Beast King GoLion

Beast King GoLion (百獣王ゴライオン) is a Japanese super robot anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and trimmed to create the Lion version of the U.S. Voltron: Defender of the Universe series, with new names and dialogue, as well as several plot changes. In 2008, GoLion was released on Region 1 DVD in three volumes.

Story
GoLion's story starts in the year 1999, when the planet Altea is subdued and enslaved by the Galra Empire. Five space pilots return to Earth to find the planet annihilated by thermonuclear war. Eventually, the explorers are captured and enslaved, and forced to fight for their lives in Emperor Daibazaal's arena. The young pilots escape and eventually land on the planet Altea, where they discover the secret of the mighty sentient robot GoLion, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Emperor Daibazaal's forces. Thousands of years ago, GoLion was an arrogant robot who, after defeating several Beastmen, tried to challenge a goddess to battle, but failed. To teach him humility, the goddess separated him into five pieces in the form of five lion robots that sailed through space and crash-landed on Altea, to lay in wait for those who would one day reawaken him to fight evil once again.

The GoLion team

 * Akira Kogane (黄金 旭) /
 * Nickname: Chief (チーフ) A short-tempered young man, Akira leads the GoLion team in the Black Lion and wears a red uniform. A strategic thinker, he is usually seen reading, or fighting with team members who disagree with him. "Kogane" is a Japanese word for "gold". He is the frequent enemy of Sincline due to the fact that Fala is attracted to him.


 * Takashi Shirogane (銀 貴) / (Episode 1-6)
 * Nickname: Quiet (黙り) Takashi was the original second-in-command. He piloted the Blue Lion and wore a black uniform. He is approximately the same age as Akira. In episode 6, he was wounded during an attack by Honerva and later died from his injuries. He was given a hero's burial. Fala replaced him as the Blue Lion's pilot. He had a younger brother named Ryou, who, along with Princess Amue, joined the heroes in the fight against the Galra Empire. Like his brother, Ryou also perished in battle. "Shirogane" is a Japanese word for "silver".


 * Isamu Kurogane (黒鋼 勇) /
 * Nickname: Moody (お天気屋) Second-in-command of GoLion, Isamu pilots the Red Lion and wears a blue uniform. He is tall, wiry, and wily, and is approximately 21-23 years of age. Isamu is always joking and teasing others whenever he gets the chance. He is the only one in the group who contests any of Akira's commands. He is also a ladies' man and a great pilot, though a bit too daring at times. He also has feelings for Princess Fala to a lesser extent, another reason for a rivalry between him and Akira. "Kurogane" is a Japanese word for "iron".


 * Tsuyoshi Seidō (青銅 強) /
 * Nickname: Hothead (向こうっ気) Tsuyoshi is the strongman of the group. He pilots the Yellow Lion and wears an orange uniform. He is roughly 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, Tsuyoshi is very muscular. "Seidō" is a Japanese word for "copper".


 * Hiroshi Suzuishi (錫石 宏) /
 * Nickname: Shorty (チビ) 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 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 "cassiterite", a common tin ore.


 * Princess Fala (ファーラ姫) /
 * Fala, of the Planet Altea, is the ruler of the Kingdom of Altair. She takes over for Takashi as the pilot of the Blue Lion and wears a pink uniform. At 16 years of age, she is strong-willed and a bit naïve, especially with matters of romance. She is lustfully pursued by Prince Sincline due to her resemblance to his dead mother, Emperor Daibazaal's concubine. Fala is somewhat attracted to Akira. Her sole living relative is her aunt, Queen Elena.

Other allies

 * Raible (軍師ライブル) /
 * Raible is Fala's royal adviser and is in charge of the Castle Control. He also advises the GoLion team, and can be very over-protective and opinionated at times.


 * Hys (女官長ヒス) /
 * Hys is Fala's over-protective caregiver, who always wants to make all of Fala's decisions for her. Like Raible, Hys fusses over the Princess, and is bent on keeping her away from all harm. Suzuishi sometimes derogatorily calls her "Hys-teria." She dies near the finale when protecting Raible from a laser blast.


