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Mazinger Z: Difference between revisions
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=== List of Mazinger-related series: ===
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Manga/Mazin Saga|Mazin Saga]]'': In this series Mazinger is not a [[Humongous Mecha]] but a mystic armor that turns the wearer into a giant. Three volumes were published in 1990, and other six in 1997.
* ''[[CB Chara Go Nagai World]]'': A [[Crossover]] between ''[[
* ''[[Manga/Z Mazinger|Z Mazinger]]'': In this version, Earth was invaded for a race of [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] were mistaken by gods. However, the most powerful alien warrior -named Zeus- rebelled against them and defeated them. Several centuries later they return and attack Japan, but Kouji Kabuto finds the robot of Zeus, and he accepts fighting on Zeus stead, renaming his robot to Z-Mazinger. [[Go Nagai]] wrote it in 1998, and it lasted five volumes.
* ''[[
* ''[[Manga/Dynamic Heroes|Dynamic Heroes]]'': A [[Crossover]] featuring the animated versions of ''[[
* ''[[Manga/Mazinger Angels|Mazinger Angels]]'': An alternate story and ''[[
* ''[[
* ''[[Shin Mazinger Zero]]'': Shin Mazinger Zero is a manga that was released in 2009 in the magazine Champion Red, created by [[Go Nagai]] and [[Yoshiaki Tabata]]. It has no connection with ''[[Shin Mazinger]]'', but it is connected with the original anime. Three volumes have been published so far.
* ''[[Mazinger Otome]]'': A digital comic published in 2009, by [[Go Nagai]] and [[Mikio Tachibana]]. In this alternate story, [[Go Nagai]] classic Super Robots (Mazinger-Z, Great Mazinger, Grendizer, ''[[Anime/Koutetsu Jeeg|Koutetsu Jeeg]]'') are [[Robot Girls]].
* ''[[
Made by [[Go Nagai]], who would later inspire the creation of (but not, as common misconceptions would have you believe, actually create) ANOTHER granddaddy of [[Super Robot Genre|Super Robot]] anime: ''[[
In the US, ''Mazinger Z'' was aired under the title ''Tranzor Z'' as a response to the popularity of ''[[Voltron]]''. In this dub, Koji became "Tommy" and Sayaka was "Jessica." It was later given a shorter, but more faithful dub run commissioned by [[Toei]]. The Toei dub was hugely popular in the Philippines before Ferdinand Marcos ordered it off the air, and some episodes were released on VHS in the U.K.; before ''Tranzor Z'', snippets of this dub had been aired in the U.S. on a Christian Broadcasting Network public-affairs program about Japan.
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== A-H ==
* [[Abusive Parents]] <- -> [[Parents
** A bigger example is {{spoiler|Kenzo Kabuto. He almost died cause a laboratory experiment gone wrong, but his father saved his life. However both of them thought it would be better not telling Kouji and Shiro -- Kenzo's sons -- he had survived. For YEARS Kouji and Shiro grew up mostly alone, thinking their father died alongside their mother while he was building a [[Humongous Mecha]] to defend humankind. When Kenzo revealed the truth to them,}} Kouji was too glad to hold a grudge, but Shiro took a long while until before he could forgive him. Also, {{spoiler|Kenzo had no troubles slapping his adoptive son when he thought Tetsuya was crossing the line.}} All of it finally bit everyone's butts at the end of the series.
** Justified, {{spoiler|considering what happened in the series, its rather understandable why he didn't reveal himself to be alive, since he took care of Tetsuya and Jun}}. How he treated Tetsuya on the other hand, is a good example. During one the first chapter of the manga, he ordered Tetsuya to throw his doubt and attack the enemy who hold Jun hostage(which is not only his love interest, shes technically his family). Sure, Tetsuya is a trained soldier, but the way that Tetsuya reacts shows how much of a [[Sadistic Choice]] it really is.
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* [[Adults Are Useless]]: The series plays with the trope, but subverts it. The weapon most powerful in the world is handed over to a teenager, and Dr. Hell and his servants (who are all adults) are unable defeat a bunch of teenagers... but neither Kouji nor Sayaka nor Shiro -- nor Boss and his gang -- would have been capable of protecting humankind and defeat Dr. Hell if they would not been supported by plenty of adults. All workers in the Institute (starting with Prof. Yumi, who was a good scientist and strategist) were fully competent and without them Mazinger Z would have not got the frequent upgrades, repairs and maintainance it needed.
* [[Advanced Ancient Acropolis]]: The Mykene inhabited the Greek island of Bardos. Their technologic level was miles ahead of any other culture of the same time, and the rest of the world would need millennia to catch up. However, one earthquake shook their island and destroyed their cities, and they were forced to seek shelter underground. They founded another civilization [[Beneath the Earth]], but on the surface the only remainder left of their presence were abandoned, decaying ruins, and old legends about the [[Humongous Mecha]] they used to defend their land.
* [[Affectionate Parody]]: ''[[Super Robot Retsuden]]'', a ''[[
* [[All Myths Are True]]: Dr. Hell joined an archaelogical expedition to the Greek island of Bardos, thinking maybe several ancient legends told that island was defended by an army of [[Humongous Mecha|mechanical giants]] were true. [[Understatement|Unfortunately for everybody else]], he was right. [[Classical Mythology]] plays an increasingly important role in each retelling of the series, until the point of Greek gods start showing up and ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' [[Big Bad]] is revealed to be {{spoiler|Hades}} in [[Shin Mazinger]].
* [[Alternate Continuity]]: There are several manga versions. The original one was written and drawn by Go Nagai. A second version was drawn by Gosaku Ota -- one of his assistants -- that ran parallel to the anime series and was heavily influenced by it (That version was made when Sueisha realized two Mazinger Z mangas would make more profit that one). Gosaku Ota's manga showed the backstory of the Dr. Hell and his undelings. Other versions are: ''[[
* [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us]]: The Institute is a preferred attack target.
* [[All Your Colors Combined]]: The Mazinger trilogy series have extensively played with this trope:
** In ''[[
** In ''[[
** In the first episode of ''[[
** Great Mazinger and ''[[
** The ''[[
* [[Alliterative Name]]: Kouji Kabuto {{spoiler|and his father, Kenzo Kabuto}}
* [[Ancestral Weapon]]: Kouji probably counts, if you count his grandpa's {{spoiler|and his dad's}} ''giant robot'' as an ancestral weapon.
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* [[Armed Legs]]: Mazinger-Z had one rocket on each foot to propel it underwater, but Kouji also used them to fight. Usually he blast with them a ¨Mechanical Beast's face to force it to release Mazinger.
* [[Armor-Piercing Slap]]: Kouji, being a tactless [[Idiot Hero]], finds himself in the receiving end of these rather often.
* [[Asskicking Pose]]: Mazinger-Z asskicking pose was pretty simple: upon activation, the robot flexed its arms over its head. Most likely it is a [[Shout-Out]] to ''[[
* [[Attack of the 50 Foot Whatever]]: Many [[Robeast]] could switch sizes (the first was Baikong 09). Also, in an early episode [[Big Bad|Dr. Hell]] built a size-changing ray and turned [[The Dragon|Baron Ashura]] in a giant with it.
* [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other]]: Kouji and Sayaka. Although in the original manga they got along well, the anime series took their [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] up to eleven -- and some of their fights were legendary. However, you always had moments where they stopped to get mad, bicker and insult each other and showed they cared for each other very much.
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* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Koji and Sayaka did this even ''before'' Ranma and Akane.
* [[Beneath the Earth]]: Not surprisingly, Mazinger Z introduced this trope in [[Humongous Mecha]] anime. The Mykene were a civilization lived and thrived in the Greek island of Bardos millennia ago, using [[Humongous Mecha|mechanical giants]] [[Chest Blaster|blast fire from their chests]] to protecting their land from invaders. An earthquake destroyed their island and forced them to seek shelter underground. They lived below Earth for millennia, building their cities in networks of subterranean tunnels and caverns and grafting their bodies into [[Humongous Mecha]] to survive.
