History Anime / GaoGaiGar

** Now the ''written'' English is a different story. All technical information (like statistics) is written in English and is [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish surprisingly good]]. It's easier to use the Roman alphabet on digital screens than kana, as seen in ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. Words like "DANGER", "EMERGENCY", "READY", "GO", "STOP", etc. are well-known enough to most native Japanese, including the core audience of kids. However, there are a few slip-ups such as "[[AC:Ultra Technorogy Laboratory]]" and "[[AC:Projejectile-X]]" in the eyecatches.

** Though usually not as useful, Straight Drill and Spiral Drill are both basically a knee-thrust with a giant drill mounted on the knee-cap.

* HesBack: BigDamnHeroes + this trope = Episode 34. After being put practically into stasis from their battle with EI-01 and having their base annihilated by the first 3 Primevals, Volfogg, [=HyoRyu=], [=EnRyu=], [=Goldymarg=], and the King of Braves himself all come roaring back and show the new [[BigBad Big Bads]] that messing with the Gutsy Galaxy Guard was a HUGE mistake.

-->'''Gai''': Hey Pizza! '''[[DropTheHammer HIKARI]] [[FinishingMove NI]] [[DisappearsIntoLight NARE!!!]]'''

* HotBlooded: All of them...''All of them.''
** At the beginning of ''FINAL'', we are introduced to hot blood king Koutarou Taiga's replacement as GGG chief, Yaginuma. He existed so that Taiga could make a dramatic return at the appropriate moment while still having someone to approve [=GaoFighGar=]'s Final Fusion and Goldion Hammer, but... did they have to make him slow, quiet, understated and analyzing? The contrast is genuinely shocking.

* InconsistentDub: Pinchernone's laugh [[note]]BREEEEE vs a rapidfire HAHAHAHAH[[/note]], the amount of vocoding used by the mecha members, and pronunciation of names [[note]][=GaoGaiGar=] is often pronounced [=GaoGai"Ger"=][[/note]] vary between episodes in the English dub.

** Forty-eight episodes later, after the [[TheManBehindTheMan force behind the Zonders]] has been destroyed...[[spoiler:Mikoto is forced to become the next evolution of Zonder-esque machine life-form]].

* MagicalParticleAccelerator: The Goldion Hammer, a giant ''toy hammer'' shaped weapon that uses a massive artificial gravity well contained within to accelerate any enemy it hits to the speed of light, instantly turning every last particle of it into [[DisappearsIntoLight pure photons]].

* MeaningfulName: Gai Shishioh means "Triumph/Victorious" and "Lion King" respectively, while his superhero identities (Cyborg Guy and Evoluder Guy Respectively) play off the sound of his name for a Pun. Soldato means "Soldier." Mikoto means "command" or "prince," and can be read as "inochi," meaning "life." [[spoiler:And the episode in which Mikoto is turned into the New Machine Species, Zonuda, is actually named "Inochi".]]

*** And the dragon-gods' names, "Super Dragon God" ([=ChouRyuJin=]), "Attacking Dragon God" ([=GekiRyuJin=]), "Phantom Dragon God" ([=GenRyuJin=]), "Mighty Dragon God" ([=GouRyuJin=]) and finally "Heavenly Dragon Goddess" ([=TenRyuJin=]).

* NoIndoorVoice: You could retitle this series 'Yelling: the Anime'. Almost everybody in this entire goddamn series at some point either screams and/or shouts like they're trying to break the sound barrier.

* [[{{Ninja}} NINJA]]: Volfogg. That is all.

** 'Final Fusion Approved!'
** TheStinger: '[[SomedayThisWillComeInHandy THIS]] will be the key to victory!'
* PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs: When the Primevals use a portal to send an asteroid that could ''mimic'' the one that killed the dinosaurs, [[spoiler:Chouryujin's HeroicSacrifice cause him to push the asteroid back up the portal and ''back in time'', so that it DOES kill the dinosaurs.]]

