Megadeus

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The Big Three Megadeuses of the series

"Megadeus" (メガデウス, Mega deusu^?) is the name given to the giant robots of The Big O anime series. Forty years prior to the events of the series, the world was turned into a vast desert wasteland and the survivors were left without memories. The megadeuses are portrayed as remnants of the previous civilization, a lost technology few citizens of Paradigm know how to control.^[1] The word is a blend of the Greek Megas, meaning "Great", and the Latin deus, meaning "god".

The robots were designed by series creator Keiichi Sato, who also designed the titular mecha of the Mazinkaiser OVA and the mutant creatures of The SoulTaker TV series.^[2]

The megadeuses are portrayed as semi-sentient beings, capable of acting on their own.^[3] The designs are strange and "more macho than practical."^[4] Unlike the giants of other robot anime, the megadeuses do not exhibit ninja-like speed nor grace or possess voice-activated special attacks; but for what they lack in agility, they more than make-up in power. The robots come armed with old-school weaponry like missiles, piston powered punches, machine guns, and laser cannons.^[5][6]

The nature of the megadeuses is tied to the event forty years prior.^[7] In the final episode of the first season, Roger Smith has a flashback in the form of a nightmare: an army of megadeuses burn down the city as a group of bald-headed children look on. In the second season premiere, he experiences a lucid dream of a town without domes, where its citizens have not forgotten who they are and megadeuses are nowhere to be found. In the final episode, he gets another burst of memories: the city stands in ruins and the megadeuses fight amongst themselves while a winged giant oversees the onslaught.

[edit] The Big O

"Cast in the Name of God..."

Whenever Roger enters Big O, he is greeted by this message

The titular Big O is the premier megadeus of the series, a black metal behemoth piloted by Roger Smith. According to series creator Keiichi Sato, the name "Big O" comes from the opening theme of Daitetsujin 17, "Oh! Giant Ironman". In the series, the word "Big" (ビッグ, Biggu^?) identifies a type of megadeus with a similar design to The Big O.^[8]

Big O's summoning is an homage to Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Giant Robo. By calling the megadeus' name into his wristwatch, Roger informs the giant it is "Showtime!" and it comes to its master's side.^[9] The boot sequence ("Cast in the name of God, Ye not guilty") is a design of series director Kazuyoshi Katayama. Katayama first learned of the phrase through a magazine article on John Milius and the Conan the Barbarian series. According to the article, the phrase comes from the swords of executioners in the 17th century and is engraved in Conan's sword. Katayama liked the sound of it and decided to use it as the robot's call to arms.^[10]

[edit] Characteristics

The black megadeus makes its first appearance on the show by the end of "Roger the Negotiator", when it is summoned by Roger to foil a robbery. It is established early on this is not Big O's first appearance in Paradigm City;^[11] onlookers, including Chief of Police Dan Dastun, cheer him on, distinguishing the hero from the villain. Beyond Paradigm, it's a different story. When Big O shows up in "Electric City", the locals don't know what to make of it; and during "The Call from The Past" a local fisherman fears it, believing the megadeus to be a "Sea God" (海の神, umi no kami^?). The episode "R.D." introduces Metropolis, a book written by the character of Gordon Rosewater that tells of the cataclysm that destroyed the world. The episode suggests Big O played a part in it when Roger's nightmarish vision shows it as one of three giants burning down the city.

At times, Big O appears to have a mind of its own. When Roger is in danger of being killed during the last episode of the first season, the megadeus goes to its master and stops the assassin. Roger is in the habit of talking to it, even though Big O is never heard talking back. During the fight with Bonaparte in "The Third Big", Big O locks itself and lets Roger out because R. Dorothy is in danger.^[12] In "Enemy Is Another Big!", Schwarzwald suggests that Big O may have chosen Roger, not the other way around;^[3] and the killer android R.D. implies those who pilot a Megadeus respond to a higher power and have a great mission to accomplish.^[13] In the middle of a hallucination during "Roger the Wanderer", The Negotiator remembers how Big O was waiting for him.