* [[Berserk Button]]: Kouji has several of them: insulting his grandfather, hurting Sayaka, harming innocents... Sayaka also gets easily mad when someone mocks her skills or makes [[Stay in
** And in ''[[Shin Mazinger]]'', when Boss and his goons insulted Kouji's grandfather one too many times, he promptly beat the ever-loving crap out of Boss, and would have seriously hurt him if Sayaka hadn't interrupted to tell Kouji that his grandfather was in real danger.
** And in the ''[[Shin Mazinger Zero]]'' manga, you do NOT try and harm Sayaka. Otherwise, Kouji... [[Understatement|will not be nice to you]].
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* [[Bigger Bad]]: {{spoiler|The Emperor of Darkness -who fits the bill like [[God of Evil]]-. The [[Humongous Mecha]] [[Big Bad]] Dr. Hell found were ancient -and severely outdated- weapons of his army. During the first series he did not directly interfere with the plot, and he remained in his underground empire, watching the war between Kouji Kabuto and Dr. Hell as one of his underlyings schemed to bring both of them down. After causing the end of Dr. Hell's army and Mazinger-Z}} he became [[Big Bad]] of the next series.
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Kouji -and Sayaka, and even Boss- pulled this off sometimes. However, the most memorable moment happened in the final episode (and its extended movie version) when {{spoiler|a new enemy army appears and proceed to completely overwhelm Kouji. As the Mazinger barely holds itself even a tiny bit together, the Great Mazinger shows up just before the final blow is struck and proceeds to absolutely dominate the new foes.}} Also something he's fond of doing in remakes, often with a nice big '''THUNDER BREAK''' to blast any number of enemies ready to swarm his allies. Also some really nice descending from the clouds shots.
* [[Big Creepy
* [[Big Eater]]: Kouji and Boss.
* [[Big No]]: Kouji utters one when his grandfather dies.
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* [[Boss Subtitles]]: Every time a Kikaiju appeared for first time, its name was splashed on the screen. Two exceptions were Zaila and Danchel, since the title stated their names but not their respective letter/number code. [[All There in the Manual|You would have to read any of the Mazinger-related books]] for finding out.
* [[Bragging Theme Tune]]
* [[Brain In
* [[Brainy Brunette]]: Professor Gennosuke Yumi and his daughter, Sayaka. Yumi is a [[Badass Bookworm]], and although Sayaka is an [[Action Girl]], she is pretty smart and knowledgeable.
* [[Bratty Half-Pint]]: Yuri, Sayaka's cousin. She showed up in episode 23. [[The Woobie|She was a wheelchair-bound little girl felt lonely because her parents were never at home;]] so she refused training her legs because she wanted people looked to her, and she demanded all paid attention to her and oblige her whims (she seemed having a crush on Kouji, too). Needless to say, she got in big trouble, that led to a [[It's All My Fault]] moment.
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* [[Breath Weapon]]: Rust Hurricane. Mazinger blows a jet of particle-charged wind from its mouth grill that corrodes the enemy into nothingness. Many Mechanical Beasts also had breath-based attacks, usually expelling out fire, acid or even poison.
* [[Bridge Bunnies]]: Photon Atomic Enery Research Institute [[Bridge Bunnies]] were a male trio and [[Man in White|wore white uniforms]]. They performed the ordinary functions of [[Mission Control]], collecting and interpreting data and reading it to [[The Professor]] or the pilots of the [[Humongous Mecha]], as well as sending them orders or receiving their messages.
* [[Brought to You
* [[Calling Your Attacks]]: And HOW! Heck, arguably, Kouji MADE the trope.
* [[Canon Immigrant]]: Mazinkaizer, from [[Super Robot Wars 4]].
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* [[Cash Cow Franchise]]
* [[Changed My Mind, Kid]]: Kouji, after an [[Achilles in His Tent]] episode in chapter 7.
* [[Character Development]]: It was not huge but it was there. For example, Kouji's sexism diluded somewhat through the episodes. At the beginning, Kouji flatly refuses Aphrodite gets modified into a full-fldged battle robot, declaring he does not need aid, and stating -to Sayaka's face- [[Stay in
* [[Character Title]]: Take a guess.
* [[Chest Blaster]]: "Breast Fire!"
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** It happened to Sayaka whenever a beautiful girl hang around Kouji: Hitomi, Erika, Misato...
* [[Clothing Damage]]: It happened to Sayaka in the original manga sometimes (too many times for her liking). Given that it was created by the man introduced Fanservice in anime, it is not surprising. In one chapter, several female robots with blades replacing her arms sliced her dress to ribbons, without actually cutting her flesh or underwear.
* [[Colonel Badass]]: ''Commander Badass'', in this case: Great General of Darkness/Ankoku Daishogun, [[The Dragon]] of the Emperor of Darkness and commander of the seven armies of the Mykene Empire. He wields a BFS, sports a [[Badass Cape]] and a [[Badass Beard]], and he can kick the butt of nearly any [[Humongous Mecha]] invented by [[Go Nagai]]. He led the army of Mykene Empire, personally or delegating on his generals, and he was [[A Father to His Men]] considered unforgivable default intelligence costed the lives of his troops. He fought Great Mazinger because he knew he could win, slicing it with his blade mercilessly as he laughed its attacks off. And he fought ''[[
* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Koji, like you wouldn't believe. In his first appearance, in which he just received Mazinger. his fight is filled by abusing the fact that Mazinger really IS invincible(at least for that point). During his second appearance, he is not above tricking his opponent to think that he gives up the fight only to kick ass. And he does this several time during the course of the series.
** Let's think of it, is there some [[Go Nagai]] character is NOT a [[Combat Pragmatism]]? Kouji, [[Great Mazinger|Tetsuya]], [[Devilman|Akira]], [[Cutey Honey|Honey]], [[Dororon Enma
** In [http://manga.animea.net/mazinger-z-chapter-3-page-61.html this page] Count Brocken called him on it ([[Breaking the Fourth Wall]] to do so). Kouji's answer was a [[Shut UP, Hannibal]].
* [[Combat Tentacles]]: Several Mechanical Beasts: Stronger T4, Megaron P1 and its "siblings", Gambina M5... And in ''[[Shin Mazinger Zero]]'' {{spoiler|Juzo Kabuto.}}
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** It was inverted AND [[Deconstruction|deconstructed]]. Even although it is unclear every button and lever's function, EVERY ONE has a very specific function, and you can NOT simply press a random button and expecting Mazinger Z does whatever you want in the time. The first time Kouji activated Mazinger in the original manga, he nearly demolished one half city because he kept punching random buttons as trying figuring out how handling the damned thing. The same thing happened in the anime series, with the variation of it did not happen in one city. Even so, Kouji nearly got his little brother killed.
* [[Conveniently an Orphan]]: Kouji and Shiro's parents died on a laboratory accident {{spoiler|but in reality only their mother died}}. Sayaka has also lost her mother.
* [[Convection, Schmonvection]]: Many battles happened around volcanoes, near volcanoes or IN volcanoes, and at least once [[The Hero]] Kouji was dunked in lava. Since Kouji always remained inside Mazinger-Z, his [[Humongous Mecha]] provided protection from extreme heat, toxic fumes and other dangers, but in the episode where Mazinger-Z took an unwilling magma dive it was stated not even Mazinger-Z's armor and heat-insulation could endure THAT for long, and Kouji eventually would die of burning, dehydration or asphyxia. The sequels -''[[
* [[Cool Airship]]: Guru, Count Brocken's aerial fortress. It appears for first time at the episode 40.
* [[Cool Bike]]: Kouji is a [[Go Nagai]] main character. [[Go Nagai]] main characters ride bikes. Sayaka and Boss also ride bikes.
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* [[Disposable Woman]]: Rumi was the maid Prof. Kabuto had hired to take care of his grandsons while he was creating Mazinger Z. She was cold-bloodly murdered by Baron Ashura less than five minutes after her first appearance. Kouji and Shiro cried when they found the corpse, but she was not mentioned again after the first episode.
