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Main characters
Akira Hibiki
Akira Hibiki (ひびき洸)
- Voiced by: Akira Kamiya
The main character of Raideen the Brave, Akira Hibiki is a 15 year old boy raised by his single father, Ichiro. He is a third year at Rinkai Gakuen and serves as the captain of the football team. One day, Akira hears a strange voice calling for him while he's at sea, where he discovers the robot Raideen. The sea swells and turn into a maelstrom and a pyramid emerges from the center of the vortex, housing a giant golden statue. It sucks in Akira, and to his surprise, the statue is a Mecha. It is no mere robot - it was created by the ancient Mu Empire to fight against demons. Akira pilots Raideen and manages to repel the demon army, but he is unable to save his crewmates as Gante of the demon army heard a human approached the robot and turned them to stone.
Akira recalls a legend his grandfather was researching about the Mu Empire, of a hero that would pilot the robot Raideen. Akira professes himself as the aforementioned hero, swearing to protect the world with Raideen.
Akira
- The Ace: He's the captain of the soccer team, a skilled speed racer and the school's heart-throb.
- Anime Hair: As per character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
, he has these. - Badass Biker: He drives the Sparker vehicle.
- Back from the Dead: Akira has canonically died twicenote , but was revived each time by the power of Mu-tron.
- Battle Couple: With Mari, eventually.
- Cheerful Child: Even though his mother left when he was born, he was always happy since his father and grandfather were loving parental figures to him. He has a boisterous and cheerful personality, something that's infectious towards his teammates.
- Chick Magnet: Mari Sakurano has an obvious crush on him, as does Rei Asuka.
- Cool Car: Akira's go-to vehicle is the Sparker. Mari has a similar vehicle.
- The Chosen One: He was chosen to pilot Raideen after hearing a voice in his head guiding him to the robot. It's actually due to his Mu heritage - his mother, Reiko, was their Alien Princess.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Akira is half Earthling from his father, Ichiro Hibiki, and half Mu from his mother, Princess Lemuria.
- Hot-Blooded: Akira has no qualms about jumping into a giant robot and freely declares himself as the prophecy's hero. He's willing to fight to the death to defend this title.
- Hot Blooded Sideburns: Akira's are very thin, but they're likely part of his appeal to the ladies.
- Missing Mom: Akira's mother, Reiko, left when he was born, and he was raised by his father and grandfather. This was because she's actually Lemuria, the Princess of the Mu Empire. Possessing such powerful telekinetic power that even the Great Demon Emperor Barao was in awe, she is the only person in the world who can activate the the Mutron release device "La Mu's Star". She left her son and husband to search for this device, while also escaping from Barao's clutches. Even though she held a stoic facade towards him, Akira was someone dear to her heart and in the Grand Finale she sacrificed herself for his sake in the Grand Finale, dying happy that she got to see her son achieve victory over the Demon Empire.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Akira's eyes turn red when Raideen is talking to him telepathically.
- The Smart Guy: Akira's father is an archaeologist, as is his grandfather. They take Akira on their trips, and as a result, he's well versed in many cultures, including that of the lost Mu Empire's.
Mari Sakurano
Mari Sakurano (桜野マリ)
- Voiced by: Makoto Kousaka (episodes 1-30, Super Robot Wars), Kiyoko Shibata (episodes 31-50)
Daizaburo Higashiyama's adopted 15-year-old daughter. She is the manager of the school's soccer team and also it's idol. She drives a car similar to his Sparker.
Mari Sakurano
- Action Girl: For a while. When Akira was temporarily blinded, she piloted the Sparker in his place and also once piloted Bluegear.
- All There in the Manual: Higashiyama is her adoptive father, but this is never spoken of in the anime and only mentioned in the DVD-BOX1 booklet.
- Battle Couple: With Akira, who she's pined for since the anime began.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Mari is a kind-hearted girl but she has a temper, and will bare her teeth if she's provoked.
- Character Development: Her worst qualities (being obsessive to Akira and existing as a Satellite Character to him) fade over time as she becomes a nicer girl, letting the "kind" part of her personality grow over everything else. She even apologizes to Rei for her behaviour and calls her a wonderful woman.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Mari views Rei as a rival over Akira's affections. She even accuses her of secretly dating him out of her own insecurities.Mari: "You're lying! You've been dating Akira for a long time, haven't you!?"