[edit] Features

The Big O possesses a varied array of weapons. Unlike other mecha series, where the robot's weapons come from specifically designed equipment or spiritual energy, the creators of The Big O took an old-school approach. The cockpit includes an assortment of pedals, levers and buttons that control the giant and the weapons are hidden within the giant itself, so only by displacing certain parts of the megadeus' armor can the pilot make use of them.^[14][6]

The Big O's main weapon is the Sudden Impact (サドン・インパクト, Sadon Inpakuto^?).^[15] It works by retracting the pressurized pistons inside the arms and subsequently releasing them. A pocket of air jets from the vents around Big O's fist, damaging its target. In "Roger the Negotiator", the combined strength of Big O's punch and the Sudden Impact explodes a hole in Dorothy-1's chest. In "Beck Comes Back", the released gust beheads the Beck Victory Deluxe; while in "Enemy Is Another Big!", it goes through two skyscrapers.

The Chromebuster (クロムバスター, Kuromubasutaa^?) is first used in Act:03. It is a concentrated energy beam fired from Big O's crown. The beam can be sustained for a long time ("Day of The Advent") or fired in short continuous bursts. ("Hydra") The material that makes up Big O's head ornament can deflect beams ("Beck Comes Back") but it can also crack under pressure. ("Enemy is Another Big!") Big O is also able of shooting laser beams out of its eyes, first seen in Act:05.

Hidden in the megadeus' abnominal area are 18 missiles, first seen in "Underground Terror"; six machine gun barrels are hidden around the chest area, first used in the fight with the Mummy in Act:12. The Big's hips hide rocket-propelled anchors, attach to the megadeus by chains. During the second season opener, it is revealed the waist is actually made up by two rows of eight anchors each. The anchors may be guided from the cockpit, as seen in "Twisted Memories". Other features include arm shields, a radar, a communication device and a station to keep the Griffon seen in "Stripes".

The Big O's original design included interchangeable weapons for the robot's arms.^[8] While this feature is not displayed in the anime, it was implemented in the manga version.^[16] Some of the weapons featured in the manga are an electric attack arm, drill arm, a rocket-propelled mace and an upgraded Sudden Impact (the "Triple Impact").^[17]

New weapons were designed for the show's second season.

The first one is the O Thunder (オーサンダー, Ō Sandā^?), a pair of gatling-style guns contained within Big O's foreams, first used during "Negotiations with The Dead". Once activated, the armor covering the forearm opens exposing four gun barrels. The rotating barrels fire energy volleys at high-speed, while generating a ring of energy that explodes on impact.

The Plasma Gimmick (プラズマギミック, Purazumagimikku^?) is used for the first time during the "Hydra" battle.^[18] In the middle of the fight, Roger gets a vision of himself fighting a similar monster during "The Event". In the vision, the other Roger activates the weapon by stepping on a button in the cockpit's floor. The armor on Big O's shoulders and forearms opens, revealing the static shield generators. Roger utilizes the generated energy to decimate the Hydra.

The appropietly named Final Stage (ファイナルステージ, Fainaru Suteeji^?) is used during the final episode.^[19] The Big O's outside and inside are transformed and a massive cannon that emerges from the giant's chest. The hip anchors are deployed to withstand the gun's recoil and the Plasma Gimmick is actived to protect the momentarily incapacitated megadeus during the Final Stage. Final Stage is started by R. Dorothy.^[20]

[edit] Enemies of Big O

The series follows the "monster of the week" formula, meaning the protagonist is hired to do a job and by episode's end he must battle a monster using a giant robot of his own. Given the series' style, for some critics the robot battles seem out of place,^[21][22] while others praise the "over-the-top-ness" of their execution.^[23][24] The wildly varied nature of the robots stems from the fact the creators intented to create a toy line based on their design.^[8] Following is a list of the robots featured on the show, in order of appearance.