* [[Distaff Counterpart]]: Aphrodite A and Diana A; Minerva X is a greater example, since it is quite literally a feminine version of Mazinger.
** Similarly, in the Mazinger Angels manga (a spoof of [[
* [[Distracted
* [[Do-Anything Robot]]: Mazinger Z has weapons to solve nearly any situation it can find (although it helps Mazinger is piloted by a quick-thinking [[Genius Ditz]] is able of devising new strategies -or ways to get himself out of trouble- on the fly), and throughout the series it gets upgraded equiped to combat at any enviroment.
* [[The Dog Shot First]]: Inverted. In the ''Mazinkaiser'' OVA, {{spoiler|Doctor Hell dies because his base exploded while he was trying to escape.}} When Go Nagai penned the ''Mazinkaiser'' manga, {{spoiler|Kouji shoots him in an abrupt, albeit iconic and stylized, sequence.}}
* [[Doing in
** And in the episode 36 of ''[[Mazinger Z]]'', {{spoiler|Baron Ashura pretended being}} a witch.
* [[Do Not Adjust Your Set]]: Done as soon as the SECOND episode, when Baron Ashura announced the world belonged to Dr. Hell henceforth and all who opposed to him (i. e.: Mazinger-Z and the Photonic Research Institute) would be destroyed. Since then it was often employed by Dr. Hell and Baron Ashura to threaten, make demands, blackmail the Japanese Government, spreading lies and misinformation about the heroes and -successfully- scare people away in making their biding. In ''[[Great Mazinger]]'', Great Marshall Of Hell was the only Mykene commander broadcast his demands by TV, showing {{spoiler|Dr. Hell did not lose that custom even after dying and being brought back to life.}}
* [[Doomsday Device]]: Several of them. Dr. Hell -and sometimes Ashura- loved to build them (and in the manga of [[Gosaku Ota]], he stated he was already working on them when he working for Hitler, but he kept them for himself. He also claimed if he would have revealed all his inventions, Germany would have won the war).
** In ''[[Great Mazinger]]'', [[The Dragon|Great Marshall of Hell]] {{spoiler|a revived Dr. Hell grafted into a [[Humongous Mecha]]}} kept on that tradition. One of those devices -appeared only in one of the manga versions- was a giant, ice lens orbited around Earth and worked like a [[Kill Sat]].
* [[Downer Ending]]: The original series ended with {{spoiler|Kouji killing Dr. Hell. However, the Mykene Empire -that had been awaiting for one of their enemies destroying the other- struck inmediately, razing to rubble several major cities -New York, London, Paris, Moscow and Tokyo-, bringing down the Photon Power Research Institute, destroying Diana-A, Boss Borot and Mazinger-Z itself. Kouji almost died, and he was saved by Tetsuya Tesurugi pulling off a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment with ''[[
** In ''[[
** In ''[[Shin Mazinger Zero]]'', the characters are locked in a [[Groundhog Day]] time loop where {{spoiler|Mazinger-Z has became a demon/EldritchAbomination and destroyed the world.}} It has happened 2,977 times so far...
* [[The Dragon]]: Baron Ashura.
** [[Dragon
* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: Koji is a not a bad driver. Oh, no. In fact, when he drives he is the only person on the road is absolutely safe. He is a [[Badass Biker]] believes traffic regulations are mere suggestions, limit speed is a myth and bikes were made to pull crazy stunts with them.
* [[Dropping the Bombshell]]: Kouji and Tetsuya talk after {{spoiler|the later saved the former's life by pulling a [[Big Damn Heroes]] moment}}:
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* [[Everybody Hates Hades]]
* [[Everyone Can See It]]: Kouji and Sayaka. Everyone can see it (including a very mortified and jealous Boss)... but Kouji.
* [[Everything's Better
* [[Everything's Better
** ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[
* [[Everything's Better
* [[Evil Is Hammy]]: Dr. Hell.
* [[Eye Beams]]: "Koushiryoku Beeeeeeeeeam!"
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* [[Female Gaze]]: Kouji Kabuto. In the anime he was shown half-naked more often than Sayaka. And in the manga he visited a hot springs resort, and stripped himself once [[Naked People Are Funny|for not reason at all]]. Duke Fleed from ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]'' also "suffered" from it. An example was when Kouji went to Duke's room late in the night to discuss a matter was worrying him, and both of them were naked up waist during the conversation.
* [[FemBot]]: Aphrodite A, Diana A, Minerva X. ''[[Mazinkaiser]]'' ditched the latter two and gave Sayaka her own version of [[Great Mazinger]]'s [[FemBot]], Venus A.
* [[Final Battle]]: It varies depending on if we are discussing the [[Go Nagai]] manga, the anime series or the [[Gosaku Ota]] manga, but it had two battles at the end of the series. At the final of the anime series, {{spoiler|the main characters located Dr. Hell's [[Supervillain Lair]] at last. Quickly they began to make preparations for the final battle, but Hell used a last scheme to hinder them as he completed his own preparations. Mazinger-Z, Venus A and Boss Borot stormed Hell's Island, supported by the Japanese army, but Dr. Hell sent against them his last Mechanical Beasts. The three [[Humongous Mecha]] got severely trashed, but Mazinger-Z could still work. Kouji stormed the base, destroying and blowing up all what he saw. Hell set his Lair to self-destruct and he and Brocken tried to flee on the aerial fortress Guru. However, Mazinger-Z chased them and they faced off for last time on an aerial battle over the ocean.}} It was subverted, though, since all of it happened in the second-to-last episode, and the narration -and the scenes involving a smug [[Dragon
* [[Finishing Move]]: A bit of a subversion. Breast Fire and Rust Hurricane would be Mazinger-Z Finishing Moves. However, Kouji used whatever weapon he saw fit to end up the battle. In the original manga, Kouji mainly used Mazinger-Z's fists and kicks to beat the enemy and then he finished it off with whatever weapon.
* [[Five-Bad Band]]:
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{{quote| '''Sayaka''': What.}}
* [[Flying Brick]]: Mazinger Z after its [[Mid-Season Upgrade]], but also several Kikaiju. one of the worst offenders was Jinray S1 (It flew at Match-5 speed when Mazinger could not fly yet, it threw bolts of lightning, and [[Macross Missile Massacre|shot missiles]])
* [[Follow the Leader]]: [[Super Robot Genre]] shows like ''[[Gigantor|Tetsujin 28]]'' already had their own success, but it was ''[[
* [[Playing Against Type/Foreign Dubbing|Foreign Dubbing]]: The Mexican voice actor Jesús Barrero voiced Kouji Kabuto and is mainly known for voicing youths like [[Saint Seiya
** Let's not forget him as Professor J and ''Dekim Barton'' from the ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
* [[Forgotten Phlebotinum]]: It was played straight often. Many times Dr. Hell came up with a [[Robeast|Mechanical Beast]] equiped with a weapon put Kouji or Mazinger-Z in a serious disadvantage: Gromazen R9 shot an acid could melt Aphrodite A's armor (that was made of Japanium, although it was less tough than Mazinger Z's), Kingdan X10 projected mirages, Holzon V3 set eathquakes off, Jinray S1 flew at Match 5, Aeros B2 could absorb Mazinger's attacks and hurling them back, Desma A1 caused hallucinations, Gumbina M5 was nearly invulnerable... and they were not used again. However, sometimes Dr. Hell reused and improved some strategies or weapons, or deceived the enemy in believing he was using the same trick.
* [[Forgotten Superweapon]]: In episode 10 Mazinger-Z shot missiles from its fingers. That weapon never showed up again. It is somewhat subverted, though, since it was not so useful and Mazinger-Z had better and more powerful weapons, so it is likelier than the animators realized it was silly placing missiles in the fingers of a [[Rocket Punch]], and they chose to forget about it and replace them with weapons were not [[Awesome but Impractical]].
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* [[Gonk]]: Boss.
* [[Gundamjack]]: After a fashion. Minerva X was designed by Professor Kabuto, but never actually built; Dr. Hell got his hands on the plans and constructed Minerva, using mundane armor materials instead of [[Unobtanium|Super Alloy Z]], and installing an AI "crown" piece in place of a Pilder.