- Everyone Can See It: Poor Mari is mocked by almost everyone in the football team for her crush on Akira.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: When Akira wins a speed race, Mari suggests he use the prize money to buy a castle in Sweden, where the two can live together.
- Groin Attack: Mari does this to Akira (because he pranked her) and General Agyaru (because his human disguise didn't work and instead terrified her).
- Heroic Sacrifice: While in Bluegear, Mari attempts to do this for Akira's sake, but she is saved last-minute.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Mari has brownish-red hair and blue eyes, and has an eager crush on Akira. She risks her own life many times, oblivious to the danger it brings, just for his sake. Her innocent nature charms even the stone cold Princess Lemuria, Akira's mother.
- Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Mari Sakurano is a traditionally feminine, ideal woman and, the adoptive daughter of tough-as-nails archeologist Daizaburo Higashiyama. He's protective of his little girl, preferring her to stay away from combat, but she doesn't stop from trying to save Akira when he's in danger.
- Miss Fanservice: Mari has so many scenes dedicated to panchiranote that Yoshiyuki Tomino used to get letters about it. There's also an episode where she takes of all her clothes so that she can burn them for fuel.
- Nice Girl: Unsurpisingly, since she's the female lead of a 70's anime. She has a mother-like personality and encourages people to be kind to one another, even offering empathy to Lemuria in her time of need.
- Parental Substitute: Since Akira's mom is missing, she takes on this role, despite being the same age as him.
- Satellite Character: Her backstory and characterization centers initially around Akira, mainly that she manages his soccer team and drives a similar vehicle. However, she gets an arc of her own when she joins the Copelander Corps, averting Satellite Love Interest.
- Tsundere: Mari is a rather high-maintenence girlfriend. She likes Akira, but if you suggest it she'll knee you, hard.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Akira at one point tells her there's a snake behind her, causing her to jump and run away. When she finds out she's been tricked, she angrily pounds his chest while he laughs.
Dan Araiso
Dan Araiso (荒磯ダン)
- Voiced by: Keisuke Yamashita
Akira's best friend and fellow member of the soccer team.
- Abusive Parents: His mother looks down on him for being a terrible soccer player, calls him "worthless" amongst other names and compares him to Akira. He still loves her anyway.
- Always Someone Better: Akira is superior to Dan is almost every way - he's the captain of the football team while he's the vice captain, Akira's a Chick Magnet while Dan's a Gonk, and even his own mother prefers Akira to him. He doesn't seem to hold any grudge against Akira, though.
- Best Friend: To Akira - he's the bumbling normal verydude to Akira's Ace.
- Chivalrous Pervert: He has a crush on Mari and on several occasions he tries to look her panties.
- Gonk: It runs in the family - his mother is one too, though she's of the Fat Bitch variant.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg: Akira is Raideen's destined pilot, Mari is the leader of the Copelander Corps, Rei is a psychic gunslinger and Dan is...Dan.
Rei Asuka
Rei Asuka (明日香麗)
- Voiced by: Kotoe Tachi (series), Akemi Okamura (Super Robot Wars)
A psychic member of the Copelander Corps able to sense Fossil Beasts. Not much is known of Rei's past, and she eludes a mysterious aura. She has feelings for Akira, but hides it.
Rei Asuka
- Action Girl: Rei can shoot guns, pilot ships and hold her own against Fossil Beasts. She's arguably the most skilled of the Copelander Corps.
- Boyish Short Hair: Rei has short, ginger hair, though it is styled in a feminine way. She's also an Action Girl with psychic powers.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Sorry Rei, Akira's one half of a Battle Couple with Mari.
- Expy: She has the first name "Rei" (like "Reiko") and unmatched superpowers. Does this remind you of anyone?
- In the original draft, they were meant to be sisters. Rei would look much younger than Lemuria thanks to being stuck in cryo-sleep for many years.
- Japanese Christian: Wore a nun outfit in her first appearance.
- The Gunslinger: Rei knows how to use guns and keeps a pistol next to her pillow when she sleeps.