* ThePowerOfFriendship: The series finale [[spoiler:with the [=GaoMachines=] driven by the minds of Chouryujin, Gekiryujin and Volfogg and ''then'' used to form [=GaoGaiGar=] also counts]].
* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler:It's what turns Gai and Mikoto into Evoluders]].

* {{Proud Warrior Race Gai}}: Soldat J.
* [[PrecisionFStrike Precision]] GratuitousEnglish [[PrecisionFStrike F Strike]]: Yes, they did this in a children's anime with Swan and Mic.

* PunnyName: As also listed in meaningful Name above, how "Gai" sounds in japanese is the same as how "Guy" sounds in english, thus the staff used this for a theme pun where Gai uses that for his superhero name in the series, becoming literally "the Cyborg Guy". in FINAL, this is Changed to "Evoluder Guy". This has resultantly caused a Fandumb argument over mistranslation of Gai's Name ever since, despite Media Blaster's original translation quantifying which spelling of the word was used when.

* RunningGag: Several, such as [=EnRyu=] never being able to land properly.
** Anytime Hana's walking that oversized dog of hers, shit happens.

* ShootTheMedicFirst: Liver is the first of the Magnificent 7 Primeval's to be purified.

** At the start of ''FINAL'' one of Mamoru's friends can be seen on the bow of his parents boat shouting "[[{{Film/Titanic 1997}} DiCaprio!]]"

** On one occasion, the subbed version has Pasder's name translated to "Pasta". This, of course, ''is'' the joke[[note]]"Pasder" and his generals are all named after food-related topics - he's pasta, pizza is obvious, Polonaise is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolognese_sauce a distortion of "bolognese"]] that makes more sense in Japanese, "Primada" is a longstanding Asian cookware line, with only "Penchinon"/"Pinchernone" being unclear[[/note]] but related materials usually keep his name as "Pasder" to make the joke slightly less obvious.

** A more minor example is [[spoiler:J - specifically, "Soldato J" or "Soldat J"? The confusion comes from both the fact that "ト" is often used as a solo T in kana transliteration in addition to being "to", meaning the name could be read either way... and the fact that either reading ''is still correct'', as "soldato" is soldier in Italian, and "soldat" is the same in German. It really comes down to which language you think the staff intended to reference.]]
* [[{{Spoiler Opening}} Spoiler Closing]]: The ending theme song to the TV series actually foreshadows [[spoiler:Mamorou's leaving Earth at the end of the series. There's even an image of him and Galleon on an alien world which must take place after the end of the series since he has his pendent, and the sequence ends with a shot of his parents waiting for him to come home.]]

** Fusion, Final Fusion, System Change, Symmetrical Docking and Sanmiitai all have their own stock-footage as well.

* SuperRobotGenre: By the end of FINAL, about half the cast are robots. Hyoryu, Enryu, Volfogg, Mic Sounders, Rairyu, Fuuryu, Soldat-J (Cyborg, but close enough), Renais (also a cyborg), Galeon, Gai, Koryu, Anryu, [=GunGlue=], [=GunDober=] (albeit not having a single line throughout the entire series).

** When ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xa-hCJdx0I Final Fusion]]'' starts playing, evil is about to be assbeaten by the '''POWER OF COURAGE!!!'''

** A lot of the villains' names begin with "P." Pasder, Polonaise, Pizza, Primada, Pinchernone, Pagliaccio, Palparepa, Pillnus, Pia Decem, Palus Abel, Pei La Cain, Pisa Sol, Percurio, P-Vater, Polturn, Puranus, Ptulone. Papillon and Piggy are the only exceptions.

*** The Brave Robots also count. Enryu, Hyoryu, Fuuryu, Rairyu, Koryu and Anryu's names mean ''(Element) Dragon''. Volfogg's name is derived from the word "Wolf" and the word "fog". Mic Sounders... Well, Mic's the only one who doesn't qualify for this, as his name doesn't contain an animal.