 * King Raimon (ライモン王) /
 * King Raimon is Fala's deceased father and previous ruler of Planet Altea. Fifteen years earlier, Raimon went forth to battle against Emperor Daibazaal and his Galra forces. He was tragically killed on that day with his wife and elder children, leaving Fala as his only surviving descendant. His body was placed in a royal tomb located right underneath the castle. He returns to the world of the living every so often as a ghost to give advice to Fala to help her in her struggles to maintain peace.


 * Space Mice (宇宙鼠)
 * A family of five mice that live in Gradam Castle. They were Princess Fala's only friends while she was growing up, and she is the only one who can understand their language. The father mouse's name is Platt (プラット) and the mother mouse is Chuchule.


 * Ryou Shirogane (銀亮) /
 * Takashi's younger brother, who appeared on Planet Galra and rescued Princess Amue. He bears a strong resemblance to his older brother and made a vow to avenge his death. 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.


 * Princess Amue (アミュー姫)
 * Princess Amue is Fala's cousin. She lives on Planet Heracles, where she co-rules with her younger brother, Prince Alor. Her father, King Heracles, once had an alliance with Emperor Daibazaal. Her older brother, Prince Samson, 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 Fala in terms of physical appearance. Though once a slave of Sincline, Takashi's brother Ryou came to her rescue and together they fight for her people against the Galra Empire.


 * Prince Alor /
 * Princess Amue's kid brother. He used to admire Sincline's skill as a fighter, but after the deaths of his father and older brother, and the capture of his sister at the hands of Galra, he has now joined forces with Altea and GoLion.

The Galra Empire
The Galra Empire are a race of merciless individuals who even oppress their own people. They capture other planets and enslave their population, forcing them to serve its evil ruler, Emperor Daibazaal. Daibazaal's son, Prince Sincline, conquered other worlds and beheaded their leaders. The Galra Empire invades planets with the aid of Galran Beast Fighters. Daibazaal and Sincline were responsible for the destruction of Earth.


 * Emperor Daibazaal (ダイ・バザール大帝王) / (Episode 1-51)
 * The Emperor of Galra and a sadistic, tyrannical, supreme ruler. He uses his subjects and even his own son, Sincline, as his scapegoats whenever he fails. He hates all that is good and wants to conquer the universe. He has enslaved countless civilizations, claiming them for the glory of himself. He loses his temper easily, and even killed one of his allies when his birthday celebration was ruined by GoLion. Later, he sentences Sincline to imprisonment as part of the Galran law against repeated failures. Daibazal's slaves are usually humans, but at one point he raped a blonde Altean woman to produce his son, Sincline. When he failed in his mission after imprisoning his own son for failure, Sincline turned the tables and forced him to pilot the last Beast Fighter made in his own image. Although he was able to pin down GoLion and almost destroy him with a battle axe, a miracle occurred. GoLion's sword emitted a sudden energy boost, and his repaired Laser Sword managed to backfire at the Beastman, weakening him severely. GoLion destroyed the robot with Daibazaal inside. Daibazaal, with no way to escape, dies in the explosion.


 * Prince Sincline (シンクライン皇太子) / (Episode 14-52)
 * Crown prince of Galra and a half-Altean. A dangerous and cunning adversary, his only weakness is the fact that he fell in love with Princess Fala, who somewhat resembles his mother whom his father, Emperor Daibazaal, killed for refusing to marry him. He plots to overthrow his own father and marry Princess Fala. He is a sly, scheming villain with a sense of honor, preferring to fight fair over his father's dirty tactics, and is Akira's frequent rival. Like his father, Sincline loses his temper easily and kills his own men with very little provocation. He even killed his own slave woman once when she accidentally spilled some liquid Sincline was drinking on his leg. In one last confrontation, after killing his own followers for siding with GoLion, he decides to take Ryou as a hostage. While attempting to destroy GoLion to avenge himself of his previous defeats and rule the universe, an enraged Ryou stabs him and they both fall to their deaths.


