History MazingerZ / TropesAToC

* BalefulPolymorph: In a story of the Creator/GosakuOta episodes, the Chip Kamoy-- a race of giant, man-eating, fishlike {{Humanoid Abomination}}s from another dimension-- tried to invade Earth. They kidnapped a normal human girl and transformed her into a mermaid-like being to communicate with humans. Later they trapped Kouji and she helped him to escape. In punishment [[spoiler:she got executed by the Chip Kamoy.]]

* CruelToBeKind: In episode 23 Kouji was looking after [[ActionGirl Sayaka's]] [[BrattyHalfPint cousin]] Yuri, a [[IllGirl disabled girl]] that refused to undergo physical therapy to rehabilitate her legs because [[ParentalNeglect no one did pay attention to her when she was healthy.]] During one scene, sick of trying kindly to talk her into training her muscles, he picked her and forced her to stand up. Yuri claimed that he was being "mean" to her.

* AHeadAtEachEnd: Several Mykene War Beasts in ''Mazinger Z vs Great General of Darkness''.

* AbusivePrecursors: The Mykene Empire.

* BadassBiker: Kouji. Boss also ''arguably'' counts.

* BattleCouple: Sayaka and Kouji, at their best.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Koji and Sayaka did this even ''before'' ''[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Ranma and Akane]]''.

* BigBad: Dr. Hell

* BigEater: Kouji and Boss.
* BigGuyFatalitySyndrome: This actually happens to [[spoiler:Boss,]] of all people, in ''Anime/ShinMazingerZero''.
* BigNo: Kouji utters one when his grandfather dies.

* BraggingThemeTune

* CallingYourAttacks: And HOW! Heck, arguably, Kouji MADE the trope.

* CanonImmigrant: Mazinkaiser, from ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars4''.

* CapedMecha: Great General of Darkness.

* ChangedMyMindKid: Kouji, after an AchillesInHisTent episode in chapter 7.

* CharacterTitle: Take a guess.

** UnderwaterBase

* {{CrossOver}}: with ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' in the Mazinger Z vs Devilman movie; with ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Manga/ViolenceJack'' in the CBCharaCreator/GoNagaiWorld OVA series (with cameos from a few other Nagai series); with ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''Manga/GetterRobo'' and ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' in the Creator/{{Ken Ishikawa}}'s manga ''Manga/SuperRobotRetsuden''; and with ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''[[Manga/GetterRobo Getter Robo, Getter Robo G]]'', ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' in the Dynamic Heroes e-manga (also known as Nagai Go Manga Gaiden - Dynamic Heroes or Go Nagai manga heroes crossover collection - Dynamic Heroes), an e-manga released in 2004 and later compiled in tankoubon.
** MassiveMultiplayerCrossover

* BikerBabe: Sayaka.

* CutAndPasteTranslation: ''Mazinger-Z'' infamously got this sort of treatment after ''Anime/GoLion''/''Anime/{{Voltron}}'' proved successful, and got it from people who didn't care a whit about maintaining the show's integrity. Needless to say, there's a reason few people love ''Tranzor Z'' these days, and Creator/GoNagai was frustrated enough with the failure that it took over a decade for any other Dynamic Productions show to reach America.

* ActionHoggingOpening: The openings of the trilogy feature more action (featuring the titular {{HumongousMecha}} tearing its way through an army of enemies), and a better animation than an average episode of their series, especially Grendizer's.

* AbusiveParents[=/=]ParentsAsPeople:

* ColonelBadass: ''Commander Badass'', in this case: Great General of Darkness/Ankoku Daishogun, TheDragon of the Emperor of Darkness and commander of the seven armies of the Mykene Empire. He wields a BFS, sports a BadassCape and a BadassBeard, and he can kick the butt of nearly any HumongousMecha invented by Creator/GoNagai. He led the army of Mykene Empire, personally or delegating on his generals, and he was AFatherToHisMen considered unforgivable default intelligence costed the lives of his troops. He fought Great Mazinger because he knew he could win, slicing it with his blade mercilessly as he laughed its attacks off. And he fought ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'' quite evenly.

* BlueIsHeroic: One of the favorite colors of the heroes of this universe:
** ''Anime/MazingerZ'''s arms, legs and head are blue. [[FemBot Diana-A]] was the second robot of Sayaka, and its whole body was colored with different shades of blue (and its pilot is calmer, more prudent and more kind-hearted than Mazinger's pilot).
** ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'' and ''[[Manga/ShinMazingerZero Minerva-X]]'' keep Mazinger's blue color scheme.
** And in ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', Duke wore a red-and-blue [[LatexSpaceSuit costume]]. Koji and Hikaru also wore blue suits. Maria was the only that wore red, but her mecha was mostly blue.

