Shout Out / Voltes V: Legacy

Here are the various references and shout-outs made in Voltes V: Legacy.

---

Everyone loves a good Superhero Landing. Especially from a 58-meter Super Robot.

• In "The Origin", the shot of the chin of the Boazanian Skull Ship en route to the Earth is similar to that of the shot of the Star Destroyer's underside from the prologue of Star Wars: A New Hope.
  • "Homecoming" also has a similar shot where the underside of the Boazanian spacecraft carrying Hrothgar/Ned Armstrong approaches Earth.
• In "Camp Big Falcon", when Hrothgar/Ned Armstrong returns to Boazan after living with Mary Ann Armstrong on Earth, he gets caught in a gunfight with the Boazanian armed forces, who use weapons similar to that of the blasters from Star Wars.
• The teleporter that Judalah/Judy uses to return to the Skull Ship is similar to the Transporters from Star Trek.
  • When Voltes Team use the teleporter to enter the Boazanian base, Steve says "Energize!"
  • In "Deadly Consequence", Big Bert worries that the teleporter might cause them to merge in unfavorable ways as the Voltes Team prepares to teleport into Zardoz's base. This is a shout-out to the Transporter Accident in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
• Emperor Zu Zambojil boasts to Hrothgar that he will occupy the planets Brahmin, Tau Cetis, and Gliese. In the case of the first, it also serves as Production Foreshadowing, as GMA Network is planning a future adaptation of Daimos.
  • One of the planets invaded by the Boazan Star Empire is called Cephir.
  • Helios was mentioned when Zambojil learns that the planet didn't harbor Hrothgar but orders an invasion on it anyway.
  • Campbell was mentioned by Marquise Zaki who intends to seek asylum there before Zandra branded her as a traitor and personally shot her.
• The new design of the fully CG Voltes V in Legacy is clearly a shout-out to Pacific Rim and its Japanese influences, particularly when Big Bert called Dokugaga a "Kaiju".
  • In fact, its design itself is inspired by Mazinger Z: Infinity's "Infinitism" line of model kits, which have kits done the same way as Infinity!Mazinger Z.
  • You can also feel the weight of the robot with its every movement like in the first Pacific Rim movie.
  • On the other hand, "Kaiju" is also what the original anime called "Beast Fighters"^note (the earthlings called them "Kaiju" while the Boazanians called them "Juushi" or "Beast Knights" in the original Japanese version of the anime).
• The holographic interface of the cockpit of every Volt Machine, meanwhile, is reminiscent of the HUD (heads-up display) used by Tony Stark in the MCU version of Iron Man.
  • This is particularly true of the Compilation Movie version of Voltes V: Legacy, with the unfinished CGI forcing the director to zoom further into the pilots' faces a la Iron Man.
• In the closing credits, Voltes V: Legacy recreates the Voltes V artwork by Melvin Calingo A.K.A. Taga-Ilog of Culture Crash Comics. It's also an homage to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody album cover◊.
• Instead of having Voltes V face the defeated kaiju as it explodes then posing behind the shining V-mark at the end like in the original anime, Legacy has its Voltes V do Hollywood's signature Unflinching Walk or a Super Sentai pose amidst a background of fire from the exploding Beast Fighter.
• When Vaizanger punches Voltes V on the face and Voltes pushes the fist away with its cheek, it's a reference to a common trope in the Dragon Ball series.
• In "Armstrong Brothers", instead of threatening to cut Zuhl and Draco down with his blade to punish them for losing to Voltes V like in the original anime, Prince Zardoz instead shoots an electric beam from a finger-sized device that makes him look like Emperor Palpatine shooting Force Lightning at his minions.
• The Legacy version of Gardo isn't only more robotic. He also looks a lot like Yoshimitsu from the Tekken series, particularly his incarnation as a mechanized space ninja in Tekken 3. Especially when Gardo does one of Yoshimitsu's moves and talks in untranslated Boazanian.
  • The Legacy version of Shugoshin Godor in "Never Surrender" also looks Yoshimitsu-like, or by extension an improved version of Gardo with a much larger bodily frame, a bigger sword, and extra weaponry in the form of the twin BFGs.
• OCTO-1's noises are similar to Binary, a language from the aforementioned Star Wars franchise known for being spoken by droids R2-D2 and BB-8
• The title of episode 29 is "Boazanian Among Us".
