Beast King GoLion

Beast King GoLion
	File:Voltron in the sun.jpg
Genre	Mecha
Anime
Directed by	Katsuhito Taguchi
Studio	Toei Animation

King of the Beasts, GoLion (百獣王ゴライオン, Hyakujū-ō GoRaion) is a Japanese Super robot anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and cut to create the Lion version of the U.S. Voltron: Defender of the Universe series, with new names and dialogue as well as several major plot changes. The literal interpretation of the name "Golion" is "five lions."

Story

GoLion's story starts in the year 1999, when the planet Altea is subdued by Galra Empire, and enslaved. Five space explorers return to find their planet, Earth, decimated by nuclear war with Planet Galra. Eventually they are captured, taken as slaves, and forced to fight for their lives under the grip of the Emperor Daibazaal in the arena. Emperor Daibazaal has conquered countless other worlds, as well. They land on Altea, where they discover the secret of the mighty sentient robot GoLion, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat the evil Emperor Daibazaal's forces. Unlike predecessors in the combining robot subgenre Combattler V and Voltes V, it is a mystical, rather than scientific, combining robot, and the robot is not formed in episode one. It was later succeeded by Dairugger XV, which was unrelated, outside of inclusion in US television series Voltron. Like most super robot shows, it had a fair share of violence like slave mistreatment, blood spills and murders as the series goes on as well as deaths of enemies and allies.

Characters

Equivalent Voltron names are shown in parentheses following original GoLion names, where applicable.

The GoLion Team

Akira Kogane (黄金旭, Kogane Akira, Keith Kogane) / Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue — A high-tempered young man, who leads the GoLion team in the Black Lion. Like most combining-robot leaders, he wears the stereotypical red colored attire. He thinks of strategies, and is seen reading or fighting with team members when they disagree with him, like most leaders in super-robot shows. Kogane is a Japanese word for gold.

Isamu Kurogane (黒鋼勇, Kurogane Isamu, Lance Charles McClain) / Voiced by: Yū Mizushima — Second-in-command of GoLion, who pilots the Red Lion, and wears a blue uniform. He is a tall man, both wiry and wily, about 21-23 years of age. Isamu is always cracking jokes and teasing others whenever he gets the chance. He is the only one in the group who has the guts to contest any of Akira's commands. He is also a ladies' man. A great pilot, though a bit too daring at times, like most rebels in super robot shows. Kurogane is a Japanese word for iron.

Takashi Shirogane (銀貴, Shirogane Takashi, Sven Holgersson) / Voiced by: Ryuusei Nakao — Takashi was the original second-in-command. He piloted the Blue Lion, and wore a black uniform in the very beginning of the series. He seemed to be the oldest and the most mature of the team. In episode 6, he was badly injured during an attack by Honerva and died from it, and was given a hero's burial. Farla replaced him as the Blue Lion's pilot. He had a younger brother named Sho who, along with Princess Omuvei, joined the heroes in the fight against the Galra Empire. Like his brother, he also perished in battle. Shirogane is a Japanese word for silver.

Hiroshi "Chibi" Suzuishi (錫石「チビ」宏, Suzuishi "Chibi" Hiroshi, Darrell "Pidge" Stoker) / Voiced by: Masako Nozawa — Hiroshi is the youngest and smallest of the group; he pilots the Green Lion, and wears a green uniform. He is approximately 12 years old. Hiroshi graduated from the academy at a young age, and his specialty is science, like most super-robot geniuses. Like the others, he is well-trained in martial arts, and uses his size and agility to his advantage. Hiroshi is not afraid to speak his mind, especially to the villains. Suzuishi is a Japanese word for Casserite, a common tin ore.

Tsuyoshi Seidō (青銅強, Seidō Tsuyoshi, "Hunk" Garett) / Voiced by: Tessho Genda — Tsuyoshi is the strong-man of the group, piloting the Yellow Lion, and wearing a yellow uniform. He is about 22-24 years old. He may look tough and mean, but he has a soft heart; especially when it comes to children. He is never late for a meal. Though his friends tease him about his appetite, most of Tsuyoshi's bulk is muscle. Seidō is a Japanese word for copper.

