God Mazinger (Mecha)

The God Mazinger (ゴッドマジンガー) (known simply as the Mazinger to the inhabitants of Mu) is the titular mecha of God Mazinger. Unlike other mecha in the Mazinger franchise, the God Mazinger is a giant statue that can be piloted with the user's soul instead of a robot. However as stated in the God Mazinger manga, the God Mazinger has the same role as the Mazinger Z filling the role of a god of justice or a devil of destruction.

Background
According to the legends of Mu, the God Mazinger is a guardian deity standing ready to defend Mu from threats. However for the giant to awaken a brave boy named 'Yamato' must appear.

In the manga, it is given a much more elaborate background. The God Mazinger is a statue modeled after the Creator of Existence and had appeared in times before back when Earth was called Eden, but due to the presence of Ma at the heart of Eden it destroyed the planet. On Earth, the creator gave a guardian the task to watch over humanity and if Ma arises awaken the God Mazinger with a pilot to determine the wickedness of humanity. The ancestors of Mu also gave a prophecy on how to awaken the God Mazinger, where their descendent Yamato Hino would pilot it.

Appearance
God Mazinger resembles a gigantic warrior dressed in blue and yellow centurion-like armor with an overall black (or dark blue) body. Compared to other Mazinger mechs, this one possesses a more human-like face featuring a visible nose and mouth. The helmet features a pair of spikes from the front and a false beard similar to the ones found on the Egyptian pharaohs.

Abilities and Weapons
The God Mazinger possesses incredible strength, able to wield a giant sword with just one hand. To bring Yamato inside of itself, the emblem on its helmet glows and uses a beam to transport Yamato's body and soul into itself. It is also able to release beams out of its eyes and from the emblem on its head. The true form of the God Mazinger is not the stone but a detector inside the body, this allows it to reform itself from destroyed remains and other statues. When Yamato reaches a higher synchronization with the Mazinger, they gain the power of the Koshurishimono with the giant begins to display signs of rage and glow a goldish orange color with all of body gaining more detail with all of the God Mazinger's power increased.

In the manga, it has much more diverse abilities such as shooting a beam out of its mouth, using its jaw to rip apart enemies, its sword can also cut through time and space for fast travel. After the God Mazinger is destroyed and reformatted, it acts on a drive to destroy the evil in the hearts of life to the point of destroying an entire planet without consent. It gains the ability to generate massive earthquakes that can tear the planet apart.

Anime
The Yamato of legend appeared from the prayers of Queen Aila Mu. Yamato Hino appeared and fused with the God Mazinger, decimating the invading Dragonia Kingdom. Overtime, Yamato would fight with the Mu Army and fight against any threat from King Dorado. In a fight against one of the empire's robotic weapons, the Liger piloted by Dorado's son Eldo; the God Mazinger appeared to die after narrowly winning giving its life to Yamato. However Yamato managed to bring the statue back to life with his own lifeforce, increasing their synch. Soon after the final battle, Yamato returns home with the God Mazinger and every event on Mu still in his memories.

Manga
When Yamato is teleported to the Mu palace where Aila is, she shows him the God Mazinger and how it was foretold that Yamato would pilot it. Yamato is skeptical on this but notices a portrait sculpted onto the statue and is sucked into the statue. The God Mazinger then moves to confront the Dragonia Kingdom and takes out most of its forces. Dorado telekinetically creates an Earthquake which gives his forces enough time to evacuate. The God Mazinger pursues them with its spacetime sword but Dorado had planned on this and had his priests hit the God Mazinger with a landslide which throws it into a chasm where the Dragonia Kingdom deity, Demon King Hades, sleeps. Hades' tentacles proved to be a challenge for the God Mazinger, and its psychic powers only made things more difficult for Yamato. But Yamato manages to have the Mazinger cut the tentacles and slice it in two with its sword. But the damage to Yamato proved to be great and the God Mazinger crumbled and Yamato disappears.

The God Mazinger returns but Yamato is not controlling it, and it goes on a rampage destroying Mu. Yamato tries to stop it but cannot as he is another plane of existence where he is confronted by creator of existence in the form of a golden God Mazinger who explains that the God Mazinger's rampage is the hidden desire of Yamato to destroy the evil that is in the souls of every living being.

Further it explained the God Mazinger's purpose and history. It explained to Yamato his role as to see how wicked humanity was and came to the conclusion that Yamato used the God Mazinger for the sole purpose to destroy enemies. However, Yamato argued that he did not control the God Mazinger to destroy enemies but to protect Aila. Aila is spared from the destruction and transported to where Yamato is and embraces him proving Yamato's claim. With this, the God Mazinger stops and disappears. Impressed with the love between them, the creator gives humanity another chance with Yamato and Aila reincarnating indefinitely but warns that if the evil arises again, the God Mazinger will appear again and destroy everything which may happen given the chances for a nuclear war.