Gear Fighter Dendoh(GEAR戦士電童,Gia Faitā Dendō) is an anime series that aired in Japan. It ran for 38 episodes, from October 4, 2000 to June 27, 2001, on the TV Tokyo network and its affiliates.
Gear Fighter Dendoh tells the story of two Japanese schoolboys—short-tempered Ginga Izumo and level-headed Hokuto Kusanagi—who meet one day in the midst of an attack on the Earth by Galfa (sometimes translated as Gulfer or Garufa), a race of sentient machines determined to wipe out all life in the universe. The two are chosen by Dendoh, a machine built to battle Galfa, to be its pilots during this attack. They also become members of the Guard Earth and Advanced Reconnaissance (GEAR) organization designated with the protection of Earth from the Galfa advance. The two pilots find themselves in a race to obtain the powerful and animal-like Data Weapons before Galfa can get their hands on them.
The show is directed and plotted by Mitsuo Fukuda and his wife, Chiaki Morosawa, the duo who went on to create Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and its sequel Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Notably, Morosawa was not sole head scriptwriter for Dendoh, instead sharing duties with Yasuko Kobayashi, who went on to be the head writer for Toei's Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Den-O, and Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.
Seventeen years before the events of the series, Emperor Galfa was a biological manager program from planet Alktos that sought to destroy human life due to how they can and have easily destroyed nature. In an effort to save the environment from human intervention, he created a vast empire of machines to exterminate human life and named the empire after himself. In the final episode Galfa reveals his true form as a six headed mechanical dragon, possibly a reference to The Beast From The Sea or Orochi. After conquering the planet he created a large moon-sized satellite resembling the Death Star that emits an energy barrier that shields the entire planet and not only houses all of his forces, but also is armed with a gravitational cannon that can destroy planets.
Main Forces
Spiral City: flight, green lasers, underside drill, storage, an energy barrier, and an AI terminal program of the same name capable of emitting electricity.
Galfa Sotai: First appear in episode 1. Powers include flight, assimilating beak and hand claws, purple energy bolts from the forehead, beak lasers, and a purple laser pistol. They are often translated as Galfa Soldiers and Robot Beasts.
Witter: First appears in episode 1. Powers include a probe called a chip in his own image that is composed of liquid metal and is armed with a laser pistol, flight, an EMP field that can shut down electronics save for larger mechanical enemies and can slowly drain their energy, a segmented body that can be used as projectiles, pink finger lasers, and can reform as long as his head is intact. He fights Dendoh in episode 21.
Absolute: First appears in episode 1. Powers include a probe called a chip in his own image that is composed of liquid metal and is armed with a laser pistol, a liquid metal body, and speed. He fights Dendoh in episode 26.
Gourmet: First appears in episode 1. Powers include a probe called a chip in his own image that is composed of liquid metal and is armed with a laser pistol, flight, a pink mouth beam that can damage objects as large as the Aldebaran, a super electromagnetic net strong enough to disrupt the use of data weapons, back missiles, and extendable arms. He fights Dendoh in episode 25.
Capture Machine Beast: First appear in episode 2. Powers include flight, a capture tentacle in each of its four underside spikes with them able to create a pink force field, and yellow lasers from the underside.
Aldebaran: Appears in episode 11 and episodes 21 to 25. Powers include light speed flight, an underside tractor beam, and Galfa Guard storage. It serves as Emperor Galfa's space cruiser later commanded by Altiar.
Lagou: Appears in episodes 15 to19. Powers include flight, super speed, fangs, talons, consuming metal to regenerate, flames from his right head mouth, blue energy balls from his left head mouth, a whip tail, and virus spikes on the fin on his chest. It is not a machine rather it is the cyborg pet of Emperor Galfa. According to Meteo in episode 16 he is 22.2 meters tall, has a 57.5 meter wingspan, and weighs 955.5 tons.
Galfa Guard: Appear in episodes 24 and 25. Powers include flight and green palm and scalp beams.
Zero: First appears in episode 27. Powers include flight, an extendable metal staff, thirty eight green lasers around his body, holograms of his human form, and indefinite reformation. In human form he also possesses flight and his staff while also having a high resistance to projectiles, can hack into computers with little effort, can quickly move underwater, is armed with ball-like grenades as well as bombs capable of rivaling atomic blasts, and an extremely high resistance to explosions. He can combine with Vector to become Vector Zero.
Vector: First appears in episode 27 although it does not return until episode 35. Powers include flight, a pair of blue lasers on the underside, and indefinite reformation. It is actually an automated suit of armor that Zero can combine into to become Vector Zero.
Vector Zero: Appears in the final episode. Powers include flight, blue shoulder beams, a double sided spear version of Zero's staff, green finger lasers, and indefinite reformation.
Emperor Galfa: Although he appears early in the series his true form is not seen until the final episode. Powers include an energy shield-like seal, six gigantic heads each being over 200 meters in length, circular energy fields that protect the jaws, and mouth flames that rival napalm.
