BB Senshi Sangokuden is a toyline created by Bandai, commemorating the 20th anniversary of SD Gundams, and ongoing from 2007 to 2011.A continuation of the long-running BB Senshi line of SD Gundam models, this series also draws upon Romance of the Three Kingdoms for its characters, whose designs are all based on classic Gundam models from the Universal Century to the semi-recent Gundam Wing and G Gundam. So far, the story has been divided into three chapters: Fuuun Gouketsu Hen, Eiyuu Gekitotsu Hen and Senjin Kettou Hen. Expanding on this is the sidestory Sangokuden Gaiden: Buyou Gekitou Roku, and now an Animated Adaptation with the subtitle Brave Battle Warriors currently airs after Keroro Gunsou.Note: This article uses the Japanese version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and as such Cao Cao = Sousou, Liu Bei = Ryuubi, Sun Quan = Sonken.
BB Senshi Sangokuden contains examples of:
Actor Allusion: The classic Mobile Suits that the Sangokuden characters are based on are sometimes referred to as 'actors', allowing for a whole pile of these to slip through.
Sousou will be voiced by Kenji Nomura, who has a record of voicing Magnificent Bastards (the Persian messenger and Lex Luthor)
Amplified Animal Aptitude: The horses of the Nanban Kibatai are bred and trained to traverse the implausible terrain of the untamed Southern regions.
Anachronism Stew: Ignoring the whole robot angle for a second, you've got characters armed with swords, spears, polearms mostly, and bows and throwing blades for ranged combat, alongside machine guns, BFGs, mobile artillery... there's also Sekitoba turning into a motorcycle, Kannei's jetski, the list goes on.
Bling of War: Nearly every set has gold parts (two notable exceptions, Shiba-I and Shuuyu, are the tacticians). A few deluxe sets up the ante with vaccuum metallised gold.
Brick Joke: Reactions over one of Ryubi Gundam's twin katanas being "forgotten" for the anime were mixed, but the anime's final arc even goes on to omit one of the twin Phoenix swords that Sousou Gundam gets.
Butt Monkey: Chouhi is pretty much theButt Monkey around these parts. Though in Brave Battle Warriors, Sonken Dendrobium is openly mocked by pretty much everybody, since he has yet to level up.
Camp Gay - The Chou Trio, who speak with overly effeminate overtones and in Brave Battle Warriors, have body language to match.
Combining Mecha: from the (heavily reimagined) Yellow Turban brothers to Shuu Neue Ziel with the Black Gyokuji and three sons of Shiba-I.
Conspicuous CGI: Brave Battle Warriors mixes cel shaded CGI characters (usually leading ones) with normally animated ones, leading instantly to speculation that anyone not in CGI is not getting a model kit made. Jossed with Toutaku Zaku.
Toutaku Zaku did eventually get his own CG model for the last couple episodes he appeared in. Kanpei Gundam turns from cel to CGI in his debut episode.
Cool Horse: Practically everyone, at least implied so - Ryofu Tallgeese has the Sekitoba, which turns into a bike; Chou-un Gundam has the Hieisen; Shouretsutei Ryuubi Gundam has the Tekiro; and everyone else gets the generic Hakugin Ryuuseiba, identical to Hieisen.
There's also the Nanban Kibatai, Moukaku Gundam's mounted cavalry.
The anime introduces Sousou's Zetsuei, a sharp, jet black affair.
Cool Shades: Kan-U Gundam, Sonken Gundam, Sosaku Physalis and Sonken Zephyrantes actually have these incorporated into their design. The Shuuyu Hyakushiki model includes an alternate sticker for the eyes intended to invoke this.
From the Koutou Marines comic: Ryuubi's big plan to match Gou's naval prowess involves having Chouhipush their boat from behind and paddle like crazy all the way to the Red Cliff.
Deal with the Devil: Heavily invoked when Shiba-En Zaku II tries to summon Shuu Neue-Ziel.
Death by Origin Story: played straight in the anime. Lu Zhi GM Cannon and Tao Qian GM, we hardly knew ye.
