History Franchise / Zoids

* ScientificAndTechnologicalThemeNaming: The Sky People are named after transition metals: Fermi from Fermium, Prome from Promethium, Palla from Palladium, and [[spoiler:Ron Mangan (Manganese)]].

A spate of video games take place in their own pocket continuities, {{Mega Crossover}}s of several of the above, or some combination of the two. Notable entries include the TurnBasedStrategy game ''Zoids Assault'' for the UsefulNotes/XBox360 and the ''Zoids Saga'' RolePlayingGame series for UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo DS}}, along with a Commodore 64 game simply titled ''Zoids'' and released during the kits' original 80s heyday. Genesis is also included as one of the series in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsK'', which is considered a good sign for Takara Tomy and Bandai to work together.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The comic featured a group of humans sent to an alien planet by an evil megacorporation to bring back a sample of an alien life form so the Corporation can weaponise it. The Corporation also sent along an android to make sure that everything went as planned.

* AnimalMecha

* BigBad: Evil Emperor Guylos in the Battle Story. Unusually for a BigBad, he ended up dying of old age.

* ChainsawGood: The Spinosapper Zoid.
* ChestBlaster: A few, but King Gojulas especially.

* DeathRay: Charged Particle Cannons.

* GatlingGood: Gator, Megatopros, Gunbluster, Dark Horn, King Gojulas, Gun Sniper, Elephander with its Assault Gatling unit, Shadow Fox, Scissorstorm, Laserstorm, Energy Liger.

* HumongousMecha

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Liger Blue Souga, which just places one onto its side when using the Gusoku Myoko armour.

* LargeHam: Again, Störmer. But then, given that he piloted a Gilvader, it's understandable.

* LightningBruiser: Depending on the continuity, anything with "liger" in its name plays this straight, the Energy Liger usually fits this to extreme degrees.
** Mecha of the Geno Saurer family generally fit this role as well.
* MechaExpansionPack: Half the point of the models.

* MerchandiseDriven: Inherent with the nature of the show.

* MoreDakka: Gunbluster, King Baron and Brastle Tiger.

* PaletteSwap

* ShockAndAwe: Liger Zero X, Grounchar, and to a lesser extent Dark Spiner.
* SmokeOut: Command Wolf types, König Wolf types, Guysack, Shadow Fox, and Saberlion.

* StaticStunGun: Liger Zero X

* TimeSkip: Original Battle Story -> New Battle Story. Zoids: Rebirth Century started to fill the gap until it got cancelled.
* UnitsNotToScale: Inverted by Chaotic Century/Guardian Force/New Century Zero.

* CombiningMecha: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh.]]
* GladiatorGames

* TheWorfEffect: Rastani from is the walking embodiment of this, right up there with [[TropeNamer Worf himself.]]

* AGodAmI: Emperor Jiin.

* TheDragon: Zairin to Jiin.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: Ruuji with the Murasame Liger. (Literally)
* HeelFaceTurn: Zairin and Felme.
* HollywoodTactics
* HotSpringsEpisode: Episode 9.
* KidHero: Ruuji.

* MsFanservice: Kotona Elegance.
* NakedOnArrival[=/=]NakedFirstImpression: Downplayed with Re Mie - see ShirtlessScene below.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Felme]].

* TokenMiniMoe: Re Mie.

* ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway

* CannonFodder: Most smaller Zoids.
* CrapsackWorld: Zoidstar.

* FallingIntoTheCockpit: Griff.
* KidHero: Griff.

* RedOniBlueOni: Blue Mammoth and Mammoth the Destroyer. Bonus points because they are [[FaceHeelTurn one and the same]].

* BadassLongcoat: Arrow and Kouki, both in blue
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: Prozen becomes this in ''Saga: Fuzors.'' Up to the point he appears, approaching visible zoids in the overworld would always trigger a boss fight. Approaching Prozen's Death Saurer in the second trip to the ''Chaotic Century'' world triggers... [[Main/CutsceneBoss a cutscene in which Van one-shots him with the Blade Liger.]] The actual boss follows soon after.
* BigBad:
** The Emperor in ''Saga''
** Gard Krueger in ''Legacy''
** Emperos in ''Saga: Fuzors''
** Viper in ''VS.''
** Reika Hexe in ''Battle Legends''

* KidHero: Alster and Athle.

* MysteriousWaif: Juno in ''Saga 2/Legacy''.
* NewMeat: Shoma Cheval is this to the Blue Unicorn Squad in ''Battle Legacy''.

