This is the character sheet for Metal Armor Dragonar.
Crew of the Idaho
Kaine Wakaba
The pilot of Dragonar-1 and the main character of the story. A sixteen-year-old Earth Alliance trainee who graduated in Japan, Kaine lives on Alucard with his mother, who helps manage the colony. His parents split up, and Kaine resents his father for putting his work before his family. When his mother is apparently killed in the attack on Alucard, he is more than willing to help fight Giganos.
- Anime Hair: He started out with a pompadour, but he it was forcibly cut and styled to fit in the military, much to his chagrin. It's spikier than a regular do, but it's not too bad.
- Expy: The series was explicitly designed to catch the lightning of Mobile Suit Gundam in a bottle again, so it's pretty obvious Kaine derives from a Gundam protagonist... but not the one you think. He's actually a somewhat-smarter Judau Ashta, being Hot-Blooded, very direct and eager to charge head on.
- Forced into Evil: Towards the end of the series, Dorchenov forces Kaine to defect to Giganos, threatening to kill Kaine's mom if he refuses.
- The Hero: Kaine is the character that the story focuses on the most.
- Hot-Blooded: Impulsive, direct and willing to charge head-on in combat.
- Idiot Hero: Yeah... not a lot of thinking going on here. In his own words, he is content with not being very sharp but has the agility to compensate.
- It's Personal: The Giganos destroyed his home colony and separated him from his mother. They are going to pay.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Kaine´s idea of strategy tends to be: charge head-on into a Giganos base and blow things up. Later episodes have him grow out of this as he sees the bodies pile up.
- Love at First Sight: With Linda.
- Momma's Boy: No matter how much he tries to deny it, Kaine cares about his mom more than anything else, and joins the battle against Giganos primarily to find her after she has gone missing in the initial attack. Dorchenov uses this against him in the final stretch of the series.
- Official Couple: Again, with Linda.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Kaine is not one for rules and orders. Helping others comes first in his book.
Tapp Oceano
One of Kaine's best friends and the pilot of Dragonar-2. Tapp is an African-American New Yorker and graduated from an American training academy and was transferred to the astronaut academy on Alucard. Tapp tends to be cheerful and laid back, even in situations where Kaine and Light are stressing out. Even so, he can be serious when the need arises. His family lives in Alliance/federation occupied New York.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Laid back and sensitive as he is, he is still piloting a state-of-the-art Metal Armor, and he isn´t afraid to shoot down the Giganos invaders.
- Deadpan Snarker: And of course, Kaine gives him a lot to work with.
- Heroic BSoD: In Episode 10, a mixture of stress from the fighting and concern with Rose's health finally get to Tapp. He recovers from it in the next episode.
- Hidden Depths: Tapp is a pretty good harmonica player.
- Nice Guy: Probably the nicest of the Dragonar trio. Though it still isn´t a good idea to piss him off.
- Official Couple: He is smitten with Rose from the beginning, and it's pretty clear that Rose likes him back.
- Scary Black Man: Completely averted. He's actually the most chill member of the Dragonar squardron.
Light Newman
- Voiced by: Kenyuu Horiuchi
Kaine and Tapp's friend and the pilot of Dragonar-3. A native Briton, Light's grandfather was in the Parliament and his father leads the Federation's European branch when the alliance became the federation during the war. However, he prefers to avoid positions of leadership, showing a natural aptitude for information-gathering and electronic warfare.
- Casanova Wannabe: Try as he might, the girls onboard the Idaho have all their eyes set on someone else.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: While trying to smuggle themselves in a Giganos space station, Light is asked what will happen if they are found out. His answer is, in a perfectly calm voice:"Dunno. Guess they´ll execute us."
- Expy: Of Kai Shiden, being the lecherous casanova of the Dragonar trio.
- It Gets Easier: Light has something of a problem with this. In one episode, he expresses worry that fighting in a war might have desensitized him to the death that occurs in it.
- Only Sane Man: Light sometimes feels as though he´s the only one thinking about the seriousness of a certain situation.
- The Smart Guy: His Dragonar-3 is specialized in support and electronic warfare.
- Teen Genius: When it comes to computers and electronics, Light is second to none.
Linda Plato
- Voiced by: Kayoko Fujii
A young woman from Arcadia and the younger sister to Giganos' ace pilot Meio Plato. She hates what her brother is doing and has become estranged from her family out of her personal dislike of warfare. Onboard the Idaho, she works as a communication officer. After a somewhat frosty start, she delevops romantic feelings for Kaine.
