Neo-Human Casshern

Neo-Human Casshern (新造人間キャシャーン), also known as Casshan, is an anime series created by animation studio Tatsunoko Productions in 1973, which was based on a serialization in Kodansha’s Terebi Magazine and Akita Shoten’s “Boken Oh” (Adventure King).

The Casshern franchise also includes a 1993 original video animation simply titled Casshern, and a 2004 live action adaptation of the same name. In October 2008, a reboot of the franchise titled Casshern Sins premiered; in anticipation of the upcoming series, a DVD box set of the original series, titled Neo-Human Casshern Complete DVD-Box "All Episodes of Casshern", was released in Japan on September 24, 2008. Casshern also appears in Tatsunoko Fight and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars as a playable character.

Plot
Tetsuya Azuma (東鉄也), also known as Casshern, is a cybernetic neoroider (新造人間). Tetsuya turned himself into a cyborg for the purpose of hunting down and destroying robots that have taken over the world. His biological father, Dr. Kotaro Azuma, was the inventor of the robots that were originally intended to serve humankind. However, the first android, BK-1, was struck by lightning, and went out of control. With its great strength, it escaped from the castle despite attempts to stop it. After some time, it renamed itself as Braiking Boss, and was able to build a robot army against mankind; the robots mutinied en masse when their cold logic concluded that the good of the Earth Ecosystem required the destruction of the human race.

Casshern and his robotic dog, Friender, join forces with a beautiful girl named Luna Kozuki to battle the robots led by the Braiking Boss. Casshern has great strength and agility, but he is not armed, except for a pair of odd pistols, used more like rockets than weapons. Friender is capable of transforming itself into a tank or a jet aircraft and actively helps Casshern to fight the robot army. While the robots are huge and robust machines, he is usually able to destroy them with his bare hands, dispatching a great number in any battle. Casshern has also some weakpoints: his body must be re-charged (with solar energy), and cannot sustain very long battles without risking low battery power. Luna was totally harmless, until her father was able to build an electromagnetic pistol, easily capable of destroying the robots. Almost all the robot machines have an antenna on top of their heads, ripping it off usually causes them to blow up, so they are relatively vulnerable.

Characters
The protagonist of the series, Casshern is an android—the union of Tetsuya Azuma's data with an invincible body. His body features a number of unique android functions, including superhuman speed, agilty and strength, an opening and closing facemask, a golden crescent-shaped solar panel on his forehead and waist-mounted pulsar propellers that can also be used as weapons.
 * Casshern (キャシャーン)

A beautiful, 15-year-old girl who fights alongside Casshern. Like Tetsuya, her father is a scientist, and she is essential in the battle against the Andro Army, due to her MF (Magnetic Field) pulse gun.
 * Luna Kozuki (上月ルナ)

Tetsuya's mother, who had been captured by the Andro Army and had her data transferred into the body of Swanee (スワニー), a swan-type robo pet kept by Braiking Boss. She observes the actions of Braiking Boss and appears before Casshern as a hologram to offer her support.
 * Midori Azuma (東みどり)

The genius scientist who invented androids in hopes of helping mankind, and ironically became the architect of mankind's doom.
 * Kotaro Azuma (東光太郎)

Originally Tetsuya's pet dog, Lucky (ラッキー), its data was used to revive it as Friender after it was killed. In order to support Casshern, he can transform into a jet, submarine, tank, or a motorcycle, and is even able to breathe flames. Friender is a brave robotic dog capable of standing up to the Andro Army alone.
 * Friender (フレンダー)
 * (Ishida Sound staff member)

The antagonist of the series, originally BK-1, the first android created by Dr. Azuma and designed to help the human race, he was struck by lightning and rebelled, renaming himself Braiking Boss. He leads the Andro Army in a plot to conquer the Earth.
 * Braiking Boss (ブライキング・ボス)

A High-ranking member of the Andro Army along with Braiking Boss.
 * Barashin (バラシン)

