Jump to content

Mazinger Z: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Interfear2 (talk | contribs)
163 edits
No edit summary
m v2.05 - auto / Fix errors for CW project (Link equal to linktext)
 
(640 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1972 Japanese super robot manga series}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header|
{{Infobox animanga/Header
title_name =Mazinger Z
|image =MazingerZLogo.jpg
| name = Mazinger Z
|caption =Logo from show opening
| image = Mazinger Z manga vol 1.png
| caption = Cover of the first manga volume
|ja_name =マジンガーZ
| ja_kanji = マジンガーZ
|ja_name_trans=majingā zeto
| ja_romaji = Majingā Zetto
|genre =[[Adventure]], [[Mecha]], [[Science Fiction]], [[Shounen]]
| genre = [[Mecha anime and manga#Super robot|Super robot]]<ref>{{cite web |title='Mazinger Z' Comes to U.S. Cinemas With 'INFINITY' for Two Special Screenings February 11 and 12 - Anime News Network |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2018-01-19/lsquo-mazinger-z-rsquo-comes-to-u.s-cinemas-with-lsquo-infinity-rsquo-for-two-special-screenings-february-11-and-12/.126683 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=February 7, 2019 |date=January 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812044707/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2018-01-19/lsquo-mazinger-z-rsquo-comes-to-u.s-cinemas-with-lsquo-infinity-rsquo-for-two-special-screenings-february-11-and-12/.126683 |archive-date=August 12, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| creator = [[Go Nagai]]
}}
}}

{{Infobox animanga/Anime|
{{Infobox animanga/Print
title_name =
| type = manga
|director =[[Bonjin Nagaki]]<br />[[Nobuo Onuki]]<br />[[Tomoharu Katsumata]]<br />[[Yugo Serikawa]]
|studio =[[Toei Animation]]
| title = Mazinger Z
| author = [[Go Nagai]]
|network ={{flagicon|Japan}} [[Fuji Television]]{{br}}{{flagicon|Mexico}} [[XHGC-TV|Canal 5 Televisa]]{{br}} {{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Antena Latina]]{{br}} {{flagicon|Italy}} [[RaiUno]]{{br}}{{flagicon|Costa_Rica}} [[Canal 6]]{{br}}{{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} [[WAPA-TV]]{{br}}{{flagicon|Venezuela}} [[Venevisión]] {{flagicon|Philippines}} [[GMA-7]](1979){{br}}
| illustrator = [[Go Nagai]]
|first_aired =[[3 December]] [[1972]]
|last_aired =[[1 September]] [[1974]]
| publisher = {{ubl|[[Shueisha]]|[[Kodansha]]}}
| magazine = {{ubl|[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]] (1972–1973)|{{ill|TV Magazine (Kodansha)|lt=TV Magazine|ja|テレビマガジン}} (1973–1974)}}
|num_episodes =92
| demographic = ''[[Shōnen manga|Shōnen]]''
| first = October 1972
| last = September 1974
| volumes = {{ubl|4 ([[Shueisha]])|5 ([[Kodansha]])}}
}}

{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type = tv series
| title = Mazinger Z
| producer = [[Dynamic Planning]]
| writer = {{plainlist|
* Keisuke Fujikawa
* Susumu Takaku<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-07-23/mazinger-z-north-star-scriptwriter-susumu-takaku-dies |title=Mazinger Z, North Star Scriptwriter Susumu Takaku Dies |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=July 23, 2009 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230825162841/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-07-23/mazinger-z-north-star-scriptwriter-susumu-takaku-dies |archive-date=August 25, 2023}}</ref>
}}
| music = {{plainlist|
* [[Michiaki Watanabe]]
* [[Akira Ifukube]] (stock music)
}}
}}
| studio = [[Toei Animation]]
{{Infobox animanga/Movie
|title =Mazinger Z Vs. [[Devilman]]
| licensee = {{English anime licensee|NA = [[Discotek Media]]}}
|director =[[Hiroshi Meguro]]
| network = [[Fuji TV]]
|studio =[[Toei Animation]]
| first = December 3, 1972
| last = September 1, 1974<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/lineup/tv/mazingerz/ |title=マジンガーZ |publisher=Toei Animation |access-date=2012-08-13 |archive-date=2012-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010215132/http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/lineup/tv/mazingerz/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|release_date =[[18 July]] [[1973]]
|runtime =25 min
| episodes = 92
| episode_list = List of Mazinger Z episodes
}}
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}


{{Infobox animanga/Print
{{nihongo|'''''Mazinger Z'''''|マジンガーZ（ゼット）|Majingā Zetto}} (無敵鐵金鋼), derived from the original romaji ''majinga'' and also known in the US as '''Tranzor Z''', is the name of a [[manga]] by artist [[Go Nagai]], first published in Japan in 1972, and turned into a long-running [[anime]] television series later in the same year. The series lasted for 92 episodes, making it the longest running [[anime]] [[mecha]] series in the genre. It remains the touchstone of the [[Super Robot]] anime genre and its influence is still felt today. The opening [[theme song|theme]], also titled ''Mazinger Z'', is sung by [[Ichiro Mizuki]].
| type = manga
| author = [[Go Nagai]]
| illustrator = [[Gosaku Ota]]
| publisher = [[Akita Shoten]]
| magazine = [[Bōken Ō|Boken Oh]]
| demographic = ''[[Shōnen manga|Shōnen]]''
| first = December 1972
| last = September 1974
| volumes = 5
| volume_list =
}}


{{Infobox animanga/Other
== Plot ==
| title = Sequels
[[Image:Tranzor-z-screenshot-from-series.jpg|right|thumb|Mazinger Z (equipped with Jet Scrander).|left]]
| content =
Mazinger Z is a gigantic [[Super Robot]], constructed with a fictitious metal called [[Chogokin]] Z (in the American translation, Super-Alloy Z), which is forged from a new element mined from a reservoir found only in the sediment of [[Japan]]'s [[Mt. Fuji]]. The [[mecha]] was built by Professor Juzo Kabuto as a secret weapon against the forces of evil, represented in the series by the [[Mechanical Beasts]] ([[mecha]] used for evil purposes) of [[Dr. Hell]]. The latter was the German member of a Japanese archeological team, which discovered ruins of a lost pre-[[Grecian]] civilization on an island named Bardos; the civilization was loosely based on the ancient [[Mycenae]], and was called the Mycene Empire in the series. One of their findings was that the Mycene used an army of steel titans about 20 m in height (compare with the Greek legend of [[Talos]]). Finding prototypes of those titans underground which could be remote-controlled and realizing their immense power on the battlefield, Dr. Hell goes insane and has all the other scientists of his research team killed. Except for Professor Kabuto; the lone survivor manages to escape back to Japan, and attempts to warn the world of its imminent danger. Meanwhile, Dr. Hell establishes his headquarters on a mobile island which he sails around on, and plans to use the Mechanical Beasts to become the new ruler of the world. To counter this, Kabuto constructs Mazinger Z and manages to finish it just before being killed by a bomb planted by Hell’s right-hand man, [[Baron Ashura]]. As he is dying, he manages to inform his grandson [[Kouji Kabuto]] about the robot and its use. Kouji becomes the [[robot]]’s pilot, and from that point on battles both the continuous mechanical [[monsters]], and the sinister henchmen sent by Doctor Hell in every [[episode]].
* ''[[Great Mazinger]]'' (1974–1975)
* ''[[Mazinger Z: Infinity]]'' (2017 anime film)
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
| title = Other series
| content =
* [[Mazinger#Series|List of all ''Mazinger'' series]]
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
| title = Video game
| content =
* ''[[Mazinger Z (1993 video game)|Mazinger Z]]'' (1993)
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}


{{Nihongo|'''''Mazinger Z'''''|マジンガーZ|Majingā Zetto|known as '''''Tranzor Z''''' in the United States|lead=yes}} is a Japanese [[super robot]] [[manga]] written and illustrated by [[Go Nagai]]. It was originally serialized in [[Shueisha]]'s ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'' from October 1972 to August 1973 and [[Kodansha]]'s ''{{ill|TV Magazine (Kodansha)|lt=TV Magazine|ja|テレビマガジン}}'' from October 1973 to September 1974.
==Origins==
In his Manga Works series, Go Nagai reveals that he had always loved [[Tetsuwan Atom]] and [[Tetsujin 28-go|Tetsujin-28]] as a child, and wanted to make his own robot anime. However, for the longest time he was unable to produce a concept that he felt didn't borrow too heavily from those two shows. One day, Nagai observed a traffic jam and mused to himself that the drivers in back would surely love a way to bypass the ones in front. From that thought came his ultimate inspiration: a giant robot that could be controlled from the inside, like a car. In his original concepts, the titular robot was Energer Z, which was controlled by a motorcycle that was driven up its back and into its head (an idea which was recycled for the [[Diana A]] robot). However, with the sudden popularity of [[Kamen Rider]], Nagai replaced the motorcycle with a hovercraft. He later redesigned Energer Z, renaming it Mazinger Z to evoke the image of a demon god (Ma, 魔, meaning demon and Jin, 神, meaning god). The motif of the Hover Pilder docking itself into Mazinger's head also borrows from Nagai's 1971 manga ''[[Demon Lord Dante]]'' (the prototype for his more popular ''[[Devilman]]''), in which the titular giant demon has a human head (of Ryo Utsugi, the young man who merged with him) in his forehead. Interestingly, Koji Kabuto takes his surname (the Japanese word for a helmet) from the fact that he controls Mazinger Z from its head.
{{clr}}


