Shout Out / Voltes V

This is a list of shout-out references for Voltes V.

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Some Japanese parents had trouble distinguishing Voltes V toys from Combattler V toys? Ya don't say!

In-Series References

Here are the shout-outs found in the series itself.

• The appearance of Voltes V itself is reminiscent of samurai armor, especially with the helmet design. It's this samurai look that resulted in this series getting featured in Mattel's Shogun Warriors toy collection in America.
  • Voltes is also capable of unsheathing his blade like a samurai, but in this case it involves retracting the blade from the handle before using it as a lightning rod.
  • The retractable "Tenku Ken" or "Laser Sword" also resembles the lightsabers of Star Wars fame (or even Flash Gordon fame).^note More likely Flash Gordon than Star Wars, seeing that A New Hope only predated Voltes V by about a month. The Beam Saber of Mobile Suit Gundam is a more outright homage.
  • In-universe, Dr. Gou designed Voltes V to look like his first wife's personal guard. Same mouthguard, same helmet, same armor, and same color scheme.
• Prof. Hamaguchi's name is a Portmanteau of Tadao Nagahama (the director of Voltes V and the creator of the Robot Romance Trilogy) and Shoichi Taguchi (the screenplay writer for Voltes V).
• The surname adopted by Prince La Gour^note (or Lagour, LaGour, La Gohl, and La Gaul), "Gou" (剛), means "strong" in Japanese. It's also a Punny Name for "Go" (五) or the number "five" in Japanese.
• Boazan ships have the traditional sci-fi or U.F.O. Flying Saucer appearance with an anime twist.
• The Beast Fighter "Gamenza" from episode 11 looks a lot like the titular kaiju from the movie Gamera. Meanwhile, in Voltes V: Legacy, Gamenza's name has been outright changed to "Gamera", making the subtle homage obvious.
• Episode 16's Suneizaa serves as a shout-out to King Ghidora of Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster fame from the Godzilla franchise, complete with his electrical Breath Weapon and multiple snake heads.
• The "V-Slash", "V-Cut", or "V-no-Ji-Giri" can also be a shout-out to Zorro and his signature Z-shaped mark used as a finishing move.
• Although it's also used as stock footage in other Toei or Sunrise Super Robot series, the mushroom cloud after a Beast Fighter is killed is quite reminiscent of a nuclear explosion without ever being referred to as such.
• The "Choudenji Ball" might be a reference to the "Ball Lightning" phenomenon.
• The Mechanical Eagle (Taka Mecha or 鷹メカ) is a shout-out to the red jet piloted by Red Impulse from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.
  • Ken'ichi, like Hyouma before him, also loves riding motorcycles like Ken Washio does.
  • You can consider the Ken'ichi and Kentaro dynamic as similar to the Ken the Eagle and Red Impulse dynamic.
  • Voltes V also references Gatchaman with its Five-Man Band trope, but only by proxy. Voltes is mostly following the lead of its direct predecessor, Combattler V, after all.
• Voltes V's "Chain Knuckle" is basically a variation of "Rocket Punch" by Mazinger Z (which in turn was originally Mazinger's shout-out to Giant Robo).
  • Amusingly enough, the American English dub named that specific attack "Rocket Punch" for good measure.
  • Additionally, "Grand Fire" is Voltes V's version of Mazinger's "Breast Fire". In turn, the corrosive "Rust Hurricane" has roughly the same effect as the "Choudenji Ball" on even the toughest and strongest of metals.
  • Do Bergan's armor is made of maxingal metal. Or should we say mazinger/mazingal metal? Metal as strong as Mazinger's superalloy body needs at least an energy ball to weaken it, of course.
  • Camp Big Falcon's barrier is the same as the barrier used by the Photonic Research Institute in Mazinger Z.
• "Desraa", the Beast Fighter in episode 25, was designed by the production staff as a parody of Dessler, the arch-nemesis character from the series Space Battleship Yamato.
  • The imperial starship Zartan/Zoltan has its version of the Yamato's Wave-Motion Gun in the form of a gravity cannon as well.
• It's downplayed, but the prophecy of Godol saving Boazania in it's time of need is a darker version of the Brave Raideen prophecy that The Chosen One will save the world with the titular robot created by the Mu Empire.
  • The cyborg ape "Gonguru" in episode 13 of Voltes V is a look-alike of the cyborg ape "Gongu" found in episode 18 of Raideen.

