Tekkaman Blade II

Tekkaman Blade II (宇宙の騎士テッカマンブレードII) is a 6 episode Original Video Animation.

10 years have passed since the end of the original Tekkaman Blade, and a new generation of Tekkaman must confront a powerful new enemy while rebuilding their forces.

D-Boy/Blade, the title character of the preceding Tekkaman anime, appears here as well but does not play a major role until the later episodes. The main character this time around is Yumi Francois, a young and bumbling mechanic who proves to be the unlikely third candidate for the elite Tekkaman fighting trio. Thrust into battle with very little training, she must earn the trust and confidence of her teammates if she is to succeed and survive.

Pre-Episode 1: Black September Incident
Thousands of human beings altered into Primary Bodies by the First Invasion rally to Prague at the call of an insane Tekkaman cult leader named Mikhail. The Space Knights are deployed in a peacekeeping effort, unaware of world militaries preparing to annihilate the entire city in a nuclear attack. Aki, the Red Devil, fights and kills the leader of the uprising before assisting the sudden evacuation of the city, finding David Krueger moments before the bombs are dropped and spiriting him away on the back of Pegasus II. Dead End's friends and family are killed along with tens of thousands of others, though he survives the blast.

Episode 1: Virgin Flush
English Title: Stage 1: The New Generation - Part 1

Three Space Knights are chosen to become Tekkamen. In space, the United Earth Fleet is fighting off another invasion by Radam. The Radam bring Tekkamen and wipe out the fleet. They send missiles to Earth. This causes a problem during the Tekkaman evolution process for the three new cadets and a computer error resulting in Yumi receiving the Reactor Voltekka instead of Natasha. The Space Knights attack Radam but are overpowered. When attempting to help them, Yumi uses Reactor Voltekka but is unable to control its power, leading to a disaster.

Episode 2: Virgin Blood
English Title: Stage 1: The New Generation - Part 2

Yumi is training and becoming better. Radam hit the Space Knights' HQ. The Space Knights hold back out of compassion for the enemy. Aki joins the fight and kills the Radam Tekkamen.

Episode 3: Virgin Dream
English Title: Stage 2: The Alien Intruder - Part 1

Blade finally shows up and destroys a group of Radam. Yumi contends with Aki for D-Boy's love.

Episode 4: Dead-Boy
English Title: Stage 2: The Alien Intruder - Part 2

Dead End makes his first appearance. He defeats Blade in the middle of Space, but is not killed. David tries to prevent this by attacking but Dead End escapes.

Episode 5: Dirty Night
English Title: Stage 3: Final Encounter - Part 1

David befriends Dead and remembers Black September. We also get to see Noal and Milly(from Tekkman Blade) in a flashback and learn of what happened to Noal: he is apprehended by military police who support the General. His ultimate fate is unknown.

Episode 6: Dangerous Boys
English Title: Stage 3: Final Encounter - Part 2

Blade battles Dead in a final showdown.

Main characters (Tekkamen)

 * Yumi Francois:
 * Known as Tekkaman Hiver (Winter). Originally one of thousands of Primary Bodies produced by the events in the first Tekkaman Blade, she dreamed of becoming a Space Knight her whole life, and finally joined as a mechanic despite her clumsiness, airheadedness and tendency to screw things up, but the same positive attitude and friendly enthusiasm that likely got her the job ends up getting her selected by Chief Aki Kisaragi to be the final, third member of the new Space Knights Tekkaman team (much to her surprise).


 * Natasha, the Tekkaman for whom she worked previously, expresses disgust upon noticing Yumi's TekSet crystal and later resents her when Yumi inadvertently receives the Reactor Voltekka weapon as a result of an accident during the team's final conversion process into fully-fledged Tekkamen. Her nervousness and panic during her first use of the incredibly powerful weapon result in a portion of Earth's Space Ring being obliterated, but it becomes a potent ability once she learns to control it. Yumi is smitten with the image of the "White Tekkaman", having seen him fly over once during her childhood, and fantasizes about him constantly. This leads to something of a shock for her when she finds out he's still alive and that he's involved with the Chief - the love triangle turns into a total mess over several episodes as several other people express interest in her, including her pilot and her teammate Hayato.


 * David Kruegel:
 * Known as Tekkaman Sommer or Tekkaman Summer. A survivor of the fictional Black September incident (a conflict between the government and a splinter group of Primary Tekkamen that resulted in the destruction of Prague), his easygoing, joke-telling mannerisms conceal his true feelings - deeply troubled by the past and often depressed, he goes bar hopping in an attempt to drown his sorrows, compounded no doubt by his love for Aki, who he knows is already beyond his reach. He unknowingly befriends Dead End by virtue of being one of the few survivors of Black September, and the only person Dead has met capable of truly relating to his loss.


