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Guyver

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Bio-Booster Armor Guyver

<tr><td colspan="2" style="background: #ccf; text-align: center;">強殖装甲ガイバー
(Kyōshoku Sōkō Gaibā)</td></tr>

Genre Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, Action
Manga
Authored by Yoshiki Takaya
Publisher Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svgTokuma Shoten
Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svgKadokawa Shoten
Serialized in Shonen Captain, Shonen Ace
Original run 1985- ongoing –
No. of volumes 24+
OVA
Directed by Koichi Ishiguro
Studio Bandai
No. of episodes 12
Released 1989-1992
Runtime
TV anime
Directed by Katsuhito Akiyama
Studio OLM
Network WOWOW
Original run August 6th, 2005 – February 18th, 2006
No. of episodes 26

Bio-Booster Armor Guyver or Guyver: The Bio-Boosted Armor (強殖装甲ガイバー Kyōshoku Sōkō Gaibā?) is a long-running (over 140 chapters) manga series written by Yoshiki Takaya. It has been adapted into a 12-episode anime series (based roughly on the first four books), an OVA, two live action movies (Mutronics/Guyver and Guyver: Dark Hero) and a 26-episode anime series in 2005. The Guyver itself is a symbiotic techno-organic (or biomechanoidial) device that exponentially enhances the capabilities of its host. The manga was originally serialized in Tokuma Shoten's "Shonen Captain" magazine beginning in 1985. When Shonen Captain was discontinued in 1997, the manga was picked up by Kadokawa Shoten who subsequently re-released all of the previous graphic novels originally published by Tokuma. The manga is currently serialized in Kadokawa's Monthly Shonen Ace magazine. It was licensed by Viz Media, but has been discontinued.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

65 million years ago, an alien race known only as the Creators came to Earth to develop bioweapons. After experimenting with and creating new life forms, they created humans and used them as the base for powerful shapeshifting creatures called Zoanoids, which are the basis for werewolf myths and other such stories. The Guyver itself existed prior to these experiments and was used by the Creators as a space suit of sorts, and through an experiment, a human being activated a dormant Guyver unit and became the very first human Guyver, dubbed Guyver Zero. Guyver 0 surpassed all expectations, the effect of the Bio-Boosted Armor on a human being, which was developed for war, was far greater than the effect on the aliens. Unfortunately, the host was physically uncontrollable, and thus dubbed "Guyver", which meant "Out of Control" in the Creators' language. The Creators sent the leader of the Zoanoids, a powerful Zoalord called Archanfel to combat Guyver 0, and gave him a Unit-Remover, a tool to revert a Guyver back to the unbonded Unit-G form. Archanfel removed the unit from Guyver 0 and incinerated the human who was in possession of the very first Unit under the Creators' command. But the Creators were now afraid. They decided to destroy humans by throwing a Moon-sized asteroid at Earth, eliminating all traces of their experiments. Archanfel managed to destroy the asteroid, but not before the Creators unleashed a telepathic attack on Archanfel's mind, severely weakening his powers and body.

Archanfel survived for millions of years in a stasis sleep within a ship of the Creators heavily damaged by Guyver 0, waiting for the day he'd be strong enough to rise again. He is in a weakened state and must rest often, especially if he uses his powers. It is believed a Guyver unit would not only restore him, but make him by far the strongest being in creation as he already is bestowed with the powers of the strongest of all Zoalords. 400 years ago, he encountered Hamilcar Barcas, who helped him found the Chronos Corporation. Archanfel made Barcas the first of twelve Zoalords, beings of vast psychic power, with the ability to transform into battle forms that are all but invincible and also possess telepathic control over lesser Zoanoids. By creating their own Zoanoids from any available subjects, Chronos can place obedient sleeper agents anywhere they wish, and activate them all at once to take over the world.

Chronos discovered three, dormant, surviving Bio-Booster units (Unit-Gs), but a Test Type Zoanoid referred to as a "Malmot" (the Japanese term for guinea pig) stole the Unit-Gs and escaped from Chronos. In the Bandai OVA version, Malmot stole the Unit-Gs for Agito Makishima under the premise that he would be restored to his former self. During a foray with Chronos' troops, the Malmot caused an explosion that scattered the Unit-Gs across the forest they were in. Out of the three units, Chronos only recovered one, but its main control unit, the Control Metal, was damaged by the explosion Malmot set off. This Unit-G eventually went on to become the second Guyver under the control of Oswald A. Lisker. This damage later caused Lisker's Guyver to malfunction and was eventually destroyed by Guyver I.

