History Manga / ZoidsChaoticCentury

* CurbStompBattle: Happpens virtually twice a story arc, with Van's Liger recieving one from the arc's BigBad, before it receives some kind of powerup and is able to give the villain a curb-stomping of its own. Of note is the Death Stinger, which makes the Blade Liger look like a joke, until its core is transferred into a [[SuperPrototype Liger Zero]], which is able to dismember the Death Stinger quite easily. Equally matched battles in this series are the exception rather than the norm.

* ToyLessToylineCharacter: Has several, primarily the ''Liger Zero Caesar'' and ''Berserk Fury Shadow Edge'' CASes, and the ''Stealth Dragon'', the manga's mid-season upgrade for the Stealth Viper. There are also a few minor ones, such as transport Zoids Leviathan and Kraken, the two-headed Pteras Gemini, Precios the custom Brachios, and the wild Solbatross Zoids. The Precios appears to have been given a ContinuityNod in the form of Dark Nessios in the Rebirth Century line.

''Zoids: Chaotic Century'' (known in Japan as "Kiju Shinseiki Zoido") was a manga written and illustrated by Michiro Ueyama, and published in Coro Coro Magazine. It was later published in North America by Viz, who gave it the [[MarketBasedTitle same title]] as its [[Anime/{{ZoidsChaoticCentury}} Anime Adaptation]]. It outlasted its anime adaptation for several months until eventually being cancelled around the same time as the New Century anime. Ueyama continued the story in the form of an unofficial doujinshi, but it too remains unfinished.

* CurbStompBattle: Happpens virtually twice a story arc, with Van's Liger recieving one from the arc's BigBad, before it recieves some kind of powerup and is able to give the villain a curb-stomping of its own. Of note is the Death Stinger, which makes the Blade Liger look like a joke, until its core is transferred into a [[SuperPrototype Liger Zero]], which is able to dismember the Death Stinger quite easily. Equally matched battles in this series are the exception rather than the norm.

''Zoids: Chaotic Century'' (known in Japan as "Kiju Shinseiki Zoido") was a manga written and illustrated by Michiro Ueyama, and published in Coro Coro Magazine. It was later published in North America by Viz, who gave it the [[MarketBasedTitle same title]] as its [[Anime:ZoidsChaoticCentury Anime Adaptation]]. It outlasted its anime adaptation for several months until eventually being cancelled around the same time as the New Century anime. Ueyama continued the story in the form of an unofficial doujinshi, but it too remains unfinished.

->''"See you on the battlefield!"''
-->-- OnTheNextEpisodeOfCatchphrase

''Zoids: Chaotic Century'' is the first of the several ''{{Zoids}}'' anime. Simply ''Zoids'' in Japan, it was combined with its direct sequel, ''Zoids: Guardian Force'', and [[MarketBasedTitle marketed as]] ''Zoids: Chaotic Century'' in English-language markets. Western fans occasionally use ''Chaotic Century'' to refer to the original series and ''Guardian Force'' to refer to the post-TimeSkip second series, though this distinction was never officially made in the Western markets. It was played on CartoonNetwork in North America, but [[ScrewedByTheNetwork moved to an early-morning timeslot]] before it finished airing, and eventually canceled entirely without ever showing the last four episodes of the series, which were delayed due to production issues. The [[FanNickname Final Four]] were eventually aired -- on {{Toonami}} no less -- as a [[NetworkToTheRescue gift to the fans]].

''Chaotic Century'''s story follows Van Flyheight, a teenager who spends much of his time {{Hover Board}}ing around the local desert ruins for kicks. One day, he's pursued by a local bandit and forced to flee into said ruins, where he discovers a set of PeopleJars in a previously inaccessible part of the structure. In one, he finds a [[RobotBuddy small and unusually intelligent dinosaur-like zoid]]; from another emerges [[GirlInABox a young girl]], who proves to have [[MysteriousWaif no memory of her past]] but experiences [[OracularUrchin occasional visions of a mysterious nature]]. Van promptly names the girl Fiona (which she called herself when initially asked her name, but seemed to forget as soon as she said it) and the zoid Zeke (after his father's Command Wolf). Zeke proves to have mysterious powers of his own when he instantly revives an old, abandoned Shield Liger, allowing Van to fight off the bandit and return home.

