Minerva X (ZERO)

Minerva X is one of the major supporting protagonists of Shin Mazinger ZERO. Originally a giant robot designed by Juzo Kabuto, she was remade into an android body by Dr. Hell after stealing the plans and a Photon Engine. With her mind traveling through many worlds, Minerva seeks to save Mazinger Z from going into its Mazinger ZERO form and destroy the world.

Appearance
Minerva has the appearance of an attractive and buxom young woman with platinum blonde hair styled after her original form's crown, a crest on her forehead that slightly resembles a bird, and grey eyes. Her outfit is a skintight bodysuit with armor that resembles her original counterpart with the hexagon on her abdomen having her personal insignia. Underneathe this armor is human-like skin that apparently feels like the real thing.

Personality
Minerva is often friendly and supportive of her friends and comrades, partly because of her programming that keeps her loyal to the Photon Power Laboratory and Juzo's grandchildren. Much like her original counterpart, Minerva is infatuated with Mazinger Z and strives to prevent it from being turned into a Majin with help from Koji. She has grown very close to Koji partly because he is a necessary component to Mazinger; as a result and they look out for each other, sharing their concern for Mazinger Z.

Abilities and Equipment
As Minerva is an android, she has a higher physical constitution than a regular human and was designed to think and feel on the same level as a human. She possesses some of the same abilities as her original counterpart such as the Rust Hurricane. She is also capable of unique abilities like the Photon Scrander.
 * Rust Hurricane: Breathes out a blast of air that causes whatever it touches to decompose. Minerva often used this on the Koji's of different realities to send their souls back in time to send information to them.
 * Photon Scrander: Sprouts wings made of Photonic Energy that allow Minerva to fly
 * Koshiryoku Barrier: Emits a barrier that protects Minerva and whomever is behind her from attacks whether physical or energy based.
 * Koshiryoku Beam: Shoots a powerful beam of photons from the eyes.
 * Breast Fire: With the same pose as her other versions, she fire an intensely hot blast of heat from the breasts.
 * Photon Connect: Through Photonic Energy, Minerva is able to communicate with technology such as the Photon Power Laboratory and even a satellite to acquire and transmit data. This is what allows Minerva to send memories through the different realities into her counterparts.

History
Initially, Minerva X was neither a robot nor an artificial intelligence, but a photon accelerator designed to send information back through time through the use of photon communications. By using Minerva X, Professor Juzo Kabuto, who was dying from old age, was able to send his research data to the moment of the photon accelerator's completion, allowing his past self to continue his work. Through this method, he eventually managed to create a Super Robot that surpassed his earlier prototypes, Iron Z and Energer Z, literally overnight. The name of that robot is Mazinger Z. In this cycle, Minerva X was given a robotic body (which resembles the Minerva X from the original anime) in order to become a partner and assistant to the newly created Mazinger Z.

Mad with power, Juzo controlled the autonomous Mazinger Z to go on a rampage, effortlessly crushing the combined military might of the entire world in fourteen days and forcing the leaders of 193 countries to kneel before him. Bored with victory and believing that the Mazinger has yet to reach its full potential, Juzo ordered Minerva X to transmit his data back in time again, only this time, he asked her to spread that data all over the world without telling him, in order to find a worthy opponent.

In the resulting timeline, scientists all over the world attempted to analyze the data that Minerva X sent, but understood very little of it. There was one exception, however - a man by the name of Dr. Hell. Using Juzo's data, he managed to resurrect the incomplete giants he uncovered on Bardos Island in the form of Mechanical Beasts. Planning on world domination, Dr. Hell ordered his Mechanical Beasts to attack. However, Juzo, who also vied for world domination, ended up defeating the Mechanical Beasts with Mazinger Z. During the battle, Minerva X saved a boy from some debris, and upon hearing that boy cheering for Mazinger Z, her partner circuit thumped for the first time.

While Mazinger Z managed to destroy the Mechanical Beasts, Juzo was shocked that its Alloy Z armor, previously thought to be indestructible, was damaged in battle, and vowed to invent a Super Alloy that surpasses even Alloy Z. He also modified Minerva X, giving her a new body that's indistinguishable from humans so she can infiltrate the criminal underworld and gather intelligence about his opponent, Dr. Hell. Koji, whose house was demolished by the battle between the giant robots, moved into the Photon Power Lab with Sayaka. They were joined by Minerva, whom Juzo passed off as a distant relative from another country.

Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts devastated major cities around the world, but he announced to the world that his ego did not allow him to conquer the world before defeating Mazinger Z, and promised to stop his terrorist activities as long as he is allowed to battle Mazinger Z regularly. In response to this, the United Nations passed a law, requiring Mazinger Z to battle Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts on every Sunday night at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The resulting battle was broadcast all over the world, and Mazinger Z became a world renowned heroic figure as a result.

At first, Mazinger Z proved invincible against the Mechanical Beasts, though that soon changed when Dr. Hell deployed Belgas V5, a Mechanical Beast capable of disrupting Juzo's remote controls with its ultrasonic waves. Just as Mazinger Z was about to lose, Koji himself boarded it and ultimately defeated the Mechanical Beasts, though Koji destroyed much of the city due to his unfamiliaty with the controls and had to be stopped by the newly developed Aphrodite A. Minerva X's partner circuit had a much stronger reaction than before at the sight of Koji piloting Mazinger Z.