Meanwhile, second-year high school student Shō Fukamachi, out with his friend Tetsuro Segawa, found one of the units. After accidentally pressing the control medal, it violently bonded with him, transforming him into Guyver I. The third Unit-G was presumably found soon after by Agito Makishima.

Having the Guyver makes Shō a constant target of Chronos, who first goes after him, then later uses his family and friends as hostages. Shō and his friends gradually learn more about the Guyver and its origins as the story progresses, and even witness the culmination of Chronos' world domination plans, forcing them to fight to free the world from oppression.

Guyver I later gains an upgrade in the form of Gigantic Guyver, capable of killing Zoalords in one-on-one combat. The third Guyver, Agito Makishima, craves this power and eventually gains control of the Gigantic Armor from Shō. Since Shō has a weaker will than Agito, he cannot call the Gigantic armor on to him. Eventually, Shō wrenches control of the Gigantic armor back from Agito when he watches one of his friends die.

[edit] Character profiles

[edit] Shō Fukamachi - AKA Guyver I

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(深町晶 Fukamachi Shō) The main protagonist of the series, Shō, 17 years old, is a second-year student at a Tokyo-area high school. He has black hair and is slenderly built. He is a slightly better than the average student, bright but not a genius. He is young enough to still be idealistic, but he fights Cronos more to protect friends and family than from any need to see the enemy brought to justice. If he hadn't become host for a Guyver Unit, he would have happily continued in ignorance of Chronos. As the series continues, he starts to add revenge to his motives, but it never drives him the way it does Agito Makishima. He cares deeply for Mizuki Segawa with the intensity of first love, and Tetsuro Segawa, Mizuki's older brother, is his closest friend. He agonizes over how he'll ever rid himself of his Bio-Booster Armor, but as the series continues, he realizes that it's the only thing that enables him to keep his friends relatively safe. As he is the host for the first Unit activated, he is known as "Guyver I".

[edit] Tetsuro Segawa

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(瀬川哲郎 Segawa Tetsuro) A large-framed, chubby third-year student; Tetsuro is Shō's closest friend. While he sometimes let people draw the conclusion he is a stereotypical slow, stupid fat kid, in reality he is highly intelligent and can think quite rapidly when he has to. He is a rabid science fiction fan, which gives him the background knowledge to make quite a few accurate guesses about the Guyver armor, Zoanoids, and Cronos. He keeps his hair cut short and wears glasses.

[edit] Mizuki Segawa

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(瀬川瑞紀 Segawa Mizuki) Mizuki is the sort of demure and quiet girl. She starts out with a crush on Agito Makishima, whose only interest in Mizuki is using her to manipulate Shō and Tetsuro. At the beginning, she has a bad habit of screaming and fainting whenever she sees Zoanoids, but as time goes on, she gets stronger, although she never is as aggressive as Agito or Shō. She is somewhat short even for a Japanese girl, very slender, and keeps her hair in a page-boy cut that emphasizes her large eyes.

[edit] Agito Makishima - AKA Guyver III

Image:005agito.jpg

(巻島顎人 Makishima Agito) Agito's uncle secretly forced Agito's real father into bankruptcy and the price for bailing his brother out was Agito. Not long after that, Agito's mother died, and his real father committed suicide soon following. Adopted as Genzo Makishima's heir, Agito was raised to be brilliant - as well as ruthless and uncaring. The boy came to hate his adoptive father, and through him, Cronos. Agito wants not only to destroy Genzo and Cronos, but also become ruler of the world himself using Cronos' resources. As the series progresses, that ideal fades somewhat, but the reader is always reminded of it through his ruthless personality and actions. His desire to rule the world reappears strongly when he gains control of the Guyver Gigantic armor. He sees Shō and his friends as pawns rather than people in the 'game' he's 'playing' with Cronos.

