Gaiking: Legend of Daikû Maryû

Daiya Tsuwabuki is a boy in junior high who is known as the town liar. He claims that five years ago, he was saved by a large mechanical dragon when he and his father were attacked at sea by mechanical beasts. Even his mother and his only friend Naoto don’t believe his stories, but Daiya has physical proof of his experience, a mysterious device given to him by a young girl, a member of the mechanical dragon’s crew. Then one day, his town is attacked by two monsters, and the mechanical dragon, Daiku-Maryu, shows up. Daiya sees the girl who gave him the device years ago, and ends up in the dragon’s head, which transforms into super robot Gaiking, the Giant of Flame. Learning that he has control over the giant robot, he fights the enemy and drives them away from his town.

Daiya meets the crew of Daiku-Maryu, which includes Lulu, Gaiking’s supporter; Captain Garis; Vice Captain Rosa; Shizuka and Daimon in charge of the engine room; and Puria, the pilot of Stinger and the ace fighter of Daiku-Maryu. Puria does not yet accept Daiya and bullies him by beating him over and over in arm wrestling. Then suddenly the Demon Beast that they thought was already dead comes back to life and starts attacking the town again. Daiya, who becomes an official member of Daiku-Maryu, gets back on Gaiking and starts fighting the beast, and although he puts himself in danger because of inexperience, he manages to win with help from Lulu and Puria. Later, back on Daiku-Maryu, he learns that the enemy’s name is the Darius Army and that they come from the core of Earth.

Daiya learns that for their fight against the Darius Army, they have to go to the other world at the core of the earth, and Captain Garis gives Daiya some time to go say goodbye to his mother. Although his mother is relieved to see him alive, she is devastated to learn of his plans. While Daiya is still talking to his mother, he gets a call from Lulu, who tells him that Daiku-Maryu is being attacked by a Steel Beast. Puria comes to pick him up on the Stinger, and when they arrive on Daiku-Maryu, he jumps into its eye and onto Gaiking. After the battle, Daiya is upset that he has to leave his mother still heavy with grief, but feels encouraged when he sees her and Naoto standing on the shore to see him off.

In order to return to Darius, Daiku-Maryu must go through Death Cross Point and mend the subspace in order to prevent the enemy from going to the surface. The entry is an extremely harsh process, and Daiya, who is sitting in the Gaiking cockpit where the heat and pressure are worst, feels weak and nauseous. As they travel through the subspace, they run into a Demon Beast sent there by Saspazi, one of the four generals of the Darius Army. Since Daiku-Maryu is emitting energy to mend the subspace, it is not strong enough to counterattack the Demon Beast. Only Gaiking is capable of withstanding the heat, and despite the great danger of fighting in the subspace, Daiya takes Gaiking outside and manages to kill the enemy.

Daiku-Maryu arrives in Darius and goes to a regional city called Paltegona to stock up on food and supplies. Captain Garis orders Rosa to take Daiya and Puria into town with her in order to give them an opportunity to start getting along. In town, Daiya finds out that Daiku-Maryu and its crew are regarded as villains in Darius, a fact that has been bothering Puria for a long time. Daiya convinces her not to worry about what people think of them since it doesn’t change what they are there to do. Puria is impressed with Daiya’s way of thinking and opens up to him. On their way back to Daiku-Maryu, they are attacked by the enemy, currently under the command of Saspazi, who has no qualms about involving the citizens of Paltegona to serve his purpose. Gaiking, with support from other fighters, manage to drive the enemy away from Paltegona, but it does nothing to correct the misconception of its citizens, who believe that it was Daiku-Maryu who attacked their city.

Captain Garis temporarily assigns Daiya to five sections on the ship to decide which section he will join permanently. On the first day of the three-day trial, Daiya has a lot of trouble with the tasks of each section, especially when he has to run around Daiku-Maryu running errands for his bosses. But when he sees Lulu working hard at her job, he renews his determination and asks Shizuka of the Mechanic Team for advice. From the next day, he starts handling the tasks efficiently and even takes over for Lulu so she can get some rest. Then suddenly Daiku-Maryu is attacked by a Demon Beast, which breaks the Flare Tube, the passageway Daiya needs to get into Gaiking. But Daiya manages to get in by going outside the ship and jumping in through the eye. Using Rosa’s smart plan, Gaiking defeats the Demon Monster. Later, Daiya gets assigned to the Mechanic Team.