Historical and Cultural References

Here are the shout-outs to France and The French Revolution as well as related historical, cultural, religious, or fictional figures.

• The name "Boazan" is the Japanese pronunciation of the word "Voisin", which is French for "Neighbor". The "Voisin" spelling can be seen in supplementary material from Japan.
• Zuhl's visual design is a mix of the titular Count Orlok from Nosferatu and The Igor. Or even the titular Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
• As confirmed by Super Robot Wars, another way to render "Rui Jangal" in rōmaji is "Louis Jean-Gault" or "Louis Jean-Gaul", which solidifies Jangal's connection to Voltes V's French Revolution themes as an aristocratic general of a corrupt empire.^note "Louis" and "Jean" are both common French names while "Gaul" or "Gault" refers to France's old name.
  • He also shares names with the similarly portly King Louis XVI of France^note (the reigning King of France during the French Revolution), who in turn is the direct descendant of King Louis VI or "Louis the Fat".
  • However, his bearded look is more reminiscent of the also heavyset King Henry VIII of Britain who was infamous for having six wives.
• Katherine de Pharoa Rii is named after Caterina de Medici, the Queen Consort of France. Meanwhile, "de Pharoa" refers to the Egyptian word "Pharaoh", which originally meant "Great House"^note Near the Grand Finale, she takes Heinel to her Ancestral Home but was metonymically used to mean "Egyptian King" in modern usage.
• The name "Heinel" is of German origin. The personal name literally means "Home Ruler" and was among the most popular names in Europe during the Middle Ages.
  • That's a coincidence. According to Tadao Nagahama, Heinel's name is derived from the form of address "Your highness".
  • Savvy viewers may have picked up on Prince Heinel being based on Napoléon Bonaparte.^note Both are descended from noble blood (Napoleon was descended from minor Tuscan nobility, Heinel is the son of La Gour), both led wars with the purpose of colonizing land, both have fathers they considered "traitors" (Carlo Buenoparte was involved in the Corsican Independent Revolution, while Heinel's father manufactured weapons for multiple slave rebellions he led over the years), both were noted to be excellent in school (Heinel graduated as the top cadet at the Boazanian Institute of Military Sciences and Warfare, Napoleon was noted to be excellent at history), both were bullied heavily growing up by their fellow aristocrats (Heinel for being the son of a traitor, Napoleon for his Corsican accent and inability to speak French) and even their swords are similar. It's also another nod to how the Boazanian Empire is a Fantasy Counterpart Culture to France.
• One of the ways to render Zambajil's name in rōmaji is "Sanbasil" or "San Basil", which implies Zambajil was named after St. Basil the Great.^note St. Basil is the polar opposite of Emperor Zu Zambajil in almost every way possible except when it comes to, bizarrely enough, their thoughts on slavery. Basil believes that sometimes slavery is a boon to the enslaved person and he recommended that Christian slaves work harder than non-Christian slaves.
• General Gurul's name is likely taken from the Turkish word "Kurultai" (sometimes spelled "Gurultai"), a political and military council of ancient Mongol and Turkic chiefs and khans. Fitting for someone who is Zambajil's court messenger.
  • Also, the name of Gurul's (borrowed) starship, "Zoltan", is a Hungarian word and given name with roots from the Ottoman Turkish word "Sultan" (Ruler).
• The Boazan/Boazanian Skyrook, Skullrook, Scar Rook, or Skull Ship has a macabre design reminiscent of "Memento Mori" of classical antiquity or the Victorian obsession with the symbolic imagery of frailty and death (which mostly involved the use of human skulls or skeletons as motifs).
• Because Voltes V is basically a Super Robot version of The Rose of Versailles, it's also a huge shout-out to the French Revolution and the ultimate fate of aristocrats like Marie-Antoinette. That's right. Boazan/Boazania is basically Space France.
  • There are fans who even speculated it might've served as a test run of the 40-episode Versailles anime that aired from 1979 to 1980^note (which came about after Voltes V aired in 1977-1978 and Daimos aired in 1978-1979).
  • Ironically, the voice actress for Megumi Oka ended up voicing Marie Antoinette for Versailles as well.
• Speaking of France, Ippei's horse is named Eiffel. It has the same name as the world-famous French landmark, the Eiffel Tower, which was in turn named after its creator, engineer Gustave Eiffel.
• The Sodom and Gomorrah Posi-Negatron Defense System (appears in Episode 38 and 39) are two giant spheres that generate an extremely powerful electron stream that can destroy just about anything that passes through it. They're named after the twin cities in the Bible that were destroyed by the Power of God.
• Heinel's insistence in still fighting for Boazan despite the war being basically over and his uncle being completely worthless as emperor has shades of the story of Hiroo Onoda, a real-life Japanese soldier who kept on fighting in the Philippines(!) 29 years after World War II.
  • On a darker note, Onoda was personally pardoned by Ferdinand Marcos (yes, the same guy who banned Voltes V) himself and allowed to visit The Philippines. This was extremely controversial amongst the Filipino citizenry, as Onoda and his comrades had massacred several innocent people of the Lubang islands in 1944. Onoda was also a high-ranking member of the Japanese Imperial Army, something that disgusted them for obvious reasons.