Agito is of medium build and well muscled; he is a third-year student at the same high school the others attend, but looks older. He almost never allows sentiment to stand in his way, and he comes across as cold and calculating. His motives are definitely mixed, and while not a villain, he's not a 'pure-hearted hero' either. He lost his idealism years ago. At one point a candidate-member of the Cronos Elite, he is viewed by them as a traitor. Richard Gyuot, the leader of the Japan branch of Chronos, especially wants him dead. Even though he may have activated his Unit before Oswald A. Lisker, the second Guyver, he did not openly appear in his Guyver armor until after Lisker was eliminated, and thus he was dubbed Guyver III. Agito shows a frightening knowledge of what the Guyver can do throughout the series. In the two anime series it is implied that he was manipulating the runaway Zoanoid into stealing the Guyver units for him. It is hinted in the original anime that he was well aware of the Guyver's ability to resurrect the hosts they are bonded to if the Control Medal remains intact. Whether or not he actually knew this however, is unconfirmed.

After the Cronos conquest, Agito leads a resistance organization known as "Zeus no Ikazuchi" or "Zeus' Thunderbolts," as he plans to overthrow Chronos and steal their power, as the god Zeus did to his father, Cronus. This group once consisted entirely of unmodified humans, but Guyver III subsequently stole Zoanoid processing equipment from Cronos' Arizona headquarters, and with the assistance of a renegade Cronos scientist has been transforming his troops into powerful "Libertus" Zoanoids. Since the Lost Number effect cannot be reliably reproduced, Agito also had Shizu Onuma altered into a Zoalord so she can block enemy attempts to control the Libertus army.

Agito has recently lost control of the Guyver Gigantic to Shō, but he has apparently gained as many as three Zoa-Crystals (those formerly belonging to Yentsui, Waferdanos, and perhaps even Barcas) and has seized the Navigation Medals from the Relic Ship under Cronos' Arizona headquarters, which may allow him to create a second Gigantic armor.

[edit] Fumio Fukamachi

(深町史雄 Fukamachi Fumio) Fumio, who is a widower and Shō's father, is an easy-going, rather chubby, kind-hearted soul who has done his best to give Shō a good home. Dr. Barcas uses him as an involuntary guinea pig, turning him into the Enzyme II prototype (a Zoanoid with a powerful corrosive agent capable of destroying even the Guyver's armor) - and telepathically forced him to kill his son, Shō Fukamachi, Guyver I. Strictly speaking, he succeeded, as he crushed the Guyver's skull and destroyed a good portion of his son's brain. However, due to the unit's astonishing healing capabilities, the Guyver revived, and at the same time worked to repair the damage to its host, the unit controlled its host's body and battled Fumio/Enzyme II. He is killed by the Guyver I armor in the battle.

[edit] Genzo Makishima

(巻島玄蔵 Makishima Genzo) Director of Cronos' Japan Branch, he is in charge when the Japan Branch loses the Guyver Units. While initially one of the people in charge of developing new Zoanoids, Genzo has, unknown to him, fallen behind in this category as well once Dr. Barcas begins designing Hyper Zoanoids, Zoanoids of highly enhanced capabilities. His failures to retrieve the Units as well as come up with any significantly new Zoanoid designs results in Commander Richard Guyot relieving him of duty. Genzo is turned into the Enzyme Zoanoid prototype, a Zoanoid specifically designed to destroy the Guyver Armor by dissolving it with its acid. After he retrieves Guyver I's Control Metal in battle, he is ordered by Guyot to self- destruct when the dissolving Guyver I attacks Enzyme.

[edit] Oswald A. Lisker AKA Guyver II

A Cronos agent, or as he describes himself to Shō, "an inspector from Cronos HQ". Lisker was in Japan to supervise the transfer of the inactive Guyver Units to Cronos HQ, and was considerably annoyed to discover Makishima had managed to lose them. When one damaged unit was recovered, he insisted on taking a look at it, and involuntarily became its host. As the second known activated Unit, he was called Guyver II. A man vain of both looks and martial arts skills, he decided to take on the task of retrieving the Unit Shō had bonded with. His Control Metal, which had been damaged when the Unit was initially lost, malfunctioned under the stress of combat. Shō took advantage of his weakened state and struck the metal, causing further malfunction. The control medal burst out of his head and the organism that made up the armor began to consume Lisker's body. Shō then used his Mega-Smasher (more details below) to put him out of his misery. Lisker is tall, with curly blond hair - in other words, your typical Aryan stereotype.