[edit] Dorothy-1

Dorothy-1 is the first giant robot that Big O does battle with in episodes 1 and 2. It was built by the same creator of the android R. Dorothy Wayneright, Soldano. R. Dorothy and Dorothy-1 are considered sisters to Soldano, who soon dies after warning Roger about Beck's hijacking of the Dorothy units. Dorothy-1 is initially used by Beck to rob a bank of its mint plates, but is quickly destroyed by The Big O. R. Dorothy and Dorothy-1 are apparently intertwined technologically, as Beck proves capable of resurrecting Dorothy-1 by implanting R. Dorothy into the control unit of her sister unit. Throughout the episode, R. Dorothy displays a subtle synchronization with Dorothy-1 in the form of mimicking movement and sound.

Dorothy-1 is equipped with a pair of claws on each arm from which long metallic tentacles and power drills extend. These tools suggest that Dorothy-1 was built as a fairly benign robot: it excels at robbing banks, but can barely hold its own in combat. The Dorothy units, while seemingly trivial in the scope of the series, are some of the few objects constructed according to memories prior to The Event; the existence of such memories strongly implies that the Megadeii and other large robots were produced en masse using contemporary Paradigm City technology. The interactions between R. Dorothy and Dorothy-1 also help to illustrate the nature of Megadeii-Android relationships and suggest an even closer technological bond between Megadeii-type units and Androids, especially R. Dorothy. Beck's intricate knowledge of this relationship implies extensive previous experience with Megadeii prior to The Event on his part.

[edit] Archetype

The Archetype is an agile, skeletal robot buried within the tunnel systems of Paradigm City amidst a city-like structure. Discovered by Michael Seebach, the Archetype is strongly implied to be the predecessor of The Big O and all units resembling it, including The Big Fau, The Big Duo, and possibly Osrail and Dagon. Notably, the Archetype is one of the five Megadeii-like machines to exhibit a level of connectivity to androids, a semi-sentient intelligence that allows it to draw conclusions and make simple decisions, head-mounted circuitry that activates in the presence of an android or during the process of identifying a possible pilot, and a striking resemblance to traditional Megadeii. The Archetype is also one of the few Megadeii-like units to interact with a human being; an unnamed event involving Michael Seebach drove the reporter to madness, activated the Archetype, and severely injured Seebach.

The Archetype, unlike other Megadeii-like units, does not possess an armament. Its primary means of attack and defense consists of physical blows and a powerful electrical discharge from its head region. Due to this lack of weaponry, an absence of specialized design, Megadeii-like characteristics involving androids and consciousness, and its location, the Archetype is most likely the prototype unit from which The Big O and its sister units were designed and built.

[edit] Osrail

Featured in Episode 5.

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[edit] Constanze

Featured in Episode 6. Constanze is piloted by the android R. Instro, after realizing that his late father's supposed legacy was a weapon made to destroy the city. Constanze is capable of producing sound waves, capable of cracking Big O's armor and acting as a shield from its lasers. It was only defeated with the help of Dorothy (who played the piano) to distract Instro so Roger could destroy its arms with missiles.

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[edit] Dagon

The Sea Titan

The megadeus featured in "The Call from The Past" is named after Dagon, the sea deity of H.P. Lovecraft's short story of the same name. In the episode, the local fishermen stopped fishing out of fear of it. Without a pilot to control it, the titan goes on a rampage above water before it is defeated by Roger and the Big O.^[25][26]

Dagon's servants are the "frog-men" who scared the fishermen into not going out to sea. They are actually a Paradigm investigation team wearing scuba-gear, hired to search for Memories in the South Sea. Their design is inspired by the Deep Ones, the frog-men worshippers of Dagon in Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth novella.^[27][28]

[edit] Beck Victory Deluxe

Featured in Episode 9.

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[edit] Eumenides

Eumenides

The megadeus featured in "Winter Night Phantom" is named after the creatures of Greek mythology, the Eumenides. It is a large-scale model of the toy-robot bombs used throughout the episode.^[29][30] Eumenides is the first megadeus of foreign origin to attack Paradigm City. It is controlled by "Phantom" (ファントム, Fantomu^?), the woman who carries out the bombings. Psychically, she resembles the character of Sybil Rowan (シベール・ロアン, Shibeeru Roan^?), an anti-government activist who starred in the movie "Winter Night Phantom".