** And in the "The Relic of Evil" one-shot, Mazinger-Z itself was hijacked by {{spoiler|a [[Brain In
* [[Ham to Ham Combat]]: In the Dynamic Heroes e-manga, Kouji Kabuto fought Great Marshall Of Hell as riding Mazinger. It is noteworthy as it was, maybe, the first time in the history of the franchise Kouji and {{spoiler|Dr. Hell}} faced each other directly as both were riding giant robots. Too bad it was a [[Curb Stomp Battle]].
* [[The Hero]]: Kouji Kabuto, obviously.
* [[Heroes Prefer Swords]]: Subversion. In spite of swords are common [[Humongous Mecha]] weapons, Kouji never used one (unless you count the Iron Cutter weapon he got in the last seasons). His sucessor, Tetsuya, was the one introduced the trope in [[Super Robot Genre]].
** Amusingly, some later versions from Mazinger-Z (''[[
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Sayaka, {{spoiler|after Aphrodite A is destroyed}}. She even {{spoiler|almost drowns herself in a lake when she thinks she's hearing Aphrodite calling out to her from there.}}
** She had another way earlier, in episode 7. A mob -enraged at having their hometown leveld by two battling [[Humongous Mecha]]- threw stones to her father, landing him in the hospital, and almost broke in the Institute. She was so upset and distraught she considered stopping to fight.
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* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: ... Just one too many. Specially in the ''Mazinkaiser'' movie. Subverted by Boss at an early stage - self-destructs the Boss Borot, but shows up a short while later asking "Why do I have to die for ''you'', Kouji!?"
** And in episode 74 {{spoiler|Sayaka sacrifices Aphrodita-A}} to save Kouji.
* [[Dude, She's Like, in
* [[Hot Springs Episode]]: In chapter 8 of the original manga, Kouji and his friends spending a while on a hot springs resort in a mountain. That episode was noteworthy because Mazinger-Z did not show up and it had a very funny Kouji/Sayaka moment in the hot springs (with a double [[Luminescent Blush]] included).
* [[High-Class Glass]]: Count Brocken.
* [[Hoist
** In episode 27, Ashura captures Aphrodite A and scans it in order to learn how building a photong engine. He hands over the records to an Iron Mask and commands him go and hand them out to Dr. Hell. Though, a Kikaiju -that had been deployed by Ashura to delay Mazinger Z- is returning to base right on that moment, and steps on the Iron Mask, killing him and ruining the records.
* [[Home Base]]: The Photon Atomic Research Institute was the heroes's base where they kept the [[Humongous Mecha]] and all tools they needed to repair them and upgrade them. Originally it was a civilian use building -a laboratory researched the newly discovered Photon Atomic energy-, but Dr. Hell pretty much forced them to make some modifications (such like installing a [[Beehive Barrier]]). Over the half of the series, [[The Hero]] and his little brother moved to the Institute, making the example even more literal. [[Big Bad]] Dr. Hell had two [[Supervillain Lair]]: Bardos Island And Hell Island. Both of them counted like [[Elaborate Underground Base]], [[Island Base]] and [[Mad Scientist Laboratory]].
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** The Dynamic Heroes e-manga featured [[Mazinger Z|Kouji, Sayaka]], [[Great Mazinger|Tetsuya, Jun]], [[UFO Robo Grendizer|Duke, Hikaru, Maria]], [[Getter Robo|Ryoma, Hayato, Benkei]], [[Devilman|Akira Fudo]] and [[Cutey Honey|Honey Kisaragi]]. There was enough hot blood in that crossover to fill an ocean.
* [[Hotblooded Sideburns]]: But of course!
* [[Huge Guy, Tiny Girl]]: Inverted in ''[[
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** If we're seeing how he actualy fights, both in anime and the manga, Koji is FAR from being a [[Idiot Hero]] instead more of a [[Genius Bruiser]]. He purposefuly gives up only to attack his enemy with the Pilder AND saves the day, and in other moments, he grabbed one of his enemy, and throw it to the other when they attacked resulted in the destruction of said enemy with bare hands. Its a pretty awesome not to mention genius feat on itself. Of course, with Mazinger being such a powerful robot, most of the time his battle consist of direct brute force than planning.
* [[If It Swims, It Flies]]: Mazinger-Z got upgraded to be able to swim (in episode 18) and fly (in episode 34). However its mobility and speed gets severely hindered underwater, its weapons do not work properly, so it may count as a subversion.
* [[Impaled
* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: One of the Dr. Hell's Mechanical Monsters (Jenova M9) can shoot down anything as far as one hundred kilometres away. [[Complete Monster|Baron Ashura]] decides trying its aim shooting down a passenger plane.
* [[In Name Only]]: [[Go Nagai]]'s manga and anime series, [[God Mazinger]] has aboslutely nothing to do with Mazinger whatsoever. The original concept was intended to be a Mazinger sequel, though.
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* [[Inferiority Superiority Complex]]: {{spoiler|Tetsuya}} had this IN SPADES.
* [[Interspecies Romance]]: {{spoiler|Kouji and Maria}} in one of the sequels.
* [[Inventional Wisdom]]: In one of the versions of the story there was one lever on Hell Island served to launch the island spacewards and detonate it. Dr. Hell used it to {{spoiler|try to}} [[Taking You
* [[It's All About Me]]: Dr. Hell wants to rule over the entire world because he got fed up with being insulted, scorned, envied and beaten when he was young, and he wants to purge the world out of idiots and forcing the survivors to [[Kneel Before Zod|kneel before him]]. Likewise, when he was a college student, he befriended Juzo Kabuto. When he realized the woman he loved was in love with Kenzo, he convinced himself they had pretended being his friends planning to backstab him later. [[Love Makes You Evil|The result]] [[Love Makes You Crazy|was]]... [[Understatement|not pretty]].
* [[It's Personal]]: Dr. Hell got Kouji's grandfather assassinated (and Rumi, the maid took care of him and his little brother as his grandfather {{spoiler|-and father-}} were away). As revenge is not his only motivation to want crushing Hell, it is definitely an important factor.
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* [[Lava Pit]]: Several [[Robeast|Mechanical Beasts]] were fought beside or over lava pits on the crater of a volcano -usually Mount Fuji-: Aeros B2 and B3, Holzon V3 -in one of the manga versions-, Debira X1... And in one episode, Kouji was dumped in one.
** And one of the [[Death Traps]] in Hell's Island was a [[Lava Pit]].
* [[The Legions of Hell]]: The demons of ''[[
* [[Lensman Arms Race]]: Throughout the series, Mazinger Z has to be constantly upgraded and endowed with new weapons and capabilities in order to battle Dr. Hell, increasingly powerful robots. Of course it drove Hell to create still more powerful Robeast and {{spoiler|when Mazinger Z finally could not catch up, it was replaced with an entirely new robot, Great Mazinger.}}
* [[Like an Old Married Couple]]: As Kouji and Sayaka are arguing -and fighting- in the background, Shiro is fortune-telling. He notes the cards tell his brother and Sayaka are destined to be together forever.
* [[Long Hair Is Feminine]]: Most of the female characters wore long hair: Sayaka, Misato, Erika, Hitomi, the Gamia sisters... Sayaka even wore [[Hair Decorations]] (a pink headband). Of course, it was considered a girl seemed more femenine like that.
* [[Long Runner]]: Forty years after the inception of the series, more Mazinger Z-related manga, anime, games and toys are being made.
* [[Lost Superweapon]]: Mykene's Mechanical Beasts. Old myths assured an ancient, {{spoiler|allegedly}} lost Greek civilization called Mykene lived on the island of Bardos used [[Humongous Mecha|metallic giants]] [[Chest Blaster|shot flames from their chests]] to defend their land. Dr. Hell pondered maybe the myths might be true. [[Understatement|Unfortunately for everybody]], the old legends were indeed right, and he found an army of ancient, forgotten [[Humongous Mecha]] under the ruins of the island. However it is a subversion, since {{spoiler|like it was seen in ''[[
* [[Lost Technology]]: The plot is set in motion when Dr. Hell finds an army of giant robots in the underground mazes of the Greek island his archaeological expedition was researching, belonging to the lost Mykene civilization. Instantly he decides seizing that technology to furthering his goals. Too bad to him -and the world- the legitimate owners of that technology were still around...