''Mazinger Z'' has since spawned a [[Mazinger|media franchise]]. It was adapted into an [[anime]] television series by [[Toei Animation]], which aired on [[Fuji TV]]{{cn|date=May 2024}} from December 1972 to September 1974. A second manga series was released alongside the TV show, this one drawn by [[Gosaku Ota]], which started and ended almost at the same time as the TV show.{{cn|date=May 2024}} The series was followed by several [[sequel]]s and [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]], among them being ''[[Great Mazinger]]'', ''[[UFO Robot Grendizer]]'' and ''[[Mazinkaiser]]''. ''[[Mazinger Z: Infinity]]'', a theatrical film sequel, taking place ten years after the ''Great Mazinger'' series, was animated by [[Toei Animation]] and released in theaters on January 13, 2018.<ref name="anibiz_3491">[http://animationbusiness.info/archives/3491 「劇場版マジンガーZ」　2017年10月にイタリア公開、日本より3ヵ月先行] - アニメーションビジネス・ジャーナル</ref>
== Influence in the anime genre ==
[[Image:Manzinger-z-action-figure.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Mazinger Z action figure.]]
The series is noteworthy for introducing many of the accepted stock features of giant robot [[anime]]: The mechanical marvel that is the world's only hope, forgotten civilizations, power-hungry [[mad scientist]]s, incompetent henchmen, lovable supporting characters (usually younger siblings, love interests, or friends of the hero), the scientist father or grandfather who loses his life heroically, and strangely clothed, eccentric or physically deformed villains (the [[intersex]] Baron Ashura as one example). Mazinger Z was also the first show to feature a female [[robot]] ([[Aphrodite A]], which was piloted by Sayaka Yumi and is remembered for its missile-launching breasts), and a comic-relief robot made of spare parts and garbage named [[Boss Borot]] (which ended up suffering severe damage in nearly all of his appearances), after its pilot, brash yet simpleminded gang leader, Boss.


Although not exactly the first Mecha anime in history, the series has often been cited as being the first modern one.
The peculiarity about this [[Super Robot]], differing from the ones in earlier robot manga, is that Koji has to fly a small red hover-vehicle up to the head of the humanoid armor. The hover-vehicle, named Pilder, lands in the head of the robot and activates it (shouting PAIRUDAA ON!). [[Go Nagai]] originally wanted this vehicle to be the hero's [[motorcycle]], but decided against it to avoid a similarity to another popular Japanese action hero at that time, [[Kamen Rider]] (although the linking motorcycle gimmick was used with Sayaka's second robot, [[Diana A]]). [[Manga]] and [[anime]] historians see the Pilder-Robot combination as the origin of the “transforming robot” genre, because it marks one of the first published examples in a [[manga]] of two distinctive vehicles forming a specific entity. This is often interpreted as the root of later series like [[Go-Lion]] ([[Voltron]] – Defender of the Universe), the [[Transformers series|Transformers]], and the giant robots in the [[Super Sentai]] Series (the basis for [[Power Rangers]]). It should be noted though, that a similar concept was used earlier in Nagai and Ken Ishikawa's [[Getter Robo]] in 1974. Mazinger Z is not a vehicle that transforms into another shape, yet it requires the smaller, non-combative vehicle to get going. This idea may have inspired the Core Fighter in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' and the entry-plug in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.


== Plot ==
Another characteristic is seen in the unusual use of Mazinger's formidable weaponry: Kouji would always announce with a shout the name of the [[super-power]] or attack he was about to use, including eye-fired [[laser]] beams (Koshiryoku Beaamu!), melting rays (Bureesto Fiyaa!), gale-force winds (Ruusto Hurricane!), and the famous and oft-copied “Rocket Punch” (Roketto Paanchi!) attack. Most of these simple gimmicks were later incorporated in most of Nagai’s robot series, and widely imitated in many other [[mecha]] shows. Although the roots of announcing the weapons can also be traced back to Toei's 1968 [[tokusatsu]] series, Giant Robo (US title, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot), or even the way the heroes of chambara eiga and television used to announce their sword techniques before cutting down their opponents.
{{See also|List of Mazinger characters}}
Mazinger Z is an enormous super robot, constructed with a fictional metal called {{nihongo|[[Chogokin|Super-Alloy]] Z|[[:ja:超合金Z|超合金Z]]|Chōgokin Zetto}}, which is forged from a new element ('''Japanium''') mined from a reservoir found only in the sediment of [[Mount Fuji|Mt. Fuji]], in Japan. Professor Juzo Kabuto built the mecha as a secret weapon against the forces of evil, represented in the series by the Mechanical Beasts of Dr. Hell. The latter was the German member of a Japanese archeological team that discovered ruins of a lost pre-Grecian civilization on an island named Bardos, the Mycéne Empire. One of their findings was that the Mycene used an army of steel titans about 20 meters in height. Finding prototypes of those titans underground that could be remote-controlled and realizing their immense power on the battlefield, Dr. Hell goes insane and kills all the other scientists on his research team except for Professor Kabuto, who manages to escape. The lone survivor goes back to Japan and attempts to warn the world of its imminent danger.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hell establishes his headquarters on a mobile island, forms the new Underground Empire, and plans to use the Mechanical Monsters to become the new ruler of the world. To counter this, Kabuto constructs Mazinger Z and manages to finish it just before being killed by a bomb planted by Hell's right-hand person, Baron Ashura, a half-man, half-woman. As he lies dying, he manages to inform his grandson [[Koji Kabuto]] about the robot and its use. Koji becomes the robot's pilot and, from that point on, battles both the continuous mechanical monsters and the sinister henchmen sent by Doctor Hell.


The anime culminated in the destruction of the original robot by new enemies (after Doctor Hell's final defeat in the penultimate episode) and the immediate introduction of its successor, [[Great Mazinger]], an improved version of Mazinger, along with its pilot, Tetsuya Tsurugi.
However, the most notable characteristic that the show brought to the Super Robot genre was the relationship between machines and humans; Go Nagai established from the start the premise that machines and humans could act as one, and interact between each other. Since Kouji piloted the robot from the head, he acted as the robot's "brain", and almost every time Kouji would move, laugh, or suffer inside its cockpit, the robot would act the same, mimicking its pilot. Additionally, some minor characters included were [[cyborgs]], that could act like humans, showing feelings and emotions (even crying). These ideas were used repeatedly in many similar shows ([[Grendizer]], another Nagai work, would have the pilot injured in his own body where the robot was attacked).