A female named Valcuria becomes Guyver II in an animated movie which precedes the OVAs called Guyver: Out of Control. This is a surprise as the animated film appears to follow, somewhat loosely, the first few issues of the manga (with the fact that Tetsuro does not appear at all, and Mizuki and Shō are the only members of the normal cast, save for Genzo Makishima and Guyver III (presumably Agito, but given that Guyver II was female, this version of Guyver III may be an entirely different person), up to the point of Shō merging with the Guyver and the battle with a Gregole, before diverging completely into its own storyline.

[edit] Cronos Zoalord Council of Twelve

The leaders of Cronos, they all have 'Zoacrystals', crystalline structures implanted in their forehead that give them psychic abilities and greatly enhanced bio-energy. They can tap into these powers to fly, and generate energy blasts even without the need to transform into Zoalord battle-form. In one way or another, all can psionically manipulate both gravity and radiant energy. Guyot, Archanfel, and Hamical Barcas are all members.

Guyot was angling to destroy the other Zoalords and become sole ruler of Cronos, but his battle with Archanfel resulted in Guyot's fall - and Archanfel (who is the founder of Cronos) once again becomes prime leader of the Council as a result. They are all referred to as 'Zoalords', but the only ones we've seen transformed into battleform so far are Guyot, Archanfel, Imakarum Mirabilis, Fried'rich van Purg'stall, Lǐ Yǎn-Tuí, Waferdanos and Cablarl Khān.

The 13 Zoalords are:

  • Archanfel (whose name is derived from archangel and Lucifer.)
  • Hamilcar Barcas (possibly deceased: ambushed and severely injured by Guyver III after the destruction of Arizona HQ. Probably named after Hamilcar Barca)
  • Sin Rubeo Amniculus
  • Fried'rich von Purg'stall (deceased: suspected murder by another Zoalord)
  • Luggnagg de Krumeggnic (probably named for the fictional island country of Luggnagg in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and for the town of Clumeggnic that can be seen on Swift's map of the area)
  • Cablarl Khān
  • Edward Caerleon
  • Jabir 'bn Hayyan (probably named after Jabir Ibn Hayyan)
  • Waferdanos (probably deceased: mortally injured by four self-destructing Libertus zoanoids, used the last of his strength to save Barcas)
  • Tuatha Dé Galenos
  • Lǐ Yǎn-Tuí (named for Rienzi; deceased as a result of injuries sustained in battle with Guyver III)
  • Richard Guyot (Gyuot) (presumed dead until recently)
  • Imakarum Mirabilis (formerly Masaki Murakami)

[edit] Archanfel

Image:024alkanphel.jpg

Quite possibly the most powerful being in existence, Archanfel appears to be a young, blond man with pointy ears and cat-slitted eyes. He is actually the founder, creator, and ruler of the Zoalord Council. He is an extremely powerful psychic, and with amazing battle abilities. Archanfel was created by the "Creators" to be the leader of all the Zoanoids and the people on Earth. He was also the one who used the remover on Guyver 0 in prehistoric times. The Zoacrystals that give Zoalords their powers were all cultivated using Archanfel's crystal as a base.

Quoted from book 14, page 16:

And then… cleaving and cultivating one of Archanfel's Zoacrystals, we created eleven others. Accepting one of them, I became a Zoalord. In the centuries since then, I have searched for the ten chosen people who would become Zoalords as well.

[edit] Commander Richard Guyot

A tall, muscular but well-proportioned man, Guyot would stand out in a crowd even without his large blonde hair and abnormal eyes. He is an immensely commanding presence. He has no patience for failure and no compassion for the rank and file troops of Cronos. While he does not spend their lives uselessly, he'll send them to their deaths without a second thought for what he considers a worthwhile goal. Guyot has been bio-engineered into a Zoalord and was gifted with the ability to control gravity, making him the more powerful than the others, second only to Archanfel.

Guyot discovered the secret of the Guyver, before the other ten Zoalords (Archanfel knew this all along,) and made a foolish ambition to merge with it and take control of Chronos. This ambition was discovered by Murakami, and so Murakami made it his goal to destroy Guyot. Agito Makishima also has a grudge against Guyot and Guyot similarly hates Agito for his treachery. Guyot's ambition caused him to hide the device called the 'unit remover', which he was about to use when Archanfel showed up and defeated him.

In the Viz translations, his name is translated as "Reichmann Gyro", apparently a play on his fascist tendencies and blond, "aryan" looks.