* TookALevelInBadass: ''Mamoru'' of all people. At the start of the series this '''''grade-school kid''''' only has the power to purify Zonder Cores. By the end, he's not only strong enough to purify Primeval Cores as well, but take on Primevals ''directly'', and was putting up a good fight against Zonuda with Galeon's help. And then, of course, he tops it all off in ''FINAL'' by taking on [[spoiler: Pe la Cain]] and handing him his ass on a platter.

* {{Fanservice}}: Swan White, the [[GorgeousGaijin American member]] of GGG, starts to pick up a fanservice role around the same time the show matures. FINAL also has a good deal more fanservice than the regular series, with several of the female characters wearing skimpy clothing or being depicted nude-with-[[GodivaHair hair covering the good bits]] at various points. Not to mention the fact that one of the major antagonists of FINAL is ''very'' explicitly a dominatrix... It also had another bit of [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench French]] foreign fanservice in form of the (literally) hot Renais. And said dominatrix's treatment of Renais is high grade fetish material.
* FusionDance: "Symmetrical Docking!"

Thus goes the first episode of ''[=GaoGaiGar=]'', an anime made in the aftermath of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' that continued the HotBlooded spirit of the Anime/BraveSeries, [[{{Reconstruction}} gleefully revisiting the old-school]] {{Super Robot|Genre}} style of GiantRobot CombiningMecha made up of all manner of [[AnimalMecha animals]] and [[TransformingMecha vehicles]] that launch [[RocketPunch brute-force attacks]] while [[CallingYourAttacks declaring each one by name]] with all the [[SeriousBusiness straight-faced seriousness]] of its DarkerAndEdgier contemporaries in the MechaShow genre. The first 26 episodes are MonsterOfTheWeek action - someone gets turned into a Zonder, they attack the city, GGG launches to fight it. New technologies and characters get introduced at a constant rate and you get the occasional [[{{Foreshadowing}} glimpse of what's to come]]. Then, after the half-way point [[WhamEpisode all hell breaks loose]] and GGG have to try twice as hard as they were just to stay alive. Courage, friendship and sacrifice, it's everything a growing boy needs. The show was later dubbed by Media Busters, however only half of the episodes were dubbed in English and the other episodes were released subbed on DVD.

* IconicLogo: The [[http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/clubs/1/19188m.jpg "GGG"]], logo of GGG and of the Gutsy Geoid/Galaxy Guard. It even precedes the intro for every episode, accompanied by a shock cord.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Mic Sounders. He's a silly character who speaks in GratuitousEnglish and is the most childish member of the cast. He looks like a giant wind-up toy, or possibly a walking vending machine, and doesn't seem to have any attacks. [[spoiler:And he doesn't...in his Cosmo Robo mode, at least. When he System Changes to Boom Robo mode, he gains access to ThePowerOfRock, with different music discs giving him different powers. Disc M interferes with electronics using microwave beams, while Disc P boosts the power output and efficiency of nearby GS-ride systems. [[UpToEleven And then there's Disc X]]. Disc X allows Mic to access his Solitary Wave system, which basically causes destructive resonance on a molecular level. It can be 'tuned' to only destroy a specific type of matter, such as Zonder Metals, but otherwise it simply destroys ''everything''. Basically, the disc system and Cosmo Robo only exist as safety interlocks that prevent the Solitary Wave Risers from being activated without several confirmations, lest Mic cause an EarthShatteringKaboom.]]

* UpToEleven: Both [[CombiningMecha combining]] and [[TransformingMecha transforming]] are taken UpToEleven in this series. Main character Gai [[CombiningMecha combines]] with a mecha lion to [[TransformingMecha transform]] into a [[HumongousMecha humanoid robot]], which then [[CombiningMecha combines]] with the three [[MechaExpansionPack GaoMachines]] to become the titular mecha, which can also [[CombiningMecha combine]] with another [[TransformingMecha transforming]] mecha to get a huge fist and a [[DropTheHammer big ass hammer]]. Not to mention all the other [[MechaExpansionPack expansions]]: the Dividing Driver, Pliers, the MidSeasonUpgrade [[MerchandiseDriven which grants space flight and the power-boosting Phantom Rings...]]