* [[Love Dodecahedron]]: It got '''real''' entangled throughout the original series and its sequels. Kouji and Sayaka kept a [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] relationship. Boss chased after Sayaka, but he was a [[Hopeless Suitor]] (although some fans think he could have gotten one chance).
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** In the other sequel, Hikaru is in love with Duke. Duke may reciprocate her feelings. Rubina is in love with him. Duke certainly reciprocates her feelings. And Minister Zuril was in love with Rubina. And Kouji kept a [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] relationship with Maria. Who knows what would have happened if Sayaka and Maria would have met in the original series.
** In the [[Dynamic Heroes]] e-manga they met, and neither of them appreciated when one of them got very close to Kouji.
** And in ''[[CB Chara Go Nagai World]]'' ''Dr. Hell'' joined the party. He was involved in one with ''[[Devilman
* [[Love Makes You Crazy]]: Dr. Hell can be a subversion because he was already quite unstable and troubled before... but when he was in college and fell in love with a cute Japanese exchange student he started behaving obsessively (getting angry if someone dared to spend time with her) and erratically (his grades started slipping because he was too obsessed to study). And when he found out she was in love with another person, he flipped out completely and tried to [[Murder the Hypotenuse]] (and even stormed into the campus with a shotgun!).
** Boss also tended to act in a very dumb, irrational and even obsessive way when he was in presence of Sayaka or ''[[Great Mazinger
* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: Dr. Hell fits the trope to the letter. He was psychologically unstable before... but when he fell in love with a cute Japanese student attended his college he became obsessive, jealous (he even fumed if she spent time with someone else) and erratic. When he found she was in love with someone else, his mind finally snapped out completely. He thought everyone was out to get him, and attempted to [[Murder the Hypotenuse]] (he stormed into the campus with a shotgun!). That incident (and another more where he tried to help someone and he got the crap beaten out of him for it) were his [[Start of Darkness]]. He dedided [[Humans Are Bastards]] and he would make everyone pay. People had shunned him out of scorn or indifference before, but from that day they gave him a wide berth out of fear because he already started looking [[Obviously Evil]] (and downright creepy).
* [[Lovely Angels]]: Sayaka and [[Great Mazinger|Jun]]
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* [[Luminescent Blush]]: It did not happen in the anime often (since Kouji was supposed to be a [[Chaste Hero]]), but it was a fairly normal occurrence in the manga episodes by BOTH Kouji and Sayaka.
* [[Macross Missile Massacre]]: Ashura and Brocken's ships and many kikaiju tried that tactic against Mazinger Z. Results varied.
** And in the short story ''[[
* [[Made of Explodium]]: Many Mechanical Beasts exploded easily -and spectacularly- even if there was no reason for it (other than animating spectacular explosions, of course). Aeros B3 reinforced this trope: it was loaded with explosives since its purpose was diving in Mount Fuji and exploding inside to awaken the volcano and bury the Institute under a tidal wave of lava. A subversion was Balanger M1, that were clusters of submarine, guided mines did NOT exploded but stuck to their target and shocked it with electricity. Several Warrior Monsters and Saucer Beasts from ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' and ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]'' also followed this trope.
* [[Made of Indestructium]]: An early Anime example. Mazinger Z is made with Alloy Z, an alloy made of Japanium, a rare metal can be found only in Japan. Dr. Kabuto discovered the metal and built Mazinger Z with it, thinking Mazinger would become indestructible. Throughout the series, the mecha got hit by giant monsters, missiles, bombs, got burned and electrocuted, got dumped in lava and doused in acid... and even though it got damaged every so often, the Alloy Z endured all of that {{spoiler|until the last chapter,}} and kept Kouji alive. Several times Dr. Hell and [[Co-Dragons|his dragons]] would try and get their hands on a sample of Alloy Z to build his [[Robeast|Robeasts]] with it because Mazinger's armor was too tough to break it, shatter it or dissolve it easily. The concept of chogokin ("Super Alloy") became so pervasive and widespread all Super Robots followed Mazinger were made of chogokin, and it baptised one whole toy line.
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* [[Male Gaze]]: Often the camera lingered on Sayaka's behind, specially when she wore skirts. It also lingered on women when they were wearing one towel after one shower or changing clothes. Of course, it also happened in the sequels. Given than [[Go Nagai|Mazinger's creator]] introduced Fanservice in the anime, it was to be expected. But to be fair, there also were plenty instances of [[Female Gaze]] in the series, specially in regards to Tetsuya and Kouji getting several [[Shirtless Scene|Shirtless Scenes]].
* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: In the original manga, Baron Ashura shows up before Dr. Hell, leading several Mechanical Beasts and the Iron Masks troops and calling it "Ashura's army". In that chapter he seemed like the [[Big Bad]], but one chapter after Dr. Hell is introduced and we learnt Hell was behind the whole operation and he is the real [[Big Bad]].
** In the anime, Archduke Gorgon was apparently a Dr. Hell's ally. In the last chapters we learnt he was a [[Dragon
* [[Manly Tears]]: Kouji has often cried these.
* [[Marth Debuted in Smash Bros]] (''Mazinger'' was beaten in export to France by ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]'', and since Kouji appears in that show as well, when ''Mazinger'' came over it was seen as a '''cheap imitation'''. ''Grendizer'' also technically beat ''Mazinger'' to American shores but due to name changes and the like nobody really noticed until years later.)
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* [[Mentor Occupational Hazard]]: Dr. Kabuto dies in the FIRST episode after handing Mazinger Z over to his elder grandson.
* [[Mid-Season Upgrade]]: Several of them. Mazinger Z was routinely upgraded to allow it fight on different enviroments successfully or to endow it with new weapons to fight increasingly powerful enemies. The most promintent of those upgrades was the [[Razor Wings|Jet Scrander]].
* [[Milking the Giant Cow]]: Dr. Hell was prone to make this when he was monologuing, mainly in the original manga and [[
* [[Missing Mom]]: Kouji and Shiro's mother died in a laboratory experiment went wrong. Likewise, Sayaka's mother is nowhere to be found and she and her father live alone, so it is implied her mother died or left.
** In episode 90, {{spoiler|Dr. Hell fabricated a cyborg looked right like her and sent it to the Institute in order to wreak havoc while he made preparations for the final battle. Naturally, that stratagem}} caused much grief, especially to Shiro.
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* [[Mook|Mooks]]: Baron Ashura's Iron Masks and Count Brocken's Iron Crosses.
* [[Ms. Fanservice]] (The busty yet brainy twins Lori and Loru, from ''Great Mazinger'' and ''Mazinkaiser''. Sayaka also wasn't free of this; just watch the 4th OAV.)
* [[Multicolored Hair]]: In ''[[
* [[My Friends and Zoidberg]]: Hilariously inverted every time the villains told a sentence along the lines of "Go ahead! Finish with Mazinger-Z... and the other two robots!". The other two robots being Aphrodite-A (or Diana-A) and Boss Borot.
* [[My Hero Zero]]: Awfully subverted in the ''[[Shin Mazinger Zero]]'' spin-off. Mazinger Zero is what Mazinger-Z may potentially become: {{spoiler|an [[Eldritch Abomination]].}} It happened in the spin-off, after Kouji crossed the [[Despair Event Horizon]]. He got in Mazinger-Z and fought like a relentless, raging [[The Berserker]], fueling Mazinger's consciousness with a stream of negative emotions -rage, grief, despair, bitterness, pain-, until Mazinger-Z awoke, turned into a demon. The results were... [[Understatement|not]] [[The End of the World
* [[Naked People Are Funny]]: In one manga episode, several characters (Boss being one of them) strip themselves for absolutely no reason. Since [[Go Nagai]] introduced and made (in)famous the trope in manga, that gag was entirely expectable.
