History Anime / AndroidKikaiderTheAnimation

* ArtifactTitle: The OVA series being entitled "Kikaider 01" as it was based on the series starring Ichiro. Even though he isn't the star in this adaptation, Jiro is.

* HumanityIsInfectious: In the beginning of the OVA series, Bijinder is just another robot goon working for the BigBad. But after encountering Jiro and the others, she starts to grow empathy and feelings for other people. When she asks Kikaider 00 about this, he simply rejects the notion that they can possibly have feelings and tells her it is nothing more than simple malfunctions, not love.

* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: SHADOW, the follow up/replacement villain organisation from the OVA once DARK is dealt. with.

** Then in the OVA there is the evil organization SHADOW. In no way related to DARK.

* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: As stated above, the OVA series has SHADOW. A vaguely different organization ran by the same people. But they seem to be confused about themselves too because now and then they refer to themselves as DARK.

* RememberTheNewGuy: In the OVA There is Ichiro and Rei, Ichiro is an Android Created right before Jiro and Rei was an Incomplete android which was Komiyoji's last creation before getting kidnapped. Non of them are eluded to in the Previous series.
* ReplacementGoldfish: Jiro (literally "next son") was modeled after the likeness of his creator's dead son Ichiro ("first son"). Hakaider's human name, Saburo ("third son") continues the theme.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Every evil robot has red eyes, and whenever Jiro is under control his eyes turn red.
** Gil seems to have red eyes normally.
* RememberTheNewGuy: In the OVA There is Ichiro and Rei, Ichiro is an Android Created right before Jiro and Rei was an Incomplete android which was Komiyoji's last creation before getting kidnapped. None of them are alluded to in the Previous series.
* RobotGirl: Bijinder, and as it turns out, [[spoiler: Rieko is one too.]]
* TheStoic: Kikaider 00, who spends his time in the OVA leaning angstily, and discussing how love and feelings are dumb.

* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: Discussed by Golden Bat in the anime series. One of the ongoing themes is that robots obey orders without question, no matter what -- except for Jiro. Golden Bat explains to Mitsuko that Professor Gill was angered by the mere concept of the Gemini circuit allowing robots to choose whether or not to obey. He goes on to mention that Kikaider's existence is a tragedy because his conscience forces him to fight his robotic 'family' serving DARK, while he can never fit in with humanity.

** The end of the series shows just what it means to be human and it's a stark commentary on the human condition. While Jiro wanted to be human, being human isn't all about love, compassion, honor, and bravery, because if it were, then evil wouldn't exist. Jiro learns with his act of [[spoiler:killing Gill with his own hands]] that being human is about having flaws and limitations, and being able to rise above them, which also means that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo sometimes men must do terrible things]] in order to help a greater good or prevent a terrible evil. To be truly human is to have flaws and make mistakes.

* BittersweetEnding: Both anime series, although ''Kikaider 01'' ends on a ''far'' less optimistic note than its predecessor.
** The closing narration in the OVA sums it up well: [[spoiler: "And yet I wonder... in becoming human, did Pinocchio truly find happiness?"]]
* BookEnds: The first episode opens with the [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio story of Pinocchio]], and the last scene of the OVA episodes reads the ending to it.

* BreakingSpeech: Mitsuko gets one during the anime, with the MonsterOfTheWeek asking her if she's thought out her feelings for Jiro and how she'd react if Jiro fell in love with her. Jiro gets the "you'll never be human" one throughout the anime. In the OVA he turns this on [[spoiler:Gill, explaining that with the newly implanted submission circuit, Jiro now has the evil heart that Gill wanted him to have. Jiro utilizes this new ability to kill him, saying that Gill gave him the means to finally become human.]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kikaider_anime_0_2141.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:250:2000 Anime series]]

-->--'''Mitsuko Komyoji''', ''Android Kikaider: The Animation''

* UncannyValley: Kikaider's large, emotionless yellow eyes. A brief shot at the end of the OVA even has an un-transformed Jiro sporting them. And then the Code 02 Manga ups the ante by giving him a GlasgowGrin and decidedly skull-like head.

* PinocchioSyndrome

''Android[[note]]Jinzo Ningen[[/note]] Kikaider: The Animation'' is the anime adaptation of the Japanese superhero ''Series/{{Kikaider}}'', produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works (now Aniplex), and animated Radix & Studio OX. The series was broadcast on Kids Station from October 16, 2000, to January 8, 2001, with a total of 13 episodes. The anime followed more of the manga, with a darker nature of Jiro's reason to exist.