== Development ==
In terms of plot, despite being all too simplistic in its portrait of good and evil characters, the show was able to stay fresh with young audiences with an irresistible mix of action, horror, comedy, and drama, sometimes all in one single episode. Some of them (specially after the introduction of the Boss Borot), were heavy on slapstick and jokes, even to the point of making fun of the hero and the villains; others carried strong melodramatic touches (this characteristics of heavy satire humor and melodrama were in fact staples of almost all of Go Nagai's creations in manga, even before their adaptations to the small screen). We also have a change in the concept of main female characters (already seen in Harenchi Gakuen, later reinforced in Cutie Honey), who were until then modeled after the "quiet, sweet, compliant" Japanese ideal: Kouji's partner and love interest Sayaka Yumi is tomboyish, loud and stubborn, very unlike the traditional heroines. Of course, Kouji Kabuto was not your usual hero of the time -- a crass, arrogant, impulsive and hot-headed ne’er-do-well -- who was the polar opposite of the virtuous Japanese males in the media. While Kouji's very outrageous and abhorrent behavior was very appealing to young boys, it was the bane of many establishment organizations, such as the Nippon PTA.
In his Manga Works series, [[Go Nagai]] reveals that he had always loved ''[[Astro Boy]]'' and ''[[Tetsujin-28]]'' as a child and wanted to make his own robot anime.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dra-mata.com/manga/nagai/gn-mazingerz01.jpg |title = Gn-mazingerz01.JPG (1445x2156 pixels) |archive-url=https://archive.today/20040529091606/http://www.dra-mata.com/manga/nagai/gn-mazingerz01.jpg |archive-date=29 May 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=May 2024}} However, for the longest time he was unable to produce a concept that he felt did not borrow too heavily from those two shows. One day, Nagai observed a [[traffic jam]] and mused to himself that the drivers in the back of the traffic jam would love a way to bypass the cars in front of them. From that thought came the idea of a giant robot that could be controlled from the inside, like a car.<ref name="AMazingerStories">{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2014-09-21/.79023 |title=The Mike Toole Show - A-Mazinger Stories |last=Toole |first=Mike |date=September 21, 2014 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206130057/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/2014-09-21/.79023 |archive-date=February 6, 2023}}</ref> In its original concept, the Mazinger Z robot was named Energer Z and was controlled by a motorcycle that was driven up its back and into its head, an idea which was recycled for the Diana A robot.<ref name="AMazingerStories"/> However, the recent popularity of ''[[Kamen Rider]]'', in which the main characters frequently drive motorcycles, led to Nagai replacing the motorcycle with a hovercraft to make Mazinger Z stand out.<ref name="AMazingerStories"/> Nagai later redesigned Energer Z, renaming it Mazinger Z as a play on the Japanese words {{Nihongo3|demon|魔|ma}} and {{Nihongo3|god|神|jin}}.<ref name="AMazingerStories"/>


The motif of the Hover Pilder docking itself into Mazinger's head also borrows from Nagai's 1971 manga ''[[Demon Lord Dante]]'' (the prototype for his more popular ''[[Devilman]]''), in which the titular giant demon has a human head (of Ryo Utsugi, the young man who merged with him) in his forehead.{{cn|date=May 2024}} Koji Kabuto takes his surname (the Japanese word for a helmet) because he controls Mazinger Z from its head.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
Later sequels of the [[Media franchise|franchise]] share many characteristics of the Japanese [[tokusatsu]] heroes as well as 1970s [[kaiju]] films. The team-up [[anime]] ''Grendizer & Getter Robo G & Great Mazinger vs. The Giant Sea Monster'' is very similar to [[tokusatsu]] films like ''[[Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster]]''.


== Sequels ==
== Media ==
{{see also|Mazinger}}
[[Image:Dvdmazingermovieboxset.jpg|right|thumb|Cover of the ''Mazinger Z'' movie box set sold in Japan]]
The Mazinger Z anime ran to a total of 92 TV episodes from 1972 to 1974. Its period of greatest popularity lasted from roughly October 1973 to March 1974, during which time it regularly scored audience ratings in the high twenties; episode 68, broadcast March 17, 1974, achieved the series' highest rating of 30.4%, making Mazinger Z one of the highest-rated anime series of all time ([http://www.mazingerz.com/ANIME/TVmazinger.html 1]). It culminated in the destruction of the original [[robot]] by new enemies (after Doctor Hell's final defeat in the penultimate episode) and the immediate introduction of its successor, [[Great Mazinger]], an improved version of Mazinger, along with its pilot, Tetsuya Tsurugi. The idea of replacing the first robot with [[Great Mazinger]] (sometimes called Shin Mazinger Z) is a variation of a death-rebirth myth found in most Japanese action series: The title character, even if it is only a robot, is never truly defeated or destroyed, only improved upon, and replaced by the next version. Koji and Mazinger Z come back in the last episodes of Great Mazinger to help their successors defeat the forces of evil.


=== Manga ===
Another sequel, albeit in a different line, was introduced in 1975, with the appearance of [[Grendizer]], set in the Mazinger and Great Mazinger story continuity that included Koji Kabuto as a supporting character.
''Mazinger Z'' is written and illustrated by [[Go Nagai]]. It began [[Serial (literature)|serialization]] in ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'' in October 1972.<ref name="Go Nagai's manga works page 2">{{cite web |url=http://www.ebookjapan.jp/shop/nagaigo/works_02.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080701031323/http://www.ebookjapan.jp/shop/nagaigo/works_02.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-07-01 |title=Go Nagai's manga works 1971–1975 |work=Nagai Go Special Corner |publisher=ebookjapan initiative |language=ja |access-date=2008-11-14 }}</ref><ref name="ShueishaCancellation">{{cite web |url=https://shueisha.online/articles/-/174505?page=2 |last=Nakagawa |first=Yūsuke |date=November 19, 2023 |website=[[Shueisha]] |language=ja |script-title=ja:テレビアニメの大ヒットが皮肉にも、人気漫画家と漫画誌との蜜月終了のきっかけに。「マジンガーZ」がジャンプからテレビマガジンに移籍した背景 |access-date=May 24, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524191157/https://shueisha.online/articles/-/174505?page=2 |archive-date=May 24, 2024}}</ref> While the manga was being published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', Go Nagai made an agreement with [[Kodansha]] to have ''Mazinger Z'' also be published in ''{{ill|TV Magazine (Kodansha)|lt=TV Magazine|ja|テレビマガジン}}'', in an effort to reach a younger audience.<ref name="ShueishaCancellation"/> After {{ill|Tadasu Nagano|ja|長野規}}, the [[editor-in-chief]] of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', heard of this agreement, it was announced that the serialization of ''Mazinger Z'' in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' would be discontinued, as [[Shueisha]] thought it unacceptable to serialize the same manga as a rival company.<ref name="ShueishaCancellation"/> The serialization of the manga in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' ended in August 1973, and it was serialized in ''TV Magazine'' from October 1973 to September 1974.<ref name="Go Nagai's manga works page 2"/><ref name="ShueishaCancellation"/> The manga was collected into four ''[[tankōbon]]'' volumes by Shueisha in 1973 and five ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha in 1975 and 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.artmuseums.go.jp/id/C265098 |website=Media Arts Database |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーZ |trans-title=Mazinger Z |access-date=May 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.artmuseums.go.jp/id/C265119 |website=Media Arts Database |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーZ |trans-title=Mazinger Z |access-date=May 25, 2024}}</ref> The manga was also collected into five ''tankōbon'' volumes by [[Asahi Sonorama]] in 1974, four volumes by [[Chuokoron-Shinsha]] in 1994 and 1995, and three volumes by {{ill|Daitosha|ja|大都社}} in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.artmuseums.go.jp/id/C315123 |website=Media Arts Database |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーZ |trans-title=Mazinger Z |access-date=May 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.artmuseums.go.jp/id/C265143 |website=Media Arts Database |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーZ |trans-title=Mazinger Z |access-date=May 25, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mediaarts-db.artmuseums.go.jp/id/C265144 |website=Media Arts Database |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーZ |trans-title=Mazinger Z |access-date=May 25, 2024}}</ref>


=== Anime ===
The shows spawned so-called “team-up movies” early on, which were like longer episodes that teamed up Mazinger Z with one of [[Go Nagai]]’s other creations, as in ''Mazinger Z vs. Devilman'' (mazinga zeto tai debiruman) in 1973 and ''[[Mazinger Z Vs. The Great General of Darkness]]'' (mazinga zetō tai ankoku daishogun) in 1974.
{{See also|List of Mazinger Z episodes}}
An anime adaption of ''Mazinger Z'' was produced by [[Dynamic Planning]] and [[Toei Animation]], with Toei handling the animation.<ref name="ToeiListofWorks">{{cite web |url=https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/mazingerz/ |website=[[Toei Animation]] List of Works |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーZ |trans-title=Mazinger Z |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202015500/https://lineup.toei-anim.co.jp/ja/tv/mazingerz/ |archive-date=December 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discotekmedia.com/mazinger_z_box_1.htm |title=Mazinger Z: TV Series Vol. 1 - 6 Disc Set |website=[[Discotek Media|Discotek]] |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322213138/https://www.discotekmedia.com/mazinger_z_box_1.htm |archive-date=March 22, 2024}}</ref> The series ran for a total of 92 episodes from December 3, 1972 to September 1, 1974.<ref name="ToeiListofWorks"/>


In the 1980s, on behalf of [[Dynamic Planning]], [[Masami Ōbari]] and other independent animators ([[Toshiki Hirano]]) not part of [[Toei Animation]] began work on a miniseries of ''Mazinger Z''. The OVA (Original Video Animation) would have been called ''Dai-Mazinger'' (or ''Daimajinga'', 大魔神我) and would have presented the same characters known to the general public, starting with the main protagonist Koji. The robot would be more realistic: for example, it would have exhaust pipes, and its rocket fists would not be able to return to its arms automatically.<ref>{{cite journal|language=it|title=Intervista a Masami Obari | journal=Italian Magazine Magazine |volume=29}}</ref>
Thirty years after the start of the original program, Nagai’s company Dynamic Planning released a continuation of the original Mazinger series as an [[OVA]]&mdash;named ''[[Mazinkaiser]]'' (mazinkaizā)&mdash;in 2002. This work would be succeeded by the movie ''[[Mazinkaiser: Deathmatch! Ankoku Daishogun]]'', which in some ways served as a partial [[remake]] of ''Mazinger Z vs. the General of Darkness.''


