Zoids: Genesis

Zoids Genesis (ゾイドジェネシス) is the fourth anime installment of the Zoids franchise. It tells the story of Ruuji Familon, a young boy who finds a Liger-type Zoid during a salvage mission. Initially, the village is attacked by Bio-Raptor Bio-Zoids, and later a Bio-Megaraptor. After the village generator is destroyed in combat, Ruuji takes the Murasame Liger Zoid and leaves the village alongside Ra-Kan and Rei Mii to find a generator mechanic or the village will be destroyed. Through his journey Ruuji learns he must fight against Digald. It aired on TV Tokyo from April 2005 to March 2006.

In July 2006, the series was announced to appear as a part of Toonami Jetstream, an online internet streaming project featuring current Toonami shows and all-new titles. Viz Media has indeed licensed the show as of August 2007,. However, Toonami Jetstream was removed from the internet shortly after the Toonami television block was removed, so it is unknown if Zoids: Genesis will ever get a North American release, online or otherwise. It has been shown, however, on several markets outside the United States.

Series Background
Much like Zoids: Fuzors, Genesis still takes place on Planet Zi, but also seems to share no connection to the previous series. But the show takes a more post-apocalyptic setting, following a cataclysmic environmental/geological event known as "Gods' Fury" that has destroyed much of the civilizations on Zi and devastated the planet. Many of Zi's survivors have created new civilizations with the use of giant structures called "Generators" that are scattered around the planet. However, out of the ashes of "Gods' Fury", the technology of the Zoids still existed and are constantly excavated for human use. The show returns to the more adventurous and war-themed styles reminiscent of Zoids: Chaotic Century. It focuses on a boy named Ruuji who lives in a small seaside village called Miroodo and eventually becomes the pilot of the Murasame Liger after excavating it from the ocean.

Plot
Generations ago on planet Zi at the height of human development, Zoids were used in an epic battle that eventually led to the destruction of the world. So devastated was the world that the planet was barely habitable for humanity and nature. The catastrophe was named "Gods' Fury" and was considered a supernatural event by locals who believed the world was punished because of humanity's foolishness.

Using one of their most powerful and largest Zoids, the surviving people of this conflict rode on Gildragons for safety and shelter. While one group returned to the earth and founded IronRock City, another group built a floating city in the sky called Sora City. The people there rebuilt their society and eventually began researching ways to restore the planet. After many years of research, they planned to use their bio-mechanical technology to restore the world in order to re-inhabit the land their ancestors almost destroyed; as they lived in their city they succumbed to hubris and no longer desired to return.

The technology they researched on was implemented on the planet, which gave birth to what the surviving locals refer as generators. It has unique capabilities to maintain energy and growth for machinery and life in the surrounding area. Eventually, Sora City would encounter energy depletion and scouted planet Zi with their own agents. As other agents monitored the growth and progress of the humans that survived "Gods' Fury," others approached people to make deals. The council of Sora City picked a city called Digu and traded off advanced technology for Reggel (universal energy resource, like oil). Their arrangement not only involved treaties, but also sending a Sora Sky citizen to be adopted as part of the agreement. The King of Digu would accept Jiin as his son, and since then Digu researched and developed their own technologies to form their own army, Digald. Eventually Digald would mass produce their own Zoids with the aid of technology provided by Iron Rock.

The Bio Zoids were massed produced in rapid numbers and gradually started conquering neighboring villages, towns, and cities which had generators to help produce more energy for Digald's energy consumption. They used special stones that could detect a human's ability to pilot a Bio Zoid and drafted them into Digald forces, never to see their friends and family again. Though known and feared throughout the continent, people couldn't do much to defend themselves as their Zoids were no match against the Bio Zoids and they couldn't survive without having a generator. People either surrendered or were destroyed.

The story of Zoids Genesis actually begins here as Ra-Kan roams the world with Mii after his kingdom has fallen to Digald. Though his kingdom Kira had fallen, Kira's survivors rebuilt a new city called Zuuri in a new secret location far from Digald's influence. Young Ruuji Familon is working with his father to help recover Zoids from the bottom of the ocean in their village Miroodo. While Mii and Ra-Kan was within the local area, so was Major Zairin. Zairin would discover that Miroodo had a small generator for Digald forces to claim. His troops arrived early and attacked Miroodo. Ruuji could never activate a Zoid, but the situation was dire and he jumped into Mursasame Liger. This Zoid answered to Ruuji's call and activated to aid him against the Bio Raptors attacking his village.

Ra-Kan and Mii joined Ruuji in their fight against Digald. Eventually a battle between Zairin and Ruuji lead to the accidental damage to Miroodo's generator. With the generator damaged, this led to the fear of Miroodo's destruction. Ra-Kan agreed to aid Ruuji in finding a generator mechanic. This quest for finding a generator repairman would lead Ruuji to befriend Kotona, Garaga, Ron, then Seijuurou-san. Through their adventures, Ruuji was unable to find a person capable of repairing the generator. His journey made him realize even if the generator could be fixed, Digald's expansion will eventually rule everything including Miroodo. Ruuji suggested to Ra-Kan to fight against Digald and eventually Ra-Kan agreed that Digald's expansion couldn't continue. With the resources and forces of Zuuri, Ra-Kan began organizing an offense. They invited many resistance groups to their cause, but only a few had interest in joining them.