* {{Crossover}}: The 2003 had an OVA episode where Jiro met another Ishinomori hero, Series/{{Inazuman}}; this episode wasn't included in the US release presumably because the character isn't well-known outside of Japan.
* DarkerAndEdgier: The anime is this compared to the tokusatsu version from the 1970's. And the OVA manages to be Darker and Edgier than that.

An English dubbed version of the anime and OVA aired on Creator/CartoonNetwork's Creator/AdultSwim programming block in the United States, with the exception of episode 8, which was a RecapEpisode. The final OVA special (Kikaider vs Inazuman) was never dubbed or released outside of Japan.

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Mitsuko's mother, who was just a mole doing her job. She claimed to Mitsuko that she never ''wasn't'' the mask, but reveals that she really does love her children.]]

* MagicPants: Jiro transforms into a his robot form by his hair, skin and clothes literally being ripped off of him. Somehow when he's done fighting he's back to normal.

** One episode begins and ends with a shot of a flower vase as a woman says "I will wait for you."

* CorruptTheCutie: As the OVA shows, to become ''truly'' human, you have to learn the good and the [[HumansAreBastards bad parts of humanity.]] If he only learned about [[IncorruptiblePurePureness love and peace and forgiveness he wouldn't be a real man]], he'd be a ''saint''. To become truly human he has to give in to darkness too.

* HumanityIsInfectious: In the beginning of the OVA series, Bijinder is just another robot goon working for the BigBad. But after encountering Jiro and the others, she starts to grow empathy and feelings for other people. When she asks Kikaider 00 about this, he simply rejects the notion that they can possibly have feelings, and tells her it is nothing more than simple malfunctions, not love.
** The gold bat robot seems to slowly be affected by his interactions with Mitsuko.

* LargeHam: The golden bat robot guy, who seems to be as melodramatic as it gets. It helps that he's voiced by Norio Wakamoto in the japanese dub.
* MagicPants: Jiro transforms into a his robot form by his hair, skin and clothes literally being ripped off of him. Somehow when he's done fighting he's back to normal.

* MySignificanceSenseIsTingling: Bijinder and Rieko's emotions are connected, and Bijinder can feel what she's feeling if intense enough. [[spoiler:This is because Rieko's actually a[[TomatoInTheMirror similar-model android]], making the two akin to twins and playing off of the myth of twins having ESP... only with robots.]] [[MST3KMantra Best not to think too hard about it.]]
* MysteriousParent: Apparently Mitsuko and Masaru had no idea what their father was up to in his free time in their backyard castle. It turns out he is involved in a complex conspiracy. And lets not even ''start'' with their mother.
* NoNameGiven: A lot of the monsters of the week weren't given real names, or at least weren't clear about them. Such as giant mantis, robot black ant guy, golden bat vampire dude, and that one leopard robot, and the flying turtle that shoots rocks.
** They do have names which pretty much boil down to what color they are and the animal they're based on.
** I'm not sure if it's ever mentioned more than once at most in the anime, but Hattori's assistant is apparently named Etsuko.

* RememberTheNewGuy: In the OVA There is Ichiro and Rei, Ichiro is an Android Created right before Jiro and Rei was an Incomplete android which was Komiyoji's last creation before getting kidnapped. Non of them are eluded to in the Previous series.

* TwelveEpisodeAnime: Quite literally.
** Although the DVD adds one episode that is nothing but clip shows and filler.

** And in the first episode when he accidentally breaks a bunch of eggs in a birds nest.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After [[spoiler: Dr. Komiyoji takes over his body]], we never see Saburo/Hakaider again for the rest of the series, and was never given a suitable defeat as once he returns he is then immediately killed by Gill and thus never got a proper final fight with Kikaider. In the OVA Gill returns in a Hakaider-style body, but that's not quite the same.

* PantyShot: A very blatant one during Bijinder's transformation

* KillEmAll: In the OVA, [[spoiler: Every single android, good or evil, is annihilated by Jiro's hands, as the city lies in complete destruction with only a handful of survivors.]]

** To say nothing of Jiro, [[spoiler: who is forced to KillEmAll]]

* AdaptedOut: Big Shadow and Waruder doesn't appear in the anime.