[edit] The Big Duo

The Big Duo as seen in "The Enemy is Another Big!" From the anime series "The Big-O"

It is the second Big found in the series, and was piloted first by Schwarzwald. It was found by Schwarzwald in a hangar to the south of Paradigm City. It is completely unknown why Schwarzwald was initially accepted as a pilot but Duo actively disobeys abandons him during battle. Prior to its "death," The Big Duo reaches towards Paradigm City, suggesting a link with the Domes or another potential pilot in the area. It is the only Megadeus possessing the ability of flight.

A modified version of the megadeus, named Big Duo Inferno, appears in season two. The robot is piloted by the the cyborg Alan Gabriel, hard-wired directly to the controls. Alan Gabriel may have died after losing control of the Megadeus. Big Duo itself attacked Alan after displaying the message "Ye Guilty" instead of the traditional "Ye Not Guilty". Schwarzwald's image also appeared and his thoughts were being heard by Alan as he was rejected by Big Duo. Alan was dropped from Big Duo in a veritable cocoon of wires. Big Duo Inferno finally explodes when he collides with what appears to be a gigantic stage light, miles above Paradigm City, under the amazement of Roger Smith and Big O. Judging by the rapid flight capabilities of Big Duo and its ability to carry bombs with extremely powerful (possibly nuclear) payloads it is possible that megadeuces like it functioned as long range heavy bombers and possibly as heavily mechanized "paratroopers" to quickly secure an area after a bombing. This is further backed up in memory flashbacks where squadrons of megadeuces similar in appearance to Big Duo are seen flying above a ruined city (presumably Paradigm City).

Weaponry

While Big Duo may not be as heavily armed and protected as Big O or Big Fau, Big Duo more than makes up for its lack of fire power in maneuverability and flight ability. Notable was Big Duo Inferno's ability to completely stalemate Big O in a veritable 'slugging match', taking some of Big O's better attacks well and returning even more damage than sustained.

• Eye Beams: A standard weapon for every Big, the Eye Beams are super heated beams of light that are shot out of the eyes. This weapon can be used as a long range attack and for cutting through objects. The Inferno version of Big Duo fires a single but more concentrated Eye Beam out of the larger lens rather than out of both eyes much like Big O's Chromebuster.

• Machine Guns: Although used only once by Alan Gabriel (due to the awkward flight maneuvering required to aim them, just like the Megaton Missiles), Big Duo comes with machine gun placements in its arms (each with two mounted on the wrist block and one in the hand propeller cone) and around its cockpit (two right below it). These machine guns appear to be based on the Browning M2 Machine Gun usually seen on World War II aircraft, namely "Flying Fortress" bombers and fighters.

• Mummy Disguise: Only seen during Big Duo's first appearance, this mummy-style disguise was most likely employed by Schwarzwald to hide Big Duo's real identity from Roger Smith. Schwarzwald was however able to manipulate the bandages to wrap around Big O and pull the Megadeus towards itself.

• Smoke Screen: Big Duo can expel a thick smog through vents on the outside of the Megadeus to be used for getting away undetected or blinding an opponent for a stealth attack. Schwarzwald uses the smoke screen to blind its flight feature from Roger Smith.

• Finger Blades/ Rocket Boosters: Big Duo's most impressive and useful feature is its flight ability. While in flight, both hands of Big Duo spin at high speeds and are used as propellers and the rocket engines located on the portion of the arm behind the elbow are used as propulsion. This exclusive feature makes Big Duo the most maneuverable of the four Bigs in the series. While not in flight, Big Duo can use its spinning hands as cutting weapons. This can be seen during the first confrontation between Big O and Big Duo. However, on the Inferno version of Big Duo, the fingers are much longer and extremely sharp and can also be repositioned and spun to form a drill-like weapon, much like Alan Gabriel's cyborg hands and exactly the same weapon Dorothy 1 uses against Big O in act 02 of the first season entitled "Dorothy, Dorothy".

• Missiles: Big Duo can fire miniature Missiles in an alternating pattern from two launchers situated in his chest. Both of the launchers are six-barreled, rotating missile launchers. The chest has two holes, so the launchers fire like a gatling gun. These Missiles must be replaced after each battle. After Big Duo was destroyed and rebuilt into Big Duo Inferno it appeared that these launchers were removed. The reason behind this is unknown.