 * Natasha Pablochiva:
 * Known as Tekkaman Vesna. She is the daughter of the general that was responsible for Black September, and as the most seasoned of the new Space Knights serves as their squad leader. Intelligent but short-tempered and prone to snapping, she finds herself constantly berating Yumi for her airheadedness and inexperience. She uses a pata for her lancer.


 * Dead End:
 * Known as Tekkaman Dead, he uses the name Dead End in his non-Tekkaman identity. A survivor of Black September, he blames The Red Devil for the massacre and breaks into a military facility holding a captured Radam Tekkaplant, using it to upgrade him from a Primary Body to a fully-fledged Tekkaman. The use of the captured Radam technology as opposed to an adapted Earth Tekkaplant results in an exponentially higher level of power bestowed upon Dead during his first transformation, and he uses this power to cause widespread destruction in an attempt to attract the attention of The Space Knights. Dead is capable of using the Crash Intrude technique, just as Tekkaman Blade does, in which his armor generates a bird-shaped aura of energy, which allows him to "crash" through enemies with tremendous force. He also has the ability to absorb, through his shoulder armor, any Voltekka directed at him and send the energy back through his own Voltekka.


 * Alternatively motivated by rage and despair, Dead End believes that no one understands him and wants to die, but not before killing the woman he blames for the loss of his family and friends. During an attempt to stop Dead's mayhem, Tekkaman Blade is fatally wounded. Dead End dresses femininely and develops a friendship out of mutual loss with David after meeting him in a graveyard; they meet for the second time in their Tekkaman identities, and the third time in a bar, wherein Dead recognizes David as Tekkaman Sommer; David does not recognize Dead as a Tekkaman until a bit later, when David finds Dead's Tek crystal.

It should also be noted at somewhere between the climax of the final battle between the Tekkamen Space Knights and Tekkaman Dead, Dead mysteriously loses his shoulder mounted Voltekker cannons, though this could simply be an animation error as they're clearly not present at the time of Dead's resurfacing against the Radam.


 * Aki Kisaragi (アキ 如月):
 * One of the leaders of the Space Knights, she has no Tekkaman moniker (though referred to only as "Tekkaman Aki" according to Super Robot Wars W) and is referred to by the members of the team as "Chief". Her hair and eye color have both changed since the original series (from dark blue hair and brown eyes to green hair and eyes), owing possibly to her first metamorphosis into Tekkaman form (but more realistically to the change in animation teams between series, especially since in the Tekkaman Blade OVA specials, which are set in the same time as the original Tekkaman Blade series but done by the same animation team as for Tekkaman Blade II, she has the same green hair and eyes). Early on she plays an administrative role, overseeing the training of the new Tekkamen and briefing the team on mission objectives, but soon it becomes necessary for her to intervene directly. She transforms into a red Tekkaman with the help of a new Pegasus robot based on the design of the original (which was destroyed by Tekkaman Omega in the final episode of Tekkaman Blade). Her powers are incomplete in comparison to other "full" Tekkamen: although she is able to leap great distances, she has no thrusters of her own, and is incapable of self-induced flight. She also does not seem to possess any form of Voltekka, unlike all other Tekkamen in the series (SRW W gives her twin-liked guns mounted in her Tekkalance).


 * Aki fought on behalf of the government during the Black September, possibly killing the leaders of the rebellion. When the bomb fell, she grabbed the nearest person (who turned out to be David) and barely escaped the destruction of the city. Dead refers to her as "The Red Devil" for her part in the battle.


 * Aki is one of the few original Space Knights still on the team; along with Honda and Takaya they train the next generation of Tekkamen to protect the Earth. Of more subtle importance, Aki has been at Takaya's side since the day he lost his memory, filling him in as much as she could and providing an anchor for an undoubtedly confused and terrified soul.


 * The fact that she and Takaya have been in love for over a decade provides plenty of frustration for David, who has been infatuated with her since she rescued him.


 * Aki is a firm believer in science, as evidenced by her comments about "superstition" when she finds David reading passages from the Bible aloud.

