title_name=Metal Armor Dragonar
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機甲戦記ドラグナー
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Kikou Senkan Dragonaa
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Mecha
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Animanga/Anime| Information
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(機甲戦記ドラグナー, ''Kikou Senkan Dragonaa'') is a 48-episode
Mecha Anime series, created by
Sunrise and aired from 1987 to 1988. Devised shortly after the release of
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ , Dragonar was intended to be both a "starter" series to get new fans into mecha anime, and a potential successor to the
Gundam franchise. Though the series enjoyed good ratings and earned a loyal fan following, it failed to surpass Gundam and ended up as a single series. Game developer
Banpresto had Dragonar appear in two of its popular franchises,
Super Robot Wars and
Another Century's Episode ; fans responded positively, and
Sunrise acknowledged them in 2005 by releasing a memorial
DVD collection of the series.
Dragonar takes place in the year
2087 , when a military force called the Lunar Empire of Giganos has risen and captured the
Moon . Their stated goal is the rebirth of mankind, but their primary intention is the destruction of all those who dwell on Earth. To this end, the Empire uses humanoid battle machines called ''Metal Armors'', as well as a gigantic
Mass Driver cannon. Originally intended to send lunar material to Earth orbit for later retrival, the Mass driver is reconfigured to launch small meteorites towards the home world. By the time the story takes place many bombardments have already taken place. The Federation, unable to compete with the Giganos military might, manages to steals three prototype Metal Armors with plans to reverse-engineer them with the help of exiled Giganos scientests. However, the ship carrying the Dragonars (posing as a refugee ship) is chased to a neutral colony by Giganos, and an attack is staged to retrieve them. Ken, Tapp and Light, three friends and Federation trainees, are on the colony during the attack, and find a dying Giganos spy who gives them three disks. Chased by Giganos' weapons, the trio enters the colony's dock and finds the Dragonars. Using the disks, they activate the machines and use them to protect the colony. However, since the Dragonars are keyed to only be operable by their initial user, the three friends find themselves forced to become the Federation's first Metal Armor pilots, faced against the advanced technology and veterans of the Giganos forces...
- The pilot of Dragonar-1 and the main character of the story. A sixteen-year-old Federation trainee who graduated in
Japan , Ken lives on Alucard with his mother, who helps manage the colony. His parents are divorced, and Ken resents his father for putting his work before his family. When his mother is apparently killed in the attack on Alucard, he is more than willing to help fight Giganos. Voiced by
Masami Kikuchi
- One of Ken's best friends and the pilot of Dragonar-2. Tapp is a native
New York er and graduated from an American training academy and was transferred to the astronaut academy on Alucard. Tapp tends to be cheerful and laid back, even in situations where Ken and Light are stressing out. Even so, he can be serious when the need arises. Voiced by
Houchu Otsuka .
- Ken and Tapp's friend and the pilot of Dragonar-3. A native Britain, Light's grandfather was in the
Parliment and his father leads the Federation's European branch. However, he prefers to avoid positions of leadership, showing a natural aptitude for information-gathering and electronic warfare, which makes him the perfect pilot for Dragonar-3 (which he affectionately calls "D3-chan". Voiced by
Kenyuu Horiuchi .
- Maiyo's younger sister, she becomes an enlisted member of the Federation after the attack on the Alucard colony. Combined with her role as a communications officer/operator for the Federation, she is very much an homage to
Sayla Mass from
Mobile Suit Gundam .
- Rose was born on the Moon and became a refugee wnhe Giganos declared independence. She escapes to Alucard and later boards the Idaho before the colony is destroyed. At 16 she is a warm and charming personality who asssists in supervising the refugee children.
- Giganos' top ace pilot, nicknamed the Blue Hawk. He gained fame piloting the Falguen and is fiercely loyal to Guiltorre. His father Lang Plato is the engineer who helped develop the Dragonars, and he has a younger sister, Linda, who opposes the war. Despite his calm nature and popularity with younger pilots, he is repeatedly demoted for failing to capture the Dragonars and begins to chaffe under Dorchenov's command. Voiced by
Juurouta Kosugi
Practice Squad member.
Practice Squad member.
Practice Squad member.
- Dorchenov is an ambitious officer of Giganos who, while not seen much early on, becomes the main villain of the series when he wages a coup d'etat of the Empire and assassinates Guiltorre.
- Piloted by Ken Wakaba, Dragonar-1 (also called D-1) is a general purpose Metal Armor. Its primary weapons include a rapid-firing hand railgun, laser sabers that combine to form a lancer, and a number of grenades and thrown bombs. D-1 was also designed to work with the '''XC-00 Cavalier Zero''' an armored support unit mounting extra weapons. Later on, D-1 is given a missile-laden flight unit and redesignated '''XDFU-01 Dragonar-1 Lifter'''.
- Piloted by Tapp Oceano, Dragonar-2 (also called D-2) focused on long-range firepower. It mounts a pair of powerful railcannons on its backpack, along with a set of rear-firing machineguns for defense, and can also carry a double Gatling gun or mount extra missile pods on its legs. Like D-1, D-2 is eventually upgraded into the '''XDFU-02 Dragonar-2 Lifter''', gaining missile launchers and the ability to fly.
- Piloted by Light Newman, Dragonar-3 (also called D-3) is an electronic warfare unit. Its oddly-shaped head and chest contain a number of powerful sensors, as well as jammers and
ECM equipment. Playing a mostly supportive role, D-3 only carries a hand railgun and an assault knife. Even when upgraded into the '''XDFU-03 Dragonar-3 Lifter''', it only gains a pair of missiles.
(Pilot: Meio Plato)
First opening: Yume no Chaser (Chaser of Dreams) by Mami Ayukawa
Closing: Illusion wo Sagashite by Mami Ayukawa
Second opening: Starlight Serenade by Mami Yamase
Closing: Shiny Boy by Mami Yamase
Though it has no dedicated games, Dragonar has appeared in several related games. It first appeared in the 2001 game ''Super Robot Wars Advance'', in which Ken and friends were (unwillingly) mentored first by
Gundam Wing 's
Lucrezia Noin , then later by
Gundam 0083 's
South Burning . The series would later appear in the 2004 game ''Super Robot Wars MX'', where Giganos took center stage as the primary
Real Robot antagonists, even usurping the Titans and Neo-Zeon from the so-called "Holy Trinity of
Gundam " (
Zeta ,
Double-Zeta , and
Char's Counterattack ). Dragonar's next video game appearance was in the 2005 game ''
Another Century's Episode '', a 3D action game produced by the team of
Banpresto and
From Software . The game allowed players to control the D-1, D-2, D-3 and, surprisingly, the Gilgazamune, but not the Falguen. The year 2006 brings about ''
Another Century's Episode 2 '', which features the Custom versions of the Dragonars, as well as the ability to use Maiyo's Falguen MAFFU and Min's Stark Dyne, as well as Gun Jym's Gilgazamune from the first game.
The show made it's debut in February, 1987 and was Sunrise's only SF mecha anime series on the airwaves left at that time.
Much confusion had surrounded the early release of this series even before it went on the air. The Japanese anime magazine Animec for example, still hailed the title under the working name "Stillevar", not "Dragonar", despite the fact that the mecha and chara designs were already approved. Before the series went to air there were fans in North America who believed this to be a Gundam prequel. Small wonder since the plot was similar.
The name "Linda Plato" is very similiar to "Dana Plato" a young actress who played on the comedy series "Diff'rent Strokes" and is quite possibly the inspiration for the name.
Character Designer: Kenichi Ohnuki
Mecha Designer: Kunio Okawara
Dragonar first opening directed by: Masami Obari