• Megaton Missiles: The Megadeus's most powerful and devastating attack, Big Duo's Megaton Missiles are located inside its hollowed out cnemis. When activated, the cnemis of Big Duo moves outward to reveal the Megaton Missiles pointing straight up. Due to its position and launching limitations, the Megaton Missiles can only be fired straight forward while in flight while making a dive maneuver towards the target. The destructive force of both Megaton Missiles are very roughly equal to five tons of TNT. There is only enough room in the legs for one missile in each leg, so they must be replaced after use. In the manga, it is suggested that they are nuclear weapons.

[edit] Foreign Megadeuses

First seen at the end of Act 13, the Foreign Megadeuses came from the sea in order to attack Paradigm City. Roger Smith and Big O fought the Foreign Megadeuses and eventually stopped them. Each of the three megadeuses, however, posed more of a threat than Roger Smith could have imagined. Their true mission was to deliver the parts of a new megadeus

[edit] Glinda

Featured in Episode 16 Glinda is a simplistic, feminine robot constructed by Dr. Wayneright at his private estate as a security measure. Activated only once during an investigation of Wayneright's manor laboratory, it was easily destroyed by The Big O. The only notable aspects of Glinda are its extremely sharp sword, the only weapon in the series capable of penetrating The Big O's arm shields, and its memory-based designs. In other words, Glinda is one of the few robots constructed after the Event using designs based on memories prior to the Event.

[edit] Leviathan

Leviathan.jpg‎

Featured in Episode 17. It appears to be another Archetype robot that can think and move on its own. The Leviathan also seem so have some connection with Dorthy. The Leviathn's four claws can be energized and turn anything that it touches into sand. It was defeated when The Big O turned its own energized claws against itself.

[edit] Beck the Great RX3

From Episode 18. Beck and his two goons combined 3 different vehicles to make "Beck the Great RX3". It was quickly defeated from a single shot from The Big O's Arm Beam Gattling Cannons because Beck was too busy boasting how great the RX3 was.

[edit] Bonaparte

Bonaparte Megadeus from episode 20 and 21 from the anime series "The Big-O"

Built from the leftovers of the three foreign Megadeus' after The Big Fau's parts were extracted from them.

[edit] The Big Fau

Big Fau as seen for the first time in the episode "The Third Big," from the anime series "The Big-O"

First appearing in Roger's memories of "The Event" in Act 13, and first seen in action during Act 21, aptly titled "The Third Big", Big Fau is the third and final "Big" found in the series which had a certain importance and was piloted by Alex Rosewater. The parts for Big Fau were transported within the three foreign Megadeuses that fought Big O offshore of Paradigm City at the end of the first season and the beginning of the second season. After the foreign Megadeuses were disabled (but not destroyed), they were recovered by the Paradigm science team and Big Fau's parts were salvaged and re-assembled secretly under the supervision of Alex, but lacked a memory core. Despite missing this vital component, Big Fau was activated and piloted by Alex Rosewater. Judging by Big Fau's streamlined appearance, its ability to travel effortlessly through the water, its conning tower shaped head, and the flexible periscope-like laser cannons on its back, it is likely that the Big Fau units were used primarily for naval combat, functioning as heavily armed amphibious craft, and providing ocean-based combat support for land and air based Megadeii.

During its maiden battle against the Union Megadeus Bonaparte, Alex could completely control the Big, allowing him to tear Bonaparte to pieces before finally destroying it with Fau's dorsal beams. Once Bonaparte was vanquished, the dorsal beams began to fire randomly around the dome. Big Fau then displayed the message "Cast in the Name of God... Ye Not" before shutting down control to Alex. Later, Big Fau was jerry-rigged into working by Jason Beck using R. Dorothy's Memory Core, finally completing Fau and allowing it to declare Rosewater "NOT GUILTY." The Big Fau is the only Megadeus in the series to defeat The Big O after a challenge from Roger Smith. Fau is also the only known Megadeus to fuse with its pilot, Rosewater, via a series of cables plugged into the pilot's back. Big Fau was eventually disabled by Big O's Final Stage at the end of the act and removed by The Big Venus.