- Miss Fanservice: While Mari provides Fanservice in the form of panchira shots, Rei dresses in a white negligee that bares her breasts.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: The reason for Rei's powers is never revealed. In the original draft of the story, she was supposed to be the older sister of Princess Lemuria, hence her ability to speak to Raideen and telekinetic powers, but this was scrapped in favour of making her an ordinary human. Thus, it creates somewhat of a Plot Hole in the Raideen universe as to how a random Japanese woman is somehow able to communicate by a robot that can only talk to the Mu.
- Put on a Bus: In episode 30, Rei is deployed alongside Ichiro to investigate the country of Tibet for the purpose of gathering information on Reiko. It takes fifteen episodes for the bus to come back, and when it does, Rei's not there. Since episode 45 has the ancient Mu's ship surfacing at the ruins of a Tibetan temple and heading for Japan, it's likely Rei was Killed Off for Real as we, the viewers, never see her ever again.
- Red Is Heroic: Rei is a redhead and also dons a crimson suit when she's not wearing her signature negligee.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Rei accompanies Ichiro and Kyuzo to Tibet. One Fossil Beast fight later, Ichiro and Kyuzo are seen alive, but Rei is nowhere to be found. What makes this even more eerie is that everyone carries on as if things were normal and nobody notices that she's gone.
- Youthful Freckles: It was ret-conned later, but she has them.
Raideen
A long time ago, the ancient continent of Mu was beseiged by cruel aliens. To save the world, the top scientists constructed Raideen, an all powerful robot dedicated to protecting the weak and serving the people. An ancient prophecy stated that when the time was right, Raideen would call upon a hero to pilot it against the forces of evil. That day came when the Demon Empire attacked Earth and Akira Hibiki was summoned to the cockpit.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: God Breaker! Gorgon Sword!
- BFS: God Blade in REIDEEN
- Blow You Away: Manual Power On! Psychic Rays! God All-phaaaa! Raiiiiii!
- Boomerang Comeback: Raideen tends to make this kind of movements, and even the helmet on it's head has a boomerang motif.
- Calling Your Attacks: A good chunk of Raideen's attacks begin with "God", and require to be called out during battle.
- Healing Factor: Downplayed example with Raideen itself. Nearly every cut, scratch and hole (except severe damage like severed limbs) disappears after several scenes. Even when the cockpit is drilled or cut into while smashing through control panels, after awhile it appears to be in pristine condition again.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: God Block!, a retractable shield in its right arm.
- Make Some Noise: The God Voice. From the chest of Raideen, some satellite dishes are shown to amplify by several times Akira's voice, who screams "God Ra Mu". Extremely powerful purple sonic rings are launched from those satellite dishes, to entrap enemies and tear them apart at a molecular level. However, this attack has heavy repercussions to its pilot, Akira.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: God Boomerang!, a red bladed bird-like boomerang hidden in its right arm. Justified at Raideen is a robot and can control its trajectory.
- Ramming Always Works: God Bird, Change! Chojun Set! Subverted in that we aren't told whether the attack was actually successful.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: "Raideen" was named after Raiden, the Japanese god of thunder.
- Shock and Awe: God Thunder! where he summon lightning from the sky and directing it towards an enemy.
- Thunderbird: Raideen is a Humongous Mecha named after the Japanese god of thunder, lightning, and storms and comes with the powers that that implies. It can also transform into the God Bird.
- Transforming Mecha: Raideen was able to transform into a robotic eagle.
Hibiki Family
Ichiro Hibiki
Ichiro Hibiki
- Voiced by: Ichiro Murakoshi
Ichiro Hibiki
- Raideen:
- Gadgeteer Genius: He is an accomplished scientist who studies alien artifacts for a living, and invented Akira's special motorcycle, the Sparker.
- Interspecies Romance: Ichiro was an ordinary human who fell in love with Lemuria, an Alien Princess. He was actually oblivious to the fact that Lemuria was an alien and why she abandoned him and Akira a long time ago, suffering a horrible shock when he realized she was trying to escape her Dark and Troubled Past because her old planet was destroyed.
- James Bondage: He's the show's Damsel in Distress. The indignities he suffered included being turned to stone and tied to a cross (not at the same time).