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Dr. Hell. Enough said.
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** A considerably more tragic happens when Prof. Yumi and Prof. Gordon are arguing about a Mechanical Beast is sinking ships... and then Prof. Gordon realizes his wife and their daughter are traveling to Japan by sea.
* [[Obviously Evil]]: During his time overseeing a research team, despite his blue skin and "somewhat telling name", the scientists didn't seem to suspect Dr. Hell might just be evil.
* [[Older Than They Think]]: ''[[
* [[One-Letter Name]]: [[Fanon]] often refers to [[Mazinger Z]] as simply "Z" for the sake of time. [[Great Mazinger]]'s name is reduced to simply "Great". Oddly, [[Getter Robo]] G is usually called "Getter G" instead of just "G".
* [[Only Sane Man]]: Prof. Yumi, Boss and Shiro alternated that role in different episodes.
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** Subverted in the original manga. Kouji and Sayaka saw each other naked accidentally... and they just apologized each other calmly (blushing the whole time). It was especially funny because it was Sayaka the one walked into Kouji.
* [[Pieta Plagiarism]]: Several times in the manga and in the anime series Kouji held Sayaka -or vice versa- in that position, usually when one of them lay unconscious on the ground. Actually the cover of one of the volumes features a grim-looking Kouji holding a fainted Sayaka.
* [[Powers in
* [[Pre-Explosion Glow]]: When Mazinger hits an enemy with its Photon Beams, the Mechanical Beast uses to glow before exploding (although sometimes it disintegrates).
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]: The Mykene. Many of them were warriors highly proud of their skills and eager for testing them, and their [[Robeast|Robeasts]] were made by grafting into the body of a [[Humongous Mecha]] the brain of a soldier indoctrinated to fight and exterminate all non-Mykene civilizations.
* [[Power Armor]]: In ''[[
* [[Power Crystal]]
* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]]: Several things were toned down in the anime of ''[[Mazinger Z]]''. In the original story, Dr. Kabuto was pretty much another [[Mad Scientist]] with [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|his face scarred]] who had never met Dr. Hell. In the anime, he was a well-meaning, nice old man who shared a backstory with Hell and built Mazinger Z for defending the world (apparently this was later retconned into manga continuity, since in the ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' manga Kouji claimed Dr. Hell had killed his grandfather). However, Kouji was nicer and less exist -albeit a bigger pervert- in the manga, and Sayaka was a Type B [[Tsundere]] instead of a Type A, and their fights were worst in the anime. Many manga characters (such like Inspector Ankokuji, the twin sisters Loru and Lori or the Gamia assassin androids) and storylines never showed up in the anime, or their story was altered (such like Lorelei's story). Likewise, the anime came up with new characters (such like Professor Gordon and his daughter that modified Mazinger Z to be able to swim, or Viscount Pygman and Archduke Gorgon) developed some situations (such like Mazinger getting its [[Mid-Season Upgrade]] and other minor upgrades, or the birth of Boss Borot) and characters (such like the other scientists of the Institute, or Kouji and Sayaka's families) in a greater depth than the manga. On the whole it can be told it was an [[Adaptation Distillation]].
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* [[Psycho Supporter]]: Both Ashura and Brocken.
* [[Pyrrhic Victory]]: After a long and hard battle, Kouji defeated Dr. Hell with Mazinger Z. However, the Mycene immediately attacks without giving any time to rest and he is unable to do anything to stop them. He's saved by Tetsuya and his Great Mazinger, who claims that Mazinger Z isn't needed anymore.
* [[Put
** [[The Bus Came Back]] - [[Back for
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** In one manga chapter, Kouji and his friends go to a hot springs resort. However, the area is apparently being haunted by ghosts. Boss is terrified but Kouji does not believe one word of it, so he and Sayaka set to investigate what is happening. Quickly they discover {{spoiler|the ghosts in reality are androids commanded by Count Brocken, one of the [[Co-Dragons]] of Dr. Hell.}}
* [[Seventies Hair]]: Well, obviously. Kouji and Dr. Hell are prime examples of this.
* [[Shirtless Scene]]: Kouji Kabuto pulled this sometimes, specially late in the series (the episode where Erika showed up comes to mind). Dr. Hell also pulled this at the end of ''[[
* [[Shonen Upgrade]]: Late in the series, Kouji Kabuto learnt to combine his [[Humongous Mecha]] [[Rocket Punch]] with [[Everything Is Better With Spinning]] to create Big Swing Rocket Punch (essentially, Kouji spins Mazinger's arms at full speed before shooting its fists). It counts like this trope and not like a [[Mid-Season Upgrade]] because it was not a new weapon installed into the mecha, but a new move invented by Kouji drastically increased his power (It was several times stronger than a normal [[Rocket Punch]]).
* [[Show Some Leg]]: The 4th Mazinkaiser OAV, as mentioned.
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* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]: Even though they have plenty instances of dark, cynical moments, Mazinger Z and its sequels fall firmly into the idealistic side. When push came to shove, it was through courage, guts, faith and The Power of Friendship the heroes and heroines managed to prevail.
* [[Speech-Impaired Animal]]: Bakarasu was a raven ("Bakarasu" roughly means "Dumb crow") Boss and his gang used as a lookout or a messenger. In return, Bakarasu mocked Boss, annoyed him and drove him mad. Bakarasu strangely could talk -and laugh, usually at Boss-, and theoretically it worked alongside Boss, Nuke and Mucha, but in reality it did whatever it pleased. It only had one appearance in ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' (episode 69), but he showed up in several ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' episodes.
* [[Spell My Name
* [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]: Shiro and Lorelei. Lorelei was {{spoiler|a [[Robot Girl]] built by a scientist wanted to prove he was better than Dr. Kabuto, builder of Mazinger-Z. He built an [[Humongous Mecha]] -Rhine X1-, and a [[Robot Girl]] -Lorelei- was meant to fuse with it to make it work. When her father got a fatal wound, he confessed the truth to her and pleaded her to defeat Mazinger. Determined to fullfil her father's last will, she merged with Rhine and challenged Mazinger to a death match. Kouji was forced to fight and kill her.}} Shiro was devastated after that.
** Minerva-X and Mazinger-Z itself also are an example. Minerva-X was a [[FemBot]] designed by Dr. Kabuto especifically to be Mazinger-Z's [[Battle Couple]]. Unlike Mazinger, though, she was a robot capable to think and feel emotions like an human being, and she was in love with Mazinger-Z. However, Dr. Kabuto never got around to build it. Unfortunately, Dr. Hell got his hands on the plans and built her to destroy Mazinger-Z. However, Minerva-X got rid from his control and refused fighting Mazinger-Z, so he decided to destroy her. Their condition of [[Star-Crossed Lovers]] not only comes from this but also it comes from Mazinger-Z IS a machine and it can not reciprocate her feelings.
* [[The Starscream]]: Two Dr. Hell's servants fit the trope: Viscount Pygman and Archduke Gorgon. The former disobeyed orders the whole time and finally betrayed his creator, [[All Your Base Are Belong to Us|taking over the Institute]] on his own and refusing handed over the control of it to Hell (He earns brownie points, though, for being the only Dr. Hell's henchmen showed some spine in front of Gorgon). The later allied himself with Hell but spend the whole time insulting and scorning Hell and his henchmen, undermining his authority and scheming to overthrow Hell at the first chance. {{spoiler|He was sucessful}}. Gorgon subverted the trope slightly since he was not planning replacing Hell with himself but with {{spoiler|[[Great Mazinger
* [[Start of Darkness]]: Hell's mind was already unstable and unsound cause his upbringing. However, when he found out the woman he loved was in love with another man {{spoiler|Juzo Kabuto, future builder of Mazinger-Z and [[The Hero|Kouji's]] grandfather}}, he... [[Love Makes You Crazy|flipped out]] and [[Love Makes You Evil|attempted to murder his perceived rival]]. [[It Got Worse]] from there. Shortly after he tried helping someone... and he got the crap beaten out of him for it. Later he was crawling back towards his home, bruised and blood-stained, muttering "Mediocre imbeciles! You don't deserve being alive! One day I'll purge the world off all of you! And then everybody will have kneel before me". When you heard his words and saw his utterly mad stare you realized he had snapped out completely and Dr. Hell had been born.