Daiku-Maryu docks at a tropical island where the crewmembers enjoy some beach time. Then from the other side of the island, they hear the sound of wild Demon Beasts, which are indigenous Demon Beasts that have not yet been made evil by the Darius Army. Daiya and the others go look for them when Saspazi drops a bio weapon on them to turn them evil. Then a Giant Soldier of the Darius Army, Lentes, piloted by Bliza, the former Northern Army general, arrives and starts killing the Demon Beasts as part of a pre-battle ceremony. Daiya hurries back to Daiku-Maryu, where he challenges the enemy Giant Soldier for a duel. Gaiking and Lentes start their duel but are interfered by Saspazi. Daiya, who comes to respect the honorable Bliza, challenges him to a rematch. But on his way back, Bliza is killed by Noza, the current general of the Northern Army, who blames him for disgracing his corps.

On their way to their fort in Ohmazan, Daiku-Maryu takes a break in the Kanalups Mountains. Puria, who gets into a foul mood watching Daiya and Lulu having a great time, decides to play a prank on Daiya and puts Pelps, mosquito-like insects of Darius, into his tent that night. The next day, when they are detected by a Steel Beast search unit, Stinger and Gaiking are ordered to launch, but Daiya shows an abnormal reaction to the Pelp bites and passes out before he can get on Gaiking. Puria feels guilty about it but can’t get herself to confess and apologize. Then another Steel Beast attacks Daiku-Maryu. At first, Puria tries to fight it off by herself but is saved by Gaiking when she gets hit by the quick enemy. Then Daiya and Puria learn that Gaiking and Stinger can combine to become Sky Gaiking. Puria, who remembers Rosa’s advice on how to relate to people who have powers that she doesn’t, shows excellent teamwork with Daiya during the battle, and she later apologizes to him for the prank.

One day on their way to the Ohmazan fort, Daiku-Maryu is attacked by a giant turtle beast, Domega. During the battle, Daiya and Lee try to combine Gaiking and Serpent to become Buster Gaiking, but Lee fails in the attempt. Later, Daiya learns of Lee’s past with Domega: years ago, the Demon Beast had killed Shin, who was like a little brother to Lee, and to avenge his death, Lee had joined Daiku-Maryu. After that, Lee had once forced his way onto Gaiking, only to be defeated again by the same Demon Beast. Now after this third loss to Domega, Lee resigns from Daiku-Maryu and goes to a nearby village to look for work where he runs into an old man who informs him that he had saved their lives years ago when he fought Domega on Gaiking. Lee is moved to find out that he was able to save an entire village despite being defeated by the Demon Beast at the time. Then they see Domega attack the Ohmazan fort, and Lee decides to go back and fight. This time, he successfully combines with Gaiking and avenges his little friend.

As Daiku-Maryu approaches the dark continent of Arkholand where the Darius Army headquarters is located, Lulu starts having nightmares about her childhood and the black flame. She starts losing sleep and feels under the weather. Then, off the coast of Arkholand, Daiku-Maryu gets caught in an invisible barrier made from a substance that drains power out of Daiku-Maryu and Gaiking. In order to extinguish the barrier, they must destroy its source of energy located at the bottom of the sea. Captain Garis orders Lulu to go on the mission, and Daiya, horrified that the captain could be so heartless, accompanies her. Once underwater, Gaiking combines with Krab Bunker piloted by Lulu and becomes Diver Gaiking. Although Lulu manages to locate the energy source, she falters when she has a flashback of her fearful past and the black flame. Garis and Daiya encourage her to overcome her fate, and she successfully shoots down the energy source.

One day, Grotecter warships of Northern General Noza fly past Daiku-Maryu. They are on their way to create another Death Cross Point, the hole that connects to the world above the surface. Gaiking and the other Daiku-Maryu fighters try to stop them, but they are met by two Northern Knights, Misha and Rick, on their Giant Soldiers. Daiya is taken aback by their fighting style, which defies the code of chivalry that the honorable Lord Bliza upheld. Then Noza, who finds out that Misha and Rick did not inform him of their launch, shows up on his Giant Soldier, Dorman, and kills them on the spot. He challenges Daiya to a duel, which Daiya accepts despite Garis’s desperate plea that he flee from the scene. Daiya fights with every attack and weapon he can think of but is no match against Noza. Then suddenly, he remembers his father, and his flame gets stronger. With an ultra strong Hydro Blazer, he manages to drive away Noza for the time being. Then when he returns to Daiku-Maryu, Garis congratulates him and pats him on the head the same way his father used to, which makes him wonder about Garis’s identity.

