Mazinkaiser (Tsushima Manga)

Mazinkaiser is a manga by Naoto Tsushima published in Super Robot Magazine on April 2002 to February 2003. It is essentially a manga version of the OVA but with a more serious tone and a few other changes.

The Emperor's Arrival
The story begins with Great Mazinger, Aphrodite A and Boss Borot protecting the Photon Power Lab from Ashura Mazinger and several Mechanical Beasts. As Tetsuya and the others are about to be overwhelmed, Koji arrives piloting Mazinkaiser.

Kaiser quickly dispatches of the Mechanical Beasts. However, as his attacks hit the Photon Power Lab, Koji's friends realize he isn't controlling the robot. Tetsuya tries to stop him, but Mazinkaiser brushes off all of Great's attacks. Before he's able to finish Great Mazinger off, Sayaka's pleas are able to reach Koji who regains consciousness. Realizing what just happened, Baron Ashura abandons the battle leaving Ashura Mazinger behind.

The Braves' Resolve
Tetsuya is shown trying to coach Koji who is struggling to control Mazinkaiser.

Later that day, Dr. Yumi explains that Kaiser's core is like a black box. As such, any attempt to disassemble the robot may cause his entire system to collapse. He also concludes the self defense system was responsible for making Mazinkaiser fight while Koji was unconscious. As Mazinger Z was in enemy hands, its decided to keep him in storage as they fear traps may have been placed in Z during the time he was in Ashura's hands.

A flashback depicts Koji being attack by a army of Mechanical Beasts who managed to separate the Hover Pilder from Mazinger Z. Koji awakes near a laboratory where he finds his grandfather. Juzo Kabuto presents Mazinkaiser as the ultimate Mazinger capable of defeating even a god. After entering Mazinkaiser, Koji only remembers wanting to get revenge on the Mechanical Beasts who stole Mazinger Z from him before losing consciousness.

Back to the present, Koji wonders out loud if he will be able to master Mazinkaiser. Tetsuya berates him and claims Koji won't be able to accomplish with that mindset. Just as they finish talking, the lab gets attacked. Baron Ashura is back with a new army of Mechanical Beasts. Tetsuya tells Koji to stay behind and rushes off to face the enemy force alone. While Great Mazinger defends the Photon Power Lab, Koji remembers Dr. Yumi's words. According to him, Mazinkaiser answers to his pilot's desires. For that reason, only someone with a unbreakable resolve will be able to keep Kaiser in check. Koji's afraid he won't be up to the challenge and will end up losing control once again. In response, Sayaka slaps him. She encourages Koji to trust Mazinkaiser to answer to his will and protect everyone just like Mazinger Z did.

Koji decides to board Mazinkaiser and join Tetsuya. Both of them are able to defeat the enemy army, but Tetsuya seems to have sustained too many injuries and collapses.

Fangs In The Middle Of The Sky
Tetsuya is taken to the Photon Power Lab's operation room. He wakes up several hours later surround by his friends who are all happy to see him well. Dr. Yumi takes the others away leaving Jun and Tetsuya alone. After Tetsuya comments his injuries weren't serious, Jun berates him for being so dismissive of his own situation and for pushing himself so hard. Tetsuya apologizes, but explains he only acts so reckless because he wants to protect everyone else. Jun then also apologizes for getting angry with him.

Days later, Tetsuya and Great are transferred from the Photon Power Lab so they can have time to recover. Jun goes with them. As they leave, Koji seems to be unsure he will be able to handle the responsibility left to him. His friends reassure him and vow to do their best to help Koji.

Baron Ashura attacks the Photon Power Lab again. This time, he has an army of flying Mechanical Beasts. Sayaka joins the battle in her new robot, Venus A. As Venus is able to fly for shorts amounts of time, she is able to destroy some of the enemy forces. After Boss and Sayaka knock down the rest of the Mechanical Beasts to the ground, Koji is able to destroy them with Kaiser's Fire Blaster.

Baron Ashura then attacks with a fleet of Gool fortress. From high in the sky, he's able to bombard Kaiser and the others unconstested.

Taking Flight
Before Koji and his allies can be defeated, The Mazinger Army arrives. Although Million α, Baion β and Daion are unable to defeat the Gool fleet, their presence allows enough time for Jun to remote control the Kaiser Scrander to the battlefield. The robots and the Scrander - whose plans were found inside Mazinkaiser - were built by allies from all over the world to help in the fight against Dr. Hell.

