Combattler V / Shout Out

Here are the various references and shout-outs made in Combattler V.

Guess Combattler V really is Gatchaman with A COMBINING MECHA!

Sci-Fi References

It seems like every inch of Planet Campbell is a shout-out to the greats of Science Fiction.

The planet name itself references John W. Campbell, the godfather of the Space Hero genre.
The Asimov Continent within the planet is a reference to Isaac Asimov, who popularized tropes such as City Planets, Robot Buddies, and Galactic Empires.
The Hamilton Ocean references Peter F. Hamilton, known for blending Space Opera with hard sci-fi.
The Leinster-Miller City references two people:
- There's Murray Leinster or William F. Jenkins, known for writing many sci-fi firsts.
- There's also Walter M. Miller Jr., author of the Hugo-Award-winning A Canticle for Leibowitz.
The Heinlein Sun, the dying star of Planet Campbell, is a shout-out to Robert A. Heinlein. His works are noted for their strong political themes and their strident idealism. He's most well-known as the author of Starship Troopers.

Many of the Campbellians are based on gods, demigods, and... mathematicians? Oh right, historical figures.

Great General Garuda is named after a winged Hindu demigod that looks like a humanoid brahminy kite and is described as the King of All Birds. Both Garudas possess a zoomorphic bird monster form and an anthropomorphic winged human form.
"Oreana" or "Oriana" is often used to refer to Queen Elizabeth in the 1601 English book of madrigals, The Triumphs of Oriana by Thomas Morley.
- Her iconic statue look is reminiscent of depictions of the Goddess Kannon or the Virgin Mary in statue form.
- Oreana is a girl's name with Latin roots meaning "sunrise." As a variant of the Latin name Oriana, Oreana shares a connection to the concept of dawn and new beginnings.
Warchimedes is like a villainous alien version of the physicist and inventor Archimedes, who was famous for having a "Eureka!" Moment in the bathtub. In the series, robot alien Archimedes serves as the resident Mad Scientist of the Campbellian villains.
Empress Janera might've been named after Janus, the Two-Faced god of doors, gates, and transitions. He represents the middle ground between both the concrete and abstract as well as the concept of dualities.
Deus saving the day in the Grand Finale isn't only an example of Deus ex Machina, with him personifying the trope. He's also reminiscent of Zeus or Jupiter as depicted by Greco-Roman Creation Mythology.

As Expies of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman or as Gatchaman with A COMBINING MECHA!, Combattler V also follows the Five-Man Band formula, among many other inspirations.

Both teams are composed of The Leader, The Lancer, The Chick, The Kid, and The Big Guy.
- Hyoma Aoi and Ken the Eagle both sport '70s Hair and love riding motorcycles.
- Juzo Naniwa and Joe the Condor are both The Gunslinger as well as The Lancer to their respective team leaders.
- Chizuru Nanbara and Jun the Swan both fulfill The Smurfette Principle and the role of The Heart for their respective teams.
- Kosuke Kita and Jinpei the Swallow are both the youngest members of their respective teams but are Child Prodigies who can keep up with them.
- Daisaku Nishikawa and Ryu the Owl are both The Big Guy of their respective teams. They also share a Gentle Giant personality.
God Phoenix also requires all vehicles to dock inside it for its weapons systems to work, just like Combattler requiring the combination sequence to become a giant robot.
- God Phoenix's "Firebird Mode" even involves hurling itself aflame to the enemy kamikaze-style, which is kind of like Combattler V's "Choudenji Spin" and how it's used to ram over enemies.
The initial line-up of Campbellian villains match those of Galactor sans the interchangeable Mooks. Berge Katse is Garuda while Sosai X is Oreana.
They also share mentor figures. Dr. Kozaburo Nambu fulfills the same role of The Professor as Dr. Nanbara did as well as Prof. Yotsuya would later on.

Here are the miscellaneous references of Combattler V.

Planet Campbell, aside from the sci-fi shout-outs, can also be considered Space Rome, what with its alien invaders from the planet's warrior faction, ties to human history, and shout-outs to ancient gods that were aliens all along as suggested by The History Channel show Ancient Aliens.
- The introduction to the Campbell civilization showed Stock Footage of Nazca symbols, the Easter Island heads, and Stonehenge, among many other mysterious monuments associated with Ancient Aliens, thus suggesting All Myths Are True.
In the second episode, the U.N. representatives sent to the Nanbara Connection had names that were various cultural references relative to their respective misspelled country.
- Sand Witch^note from the United States of Americo.
- Da San Yuan^note from the People's Republic of Shina.
- Khorosho^note from the Sowiet Union.
- Cam Bridge^note from Great Bretain.
Nanbara Connection's Beehive Barrier is the same as the barrier used by the Photonic Research Institute in Mazinger Z.
- Combattler V's "Battle Guleggar" and "Magne Claw" are chained variants of "Rocket Punch" by Mazinger Z (which in turn was originally Mazinger's shout-out to Giant Robo).
- Additionally, "Atomic Burner" is Combattler V's version of Mazinger's "Breast Fire".
- Meanwhile, the corrosive "Rust Hurricane" has roughly the same effect as the "Choudenji Tatsumaki" in disabling enemies or setting them up for the Finishing Move.