Super Robot Profiles: Raideen

One of the classic super robots is Raideen. More correctly, Brave Raideen, of no relation to other robots called Brave.



Raideen, also called Reideen, was probably the first super robot to do no small number of things. First, it was an ancient robot with mysterious origins which could only be controlled by descendants of the ancient civilization of Mu. (The robot was powered by Mutron energy. Heh.) The robot itself also had an innate intelligence of some kind, which is also a relative first. (Grendizer was apparently able to distinguish its owner from other potential pilots, and would shoot those intruders who came too close, but that's the only other instance from the era that immediately comes to mind.) It was also, apparently, the first title super robot that transformed. Unlike many later transforming robots, Raideen didn't use its transformation, the "God Bird mode," for utility purposes. He used it...



...to kill things very dead.

Also, the pilot of Raideen was typically teleported in and out.

Another innovation of sorts within the series was the fact that Raideen was hard to pilot. Not "difficult to control." If you weren't careful and healthy, Raideen would kill you. (Well, maybe. I suppose it probably didn't happen.)

Raideen was pretty influential. It had two sequels/remakes of sorts, one of which was so badly paced that a reviewer claimed that a single robot punch ate about fifteen minutes of screen time.


Obviously, it isn't quite that bad, but that's still pretty bad. (If I recall correctly, that bow-shot thing was a response to being shot at from behind.) The Reideen (yes, spelled differently for no useful reason) series' version of the robot also had a pseudo-teleportation ability called "Flash Drive." Heh.

It also had an "unofficial" or "spiritual" remake, RahXephon. Aside from that, the features of Raideen which were unusual for the time period have been used and re-used to the point where they're practically anime cliches.

-Signing off, with more stuff added now.