Combattler V References

Here are the shout-outs exclusive to Voltes V's predecessor Combattler V.

• Voltes V, as a reworked planned sequel of Combattler V, shares many elements with its predecessor:
  • They both possess a mouthplate and the same blue, white, and red color scheme.
  • The Voltes Team have pilot seats delivered to the individual vehicles like in Combattler too.
  • They share "choudenji" or "ultra-electromagnetic" abilities.
  • They both use five component machines or airborne vehicles.^note Voltes V improves upon how one of the Combattler V vehicles is a land-based tank that needs to be airlifted to fly by having all Volt Machines capable of flying.
  • They have color-coded uniforms for the pilots (inspired by Gatchaman and Goranger).
  • The pilots are also composed of The Leader, The Lancer, The Big Guy, The Kid, and The Chick.
  • They both use "V" in the title, although with Combattler it's the Letter "V" and with Voltes it's the Roman Numeral "V".
• Characters from Combattler V make cameos in this series.
  • Combattler team member Juuzou Naniwa (or a look-alike of his) is seen as one of several martial artists sparring with Daijirou in episode 1.
  • Combattler creator Dr. Nanbara appears as a UN ambassador in episode 31.
• In Episode 17, "Ai mo Namida mo Furisuteru!! (Forsake Both Love and Tears)", the Voltes Team are in training to use a secret move overseen by Professor Sakunji. The move resembles Combattler V's Finishing Move, the "Choudenji Spin".
  • The "Spin Fly Formation", like the "Choudenji Spin", is also an electromagnetic thunderstorm of a tornado, but it's done with the individual Voltes vehicles apart or "volted out" instead of together or "volted in" as Voltes V.
  • Voltes V also references Combattler V's "Atomic Burner" (a mix between "Voltes Bazooka" and "Grand Fire"), "Rock Fighter" (the Combattler equivalent of "Finger/Gatling Missiles"), and "Battle Guleggar"/"Magne Claw" (the Combattler variants of "Chain Knuckle").
  • Voltes V's "Voltes Beam" and "Volt Laser" from the chest is its version of Combattler's "V Laser" from its forehead.
  • The "Choudenji Goma" (Ultra-Electromagnetic Top) could be considered as Voltes V's version of Combattler's "Choudenji Yoyo", as both are weaponized toys.
  • Voltes V's unused heavy tank mode that's seen in comics, games, and toys is potentially a shout-out to Combattler's GranDasher special move.^note The Voltes Tank Mode, by the way, made its television debut in Voltes V: Legacy.
• The Boazan villain line-up of Voltes V lines up with Combattler V Campbellian villains(or The Hero, in Prince Heinel's case). Hyouma Aoi TheDragon Great General Garuda/Warchimedes is Prince Heinel, Miia is Katharine, Girua/General Dungele is Jangal, and Narua is Zuhl. Zambajil is arguably a male Empress Janera while Duke Zaki/Gurul is the male Oreana. Or you can mix Warchimedes with Zuhl personality-wise.
• The planet-ending Magmite Bomb planted by Do Bergan and General Gurul in Heinel's hidden base is a reference to the Doomsday Device devised by Janera to explode upon her defeat by Combattler V. How the bomb is resolved by an outside force is also reminiscent of Combattler's ending.