Being able to fly, Mazinakiser manages to do much better, but still isn't able put and end to the battle. Ashura traps Kaiser in his Gool's jaws and dives from the sky to the Photon Power Lab. The resulting crash destroys the lab.

Hell's Island Is On Its Way
Koji is left unconscious after the crash. As his allies struggle to free the still stuck Mazinkaiser from Gool's mouth, the robot starts to glow. Inside his own mind, Koji was able to watch the fight taking place around him. He's confronted by an image of Mazinkaiser which asks Koji why he wants his power. After answering he wants it to protect everyone, Koji wakes up.

Mazinkaiser shoots the Final Kaiser Blade from his chest to the sky critically damaging Gool is the process. Seeing he's about to be defeated, Baron Ashura prepares to self destruct the flying fortress. Sayaka catches the sword and uses it to separate Mazinkaiser from Gool's body saving Koji from the explosion. Koji and the others examine what was left of the Photon Power Lab and realize there's a underground building beneath it. Turns out Dr. Yumi and everyone inside survived. Gennosuke explains he had the underground lab built for a emergency. Everyone inside managed to evacuate before the lab was destroyed by Gool.

The Mazinger Army members introduce themselves to the rest of the cast. They are: Azuma, the pilot of Bion β; Oide,the pilot of Daion γ; Lori and Loru, the pilots of Million α.

At the enemy base, Baron Ashura is revealed to be alive. He was ejected from Gool at the last second, although he was seriously injured.

A message from the Navy informs the location of Dr. Hell. The pilots present all band together to put the an end to the war. While everyone else fights against the Mechanical Beasts defending the base, Koji rushes in to the island. Before he can reach Dr. hell, Koji is stopped by Baron Ashura, whose head is now fused with the body of a new Mechanical Beast, Garadoublas.

The Future Is In Our Hands
Baron Ashura takes the fight against Koji to the Mechanical Beast's cemetery. Mazinkaiser lands a decisive strike on Garadoublas, but as he's about to leave the remains of the destroyed machines start to move once again. Before Kaiser can be overwhelmed by the "undead" Mechanical Beasts, lightning strikes taking out most of them. Great Mazinger's back. With the help of a recovered Tetsuya, Koji destroys the remaining Mechanical Beasts. Garadoublas manages to survive the attack only to be finished off by Mazinkaiser riding the Great Booster.

After the crashing into Baron Ashura, Koji is taken to the dephts of the island. Koji ends up finding Dr. Hell and more Garadoubla models. After refusing a offer to join forces, Koji shoots Dr. Hell with his Photon Gun. However, the true Dr. Hell's has already transferred his soul to a machine connected to the island. Hell manifests as a giant machine shaped like like his own head.

The Garadoubla units activate and restrain Mazinkaiser. As Hell's about to attack, Kaiser's photon energy reach its peak. The resulting Kaiser Nova destroys all of the surrounding enemies. The Kaiser Pilder ejects saving his pilot from the blast. Although Koji and his allies are unable to find Kaiser after the battle, they vow to never forget him.

The manga ends with Koji promising to call for Mazinkaiser's help if anyone threats the world's peace again.

OVA-Manga Differences
Although similar, the manga has some key differences compared to the OVA.


 * The story begins in media res. Mazinger Z's capture is skipped in favor of the battle against Ashura Mazinger.
 * Juzo Kabuto makes a brief appearance and personally gives Mazinkaiser to Koji
 * Sayaka, Tetsuya and Jun are given bigger roles
 * It doesn't adapt plotlines from the original Mazinger Z manga. However the ending of the manga pays homage to the more grim ending of the original Mazinger manga.
 * Mazinger Z's fate after being recovered is made clear; it is put into storage for examination.
 * Nuke and Mucha are completely absent
 * Neither Aphrodite A nor Venus A get destroyed
 * Baron Ashura fuses with Garadoubla MK01 instead of Hell King Gordon
 * The Mazinger Army joins the fight against Dr. Hell
 * Jun and Tetsuya don't begin a search for Juzo's laboratory. As a result:
 * There's no second Great Mazinger built by Juzo Kabuto
 * The Kaiser Scrander is built as a result of a joint effort between laboratories across the world using blueprints already stored in Mazinkaiser
 * Kaiser is shown to possess both the Final Kaiser Blade and the Kaiser Nova
 * The story ends with Mazinkaiser damaged and lost at the bottom of the ocean much like the ending of the original Mazinger Z manga, with the exception that Koji's fate is unambiguously clear; Whereas Koji was trapped under the sea with Mazinger, Koji was ejected from Mazinkaiser just before it was sunk.