• The live-action version of Negg almost resembles Dragreder from Kamen Rider Ryuki apart from sharing the same color scheme and serpentine-like features.
• While facing off against the newly formed Dainegu, Voltes V does the infamous superhero landing popularized by Marvel and DC movies, but specifically named that way in Deadpool (2016). Big Bert even calls it as such. This has led to memes where Yelena calls Voltes V a poser.
  • Voltes V does the landing again to show-off to Dr. Hook in "Spin Fly Technique".
• The signature lightsaber sound could be heard when Dainegu unleashed its oversized body staples on Voltes V, which is ironic since Voltes has a literal Laser Blade powered by ultra-electromagnetism that doesn't make that stock sound.
  • In "Infiltration", the main Underground Base of Zardoz uses a machine that releases an energy-based version of Dainegu's steel staple attack, resulting in them reusing the lightsaber noises here too, but this time it makes more sense.
• The scene where the floating parts of Negg wrapped around Daiga during their combination sequence into Dainegu's Roller Form is reminiscent of the Funnels.
• Zardoz being able to disguise himself as an ordinary human while infiltrating Camp Big Falcon seems to be evocative of Radiguet's disguise, except without the amnesia.
  • The polseras/pulseras (bracelet) device used by the Boazanians to change Zardoz into Manuel Nabuz is a potential shout-out to the signature oversized bracelet of Chiaki Enno that she uses to transform the titular Zenki into his original form^note (the trinket was referred to as such by the Tagalog dub of the show from rival network ABS-CBN).
  • Alternatively, the polseras could be a self shout-out by GMA Network to its 2014 show Kambal Sirena (Twin Mermaid), which also featured a mahiwagang pulseras (mysterious bracelet).
  • The transformation bracelet is also reminiscent of the Cross Changer from Jetman as well.
• Speaking of Choujin Sentai Jetman, the Steve Armstrong, Jamie Robinson, and Mark Gordon Melodrama is highly reminiscent of the Ryu Tendo, Kaoru Rokumeikan, and Gai Yuki Love Triangle. Both series were deliberately infused with "trendy drama conflicts" or "telenovela tropes", resulting in them becoming action series with romantic subplots galore.
• The way Dr. Smith ultimately dies in the hands of Android Ned while hidden in his room in episode 47 or "Dr. Smith" is also highly reminiscent of a game of Among Us, even though it's a painfully obvious game with a very sus culprit.
  • Android Ned Armstrong in the anime was pretty violent from the get go, punching everyone he could get his hands on, but Legacy Android Ned Armstrong is something else entirely, like a Sci-Fi pastiche between The Terminator^note (with his human disguise and kill count) and Wolverine^note (with his hidden claws).
  • Meanwhile, the organic feel of his assassination claws is reminiscent of the blades of The Predator or the protrusions of Sil from Species.
• Gamenza in the anime is already a shout-out to Gamera, but this becomes doubly apparent in Legacy because it outright renamed Gamenza into Gamera.
  • Gamera's upright visual design also looks like a robotic Blastoise from the Pokémon franchise. It even has a cannon blaster hidden in its shell that leads to its demise as well.
  • Likewise, Gamenza might also be a reference to Bowser from Super Mario Bros due to its green turtle-like appearance, its spikes on its shell, its sharp claws, and its eye lasers that work like Bowser's fire breath.
• In "Move It", when Zuhl chugs down some alcohol to destress himself as he avoids Zardoz's rampage, he does it with a nuance similar to that of Johnny Pagudpud, the protagonist in the 1995 film Father en Son.^note In the film's most memorable scene, Johnny tries to advertise Banayad (lit. Gentle) Whisky, only to get inebriated after several failed takes. For bonus points, Johnny was portrayed by the late Dolphy, who is the father of Zuhl's actor, Epy Quizon. Like Father, Like Son, indeed.
• In "Spin Fly Technique", Zairus the flying triceratops plane kind of looks like the legless Blue Ranger's Triceratops Dinozord tanker with wings, but that may be a coincidence.
  • Its land mode (where it sports rhino-like limbs) and color palette are also reminiscent of the mechs in Zoids.
• In "Taken", when Zuhl tortures Ned with a device that shows his memories to find Voltes V's weakness, it's reminiscent of the brainwashing machine used on Dr. Hans Zarkov in the 1980 Flash Gordon movie (which, in turn, also references the same brain machines found in the the original Flash Gordon serials).
