Dangaioh - Hyper Combat Unit (破邪大星ダンガイオー or 破邪大星弾劾凰, Haja Taisei Dangaiō) is an anime OVA series produced by AIC studios and released in Japan in 1987. Dangaioh featured character designs by creator Toshiki Hirano note , mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori, animation direction by Masami Obari, and key animation by Hideaki Annonote . A sort-of sequel named Great Dangaioh (破邪巨星Gダンガイオー, Haja Kyosei Gureito Dangaiō) aired in 2001, but ended after only thirteen episodes out of a planned 26 due to poor reception.
It starts when a young girl named Mia Alice wakes up all of a sudden in a spaceship, frightened and confused and with her memories erased. A strange voice tells her that she's been abducted and transformed into a cyborg, due to her extremely strong Psychic Powers; soon she and other people in her same situation will be sold out as cyber soldiers to the highest bidder, alongside the Super Robot Dangaioh.
Mia, however, only wants to go back home. She also has a vague hint of who she truly is... she remembers having been a Ordinary High-School Student in Tokyo. Soon she meets up with the other three potential Dangaioh pilots: former La Résistance member Roll Kuran, Hot-Blooded Pai Thunder, and Naïve Everygirl Lamda Nom. The four decide to team up and see what they can do to recover their freedom and fight their common enemy: their potential employer, Captain Garimoth....
Dangaioh provides examples of:
- Action Girl: With an astonishing ratio of three action girls to one guy with the Dangaioh pilots. One of the girls is the team leader. They're all on the same level or stronger than the guy. And said guy actually acknowledges it. A very nice break from the norm.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Mia is a Nice Girl, yeah. But do NOT push her around too much. And do NOT threaten her team.
- Big Bad: Garimoth is the leader of the space pirates who commissioned the creation of Dangaioh, and the main antagonist of the OVA.
- Biting-the-Hand Humor: The first episode of the OVA had the AIC building (Dangaioh's production company) destroyed by the invading bad guys.
- Bittersweet Ending: By virtue of the OVA's being cancelled. Gil Berg is defeated at the end of the third episode, but at the cost of not only Dr. Tarsan but Team Dangaioh as well! Or so Garimoth thinks; they survive, albeit unconscious and adrift in their severely damaged mecha.
- Broken Bird: Pai, Shazara
- Butt-Monkey: Tarsan almost never gets any respect.
- Calling the Old Man Out: "My name is NOT Barius! I'm Pai Thunder! And you are NOT my father!"
- Crossover: With Toshiki Hirano's other OVA series, Iczer-1 in a Drama CD
- Cut Short: Both the original series and Great Dangaioh end on a cliffhanger; the original series ends after only three OVA episodes but was intended to run for longer, and Great Dangaioh was meant to air for 26 episodes but ended after only 13 due to poor reception.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Subverted tremendously: Pai was actually Barius, the daughter of Garimoth, and had a Face–Heel Turn once she recovered her memories. But when Garimoth told her to kill Roll before taking her back, Pai rebelled and rejoined the group.
- Dynamic Entry: Roll's first apparition was pulling this to save Mia. Later, Mia and Lamda pull this as well to save Pai and Roll from Garimoth.
- Fallen Princess: Lamda
- Flipping the Bird: Pai does this in the first episode.
- For the Evulz: Gil Berg mentions this as this motivation.
- Gag Dub: This
, presumably. - If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!: Garimoth demands Pai/Barius kill Roll to prove her loyalty to him. She says "Hell NO!"
- Important Haircut: Lamda originally had long hair, but when she became a Fallen Princess, she had to cut it so she wouldn't be recognized by others.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Mia's name is spelled "Miya" in the current existing subs, but it's officially (in both katakana and English) "Mia".
- Karma Houdini: Due to the OVA's being Cut Short Gil Berg is this
- Don't worry, this Karma Houdini gets a just-deserved Karmic Death in the Super Robot Wars Compact 2 Trilogy, Super Robot Wars Impact and Super Robot Wars K. Video for K right here. Video for IMPACT here.
- Don't worry, this Karma Houdini gets a just-deserved Karmic Death in the Super Robot Wars Compact 2 Trilogy, Super Robot Wars Impact and Super Robot Wars K. Video for K right here
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: The four pilots are given this, but they start recalling their past lives pretty soon.
- Lightning Bruiser: Roll can use his Psychic Powers to enhance his own speed and physical endurance. Unless he's in a closed space, that is
- Leotard of Power: Mia, Pai, and Lamda all wear one.
- Mighty Glacier: How Pai uses her powers - unlike Roll who uses his' to move fast around, she focuses on augmenting her physical strength.
- Mind over Matter: Mia is a very powerful telekinetic.
- Musical Pastiche: Pretty much the whole OST, since a lot it is recycled from Michiaki Watanabe's earlier compositions from Iczer-One, Great Mazinger, and most notably the Laser Blade theme from the first trilogy of the Metal Heroes franchise.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Mia used to be this.
- Phlebotinum Rebel: The four kids didn't like to be kidnapped and turned into killing machines. What did they do? They decided to fight back. Ironically enough, the guy that kidnapped them in the first place winds up being their mentor.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: Pai, who even refuses to team work and address Mia's leadership because Mia's much more peaceful. She's actually really Barius, the daughter of pirate warlord The Banker/Garimoth. Once her father tries to force her kill one of her classmates and Mia bails her out, she accepts Mia as the leaderess.
- Psychic Link: The kids can read each others's thoughts due to their enhancements. This is how Roll, Pai and Lamda learn about Earth (Mia's home) and decide to go there.
- Psychic Powers: Though Mia is the only one to use them in the more traditional manner: Roll and Pai enhance their speed or strength, Lamda shoots beams from her hands.
- Rocket Punch: And since Lamda Nom's mecha forms the arms, she really hates it when the move is pulled off.
- Shrinking Violet: Lamda. Mia starts like this, but is more of Nice Girl.
- Sliding Scale of Cynicism Versus Idealism: Surprisingly cynical, for a Super Robots series.
- Super Robot: Pretty straightforward, Dangioh is Combining Mecha, the team is Hot-Blooded, and it cuts through an asteroid in one blow in the Opening.
- Supporting Protagonist: Roll is the pilot of Dangaioh the robot, but he's neither team leader nor the POV character - that's Mia.