Machine Beasts
Orbiton: Appears in episode 1. Powers include flight, green laser cannons from the right shoulder, and pelvis missiles. Unlike other machine beasts this is mass-produced as eighteen separate creatures instead of just one.
Bloodon: Appears in episode 2. Powers include purple lasers from its four eyes and palms, saw fingers, and extendable arms.
Palaboon: Appears in episode 3. Its only known power is yellow heat beams from the satellite dish on its back.
Scoodas: Appears in episode 5. Its only known power is speed. It can execute a Triple Stream Attack, a homage to the Jet Stream Attack of the Black Tri-Stars from Mobile Suit Gundam.
Mobiluz: Appears in episode 5. Powers include speed and bombs. It can execute a Triple Stream Attack, a homage to the Jet Stream Attack of the Black Tri-Stars from Mobile Suit Gundam.
Camioon: Appears in episode 5. Powers include speed and bombs. It can execute a Triple Stream Attack, a homage to the Jet Stream Attack of the Black Tri-Stars from Mobile Suit Gundam.
Fightersu: Appears in episode 6. Powers include flight, dual torso machine guns, and extendable jawed arms armed with missiles in the mouths.
Siglight: Appears in episode 7. Although it showed no powers in the series it had extendable arms in the game.
Crane: Appears in episode 7. Powers include an extendable claw crane and purple lasers from the top of its body.
Tangil: Appears in episode 7. Powers include floating on top of water, missile pods on the top side, purple lasers from the many eyes on top of the bow and sides,
Zonbel: Appears in episode 8. Powers include a pair of spiked discs that act like saws on its shovel claw and twin triple barreled machine guns.
Professional Machines
Virus: Appears in episodes 9, 10, and 11. Powers include swimming, flight, very powerful red energy balls from the torso, can morph into a fighter that flies at super sonic speeds, and an energy bladed bladed green laser gun with shots that rival napalm. In episode 37 it is depicted that Virus was one of Emperor Galfa's earliest minions.
Lock: Appears in episodes 9, 10, and 11. Powers include flight, a large chest harpoon, swimming, and an extremely high body temperature.
Error: Appears in episodes 9, 10, and 11. Powers include flight, extendable arms, pincer claw hands, and swimming.
Bug: Appears in episodes 9, 10, and 11. Powers include flight, twin energy swords, swimming, a rainbow beam from its head cone, and emitting lightning pillars that can go on for several miles. In episode 37 it is depicted that Bug was one of Emperor Galfa's earliest minions.
Crash: Appears in episodes 9 and 10.Powers include flight, strength, arm missiles, and dual shoulder energy cannons strong enough to destroy small islands. Although it was destroyed before pursuing Dendoh underwater, it is assumed it has the ability to swim like the other five members of Altair's platoon.
Hang: Appears in episodes 9, 10, and 11. Powers include flight, a sword, a red club, a javelin, and swimming. In episode 37 it is depicted that Hang was one of Emperor Galfa's earliest minions. In the game it was also armed with floating mines orbiting it.
Rom: Appears in episodes 21 and 22. Powers include flight, double sided spear that fires pink energy bolts, white energy nets, and a blue forehead beam that amplifies gear commanders.
Ram: Appears in episodes 21 and 22. Powers include flight, a spike ended hammer that fires pink energy bolts, white energy nets, and a red forehead beam that amplifies gear commanders.
Red Bit: Appears in episode 27. Powers include flight, a capsule form armed with a green laser at the top, a purple head laser, an ax tail, and light bending speed.
Black Bit: Appears in episode 27. Powers include flight, a capsule form armed with a green laser at the top, a pink head laser, an ax tail, and light bending speed.
Jel: Appears in episode 28. Powers include flight and a sphered transparent energy field that fires pink lasers and can fuse with pieces of destroyed machine professionals.
Jam: Appears in episode 28. Powers include flight, four extendable arms with pincer claws, two launchable chest harpoons, arm missiles, and can morph into a fighter armed with pink energy balls fired from the wings. It is actually Jel after combining with the remains of Virus, Lock, Error, Bug, Crash, and Hang in Siberia.
Trag: Appears in episode 29. Powers include flight, an energy beam from the chest, a green rapid-fire head laser, and can make its body tough enough to withstand a single final attack.
Fritz: Appears in episode 29. Powers include swimming, flight, elephant tusks,and green explosive acid from its elephant-like trunk that can morph into energy balls while underwater.
Diles: Appears in episode 31. Powers include disguising itself as a rock, swimming, flight, an extendable blade-like whip tail, and a sickle for each arm.
Jack: Appears in episode 32. Powers include flight and twin red boomerangs.
Legacy: Appears in episode 32. Powers include flight, head horn lightning, can morph its right hand into a sword by retracting the fingers, and a self-destruct system armed with a pair of restrainer belts in the sides that explodes at 20 kilometers above sea level.
Bias: Appears in episodes 33 and 34. Powers include flight, a 14-tube rocket pod in each pectoral, a pink laser cannon on each hip, speed, and a resistance to energy based attacks.