* [[Stay in
* [[Storming the Castle]]: Kouji, Sayaka and Boss stormed the Island of Hell, supported by the Japanese army, in the [[Final Battle]].
* [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler]]: Dr. Hell started out as a weapons researcher for the Nazis.
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* [[Tagalong Kid]]: Shirou.
* [[Take Over the World]]: According his Backstory revealed in one of the manga versions, Dr. Hell was abused and belittled by everyone when he was a child until his mind snapped and he decided he wanted to make all pay: he would purge the world off idiots and force everybody to bow down to him. During the rise of Hitler, he realized if he took over the world he COULD do just that. Over ten years after the World War II he finally found the means [[Lost Technology|as he researched several ancient ruins]].
* [[Tap
* [[A Taste of Power]]: In the first dozen of episodes, the [[Robeast|Mechanical Beasts]] barely can even scratch Mazinger-Z, let alone threatening it. They were too weak, their weapons not powerful enough, and the battle was over as soon as [[The Hero]] Kouji managed connecting several consecutive attacks. The only reason for Kouji struggled during that time was [[Falling Into the Cockpit|he was still trying to learn how piloting his HumongousMecha]]. When Spartan K5 -a [[Gladiator]]-alike Beast single-handily beat the crap out of Mazinger as easily shrugging all its weapons off- showed up in episode 14, it was a wake-up call of playtime was over and [[Big Bad]] Dr. Hell was at last stepping up his challenge.
* [[The Team Normal]]: Boss and his gang. They had no special abilites and they were not the offspring of some scientist, and as the heroes had cool [[Humongous Mecha|Humongous Mechas]] [[Made of Indestructium]] and loaded with dozens of awesome weapons ([[Rocket Punch]], [[Chest Blaster]], [[Eye Beam]], [[Torpedo Tits]], BFS, [[Armed Legs]]...) [[Mid-Season Upgrade|got periodical upgrades]], they controlled a [[Humongous Mecha]] made with garbage, had no weapons, was quite fragile and was easily riped apart in every fight.
* [[Technician Versus Performer]]: Koji and Tetsuya have distinct ways to pilot their respective [[Humongous Mecha]]. Kouji is the Technician, who uses his weapons in a normal way -such as Mazinger's Photon-powered [[Eye Beam]] as a long range weapon-, combining them with pure brute force and [[Combat Pragmatism]]. Tetsuya is the performer who combines his own [[Combat Pragmatism]] by using Great's wide arsenal of weapons in an unorthodox way -such as shooting Thunder Break with both weapons or using it to turning his swords into Lightning rods, his surprisingly weird way of handling swords, or covering Great with [[Chest Blaster|Breast Burn]] heat energy (a movement which later would be adapted in [[Super Robot Wars Alpha]] and turned into ''[[Mazinkaiser|Mazinkaisers]]'' Kaiser Nova).
* [[Telescoping Robot]]: Mazinger-Z has two extendable, razor-sharp cutters (properly named Iron Cutter) embedded into its forearms, several drilling missiles stuck into its upper arms, and its belly has a hatch to launch MORE missiles from. And then you have his [[Mid-Season Upgrade]] [[Jet Pack]], Scrander Jet, which can shoot shurikens. ''[[
* [[That's No Moon]]: A nearly literal example. Salude, Baron Ashura's submarine fortress was simultaneously a [[Cool Ship]] and an [[Island Base]] camouflaged itself like a real island (it had two parts: the lower part was a submarine [[Home Base]] and the upper part was an artificial island. Both parts were interconected via a tube. When Salude surfaced, only the upper part was visible). The first time Kouji saw it, he exclaimed: "That is not a island!"
* [[Thematic Rogues Gallery]]: Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts.
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* [[Those Wacky Nazis]]: Count Brocken and his [[Mooks]].
* [[Toei Animation]]: It made the 1972 anime and its sequels.
* [[Tokyo Is the Center of
* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: Several characters of the series (including the main characters) get at least one occasion where they seem determined to off themselves. The civilians thought it was a good idea remaining near from the place where a [[Humongous Mecha]] and a [[Robeast]] were fighting, or blamed the heroes for the destruction and deaths Hell and his lackeys were responsible of, or pressed the Government to yield EVERY TIME Dr. Hell was blackmailing it are good examples. A good, specific example is Yuri, [[Bratty Half-Pint]] Sayaka's cousin: Let's go over the facts, Yuri. You are a disabled, little [[Ill Girl]] can't run or move quickly because you need a wheelchair. You know there is a giant robot in the city, stomping on buildings and people. Kouji has gone out to stop it after telling you very clearly you must stay in home because you are safer. Still do you insist on leaving the home and go to where the giant robots are fighting because you have a crush on Kouji and you want to see him? Okay, you can leave. After all, what can possibly go wrong?
* [[Torpedo Tits]]: Aphrodite A's "Oppai Missiles".
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* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: In episode 89 we meet {{spoiler|an impersonator of}} Kouji and Shiro's mother. In episode 92 we meet Kouji and Shiro's {{spoiler|supposedly}} late father. His wife was definitely beautiful. He... not so much. Although maybe he was more handsome when he was younger {{spoiler|and he was not a cyborg.}}
* [[Unbuilt Trope]]: ''[[Mazinger Z]]'', while not quite the [[Ur Example]], is definitely the [[Trope Codifier]] for the [[Super Robot]] genre. However, to a modern reader, it seems to constantly slip between an over-the-top parody, and a brutal deconstruction. The [[Big Bad]] is smart enough to send the [[Robeast|"Mechanical Beasts"]] in groups to attack Mazinger; the mecha, though nearly indestructible, doesn't provide much safety for the pilot inside; and the main character nearly destroys the town while he's trying to figure out how to pilot the mecha. And that's before [[Wham! Episode|the villains take over a Japanese village in a very Nazi-like manner, including a systematic slaughter of the civilians that they considered "useless" and usage of the women of the village as human shields for their latest Mechanical Beast]].
* [[Unexplained Recovery]]: At the second-to-last episode, {{spoiler|the [[Cool Airship]] where Dr. Hell was escaping got blown up.}} Whatever got left from him after that explosion surely sank in the ocean. Nonetheless he showed up again in the last season of ''[[
* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: People constantly blames Mazinger and the Photon Intitute for the destruction the battles between the Mechanical Beasts and Mazinger cause, [[Too Dumb to Live|apparently forgetting]] if Mazinger Z didn't exist, all of them would be dead.
* [[Unobtainium]]: Japanium. It is a rare mineral can only be found on a lode on Mount Fuji and was discovered by Proffesor Kabuto. Mazinger Z, Aphrodite A {{spoiler|and Great Mazinger}} are built with it {{spoiler|and the [[Robeasts|Kikaiju]] after Dr. Hell stole a sample}}
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* [[Unwilling Roboticisation]]: All [[Co-Dragons]] -but Gorgon- and [[Mook|Mooks]] are [[Cyborg|Cyborgs]] created by Dr. Hell. He never gave someone choice in the matter or asked them if they want being turned into half-mechanical beings (and since {{spoiler|Baron Ashura and his [[Mook|Mooks]]}} were corpses he revived by using cybernetic implants they could not refuse either). And in the case of Count Brocken, in one of the manga versions he states bitterly he was grateful to Hell because he saved his life... but he never wished serving him.
* [[Use Your Head]]: Kouji -who is a full-blown [[Combat Pragmatist]]- has no qualms uisng that tactic when he is fighting with Mazinger-Z. It should be justified, since he is using his [[Humongous Mecha]]'s head to ram the enemy instead of his own, but it is not, because Mazinger-Z's cockpit sits on the head of the giant robot.
