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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mazinger-z-wall_7665.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:Take a HotBlooded hero, a HumongousMecha fitted with a RocketPunch, an army of {{Robeast}}s, stir all ingredients together and you have the birth of a genre.]]
3
4->''An iron fortress towering into the sky,'' \
5''The super robot, Mazinger Z!'' \
6''Its invincible power stands for you and me!'' \
7''With a heart of justice, Pilder ON!'' \
8''Fly, iron fist! Rocket Punch!'' \
9''Now, let loose! Breast Fire!'' \
10''Mazin go! Mazin go! Mazingeeeer Z!''
11-->-- [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyRoF689VRE The 1972 opening theme]] by Creator/IchiroMizuki (translated)
12
13Considered to be [[TropeCodifier The FINAL keystone]] of the post Yokoyama SuperRobotGenre, ''Mazinger Z''[[note]]pronounced '''''Ma-jin-gah Zet'to''''', though the Z is frequently localised to "Zee" or "Zet"[[/note]] is the first entry of the ''Mazinger'' trilogy by Creator/GoNagai. The original manga version by Nagai was serialized in ''Shueisha Weekly Magazine/ShonenJump'' from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in ''Kodansha'' TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In December 1972, the anime version premiered on Fuji Television. The TV series ended September 1, 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 of the TV show.
14
15''Mazinger Z'' tells the story of young HotBlooded IdiotHero Kouji Kabuto, grandson of a genius professor named Juuzou Kabuto. The Professor secretly built a HumongousMecha named Mazinger Z, to battle the forces of evil -- led by his rival gone [[MadScientist mad]], Dr. Hell. Unfortunately, Juuzou gets assassinated quickly, but he still manages to inform Kouji about his creation. The Professor tells him to take over, but warns him that he could become "a God or a Devil" with its power.
16
17Along with his brother Shiro, Kouji takes Mazinger, reaches the Photoatomic Research Institute directed by Juuzou's former right hand man Dr. Gennosuke Yumi, who practically adopts the boy. Eventually he's pitted in a continuous battle against Dr. Hell, presented in a good ol' MonsterOfTheWeek fashion.
18
19''Mazinger Z'' was followed by ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' and ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer''. However, being a forty-years-old LongRunner franchise, it has gotten many sequels, spin-offs and remakes throughout four decades:
20* ''Anime/GreatMazinger'': The first sequel, narrating the rise of the Mykene Empire after the FinalBattle against Dr. Hell, and the battles between them and Tetsuya Tsurugi, Great Mazinger's pilot. The anime was produced by Creator/{{Toei|Company}} and Dynamic Planning, and it was broadcast for the first time by Fuji TV in 1974. Two manga versions were produced in 1975. One of them was written by Creator/GoNagai and is two volumes long, and the second was written by GosakuOta and is four volumes long (and it features a pretty different ending).
21* ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'': The last series of the original trilogy, it narrates how Kouji Kabuto found Duke Fleed and Grendizer, and how they fought together against the AlienInvasion from the planet Vega. The anime was produced by Creator/ToeiCompany and Dynamic Planning, and it premiered in Fuji TV in 1975. Grendizer had THREE manga versions in 1976: the Creator/GoNagai version is two volumes long; the Creator/GosakuOta version is three volumes long; and the Creator/HidearuImamichi version is comprised of one single volume.
22* ''Anime/GodMazinger'': It has nothing to do with the original series, but was originally meant to be its sequel. However the idea was discarded, and the other two series were made instead. Hibino Yamato, a Japanese OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent is led to AnotherDimension to reanimate a giant stone god and together fight an invading empire. It was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and Dynamic Planning, and aired by Nippon TV in 1984. A manga based on it was produced in 1984: ten volumes were published by Kadokawa Shoten and four volumes by Shogakukan.
23* ''Manga/NewMazinger'': It was going to be a Mazinger series specifically made for the American market, but only one single volume was published in 1988 by First Publishing.