* SiblingRivalry: Lance and Arrow in ''Infinity Fuzors''
* TheStoic: Arth in ''Saga''.

* UnflappableGuardian: Regina to Athle in the ''Saga'' games.
* YouKilledMyFather: Athle towards the Emperor in ''Saga''. Will towards Crown in ''Saga: Fuzors.''

Shortly after the conclusion of ''Wild,'' ''Zoids Wild ZERO'' was released. It follows Leo Conrad and Buzz Cunninghame, who run into a girl named Sally as she searches for her missing grandfather, a researcher who helped terraform the world of Zoids two generations ago. Another researcher is also looking for her grandfather, with vaguely sinister intent.

* 11thHourRanger: In ''Saga Fuzors'', Blood Keel will join the party partway through the final dungeon of the main game. The postgame sees Blake (onscreen) and Team Tigers (offscreen) join just before the start of the secret chapter's BossRush; while Vareth, Dart, Sabre, Zeru, Juno and Acty join right in the middle of it.

* MadScientist: Opis from the first ''Saga'' game. So much so that his ''Japanese'' character description uses the exact words (well, in katakana) "mad scientist".

** Brad became "Ballad" in ''Zoids Battle Legends''.
*** Aslo [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Bombing Attack Bombs]].
* CharacterSelectForcing: In ''Zoids Legacy'', the player can technically put any pilot in the party in any Zoid that the party owns. However, most pilots specialize in certain Zoid types, allowing them to use higher level(and thus, more powerful) Zoids of those types without a penalty, effectively forcing the player to use them like that.
* TheDragon: [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Blood]] in the ''Saga'' games .

* {{Macross missile massacre}}: because of how weapons worked in "Zoids Battle Legends" (weapons of the same type fired all at once) you could stack smaller missile launchers on a large zoid. IE 32 missiles every time you fire when using a Gojulas Giga.

* SiblingRivalry: Lance and Arrow in Zoids ''Zoids Infinity Fuzors''
* TheStoic: Ace in ''Saga''.

[[index]]
Entries in the series are:

* ''Zoids'' (dub title ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury''), was aired in 1999 and is the first anime series. Taking elements from the Battle Story, Chaotic Century focuses on [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Van Flyheight]], a boy who comes across a small Zoid known as an Organoid, which he names Zeke (Sieg in the original Japanese), sleeping in a pod hidden in an old ruin. He also discovers a [[MysteriousWaif mysterious girl]] he names Fiona (Fiine), who happened to be sleeping in the pod next to Zeke's. Zeke has the ability to resurrect Zoids, so after restoring an abandoned Shield Liger to life, Van takes it to help Fiona find "Zoid Eve". Along the way, they meet up with the smuggler and trader Moonbay, the mercenary Irvine, and end up getting caught up in the war between the Helic Republic and Guylos Empire that takes priority over finding Zoid Eve.\\
\\

* The second anime series, ''Anime/ZoidsNewCentury'', takes place centuries after the previous two, events from the first two seasons only [[BroadStrokes vaguely being canon]] and confirmed as such by voiceovers left out of the dub. The world is more or less at peace, and battles between groups of Zoids are now a national spectator sport. The story focuses on Bit Cloud, a wandering Junk dealer seeking to build the perfect Zoid. Bit runs afoul of the Blitz Team, one of the competing teams of Zoid warriors, and while imprisoned, ends up befriending the Liger Zero, a tempermental Zoid that usually doesn't let anybody pilot it. The Liger Zero seems to like Bit, however, so the Blitz Team allows him to work off his debt by piloting the Zoid for them. As the story progresses it reveals an organization that likes to break the normal rules, calling themselves the Backdraft Group. ''New Century'' is actually the first ''Zoids'' anime to be released in North America, premiering on Creator/CartoonNetwork's ''Creator/{{Toonami}}'' block. ''Chaotic Century'' was aired later, usually early in the morning after the end of Adult Swim programming and before the resumption of Cartoon Network's regular programming.
* The third series, ''Zoids: Fuzors'', is similar in theme to ''New Century'', but set in its own continuity. It shows off the concept of the Fuzors, Zoids that can {{combin|ingMecha}}e with other Zoids to boost their power or give them new abilities. ''Fuzors'' was also aired on Toonami, but was canceled after only 13 of its 26 episodes aired. Eventually, all 26 episodes were shown in Australia. In a curious change, the series was shown in Japan ''after'' its US release. The Japanese version had new animation added, to the point where the second episode is completely different.
* The fourth series, ''Zoids: Genesis'', is also in its own continuity, and is [[AfterTheEnd set after a]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt terrible cataclysm]] wrecks the civilization on Zi. This series only had a limited release outside Japan. ''Genesis'' was believed to have been a FranchiseKiller; however…
* The fifth series, ''Anime/ZoidsWild'', was announced to the complete surprise of the fandom 12 years later. It follows Arashi, a young wannabe Zoid Rider who tames the rare wild Zoid Liger, who previously escaped from the world conquering Death Metal Empire. Together, they fight against the Empire's forces to keep the rest of Planet Zi from being overrun.
* Shortly after the conclusion of ''Wild,'' ''Zoids Wild ZERO'' was released. It follows Leo Conrad and Buzz Cunninghame, who run into a girl named Sally as she searches for her missing grandfather, a researcher who helped terraform the world of Zoids two generations ago. Another researcher is also looking for her grandfather, with vaguely sinister intent.
[[/index]]