The news, initially protected by tight secrecy, managed to leak and was spread by the specialized press.{{cn|date=May 2024}} Toei protested, saying to Dynamic that the rights of the animation of ''Mazinger'' was only theirs and that they did not tolerate a ''Mazinger'' animated by others.{{cn|date=May 2024}} As a consequence, the ''Daimajinga'' project was blocked.{{cn|date=May 2024}} This wasn't helped by the fact that Nagai was in the middle of a court battle with Toei, suing them for not properly crediting him and not paying him royalties over the creation of ''[[Gaiking]]'' in 1976.{{cn|date=May 2024}} However, since then, the relationship between Nagai and Toei has steadily improved.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
== Mazinger Z around the world ==
Mazinger was translated into many languages spoken outside Japan and the Far East, was broadcast, and found an audience in much of the rest of the world. In Europe, Mazinger Z was televised in Spain and Italy, with astounding success. Oddly enough, it was not shown in France until the 1980s, by which time it was perceived as a [[Grendizer]] imitation, even though it was actually the original, and the main character, Koji Kabuto, is a major character in both series. The inconsistent distribution of the Mazinger Z series outside of Japan led to similar confusion in other western markets.


==== International release ====
Mazinger Z was also shown in Central and South American countries (with a Spanish dub produced in Mexico) in its entirety and without editing (although the version produced for Spain was edited to 30 episodes). Mazinger Z was also very popular in Puerto Rico, where the show aired in its entirety as well. In the decades since its original broadcast, Mazinger Z has maintained a loyal cult following since its initial airing in Latin American countries.
In 1976, [[Honolulu]]-based entertainment concern, [[Consolidated Amusement Co.]], licensed the first 52 episodes of the series from Toei, as reported by the [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]], and commissioned [[M&M Communications]], a local sound studio, to produce an English language dub.{{cn|date=May 2024}} Consolidated, which ran four of the biggest theater chains in [[Hawaii]], packaged the episodes of ''Mazinger Z'' for weekend kiddie matinee screenings in their venues, starting with a big promotional push over Thanksgiving weekend (November 27 & 28) that same year with a "personal appearance" (a 10' electronic model) at the [[Pearlridge Shopping Center]], as promoted in the [[Honolulu Advertiser]].{{cn|date=May 2024}} The first package of episodes debuted at the Pearlridge 4-Plex Theaters on Saturday, December 4, 1976 (according to the [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]).{{cn|date=May 2024}} Unlike other English adaptations of various anime series at the time, ''Mazinger Z'' was left with its plot and character names unaltered. This English dub also aired in the [[Philippines]]; it proved so popular there that additional episodes were locally dubbed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/mazinger-z-1972-m-m-communications-english-dub-episodes-01-02 |title=Mazinger Z (M&M Communications English Dub) |year=1978 |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=2022-04-03}}</ref>


The series partially aired in [[Spain]] on [[La 1 (Spanish TV channel)|TVE 1]] at the same time. Rumors emerged that the series was pulled from broadcast because it reportedly induced violance to an underage viewer, but according to [[Claudio Biern Boyd]] in a 2021 interview, nothing happened at all.<ref name="Cinemanía20">{{cite web |title=Claudio Biern Boyd, creador de D'Artacán, Willy Fog y David el Gnomo: "No sabía que lo que hacía era tan importante para las personas" |url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/claudio-biern-boyd-dartacan-willy-fog-david-gnomo-no-sabia-hacia-importante-personas-4796486/ |access-date=15 August 2024 |website=20 Minutos |date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820062708/https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/noticias/claudio-biern-boyd-dartacan-willy-fog-david-gnomo-no-sabia-hacia-importante-personas-4796486/ |archive-date=20 August 2021}}</ref>
In 1984, the show was syndicated in the United States under the title Tranzor Z from 3-B Productions. Unlike the generally faithful treatment other countries gave their versions of Mazinger Z, 3-B's version of Tranzor Z was heavily edited and shortened to 65 episodes, with a modified storyline that was altered from the original, along with most of the characters' names. Credit for the series went to producer and licensor, Bunker Jenkins (although token credit was given to the Toei Company). 3-B Productions was a short-lived company that grew out of the production team who worked on the US version of Space Battleship Yamato, entitled Star Blazers, at Sunbow Productions. The "Americanization" of Mazinger Z for US consumption was done because of the strict standards in regards to content for children's programming at the time -- a large percentage of the action scenes were deemed unacceptable by Standards and Practices. In other words, Mazinger Z was too violent for US television -- the original version contained numerous scenes of mass hysteria, urban destruction, gratuitous violence, cold-blooded homicide, sadistic torture, gruesome dismemberments, violent death, and other acts of wanton chaos (i.e., a commercial airliner, flying through heavy clouds collides with the villains' giant air fortress, killing all onboard). With such scenes winding up on the cutting room floor, audiences knew that something was missing. Additionally, footage from the sequel series, [[Great Mazinger]], was sometimes briefly utilized; such as in the series opening where the creator tells his grandchildren about Mazinger Z's weapons, but he is actually describing weaponry unique to Great Mazinger (like the Great Boomerang), as well as footage of Great Mazinger taking off in place of Mazinger Z being activated. Strangely enough, while some content was considered too explicit, Baron Ashura/Devleen's nature as a literal half-man/half-woman was not truncated in the Tranzor Z version. To this day, there is still debate over what caused the show's quick exit from US television syndication, generally blaming the haphazard editing and ineffectual rewriting.


[[Discotek Media]] acquired the American home video rights to the show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-06/discotek-adds-mazinger-z-super-robot-tv-anime |title=Discotek Adds Mazinger Z Super Robot TV Anime - News |work=Anime News Network |date=2012-10-06 |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref> The result was a release of all 92 episodes of the original series in 2 volumes: ''Mazinger Z'' TV Series Vol 1, Ep. 1–46 and ''Mazinger Z'' TV Series Vol 2, Ep. 47–92. Discotek Media later released a double feature DVD on April 29, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/01/14/discotek-sets-unico-anime-film-double-feature-dvd-for-april-29 |title=Discotek Sets "Unico" Anime Film Double Feature DVD for April 29 |publisher=Crunchyroll |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-01-14/discotek-adds-amazing-nuts-video-anime-anthology |title=Discotek Adds Amazing Nuts! Video Anime Anthology |publisher=Anime News Network |date=January 14, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fandompost.com/2014/01/15/mazinger-z-anime-dvd-gets-release-date-cover-art/ |title='Mazinger Z' Anime DVD Gets Release Date, Cover Art |publisher=The Fandom Post |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/discotek-sets-date-for-mazinger-z-and-more/ |title=Discotek Sets Date for Mazinger Z and More |publisher=[[Otaku USA]] |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/01/14-1/first-mazinger-z-tv-series-set-brings-46-episodes-on-april-29 |title=First "Mazinger Z" TV Anime DVD Set Delivers 46 Episodes on April 29 |publisher=Crunchyroll |date=January 15, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref>
Alternatively, there was another English dub of the show that was far more faithhful to the Japanese original, commissioned by Toei Animation; to the extent of keeping the same names for all the characters, the title of the show and even an English-language version of the original Japanese theme song "Mazinger Z" (English lyrics by William Saylor and vocals by Isao Sasaki). Additionally, two other primary songs ("Z Theme" and "Our Mazinger Z") were also recorded in English with Saylor and Sasaki, with all three issued in Japan as a 45 RPM Single, "TV Animation: Mazinger Z" (Nippon Columbia SCS-393, December 1977). It is unclear as to how many episodes were given more accurate dub, which was produced in the mid-to-late 1970s by Frontier Enterprises, a Tokyo-based outfit established by American ex-pat, William Ross. The Frontier Enterprises dubs were later aired in the Philippines, where dubbing was continued by the local broadcaster prior to the show's cancellation, allegedly by order of dictator-president [[Ferdinand Marcos]].