24* ''Manga/MazinSaga'': In this series Mazinger is not a HumongousMecha but a mystic armor that turns the wearer into a giant. Three volumes were published in 1990, and other six in 1997. Had a Beat-em-Up adaptation for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis that actually made it stateside.
25* ''Anime/CBCharaGoNagaiWorld'': A {{Crossover}} between ''Anime/MazingerZ'', ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' and ''Manga/ViolenceJack'', featuring a ton of {{ShoutOut}}s to many Creator/GoNagai series. The Manga/{{Devilman}} main characters find themselves suddenly chibi-fied and trapped into a strange world, and they set off on a quest to ascertain what is happening and get their real bodies back. It was made in 1991, and a manga version was published in 1992.
26* ''Manga/ZMazinger'': In this version, Earth was invaded by a race of giant cyborg SufficientlyAdvancedAliens who were mistaken for gods. However, the most powerful alien warrior -named Zeus- rebelled against them and defeated them. Several centuries later they return and attack Japan, but Kouji Kabuto finds Zeus's body and remodels it into the piloted robot Z-Mazinger so he can fight in Zeus's stead. Creator/GoNagai wrote it in 1998, and it lasted five volumes.
27* ''Anime/DynamicSuperRobotsSoushingekki'': Released in 2000 as a three-part special with episodes from [[Manga/GetterRobo Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo]], this little special features every single Super Robot made by Go Nagai (more or less) teaming up to punch things and generally promote the upcoming ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'' OVA.
28* ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'': Following the success of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', and the Mazinger Z upgrade Mazinkaiser created for the series, this anime received a retelling in 2001 as an OVA series, ''Anime/{{Mazinkaiser}}'', which introduces said mecha into the Mazinger canon. The OVA also featured the characters from the second part of the original trilogy, ''Anime/GreatMazinger''. Creator/GoNagai published an alternate one-shot in 2001, but in 2003, one volume was published adapting the OVA story, written by Creator/GoNagai and drawn by Creator/NaotoTsushima.
29* ''Manga/SuperRobotRetsuden'': A crossover manga featuring ''Mazinger Z'', ''Great Mazinger'', ''Grendizer'', ''Getter Robo'', and ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg''. It was published in 2002.
30* ''Manga/DynamicHeroes'': A {{Crossover}} featuring the animated versions of ''Anime/MazingerZ'', ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', ''Manga/GetterRobo'', ''Anime/CuteyHoney'' and ''Manga/{{Devilman}}''. It was published in 2004. Originally it was an e-manga but later it was published. It is four volumes long.
31* ''Manga/MazingerAngels'': An alternate story and ''Series/CharliesAngels'' spoof: Sayaka, Jun, Hikaru and Maria form the Mazinger Angels team, a group that uses giant robots to investigate odd crimes and happenings. Written by Creator/GoNagai and drawn by Creator/AkihikoNiina, it was published in 2004 and it lasted four volumes. A two-volume-long sequel, ''Mazinger Angels Z'', was published in 2008.
32* ''Anime/PandaZ'': AffectionateParody replacing the original characters with animals. Made in 2004.
33* ''Anime/ShinMazinger'': A new series, ''[[Anime/ShinMazinger Shin Mazinger Impact! Z Chapter]]'', began airing in April 2009. It is largely a reboot of the original ''Mazinger Z'', but with nods to other Nagai works like ''Manga/ZMazinger'', ''Manga/ViolenceJack'' and ''Manga/DemonLordDante''. Creator/GoNagai wrote a one-shot story set in that continuity.
34* ''Manga/ShinMazingerZero'': Shin Mazinger Zero is a manga that was released in 2009 in the magazine Champion Red, created by Creator/GoNagai and YoshiakiTabata. It has no connection with ''Anime/ShinMazinger'' (in spite of the similar names), but it is connected with the original anime, and in a nutshell is what you have when the ''Anime/MazingerZ'' original manga meets ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. The manga is nine-volume-long and a sequel is being published.