• In "Secret Codes", when the resurrected Zoldier and Geru fuse together, Big Bert mockingly calls its final combined form a Tikbalang, a mythical creature from the Philippines that's basically a reverse centaur.
• In "Deadly Consequence", Mark says, "I have a bad feeling about this," which is a running gag in Star Wars since the original trilogy all the way to the later installments and related media.
  • Commander Robinson says the same line in "Savior Returns", while Voltes V was being overloaded with millions of volts of electricity from its second (failed) attempt at doing the "Ultra-Electromagnetic Ball".
• In "Savior Returns", Mark says "On your left," to Steve, which is a reference to a Steve Rogers (Captain America) quote to Sam Wilson (Falcon) whenever he laps him when they were jogging together in the MCU film Winter Soldier.
  • In "Never Surrender", Mark says, "On your right!" instead of "On your left!" as a Call-Back.
• In "Ned's Plan", when Voltes V wields the Laser Sword in a certain way while using its boosters to fly and finish off Desler^note after the Beast Fighter was finally captured by a complete "Ultra-Electromagnetic Ball" technique, it's a shout-out to the same signature move that the Strike Freedom Gundam does in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
• In "Conquer", the way Takeo and Arisa are executed for treachery mirrors the same way Philippine national hero José Rizal was executed: Shot in the back by a firing squad.
• In "Betrayal", the way Voltes V finished off Zuneizer the King Ghidora Expy by giving each head an individual slash that together formed a complete V-Slash is reminiscent of how Hercules/Heracles finished off the legendary monster, The Hydra of Lerna, by cauterizing the multiple head decapitations with a burning torch and crushing the last immortal head underneath a rock.
  • Zunaizer's roars are also very obviously the call of the Mighty Eagle from Angry Birds.
• In "Honor", the first-person POV of Draco as he battles against the entire Voltes Team with his hi-tech laser axe is highly reminiscent of the Doom Clone FPS game known as Heretic, particularly whenever the titular character Corvus used his Hellstaff or Phoenix Rod.
• In "Domination", the tank mode of Voltes V is reminiscent of both the wheeled Tranzer mode of Daimos and the GranDasher special move of Combattler V.
  • It shares the same concept as the Dino Tanker mode of the Megazord from Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers or Daizyujin from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger as well.
  • It's also reminiscent of the Galaxy Robo's Land Galaxy mode in Hikari Sentai Maskman, but that's because the robot was originally a Daimos shout-out in and of itself.
• In "Never Surrender", the series-only back cannons of Shugoshin Godor is highly reminiscent of the Twin Satellite Cannons of Gundam Double X from After War Gundam X.
  • They've also drawn comparisons to the Balaena Plasma Cannons—which function the same way as Double X's Twin Satellite Cannons—used by Freedom Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
  • Voltes losing an arm against Godor's cannons is also reminiscent of how in the intro of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the titular Gundam loses an arm while battling against Tallgeese.
• Episode 51, "Flap Your Wings! Aviators!", of Chōjin Sentai Jetman unfolded roughly the same way as Episode 89, "Never Surrender", and Episode 90, "One Epic Finale", of Voltes V: Legacy.
  • The two shows shared similar climactic battles. The kaiju version of Radiguet faced off against the whole Jetman mech arsenal (Jet Icarus, Jet Garuda, and Tetra Boy) in ways reminiscent of the final duel between Legacy's Voltes V and Shugoshin Godor, with both protagonists taking advantage of a weakness to distract the otherwise unbeatable enemy to secure the victory. Their battles also involved powerful laser weapons and robots losing their limbs (Tetra Boy and Jet Icarus). The one-armed Icarus also stabbed Radiguet like how the one-armed Voltes stabbed Godor.
  • And, appropriately enough, both series ended roughly the same way too. Most of the Jetmen went back to living their civilian lives before the invaders invaded just like the Voltes Team did, The Big Guy of both groups ended up with a girlfriend, and both Ryu and Kaori had fallen for each other the same way Steve and Jamie did. The only thing significantly different is Mark not dying on a bench like Gai did on his way to his love rival's wedding.

---