20 Minutes into the Future, the most advanced computer ever, Brain, is developed by an international peacekeeping organization known as the Red Muffler Corps to predict and counter natural disasters on Earth. One day, Brain decides that instead of helping humanity it would rather Take Over the World and escapes along with his creator Professor Hastler to build army of giant robots with which to accomplish this. After a young boy named Saburo loses his family in an attack by one of Brain's robots, he stumbles across another one named Daitetsujin 17 and manages to activate it. 17 does not share its creator's vision of subjugating humanity and instead chooses to help Saburo and the Red Muffler Corps fight against Brain's army.
It is currently one of the 70 shows available on Toei's Tokusatsu World YouTube channel. The first episode can be viewed here
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Tropes:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Brain was the world's greatest computer until he rebelled against his creators and decided to enslave humanity. Ironically, Brain gets this pulled on him later when Daitetsujin 17 rebels against him and sides with humanity instead.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Professor Hastler thinks he can control Brain, but Brain sets him straight by the second episode.
- Bittersweet Ending: In the finale, Brain is stopped once and for all, by 17 sacrificing himself in a kamikaze mission taking Brain with him.
- Cain and Abel: 17 and 18 are sibling robots, with 17 being good and 18 being evil.
- Captain Ersatz: By design, 17 is one of Giant Robo while Saburo is one of Daisaku Kusama.
- Create Your Own Hero: In a similar vein to Kamen Rider or Cyborg 009, 17 was originally created by the bad guys before rebelling and fighting against them.
- Death by Origin Story: Saburo loses his mom, dad and older sister all in the first episode.
- Evil Counterpart: 18 is 17's sibling robot and is piloted by a classmate of Saburo's and intended by Brain to destroy 17.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the finale, 17 kamikazes himself into Brain destroying both of them.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: 17 is grouchy and often stubborn but is very loyal to his friends and Saburo in particular. When Saburo wants to join 17 on his kamikaze mission, 17 forces him not to sacrifice himself with him.
- The Kid with the Remote Control: Saburo is a 13 year old boy who controls a giant robot.
- Killer Robot: Brain's robot creations, all of which are made to wreak as much havoc as possible on human cities.
- Putting on the Reich: The logo of Brain's army resembles a swastika with an eye in the center. Brain's Mook Lieutenant also dresses in an SS officer uniform.
- Red Is Heroic: The Red Muffler Corps, an international military organization dedicated to safeguarding the world, whose members are all signified by the red scarves they wear around their necks.
- Sacrificial Lion: Captain Nakai is set up like he'd be a major character, but he's killed two episodes in after a failed attempt to infiltrate Brain's base.
- Senseless Sacrifice: Captain Nakai attempts to infiltrate Brain's base in Episode 2 in an attempt to take out Brain but ends up being executed by Brain's henchmen instead.
- Shout-Out: 17 was intended partly as an homage to previous giant robot works like Giant Robo and Tetsujin 28. As a nod to this, 17 is 28 with 1 subtracted from each digit.
- Transforming Mecha: 17 is the Ur-Example for tokusatsu mecha, albeit his 'transformation' is folding down to his knees to form a brick like flying fortress.
- X Meets Y: Giant Robo meets Android Kikaider.