[edit] Masaki Murakami/Imakarum Mirabilis

Masaki was a free-lance journalist captured by Cronos and used as an experimental guinea pig in the Zoalord development program. He is a 'prototype body' for the Zoalord form of Richard Guyot. Dr. Yamamura, a scientist involved in the project, discovered Guyot's plans for the Guyver units, and recruited four of the prototypes - including his old pupil, Murakami, in an attempt to destroy the Commander while he was being processed into his new battle form. The other eleven members of the Cronos Council of twelve - all Zoalords - intervened; Masaki is the only surviving rebel. He joins with Shō to fight Cronos, having his own revenge in mind. He doesn't quite trust Agito at first because of Guyver III's earlier connections with Cronos. When combating the Zoanoids in his human form, he uses a massive laser-sighted (depending on the adaptation) three shot revolver called a Zoanoid Buster, that takes his unnatural strength to be able to handle, which is most evident in the new anime as his wrist grows thicker with muscle mass when he fires the gun. He has a Zoalord's strength and the ability to command Zoanoids while in human form to a limited extent. He is not as powerful as Guyot, so loses his battles with the full Zoalord the two times they fight. After Guyot mortally wounds him, Archanfel retrieves Masaki's body. Murakami is turned into an obedient, powerful Cronos general - and a full Zoalord, who assumes the name "Imakarum Mirabilis" to take the place of the fallen Guyot. When his obedience is questioned Barcas explains that Imakarum Mirabilis has a unique relationship with Archanfel; they are in constant telepathic link, as if he is a part of Archanfel, which explains the nature of his sudden loyalty towards Archanfel. He is now more powerful than Guyot was, and has been given Guyot's Zoacrystal.

Masaki is a tall, thin young man with shoulder-length hair. He normally wears sunglasses even at night. After Archanfel gets his claws into him the glasses conceal the fact he now has cat-pupiled eyes; his hair has also now been allowed to grow much longer.

[edit] Dr. Hamilcar Barcas

Co-founder of Cronos and top scientists and the eldest member of the Council of Twelve. He is responsible for designing and creating the Hyper Zoanoids and completing the final work on most of the Zoalord mutations. He is very old, and compensates for his growing baldness by letting what hair he has left grow to his waist. He is over 400 years old, and was one of the founders of Cronos along with Archanfel. He is, in fact, the person who awoke Archanfel from his long slumber. It is believed, his name is taken directly from Hamilcar Barca. He is widely believed to be the top scientist of Cronos. He has experimented on many different creatures. His ethics are questionable, but we have not seen enough of his character to draw an accurate judgement.

[edit] Aptom

Aptom was one of the lost number along with his two compatriots. Lost numbers are Zoanoids who have lost their reproductive ability during processing/can not be copied. This makes them useless to Cronos' long term plans as they cannot self replicate. They have powers/weapons that are non-conventional, but they offered a new approach in the battle against the Guyvers. His two close friends were killed in various battle with the Guyvers. Dr. Barcas was interested by Aptom's abilities, and re-processed him in an attempt to strengthen his powers. Thereafter, Aptom discovers that not only is he now completely shielded from the telepathic powers of the Zoalords, but he is nearly immortal. By absorbing small amounts of DNA from other Zoanoids, he can replicate their forms and powers, as well as mix the attributes of several Zoanoids in one body. He can regenerate himself even if only small bits are left. He requires a large amount of bio-energy as a result, and that bio-energy must come from fellow Zoanoids. He soon starts killing Zoanoids and becomes a renegade from Cronos. In time, he comes to ally himself with the Guyvers in various battles. Totally amoral, Aptom is the sort of character who is difficult to classify as either villain or hero - he doesn't really fit into either category. His human shape is of a muscular man with a distinctive scar that runs down the left side of his face from hairline to jaw; he often dresses in a leather jacket, jeans and shades. Recently, his body was telepathically possessed by Zoalord Cablarl Khān, leading "Chaos Aptom" to fight his former allies, such as Guyver I, unwillingly. Later on, he is freed.

[edit] Toshiaki Hayami

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One of Dr. Odagiri's assistants, he is the sole survivor of that group of scientists that escaped in the relic. The scientists were infected by a deadly virus as Cronos' means of keeping them under control. The only ways to escape death, is to be supplied with regular shots, or to become Zoanoids. The only way to become Zoanoids and yet not be slaves to the Zoalords was to become lost numbers.

