Kouji Kabuto

Kouji Kabuto - 兜光児
Other Names
Series Info
Featured In	Mazinger Z Great Mazinger UFO Robo Grendizer Mazinkaiser
Personal Info
Voice Actor	Hiroshi Ishimaru (Mazinger Z), Kenji Akabane (Shin Mazinger)
Age
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Nationality	Japanese
Relationships	Juzo Kabuto (Grandfather) Kenzo Kabuto (Father) Shiro Kabuto (Brother) Sayaka Yumi (Love Interest)
Professional Info
Profession	Super Robot Pilot
Rank/Position
Affiliation	Photonic Research Institute

"Grandpa's murder... All the people who have been hurt... Japan's peace trampled... All because of Dr. Hell... This time, for sure... This time, I'll destroy Dr. Hell for good!"
- Kouji Kabuto

"There's no choice but for me to go and take it back!"
"But you don't even know what the enemy is...!"
"I'll find out along the way!"
-Kouji Kabuto and Sayaka Yumi

Biography

Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger

Koji Kabuto (Kabuto Kôji), also written as Kouji Kabuto, is a fictional character featured in the works of manga artist Go Nagai. He is the main character of the Super Robot series Mazinger Z and pilots the title robot. He reappears in the sequel Great Mazinger and helps battle the Mikene Empire and is featured in UFO Robo Grendizer as Duke Fleed's friend and sidekick.

Kouji was a ordinary High School student who lived with his little brother Shiro and his grandfather Juzo after their parents’ death. All of it changed when he was sixteen and his grandfather was murdered by Dr. Hell. Dr. Kabuto revealed Mazinger Z to him in his last moments and requested him to save the world from Dr. Hell. Kouji vowed he would avenge his grandfather’s death and fulfill his last wish.

Grendizer

After the end of Mazinger Z, Sayaka and he traveled to USA to learn about UFO technology. They returned at the end of Great Mazinger to help to defeat the Mykene Empire. After managing to design and build the first ufo build on Earth, and hearing about plenty reports of UFO sightings, Kouji returned to Japan to join the Space Science Laboratory. He dreamed about being the first human being to make a First Contact, and help to establish a peaceful relationship between Earth and other planets.

Back on Japan, he met Dr. Umon, his son and Makiba family. Dr. Umon and Daisuke tried to hint the aliens *might* not be friendly, but he did not listen. After being rescued by Grendizer and learn about Daisuke's true identity and past, he vowed to support him.

Mazinkaiser

The OVA follows Kouji Kabuto, Tetsuya Tsurugi and the rest of the "Mazinger Team" as they fight against Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts. An army of machines, led by Baron Ashura, defeats Kouji's Mazinger Z and Tetsuya's Great Mazinger. In the aftermath, Kouji stumbles upon a forgotten laboratory. Inside, he finds Mazinkaiser, the most powerful robot ever built. The series chronicles Kouji's experience with the machine as he copes with Kaiser's power while defeating Dr. Hell's forces.

Shin Mazinger

After the death of his parents, Koji works hard as the 'Mother Hen' to the surviving members of his family - his brother Shiro, and his grandfather Juzo. Koji has a high regard for his grandfather, whose patented inventions were the source of the Kabuto family's income and shows zero tolerance to anyone who ever insults his grandfather. During the primary attack of Ashura Corps., Koji becomes the pilot of his grandfather's greatest invention - the Super Robot Mazinger Z.

Personality

Kouji was an atypical main character of a 70's mecha series. Although he was mostly a good person, he can be rude, insensitive, and even sometimes stupid when overtaken by anger. Along with his sexist and inability to think before acting, he fulfills the archetype of the Idiot Hero. Despite his shortcomings, he was also compassionate, friendly, self-sacrificing, and cared greatly for his friends and fought for them.