- Locked Out of the Loop: He had no idea that Reiko/Lemuria was a Mu-person and was shocked when Charkin told him of the fact.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: He's a scientist/archeologist who's highly knowledgable about the lost Mu Empire and wears glasses.
- Turned to Stone: In the first episode, after the demons discover that Raideen has been activated, they swarm the ship en masse and turn all of the humans on the ship to stone, except for Akira.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: While Reiko is very beautiful and youthful-looking, with her wide eyes and elegant, long hair, Ichiro is a standard looking middle aged man, with glasses and a hairy beard, and a bit of a muffin top.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: In the first episode, Akira goes berserk upon seeing his father Turned to Stone. Eventually, the demons figure out they can hold Akira's father Ichiro hostage to lure him out, not once, but multiple times. When he's kidnapped for the last time, the Copelanders rescue him, and he and Akira tearfully reunite.
Reiko Hibiki (Spoilers)
Reiko Hibiki (ひびき玲子)
- Voiced by: Misako Hibino
Her true identity is Lemuria, the Princess of the Mu Empire. Possessing such powerful telekinetic power that even the Great Demon Emperor Barao was in awe, she is the only person in the world who can activate the the Mutron release device "La Mu's Star". The Mu Empire tried their best to prevent Barao, but failed to defeat him, so the responsibility was left in her hands since she's their Sole Survivor. She left her son and husband to search for this device, while also escaping from Barao's clutches.
Past
Current
- Action Mom: Lemuria was born with telekinetic powers that were abnormally high in comparision to your average Mu, so much that she was selected by her father to save her kingdom from being taken over by the demons. She's an Ace Pilot and a Warrior Princess, and it's thanks to her efforts that Barao is taken out of the game for good.
- Alien Princess: She was born to King La Mu and is his only child. With her death, Akira is all that's left of the Mu Royal family.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She has dark green hair and for most of Akira's life, she wasn't there. But it's hard to blame her when the whole fate of the world hinges on her shoulders.
- Ace Pilot: Pilots the Ancient Ship of Mu.
- A Day in the Limelight: Her full backstory is revealed in episode 46.
- Ambiguous Situation: While she died in the end, there's an implication that she will reincarnate in Mu.
- Byronic Hero: She holds a cold facade because she feels as if she's not allowed to show love to her son, or all her efforts will be for nothing. She's secretly unhappy about the great responsibility placed on her shoulders, but bears it anyway because she knows she's her people's last hope. At least she dies smiling, enjoying a brief amount of happiness being able to see her son defeat Barao. There's also the fleeting hope that she reincarnates in the Mu empire after her death.
- The Chosen One: Non-prophecy example. Her father chose her to be the Mu Empire's Sole Survivor because she had powerful telekinetic powers unlike anything anyone had ever seen. The Mu looked at her as their final hope, willingly sinking into the waters as she drifted to safety in La Mu's ship.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Lemuria was once a Princess and lived in harmony with her subjects. Barao decided to give that a middle finger by ravaging her nation.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Lemuria, to escape perscution, was placed by her father into the sea in a ship. The waters carried her to another land, where she prospered. Oh, and she can also part the sea.Don't get it?
- Fluffy the Terrible: The continent of Lemuria (which she takes her name from) is named after the animal species ''lemurs''. Modern viewers would associate the name with the H. P. Lovecraft story Out of the Aeons.
- Going Native: Reiko is a psuedonym she took upon entering Japan; Hibiki is her husband's surname. She doesn't go by it anymore.
- Go Out with a Smile: In the Grand Finale, Princess Lemuria manages to activate the La Mu's Star device at the cost of her own life. Akira breaks into tears as he holds her, but she dies happy, surrounded by the Hibiki family, knowing her son defeated Barao and put an end to the Demon Empire that terrorized the world for so long.
- Green and Mean: Lemuria has teal-green hair, and is a stern, no-nonsense woman. She even expresses her guilt to Mari over being aloof to Akira. When she dies, she shows her vulnerable side to Akira before going out for good.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Towards the Grand Finale, she expresses concern over the possibility of Akira dying and repeatedly tries to sacrifice herself to protect him, despite her husband's wishes. In the Grand Finale itself, Lemuria exhausts her body while using the La Mu's Star device, knowing she will die. She manages to rest in her son's arms before passing, telling him to look after the Mu-tron and use it for good before perishing. And with that, her lifespan of 12,000 years came to an end.Akira: "I won... I won because of my mother!"