Philippine English Dub References

Here are the shout-outs from the English dub of Voltes V made in the Philippines.

• The Filipino dub name for Kentaro Go/Gou/Goh, Dr. Ned Armstrong, is a shout-out to Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut known as the first man on the moon.
  • "Armstrong" also serves as a reference to his original Japanese adopted surname, "Gou" (剛), which means "strong".
  • His other name, Baron Hrothgar (Prince La Gour), references a semi-legendary Danish king living around the early sixth century AD. In other words, it's the Hrothgar of Beowulf fame.
• The Filipino dub name for Mitsuyo Go, Mary Ann Armstrong, might be a shout-out to Mary Ann of Gilligan's Island fame (in light of a Beast Fighter being named Gilligan later on). It's also of note that Gilligan's Island was also inspired by Robinson Crusoe.
  • In turn, the Filipino dub name for the Boazan giant Giron/Girion is Gilligan, so he's (probably) named after Gilligan from Gilligan's Island as well.
  • Coincidentally, Mary Ann Armstrong also refers to a British botanical fern artist.
• The Filipino dub name for Hiyoshi Go, Little Jon, might be a shout-out to one of Robin Hood's Merry Men, Little John.
• The Filipino dub name for Professor Hamaguchi, Dr. Smith, is reminiscent of the Dr. Smith in Lost in Space.
  • However, in Voltes V, Dr. Richard Smith isn't as much of a cowardly saboteur as his namesake Dr. Zachary Smith, but retains the same mentor role (to the Voltes Team) as the other Smith initially had.
  • Richard Smith shares his first name with the Philippine English dub name of Kazuya Ryuzaki, which is Richard Hartford. This is in contrast to Professor Hamaguchi, whose first name was never revealed.
• The Filipino dub name for General Oka, Commander Robinson, is a shout-out to Lost in Space like in the case of Dr. Smith's name. It specifically references the main cast of the show, the Robinsons.
  • In turn, his last name could also be a reference to The Swiss Family Robinson, an 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss about a shipwrecked family stranded on an island^note (which was also referenced by Lost in Space, since the series is basically The Swiss Family Robinson IN SPACE! ).
  • His name could even refer to Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719), who's also famous for being shipwrecked and surviving on a deserted island.
  • Commander Robinson's full name is "Oscar Robinson", which means he's also a shout-out to NBA Legend Oscar Robertson. "Oscar" could also reference Robinson's original Japanese surname, "Oka".
• The Filipino dub name for Professor Sakunji/Sakonji, Dr. Hook, is reminiscent of Captain Hook of Peter Pan fame.
  • The Dr. Hook name might also root from a 1977 Paul Newman film Slap Shot. Tim "Dr. Hook" McCracken (played by Paul D'Amato) shares the same devil-may-care attitude as Prof. Sakunji.^note As a bonus, the very same Slap Shot Dr. Hook is also the design inspiration behind X-Men's Wolverine, according to artist John Byrne.
• The Filipino dub name for Heinel, Zardoz, is perhaps a joking reference to an infamous film starring James Bond himself, Sean Connery, that was also named Zardoz.
  • By the way, the name itself is a reference to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ("Zardoz" is a shortened version of the title, "Wizard of Oz").
• The Filipino dub name for Rui Jangal, Draco, is an obvious reference to the 1897 literary classic Dracula or real-life bloodthirsty count Vlad the Impaler^note who had the nickname "Dragulya" or "Son of the Dragon" (his father was Vlad Dracul or "Vlad the Dragon").
  • Draco also refers to a constellation in the far northern sky.
• The Filipino dub name for Do Bergan/Belgan, Oslack/Oslac, is a theophoric Anglo-Saxon given name for boys meaning "Offering to God". It's also the name of an 8^th century king of Sussex as well as several other Anglo-Saxon noblemen.
• The Filipino dub name of the pilot of the Mechanical Eagle, General Watson (General Dange), is an obvious shout-out to Dr. John H. Watson from the Sherlock Holmes novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
  • Part of the reason why General Dange was renamed Watson in the dub is probably because of his fellow resistance leader's name in the original anime, General Doyle (Commander Garth in the dub).

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