==== ''Tranzor Z'' ====
An Arabic dub, entitled "Mazinjer", was made in an attempt to cash in on the Super Robot craze created in Arabic-speaking countries by UFO Robot Grendizer. Although it didn't do as well, Mazinger Z still found popularity and earned a huge fanbase throughout many Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt. However, only the first 27 episodes were translated (There's a possibility that it was an Arabic dub of the 27-episode English dub produced by Frontier Enterprises).
In the United States, Three B. Productions Ltd., a production company headed by Bunker Jenkins, developed ''Mazinger Z'' for American television by producing an English-dubbed version, which Jenkins retitled '''''Tranzor Z'''''. This adaptation aired in 1985 and was, like many English-dubbed anime shows that were on American TV at the time, re-edited for American audiences.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=872–873}}</ref> Many of the Japanese names used in ''Mazinger Z'' were changed for its adaptation into ''Tranzor Z;'' for example, Koji Kabuto became Tommy Davis, Sayaka Yumi became Jessica Wells, Shiro became Toad, Professor Yumi became Dr. Wells, Dr. Hell became Dr. Demon, Baron Ashura became Devleen, Count Brocken became Count DeCapito, and Archduke Gorgon became Genghis the Ghastly.{{cn|date=May 2024}} Only 65 out of the 92 episodes were dubbed into English, as 65 was the minimum number of episodes required for syndication.{{cn|date=May 2024}} The final episode was not dubbed in English, instead the series ended with the defeat of Dr. Demon. The fate of Genghis was left up in the air.


== Merchandise ==
=== Films ===
The shows spawned so-called "team-up movies" early on, which were like longer episodes that teamed up Mazinger Z with one of [[Go Nagai]]'s other creations, as in ''[[Mazinger Z vs. Devilman]]'' in 1973 as well as ''Mazinger Z Vs. Dr. Hell'' and ''[[Mazinger Z Vs. The Great General of Darkness]]'' both released in 1974.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
Mazinger remains one of [[Go Nagai]]’s most enduring success stories, spawning many products in the realm of [[merchandising]], [[model kit]]s, plastic and die-cast metal toys (the now famous [[Soul of Chogokin]] line), [[action figure]]s and other collectibles. Mazinger has also been successful in the video game area (at least in Japan), as one of the main stars in the acclaimed battle simulation game series [[Super Robot Wars]], released by [[Banpresto]], featuring characters and units from almost all Mazinger-related shows, alongside other anime franchises such as [[Gundam]], et al.


On the franchise's 45th anniversary, a sequel film titled ''[[Mazinger Z: Infinity]]'' was announced, taking place ten years after the events of the original series.{{cn|date=May 2024}} It was released theatrically in Japan on January 13, 2018.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
In 1994, Banpresto released an arcade game called ''Mazinger Z'' which was a vertical [[shoot'em up]] with three selectable characters : Mazinger Z, [[Great Mazinger]] and [[Grendizer]].[http://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=1590]


==Trivia==
=== Video games ===
''Mazinger'' has also been successful in the video game area (at least in Japan) as one of the main stars in the acclaimed battle simulation game series ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'', released by [[Banpresto]], featuring characters and units from almost all ''Mazinger''-related shows, alongside other anime franchises.{{cn|date=May 2024}} In 1994, Banpresto released an arcade game called ''[[Mazinger Z (1994 video game)|Mazinger Z]]'' which was a vertical [[shoot 'em up]] with three selectable characters: Mazinger Z, [[Great Mazinger]] and [[Grendizer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=1590 |title=mazinger z [coin-op] arcade video game, banpresto (1994) |publisher=Arcade-history.com |date=2011-01-22 |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref> Announced on December 3, 2022 by [[Hamster Corporation]], ''Mazinger Z'' was eventually included in the ''[[Arcade Archives]]'' series on May 11, 2023 for the [[Nintendo Switch]] and [[PlayStation 4]]. On Sega Genesis, there was one known as, Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter. It had two ways of being played: One like a side-scroller, and the other like a one-on-one fighting game. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.famitsu.com/news/202212/03284962.html|title=Mazinger Z joining Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series |access-date=2022-12-03}}</ref>


== Merchandise ==
*In [[Italy]] "Ratzinger" was a chapter of Ratman, a superhero parody comic (the name is a pun on [[Batman]]). The robot Ratzinger though was more based on [[Grendizer]], which was more popular in [[Italy]], than Mazinger.
''Mazinger'' remains one of [[Go Nagai]]'s most enduring success stories, spawning many [[Mazinger Toy Lines|products]] in the realm of merchandising, model kits, plastic and die-cast metal toys (the now famous [[Soul of Chogokin]] line), action figures and other collectibles.{{cn|date=May 2024}}


A 40-foot tall statue of Mazinger Z was built in a suburb called "Mas del Plata" in [[Tarragona]] ([[Catalonia]], [[Spain]]) in the early 1980s, to serve as the suburb's entrance, yet the suburb was never completed and the statue remains there.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mazinger-z|title=Mazinger Z |magazine=Atlas Obscura |access-date=2016-05-31}}</ref>
* Enemies of the [[Pope]] [[Benedict XVI]] call him "Ratzinger" inmediately after his selection as [[Pope]].


== Reception and influence ==
*Mazinger tributes can also be found in games. In the [[Mr. Driller]] series, one of the characters is a multi-purpose drilling robot named Horinger Z. One of the enemies in [[Mega Man 6]] is "Metonger Z", a [[Metool]] (the hard-hatted enemies common to the [[Mega Man (series)|Mega Man]] series) riding a mechanical tank with elements of Mazinger Z's design. Similarly, in [[Marvel vs Capcom]] and its sequel, one of Megaman's hyper combos has him transforming into a large battle mode obviously inspired by Mazinger Z, while Megaman's sister Roll has a similar move that changes her into a form highly similar to Aphrodite A. Furthermore, the 'Hard Knuckle' attack Megaman gains from defeating Hard Man in [[Mega Man 3]] is reminiscent of Mazinger Z's Rocket Punch attack. In [[Makai Senki Disgaea]], during one of Etna's imaginative 'Next time on Disgaea' segments the Prinnies merge into a powerful Mazinger-like super robot. Episode 13 of [[Sonic X]] had Sonic the Hedgehog fight "Gearhead", a Mazinger-like robot of Dr. Eggman's that also included a Pilder slot on the head for Eggman's hovercraft.
[[File:Mazinger Z en Tarragona.jpg|thumb|Mazinger Z sculpture in the Mas del Plata urbanization, in [[Cabra del Camp]], Catalonia, Spain]]
The Mazinger Z anime consistently achieved high [[Audience measurement|audience ratings]] while it was airing.<ref name="MazingerZBroadcastList">{{cite web |url=http://www.mazingerz.com/ANIME/TVmazinger.html |website=Mazinger Z |language=ja |script-title=ja:マジンガーシリーズＴＶ放映リスト |trans-title=Mazinger Z Broadcast List |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705065612/http://www.mazingerz.com/ANIME/TVmazinger.html |archive-date=July 5, 2023}}</ref> Its period of greatest popularity lasted from roughly October 1973 to March 1974, during which time it regularly scored audience ratings in the high twenties.<ref name="MazingerZBroadcastList"/> Episode 68, broadcast March 17, 1974, achieved the series' highest rating of 30.4%, making ''Mazinger Z'' one of the highest-rated anime series of all time.<ref name="MazingerZBroadcastList"/>


''Mazinger Z'' helped to create the 1970s boom in mecha anime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia27/en/feature/feature01.html |title=Bigger Audiences, More Varied Productions |publisher=Nipponia |date=2003-12-15 |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref> The series is noteworthy for introducing many of the accepted stock features of super robot anime genres, including the first occurrence of mecha robots being piloted by a user from within a cockpit.<ref name=Gilson>{{cite journal|first=Mark |last=Gilson |title=A Brief History of Japanese Robophilia | journal=[[Leonardo (journal)|Leonardo]] |year=1998 |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=367–369|doi=10.2307/1576597 |jstor=1576597 |s2cid=191411400 }}</ref>
*Go Nagai is often considered the father of giant robot anime because of Mazinger, but he himself has said that while he is honoured, he believes the name should go to his own inspirations, the creator of Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy) [[Osamu Tezuka]] and the creator of Tetsujin-28 (Gigantor), [[Mitsuteru Yokoyama]].