 * Honerva (妖婆ホネルバ) / (Episode 1-51)
 * 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 and sends them against GoLion. She used to be gorgeous, but turned twisted and evil. She is hinted to be secretly Daibazaal's mother and despises Sincline's Altean blood. When Emperor Daibazaal piloted the last Beast Fighter, she wanted to grant the Emperor victory. She is killed by Prince Sincline's sword at the end of the series after the destruction of Galra Castle when she betrays him by helping GoLion instead and revealing the truth of Sincline's mother as an Altean woman.


 * Jaga (ヤガ) (Episode 1-51)
 * Honerva's pet Space Cat, with whom Honerva is able to communicate (similar to how Fala can communicate with the Space Mice). He is the arch-enemy of the Space Mice. Sincline killed him by slashing him before killing Honerva.


 * Sadak (サダック) / (Episode 1-14)
 * Military commander of Planet Galra. He heads the invasion force as the Emperor's best general. However, his constant failures against GoLion for so long caused him to be sentenced to death by the Emperor. Banished, Prince Sincline gave him a chance to become a gigantic Beast Fighter and fight GoLion to redeem himself. When this happened, he was killed by GoLion in their final battle, allowing Sincline to step in as commander of the Galran military against Planet Altea.


 * Gobra (ゴブラ) /
 * A soldier assigned to Prince Sincline. Killed by Sincline in the last episode.


 * Blackman Soldiers
 * Galran foot soldiers that perform sadistic operations like starving, whipping, and killing slaves.


 * Reggar (Episode 37)
 * He was trying to get the position of Supreme Commander of the Galra Air Force. However, he was killed in battle against GoLion while piloting a seemingly undefeatable Beast Fighter, when he presumably committed suicide.


 * Galran Deathblack Beastmen (デスブラック獣人)
 * Beast Fighters, serving as the apex of Galran technology, sent by Honerva against GoLion. Anyone captured and enslaved by the Galran Empire are immediately herded into the arena on Planet Galra where they are forced to fight to the death against the larger, powerful, and deadlier Beastmen who easily kill them before an enthusiastic crowd. Then the slaves are butchered and made into slave stew, a favorite gruesome dish for the Beastmen to eat. Anyone who survives fighting the Deathblack Beastmen are subjected to Honerva's dark magic that changes them into Beastmen to fight GoLion.

GoLion specifications
GoLion was separated into five separate lion robots by a goddess who wished to teach GoLion humility until he could be reassembled. GoLion later gains a soul after being reawakened by the five pilots who use GoLion to protect the universe from Emperor Daibazaal's evil.

GoLion is 60 metres (197 ft) tall, and weighs 700 tonnes (771 tons).


 * Black Lion (黒獅子)
 * Forms the body and head of GoLion. Powered by lightning. Piloted by Akira.


 * Red Lion (赤獅子)
 * Forms the right arm of GoLion. Powered by fire. Piloted by Isamu.


 * Green Lion (緑獅子)
 * Forms the left arm of GoLion. Powered by wind. Piloted by Hiroshi.


 * Blue Lion (青獅子)
 * Forms the right leg of GoLion. Powered by water. Piloted by Takashi, and later Fala after Takashi's death.


 * Yellow Lion (黄獅子)
 * Forms the left leg of GoLion. Powered by sand. Piloted by Tsuyoshi.

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) (pun: Jūō written with the kanji 獣王 means Beast King) — GoLion clasps both arms together and pulls out a sword.
 * The sword is used to defeat the enemy Deathblack Beastmen. Later in the series, it is used to perform the techniques Lightning Drop (稲妻落とし) and Meteor Fifth Rank Slash (流星五段斬り). In Media Blasters' release of GoLion, it is translated as "King's Sword Jyuoken" (when summoning the weapon, otherwise it is simply "Jyuoken").