* CoolOldGuy: Dr. Juzo Kabuto. He escaped alive from Hell's assassination attempt (two in the Creator/GosakuOta manga). He built the eighteen-meter-tall, OneManArmy HumongousMecha that was the last hope of humanity. He [[spoiler:saved his son's life, turning him into a cyborg.]] When Ashura blew up his mansion, he got half-buried under several metal rafters, but managed to survive until his grandsons showed up and he could hand Mazinger over to Kouji. And in the manga and Anime/ShinMazinger he overlaps this with CrazyAwesome.

* ChestBlaster: "Breast Fire!". By using the heat sinks on the chest, Mazinger is able to fire an intensely hot blast of heat at the enemy, powerful enough to completely melt an enemy. Other robots have used this move, some in different and more powerful versions including using gravity or freezing methods.

* BridgeBunnies: Photon Atomic Enery Research Institute BridgeBunnies were a male trio and [[ManInWhite wore white uniforms]]. They performed the ordinary functions of MissionControl, collecting and interpreting data and reading it to TheProfessor or the pilots of the HumongousMecha, as well as sending them orders or receiving their messages.

* BlackAndWhiteMorality: At first sight the Mazinger trilogy seems belonging to this trope since the the heroes are mostly good guys and the villains tend to be pure evil, but in reality the morality in these series is more greyish than it seems. [[MadScientist Dr.]] [[BigBad Hell]] [[FreudianExcuse became mad after having endured years of abuse, insults and mockery from everybody -- including his parents -- since he was a little kid, and even when he made a good action, he usually got beaten and scorned]]. [[Anime/GreatMazinger Great General of Darkness]] wanted taking over the surface world because the Mykene civilization had been forced to live underground for millennia and he wanted his people enjoyed again things humans take for granted -- such like seeing sunlight and breathing fresh air. [[Anime/UFORoboGrendizer Emperor Vega]] began invading other planets because his own homeworld was dying, and several of his henchmen were {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s wanted establishing a benevolent dictatorship because they genuinely believed Earth people would be better off. And, frankly, humans in [[Anime/MazingerZ the]] [[Anime/GreatMazinger Mazinger]] [[Anime/UFORoboGrendizer trilogy]] often acted like [[UngratefulBastard utter]] [[HumansAreBastards bastards]] and forced the heroes to ponder why they bothered.

* AttackItsWeakPoint: When a Mechanical Beast seemed too powerful Kouji, Sayaka, Prof. Yumi and the rest of the scientists of the Institute would examine footage of the battle to try to come up with a strategy or find a weak point. Good examples were Bikong O9 (its weak point were the horns jutting out of its head) or Jinray S1 (It was a Mechanical Beast that flew and struck at Match 5 speed. It beat Mazinger-Z and fled without Kouji even knowing what had hit him. However its weak point were the legs where its rockets were located. [[spoiler:Kouji defeated it by destroying one of them]]).

** BoomHeadshot: Baremos Q7 was a Mechanical Beast built with stolen samples of [[{{Unobtainium}} Alloy Z]]. However its head was made of a less sturdy metal since Dr. Hell did not have enough alloy Z. During the battle, Kouji eventually noticed the Robeast was ALWAYS protecting its head. Logically, he aimed for it. Another example happened in one of the first chapters, when he was told Bikong O9 weak point were its horns.
** GoForTheEye: Gumbina M5's armor was completely impervious to Mazinger-Z's weapons. Kouji not even was capable of scratching or denting it. Its weak point were its large eyes located on the chest. Sayaka ended up the battle when Aphrodite-A's TorpedoTits managed to hit them. Ouch.
*** In the "Mazinger-Z vs Great General of Darkness", Kouji was sword-dueling against a clearly superior Warbeast had pinned Mazinger-Z on the ground and was trying run its sword through it. Kouji shot Mazinger's drill missiles and managed hit one of its eyes. The Warbeast crumbled down due to the missiles boring into its head and exploding. Double ouch.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Many Robeast could switch sizes (the first was Baikong 09). Also, in an early episode [[BigBad Dr. Hell]] built a size-changing ray and turned [[TheDragon Baron Ashura]] in a giant with it.

** In episode 29 Kouji saw a Mechanical Beast-- Grengus C3-- walking from the direction where Aphrodite A-- Sayaka's Fembot-- had gone before. Inmediately he panicked, got on a bike and drove towards the place, yelling "Sayaka" all the way (he was so freaked out he did not realize the bike he had got was not his). When he finally found her-- wounded and lying down on the floor beside Aphrodite A's remains-- he shook her awake and hugged her.

* AdaptationalSelfDefense: Inverted. In the ''Mazinkaiser'' OVA, [[spoiler:Doctor Hell dies because his base exploded while he was trying to escape.]] When Go Nagai penned the ''Mazinkaiser'' manga, [[spoiler:Kouji shoots him in an abrupt, albeit iconic and stylized, sequence.]]
* AdaptationDistillation: See PragmaticAdaptation.