Hayami was the only scientist that survived the process. He possesses the power to affect the temperature of the environment around him to a certain extent. Aptom finds him and, once he realizes what Hayami is, brings him to meet the Guyvers and their friends.

[edit] The Guyver Units

The Guyver units are mysterious symbiotic bio-mechanisms that bond with a host, enhancing the host's own capabilities. Guyver unit was designed as all purpose environment suit for its Creators (believed to be a group of aliens of different species.)

As the human race was developed as a weapon, the unit gives humans super-strength, incredible speed, strong armor, and various weapons:

  • Sonic Orbs (two orbs at the Guyver's mouth that produce head-exploding sound waves).
  • The Mega-Smasher (Two high-power particle cannons contained beneath the Guyver's chest armor) It should be noted that the Mega-Smasher is considered, in Guyver canon, to be the most powerful particle beam weapon in existence on Earth. It has been shown heavily gouging Mount Minakami, as proof of its raw power. The upgraded version in the Gigantic versions of the armor are even more powerful at 100 times the power of the Mega-Smasher. The Gigantic version of the Mega-Smasher is called the Giga-Smasher. In Bioboosted Armor Guyver, the Mega-Smasher is revealed to use so much power it takes considerable time for it to recharge after each use.
  • Head Laser (A multi-directional laser mounted just above the control metal on the Guyver's head). More commonly referred to as the Headbeam.
  • High Frequency Swords (blades that extend from the Guyver's forearms. These blades vibrate at an extremely high frequency allowing them to cut through almost any material with ease.) Also known as Sonic Swords (see vibroblade).
  • Gravity Globe (the purpose of the gravity globe is to siphon gravitational energy from a higher dimension. Two main uses include giving the Guyver the ability to fly and to unleash destructive gravity waves in the form of a directed "Pressure Cannon". It can also be used as a one way shield.)

Other various systems are revealed slowly as the manga continues.

It is the Control Metal (located on the Guyver's forehead) that regulates the armor - and prevents the techno-organism from literally eating its host alive. It also records the genetic structure, and memories of its host, so that if the host is injured or killed, it regenerates that host from even the smallest bits of genetic material. If the control metal is destroyed, the Unit absorbs its host. The control metal has tentacles that reach into the host's brain, and is the hard wiring of the Unit that allows the host to use the systems of the Guyver. During the joining with the Guyver, the host's body is changed permanently. The Guyver leaves 2 growths on the back of the host, that act as a form of 'transciever' to Guyver. When the host calls for the Guyver, a signal is sent and the Guyver is activated. When not needed, the armor is stored in what can best be described as a sub-dimension; it follows the host constantly so as to be instantly available when needed.

While extremely hardy, there are a number of things that can damage or destroy a Guyver. The various Enzyme-type Zoanoids were specifically developed to exude a type of acid that dissolves the bio-booster armor. A battle-trained, experienced Zoalord has enough pure power to destroy a Guyver, as do some of the Hyper Zoanoids. And, finally, the Creators developed a tool called the 'Unit-Remover'. It actually deletes host data from the control metal, forcing the Guyver to return to its inactive state. Unlike the Zoanoids, the Guyver is humanoid in form - mostly because its hosts are human. The Guyver would have been used by the command crew element of Creator spaceships, and in later chapters, Shō uses his Control Metal to speak telepathically with one of the craft.

A Guyver unit itself is semi-sentient and can act on its own to a limited extent, if its host is unable to direct it. In this mode it will usually take no action except to defend itsel from what it perceives to be a threat. Guyver I was in this mode when he first assumed his bioboosted form, when he was regenerated by the Control Medal in Chronos headquarters, and when he killed the Zoanoid his father had been turned into.

The first Guyver was an experiment by the Creators aeons ago. They were curious as to how their newly developed weapons would react to their standard armament (Guyver unit). However, the Guyver (dubbed Guyver 0) attacked the Creators, destroying one of their ships. The human would not remove the armor when ordered to. The Creators programmed the humans to be telepathically controlled by them and so, as this human would not listen, the bio-boosted human was named 'Guyver' (a word meaning "out of control" in the Creators' language, though other versions give it as "beyond the norm," and Bioboosted Armor Guyver gives the meaning as "not to specification"). They gave the 'unit remover' to Archanfel who then proceeded to remove the unit from the human and incinerate him.