While Grotecter warships are forming Death Cross Point, Noza challenges Daiya to another duel. Daiya goes against Garis’s order and accepts, even though he is daunted by Noza’s strength. When the duel begins, Noza overwhelms Daiya, but Daiku-Maryu shows up at the battlefield and starts attacking the Grotecters. Noza is baffled by Garis’s action since he usually does not fight this way, but Garis is desperate to protect Daiya. Backed up by his men’s three Zerunga Giants, Noza continues to overpower Gaiking until Daiya decides to use a powerful technique that he is still forbidden to use. Although he had promised Lulu that he wouldn’t use it, his strong desire to protect his beloved crewmates and the captain, who he thinks is his father, is too strong to stop him. Gaiking transforms into Face Open Gaiking and defeats Noza in this battle. However, the forbidden attack leaves Daiya unconscious in the cockpit.

After the battle with Noza, the captain and Daiya fall ill, and Daiku-Maryu, as well as Stinger and Serpent, are badly damaged. Captain makes Lulu command the ship in his absence, and reveals his identity to Daiya. Contrary to what Daiya thought, Captain Garis is not his father, but a former scientist from Darius who designed and built Daiku-Maryu. Then Noza attacks again with his new-and-improved Giant Soldier Dorman. Daiya gets up and goes back into battle. And with the new device that Shizuka developed for him which displays the time limit to safely stay in Face Open, he defeats Noza.

After the battle with Noza, Daiku-Maryu and Gaiking get repaired in a new fort built by rebel forces in an abandoned desert city. There, in an amusement park, Lulu and the others see Vice Captain Rosa sighing and acting strangely in front of a merry-go-round, which makes them worried that she might be feeling stressed from working too hard. Lulu, who accidentally found and read Rosa’s diary, tells them that Rosa writes about her hardships on the ship, especially ones concerning Daiya. So the crewmembers reactivate the amusement park in order to let Rosa have some fun. But while they are enjoying the rides, the enemy attacks. Daiya starts fighting on Gaiking, but since Gaiking isn’t fully repaired yet, he can’t use any of the energy weapons. Then Rosa, who analyzed centrifugal motion on the rides in the amusement park, asks Dr. Sakon to apply her calculations to defense system Volution Protect, which turns Daiku-Maryu into a huge offensive weapon. After they win the battle, Rosa reveals that the “hardships” in her diary aren’t really hardships at all, but are records of her fulfilling days on Daiku-Maryu.

During a battle in the air, a civilian airplane asks Daiku-Maryu for help, and Lulu agrees to let him come onboard. The pilot, a Darius man named Jan, demands to be taken to the surface world and tries unsuccessfully to hijack Daiku-Maryu. He later tells Daiya that he saw a man from the surface who looks a lot like Daiya in a village nearby. Daiya and Lulu take Jan to the village, only to find it abandoned and seized by Darius soldiers. Jan manages to flee, but Daiya and Lulu, who find out that Jan is wanted fugitive, are captured. They are taken to a mine, where the villagers are being forced to work. Then Proist, who is the one operating the mine, orders his men to blow it up since Vestarnu is on her way there. Daiya and Lulu help the villagers escape, but find out that there’s second mine in which the man from the surface is laboring. Daiya, aided by Jan, who comes back to help Daiya, fights the Steel Beast that gets in his way and saves the villagers from the second mine. Later, Daiya finds out that the man from the surface is not his father but is his assistant, who informs him that his father is captured by the Darius Army but is indeed still alive.

One day, Lee goes on a recon mission and saves Vestarnu, who is being attacked by droid soldiers at Proist’s secret quarry. She gets gunpowder in her eyes and becomes temporarily blinded. Lee lies to her about his identity, and helps her escape the droid soldiers but not before calling Puria and Daiya for help. On their way to help Lee, Daiya and the others run into Noza, who now has a new Giant Soldier called Bareon. Although Daiya is in a hurry to get to Lee, he tells Puria and the others to go on ahead without him while he fights Noza. During the battle, however, Noza suddenly feels an intense pain in his chest, which allows Daiya to leave the scene and go to Lee. Later, Gaiking combines with Stinger, Serpent, and Krab Bunker to become Triple Gaiking. Meanwhile, Noza finds a mysterious device in his chest, which seems to be causing the intense pain, and Vestarnu’s suspicion of Proist increases.

