A long time ago, a mysterious type of enemy known only as the "Unknown" suddenly emerged, threatening to cause chaos upon the world if left unchecked. In response to this unprecedented threat, a secret subsidized branch of Japan Railways Group known as "Evolution Railway Development Agency", commonly shortened to "ERDA", developed the "Shinkalions", humanoid combat mechs based on Japan's many shinkansen bullet trains, as the sole countermeasure against this new threat to Japan's safety. It just need some pilots specifically able to withstand intense "ultra-evolution" speeds of 1225km/h to use it.
Taisei Onari is a second-year junior-high student who recently transfers to Shinkai Academy Junior-High Division in search for clues in finding his older sister who went missing two years ago in an undisclosed incident. Unfortunately, the Unknown suddenly reemerges for the first time in ten years and began wrecking havok, forcing ERDA to deploy the Shinkalion for combat. Incidentally, Taisei is been assessed by ERDA and is found to be a compatible Shinkalion pilot, specifically for the E5 Hayabusa, and is forced into a secret battle that would bring him one step closer to his goal.
One way or other, Taisei will need all the help he can get to solve the mystery behind the Unknown, find his sister and save the world, all while balancing his already-hectic school life.
Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: Change the World, also known as simply Shinkalion: Change the World, is an upcoming Real Robot Genre Transforming Mecha anime animated in collaboration with Production I.G and Signal.MD, once again co-produced by East Japan Marketing & Communications, Japan Railways Group
, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, and Takara Tomy as a third installment in the Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion franchise. The anime, serving as a Continuity Reboot of sorts, was released on April 2024.
Tropes! Now Departing!:
- Age Lift: The main characters, especially those who pilots the Shinkalions, are in their early teens rather than being Kid Hero protagonists like in the previous installments, though younger Shinkalion drivers are later added to the cast.
- Art-Shifted Sequel: There is a noticeable change when compared to the previous installments, abandoning the "cutesy" style and Anime Hair they used for more realistic designs.
- Breaking Old Trends: Numerous established tropes used by the franchise are thrown out in favor of innovative new developments.
- Unlike the past seasons, road vehicles are given much more prominence.
- The cockpits are much more akin to an actual train cabin, and likewise, the drivers now have proper uniforms instead of the skin-tight bodysuits in past seasons.
- The H5 in the past seasons was originally driven by characters from other franchises, with the first season using Vocaloid's Hatsune Miku and the second season bringing over Maetel Tsukino from The Galaxy Express 999. This season, however, instead uses a Canon Foreigner, which was unheard of for female drivers in the franchise.
- Darker and Edgier: While simply a rehash of the usual formula, Change the World has a more ominous tone that is readily evident in the Opening Theme. The series also has more interpersonal drama, and aside from obligatory toy marketing, the series prioritizes developing it's cast of characters.
- Mecha Expansion Pack: The E5, E6 and E7 Shinkalions are shown to have auxiliary units based on ground support equipments (GSE) commonly used in airports and railway stations, specifically a trailer truck, a container reach stacker and a Drill Tank respectively, which can combine to form alternate combat forms for the three Shinkalions.
- Rule of Three: Accidental, but the franchise's anime installments have debuted three years apart from each other: the first season premiered in 2018, the second in 2021, and the third in 2024.