An upgrade module for an active Guyver unit was later created from the remnants of a relic ship. It gives a Guyver sufficient power to battle and overwhelm a Zoalord, and the new unit is called "Gigantic." One such upgrade module is known to exist, although it's possible that Guyver III is gathering the resources to create another.

[edit] Zoanoids

The Cronos Corporation has discovered the technology to give humans the ability to transform into superhuman, monstrous soldiers. These 'normal' Zoanoids are the cannon-fodder of the series, and are constantly getting destroyed left and right. When killed, their bodies disintegrate into little more than wisps of vapor and damp spots on the ground, so there are no bodies - human or monster - left which can be used as proof of what's going on. Initially, most Zoanoids we run across are members of Cronos, but the Corporation is also experimenting with ways to involuntarily transform humans into Zoanoids without their knowledge. It is safe to assume they erase the memories of these people of their being processed. They can be activated from a distance by any Zoalord. These humans come under the Zoalords' telepathic mind-control techniques as soon as they transform, giving the organization an unquestioningly obedient army of super soldiers. These Zoanoids are genetically programmed to obey the orders of Zoalords (with some exceptions now and then, like Aptom). Once these experiments are successfully completed, Cronos begins to openly make its bid to control the world. Zoanoids come in hundreds of different designs. Some are very specialized, like the Enzyme and Hyper Zoanoid units, and are few in number. Others like Gregole, Ramotith and Vamore are more general-purpose and exist in much larger quantities. While not all humans can be made into Zoanoids, a very large percentage of humans possess the potential. Usually females are not processed, but it is quite possible.

[edit] Guyver: Out of Control

Produced in 1986 in Japan and in 1993 in the U.S. and Canada, this animated film is loosely based on the original story at the start, before deviating into its own storyline. As in the anime OVA, Malmot steals the units, then is ambushed by a group of Chronos soldiers. but Guyver I is discovered not by Shō and Tetsuro, but by Shō and Mizuki. Tetsuro does not appear at all in the film. Mizuki faints at the sight of the Zoanoid Gregole, and thus does not see Shō's Guyver form. Then, when Gregole is about to bite Mizuki's head off, Shō (as the Guyver) suddenly jumps out of a nearby river and has a brief, but bloody fight with Gregole. At the end of the battle, Shō tears of Gregole's arms, crushes his horn, then decapitates Gregole. The Chronos thugs are horrified by the sight of Gregole being so easily beaten, then cowardly run away. Shō then takes Mizuki home, and at school the next day, two of his friends suddenly die when coming in contact with him. Going to the police, Shō encounters a zoanoid named Vamore, disguised as an officer. Here, Shō consciously summons the Guyver and lashes out with the Mega-Smasher for the first time, vanquishing Vamore.

Chronos sends out an inspector to view the only successfully recaptured Guyver Unit. The inspector, a young woman named Valcuria, is merged with it and becomes Guyver II. Of interesting note is the fact that the Control Medal is not shown to be damaged when it merges with her until after it fully forms, and even then, it is almost unnoticeable.

Dissaponted in what has become of himself, Shō becomes a wanderer, and holes up in an abandoned shack. Discovered by Chronos, he is told they are holding Mizuki captive. Glowing with energy, Shō sets off a small explosion, and the next day, in Bio-Boosted form, attacks the Chronos Japan base, a massive tanker concealing an underwater and underground complex. There he meets and battles Valcuria, now Guyver II. She has the upper hand throughout the near entirety of the battle, only losing when her Control Medal is further damaged by the confrontation, giving Shō the chance to strike back, damaging it even more, and obliterating her with the Mega-Smasher.

Like Tetsuro, Agito Makishima is nowhere to be found throughout the anime, however Guyver III does put in an appearance at the end of the film, killing Genzo Makishima, the then-head of Chronos Japan. It should be noted that given the change in Guyver II from a male to a female in this film, it is entirely possible that Guyver III, who only appears in Bio-Boosted form in the film, could be someone other than Agito Makishima.

The film ends shortly thereafter. Mizuki is returned to ordinary school life after seeing Shō, still in the Guyver armor, one last time before he walks out of her life. The destruction of the Chronos tanker is written off as a 'mundane' explosion caused by a combustion of oil and gas. Guyver I and III are never again seen in either form.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Guyver 12-Part OVA

Divided into two series, this OVA series tells a condensed version of the first five volumes.