Princess Farla (ファーラ姫, Fāra Hime, Princess Allura) / Voiced by: Rumiko Ukai — Farla, of the Planet Altea, is the ruler of the Kingdom of Altair (as well as the entire planet, for the most part). She takes over for Takashi as the pilot of the Blue Lion, and wears a pink uniform. She is 16. Though a bit naïve, especially with matters of romance, she is a strong-willed woman. She is lustfully pursued by Prince Sincline, due to her somewhat strong resemblance to his dead mother, Emperor Daibazaal's concubine, though it is possible that Sincline also has the same taste in women as his father.

Other allies

Princess Omuvei (Princess Romelle) — Princess Omuvei is Farla's cousin. She lives on the planet Pollux, where she co-rules with her brother, Prince Bandor. Her father once had an alliance with Emperor Daibazaal, and even her brother was transformed into a Beast Fighter, which caused his death at the hands of Galra for refusing to fight further. She is a dead-ringer for Princess Farla in terms of physical appearance. Though once a slave of Sincline, Takashi's brother Sho came to her rescue, and together they fight for her people against the Galra Empire.

Raible (軍師ライブル Gunshi Raiburu / Coran) / Voiced by: Yūji Fujishiro — Raible is Farla's royal advisor, and is in charge of the Castle Control. He also advises the Golion team, and is very wise, though he can be very overprotective and opinionated at times, like most wise super-robot professor-types.

Hisu (女官長ヒス Jokanchō Hisu / Nanny) / Voiced by: Kazuyo Aoki — Hisu is Farla's over-protective caregiver, who always wants to make all of Farla's decisions for her. Like Raible, Hisu fusses over the Princess, and is bent on keeping her away from all harm. She dies near the finale of GoLion as she protects Raible, a death that never happened in Voltron.

King Raimon (ライモン王 Raimon Ō / King Alfor) / Voiced by: Mahito Tsujimura — King Raimon is Farla's deceased father and previous ruler of planet Altea. Years ago, King Raimon went forth to battle against Emperor Daibarzal and his Galra forces. He was tragically killed on that day with his wife. His body was placed in a royal tomb, located right underneath the castle. Nowadays, he returns to the world of the living every so often in a ghostly form to give advice to his daughter to help her in her struggles to maintain peace.

Sho Shirogane (銀亮 Shirogane Ryō / Sven Holgersson) / Voiced by: Ryuusei Nakao — Takashi's kid brother who appeared on planet Galra and rescued Princess Onuvei. He bears a strong resemblance to his older brother Takashi and made a vow to avenge him. He then kills Sincline in the end, at the cost of his own life. It is not known how he ended up on planet Galra.

Members of the Galra Empire

The Galra ("Planet Doom" in Voltron) Empire are a race of merciless individuals who even oppress their own people. They capture other planets and enslave them, forcing them to serve its evil ruler Emperor Daibazaal. The Empire's history isn't very clear. However, it's true that Emperor Daibazaal seized Altea by slaying its monarch King Raimon. Prince Sincline conquered other worlds, and beheaded their leaders. They have destroyed Earth in a nuclear war, as well.

They invade planets with the aid of Galran Beast Fighters, which are considered the apex of Galran imperialism. These Beast Fighters can sometimes be seen in the arenas fighting to the death in some episodes, as well as people getting killed like in past super robot shows. They also treat their slaves in cruel ways such as starving, brutal whipping and killing on the spot as seen in Golion's predecessors Voltes V and Combattler V.