Known as Tekkaman Blade (real name: Takaya Aiba). In the ten years of peace between Tekkaman Blade and Tekkaman Blade II and with Aki's guidance, he works towards forming a new generation of Space Knights that will be able to defend the Earth after he's gone. Although his crystal has been shattered in the original series, thus necessitating the use of Pegas to allow Blade's transformation into a Tekkaman, in Tekkaman Blade II his crystal is whole again and Blade transforms without any aid. How his crystal has been regenerated is unknown, but may be related to the form he takes on at the end of his battle with Omega.
 * D-Boy (Ｄボゥイ):
 * His power seems to have both decreased and somewhat increased since the beginning of Tekkaman Blade - initially he could not leave the earth's atmosphere unless assisted with another crystal, and a Voltekka attack would leave him drained and exhausted. However ten years later he's seen flying to Earth's moon and back unassisted as do the other Space Knights. A clear distinction is made between his level of power and that of any of the new Space Knight Tekkamen, with Dead End being the only living Tekkaman able to defeat him. He also appears to be less charismatic and less experienced in martial arts combat then he was in original Tekkaman Blade were he defeats many elite fully-fledged Tekkamen including: "Tekkaman Axe" his Master Martial Artist instructor, "Tekkaman Lance" a Super Human Tekkaman, "Tekkaman Evil" his twin brother, and Tekkaman Omega his eldest brother who is a "Tekkaman Warlord". In this he is seen struggling to keep up with "Dead End". He does not display the ability to become a Blaster Tekkaman anymore, but his former 30 minute time limit seems to have also expired.  Near the end of the last OVA, he demonstrates the same ability to absorb Voltekka attacks through his shoulder armor as Tekkaman Dead, and even combine the absorbed Voltekka with a Crash Intrude.


 * He appears calmer and less prone to impulsive action than his younger self, perhaps because his memory of having to face former loved ones in battle was destroyed by the end of the original series due to the neural degeneration his transformations caused. He does mention witnessing the slaughter of his family however. Since then he's worked from a relatively clean slate mentally, though he does seem to recognize Aki during the final moments of the last episode of Tekkaman Blade, and the relationship and love that grows from that point forward is quietly but powerfully evidenced in Tekkaman Blade II.

Other characters
One of the last of the original Space Knights, Honda is responsible for many of the seeming miracles of engineering during both series, including the design and construction of Pegas I and II, and the design of the Space Knights' new Blue Earth tri-docked fighters which the Tekkamen ride into battle. Though neglected like the original characters from Tekkaman Blade he is seen rarely in the show, he works behind the scenes to support the efforts of the group and is seen by the team as a father figure. His friendship with Aki and Takaya has lasted more than a decade.
 * Honda:


 * Anita (アニタ):
 * One of the pilots of the tri-hulled Blue Earth. Serving as David's counterpart in battle, she and Goliate are good friends and often drink together. She's cool under pressure and a top-notch pilot.


 * Goliath (ゴリアテ):
 * Natasha's pilot, Goliath is often seen hanging around with Anita, though they don't seem romantically interested in one another. Goliath is quick with a grin and eager to get into the fight, but tends to misinterpret other people when he's drunk.


 * Hayato (ハヤト):
 * Assigned to be Yumi's pilot, he develops a crush on her quickly but lacks the courage to tell her how he feels. David picks up on his infatuation quickly and torments him endlessly, and Yumi is far too preoccupied with the "White Tekkaman" to give him any notice. He's prone to bouts of passionate anger when his "love" is threatened, but his loyalty is absolute.


 * Radam Tekkamen:
 * The Radam Tekkamen are aliens converted into Tekkamen by the Radam. These Tekkamen possess many of the same abilities that the Earth Tekkamen do - that of self-powered flight, superhuman strength and dexterity, and the ability to launch quantum energy blasts from their shoulders - but their appearance contrasts sharply to that of the Space Knight heroes, and even to the mind-controlled Tekkamen of the First Invasion; rather than metallic, they appear much more organic in design and typically have tails and large, three fingered hands, this may be a result of the tekaplant coming in contact with a diffent alien species of a different anatomy and environment. As seen when they mourn for a fallen comrade, the Radam Tekkamen retain intelligence and at least some capability for emotions.


 * Sol-Tekka Soldiers: Vaking Unit


 * Utilizing designs based upon the original Sol Tekkaman power armors developed by the Earth military in Tekkaman Blade, the soldiers who serve as the planet's first line of defense are highly trained and courageous but ultimately only capable of thinning the ranks of the radam before being literally torn limb from limb by a single Tekkaman. Their suits are pressurized to seal out the vacuum of space, armored to withstand attacks and armed with both energy rifles and shoulder-mounted high-yield Fermion cannons which mimic a Tekkaman's Voltekka attack, making them easily the most powerful soldiers on the planet.


 * Pegas II


 * A semi-sentient battle robot that performs several functions for Aki Kisaragi, namely providing a way for her to transform and a ride for her during battle, much as the original Pegas did for Blade in the first series. Pegas II has two main configurations - a bipedal, humanoid robot form rarely seen in Tekkaman Blade II and a flight configuration where a Tekkaman can ride on its back.