- Actual Pacifist: Linda dislikes fighting, though she seems to have no problem working within the military in non-combat situations.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Though rather standoffish and distant at first, she quickly warms up to the Dragonar pilots, especially Kaine.
- Expy: Of Sayla Mass to act as the counterweight to Meio's Char Aznable, and in a series that was meant to succeed Gundam if successful enough, no less.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A kind and selfless young woman with long blonde hair.
- It's All My Fault: Linda feels an irrational sense of guilt for the fact that her brother Meio is pursuing the Idaho and the refugees. It takes several pep talks (capped off by a slap from Kaine) to finally get her to understand that she's not responsible for her brother's actions.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Between her and Rose, Linda is the more poised and mature.
Rose Pattenton
- Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu
Rose was born on the Moon and became a refugee when Giganos declared independence. She escapes to Alucard and later boards the Idaho before the colony is destroyed. Becomes romantically involved with Tapp.
- Friend to All Children: Rose definitely knows how to supervise the refugee children.
- Genki Girl: She's definitely more upbeat than her best friend Linda.
- Kindhearted Simpleton: Downplayed in that she is more air-headed than actually stupid, but Rose's heart is definitely much bigger than her brain.
- Nice Girl: Rose has a warm-hearted and compassionate personality.
- Official Couple: She and Tapp instantly click and are very close. Their matching personalities help with that.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Compared to her best friend Linda, Rose is more outgoing and cheerful.
Lunar Empire of Giganos
Capt. Meio Plato
- Voiced by: Jurota Kosugi
Giganos' top ace pilot, nicknamed the Blue Hawk. He gained fame piloting the Falguen and is fiercely loyal to Guiltorre. His father Lang Plato is the engineer who helped develop the Dragonars, and he has a younger sister, Linda, who opposes the war. Despite his calm nature and popularity with younger pilots, he is repeatedly looked down on by his superiors for failing to capture the Dragonars and begins to chaffe under Dorchenov's command.
- Ace Pilot: For the Empire of Giganos. Few pilots ever come close to challenging him, and the only reason Kaine and his friends have a chance against him are the Dragonars.
- Char Clone: Given that Dragonar was meant to be the new main franchise replacing Gundam if it became successful enough while building on familiar elements, it's pretty obvious who exactly Meio stands in for. However, Meio also plays with the concept of a Char by actually being loyal to the Giganos cause, wearing no mask and overall being much more honorable than any Gundam Char clone could have been.
- The Dreaded: Earth Federation pilots quake in their boots at the sight of his blue Metal Armor.
- Fantastic Racism: Towards Earthlings, whom he contemptuously refers to as "Terrans".
- Heel–Face Turn: Towards the end of the series, after seeing his ideals crash and burn after Dorchenov´s coup.
- Knight Templar: Almost fanatically devoted to the cause of Giganos.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: He is actually this for Linda. He does actually want what is best for her. The problem is, he is absolutely convinced that only he knows what is best for her, and she has no say.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: As he proudly admits, his only allegiance is to Giganos Empire and its ideal.Until he finally realizes how toxic this mindset is.
- Red Baron: The "Blue Hawk" of Giganos.
- Super Prototype: His Falguen is a one-of-a-kind Metal Armor that outperforms pretty much anything else at the beginning.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Meio´s intent to create a better world is sincere, it´s his methods that leave much to be desired.
Colonel Gon Jem
The leader of the dreaded Shitennoh of Giganos Empire, Gon Jem is a supremely skilled pilot and a ruthless enemy of the Earth Federation forces, commanding an heavily equipped army of irregulars and styling himself like a Mongolian conqueror.
- A Father to His Men: As harsh as he may be to them, Gon Jem honestly cares for his four lieutenants and is honestly grief-stricken when they get killed.
- Beard of Evil: Sports a long, unkempt beard and is one of the most vicious Giganos pilots in the series.
- Big Eater: Much like his own lieutenants, though he's clearly the most ravenous of them all.
- Eye Scream: He keeps a patch over his right eye, which he lost in a swordfight.
- Fat Bastard: Definitely one of the bad guys, and sporting a considerable girth.
- Gonk: His character design is... unique, to say the least.
- Jabba Table Manners: The banquets he throws are an exercise in lack of manners. The funniest thing is, Gon Jem states that he likes polite people.