Episode guide

 * 1) Immortal Challenger (不死身の挑戦者)
 * 2) Stake Victory on the Moonlight (月光に勝利をかけろ)
 * 3) Call to the Tomorrow Within the Ruins (廃墟の中に明日を叫べ)
 * 4) Channel Anger into the MF Gun (ＭＦ銃に怒りをこめろ)
 * 5) Don't Erase the Lantern of Battle (戦いの灯を消すな)
 * 6) Raging Wind Friender (疾風フレンダー)
 * 7) The Oath for the Hero Kikero (英雄キケロへの誓い)
 * 8) The Wild Beast Robot Roars (野獣ロボが吠える)
 * 9) The Concerto That Shines the Flames of War (戦火に響け協奏曲)
 * 10) Stake Life in the Desert of Death (死の砂漠に命をかけろ)
 * 11) Evil Virtual Image (悪魔の虚像)
 * 12) The Villainous Iron Train (鉄の悪党列車)
 * 13) Traitorous Robot #5 (裏切りロボット五号)
 * 14) The Casshern-Proof City (キャシャーン無用の街)
 * 15) The Puppy Runs in Vengeance (復讐に子犬は駆ける)
 * 16) Suwani: Wings of Love (スワニー・愛の翼)
 * 17) Robot Lullaby (ロボット子守歌)
 * 18) Giant Elephant VS Andro Army (巨象対アンドロ軍団)
 * 19) The Terrifying Clown Robot (恐怖のピエロロボット)
 * 20) Casshan's Death Penalty Stand (死刑台のキャシャーン)
 * 21) Robot Hijack (ロボット・ハイジャック)
 * 22) The Escaping Robot: Romeo (脱走ロボット・ロメオ)
 * 23) Robot Factory's Big Deployment (ロボット工場大脱出)
 * 24) Bounder: Robo's Challenge (バウンダー・ロボの挑戦)
 * 25) Immortal Casshan (不死身のキャシャーン")
 * 26) Casshan's Secrets (キャシャーンの秘密)
 * 27) The MF Gun that Disappeared (消えたＭＦ銃)
 * 28) The Cavalry of Anger (怒りの騎馬隊)
 * 29) Overzealous Robo: Neotaros (高熱ロボ・ネオタロス)
 * 30) Robo Withdrawal Number One (ロボ退治ナンバーワン)
 * 31) The City That Will Create a Neo-Human (新造人間を造る街)
 * 32) Tearful Lightning Punch (涙の電光パンチ)
 * 33) Suwani Close Shave (スワニー危機一髪)
 * 34) VS Robot Ace (対ロボットエース)
 * 35) The Greatest Decisive Battle on Earth (地球最大の決戦)

Title romanization
When Streamline Pictures adapted the OVA remake series to the American market, they romanized title "kyashān" (キャシャーン) as "Casshan" instead of "Casshern". "Casshern" is the romanization used in Japan and in other countries, and is used as the romanized title of the film adaptation.

Influences
Starting with the third game, Mega Man also featured a robotic hero with a dog as a partner which could transform into different vehicles. The character M. Bison from Street Fighter also bears a strong resemblance to Braiking Boss.

Continuing in the vein of Capcom influences, Mega Man Zero of the Gameboy Advance Mega Man spin-off franchise bears a strong resemblance to Casshern himself.

Shinji Mikami of Platinum Studios is also quoted as saying that "I was inspired by Casshern, so I wanted to make a game like that. If I went ahead and made the exact game I wanted, it probably would have been like Casshern, where you punch and kick the entire way through. But obviously if it were a game with only punching and kicking, I already did that with God Hand. So, I'm done with that, something else now. So this time he wanted to make a game where you defeat robots with guns. So now, you're going at it with guns, but he wanted to make sure the feeling of speed is still there, that was really important to him, so that's why he introduced the element of the sliding boost."

In addition, the protagonist of Vanquish has a facemask that periodically comes off to show his human side, much like Casshern.

In Metal Gear Solid 4, Raiden wears a bio-suit and fights with an sword which can discharge electric energy.

In Platinum Games' Vanquish, the art style is based on Casshern. In one of the boss fights he drills through a robot by spinning in place at high speed, similar to Casshern.

Triva

 * A typo in the English release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars has his name spelled Casshan; however when he is selected, he is announced as Casshern.