[edit] Cast (Japan)

[edit] Cast (English)

[edit] Guyver The Bio Boosted Armor (2005-2006)

During the summer of 2005, a new Guyver website, http://www.guyver.jp went online. Aside from a mysterious Flash intro, the only other item on the website was an advertisement for a "Guyver Event" at the 2005 Anime Fair.

It was then at the Anime Fair that WOWOW and the head of ADV Films announced that they would start broadcasting a new 26 episode Guyver anime TV series, starting August 6th. The production is in association with ADV Films, Kadokawa Shoten.

The TV series is scheduled to make its U.S. TV premiere on October 26th, 2006 on the Anime Network. The first episode was also able to be viewed for free at IGN for a short period of time.

The first four episodes were released in America on November 14, 2006.

[edit] Japanese Cast

[edit] English Cast

[edit] Theme songs

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The TV series covers more of the story than the 12 episode OAV series, being more loyal to the manga, mainly the first 10 or so volumes (covering everything up to the arrival of Guyver Gigantic). However there are key differences;

  • Guyver II/Oswald A. Lisker survives his first battle with Guyver I due to him and Tetsuro's escaping during the first of Guyver II's many Control Medal malfunctions. He is even kept from fighting up until the final episode of the "Cronos Japan Arc" due to the fact that he is the only Guyver in Chronos' possession. Though he does meet the same end with a final grotesque malfunction, and then is caught in the collapse of Cronos Japan's HQ, all thanks to their self-destruct sequence.
  • Panadyne, a Zoanoid who has only been featured in the manga in an event following Chronos Japan's destruction, makes his first anime appearance.
  • In an homage to the popular story in the manga where Guyver I/Shō's disembodied arm from the battle with Enzyme mutates into a clone, the dissolving Guyver I in the Enzyme battle turns into the clone's final form.
  • Mizuki doesn't get captured by Chronos during the Enzyme battle; only Tetsuro surprisingly enough.
  • Murakami's first transformation into his Proto Zoaform occurs before the battle with the group of Enzyme IIs. It now happens when two of the surviving members of the Hyper Zoanoid Team Five assault Agito's hideout near Mt. Murakami. This happens in the manga as well. The two in question are Darzerb and Gaster. Thancrus is killed in battle with Guyver III. Elegen is also killed by being absorbed into Aptom shortly after Team Five investigates the site of the battle between him and Guyver I in the manga.
  • We get a brief glimpse of the other three Proto Zoaforms in a flashback during the "Relics Point" arc.

[edit] "Guyver Genesis Begins"

The series had its last episode broadcast on Saturday, February 18th. However it ended on a cliffhanger with the last image being Shō, who had just reverted to human form after defeating Neo ZX-Tole as Guyver Gigantic, in the arms of Mizuki who gets the last line, "Okaerinasai!" or "Welcome home".

At this point, the possibility of there being a second season of episodes to continue the story seems to only be speculation. However, a possible hint at a second season could be found in the phrase "Guyver Genesis Begins..." that appears in the beginng of the opening credits.

But as of this writing, neither WOWOW nor ADV Films have said anything confirming a second season.

[edit] Guyver Live-Action

Two movies based on the Guyver Manga/Anime were produced in the early 90s. While the main concepts were there (Chronos, Zoanoids, the Guyver), the rest was changed to the point where it was barely recognizable. The first movie could be considered to be based somewhat on the first 6 volumes of the manga, and is considered to be quite campy. The second movie is much darker and more realistic (though still plagued by foam suits), likely based on following volumes (with elements of the "Guyver II/Lisker" storyline, despite the fact that Lisker, who is a Zoanoid, appears in the first film) and he is also reaveled to be a Guyver in the second.

[edit] The Guyver (1991)

[edit] Guyver: Dark Hero(1994)

  • David Hayter: Sean Barker/Guyver
  • Kathy Christopherson: Cori
  • Bruno Giannotta: Crane
  • Brian Simpson: Crane Zoanoid
  • Tatsuro Koike: Guyver Zoanoid
  • Christopher Michael: Atkins
  • Stuart Weiss: Marcus
  • Billi Lee: Mizky Segawa

[edit] External links

it:Guyver ja:強殖装甲ガイバー zh:強殖裝甲

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