Between being pursued by bandits after Zeke, a valuable "organoid", and Fiona's visions of a "Zoid Eve", Van [[JumpedAtTheCall Jumps At The Call]] and decides to go adventuring and see if he can find any answers about his new friends. Along the way he meets [[TheLancer tough guy]] Irvine and [[WrenchWench mechanically-inclined]] transporter Moonbay, gets involved in the ongoing war between the [[TheFederation Helic Republic]] and [[TheEmpire Guylos Empire]], and gains a [[TheRival rival]] in Raven, a warrior for the Empire with an organoid of his own. Before things can be put to rest, Van must learn about Fiona's past and how it relates to Zeke and the SealedEvilInACan that the Empire's TreacherousAdvisor, Gunter Prozen, is trying to harness.

''Guardian Force'' picks up after a TimeSkip of several years, during which the Empire and the Republic have worked together to form an elite military group: the eponymous Guardian Force, dedicated to ending conflicts before they can become full-blown wars. Van, naturally, has joined on behalf of the Helic Republic; his Imperial counterpart is Thomas Schubaltz, who becomes his partner. The two of them, eventually joined by their friends from ''Chaotic Century'', quickly uncover a plot that threatens the entire world. This time, the mystery revolves around Zoid Eve, and the emergence of several new villains, each with the own organoid. The final conflict, when it occurs, takes place over ''eight full episodes'' without running into EndingFatigue, saturating the series with nearly toxic levels of awesome.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:General]]
* ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway: Raven's dad makes a comment that humans arrived on planet Zi a long time ago, presumably after the Ancient Zoidians were wiped out.
* BadExportForYou: While [=DVDs=] are available in English, they lack Japanese audio tracks.
* DesertPunk: Though not in a completely desert setting, the characters spend a ''lot'' of time in arid wastelands.
* CampGay: Stinger. He even pilots pink zoids.
* CombiningMecha: Zoids and Organoids.
* CoolBigSis: Moonbay.
* DeadLittleSister: Irvine had a little sister who died from a fever.
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Raven's real name is Joyce Chen in the manga.
* TheEmpire: The Guylos Empire subverts the usual Empire = Evil trend in the anime, with most characters from that side being shown as sympathetically as their Republic counterparts.
* EvilCounterpart: Raven to Van. By the same token, Shadow to Zeke.
* EyepatchOfPower: Irvine has one of these; the eye behind it is fine, but it gives him useful things like telescopic or infrared sight.
* FacialMarkings: Nearly everyone has them.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Empire is shown as a mix between Germany and the Byzantines. The Helic Republic, meanwhile, more resembles the United States.
* TheFederation: The Helic Republic.
* HeroicSacrifice: Dan Flyheight's death while protecting a group of Helic scientists along with [[spoiler:Raven and Shadow]] from Prozen's forces.
* HollywoodTactics: Major battles boil down to either both sides lining up opposite each other and firing randomly until one side runs away, or hordes of weak units swarming a single overpowering opponent and being annihilated for their trouble.
* HotBlooded: Van.
* LargeHam: Dr. D
* MadScientist: Dr. D counts as a heroic version of this.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Death Saurer, Death Stinger, Geno Saurer, Geno Breaker, Berserk Fury.
* ParentalAbandonment: Van's parents died, Raven's parents died, who knows what happened to Rudolph's and Fiona's parents.
* RedOniBlueOni: Van and Raven.
* SealedEvilInACan: The Death Saurer and Death Stinger.
* ShipTease: Oh, so much with Van and Fiona. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite go anywhere.
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: The first Death Saurer is not as powerful as the Death Stinger, and the Death Stinger is not as powerful as the ''true'' Death Saurer.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Van Flyheight has been translated as Ban/Bang Freiheit/Fleiheit, and the Schubaltz siblings' last name was Schwarz in Japanese.
* TheStoic: Karl Schubaltz.
* SuperRobot: The Organoids and any Zoid they're merged with.
* TimeSkip: Between Chaotic Century and Guardian Force.
* TookALevelInBadass: Over the course of Chaotic Century, Van goes from a lucky kid with an organoid to a capable pilot in his own right. The TimeSkip takes it UpToEleven; by Guardian Force, he's one of the top zoid pilots in the world with formal military training including hand-to-hand combat.