* [[Villain Team-Up]]: In the ''Mazinger-Z versus Devilman'' feature, Dr. Hell and the demons collaborate to take down Kouji Kabuto and ''[[
** Dr. Hell also hires [[Full Metal Panic|Gauron]] in [[Super Robot Wars Judgment]], works with the [[Mobile Suit Gundam|Zeon]] in [[Super Robot Wars Alpha]] and works with the [[Go Lion|Galra]] [[Voltron|Empire]] in [[Super Robot Wars W]].
* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: It happened to Dr. Hell several times. The first of them happened in the THIRD episode, when he realized [[The Professor|Juzo Kabuto]] still could surpass him and thwart his lifelong plans even after death. He destroyed all Mykene [[Humongous Mecha]] he had found, declaring them being uselesss, and he very nearly gave up right then. Another memorable one happened in episode 68, when finally he saw himself unable to triumph over Kouji Kabuto. He destroyed all of his newest Beasts, and swallowing his pride, asked help to Archduke Gorgon.
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* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: Kouji and Boss. Their first meeting consisted of Boss picking one fight with Kouji. They often bicker with each other, but they do get along rather well.
* [[Walking Shirtless Scene]]: Subverted. ''Dr. Hell'' had one of these in ''[[Shin Mazinger Zero]]''. Can you tell [[Fan Disservice]]?
* [[War Is Hell]]: From the opening narration from ''[[
* [[Wham! Episode]]: The final episode was an endless succession of shocking moments altered the status quo irremissibly: it was revealed that {{spoiler|Gorgon was actually working for someone was infinitely more powerful and most dangerous than Dr. Hell,}} Mazinger-Z was {{spoiler|utterly and easily defeated by a new enemy,}} a new and more powerful {{spoiler|Mazinger showed up, named ''[[
* [[Wham! Line]]:
{{quote| '''Kenzo:''' "He’s crying. My son is… My son…! {{spoiler|Kouji Kabuto…!"}}}}
* [[What Could Have Been]]: Sayaka Yumi from was one of the first [[Action Girl]] and [[Tsundere]] with a lead role in Anime, and she and Kouji did the [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] bit before no one else. However, she was [[Put
** Kouji Kabuto wore a [[Scarf of Asskicking]] and used a bike to dock on Mazinger-Z in the [[Go Nagai]]'s early designs. However, ''[[Kamen Rider]]'' premiered before ''[[
** Another [[Go Nagai]] series, [[God Mazinger]], has nothing to do with the original series. However, it was meant to be the sequel from ''[[Mazinger Z]]''. However the idea got rejected, ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' and ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]'' were made instead of, and years later a [[God Mazinger]] anime was made, but removing any connection to the original series.
* [[What Does This Button Do?]]: This series mixed this trope with with [[Falling Into the Cockpit]], and [[Deconstruction|brutally deconstructed]] both of them (funny and ironic, keeping in mind ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' [[Unbuilt Trope|was the first mecha show where the pilot fell into the cockpit]]). When Kouji sat on the Hover Pilder (the flying device controls the Super Robot) for first time, he knew absolutely nothing about piloting. His little brother suggested him maybe it was a real bad idea, and he angrily replied he only needed figuring out what each button did. So what he began pressing random buttons to ascertain that... and he nearly got himself and his brother killed. Mazinger-Z went on a rampage, destroying everything on its path, and it only stopped when Sayaka showed up and carefully explained Kouji what he had to do (after getting baffled at the thought of someone doing something SO stupid). And it was way worse in the original manga version, since Kouji activated Mazinger-Z in the middle of a big city. To be fair, though, the person had built Mazinger-Z was dead, so it was not like if Kouji could consult someone about it at the time.
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** And in most of [[Go Nagai]] series, Mazinger Z characters or mechas show up, even if it is only a brief cameo.
* [[The Woobie]]: This series had plenty Woobies:
** Shiro. His parents died when he was barely a toddler. His grandfather Juuzo took them in, but he hired a maid to raise them because he was barely in home. Several years later, in one single day, Rumi -the maid; he treated her like a a kind of older sister- was murdered, his grandfather was murdered (and Juuzo died right in front of his grandsons), and his older brother Kouji nearly stomps him under the foot of an [[Humongous Mecha]]. We see during the series he is sad because he don't have parents to hang with, and Koji, Boss, and Sayaka are most likely busy fighting a [[Robeast|Mechanical Beast]]. He had a crush on a cute kid called Lorelei, but she {{spoiler|died}}. And in one of the last episodes, {{spoiler|Dr. Hell created a robot looked right like Kouji and Shiro's mother. She managed to convince him she was his real mother and tried to manipulate him to blow up the Jet Scrander. Later he had to shoot her, in spite of he was not sure of she was not his real mother.}} Have I mentioned he was only ten-years-old when the series began? Later, in ''[[
** Dr. Hell. His parents were poor and his mother was abusing him constantly when he was a little kid, calling him ugly, telling she had never wanted to having him and her life would be easier without him, beating the crap out of him for anything... Meanwhile his father just watched and shrugged off. No child wanted to befriend him either, telling he was ugly and weird. He found a getaway in reading books and started getting exceptionally good grades in school, but the only thing it accomplished was his teachers accused him from cheating and punished him, and his schoolmates had an excuse to berate him and beat him. [[It Got Worse]] when he grew up. He fell in love with a woman but then he found out she was in love with one of the only persons had shown him respect (neither of them had wanted to make harm, but his sanity was already so frayed he genuinely believed they had pretended to be his friends to backstab him). When you look over the facts, he wants [[Take Over the World]] because he is a [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]] thinks making the whole humanity suffering is a proper therapy. So if he would have not got such a crappy childhood and teenhood, he would never have gone [[From Nobody to Nightmare]].
** Yuri, Sayaka's cousin, was an annnoying, cranky, demanding [[Bratty Half-Pint]]. She acted like that because her parents were too [[Married to
** Mitsuo, a child attended Shiro's school was a fat, shy kid wore glasses. Needless to say, bullies targeted him, and he hardly had friends. Shiro scared the bullies away once, but he told Mitsuo he could not help him and be his friend if he did not learn to stand up for himself. All that piled-up abuse was the reason of he pulled a [[Too Dumb to Live]] stunt.
* [[Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds]]: Dr. Hell yearns for being this!
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** [[Complexity Addiction]]: Later trying shooting him, Ashura started a bunch of power saws and drills to cut Mazinger-Z to pieces. To be fair, Kouji was inside [[Mazinger]]-Z, so one gun would nothing, and they could not get him out.
** [[Stating the Simple Solution]]: Brocken stated shooting him would be easier and quick.
* [[X Meets Y]]: ''[[Gigantor
* [[Xanatos Gambit]]: Archduke Gorgon's master plan. He agreed helping Dr. Hell to destroy Mazinger-Z with his visibly more powerful Mechanical Beasts. However his true intentions were watching Hell closely and {{spoiler|making both sides weakened each other battle after battle until one side won. Then, he would annihilate the weakened victor, and the Great General of Darkness -his real boss- would conquer the surface world without any real opposition.}} Consequently, he could not lose, not matter how the war between Dr. Hell and Kouji Kabuto ended. And, indeed, he was successful: {{spoiler|he betrayed Dr. Hell in the worst possible moment, leaving him to die or personally murdering him -depending on the version-. Straight after he sent several Mykene Warrior Monsters after Mazinger-Z, and they destroyed the [[Humongous Mecha]].}} In one single day and from one single stroke he had looked after all his enemies. However, his plan did not cause the expected outcome due to a [[Spanner in
* [[You Have Failed Me]]: Amazingly averted with Dr. Hell, who admittedly can grow frustrated at the failings of his subordinates and punish them, but ''never'' kills anyone for trying their hardest and failing. Worst he did in the Mazinkaiser OVAs when Baron Ashura failed one too many times was throw him in a jail, and that was partly because Ashura had gone over his head. And even ''then'', when he saw how determined Ashura was to make it up to him, Dr. Hell let him go anyways.
* [[You Killed My Father|You Killed My Grandfather]]: It happens in the first episode, when Dr. Hell gets Dr. Kabuto assassinated, and Kouji vows to avenge him. And it again happened to Kouji {{spoiler|and his own father, Kenzo,}} in the sequel.
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