- Moral Myopia: Shows no care at all for the people he hurts in his rampages, but reacts with grief and rage at his own men's deaths.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Stops Jin from having his way with a captured Linda because Meio Plato's sister is worth more if she's unharmed.
- Super Prototype: His first Metal Armor, the Geyzam, is an heavily armed one-of-a-kind machine. He later switches to the Gilgazamune... with disastrous results.
- Villainous Breakdown: Starting from Gor's death, the losses of his subordinates plunge him more and more into despair and lust for revenge. By the time of the final confrontation, gone is the proud conqueror, substituted by a frothing and barely contained berserker.
Captain Ganan
One of the four members of Gon Jem's Shitennou, Ganan is specialized in hit-and-run tactics and favors overwhelming speed in battle.
- Elite Mooks: Ganan pilots an heavily modified and powered-up Gundollah.
- The Hyena: In battle, Ganan cackles madly when he thinks he's got his opponent on the ropes.
- Oral Fixation: Always keep a nail in his mouth.
Captain Gor
One of the four members of Gon Jem's Shitennou, Gor is a simple-minded brute who towers over everyone else in the squad.
- Berserk Button: Being called a 'gorilla' triggers him into an uncontrollable rage.
- Dumb Muscle: The biggest of the Shitennou, and also by far the least intelligent.
- Elite Mooks: Gor pilots an heavily modified and powered-up Gebaye.
Lieutenant Jin
One of the four members of Gon Jem's Shitennou, Jin is the most cold-blooded and sadistic.
- Elite Mooks: Jin pilots an heavily modified and powered-up Dowtzen.
- The Evil Genius: In Gon Jem's squad, he's definitely the smartest one, and his Metal Armor is used for electronic warfare.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: The most handsome and attractive member of the Shitennou, as well as the cruelest.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Hurting children seems to be the one line he won't cross. He is quite put off when an "ally" of his takes a group of children hostage.
Captain Lee Sue Min
One of the four members of Gon Jem's Shitennou, Min is the only woman in the group, but she's just as strong and skilled as her male companions.
- Chainsaw Good: Her customized Dyne wields a pair of buzzsaws on its arms, which she uses to great effect.
- Combat Pragmatist: Though she's definitely not afraid of a straight-up fight, Min enjoys using dirty tricks like smoke grenades and ambushes to overwhelm her opponents.
- Dark Action Girl: An extremely skilled female pilot fighting for the villains' side.
- Elite Mooks: Min pilots an heavily modified and powered-up Dyne.
- High-Heel–Face Turn: She assists Meio and Kaine in taking down Dorchenov at the end of the series after the death of her teammates.
- The Smurfette Principle: She's the only female member of Gon Jem's Shitennou, and indeed, the only prominent female pilot in the series.
Lt. Col. Dorchenov
- Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka
An ambitious officer of Giganos who, while not seen much early on, becomes the main villain of the series when he wages a coup d'état of the Empire and assassinates Guiltorre, and putting the blame on Giganos ace Meio Plato who also happens to be at the scene. Though mostly a political figure in Giganos, he is just as capable as a pilot in a Metal Armor.
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Dorchenov is not one for patience and strategies. He is much more fond of employing brute force.
- Big Bad: After taking out Guiltorre, he wastes no time establishing himself as the main villain of the show.
- Dirty Coward: He might act tough and talk big, but as soon as the tables are turned on him, he is quick to run away and beg for his life.
- Evil Is Bigger: He pilots the gigantic metal armor Gilgazamune, which towers over the Dragonar and the Falguen, in the final battle.
- Smug Snake: And not a very high-functioning one at that. He thinks he´s a big player, but he´s little more than a dim-witted bully who is only dangerous because he´s in a position of power.
- Spell My Name With An S: For a while the fans debated whether "Turchinov" or "Dorchenov" should be the real transcription of the colonel's name, but in 2016 an anon over on /m/ concluded that Dorchenov is the only real surname possible
, being a rare (nowadays chiefly Siberian) Russian surname. The Japanese transcription also reads "Dochenobu" which is also closer to the latter. - The Starscream: He harbors the ambition of overthrowing Guiltorre and take his place as ruler of Giganos. He succeeds - though through sheer luck.
- Villainous Breakdown: As his plans crumble around him, Dorchenov loses what little composure he had, until by the end, he´s reduced to a screaming, ranting, ineffectual shell of a man.