In 2001, the Japanese magazine ''[[Animage]]'' elected ''Mazinger Z'' TV series the eleventh best anime production of all time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-01-15/animage-top-100-anime-listing|title=Animage Top-100 Anime Listing|date=January 15, 2011|work=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=March 10, 2013}}</ref> [[TV Asahi]] ran a series of four polls in 2005 and 2006 to determine Japan's 100 favorite anime, in which ''Mazinger Z'' placed 91st twice and 98th once.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-09-23/tv-asahi-top-100-anime |title=TV Asahi Top 100 Anime |last=Macdonald |first=Christopher |date=September 23, 2005 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409031627/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-09-23/tv-asahi-top-100-anime |archive-date=April 9, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-09-23/tv-asahi-top-100-anime-part-2 |title=TV Asahi Top 100 Anime Part 2 |last=Macdonald |first=Christopher |date=September 23, 2005 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516143644/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-09-23/tv-asahi-top-100-anime-part-2 |archive-date=May 16, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-10-13/japan's-favorite-tv-anime |title=Japan's Favorite TV Anime |last=Macdonald |first=Christopher |date=October 12, 2006 |website=[[Anime News Network]] |access-date=May 25, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226093222/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-10-13/japan's-favorite-tv-anime |archive-date=December 26, 2023}}</ref>
*The reason Mazinger's enemies looked so strange was because when Go Nagai and his crew were coming up with them, they would think about the fight first, ''then'' design the robot.


[[Guillermo del Toro]] has cited the show—which was a huge success in his native Mexico during the 1980s—as an important influence on ''[[Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]''.<ref name ="Pacific Rim">{{cite web|author=newch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYoAIgjlvL4 |title=Guillermo del Toro meets Gundam in Japan |publisher=YouTube |date=2013-08-11 |access-date=2014-08-23}}</ref>
*Go Nagai is said to have been highly shocked that Mazinger, which he originally did not take very seriously, far surpassed Devilman in popularity. The reason was that he had worked especially hard on Devilman and only made Mazinger as a way to blow off steam. While Mazinger Z's television ratings peaked at over 30%, Devilman's highest rating was roughly half that (15.5% in January 1973) ([http://www.mazingerz.com/ANIME/TVdevilman.html 2]).


As of July 2023, Mazinger Z has reached a total of 20 million copies in circulation worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-07 |title=【8月2試合】マジンガーZ×愛媛FC コラボイベント開催！ |url=https://ehimefc.com/topics/topic30634.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716021913/https://ehimefc.com/topics/topic30634.html |archive-date=July 16, 2023 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=愛媛FC公式サイト【EHIME FC OFFICIAL SITE】}}</ref>
*Mazinger parodies also appear on television. In an episode of the American cartoon [[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]], teenagers staged arena battles with their imaginary friends. The Mazinger Z pastiche was rusted into immobility by the tears of Eduardo. Also, in one episode of [[Robot Chicken]], [[N'Sync]] singer Joey Fatone took part in a [[Celebrity Deathmatch]] style battle where Great Mazinger was one of his opponents. A sentient robot strongly resembling Mazinger Z (called "Zanzor," a play on its American inception) also appeared in the originally unaired season one episode of [[Megas XLR]], ''Coop D'Etat''.


== See also ==
*Mazinger Z is the only robot to show up in all the franchised based versions of the [[Super Robot Wars]] games (This does not include the Lord of Elemental sidestory or the Original Generation games). If one does not consider the original Game Boy SRW to be part of the series, one can say that Koji Kabuto and Sayaka Yumi are also the only characters to show up in all the franchised series.
*''[[Daimajin]]''
*''[[Devilman]]''
*''[[Getter Robo]]''
*[[Ichirou Mizuki]]


== References ==
*[[Boss Borot]] is the only robot character to appear in all three of the Mazinger trilogy series: Mazinger Z (during the second half of the series), Great Mazinger (as a regular), and Grendizer (in a pair of cameos).
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
*In an episode of [[Brave Express Might Gaine]], where the title hero fights a black version of himself, the enemy uses a jet very similar to the Pilder to control it.
* {{Official website|http://www.mazinger-z.jp/}}

* [http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/lineup/tv/mazingerz/ ''Mazinger Z''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010215132/http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/lineup/tv/mazingerz/ |date=2012-10-10 }} at Toei Animation
*There's a half-size statue of Mazinger Z in Tarragona, Spain. <ref>http://ceo.upc.es/extras/eventos/mazinger/mazinger.htm</ref>
* {{anime News Network|manga|3859}}

*In one episode of the [[Sgt. Frog]] anime, Kururu designs a robot that resembles a cross between Aki Hinata and [[Aphrodite A]].

* In the second opening of the [[Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z]] anime, [[Mojo Jojo]] can be seen piloting a giant robot bearing a strong resemblance to the Mazinger Z.

==Machine specifications==
* Height: 18.0 meters
* Weight: 20 metric tons
* Energy Source: Photonic Energy (Japanese: 光子力エネルギー ''Koushiryoku Energy'')
* Construction: Super Alloy Z (Japanese: 超合金Ｚ ''cho-gokin Z'')
* 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
* Walking Speed: 50 kilometers/hour
* Running Speed: 360 kilometers/hour
* Swimming Speed: 20 knots
* Flight Velocity: Mach 3
* Jump Height: 20 meters
* Maximum Lift: 150 metric tons
* Output: 65000 horsepower
* Maximum Elevation: 20 kilometers above sea level

===Weapons===
*'''Koushiryoku Beam''' (Photonic Beam): Mazinger Z can channel pure Photonic Energy through its eyes, unleashing a pair of laser beams.
*'''Missile Punch''': Mazinger Z has 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.
:*'''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.
:*'''Daisharin Rocket Punch''' (Giant Swing Rocket Punch): Mazinger Z spins its arms rapidly, building up momentum before firing off both fists in standard Rocket Punch fashion.
:*'''Kyoukagata Rocket Punch''' (Reinforced Rocket Punch): In a later episode, one of Mazinger Z's forearms was temporarily replaced by one reinforced with stronger armor, giving it a more powerful punch. This part had some visial differences to the normal forearms.
:*'''Boomerang Fist''': A one-time attack where Mazinger Z fired a Rocket Punch with a chain attached to the forearm and used the combined weapon as a lasso.
*'''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.
*'''Rust Hurricane''': Powerful turbines in Mazinger Z's head create gale-force winds, launching them through the mouth grill. The attack includes highly corrosive particles, 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 can fire off this stored thermal energy as a powerful, white-hot beam that melts almost anything.
*'''Reitou Beam''' (Freezing 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 Missiles''': A rarely-used attack where Mazinger fires the last joint of its fingers as miniature missiles.
*'''Electromagnetic Wave''': Mazinger can emit electromagnetic waves from its fingers; these have the dual purpose of detecting enemies and scrambling missile guidance systems.

===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

'''Jet Scrander's Weapons''':
* '''Scrander Cutter''': The wings of the Jet Scrander are strong and sharp enough to be used as blades.
* '''Southern Cross Knives''': Contained Within the Jet Scrander's wings are [[shuriken]] which can be fired as missiles.

===Hover Pilder===
'''Hover Pilder''': The control center of Mazinger Z, the Hover Pilder 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. When it makes a link with the giant robot, its pilot yells, "Pilder On!" It is later replaced by the upgraded '''Jet Pilder''', which had more normal wings and a single VTOL fan in the center of its underside.
* Length: 5.6 meters
* Width: 3.2 meters
* Height: 3 meters
* Weight: 260 kilograms
* Maximum Altitude: 10,500 meters
* Ascent Speed: 120 kilometers/hour
* Maximum Speed: Mach 3
* Output: 20,000 horsepower

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

==See also==
* [[Super robot]]
* [[Mazinger Z (robot)]]

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==External links==
*[http://www.dra-mata.com/manga/nagai/ A manga-style description of Mazinger Z and Devilman.]
* {{ann anime|id=1100|title=Mazinger Z}}
* {{ann manga|id=3859|title=Mazinger Z}}
* [http://www.encirobot.com/mazz/mazz-ind.asp Mazinger Z Home at Enciclorobopedia] {{it icon}}
*[http://www.myspace.com/mazandcoms Tribute band]
* [http://digilander.libero.it/alcor99/Schede/Mazinga_Z/Mazinga_Z.htm Mazinger Z at AnimeMANIA] {{it icon}}
* [http://digilander.libero.it/alcor99/Varie/Robots/PM-01D/PM-01D.htm Papermodel at AnimeMANIA] {{it icon}}


{{NavigationBox Mazinger}}
{{NavigationBox Mazinger}}
{{Weekly Shōnen Jump - 1968–1979}}
{{Tomoharu Katsumata}}
{{Toei Animation}}


[[Category:Manga series]]
[[Category:1972 anime television series debuts]]
[[Category:Adventure anime and manga]]
[[Category:1972 manga]]
[[Category:Mecha anime and manga]]
[[Category:1974 Japanese television series endings]]
[[Category:Super Robots]]
[[Category:Anime series based on manga]]
[[Category:Anime of the 1970s]]
[[Category:Fuji Television original programming]]
[[Category:Manga of the 1970s]]
[[Category:Kodansha manga]]
[[Category:Featured in the Super Robot Wars Series]]
[[Category:Mazinger]]
[[Category:Fictional robots]]