* BoringYetPractical: For [[ThisIsADrill a given definition]] of "boring", the [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning Broken Magnum]] runs on this. Because it spins in two different directions (except [[spoiler:Genesic's version, which only uses the hand spinning one way, rather than including the forearm which spins the other way]]), it can bore a hole through any Zonder, destroying its barrier in the process - and softening it up for a FinishingMove.

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: ''"Broken Magnum!"'' ''"Hissatsu! Dai-kaiten Madan!"'' [=GaoGaiGar=] can also spin the Goldion Hammer to deflect attacks, sometimes.

** The lion motif runs directly in the Shishioh Clan, including Gai's father Leo, Uncle Liger, and cousin Renais. Even Gai's Greek zodiac sign is Leo. To cap it off, Shishioh ''[[Main/AwesomeMcCoolName literally means "Lion King"]]''.

* AwesomeMcCoolName:
** Contra Fall is a strategy, not a character, but it still sounds incredibly badass all the same.
** Basically all characters are this in Japanese, and Gai is probably the best example if you look at the MeaningfulName entry.

''The King of Braves [=GaoGaiGar=]'' (勇者王ガオガイガー / ''Yuusha-Oh [=GaoGaiGar=]'') started broadcast in 1997, as the final installment of the Takara/Sunrise ''Anime/BraveSeries''.

* AIIsACrapshoot: The main heroes are brave and loyal all the way through, since they're based on trustworthy people or GGG had the sense to socialize with them ''before'' sticking them into combat machines, but both the Zonder Metal and the Sol Eleven are runaway programs.

The series opens with the most patently awesome version of the DeliveryStork trope ''ever'' as a giant robot lion delivers a human-looking baby to an unsuspecting couple in the middle of a snowstorm, who name the baby Mamoru. Eight years later, in the far flung future of [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2005]], Mamoru is on a school trip to a garbage island in order to have demonstrated to him the importance of recycling, only to awaken a giant {{Robeast}}. He and his classmates are trapped on said robot, and all hope seems lost as the military bombards it with fighter jets, only to have them shot out of the sky. But what's this? A mysterious cyborg swoops in to save them, [[TransformationSequence then jumps into the giant robot lion from eight years ago, turning it into a large robot man.]] When this proves not enough to save the kids, he [[CombiningMecha fuses it with a bullet train, stealth bomber and drill tank]] and basically rips its heart out. Just as he's about to crush it however, Mamoru suddenly starts to glow green, wings of light spread from his back, and he flies towards the robot, begging the robot not to destroy the core.

Thus goes the first episode of ''[=GaoGaiGar=]'', an anime made in the aftermath of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' that continued the HotBlooded spirit of the Anime/BraveSeries, [[{{Reconstruction}} gleefully revisiting the old-school]] {{Super Robot|Genre}} style of GiantRobot CombiningMecha made up of all manner of [[AnimalMecha animals]] and [[TransformingMecha vehicles]] that launch [[RocketPunch brute-force attack]] while [[CallingYourAttacks declaring each one by name]] with all the [[SeriousBusiness straight-faced seriousness]] of its DarkerAndEdgier contemporaries in the MechaShow genre. The first 26 episodes are MonsterOfTheWeek action - someone gets turned into a Zonder, they attack the city, GGG launches to fight it. New technologies and characters get introduced at a constant rate and you get the occasional [[{{Foreshadowing}} glimpse of what's to come]]. Then, after the half-way point [[WhamEpisode all hell breaks loose]] and GGG have to try twice as hard as they were just to stay alive. Courage, friendship and sacrifice, it's everything a growing boy needs. The show was later dubbed by Media Busters, however only half of the episodes were dubbed in English and the other episodes were released subbed on DVD.