 * Wing boomerang — Boomerang attack from the wings of GoLion.
 * Space cutter — Spinning blades.
 * Eye flash — 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.
 * Fire tornado — A burst of flame emits from the mouth of the Red Lion.
 * 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.
 * Four lion attack — The "Lion Head Attack" 100-ton punch.
 * Grand fire — A stream of flames fired from the mouths of the Blue and Yellow Lions.
 * Double Sword — Two blades are pulled from the wings of GoLion and attached end to end. Typically thrown like a javelin.

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. Changes made to the series included rewritten dialogue, omitted character deaths, toned-down violence, and altered plot developments. In addition, Toei Animation Ltd. created and animated a brand new plot arc specifically for the U.S. Voltron series.

Episodes

 * 1) Escape from Slave Castle
 * 2) The Ruined Phantom Planet
 * 3) A Ghost and the Five Keys
 * 4) Resurrection of the Legendary Giant
 * 5) Fortress for the New Struggle
 * 6) Death of Shirogane the Hero
 * 7) The Beautiful Princess' Battle
 * 8) Stolen Blue Lion
 * 9) Girl of the Land of Evil
 * 10) Secret of the White Lion
 * 11) The Red Rain of Hell
 * 12) Evildoing of the Emperor
 * 13) Introducing Beautiful Honerva
 * 14) The Crown Prince of Hell
 * 15) Overcome the Phantom of Shirogane
 * 16) The Legendary Bridge of Love
 * 17) Challenge from Space
 * 18) Footsteps in the Forest of Fear
 * 19) The Mystery of Ghost Castle
 * 20) Goodbye, Earth
 * 21) Altea's Sister Planet
 * 22) Phantom Space Flowers
 * 23) Friday the 13th
 * 24) Look for the Little Shadows
 * 25) Destroy the Giant Cannon!
 * 26) Defeat the Invisible Enemy
 * 27) Giant Beastman's Lullaby
 * 28) The Demon's Birthday
 * 29) Comes a Fiery Sky
 * 30) The Prince Imperial's Dark Love
 * 31) The Dreaded Mecha Beastman
 * 32) Behold! The 100-ton Punch
 * 33) Terror of the Space Frogs
 * 34) Underground Operation
 * 35) Protect the Soccer Field
 * 36) Mortal Combat of Light and Shadow
 * 37) Space Speed Demon
 * 38) GoLion Hunting
 * 39) The Hypergravity Planetoid Trap
 * 40) No Tomorrow for Altea
 * 41) Brave Shirogane's Brother
 * 42) The Sand Planet of Death
 * 43) Angry Youth Suicide Corp
 * 44) The Planet Jarre Oath
 * 45) The Great Army of Darkness
 * 46) Fight Back, Space Mice
 * 47) The Seven Free Planets
 * 48) Reunion with the Phantom
 * 49) The Last of Hys
 * 50) The Great Storming of Galra
 * 51) GoLion's Desperate Battle
 * 52) Burn Galra Castle

Releases
Media Blasters released Collection 1 in the U.S. on DVD on May 27, 2008. Collection 2 was released on August 12, 2008. Collection 3 was released on November 25, 2008. GoLion was re-released as a Complete Chronology set with all 52 episodes on April 13, 2010.

Staff

 * General Director: Katsuhiko Taguchi
 * Screenwriters: Susumu Takahisa, Masaaki Sakurai, Akira Nakahara, Hiroshi Toda
 * Episode Direction: Kazuyuki Okaseko, Hiroshi Sasagawa, Kazuya Miyazaki, Johei Matsuura, Tatsuya Kasahara
 * Character Designs: Kazuo Nakamura
 * Mechanical Designs: Takayuki Masuo, Yoshiro Harada
 * Animation Direction: Kazuo Nakamura, Moriyasu Taniguchi, Akira Shinoda, Akira Saijo, Hiroshi Iino, Hiromitsu Oda
 * Music: Asei Kobayashi, Masahisa Takeichi