Aphrodite A (ZERO)

Aphrodite A (アフロダイA) in Shin Mazinger ZERO was the first robot piloted by Sayaka Yumi.

Appearance
Aphrodite A has a more sleeker and curvier figure compared to past designs. It retains the paint job of its counterpart from the original manga but its limbs are lightly colored like that of the original anime.

Abilities and Equipment
Since Aphrodite A is made out of Alloy Z it is a bit more sturdy compare to most robots and armored vehicles seen in the series but its abilities are much lower compared to robot made with Super Alloy Z. At its best it can take out several Mechanical Beasts at once, but this was mainly because its pilot was enraged. It has missiles stored in the torso that give the appearance of breasts that can be launched at enemies.

History
Aphrodite A was used in battle along with Mazinger Z by the time the Mechanical Beasts attacked Japan. Koji however in his attempt to keep Sayaka away in order to keep her safe, dismissed Aphrodite's performance due to its limits compared to Mazinger. It was replaced by the more advanced Venus A for the Mazin War but with its destruction, Aphrodite was brought back into action with the now weekly Mechanical Beast attacks that manage to get through the giant Photon Barrier.

When Mazinger Z went off to fight Mechanical Beasts with Koji and Minerva X, an enraged Sayaka went after them in the Aphrodite A. When Mazinger Z was pinned down, Aphrodite came to the rescue by destroying some of the Mechanical Beasts with pure brute strength. However as soon it let its guard down it was captured and tortured by Baron Ashura. When Koji saw this he pushed Mazinger to the limit in an effort to save Sayaka. With the help of Minerva they manage to save Aphrodite and successfully stop the threat. Aphrodite goes through some prepares until its data was used along with Venus' to create Artemis A.