* AdultFear:
** Once Galeon started appearing again, Mamoru's foster parents were worried about Galeon coming back to take Mamoru away, unable to stop him or keep their son.
** Invoked in #18, when the Zonders manage to brainwash all the Space Federation staff to the extent that Kotaro has to literally beat them off with a stick. ''Including Mamoru's own dad.''

* MagicalParticleAccelerator: The Goldion Hammer, a giant ''toy hammer'' shaped weapon that uses a massive artificial gravity well contained within to accelerate any enemy it hits to the speed of light, instantly turning every last particle of it into pure photons.

Unfortunately by this time, interest in the franchise had waned significantly, and the sequel never came to pass. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMPTW7MGVqE Another sequel,]] codenamed ''Project Z'', was also ultimately dropped due to said lack of interest. In September 2016, Creator/{{Sunrise}} formed a light novel publishing branch called "Yatate Bunko", with one of the projects released alongside it being ''Literature/KingOfKingsGaogaigarVSBetterman'', a novelized version of ''Project Z'' that would go on to have a ComicBookAdaptation and become one of the storylines in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars30''.

The series has also continued to have various merchandise even decades after going off the air, with Kotobukiya designed [[Toys/FrameArmsGirls Cross Frame Girl]] gijinka of [=GaoGaiGar=] and D-Style SuperDeformed versions of the suit, [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]] Candy Toys releasing numerous models of robots from the series starting in 2017, and the Bandai Spirits model kit division creating [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GoldyMarg=] kits in their premiere Real Grade line for the series' [[Main/MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]].

The series has also continued to have various merchandise even decades after going off the air, with a Kotobukiya designed [[Toys/FrameArmsGirls Cross Frame Girl]] gijinka of [=GaoGaiGar=] and D-Style SuperDeformed versions of the suit, [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]] Candy Toys releasing numerous models of robots from the series starting in 2017, and the Bandai Spirits model kit division creating [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GoldyMarg=] kits in their premiere Real Grade line for the series' [[Main/MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]].

The series has also has continued to have various merchandise even decades after going off the air, with a Kotobukiya designed [[Toys/FrameArmsGirls Cross Frame Girl]] gijinka of [=GaoGaiGar=] and D-Style SuperDeformed versions of the suit, [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]] Candy Toys releasing numerous models of robots from the series starting in 2017, and the Bandai Spirits model kit division creating [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GoldyMarg=] kits in their premiere Real Grade line for the series' [[Main/MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]].

The series has also has continued to have various merchandise even decades after going off the air, with a Kotobukiya designed [[Toys/FrameArmsGirls Cross Frame Girl]] gijinka of [=GaoGaiGar=] and D-Style SuperDeformed versions of the suit, [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]] Candy Toys releasing numerous models of robots from the series starting in 2017, and the Bandai Spirits model kits division creating [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GoldyMarg=] models in their premiere Real Grade line for the series' [[Main/MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]].

The series has also has continued to have various merchandise even decades after going off the air, with a Kotobukiya designed [[Toys/FrameArmsGirls Cross Frame Girl]] gijinka of [=GaoGaiGar=] and D-Style SuperDeformed versions of the suit, [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Bandai]] Candy Toys releasing numerous suits from the series starting in 2017, and the Bandai Spirits model kits division creating [=GaoGaiGar=] and [=GoldyMarg=] models in their premiere Real Grade line for the series' [[Main/MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]].

Unfortunately by this time, interest in the franchise had waned significantly, and the sequel never came to pass. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMPTW7MGVqE Another sequel,]] codenamed ''Project Z'', was also ultimately dropped due to said lack of interest. A petition to persuade Sunrise to rethink this decision can be found [[http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/gaogaigarprojectz here]]. During the summer of 2011, San Three created a pachinko machine called [=GaoGaiGar=] CR based on the original series.