Daiku-Maryu arrives in the lawless city of Zangyle. Captain Garis tells Rosa to oversee the ship while he goes into town. Accompanied by Puria, Lee, and the mustache trio, Garis visits a casino, where a young man named Dick is waiting for him. Dick, a member of Daiku-Maryu, temporarily left the ship a year ago after he lost a bet with Garis. He challenges the captain to another bet over Daiku-Maryu, but at that moment, Daiya, who is supposed to be waiting on the ship, is brought to the room by Dick’s underlings. Dick realizes who Daiya is and turns the bet into a match over Gaiking. Daiya, entrusted by Garis to make the bet, beats Dick in a game of roulette when suddenly Steel Beasts of the Darius Army attack the city. The Daiku-Maryu crewmembers return to the ship and fight back on their machines. However, Gaiking gets captured by one of the Steel Beasts, rendering the others helpless. Then Dick, with his machine named Killjaguar, shows up and helps them destroy the enemies. However, after the battle, another Steel Beast appears and tries to pull Gaiking into the sea. Then Dick suddenly attacks Gaiking.

Dick attacks Gaiking to get to the enemy, and while the enemy falters, Gaiking counterattacks. Although they managed to get through the battle, everybody is furious at Dick for his dangerous tactic. Nonetheless, he is popular with the women on Daiku-Maryu with the exception of Puria and Rosa, who refuse to accept him, and Lulu, who is unsure of her feelings toward him. Later, after an unsuccessful training session for fighting a team battle, Hyper Steel Beast Graneps in its perfected and most powerful form shows up. It attacks Gaiking with an ice beam produced from Rogueflute, a new mineral discovered by Proist that renders Gaiking’s flame power useless. Gaiking gets frozen up with the new attack, and Proist celebrate their victory by revealing his, or her, true identity – a creature that looks like a beautiful woman but is of neither gender and who is apparently the child of Emperor Darius.

Powerless against the enhanced Steel Beast, Stinger, Serpent, and Killjaguar retreat to Daiku-Maryu for the time being, but they learn that Proist ordered a public execution for Gaiking. The only way to revive Gaiking’s flame power is with a weapon called Hydrute Arrow, but it can only be done with perfect teamwork among Puria, Lee, and Dick. Worried sick about Daiya, Lulu begs Dick and Puria to cooperate with each other. Dick agrees on condition that Lulu let him kiss her if they succeed. Puria is still reluctant to work with Dick, but Daiya and Lee, who have come to notice Dick’s good side, convince her to cooperate. They finally succeed with Hydrute Arrow, reviving Gaiking and destroying the Steel Beast, and later, back on Daiku-Maryu, Gaiking, Stinger, Serpent, Killjaguar, and their pilots are officially appointed as the Combat Force. Meanwhile in the Darius Army, after Noza discovers that he is being cloned as Proist’s spare body, he becomes dejected and turns completely submissive. Then Emperor Darius gives complete command of the Darius Army to his child and successor, Proist.

One day on a deserted island, Garis proposes a race to go find Windarium, a mineral ore that can counterattack Darius’s ice beam. The winner will become the Daiku-Maryu captain for a day, and ten crewmembers decide to participate in the race. Each of them is given a mini machine to go look for the ore. The race begins, and Daiya, Puria, and Dick are the only ones left in the end. But a Demon Beast appears and gets in their way. Daiya, Puria, and Dick cancel the race and fight the enemy with good teamwork, which delights Combat Force leader Lee, who actually came up with the idea of the race to foster teamwork among the three pilots. Later, back on Daiku-Maryu, Garis announces the winner of the race, which is Lulu.

The Daiku-Maryu idol contest enters the final round in which the candidates become an idol for the deciding popularity vote. They each make a performance that will attract the crew’s attention. Puria becomes a rock singer. Rosa becomes an enka singer. Kyoko serves dessert. Shizuka shows her usually hidden face. Only Lulu is reluctant to compete because she feels sad about the fierce rivalry among the candidates. She pleads with them to stop the fighting, and the others come to their senses. They decide to step down and let Lulu become the Daiku-Maryu idol. Just as Lulu’s victory is announced, the enemy attacks. Then Lulu sings a song during the battle and encourages the crew, making the pink hippos from Limitation Syndrome disappear.