as strong enough to seriously cripple the Aerial Fortress Gool and even threatened the giant sized Ankoku Daishogun
    Great General of Darkness
    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...
    
    .

Alternate versions

• In the 2002 OVA Mazinkaiser
  Mazinkaiser
  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....
  
  , Mazinger Z received a redesign (courtesy of Keiichi Sato
  Keiichi Sato
  is a mecha and character designer born in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan in 1965.In 1996, Sato met with Kazuyoshi Katayama to begin work on The Big O. Until then, Sato's work consisted mainly of designing characters and supervising animation for anime series. The Big O is the first based on a...
  
  , the mechanical designer for The Big O
  The Big O
  is a Japanese animated television series created by director Kazuyoshi Katayama and designer Keiichi Sato for Sunrise Studios. The writing staff was assembled by the series' head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka....
  
  ) to resemble the original look of Mazinger in the Go Nagai's manga. This Mazinger lacks the Jet Scrander, but retains the original's most famous attacks. Unfortunately, Mazinger Z is no match for the onslaught of Doctor Hell's Mechanical Monster army, and is severely damaged in the very first episode. Captured by Baron Ashura, Mazinger Z is remade into the Ashura Mazinger and unleashed on the Photon Energy Labs. However, Mazinkaiser appears and readily dispatches the Ashura Mazinger.

• Toymaker Fewture has produced a series of toys called Mazinger 1901, which recast Mazinger Z, 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....
  
   and Garada K7 as turn-of-the-century steampunk
  Steampunk
  Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
  
   designs. The 1901 Mazinger remains much the same as the original, but with bulkier proportions and large, visible screws on most of its surface. (See Mazinger Toy Lines
  Mazinger Toy Lines
  Go Nagai's Mazinger related mechas and characters have always been popular among anime and manga fans, and because of this many different toy lines have been developed since Mazinger first appeared in the 70's...
  
  )