After this battle, Juzo created the Pilder for Koji. With Koji as its pilot, Mazinger Z won battle after battle against Dr. Hell. In the mean time, Juzo began to develop genuine love for his grandson for the first time. Unfortunately, both the cancer in his body and the wounds he suffered during battle were slowly killing him, and he no longer had much more time to live.

Dr. Hell, humiliated by his countless defeats, finally developed two Mechanical Beasts strong enough to destroy Mazinger Z. During this final battle, Sayaka was killed, and Mazinger Z was forced to self-destruct (though the Pilder ejected safely). Minerva X tried to help Koji, but Juzo stopped her and handed her his final research, which would allow Mazinger Z to become self-aware and capable of self-evolution, asking her to protect Koji and save the world from Dr. Hell before finally dying. Minerva X agreed, resetting the timeline once again (unknowingly preventing Koji from boarding the Great Mazinger and defeating Dr. Hell).

Unfortunately, Minerva X underestimated Juzo's intelligence, who managed to uncover the data that she hid and create a Mazinger Z capable of self-evolution before she was even complete. When Mazinger Z activated, it soon killed Juzo and transformed into a demon god, devastating the entire world. Minerva X reset the timeline once again, only to discover to her horror that she was created by Dr. Hell in the resulting timeline, who stole her blueprints from the Photon Power Lab. Because of this, her connection to the large photon accelerator was cut, meaning she can no longer transmit data to before Mazinger Z's activation.

After this, Minerva X reset the timeline countless times, sometimes assisting Professor Yumi, sometimes helping the development of other Super Robots, sometimes even helping Dr. Hell in order to stop Mazinger Z. However, all of her attempts to prevent Mazinger Z's demon god transformation and save the world ended in failures. However, a major breakthrough occurred in the 828th cycle, during which Professor Yumi discovered the key to changing history: while it is no longer possible to send Minerva X's data back to the unconnected large photon accelerator, since all matter has wave properties, just like photons, she can send the consciousness of people back in time to their infancy by destroying their body with accelerated photons - Rust Hurricane. However, unlike Minerva X, who can send perfect memory data back to her past self, humans can only send vague memories and feelings back in time, usually manifesting as feelings of déjà vu and flashbacks. Also, of the 13,670 people connected to Mazinger Z, Kabuto Koji was the only person whose reaction to this phenomena is strong enough to cause even the smallest changes to history, the only one capable of changing the world.

After 2,799 cycles, Minerva X finally arrived at yet another timeline where Kabuto Koji piloted Mazinger Z without being assimilated. In this timeline, however, she was once again made by Dr. Hell from stolen blue prints. Tired of Baron Ashura's repeated failures, Dr. Hell appointed Minerva X as the new leader of Ashura's Iron Mask legion.

Minerva was sent to Koji's school as a transfer student with most of the student enamored by her including Koji and Boss. Minerva wanted to speak with Koji until three Gamia Qs came and requested to meet Koji. When the Gamias attacked and Shiro Kabuto appeared despite having an extremely low survival rate across the different timelines, Minerva revealed her true form and boarded the Hover Pilder with Koji in an embarassing fashion which caused a misunderstanding with Sayaka. When Mazinger Z combated the Mechanical Beasts controlled by Baron Ashura, the cyborg tried to control Minerva but Minerva's loyalty programming prevented that. After the battle was over, Minerva pronounced her love for Mazinger which weirded out some of the others.

Back at the Photon Laboratory, the scientists wanted to examine Minerva more closely because of her very human-like intelligence and personality. Sayaka however was opposed to the idea and took her to the lab's hot springs. Minerva relaxed while thinking about how everyone thought of Mazinger Z as a hero in spite of the constant threat going on. Sayaka told her it was alright as everyone needs a little hope. Minerva under her breath mentions how she loves this reality while retracting it when Sayaka hears it and watches her beat up the boys when they fell over the boundary wall. The next day at school, Koji and Sayaka introduce Minerva as her true identity and by explaining how she became a force for good instead of evil, she was welcomed in open arms by the student shocking her as in the realities where she was made by Dr. Hell had her viewed with animosity. With renewed hope, she gleefully accepted the praise.

Overtime, Minerva became closer to Koji and his friends going to their school as a rather regular student and participating in special events. However, she also became worried about losing it all should Mazinger go on a rampage. When Koji was invited as a special guest for a concert and got ready with Mazinger Z, Minerva spoke with Sayaka about her feelings for Koji. Sayaka tried to get herself out of the topic but Minerva could tell she really liked him, almost as much as she loved Mazinger. At the concert Minerva joined Sayaka, Shiro, Boss and co. as Koji appeared flying in Mazinger Z. She grew more and more concerned as talk of Mazinger Z started to bring up memories of Z in its Majin State. But she was more surprised by the events of the Mazin War which put Japan in its current state and even lead to Koji's death and rebirth as a cyborg.