In September 2016, Creator/{{Sunrise}} formed a light novel publishing branch called "Yatate Bunko", with one of the projects released alongside it being ''Literature/KingOfKingsGaogaigarVSBetterman'', which is basically a novelised version of ''Project Z''.

In addition, Kotobukiya designed a [[Toys/FrameArmsGirls Cross Frame Girl]] gijinka of [=GaoGaiGar=] who was released in mid-2019. Her decals include a tiny, stylized ''[=GaoGaiGirl=]'' legend to be attached to her [=StealthGao=]'s undercarriage, and her armor parts faithfully allows her to represent Galeon, transform into [=GaiGar=], then use her [=GaoMachines=] to perform Final Fusion.

On February 1st, 2022, to commemorate the series' [[Main/MilestoneCelebration 25th anniversary]], South East Asian viewers are able to experience ''[=GaoGaiGar=]'' on ''Muse Asia'''s [[https://youtube.com/c/MuseAsia YouTube channel]], uploaded every day ''and'' for free. It's available in both [[https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwLSw1_eDZl3CH2axNNTrAB0V-r5TFCXs English]] and [[https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwLSw1_eDZl0xch_5vAjvQnvSuzFJtJW5 Chinese]] subtitles.

Drop by ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' to see what the fuss was about; compare ''{{Anime/Gunbuster}}'', ''{{Anime/Diebuster}}'', ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', and ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' for more examples of '''[[MemeticMutation COURAGE AND GUTS!]]''' Be sure to also visit ''Anime/GoLion'' and ''Anime/VoltesV'' who could very much be [=GaoGaiGar=]'s spiritual grandparents.

Thus goes the first episode of ''[=GaoGaiGar=]'', an anime made in the aftermath of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' that continued the HotBlooded spirit of its venerable "Braves" franchise, [[{{Reconstruction}} gleefully revisiting the old school]] [[SuperRobotGenre super robot]] style of [[RocketPunch brute-force attacks]] [[CallingYourAttacks while declaring each one by name]]. The first 26 episodes are MonsterOfTheWeek action - someone gets turned into a Zonder, they attack the city, GGG launches to fight it. New technologies and characters get introduced at a constant rate and you get the occasional [[{{Foreshadowing}} glimpse of what's to come]]. Then, after the half-way point [[WhamEpisode all hell breaks loose]] and GGG have to try twice as hard as they were just to stay alive. Courage, friendship and sacrifice, it's everything a growing boy needs. The show was later dubbed by Media Busters, however only half of the episodes were dubbed in English and the other episodes were released subbed on DVD.

** The lion motif runs directly in the Shishioh Clan, including Gai's father Leo, Uncle Liger, and cousin Renais. Even Gai's Greek zodiac sign is Leo.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Bright orange for Gai [[spoiler:which goes back to being light brown when he is made human again at the end of the series]]. Pink for Hana and reddish-pink for Mikoto. Mamoru's turns green whenever he senses Zonder activity.

* EnthusiasmVersusStoicism: The show explicitly runs on the idea that "courage erases the first two letters from 'impossible'" and Gutsy Geoid Guard has "never give up" written into their bylaws, but no one's silly enough to allow a 30 meter tall robot run around Tokyo without a really good plan behind its actions.

* EpilepticFlashingLights: The first half can be rather bad about this, particularly when Pasder and the Zonderians are engaging in their OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness shenanigans. You will notice, however, that the flashing effects go away to a ''significant'' degree during the course of the show's run, and vanish entirely for the finale. This is due to an interesting bit of historical serendipity - ''GGG'', you see, was a broadcast ''contemporary'' of the original [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Pokemon anime]] and "Electric Soldier Porygon" aired toward the end of the show's run. There had already been concerns raised about flashing effects (you can see them gradually drift away during the show's run, probably due to viewer feedback about the show itself) and then, for the finale, you can almost ''see'' the points where there were likely hasty edits made to [[spoiler:the Z Master and Zonuda fights]] to comply with the massive public backlash.