Zeus (Shin)

Zeus (also called Z Mazinger) was one of the three Great Gods that came to Earth in order to use it as a strategic point. Zeus was often said to be the one who caused the fall of the Mycenae Empire, but these were said by followers of his rival Hades. In reality Zeus came in contact with the humans and established peace with them, by severing ties with his superior Uranus. Zeus became a major influence on the Mazinger Z, not just for the robot's name but for his arm becoming a component for it.

Background
Zeus was once part of an alien military composed of gigantic cyborgs alongside Poseidon and Hades. They came to Earth to make a strategic point in an interstellar war. However, Zeus grew to like being on Earth and severed his ties with Uranus by fighting against his forces to protect the settled Mycenae Empire. Hades saw this act as foolish, believing without the resources and armies of their homeworld, the Empire would eventually decay. Hades plotted to have Zeus assassinated with Zeus' former servant Archduke Gorgon and the priests Tristan and Isolde assistance.

However, their plans are overheard by Zeus who threatens Gorgon and the priests. Gorgon attempted to please Zeus by offering Tristan (really Tristan and Isolde's future self Baron Ashura who traveled to the past) in sacrifice. However, as Zeus started to remove his armor starting with his arm, he was ambushed by Hades who cut off his arm. However, before anything else could be done the Mazinger Z appears. The robot's Rocket Punch interests Zeus who proceeds to throw his severed fist at Hades in a similar fashion, destroying his rival's body. As Hades becomes the Emperor of Darkness and sinks Bardos; Zeus merely sees the Mazinger, its pilot Koji Kabuto and the company he was with off.

What happened to Zeus afterward is unknown, but his arm gave off a signal in the Mediterranean Sea which turned out to be Photonic Energy or something similar. The arm attracted the interest of Dr. Hell as well as Juzo and Kenzo Kabuto who constructed the Energer Z to harness this energy. The Energer's pilot Tetsuya Tsurugi hid the arm from Dr. Hell. It was later found by Juzo Kabuto who modified the arm into a powerful component for a new robot he would spend his life on, something only he and Tsubasa Nishikiori knew about.

Appearance
Zeus is a gigantic golden armored humanoid wearing a blue cape. The gold armor when dormant appears to be black but when reacting to Zeus' will changes gold. His helmet is adorned with a Z insignia.

Personality
Compared to his fellow Mechanical Gods, Zeus appeared to show more of an interest in humanity and even fought to protect the Mycenae Empire that worshiped them from Uranus' forces. He also holds interest for humans that he gained respect for such as Koji. However he can be authoritarian when he wants to be, shown when he threatened Gorgon, Tristan, and Isolde when they were plotting against him and could only be appeased with a sacrifice in his honor.

Abilities
Prior to defecting from his old home, Zeus was revered as a God among Gods for his combat abilities able to fight armies of enemies single-handedly. In battle he wielded a long spear and a sword with his personal insignia on it.

History
While Zeus did not physically appear millenia later, his legacy was known to a few select people. While most of Earth's population believed that Zeus was just a figure from Greek Mythology (which was told in a completely different way from what really happened) Juzo and Tsubasa knew who and what Zeus really was from their time on Bardos. Tristan and Isolde's future self Baron Ashura also recalled Zeus, mistaking the Mazinger Z for the Mechanical God which drove him/her into a frenzy. Koji would learn about Zeus before actually fighting alongside him when he, Tsubasa, some of the Kurogane 5 and Baron Ashura were transported to the time of Zeus' attempted assassination.

Zeus' arm became a major factor when Dr. Hell tried to acquire the artifact by psychologically attacking Tsubasa by using Count Brocken disguised as Kenzo piloting the Energer Z to force the answer out of her. Ultimately, Tsubasa reveals Juzo's work on the arm which restrains the Energer Z before assuming its God Scrander form to attach to the Mazinger for the Big Bang Punch attack that had it assume a form like that of Zeus' fist. Zeus would then appear as a metaphor for when the Mazinger is being used as a "God that saves the Earth".

Trivia

 * Zeus's alternate title Z Mazinger references his counterpart from the manga of the same name as well as the fact that his body had become the titular mecha.