* CharacterDevelopment: It was not huge but it was there. For example, Kouji's sexism eased up somewhat through the episodes. At the beginning, Kouji flatly refused having Aphrodite modified into a full-fledged battle robot, declaring he does not need aid, and stating to Sayaka's face [[StayInTheKitchen girls should not fight]] (Predictably, Sayaka was not amused by this). Several dozens of episodes later, Aphrodite A is utterly destroyed in battle, Sayaka nearly loses it (see HeroicBSOD example), and a new robot is built for her. Kouji asks the professors endowing it with weapons.

* BadassInDistress: Although he undoubtedly is a badass and a competent fighter can take care of himself even when he is outside of his HumongousMecha, Kouji often needs rescuing either because he had fallen into a trap or because the odds were brutally against him. It happened in all series in the trilogy and in ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'', but it was specially glaring in ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', where he was demoted from TheHero to TheLancer, and instead of a HumongousMecha he piloted a support unit. However usually he was saved by a BigDamnHeroes moment from Sayaka, Boss, Tetsuya or Duke, so even when he was in danger, usually it ended up in a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.

!!!''Anime/MazingerZ'' provides examples of the following tropes:

* CryForTheDevil: Neither the original manga penned by Creator/GoNagai nor the anime series went into the past and motivations of the villains. The manga penned by Creator/GosakuOta and published simultaneously with the tv show finally revealed what they were. In one of the last chapters, as Dr. Hell is making preparations for the FinalBattle, Dr. Hell begins to narrate what his early life was like. We learn during the flashback that [[spoiler:he was born in a very poor family. His mother never wanted to have a child, constantly stated his existence was a bother for her and beat him constantly as his father did nothing. No child wanted to play with him because he looked ugly and weird.]] Looking for a way out of it he turned to books. He became very intelligent, began to get excellent grades in school... and then [[spoiler:his teachers accused him of cheating and several of his classmates bullied him. He grew up without friends until he got to college, when he befriended someone who appreciated his intelligence and he fell in love with an exchange student. Shortly after he found out they were a couple and his frayed mind was already so paranoid he thought they were plotting against him to backstab him.]] After another unpleasant incident where he got beaten for a good deed [[spoiler:(a little girl slipped in front of him and he caught her, avoiding she hit the ground and got hurt. It was a well-meaning, innocent act. However her parents thought he was molesting her, and her father pummeled him)]] his mind finally snapped and he decided HumansAreBastards and one day he would wipe the world of idiots and everyone would have to kneel before him.

* BodyHorror: The Iron Masks (what lies beneath their helmets is not pretty), Viscount Pygman, the Kedora, a lot of Mykene Monsters... Given that this is from [[Creator/GoNagai the creator of]] ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'', it was to be expected.

* BikerBabe: Sayaka.

* AchillesInHisTent: Kouji, of all people, did this in episode 7. After mobs of people expressed their displeasure in having their hometown leveled by a HumongousMecha battle by harassing him, and after a quarrel with Sayaka, Kouji decided since nobody wanted him fighting, he would stay at home. Of course, [[ChangedMyMindKid it did not last long]].

** In one Crossover movie between ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' and ''Anime/GetterRobo'', he played bait to lure a monster to a deserted island.

** Another ''Anime/MazingerZ'' character who suffered due to AbusiveParents was... BigBad Dr. Hell himself. In the manga continuity penned by Creator/GosakuOta that gave a backstory to most of the villains, his mother abused him physically and emotionally (insulting him, stating openly she didn't want kids and she would be better off if he had never been born...) as his father shrugged it off indifferently. The physical and psychological mistreatment he suffered back then is one of the reasons he decided HumansAreBastards he became so unhinged.

* AcePilot: In the trilogy, Kouji (like Duke Fleed) had to grow into the role. In the first chapters it was painfully obvious than he had no idea how to pilot a war vehicle; nevertheless, through training and battles he became a true ace. In contrast, Tetsuya Tsurugi was trained into it before the series and is the TropeCodifier (and {{Deconstruction}}) of the HotBlooded AcePilot in HumongousMecha anime.

* {{CrossOver}}: with ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' in the Mazinger Z vs Devilman movie; with ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Manga/ViolenceJack'' in the CBCharaCreator/GoNagaiWorld OVA series (with cameos from a few other Nagai series); with ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''Manga/GetterRobo'' and ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'' in the Creator/{{Ken Ishikawa}}'s manga ''SuperRobotRetsuden''; and with ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''[[Manga/GetterRobo Getter Robo, Getter Robo G]]'', ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' in the Dynamic Heroes e-manga (also known as Nagai Go Manga Gaiden - Dynamic Heroes or Go Nagai manga heroes crossover collection - Dynamic Heroes), an e-manga released in 2004 and later compiled in tankoubon.