35* ''Manga/MazingerOtome'': A digital comic published in 2009 by Creator/GoNagai and Creator/MikioTachibana. In this alternate story, Creator/GoNagai classic Super Robots (Mazinger-Z, Great Mazinger, Grendizer, ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'') are {{Robot Girl}}s.
36* ''Anime/MazinkaiserSKL'': Made in 2011, it has nothing to do with the previous ''Mazinkaiser'' series. A digital manga based on this story was made by Creator/GoNagai and KazumiHoshi.
37* ''Anime/RobotGirlsZ'': A possible SpiritualSuccessor to ''Manga/MazingerOtome'' that first aired in January 2014. Features a super-powered Trio of [[MoeAnthropomorphism moe girls dressed up as Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and Grendizer]] that are able to use all of the originals' attacks.
38* ''Anime/MazingerZInfinity'': A movie adaptation of the franchise meant to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the original manga and television anime series.
39* ''Mazinger Z Interval Peace'': A manga penned by ''Mazinger Z The Movie's'' screenwriter Ume.
40* ''Mazinger Z Alter Ignition'': An alternate retelling of the original story. The manga was published in 2017 by YĆ« Kinutani.
41* ''Manga/MazingerZVersusTransformers'': A one-shot crossover manga with [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} The Transformers]]. Released in March, 2019.
42* ''Anime/GrendizerU'': A remake of the original Grendizer anime. Scheduled to be released in 2024.
43
44Made by Creator/GoNagai, who would later inspire the creation of (but not, as common misconceptions would have you believe, actually create) ANOTHER granddaddy of [[SuperRobotGenre Super Robot]] anime: ''Manga/GetterRobo''.
45
46In the US, ''Mazinger Z'' was aired under the title ''Tranzor Z'' as a response to the popularity of ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''. In this dub, Koji became "Tommy" and Sayaka was "Jessica." Prior to this, it was given a shorter, but more faithful dub run commissioned by Toei and recorded at M&M Communications in Hawaii. The Toei dub was hugely popular in the Philippines before Ferdinand Marcos ordered it off the air, and some episodes were released on VHS in the U.K.; before ''Tranzor Z'', snippets of this dub had been aired in the U.S. on a Christian Broadcasting Network public-affairs program about Japan. And finally, in 2012, [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-10-06/discotek-adds-mazinger-z-super-robot-tv-anime it was announced]] by Creator/DiscotekMedia that they will be releasing the full, uncut, subtitled 1970s anime series in 2013. The fans went completely insane.
47
48Other than in all ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' games (before ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsUX UX]]'', that is), ''Mazinger Z'' also appears in several videogames: ''Mazinger Z'', a Beat'-Em-Up for UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem; ''Mazinger Z'', an arcade Shoot'-Em-Up featuring all robots in the trilogy; ''VideoGame/MazinSagaMutantFighter'', a BeatEmUp for Genesis based on the Manga/MazinSaga manga; and ''CB Chara Wars'', an action game based on the ''Anime/CBCharaGoNagaiWorld'' OVA.
49
50This series serves as the TropeNamer and TropeCodifier for both [[SuperRobot Super Robot]] and [[RocketPunch Rocket Punch]].
51
52----
53!!''Anime/MazingerZ'' subpages:
54[[index]]
55* MazingerZ/TropesAToC
56* MazingerZ/TropesDToF
57* MazingerZ/TropesGToI
58* MazingerZ/TropesJToL
59* MazingerZ/TropesMToO
60* MazingerZ/TropesPToR
61* MazingerZ/TropesSToU
62* MazingerZ/TropesVToZ
63* [[ShoutOut/MazingerZ Shout Outs]]
64[[/index]]
65----
66->"Majin Go!"
67->"Pilder On!"
68->"[[RocketPunch ROCKETTO PAAAAAAANCHI!!!!!]]"

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