- Interspecies Romance: Lemuria, the Mu princess, to Ichiro, a Japanese scientist. Their son, Akira, was raised by his father and grandfather with no connection to his mother's side until he was fifteen and heard Raideen call out to him.
- Last of Her Kind: Enforced. Being born with world-saving powers, she had to watch the Mu Empire sink while they entrusted her to a cryostatis device, with the expectation that she would eventually wake up and finish the war Barao started. In her flashback, the remaining Mu look at her with anxiousness as she's going to leave them.
- Mama Bear: While she's aloof as a mother, when she gets the chance to be around Akira, she acts overprotective of him. She looks after him after he exhausts his stamina in fighting Furious Giant and Mechante.
- Mind over Matter: Telekinesis is her ace card, and she can even
part the sea. - Missing Mom: She has this in common with Akira - while her father is seen, we never know what happened to her mother. Given her Dark and Troubled Past, the poor woman was likely crushed when the Mu Empire fell, assuming she wasn't dead already.
- Moses in the Bulrushes: She's basically a gender-flipped expy of Moses, from being cast into a boat to escape persecution, to her warning the world of an upcoming threat, to her ability to part the sea. However she's also a Byronic Hero who feels grief over not being allowed to live a normal life and dies tragically.
- Older Than They Look: Would you guess she's several millenia old?
- Otherworldly Technicolour Hair: Lemuria and her father have dark-green hair, as a nod to their Mu heritage. She came to Japan as a refugee after her homeworld was sunk.
- Parents as People: As much as she wants to live a normal life, she can't. Not when she has a duty to her people and to fulfill her father's last wish. In episode 49 (one episode before the Grand Finale), she asks if Mari views her as a cold mother for never showing love to Akira and wanting him to focus on fighting Barao's forces. Mari is dumbstruck, but reacts by wrapping a shawl around her shoulders, making the Princess smile.
- Really 700 Years Old: 12,000 years ago, she was assigned the mission to defeat Barao, and has been wandering the Earth in search of the La Mu's Star device ever since. As an alien, her lifespan is significantly longer than that of a normal human's.
- The Stoic: She feels that because of her mission, she should refrain from showing love to Akira, or it will weaken his fighting spirit. Inside, it tortures her, because he's still her son and she wanted to give him a happy childhood. Her Dark and Troubled Past could also play a part in this, having lived through a genocide and then be cast away from her own people.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Has her father's dark-green hair colour.
- Sole Survivor: The Mu Empire chose to sacrifice themselves and let her depart because she was born with powers that could end Barao for good.
- Tragic Hero: Lemuria was born the Princess of an Empire on the verge of invasion by Barao, and assigned by her father to put an end to it. In doing so, she gave birth to a son who she never got to have a proper relationship with, as she wanted to raise him to pilot Raideen, and believed that showing affection would make him weak. After 12,000 years, she finally finds the MacGuffin needed to defeat Barao, but in activating it, exhausts her telekinesis and dies. Akira is broken, but she is happy because she got to see him defeat the demon empire, and managed to at least spend a few days with him before her death.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Lemuria: A gorgeous woman who has long, flowing, dark green hair and wide eyes. Ichiro: A short, fat, glasses-wearing Average Joe.
- Walking Spoiler: Hey, this folder is mostly whited out for a reason.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: She can pass for a traditional, beautiful Japanese lady. She even has the long hair bit down. However, she's actually a Mu, not Japanese.
Kyuzo Hibiki
Kyuzo Hibiki (ひびき久造)
- Voiced by: Kouhei Miyauchi
Kyuzo Hibiki
- Cool Old Guy: Akira and the members of his soccer team view him as such since he acts as a guide to Akira in battle and also teaches him about the Mu Empire.
- Good Parents: To Akira and his friends, even when they become detrimental to the mission.
- Older and Wiser: Of the Badass Bookworm variant.
- The Smart Guy: Akira refers to him for advice regarding the aliens and technology.