With the eventual successes of the Digald Suppression Army, their reputation garnered the attention of many and eventually their forces grew in numbers. Meanwhile, Jiin's power and influence grew. After the death of the King of Digu, Jiin declared himself Emperor and eventually a God to Digald. His new policies were not only more draconian, but it alienated many of the officers under Jiin. However, it's not a big issue to Jiin, since he's able to extract human souls into the bodies of Bio Zoid pilot droids. He tripled his army without the need for human pilots. Jiin eventually betrayed his own people and launched Bio Raptor Guis on an aerial assault against Sora City. With Sora City destroyed, there was no real power left to oppose him, except for the Suppression Army which he considered as a mere nuisance.

After discovering that Digald droid pilots were extracted human souls, many defected to the Digald Suppression Army. Ruuji felt their anti-Digald army title was no longer appropriate, and renamed themselves the Jiin Suppression Army. A large final battle was waged against Jiin in his Bio Tyranno. After a very difficult fight, Ruuji destroyed Jiin with Mugen Liger and ended the conflict to restore peace to the lands.

Zoids
Despite the disaster a thousand years ago, Zoids are still in use by the nations and cities of planet Zi. The main difference between other series is the use of a substance called Regel. Originating from a series of tree-like generators that help maintain the planet's ecosystem, Regel is an orange, sap-like fluid which Zoids depend on. Because of the sheer size and intake volume needed, it is possible that Zoids use it for maintenance functions, like lubricant oil, rather than as an energy source; it may also be used in this way to prevent Zoids from spreading too far away from human control.

Protagonist Zoids
The seven Zoids used by the protagonists are all armed with a metal Zi weapon, capable of disintegrating Digald armor. Because of their inferior numbers, they are occasionally overwhelmed by greater forces. The seven Zoids are;

Murasame Liger: Ruuji's Liger-type Zoid

Sword Wolf: Ra-Kan's Wolf-type Zoid.

Lanstag: Re Mii's Moose-type Zoid.

Rainbow Jerk: A Peafowl-type aerial Zoid piloted by Kotona Elegance.

Deadly Kong: A large Gorilla-type Zoid piloted by Garaga.

Bamburian: A Panda-type Zoid piloted by Ron.

Soul Tiger: A Zoid that resembles the Rayse Tiger, except that it's white and the "energy lines" are red instead of green. It has four large claws on each paw and is very fast. Piloted by Seijuurou.

Digald Zoids
The militaristic nation of Digald has been steadily expanding across planet Zi, meeting little opposition. Occupied cities have their populations used as forced labor or Zoid pilots. The key to their success has been a silver-plating over their Zoids, which is immune to beam-weaponry. However, it is extremely vulnerable to high temperatures, or the effect of weapons made from a substance called metal Zi. Upon contact with either of these, the silver-coating melts and evaporates, and the internal crimson structure disintegrates, leaving only bleached white skeletons.

Zoids piloted by higher-ranking officers have gold claws or spikes that can block metal Zi weapons, though these are rare. The pilots, unlike most Zoids, remain suspended in a dark cockpit, and wear bulky suits with connecting wires to control their Zoids. Most are controlled using humanoid drones with rotary, three-eyed helmets, later revealed to be the drained consciousness of occupied peoples encased in robotic forms. Later model commander-type Bio-zoids such as the Bio-Volcano and presumably the Bio-Kentro have armor made of crystal that are completely resistant to Metal Zi weapons.

Theme songs

 * Opening
 * 1) "夜鷹の夢" (Yotaka no Yume, Nighthawk's Dream) by Do As Infinity


 * Endings
 * 1) "Real Love" by PARADISE GO!!GO!!
 * 2) "ありのままでLovin'U (Arino Mamade Lovin'U)" by Shizuka Ito (Kotona) & Kimiko Koyama (Re Mii) (First Airing ep. 29)
 * 3) "握りしめたその手に (Nigirishimeta sono Te ni)" by Shizuka Ito (Kotona) & Kimiko Koyama (Re Mii) (First Airing ep. 44)

Game Appearances
Zoids: Genesis first appearance in video games is in Zoids Saga DS: Legend of Arcadia for the Nintendo DS.

Zoids Genesis also featured extensively in Zoids:Full Metal Crash (released October 27, 2005) for Nintendo Gamecube. Murasame Liger and Deadly Kong are playable Zoids. Ruuji Familon, Rei Mii, and Thunder Garaga are available as selectable/playable pilots.

The series was included in the Super Robot Wars game Super Robot Wars K, also for the Nintendo DS. This came as a surprise to many SRW fans given that the video game franchise is developed by merchandising rival Namco Bandai; Sunrise (a Namco Bandai subsidiary) was involved in the other series owned by Takara-Tomy that have been featured in SRW.