Dragons Up the Yin Yang: Seiryu and the Shou kingdom consistently sticks dragons on everything.
For that matter, Kan-U has several elements from both Gundam ZZand the Musha ZZ Gundam.
Fan Nickname: An early group of antagonists, pirates based on the Hydra Gundam, Leo-R and Aesculapius have been dubbed the "G-Unit Pirates". Also the series as a whole has the nickname SD Gundam Dynasty Warriors.
The Four Gods: As symbols and motifs for the different factions instead of actual characters.
Seiryu, in blue, represents the kingdom of Shou and Ryuubi Gundam.
Suzaku, in red, represents the kingdom of Giga and Sousou Gundam.
Byakko, in yellow rather than white, represents the kingdom of Gou and Sonken Gundam.
Genbu, in purple rather than black, represents Toutaku Zaku's unnamed forces (though their flag carries the kanji for his name. And the soldiers are all in green for some reason.)
Incidentally, both five-man bands function as The Lancer to Ryubi and The Dragon to Sousou as a whole.
Four is Death: The Nanban Four Kings, based on the Walter, Grand, Heavens Sword and Master Gundams from G Gundam.
Fridge Brilliance: The use of 'style names' from Three Kingdoms has been discreetly lampshaded - there's an overabundance of characters that simply have 'Gundam' tagged behind their proper names, but fans of the franchise will be able to identify them as Sonken GP03 , Sousou Double X, Kochu RX-178 and so on. Just as 'style names' were intended.
And sometimes it works out a little too well: Huang Gai Gongfu is now Kougai Gouf.
Both of Moukaku Gundam's archetypes, Meng Huo and Domon Kasshu, turned out to be Xanatos Suckers.
Casting all civilians (in both genders even) and Butaihei soldiers as the same RGM-79 archetype becomes a little less egregious when you realise that this is exactly how Butaihei soldiers are supposed to come about; by drafting civilians into (presumably) co-ed armed forces.
From the Gaiden sidestory, the Insufferable Genius Bashoku Gundam is a remold of the Strike Gundam from the equally polarizing Gundam SEED.
Gratuitous English: the anime trades the Fuun Gekitotsu etc. subtitle for "Brave Battle Warriors."
Heel Face Turn: Several. Most of them even keep the motif of whichever faction they defected from (see The Four Gods above).
Historical Beauty Update: this may be the only Three Kingdoms adaptation that DOESN'T depict Zhang Fei and Meng Huo as The Big Guy Boisterous Bruisers. And Dong Zhuo is above average in size but NOT fat.
Homage: The characters (and some MacGuffins) draw their design not only from classic Gundams, but Koei's treatment of the Three Kingdoms characters in all their Dynasty Warriors games. Lu Bu's pheasant feathers? Ryofu Tallgeese has 'em. Ma Chao's wild hair? Bachou Blue Destiny has ARTICULATED hair. Sun Ce's giant tonfa? Wait till you see what Sonsaku Physalis' shoulder boosters double up as.
Hour of Power: The Five Shou Generals experience this with the Ryuukihou.
Legacy Character: several, particularly in Sangokuden Gaiden. Ryuhou and Choubou even carry weapons identical to those of Ryubi and Chouhi respectively.
Mega Neko: Sonken Gundam's Goutaitei upgrade involves the Kourinpaku, a massive tiger-shaped coat of arms.
Apparently the gate of Korou Fortress is shaped like one.
Merchandise Driven: reaches an egregious level when the new Kiba Breaker toyline, featuring our heroes on motorised mounts that are basically Weaponised Cars with horse heads, make it into the anime.
The anime does something similar after Tengyokugai is awakened and a brief Time Skip is invoked - our heroes use the time to upgrade into Ryousou (Dragon-Armor) Ryubi, Ogasou (Demon Tusk-Armor) Kan-U, Raisou (Thunder-Armor) Chouhi, Gurensou (Red-Mantle) Sousou and Mokousou (Tiger-Armor) Sonken. All this is placed chronologically before the ones stated above.