- The Stoic: With his son subjected to kidnappings on a regular basis, his daughter-in-law being [MIA] and his only grandson piloting the robot the Demon Empire deem their Arch-Enemy, Kyuzo often has a forlorn look on his face and only cares about fulfilling his mission. When Lemuria dies in the Grand Finale, he stares at her sadly, before her ship recalls her.
Demon Empire
The Empire itself
An Empire led by Barao that want to take over the world.
The Demon Empire invading the Mu Empire.
- Alien Invasion: They invaded the Mu Empire in search of the Mu-tron, that powered Raideen, but were cast away by a tsunami shortly afterwards. Charkin's dialogue implies that after awakening, the Demon Empire took over the other parts of the Earth, though they were unable to take over Japan, the very country where the Mu-tron is located.Charkin: "On this planet, only the Japanese invasion has been delayed. Hurry up, Velostan!"
- Evil Is Hammy: With their booming voices, maniacal laughs, and sweeping arm gestures, the demons seem to be in constant testosterone overdrive.
- Evil Laugh: All demons practice this particular form of performance art, but Sharkin is the virtuoso. His laugh is no mere expression of amusement, it's a battle cry.
- Human Aliens: They look like us, but they can also grow 150 feet tall and in Barao's case, have horns.
- People in Rubber Suits: Their minions dress this way.
- Winged Humanoid: A few of them have wings, including Barao.
- Take Over the World: Invading planets is practically a national pasttime of theirs. However, their attempt to take the Mu continent ended badly, and they had little luck with taking over the rest of the Earth as well.
Barao
Barao (バラオ)
- Voiced by: Junpei Takiguchi
Hidden form
True form
- Ambiguous Situation: It's implied that in the past, the devils thrived and lived in a world full of devils and only devils. This was known as the "Devil Century". For unknown reasons, this came to an end, and Barao wants to exterminate the other races so that the Devil Century can exist once again.
- Arch-Enemy: He views Lemuria as one because of her unmatched power. His biggest fear is that she will find the Star of La Mu device and bring and end to the demon empire.
- Archery: He uses a bow and an arrow in one episode.
- Back from the Dead: This is his power. He uses it to revive the Giant Brothers.
- Barao himself as counts, as he was revived in modern times to create a world only for devils.
- Big Bad: Barao has been a threat for over 12 millenia and caused the events of the story by attacking the Mu Empire, forcing Lemuria to flee for her own safety. If it wasn't for him, Akira would have never been born, since Lemuria only made contact with the human race out of necessity. He has a history of plunging into planets and butchering them so that only devils like him can remain, and aims to add Earth to his growing collection of ruined planets.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: In the Grand Finale, after a gruelling battle with Raideen, his body was cut up and annihilated in a grotesque manner.
- Eldritch Abomination: His true monstrous form is a cross between Satan and Cthulhu.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Barao became enraged when Charkin died, swearing his death wouldn't be in vain. With his death, Barao became the new antagonist in his place, hell-bent on breaking Raideen no matter what.Barao: "Charkin, your death will not be in vain. Rest in peace. The demon empire will last forever, until the day when Raideen is defeated and the Devil Century blooms".
- Evil Gloating: What leads to his death. In the Grand Finale, Barao is convinced of his victory after he knocks Akira's robot into the sea. Lemuria uses her telekinetic powers to part the sea and Akira has him cut into pieces.
- Fisher King: When he went to sleep, so did the Demon Empire. And when he awoke, the kingdom resurrected anew.
- Horns of Villainy: Barao's true form has two, prominent, thick horns.
- Spikes of Villainy: And behind those horns are spikes that resemble a crown.
- Meaningful Name: Barao is a submarine class of the United States Navy. This class was an improved version of the Gato-class submarines and was one of the most successful designs of the class of ships used in World War II. Much like a submarine, Barao was buried in the sea for years (millenia, in fact), sealed away in a statue, until his loyal follower Velostan performed a ritual that resurrected him.
- Really 700 Years Old: Like Reiko, a.k.a Princess Lemuria, Barao is over 12,000 years old, and their feud has gone on for ages. He just casually drops his age as if it's nothing.Barao: "With the 12,000-year-old curse of the Youma-zoku, I will use my hair and claws that are stronger than steel to create a demon-protecting dragon... Come out, Baragon!"