Weaponry

Compared to the two other Bigs, Big Fau did not display as much armament, probably due to Alex's limited understanding of its capabilities (compared to Roger and Schwartzwald, Alex didn't seem to have fully mastered his Megadeus) and the limited screen time it received. Still, it filled this gap by using advanced weaponry and technology which gave Fau the ability to easily defeat the Union Megadeus Bonaparte and later, seriously damage Big O and injure Roger Smith during their final confrontation in the last episode. The appearance and design of Big Fau makes it appear naval. The saw cuffs, markings on arms, and head make it appear to be suited for underwater.

• Saw Cuffs: As the name indicates, Big Fau's wrists are equipped with extremely sharp rotative blades which are very useful in close-combat. Used very effectively against the Union Megadeus Bonaparte and later, Big O, they are powerful enough to damage and grind into tiny bits even the thickest armor. They also give Big Fau the ability to travel underwater by using them as turbines.

• Eye Beams: A standard weapon for every Big, the Eye Beams are super heated beams of light that are shot out of the eyes. This weapon can be used as a long range attack and for cutting through objects. Not actually used during a battle in the series, Big Fau is seen using this weapon in the flashbacks Roger has of the rampaging Bigs.

• DD Beams: There are two lasers on Big Fau's back called "DD Beams" or "Dual Dorsal Beams" that are attached to a snake-like movable tubing situated on his back which allow these lasers to be fired in any direction. They are powerful enough to destroy a normal Megadeus as seen in the episode "The Third Big" but are no match against Big O's Arm Shields.

• Charger Cannon: More powerful and larger than the Dorsal Beams, these cannons are integrated in Big Fau's frontal upper torso and deployed horizontally when needed. They appear to use kinetic projectiles instead of beams- they need to charge first before attacking, and combined with their incredibly long-range, could be likened to howitzers. The main problem with them is, that they can only fire at objects situated in front or above the Big Fau and the Megadeus must pivot on himself in order to fire in other directions.

• Impact Barrier: Big Fau is the only "Big" of the whole series to exhibit a standard non-physical barrier. A special invisible shielding which protects Big Fau especially from frontal attacks, making him almost untouchable and invincible. Big O's Final Stage was the only weapon able to penetrate it. It is possible that this was a "non-standard" modification added during Big Fau's construction, but it should be noted that Big O displayed a similar (though much less powerful) ability in his battle vs. the Hydra. Given the aquatic combat nature of Big Fau, this may have been designed to protect against ultra-powerful underwater mines.

• Rocket Drills: Big Fau can spin his fists and Saw Cuffs at extremely high speeds while his arms are shot out of their sockets by small rocket boosters situated at the back of the arms, turning them into highly destructive moving drills. This seems to be more of a last ditch weapon, as the rocket drills can be destroyed while in flight, literally disarming Big Fau and taking away its ability to move underwater as well.

[edit] Big Venus

The Big Venus was seen very briefly in the last episode of the series, Episode 26: The Show Must Go On (but was seen in previous flashbacks), when Angel realized that she was "The Director", and started to turn Paradigm City into whitespace nothingness, along with the heavily damaged Big Fau. R. Dorothy Wayneright revealed that a similar event was the cause of "The Event" that wiped everyone's memories of 40 years ago. Roger pleaded the Big Venus and Angel to allow everyone to live a normal life, telling them that everyone has a purpose. It worked, and the Big Venus "reset" Paradigm City back to the way it was. The design of Big Venus is eerily similar to Big O, except in chestplate, color (it was in fact the inverted version of Big-O's colors, thus white and some dark-blue), and head design. Venus is mentioned to be 'Lucifer' (perhaps due to the mutual allusion of 'Venus' and 'Lucifer' to the term "morning star"), or likely, a 'fallen' Angel.

Almost nothing is known about Big Venus' capabilities, as it was only seen near and at the very end of Big O (the former being very briefly in a flashback). It only used one notable ability during the episode: the ability to make anything disappear into whitenspace nothingness with a single touch.

[edit] References