Military Mashup Machine: Lampshaded with Moukaku Gundam's elephant cavalry (the use of elephants in war is Older Than Feudalism) that transform into tanks (their more contemporary equivalent).
Mooks: The Butaihei, modelled after the RX-79 GM (for Shou, Gou, Giga), Zaku-1 (Toutaku Zaku and maybe Giga), and Leo (Ryofu Tallgeese's personal army). Moukaku Gundam has the Nanban Kibatai.
Moukaku, bearing the title Ashurao, not only resembles the Gundam Ashurao but mimics the Ass Kicking Pose normally adoped by Shining or G-Gundam in their boxart
Shukuyuu is known to fly into a Berserker Rage just like Allenby
Sonsaku Physalis is possessed by Shuu Neue Ziel late in the storyline - both are based on Anavel Gato's mecha
Only One Female Mold: All the female models are the exact same build, regardless of age, while males come under regular, Toutaku, and Ryofu Tallgeese.
Palette Swap: Glaringly obvious with the three factions' footsoldiers, all based on the RX-79 GM and only differentiated by color.
Among the named characters, there's Gien Gundam, identical to Kochu Gundam but based on the 'Titans' recolor into which their archetype, the RX-178, was also recolored.
Shiba-I Sazabi goes through one for his promotion to Giga Taifu, particularly notable as he gets recolored INTO the Sazabi's normal colors (white to red).
This happens more often with the merchandise of course - not just straight recolors, but the Kanpei Gundam and Shuusou Doven Wolf sets include recolored Ryuubi parts.
Plug 'n' Play Technology: several cases thanks to the model kits' interchangeability. The Ankoku Gyokuji in particular is capable of combining with different characters to become Expies of One-Winged Angel-class mecha from different Gundam continuities.
Going by the factions themselves we have Shou = Ego, Gou = Superego and Giga = Id.
Punny Name: the Nanban Kibatai. 'Kiba' can mean both 'fang' or 'horseback riding', but this mounted cavalry carries standards with the kanji for 'fang'.
Put on a Bus: Ryofu Tallgeese in the first chapter. Ryuubi Gundam and Sousou Gundam at the end of the second chapter.
Scarf of Asskicking: Sonken Zephyrantes and his Chousa Four Riders have been retconned with these in the anime. Bright red. Can't miss 'em.
Shoulders of Doom: several, particularly the Ryukihou whether it's on Shuuretsutei Ryubi or the Five Shou Generals. The Brave battle Warriors version of Shuuretsutei Ryubi has the added option of swapping his regular shoulderpieces (Kan-U and Chouhi's) with all the ones the other Five Generals would use.
For that matter, Red Cliff introduced the immensely popular character XiaoQiao, who notably has no Expy in Sangokuden, yet there's no plans to add her to the lineup.
What Could Have Been: Averted, as the Brave Battle Warriors line now includes model kits of 'forgotten' characters like Kousonsan Ez-8, Toutaku Zaku, Ten-I Asshimar and Enshou Bawoo.
The Worf Effect: Kouten The.O, the Yellow Scarf Rebellion's most powerful weapon, goes down almost immediately to make way for Toutaku Zaku's forces.
BB Senshi Sangokuden is a toyline created by Bandai, commemorating the 20th anniversary of SD Gundams, and ongoing from 2007 to 2011.A continuation of the long-running BB Senshi line of SD Gundam models, this series also draws upon Romance of the Three Kingdoms for its characters, whose designs are all based on classic Gundam models from the Universal Century to the semi-recent Gundam Wing and G Gundam. So far, the story has been divided into three chapters: Fuuun Gouketsu Hen, Eiyuu Gekitotsu Hen and Senjin Kettou Hen. Expanding on this is the sidestory Sangokuden Gaiden: Buyou Gekitou Roku, and now an Animated Adaptation with the subtitle Brave Battle Warriors currently airs after Keroro Gunsou.Note: This article uses the Japanese version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and as such Cao Cao = Sousou, Liu Bei = Ryuubi, Sun Quan = Sonken.
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