- Sealed Evil in a Can: He was sealed away in the Barao statue enshrined in the Barao temple until a spell was cast by his loyal follower, Velostan.
Prince Charkin (Spoilers)
Prince Charkin (シャーキン), Kingo Sunaba
- Voiced by: Osamu Ichikawa
Charkin
Human disguise
Transformed
- Alas, Poor Villain: After failing to defeat Raideen in his giant monster form, Prince Charkin commits suicide by Seppuku while shouting glory to his empire to the end. He sheds the first visible blood in the series. Even Akira was sadded by his death and realized what a Worthy Opponent the guy was, while Raideen looks grief stricken.
- Alien Prince: Charkin is a relative of Barao'snote and his minions address him as a Prince.
- Arch-Enemy: Akira Hibiki and the titular robot, Raideen. Charkin gloats that defeating them both would be a great honour. When they spar in their One-Winged Angel forms and it's clear Charkin is going to lose, he commits suicide to avoid shame, shocking both his allies and enemies.
- Bad Boss: Whips a minion in the second episode as Raideen managed to defeat their Fossil Beast.
- Blood from the Mouth: Another nod to the fact that the demons are Human Aliens - after Charkin commits Seppuku by stabbing his stomach with his sword, he coughs out a heavy amount of blood from his mouthnote .
- Captain Patriotic: Charkin is an underling of the Demon Empire but is assigned a high rank as Barao's Dragon, and vows to help its expansion to his dying breath.
- Char Clone: Inverted. Yoshiyuki Tomino based Char on Charkin. Even his name, "Char", is taken from the first four letters of Charkin's name.
- Conquering Alien Prince: Though not a competent one against Raideen.
- The Dragon: Charkin is Barao's second in command and for the first half of the anime, serves as The Heavy. When he dies, Barao decides to take matters in his own hands,first by recruiting the Giant brothers, and then warring with Raideen in the Grand Finale.
- The Heavy: As Barao would prefer to watch chaos unfold from his throne, he sends Charkin to lead the war against Raideen. Charkin is glad to do so as he wants to make Barao proud, and is absolutely ruthless against the Earthlings as he tries to take over their planet.
- Inconsistent Spelling: It could be spelled as Charkin or Sharkin.
- Killed Off for Real: Charkin couldn't cope with the fact that he lost to Raideen and committed suicide afterwards.
- Light Is Not Good: He has light blonde hair, but he's the Prince of the Demon Empire and actively seeks to ruin the world so that the Demon Empire can rule supreme.
- Malevolent Masked Men: Sharkin wears a cool mask and is an abusive tyrant hell-bent on taking Earth and modifying it into one of the Demon Empire's colonies.
- Master Swordsman: Charkin brandishes a sword in combat, and can also uses a whip to keep his cronies in place. He uses the same sword to kill himself.
- Noble Demon: A literal example as he's the Alien Prince of the Demon Empire, but in spite of his evil actions, he abides by a code of honour. It comes to claim him when he commits Seppuku to preserve his honour after losing to Raideen in his One-Winged Angel form.
- One-Winged Angel: Charkin's 150-foot-tall battle form, which he duels against Raideen's own One-Winged Angel variant.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Charkin's clothes contain pink, most notably the inside of his cape and his boots.
- The Rival: In one episode, Charkin disguises himself as a human named Kingo Sunaba and attends Akira's school, besting him in everything he's good at and ensuring a football to the face for extra humilation.
- Seppuku: He dies this way to ensure the demon empire keeps it's honour. It drives Barao mad - for all his flaws, he loved Charkin, who was somewhat of a surrogate son to him.
- We Can Rule Together: After revealing his true form, Charkin offers Akira a chance to be by his side if he surrenders. Akira obviously refuses.
- Worthy Opponent: Charkin commits suicide in episode 27 after declaring that Raideen's power is amazing, but also adding that the Demon Empire will live forever in glory.
Velostan
Velostan (ベロスタン)
- Voiced by: Kaneta Kimotsuki
- I Have Your Wife: Threatens Akira with Ichiro in this manner. And for Ichiro, this would be the first of many hostage situations.
- Inconsistent Spelling: It's either Berostan or Velostan.