Emperor Daibazaal (ダイ・バザール大帝王 ː DaiBazaaru Daiteiō / King Zarkon) / Voiced by: Kousei Tomita — The sadistic, tyrannical supreme ruler, and the Emperor of Galra. Unlike in the American version, he has no scruples, and is not controlled by any other power. He is an absolute, and gains the title of Emperor, being the ruler of all planets he's taken under control of his brutal empire. He uses his subjects or even his own son Sincline as his scapegoats whenever he fails. He hates all that is good, and wants to conquer the universe, and has enslaved countless civilizations, claiming it for the glory of himself while saying it's for his people. He loses his temper easily, and even kills one of his allies when his birthday celebration was ruined by GoLion. Later, he sentences his son Sincline to imprisonment as part of the Galran law against repeated failures. Presumably extremely racist, his slaves are usually humans (who are usually displayed as suffering at the hands of the enemy in most super-robot shows), but at one point he raped a blonde human woman (presumably he may have wanted to marry her, but her refusal prompted her murder after giving birth) to produce his son, Sincline. When he failed in his mission after imprisoning his own son for failure, his son turned the tables, and forced him to pilot the last Beast Fighter made in his image — forcibly attached to it, presumably without any escape capsule. Although he was able to defeat GoLion at first with massive energy, however, a miracle occurred — GoLion emitted a sudden energy boost, and its repaired Laser Sword managed to backfire at him and weaken him severely. GoLion destroyed his robot and left him for dead, Daibazaal presumably refusing to escape and chosing to commit suicide, a death long overdue in Voltron. Much more of a coward than his son, Prince Sincline.

Prince Sincline (シンクライン皇太子 ːː Shinkurain Kōtaishi / Prince Lotor) / Voiced by: Akira Kamiya — Crown prince of Galra, and a half-human. A dangerous and cunning adversary, his only weakness is the fact he fell in love with Princess Farla, who somewhat resembles his blonde mother whom his father, Emperor Daibazaal, killed presumably for refusing marriage. He plots to overthrow his own father and marry Princess Farla due to their similar preferences of women (with strong underlying Oedipalian connections). He is a sly, scheming villain yet has some sense of honor who at times prefers to fight fair over his father's dirty tactics and would rather defeat an enemy on one-on-one battle and Akira's frequent rival. His conquests are legendary, but his failure in Altea makes his attachment to Farla supremely ironic and later switches his affections to Farla's cousin Omuvei. Because of this, he was sentenced to imprisonment by his own father towards the end of the series. However, he managed to avenge himself on his father after his loyalists released him, forcing his father to pilot the last Beast Fighter, which was created in Daibazaal's own image. Later, after Emperor Daibazaal's obvious death (which never happened in the American version), he tries to kill GoLion during its invasion of the Galra castle. When his officers demand surrender, he doesn't give in and slays them all, preferring to fight to the last drop of blood instead, as he believes mercy is for the weak. He also kills Honerva when she decides to assist GoLion by getting rid of the bombs he placed to destroy the super robot. In one last confrontation, after being defeated by Akira in a duel, he decides to use Sho as a hostage. While attempting to destroy Golion to avenge himself of his previous defeats and rule the Universe, an enraged Sho stabs him and they fall to their deaths, killing him as they hit hard ground in contrast to the U.S. version.

Honerva (妖婆ホネルバ ːː Yōba Honeruba / Hagar) / Voiced by: Masako Nozawa — A scientist/witch who uses certain magic spells like hypnotism and disguises. She also creates the legendary Beast Fighters, which are the apex of Galran technology (which became a common fodder for super-robot TV in the past), and sends them against GoLion. She used to be gorgeous, but turned twisted and evil. When Emperor Daibazaal piloted the last Beast Fighter, she wanted to grant the Emperor victory. She also dies in the end of the series after the destruction of Galra, being brutally killed at the tip of Prince Sincline's sword. During which, she is burned alive and is revealed to be bald after daring to taunt Sincline over his treachery against the Emperor, and refusing to assist him in the final battle against GoLion, deciding to assist the robot instead.

Zadak (サダック Zadakku / Yurak) / Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata — Military Commander of Planet Galra. He heads the invasion team as the Emperor's best general. However, his constant failures against GoLion for so long caused him to be condemned like most super robot commanders; i.e., sentenced to death by the Emperor. Banished, however, Prince Sincline gave him a chance to become a gigantic Beast Fighter and fight GoLion to redeem himself. When this happens, he is killed by GoLion in their final battle, allowing Sincline to step in as commander of the Galran military against Planet Altea.