[[Category:Television series about robots]]
[[ca:Mazinger Z]]
[[de:Mazinger Z]]
[[Category:Shōnen manga]]
[[Category:Super robot anime and manga]]
[[es:Mazinger Z]]
[[fr:Mazinger Z]]
[[Category:Shueisha manga]]
[[Category:Toei Animation television]]
[[ko:마징가 제트]]
[[id:Mazinger Z]]
[[Category:Topcraft]]
[[Category:Viz Media anime]]
[[it:Mazinga Z]]
[[ms:Mazinger Z]]
[[ja:マジンガーZ]]
[[zh:魔神Z]]

Latest revision as of 12:01, 13 December 2024

Mazinger Z
Cover of the first manga volume
マジンガーZ
(Majingā Zetto)
GenreSuper robot[1]
Created byGo Nagai
Manga
Mazinger Z
Written byGo Nagai
Published by
Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runOctober 1972 – September 1974
Volumes
Anime television series
Mazinger Z
Produced byDynamic Planning
Written by
  • Keisuke Fujikawa
  • Susumu Takaku[2]
Music by
StudioToei Animation
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV
Original run December 3, 1972 – September 1, 1974[3]
Episodes92 (List of episodes)
Manga
Written byGo Nagai
Illustrated byGosaku Ota
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineBoken Oh
DemographicShōnen
Original runDecember 1972 – September 1974
Volumes5
Sequels
Other series
Video game

Mazinger Z (Japanese: マジンガーZ, Hepburn: Majingā Zetto, known as Tranzor Z in the United States) is a Japanese super robot manga written and illustrated by Go Nagai. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973 and Kodansha's TV Magazine [ja] from October 1973 to September 1974.

Mazinger Z has since spawned a media franchise. It was adapted into an anime television series by Toei Animation, which aired on Fuji TV[citation needed] from December 1972 to September 1974. A second manga series was released alongside the TV show, this one drawn by Gosaku Ota, which started and ended almost at the same time as the TV show.[citation needed] The series was followed by several sequels and spin-off, among them being Great Mazinger, UFO Robot Grendizer and Mazinkaiser. Mazinger Z: Infinity, a theatrical film sequel, taking place ten years after the Great Mazinger series, was animated by Toei Animation and released in theaters on January 13, 2018.[4]

Although not exactly the first Mecha anime in history, the series has often been cited as being the first modern one.

Plot

[edit]
See also: List of Mazinger characters

Mazinger Z is an enormous super robot, constructed with a fictional metal called Super-Alloy Z (超合金Z, Chōgokin Zetto), which is forged from a new element (Japanium) mined from a reservoir found only in the sediment of Mt. Fuji, in Japan. Professor Juzo Kabuto built the mecha as a secret weapon against the forces of evil, represented in the series by the Mechanical Beasts of Dr. Hell. The latter was the German member of a Japanese archeological team that discovered ruins of a lost pre-Grecian civilization on an island named Bardos, the Mycéne Empire. One of their findings was that the Mycene used an army of steel titans about 20 meters in height. Finding prototypes of those titans underground that could be remote-controlled and realizing their immense power on the battlefield, Dr. Hell goes insane and kills all the other scientists on his research team except for Professor Kabuto, who manages to escape. The lone survivor goes back to Japan and attempts to warn the world of its imminent danger. Meanwhile, Dr. Hell establishes his headquarters on a mobile island, forms the new Underground Empire, and plans to use the Mechanical Monsters to become the new ruler of the world. To counter this, Kabuto constructs Mazinger Z and manages to finish it just before being killed by a bomb planted by Hell's right-hand person, Baron Ashura, a half-man, half-woman. As he lies dying, he manages to inform his grandson Koji Kabuto about the robot and its use. Koji becomes the robot's pilot and, from that point on, battles both the continuous mechanical monsters and the sinister henchmen sent by Doctor Hell.

The anime culminated in the destruction of the original robot by new enemies (after Doctor Hell's final defeat in the penultimate episode) and the immediate introduction of its successor, Great Mazinger, an improved version of Mazinger, along with its pilot, Tetsuya Tsurugi.

Development

[edit]

In his Manga Works series, Go Nagai reveals that he had always loved Astro Boy and Tetsujin-28 as a child and wanted to make his own robot anime.[5][full citation needed] However, for the longest time he was unable to produce a concept that he felt did not borrow too heavily from those two shows. One day, Nagai observed a traffic jam and mused to himself that the drivers in the back of the traffic jam would love a way to bypass the cars in front of them. From that thought came the idea of a giant robot that could be controlled from the inside, like a car.[6] In its original concept, the Mazinger Z robot was named Energer Z and was controlled by a motorcycle that was driven up its back and into its head, an idea which was recycled for the Diana A robot.[6] However, the recent popularity of Kamen Rider, in which the main characters frequently drive motorcycles, led to Nagai replacing the motorcycle with a hovercraft to make Mazinger Z stand out.[6] Nagai later redesigned Energer Z, renaming it Mazinger Z as a play on the Japanese words ma (魔, demon) and jin (神, god).[6]

The motif of the Hover Pilder docking itself into Mazinger's head also borrows from Nagai's 1971 manga Demon Lord Dante (the prototype for his more popular Devilman), in which the titular giant demon has a human head (of Ryo Utsugi, the young man who merged with him) in his forehead.[citation needed] Koji Kabuto takes his surname (the Japanese word for a helmet) because he controls Mazinger Z from its head.[citation needed]

Media

[edit]
See also: Mazinger

Manga

[edit]

Mazinger Z is written and illustrated by Go Nagai. It began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in October 1972.[7][8] While the manga was being published in Weekly Shōnen Jump, Go Nagai made an agreement with Kodansha to have Mazinger Z also be published in TV Magazine [ja], in an effort to reach a younger audience.[8] After Tadasu Nagano [ja], the editor-in-chief of Weekly Shōnen Jump, heard of this agreement, it was announced that the serialization of Mazinger Z in Weekly Shōnen Jump would be discontinued, as Shueisha thought it unacceptable to serialize the same manga as a rival company.[8] The serialization of the manga in Weekly Shōnen Jump ended in August 1973, and it was serialized in TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974.[7][8] The manga was collected into four tankōbon volumes by Shueisha in 1973 and five tankōbon volumes by Kodansha in 1975 and 1976.[9][10] The manga was also collected into five tankōbon volumes by Asahi Sonorama in 1974, four volumes by Chuokoron-Shinsha in 1994 and 1995, and three volumes by Daitosha [ja] in 1996.[11][12][13]

Anime

[edit]
See also: List of Mazinger Z episodes

An anime adaption of Mazinger Z was produced by Dynamic Planning and Toei Animation, with Toei handling the animation.[14][15] The series ran for a total of 92 episodes from December 3, 1972 to September 1, 1974.[14]

In the 1980s, on behalf of Dynamic Planning, Masami Ōbari and other independent animators (Toshiki Hirano) not part of Toei Animation began work on a miniseries of Mazinger Z. The OVA (Original Video Animation) would have been called Dai-Mazinger (or Daimajinga, 大魔神我) and would have presented the same characters known to the general public, starting with the main protagonist Koji. The robot would be more realistic: for example, it would have exhaust pipes, and its rocket fists would not be able to return to its arms automatically.[16]

The news, initially protected by tight secrecy, managed to leak and was spread by the specialized press.[citation needed] Toei protested, saying to Dynamic that the rights of the animation of Mazinger was only theirs and that they did not tolerate a Mazinger animated by others.[citation needed] As a consequence, the Daimajinga project was blocked.[citation needed] This wasn't helped by the fact that Nagai was in the middle of a court battle with Toei, suing them for not properly crediting him and not paying him royalties over the creation of Gaiking in 1976.[citation needed] However, since then, the relationship between Nagai and Toei has steadily improved.[citation needed]

International release

[edit]

In 1976, Honolulu-based entertainment concern, Consolidated Amusement Co., licensed the first 52 episodes of the series from Toei, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and commissioned M&M Communications, a local sound studio, to produce an English language dub.[citation needed] Consolidated, which ran four of the biggest theater chains in Hawaii, packaged the episodes of Mazinger Z for weekend kiddie matinee screenings in their venues, starting with a big promotional push over Thanksgiving weekend (November 27 & 28) that same year with a "personal appearance" (a 10' electronic model) at the Pearlridge Shopping Center, as promoted in the Honolulu Advertiser.[citation needed] The first package of episodes debuted at the Pearlridge 4-Plex Theaters on Saturday, December 4, 1976 (according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin).[citation needed] Unlike other English adaptations of various anime series at the time, Mazinger Z was left with its plot and character names unaltered. This English dub also aired in the Philippines; it proved so popular there that additional episodes were locally dubbed.[17]