Worm: Appears in episodes 33 and 34. Powers include burrowing, whip-like arms when not in drill mode, and flight.
Lance: Appears in episode 36. Powers include zweihander sword, and shield, and flight.
Mace: Appears in episode 36. Powers include a long ax, a shield, and flight.
Heavy Machines
Spear: Appears in episode 13 although its presence is known at the end of episode 12. Powers include flight, four red spear arms, and green energy beams from the upper section.
Scissors: Appears in episode 13. Powers include flight, launchable crushing beetle mandibles on the head on a tread, and a red heat ray from each wing,
Elecideath Probe: Appear in episode 14. Powers include spear legs, burrowing through ice, a high resistance to cold, and purple eye beams.
Elecideath: Appears in episode 14. Powers include flight, satellite hacking mines, summoning probes, burrowing through ice, a high resistance to cold, orange and purple head lasers, and can swim at 500 kilometers per hour.
Filla: Appears in episode 15. Powers include flight, stinger tipped tendrils, tiny mines from its leaves, and purple lasers from each shoulder.
Skasha: Appears in episode 16. Powers include flight, mouth rockets, pink lasers from its four arms, and can split itself in half and use both halves to entrap enemies in a yellow electrical field as it crushes them with its body.
Defender: Appears in episode 17. Powers include flight, four remote pink energy barrier generators, and a pair of turbines that fire liquid nitrogen.
Diver: Appears in episode 18. Powers include flight at 5000 knots, swimming as far down as ten kilometers underwater at 131 kilometers per hour, sharp teeth armed with laser cannon at each very end of the mouth, and a powerful tail. According to Dendoh's data it is 308.5 meters long although in actual length comparison it is barely over 100 meters.
Azaroth: Appears in episode 19. Powers include flight and dual green laser cannons.
Babulto: Appears in episode 20. Powers include flight, crab claw arms armed with flamethrowers, and explosive foam from its mouth.
Episodes
The First Day - Dendoh Launches - (始まりの日－電童出撃－)
Appear! Unicorn Drill (出現!ユニコーンドリル)
Knight Ogre Attacks! (騎士凰牙[ナイトオウガ]来襲!)
The Trembling Spiral City! (戦慄の螺旋城)
Explode! Viper Whip! (炸裂!バイパーウイップ)
Courage of the Leo Circle (レオサークルの勇気)
Assault! Bull Horn (突撃!ブルホーン)
A New Companion (新しい仲間)
The Missing Data Weapons (消えたデータウェポン)
Zero Seconds Before Dendoh's Destruction (電童破壊0秒前)
Decisive Match! Dendoh vs. Ogre (決戦!電童対凰牙)
Omen of Crisis (危機の予感)
Ginga's Father Comes Home (銀河の父、帰る)
No Power! (電気が無い!)
Ghost Story! The Data Weapons in School (怪談!学校のデータウェポン)
The Demon from the Moon (月の悪魔)
Lagowe's Teeth (ラゴウの牙)
8000 Meter Deep Battle (深度8000Mの戦い)
Resurrected Life (よみがえる命)
Burn! Ginga!! (燃えろ!銀河!!)
Revived Black Knight! (黒騎士復活!)
Mother's Secret (母の秘密)
Locked Memories (閉ざされた記憶)
Long Night (長い夜)
In Midst of Flames (炎の中で)
The Day Spiral City Falls (螺旋城の落ちる日)
Stealthy Shadow (忍びよる影)
Subaru's Challenge (スバルの挑戦)
Hokuto in Danger (北斗の危機!)
Greatest Rival! (最大の敵!)
Hokuto's Cries, Ginga's Tears (北斗の叫び、銀河の涙)
Fly! Subaru! (飛べ!スバル!)
GEAR's Destruction! (GEAR壊滅!)
Zero Attack! (ゼロ・アタック!!)
Takeoff! To Space (発進!宇宙[そら]へ)
Sea of Storms (嵐の海)
The Truth About Arktos (アルクトスの真実)
Legend of the Star - And, the Start of a Day (星の伝説－そして、始まりの日－)
In episode 24 of the series Dendoh is forced to fight without the aid of data weapons, forcing it to use an arsenal of weapons that are homages to various early mecha anime. This incarnation has been dubbed as Full Armor Dendoh.
3-Tube Cannon and 9-Tube Missile Launcher: On the left and right shoulders, respectively; these weapons are a homage to Xabungle, specifically its full armor mode.
Beam Rifle: On the right hand; this weapon is a homage to the original Gundam's beam rifle.
Bow and Energy Encased Arrows: On the left wrist; this weapon is a homage to Raideen.
3-Barrel Missile Launcher: On the right ankle; this weapon is a homage to the Zaku 2 from the original Mobile Suit Gundam.
Super Dendoh Yo-Yos: Stored on the hips; these weapons are a homage to Combattler V.
Double Tomahawk: Stored on back; these weapons are a homage to Getter Robo G's form of Getter Dragon.
Dendoh Sword: Stored on the back of the waist; this weapon is a homage to Voltes V.