Galran Soldiers — Typical scuds in super robot shows that perform sadistic operations like starving, whipping, and killing slaves. In the American version of the series, some were organic soldiers, and others were robots.

Red Baron — He was trying to get the position of governor-general of Galra. However, he was unfortunately killed in battle against Golion while piloting a seemingly undefeatable beast fighter, where he presumably committed suicide.

Galran Deathblack Beastmen (Robeasts) — Beast Fighters sent by Honerva against GoLion. They are usually robots. They are made to fight in the arena, and are the apex of Galra's technology, the weapons used by Daibazaal in conquering one world after another, which is typical in super robot shows.

GoLion specifications

Initially, none of them are mecha. Instead, they are supernatural, sentient machines that form into the mighty GoLion. They were split up by a goddess so that GoLion might be taught humility until the right time comes. Later, GoLion gains a soul in the five pilots who want to protect the universe from Emperor Daibazaal's evil.

GoLion is the first combining mech as a sentient being. It is 60 metres (197 feet) tall and weighs 700 tonnes (771 tons).

Black Lion (黒獅子, Kuro Shishi) — Forms the body and head of GoLion. Powered by air. Piloted by Akira.
Green Lion (緑獅子, Midori Shishi) — Forms the left arm of GoLion. Powered by life. Piloted by Hiroshi.
Red Lion (赤獅子, Aka Shishi) — Forms the right arm of GoLion. Powered by fire. Piloted by Isamu.
Yellow Lion (黄獅子, Ki Shishi) — Forms the left leg of GoLion. Powered by earth. Piloted by Seido.
Blue Lion (青獅子, Ao Shishi) — Forms the right leg of GoLion. Powered by water. Piloted by Farla later after the death of Takashi, completing the team of five.

Weapons

Each Lion has a Lion Blade (a boomerang held in the lion's mouth), dorsal missiles and shoulder mounted lasers. GoLion is armed with the following:

Ten Kings Sword (十王剣, Jūōken)(pun: Jūō written with the kanji 獣王 means Beast King) — GoLion clasps both arms together and pulls out a sword, which is then used to defeat the enemy Deathblack Beastmen. Later in the series is used to perform the techniques Lightning Drop (稲妻落とし, Inazuma Otoshi) and Meteor Fifth Rank Slash (流星五段斬り, Ryūsei Godan Giri).
Called "Blazing Sword" in the Voltron version.
Wing Boomerang — Boomerang attack from the wings of GoLion.
Spinning Blades —
Electromagnetic Beam —- Beams fired from the eyes of Golion.
Hurricane Attack — Wind attack similar to Daimos Blizzard, but not as strong.
Laser Magnum — Laser-like bullets fired from the mouth of the Green Lion (GoLion's Left Hand).
Fire Tornado — A burst of flame emits from the mouth of the Red Lion (GoLion's Right Hand).
Cross Beam — Cross-shaped boomerang fired from the chest.
Gatling Missiles — Small missiles fired from the legs.
Electromagnetic Lance — Weapon used as a spear at times.
Foot Missile — Missiles fired from the mouths of the Blue and Yellow Lions (GoLion's feet).

Changes for Voltron

In addition to the name changes mentioned above, footage was heavily edited and re-assembled by World Events Productions in the U.S. to create Voltron. Dialogue was completely rewritten, character deaths were omitted, graphic violence was drastically reduced, and plot events were changed. In addition, Toei created animation specifically for a plot arc for the U.S. series that was never broadcast in the original GoLion.