The series partially aired in Spain on TVE 1 at the same time. Rumors emerged that the series was pulled from broadcast because it reportedly induced violance to an underage viewer, but according to Claudio Biern Boyd in a 2021 interview, nothing happened at all.[18]

Discotek Media acquired the American home video rights to the show.[19] The result was a release of all 92 episodes of the original series in 2 volumes: Mazinger Z TV Series Vol 1, Ep. 1–46 and Mazinger Z TV Series Vol 2, Ep. 47–92. Discotek Media later released a double feature DVD on April 29, 2014.[20][21][22][23][24]

Tranzor Z

[edit]

In the United States, Three B. Productions Ltd., a production company headed by Bunker Jenkins, developed Mazinger Z for American television by producing an English-dubbed version, which Jenkins retitled Tranzor Z. This adaptation aired in 1985 and was, like many English-dubbed anime shows that were on American TV at the time, re-edited for American audiences.[25] Many of the Japanese names used in Mazinger Z were changed for its adaptation into Tranzor Z; for example, Koji Kabuto became Tommy Davis, Sayaka Yumi became Jessica Wells, Shiro became Toad, Professor Yumi became Dr. Wells, Dr. Hell became Dr. Demon, Baron Ashura became Devleen, Count Brocken became Count DeCapito, and Archduke Gorgon became Genghis the Ghastly.[citation needed] Only 65 out of the 92 episodes were dubbed into English, as 65 was the minimum number of episodes required for syndication.[citation needed] The final episode was not dubbed in English, instead the series ended with the defeat of Dr. Demon. The fate of Genghis was left up in the air.

Films

[edit]

The shows spawned so-called "team-up movies" early on, which were like longer episodes that teamed up Mazinger Z with one of Go Nagai's other creations, as in Mazinger Z vs. Devilman in 1973 as well as Mazinger Z Vs. Dr. Hell and Mazinger Z Vs. The Great General of Darkness both released in 1974.[citation needed]

On the franchise's 45th anniversary, a sequel film titled Mazinger Z: Infinity was announced, taking place ten years after the events of the original series.[citation needed] It was released theatrically in Japan on January 13, 2018.[citation needed]

Video games

[edit]

Mazinger has also been successful in the video game area (at least in Japan) as one of the main stars in the acclaimed battle simulation game series Super Robot Wars, released by Banpresto, featuring characters and units from almost all Mazinger-related shows, alongside other anime franchises.[citation needed] In 1994, Banpresto released an arcade game called Mazinger Z which was a vertical shoot 'em up with three selectable characters: Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and Grendizer.[26] Announced on December 3, 2022 by Hamster Corporation, Mazinger Z was eventually included in the Arcade Archives series on May 11, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. On Sega Genesis, there was one known as, Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter. It had two ways of being played: One like a side-scroller, and the other like a one-on-one fighting game. [27]

Merchandise

[edit]

Mazinger remains one of Go Nagai's most enduring success stories, spawning many products in the realm of merchandising, model kits, plastic and die-cast metal toys (the now famous Soul of Chogokin line), action figures and other collectibles.[citation needed]

A 40-foot tall statue of Mazinger Z was built in a suburb called "Mas del Plata" in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) in the early 1980s, to serve as the suburb's entrance, yet the suburb was never completed and the statue remains there.[28]

Reception and influence

[edit]
Mazinger Z sculpture in the Mas del Plata urbanization, in Cabra del Camp, Catalonia, Spain

The Mazinger Z anime consistently achieved high audience ratings while it was airing.[29] Its period of greatest popularity lasted from roughly October 1973 to March 1974, during which time it regularly scored audience ratings in the high twenties.[29] Episode 68, broadcast March 17, 1974, achieved the series' highest rating of 30.4%, making Mazinger Z one of the highest-rated anime series of all time.[29]

Mazinger Z helped to create the 1970s boom in mecha anime.[30] The series is noteworthy for introducing many of the accepted stock features of super robot anime genres, including the first occurrence of mecha robots being piloted by a user from within a cockpit.[31]

In 2001, the Japanese magazine Animage elected Mazinger Z TV series the eleventh best anime production of all time.[32] TV Asahi ran a series of four polls in 2005 and 2006 to determine Japan's 100 favorite anime, in which Mazinger Z placed 91st twice and 98th once.[33][34][35]

Guillermo del Toro has cited the show—which was a huge success in his native Mexico during the 1980s—as an important influence on Pacific Rim.[36]

As of July 2023, Mazinger Z has reached a total of 20 million copies in circulation worldwide.[37]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "'Mazinger Z' Comes to U.S. Cinemas With 'INFINITY' for Two Special Screenings February 11 and 12 - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. January 19, 2018. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Loo, Egan (July 23, 2009). "Mazinger Z, North Star Scriptwriter Susumu Takaku Dies". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "マジンガーZ". Toei Animation. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  4. ^ 「劇場版マジンガーZ」　2017年10月にイタリア公開、日本より3ヵ月先行 - アニメーションビジネス・ジャーナル
  5. ^ "Gn-mazingerz01.JPG (1445x2156 pixels)". Archived from the original on 29 May 2004.
  6. ^ a b c d Toole, Mike (September 21, 2014). "The Mike Toole Show - A-Mazinger Stories". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Go Nagai's manga works 1971–1975". Nagai Go Special Corner (in Japanese). ebookjapan initiative. Archived from the original on 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2008-11-14.
  8. ^ a b c d Nakagawa, Yūsuke (November 19, 2023). テレビアニメの大ヒットが皮肉にも、人気漫画家と漫画誌との蜜月終了のきっかけに。「マジンガーZ」がジャンプからテレビマガジンに移籍した背景. Shueisha (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  9. ^ マジンガーZ [Mazinger Z]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  10. ^ マジンガーZ [Mazinger Z]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  11. ^ マジンガーZ [Mazinger Z]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  12. ^ マジンガーZ [Mazinger Z]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  13. ^ マジンガーZ [Mazinger Z]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  14. ^ a b マジンガーZ [Mazinger Z]. Toei Animation List of Works (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Mazinger Z: TV Series Vol. 1 - 6 Disc Set". Discotek. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Intervista a Masami Obari". Italian Magazine Magazine (in Italian). 29.
  17. ^ "Mazinger Z (M&M Communications English Dub)". Internet Archive. 1978. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  18. ^ "Claudio Biern Boyd, creador de D'Artacán, Willy Fog y David el Gnomo: "No sabía que lo que hacía era tan importante para las personas"". 20 Minutos. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Discotek Adds Mazinger Z Super Robot TV Anime - News". Anime News Network. 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  20. ^ "Discotek Sets "Unico" Anime Film Double Feature DVD for April 29". Crunchyroll. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  21. ^ "Discotek Adds Amazing Nuts! Video Anime Anthology". Anime News Network. January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  22. ^ "'Mazinger Z' Anime DVD Gets Release Date, Cover Art". The Fandom Post. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  23. ^ "Discotek Sets Date for Mazinger Z and More". Otaku USA. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "First "Mazinger Z" TV Anime DVD Set Delivers 46 Episodes on April 29". Crunchyroll. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  25. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 872–873. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  26. ^ "mazinger z [coin-op] arcade video game, banpresto (1994)". Arcade-history.com. 2011-01-22. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  27. ^ "Mazinger Z joining Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series". Retrieved 2022-12-03.
  28. ^ "Mazinger Z". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  29. ^ a b c マジンガーシリーズＴＶ放映リスト [Mazinger Z Broadcast List]. Mazinger Z (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  30. ^ "Bigger Audiences, More Varied Productions". Nipponia. 2003-12-15. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  31. ^ Gilson, Mark (1998). "A Brief History of Japanese Robophilia". Leonardo. 31 (5): 367–369. doi:10.2307/1576597. JSTOR 1576597. S2CID 191411400.
  32. ^ "Animage Top-100 Anime Listing". Anime News Network. January 15, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  33. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (September 23, 2005). "TV Asahi Top 100 Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  34. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (September 23, 2005). "TV Asahi Top 100 Anime Part 2". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  35. ^ Macdonald, Christopher (October 12, 2006). "Japan's Favorite TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  36. ^ newch (2013-08-11). "Guillermo del Toro meets Gundam in Japan". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  37. ^ "【8月2試合】マジンガーZ×愛媛FC コラボイベント開催！". 愛媛FC公式サイト【EHIME FC OFFICIAL SITE】. 2023-07-07. Archived from the original on July 16, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Mazinger_Z&oldid=1262847184"