- Maker of Monsters: Velostan's specialty is this. For the first half of the anime, the Robeasts sent to terrorize Earth are hand-picked by him.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: Ominous Japanese Chanting in this case. This is how he raises the Fossil Beasts Back from the Dead.Velostan: "You who have been destroyed...wake up from the earth and appear as fossil beasts."
- Token Religious Teammate: Velostan reveres Barao as some sort of saviour for the world. He is mainly responsible for ceremonies to resurrect fossil beasts.
- Undying Loyalty: To the very end. When Charkin offs himself, Velostan is swallowed by a crack in the ground, shouting this before he dies:Velostan: "Save the demon empireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"
The Mu Empire
The Empire itself
The Mu Empire (ムー帝国)
A continent that existed in the Pacific Ocean in the world of Brave Raideen. The continent was destroyed by the invasion of the demon empire and the accompanying natural disaster, and it no longer exists.
Mu Empire
- All Myths Are True: In Real Life, Mu was a fabled continent◊ introduced by Augustus Le Plongeon. James Churchward subsequently identified it with the hypothetical land of Lemuria while also claiming that it was later destroyed, hence why it was unlocatable on the world map. It's existence is dismissed by many modern-day geologists because it is physically impossible for a continent to sink in the timespan Churchward providednote . In the anime, it turns out that those Real Life geologists were wrong all along and Mu really did exist - Barao just wrecked it, and then it was swept away by a tsunami.
- Atlantis: The Mu Empire is this, complete with hidden treasure (La Mu's Star).
- Doomed Hometown: Even if Barao hadn't invaded, it would have been destroyed by the tsunami.
- Good Counterpart: To the Demon Empire.
- Human Aliens: The Mu are from the continent of the same name, which, while Earthern, is completely isolated from the rest of the world. Mu are different from ordinary humans, being farther technologically advanced and gifted with the power of telekinesis. It is only when a foreign threat invades when they bother to explore the outside world.
- Pyrrhic Victory: When Barao invaded the Mu Empire for the first time, coincidentally, the Earth was shaken by such a violent tsunami that he was sunk to the ground. Unfortunately, it also hit the Mu Empire, which began to sink. On top of being heavily broken by the scourge of Barao's demons, there was only one Mu strong enough to defeat Barao - Lemuria - and she was kept in cryostatis before being placed in a ship that took her to safety, while the rest of the Mu died.
- Space Romans:
- The inhabitants dress in traditional Roman attire. Their Princess is even named after a Roman festival.
- On the other hand, quite a few Mu citizens dress in traditional Indian attire and have dark skin. Keep in mind that in Real Life, Mu was proposed to be the birthplace of multiple cultures, including Greek, Roman and Indian.
- The inhabitants dress in traditional Roman attire. Their Princess is even named after a Roman festival
- Sufficiently Advanced Alien: Kyuzo notes the Mu to be far more advanced than any race in the planet, and it's why Barao invaded them - he wanted to get his grubby little hands on their technology.
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La Mu
La Mu (ラ・ムー)
The King of the Mu Empire.
La Mu
- Ambiguously Brown: Thanks to an unintentional colouring error, La Mu is depicted as dark-skinned◊ in one scene despite the earlier scenes establishing him as tanned.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: He died when Barao invaded the Mu Empire and a tsunami sank it.
- The Good King: He tried his best for his people, even though in the end he couldn't save them and watched them die. The only survivor was his daughter, who was gifted with such unmatched power it threatened the demon invading his empire. And by the end of the anime, the poor woman dies too, survived by her son.
- Gondor Calls for Aid: With the Demon Empire invading, he gathered the nation's top scientists to create the robot that would defend them Raideen. Then, he put his daughter in a state of hibernation and cast her away at sea, so she could search for the fated La Mu's Star device.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Lemuria has his hair colour.
Princess Lemuria
Princess Lemuria (レムリア王女)
The Princess of the Mu Empire. Tasked by La Mu, she traversed the many worlds of the galaxy to find the legend of La Mu's Star. When she travelled to Earth, she fell in love with a scientist named Ichiro Hibiki and married him, taking up the alias Reiko Hibiki. However, she had to leave him because the threat of Barao's awakening was too severe to ignore. She is Akira's mother.See Reiko Hibiki's folder for tropes pertaining to her.
Princess Lemuria