Episodes

01- Escape from the Slave Castle
02- The Extinct Star of Illusion
03- An Apparition and Five Keys
04- Resurrection of the Legendary Giant
05- Fortress of the New Battle
06- The Death of Brave Shirogane
07- Fight of the Beautiful Princess
08- Stolen Blue Lion
09- Girl of the Evil Country
10- The Secret of the White Lion
11- The Red Rain of Hell
12- The Evil Deeds of the Great Emperor
13- Honerva the Beauty Appears
14- The Crown Prince of Garla
15- Get Over the Spectre of Shirogane
16- The Love Bridge of Legend
17- Challenge of Space
18- The Sound of Steps in the Forest of Fear
19- The Ghost Castle of Mystery
20- Goodbye Earth
21- Sister Star of Altea
22- The Space Rose of Illusion
23- Friday the Thirteenth
24- Search for the Small Shadows!
25- Destroy the Huge Gun!
26- Defeat the Invisible Enemy
27- The Lullaby of the Giant Beast
28- Birthday of the Demon
29- The Sky of Fire Approaches
30- The Black Love of the Crown Prince
31- The Mecha Beast Fighter of Fear
32- Behold the One Hundred Ton Punch
33- Terror of the Space Frog
34- Underground Secret Operation
35- Defend the Soccer Stadium
36- Death Match of Light and Shadow
37- Speed Mania of Space
38- Go Lion Hunting
39- The Trap of the Super Armored Strength Star
40- Altea Devoid of Tomorrow
41- The Younger Brother of Brave Shirogane
42- The Sand Planet Calls out Death
43- Young Death Defying Squad of Anger
44- Vow of Planet Jalu
45- Great Army of Darkness
46- Aburada's Great Victory of Love
47- Target Mannaker
48- Rebellion of the Mecha Fortress
49- The Challenge of Mister Mecha X
50- Great Charge To Galra
51- GoLion, Fighting Hard
52- Burn Galra Castle

Trivia

Recently, GoLion made its debut appearance in Banpresto's famous Super Robot Taisen series; namely Super Robot Taisen W for the Nintendo DS. In that game, GoLion is tied closely with Gaogaigar, another series featuring a mechanical lion. The GoLion team is said to have attended the same space academy as Gaogaigar protagonist Guy Shishioh; they later invite Guy to join the team. He declines, saying that they'd have to change their name to "RokuLion", and comments that his lion (Gahleon) is too different from the others'. Akira says that it's no problem, as the sixth member of the team is always a special case (a joking reference to Super Sentai shows).
The name GoLion is a pun on the fact Go is a pronounce of the number 5 in Japanese, so GoLion sounds, to a Japanese, like FiveLion.
GoLion made its debut in the Italian market in 1982, two years before the U.S. premiere of Lion Force Voltron. The series was released in Italy under its original name of GoLion, with most of the character names unchanged from the original Japanese. However, the American Lion Force Voltron was eventually adapted into Italian, and the Italian-dubbed GoLion subsequently vanished from Italian TV.
The Japanese theme songs to GoLion were performed by legendary Tokusatsu and anime theme singer Ichiro Mizuki.
Many of the plots are similar to previous super robot shows like Voltes V and Combattler V. The scenes like excessive whipping and killing of slaves and feeding them "garbage" is similar as well. Even Emperor Daibarzar is strongly referential to Voltes V's Emperor Zambajil.
The pilot suits and the order the GoLion team wear bear a resemblance to the costumes and team order from the Super Sentai Shows. Akira for example, is the team leader and wears a red pilot suit, which is similar to a leader of Sentai team wearing a red costume, or the Red Ranger in the Power Rangers universe. Princess Farla also follows the Sentai team tradition of being (though not always) the only female member of the team. They Also wear the same colors worn by the sentai warriors(green, blue yellow, black, pink) and also another warrior wearing another color is the second in command(usually green, black or blue)

External links

World Events Productions homepage
The Official Voltron Force Homepage
Hyakuu Ju Oh Goraion - SGB's Golion site, shows difference between Voltron and the original Golion

Series

Fansites

Purrsia's Voltron Central - Voltron fansite with images, information, episode guides and fan listings for both classic Lion and Vehicle Voltron.
Galaxy - A Voltron fansite with bios, downloads, and more.
Rhapsody in Blue Voltron/Prince Lotor fansite
Cossack the Terrible - Humorous and fun fan page done from Cossack's point of view