Baron Ashura (Manga)

Baron Ashura is a major villain in the Mazinger Z manga and one of Dr. Hell's lieutenants. He/she is a cyborg created from two mummified bodies that were stitched together by Dr. Hell.

Background
Baron Ashura was once a pair of lovers who were in a forbidden affair. When the affair was discovered, the couple was mummified and buried alive. The cave they were buried in eventually collapsed, crushing the man's right half and the woman's left half. They were eventually found by Dr. Hell who gave them new life by stitching them together and creating Baron Ashura.

Appearance
Baron Ashura is composite being with a male left side with darker skin and had more noticeable body hair than the lighter skinned female side. The male side's face has a semi-bushed eyebrow and a dark eye while the female side seems to be wearing make-up with green eye-liner and red lipstick. He/she wears a purple and black robe over his/her male and female sides respectively.

Personality
Baron Ashura is a loyal servant to Dr. Hell following his orders without question and never wanting his disapproval. However, he/she is arrogant and overconfident in his/her strategies and the limitations of the Mechanical Beasts he/she has been provided often losing against the Mazinger Z.

Abilities and Equipment
Baron Ashura mainly operates in strategy ordering his Ashura Corps. and Mechanical Beasts to attack in certain areas, which when fighting against Mazinger and its allies often end in failure. The Bardos Wand that Ashura wields is used to control Mechanical Beasts provided they do not have an immunity such as the Danube α1 after it gained free will.

Encounter with Mazinger
Baron Ashura was ordered by Dr. Hell to track down Juzo Kabuto and kill him. Baron Ashura had planted a bomb in his lab before having Garada K7 and Doublas M2 attack the Photon Power Laboratory to retrieve Alloy Z for Dr. Hell. When their defenses were overpowered, Aphrodite A came to fight but was also overpowered. It was not until Mazinger Z arrived that the tables were turned. Baron Ashura reported back to Dr. Hell who desired to have Mazinger for his plans of world domination. Baron Ashura would formulate more plans such as using his Ashura Corps. and a composite Mechanical Beast to attack Koji and get him to pilot the Mazinger for them or use decoy Mazinger to trick Koji into fight. Both plans had failed and earned Baron Ashura Dr. Hell's fury.

Saluud Prison Operation
Baron Ashura had three Mechanical Beasts attack some of Japan's major cities while sending the Gamia Q to attack Koji at school. With Koji occupied, Baron Ashura had Belgas V5 go to the Photon Lab to demand Mazinger for the safety of Japan's cities. Prof. reluctantly gave into his/her demands with the Mazinger being taken to Baron Ashura. But en route, Koji linked up with Mazinger and fought Ashura's Mechanical Beasts until the arrival of KingDan X10 who held Sayaka hostage. With Mazinger in captivity, Baron Ashura took a shower but the navy attacks and the rampaging Mazinger had forced Baron Ashura to retreat off the Saluud.

Danube α1
Baron Ashura appeared again to retrieve a Mechanical Beast being made by Schtroheim Heinrich but he/she and the Ashura Corps. were repelled by Dr. Heinrich's cybernetic attachments. Baron Ashura returned, this time with the Mechanical Beast River F9 and was later confronted by Dr. Heinrich who snuck into the Mechanical Beast. During a brief speech on Danube's true power, Ashura pushed Dr. Heinrich out of the cockpit before taking control of the Danube. With two Mechanical Beasts, Ashura was ready to attack Tokyo before Lorelai Heinrich integrated with the Danube and became sentient attacking Baron Ashura. Ashura escaped on the Gool where he is confronted by Count Brocken who asks what might happen if the Danube does not win against Mazinger. Ashura is confident about the Danube's power as they leave the scene. The Danube was destroyed, and Ashura was likely punished by Dr. Hell for this failure.

Final Stage
As Dr. Hell prepares to set up a new base, Baron Ashura is sent to hold off the Mazinger during the operation. With the Mechanical Beasts being pushed back, Ashura reveals that he/she was the one who set off the bomb that caused Koji's grandfather's death. Koji was enraged and had the Mazinger tear the Mechanical Beasts apart. Baron Ashura managed to escape before Mazinger could find him/her.

Ashura was summoned again along with Brocken to attack the approaching Mazinger Army. While Ashura boasted about having the Bood, the Gool crashed onto it consuming Ashura and Brocken in the explosion.

Trivia

 * Baron Ashura is Gynandromorphic