* WaveMotionGun: The Charged Particle Cannon, which is only mounted on the most powerful zoids: the Geno Saurer (and its upgrade, the Geno Breaker), the Death Saurer, the Death Stinger and the Berserk Fury.
* WorthyOpponent: Raven is this to Van.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chaotic Century]]
* ABoyAndHisX: Van counts double, as both "a boy and his zoid" and "a boy and his organoid".
* AceCustom: Irvine's Command Wolf and everything piloted by Karl Shubaltz.
* AmbitionIsEvil: Prozen wanted to use the Death Saurer to take over the world.
* BigBad: Prozen.
* BloodKnight: Raven.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Fiona. She grows out of it in Guardian Force.
* TheDragon: Raven.
* EvilAlbino: Prozen.
* GirlInABox: Fiona's first appearance is half this, half PeopleJars.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: This happens to Van when Zeke brings him to a broken-down Shield Liger and then proceeds to restore it. Van [[JumpedAtTheCall doesn't mind in the least]].
* HeelFaceTurn: Rosso and Viola, towards the end.
* HopeSpot: In Raven's introductory episode, he goes on a rampage, destroying countless zoids. Cue Van's appearance in the Shield Liger! And then Raven proceeds to ''demolish'' him, and only withdraws due to orders from above.
* KidHero: Van. He's ''fourteen'' in the Japanese version, but the dub [[{{Woolseyism}} changes it]] to seventeen.
* MidSeasonUpgrade: Van's Shield Liger being evolved into the Blade Liger. Raven switching out his Zaber Fang for a Geno Saurer also counts.
* MysteriousWaif: Fiona.
* OracularUrchin: Fiona displays some traits of this.
* ThePowerOfLove: A key component in the regeneration of Van's Shield Liger into a Blade Liger and its subsequent kicking of Raven's ass in Chaotic Century.
* RapunzelHair: Prozen's hair goes down to his knees.
* RegentForLife: Prozen is all over this.
* SleepCute: Van and Fiona do this in Moonbay's Gustav.
* TokenLoli: Fiona.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Van just can't get enough of those papayas.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Guardian Force]]
* AbnormalAmmo: The gravity cannon, as may be imagined from the name, fires ''miniature black holes'' at its target; it's later used to shoot [[spoiler:Van, Zeke, and the Blade Liger at the True Deathsaurer]].
* AbortedArc: Guardian Force left a lot of subplots unresolved and hanging (some of which were leftovers from Chaotic Century).
* AlphaStrike: Thomas's Megalomax is an example; he fires all ''[[MoreDakka seventeen]]'' of his Dibison's cannons simultaneously. Which [[BellisariosMaxim somehow]] combine into a WaveMotionGun blast.
* BigBad: Hiltz.
* {{Bokukko}}: Reese likely qualifies, between her early outfit (the later catsuit, less so) and using "boku" in the Japanese version.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Karl falls under this along with an entire base controlled by a MindControlDevice in episode 7.
* CallingYourAttacks: Thomas shouts ''Megalo-Max!!'' every time he uses it.
* ChekhovsGun: Remember The Valley of The Rare-Hertz in Chaotic Century? Guess what? [[spoiler:In Guardian Force, it's where Zoid Eve is located]].
* FastballSpecial: Van's final attack on the True Deathsaurer is somewhere between this and CatapultToGlory.
* ForTheEvulz: This was apparently why Hiltz wanted to resurrect the Death Stinger and Death Saurer.
* FullPotentialUpgrade: Turns out to be Zeke's unique organoid power; he can boost a zoid's capabilities above and beyond even what a normal organoid-enhanced zoid can do, allowing it to keep up with its pilot.
* HeelFaceTurn: Raven and Reese.
* MechaExpansionPack: The Attack Booster of the Blade Liger. Amusingly first tested on Moonbay's ''Gustav''.
* MidSeasonUpgrade: Teased with the Blade Liger, but ends up being TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential instead of a real MidSeasonUpgrade. Raven gets another, from his Geno Saurer to a Geno Breaker. Irvine moves from his Command Wolf to a Lightning Saix.
* RunningGag: Moonbay referring to ''[[InsistentTerminology her]]'' Ultrasaurus, and Irvine correcting her.
* SheIsAllGrownUp: Fiona, compared to Chaotic Century.
* ShoutOut: To ''JurassicPark'' (almost to the point of plagiarism when both themes climax); just listen to the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RShfhjV2Y2Y Ultrasaurus' theme]] and then the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8zlUUrFK-M Jurassic Park]] theme. Also consider how similar the scenes with the Ultrasaurus first moving and Dr. Grant seeing the living Brachiosaur/Brontasaur/whatever are, especially since the aforementioned themes start playing in both instances.
* TheWorfBarrage: Thomas' Megalomax attack suffers badly from this.
[[/folder]]