Beast King GoLion

1981 anime series

Beast King GoLion (百獣王ゴライオン) is a Japanese super mecha anime television series. The animation from GoLion was edited and trimmed to create the version of the American series Voltron: Defender of the Universe, with new names and dialogue. In 2008, GoLion was released on Region 1 DVD in three volumes. To coincide with the anime's original run, a manga adaptation by Yoshiki Tsuchiyama was serialized in TV Land (テレビランド, Terebi Rando).

GoLions story is set in 1999, when the planet Altea is subdued and enslaved by the Galra Empire. Meanwhile, five space pilots (Akira Kogane, Takashi Shirogane, Isamu Kurogane, Tsuyoshi Seidou and Hiroshi Suzuichi) return to Earth from their latest space exploration, only to find the planet annihilated by an apocalyptic, thermonuclear war, World War III. Suddenly, the explorers are ambushed, captured and enslaved by the visiting Galra Empire, and then, they are forced to fight for their lives in Emperor Daibazaal's arena. The young pilots escape and eventually land on the planet Altea, where they discover the secret of the mighty sentient robot GoLion, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Emperor Daibazaal's forces. Thousands of years ago, GoLion was an arrogant robot who, after defeating several Beastmen, tried to challenge the goddess of the universe into battle, but failed. For GoLion's hubris, the goddess taught him humility by separating him into five pieces in the form of five lion robots that sailed through space and crash landed on Altea, to lay in wait for those who would one day reawaken him to fight evil once again. The Princess of Altea, Fala, recruits the five of them so they can become the new pilots of GoLion and help her start fighting back against the Empire.

Galran Deathblack Beastmen (デスブラック獣人) were previously Beast Fighters, serving as the apex of Galran technology and dark magic, and are sent by Honerva against Golion. Anyone captured and enslaved by the Galran Empire are immediately herded into the arena on Planet Galra where they are forced to fight to the death against the larger, powerful, and deadlier Beastmen who can easily kill them before an enthusiastic crowd. Then the slaves are butchered and made into slave stew, a favorite gruesome dish for the Beastmen to eat and also fed to surviving slaves as a form of forced cannibalism to turn them to be as savage as the Beastmen. Anyone who survives fighting the Deathblack Beastmen are subjected to Honerva's dark magic that changes them into Beastmen to fight Golion.

Galran Mechablack Beastmen (メカブラック獣人) are the successors of the Deathblack Beastmen and first appear in episode 31; most of their names are taken after letters of the Greek Alphabet. Unlike deathblacks, mechablacks are constructed at planet Galra's occult science plant instead of the coliseum and use beastmen as their brain component. Notably, Emperor Daibazaal unwillingly becomes part of a mechablack beastman in the series' final episodes.

GoLion footage was heavily edited and re assembled by World Events Productions in the U. S. to create Voltron. Changes made to the series included rewritten dialogue, omitted character deaths, toned down violence, and altered plot developments. In addition, Toei Animation Ltd. created and animated a brand new plot arc specifically for the U. S. Voltron series. Toei sold all of its rights to GoLion to World Events Productions, as GoLion had achieved only average ratings in Japan, in comparison to the popularity of Voltron in the U. S., and the series has yet to receive a DVD release in Japan.

Media Blasters released GoLion on DVD in the U. S. in 3 volumes:
Collection 1 was released on May 27, 2008. Collection 2 was released on August 12, 2008. Collection 3 was released on November 25, 2008. GoLion episodes have at times been made available for viewing on World Events Productions' YouTube channel.