His character evolved and developed somewhat along the series. His blatant sexism and his impulsive tendencies mellowed down a bit. He also grew up and matured and his main motivation to fight Dr. Hell became protecting people instead of petty revenge. Although he sill refuses to give up, he was more willing to follow orders, strategically retreat, and fight when he's recovered than his successor, Tetsuya.

Timeline Appearances

Advance Timeline

In this timeline, Kouji fights the Mycenae Empire and the Vegan Empires because the events of Great Mazinger and Grendizer occur at the same time. In one stage, he can rescue Minerva X from the Mycenae Empire's brainwashing. However, she dies and a pilot can be assigned to pilot the Minerva X. At one point, it's revealed that Kouji's Shadow Mirror counterpart was similar to the Kouji in Grendizer, working on spaceships in his spare time.

Alpha Timeline

In this timeline, he first appeared as a fellow student and friend of Kusuha Mizuha and Bullet Luckfield in the first game. Before the downfall of Dr. Hell, he runs into the Great General of Darkness and almost loses to him, but Tetsuya and the others rescue him in the nick of time. He also gets Mazinkaiser in this game. In the scene where Shinji confronts Kaworu/Tabris, Mazinkaiser is amongst the robots drawn to Kaworu's presence.

In Alpha Gaiden, he frequently gets into arguments with Tetsuya, culminating in a fight between him and a brainwashed, rage-induced Tetsuya. After the fight, they reconcile and decide to take down Mycenae and Dinosaur Empires together. He also gets Mazinkaiser back in this game after booting Archduke Gorgon out of it in the Earth Route or beating him to the punch in the Space Route.

In Alpha 2, he fights the Mycenae Empire with Tetsuya again. The Mycenae Empire is at full strength because the Preventers denied the Alpha Gaiden future where the Ancestors curb-stomped the Mycenae Empire into a position where they had to rely on the Dinosuar Empire. At one point, he was forced to fight against Kenzo in the Mazinkaiser. After the fight, he decides to pilot Mazinkaiser again, but it had the blatant weakness of the exposed Kaiser Scrander. The Photonic Institute Laboratories would work on mitigating it.

In Alpha 3, he continues the fight against the Ryuuma Empire, the Muge Zorbados alliance, and the Balmarian Empire. Mazinkaiser gets the Kaiser Scrander and Kouji learns Kaiser Nova. Kenzo's ghost talks with Kouji during the GONG scene and is proud of Kouji and the Mazinger team for avenging his death and for continuing his work.

Compact 3 Timeline

In this timeline, Kouji has already beaten Dr. Hell. However, he is still destroying the remaining Mechabeasts until the Photon Labs team end up getting surrounded. The Londo Bell comes in time to rescue them as reinforcements. Afterwards, Kouji fought along with Londo Bell and Fernando to defeat the Shura and any foe they come across. In the end, he seals Mazinger Z in a museum along with Combattler V and Great Mazinger.

Impact Timeline

In this timeline, Kouji fights the Mycenae Empire, now lead by Great Marshall of Hell, the reborn Dr. Hell, and the Vegan Empire with Tetsuya and Duke. He discovers that Dr. Hell brought back Count Brocken and Baron Ashura. At one point, he gets sent into outer space with Sayaka and the Cyber Beast Force. Kouji rescues Tetsuya when he got surrounded by the Mechanical Beast and mass-produced Great Mazinger army at the final battle with the Mycenae Empire on Bardos Island.

MX Timeline

Like the Grendizer vs. Great Mazinger movie, Kouji gets brainwashed by Barandos. However, he pilots Mazinger while Barendos pilots Great Mazinger. After breaking the brainwashing on Kouji and beating Barendos, Kouji decides to pilot Mazinger Z and the player is given the option of whether he wears his classic piloting suit or not. He also participates in alternate versions of the Getter Robo/Great Mazinger crossover movies.

Portfolio

• Skills: Potential, Sword Cut, Assist Attack, Support Defense
• Personality: Very Strong-Minded
• Seishin: Strike(20), Great Perseverance(30), Iron Wall(25), Valor(35), Accelerate(5), Flash(10)