''Zoids'' (dub title ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury''), was aired in 1999 and is the first anime series. Taking elements from the Battle Story, Chaotic Century focuses on [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Van Flyheight]], a boy who comes across a small Zoid known as an Organoid, which he names Zeke (Sieg in the original Japanese), sleeping in a pod hidden in an old ruin. He also discovers a [[MysteriousWaif mysterious girl]] he names Fiona (Fiine), who happened to be sleeping in the pod next to Zeke's. Zeke has the ability to resurrect Zoids, so after restoring an abandoned Shield Liger to life, Van takes it to help Fiona find "Zoid Eve". Along the way, they meet up with the smuggler and trader Moonbay, the mercenary Irvine, and end up getting caught up in the war between the Helic Republic and Guylos Empire that takes priority over finding Zoid Eve.

The second anime series, ''Anime/ZoidsNewCentury'', takes place centuries after the previous two, events from the first two seasons only [[BroadStrokes vaguely being canon]] and confirmed as such by voiceovers left out of the dub. The world is more or less at peace, and battles between groups of Zoids are now a national spectator sport. The story focuses on Bit Cloud, a wandering Junk dealer seeking to build the perfect Zoid. Bit runs afoul of the Blitz Team, one of the competing teams of Zoid warriors, and while imprisoned, ends up befriending the Liger Zero, a tempermental Zoid that usually doesn't let anybody pilot it. The Liger Zero seems to like Bit, however, so the Blitz Team allows him to work off his debt by piloting the Zoid for them. As the story progresses it reveals an organization that likes to break the normal rules, calling themselves the Backdraft Group.

''New Century'' is actually the first Zoids anime to be released in North America, premiering on Creator/CartoonNetwork's ''Creator/{{Toonami}}'' block. ''Chaotic Century'' was aired later, usually early in the morning after the end of Adult Swim programming and before the resumption of Cartoon Network's regular programming.

The third series, ''Zoids: Fuzors'', is similar in theme to ''New Century'', but set in its own continuity. It shows off the concept of the Fuzors, Zoids that can {{combin|ingMecha}}e with other Zoids to boost their power or give them new abilities. ''Fuzors'' was also aired on Toonami, but was canceled after only 13 of its 26 episodes aired. Eventually, all 26 episodes were shown in Australia. In a curious change, the series was shown in Japan ''after'' its US release. The Japanese version had new animation added, to the point where the second episode is completely different.

The fourth series, ''Zoids: Genesis'', is also in its own continuity, and is [[AfterTheEnd set after a]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt terrible cataclysm]] wrecks the civilization on Zi. This series only had a limited release outside Japan.

''Genesis'' was believed to have been a FranchiseKiller; however, the fifth series, ''Anime/ZoidsWild'', was announced to the complete surprise of the fandom 12 years later. It follows Arashi, a young wannabe Zoid Rider who tames the rare wild Zoid Liger, who previously escaped from the world conquering Death Metal Empire. Together, they fight against the Empire's forces to keep the rest of Planet Zi from being overrun.

Shortly after the conclusion of ''Wild,'' ''Zoids Wild ZERO'' was released. It follows Leo Conrad and Buzz Cunninghame, who run into a girl named Sally as she searches for her missing grandfather, a researcher who helped terraform the world of Zoids two generations ago. Another researcher is also looking for her grandfather, with vaguely sinister intent.

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: The multitude of dinosaur-shaped Zoids.

* BathKick: Felme does this in some of her bubble bath scenes.