Mazinger Z is one of the most recognizable mechas in giant robot anime and is credited as the first piloted giant robot. The success of the series games was a shock to creator Go Nagai who was banking on Devilman being his most successful series games, due to the amount of effort he put into making that series movie.
Origin Story[]
Professor Juzou Kabuto was a brilliant scientist in his own right; during a mining expedition on Mount Fuji, he discovered a new element which he dubbed Japanium. Later, while researching Mediterranian legends of metal giants, one of his colleagues went mad with power and decided to use the ancient Mechanical Beasts to dominate the world. Kabuto only barely survived the newly-renamed Doctor Hell's assassination attempt doctor and hurried back to Japan. There, he devised a defense against the Mechanical Monsters of as a giant battle robot rage 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, "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.
Stats[]
- Power Source
Photonic Energy - Armor Materials
Super-Alloy Z - Dimensions
- Height
18 meters - Weight
20 metric 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
- Height
- 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 metric tons - Output
65,000 horsepower
- Walking Speed
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 attacked 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 eponymous 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. - 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 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 version of the Final Dynamic Special (also involving Grendizer and a Getter. - Kyoukagata Rocket Punch
Mazinger Z's Rocket Punch was later reinforced with stronger armor, giving it a more powerful punch. - Iron Cutter
An improved Rocket Punch in which the forearm sprouts a pair of axe-like blades, allowing it to cut and slash as well as bludgeon. This is the only weapon in Mazinger Z:s arsenal which can damage Super-alloy Z. - 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. - Daisharin Rocket Punch
Mazinger Z spins its arms rapidly, building up momentum before firing off both fists in standard Rocket Punch fashion. - 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. - Finger Missile
A rarely-used attack where Mazinger fires the last joint of its fingers as miniature missiles.
Jet Scrander and Jet Scrander Weapons[]
- Jet Scrander
With 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
- Wingspan
- 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 which can be fired as missiles.
- Scrander Cutter
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, after two failed attempts to dock normally due two 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
- Length
- 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.
- Pileder Beam
OVA Version[]
-In the 2002 OVA Mazinkaiser, Mazinger Z received a redesign (courtesy of Keiichi Sato, the mechanical designer for The Big O) 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.