 * Other


 * Primary Bodies are regular human beings who were captured by mobile Radam Tekkaplants (flower-shaped biological creatures doubling as DNA resequencing pods) to prepare them for mass-conversion into Tekkamen during the final episodes of Tekkaman Blade. Given all evidence, the Tekkaplants would reject humans who were un-fit for conversion (those too old, too young, or the disabled or ill) who would quickly die thereafter, drained of all possible strength. Those fit for transformation were to be converted into Tekkamen in much the same way as D-Boy and his family and friends had been on the Argos, but due to the timely intervention of the Space Knights many tens (possibly hundreds) of thousands of Primary Bodies were rescued before the transformation could be completed.


 * The result is that a percentage of the global population of Earth was granted the beginnings of a transformation crystal (or Tek-Setter) and the ability to transform into a first-stage Tekkaman, which amounts to a hardened biometal shell similar to a "full" Tekkaman, but without the customized hand-to-hand weapon, thrusters, or any sort of energy weapon launchers. Natasha, David, and Yumi are seen practicing riding one of the Space Knight ships in first-stage Tekkaman form before undergoing a full conversion in an Earth Tekkaplant. Other Primary Bodies are shown in Prague during the Black Sunday battle in flashbacks, some fighting, and others simply fleeing the conflict among other civilians. Later a large group (numbering in the thousands) of Primary Tekkamen is seen marching on the destroyed city of Prague at Dead's behest. "Primary Bodies" typically carry their crystals with them on a necklace or built into some sort of pendant, as D-Boy seems to be of the few individuals capable of simply absorbing his crystal into his body - Dead is seen with a dagger built around his crystal, which actually transforms along with him to become his main weapon in Tekkaman form.

English cast

 * Tara Strong: Yumi Francois/Tekkaman Hiver (credited as Tara Charendoff)
 * Adam Paul: David Kruegel/Tekkaman Sommer
 * Tasia Valenza: Natasha Pablochiva/Tekkaman Vesna
 * Scott Menville: Hayato
 * Jessica Lynn: Anita
 * Matt McKenzie: Goliate
 * John Hostetter: Honda
 * John DeMita: Takaya Aiba/D-Boy/Tekkaman Blade
 * Julia Fletcher: Aki Kisaragi, Dead End/Tekkaman Dead (credited as Julia DeMita)

Japanese cast

 * Mariko Kouda: Yumi Francois/Tekkaman Hiver
 * Ryotaro Okiayu: David Krugel/Tekkaman Sommer
 * Chieko Honda: Natasha Pablochiva/Tekkaman Vesna
 * Hiro Yuuki: Dead End/ Tekkaman Dead
 * Toshiyuki Morikawa: Takaya Aiba "D-Boy"/Tekkaman Blade
 * Megumi Hayashibara: Aki Kisaragi
 * Shōzō Iizuka: Honda
 * Wataru Takagi: Hayato
 * Kumiko Watanabe: Anita
 * Masaki Aizawa: Goliate
 * Nobuo Tobita: Pegasus II
 * Yasunori Matsumoto: Noal (ep. 5)
 * Chisa Yokoyama: Milly (ep. 5)

Trivia

 * This anime has been dubbed in English and is licensed by Urban Vision.


 * Unlike Tekkaman Blade, which received a major overhaul upon being released in Western shores as Teknoman, Tekkaman Blade II is an almost direct dub. It keeps all of the terminology used in the Japanese version, as well as most of the character names excluding Tekkaman Iberu (renamed 'Hiver' in the English dub) and Tekkaman Zommer (renamed 'Summer' in the English dub).


 * Unlike its prelude Tekkaman Blade which received a major cult statues in America,Tekkaman Blade II was mostly criticized by western fans of the original series and was never accepted into the Tekkaman Blade canon by cult fans.

Tekkaman Blade II, along with the first series, are among the featured series' in Super Robot Wars W. In this game, however, Tekkaman Blade II's story takes place within the story of the first. During the battle against EI-01, the Radam, who are enemies of the Zonder, also activate several Radam trees, capturing Yumi, David, and Natasha, who were all in Tokyo at the time. Six months after the outbreak of the Bloody Valentine War, the three are gathered at the Space Knights' new base, which in the game is located at NASA (a.k.a. GGG America). The game follows most of the series' story from there (Omitting the tragedy at Prague), adding in additional elements from the changing and mixing of various stories, such as Dead being willing to work with Amalgam and even the Radam Tekkamen to get revenge on Blade, planning to destroy the Radam next. Later, the story returns to the end of Tekkaman Blade, as the Tekkmen, Detonator Orgun and several other members of "Neue Wärter" attack the Radam Mothership on the moon. At the end of the story, D-Boy and Aki take a vacation, while the other Tekkamen are reassigned to the Nadesico C.