Armored Fleet Dairugger XV
Armored Fleet Dairugger XV is a mecha anime series aired in Japan from 1982 to 1983 for 56 episodes.
In the United States, the series was heavily edited to become part of the Voltron series. The Dairugger footage was the primary source for the "Vehicle Voltron" episodes, though various footage was also inserted into the more commonly known "Lion Voltron" episodes.
Story
The Rugger Team is an exploration, planetary survey, and defensive force. Planet Earth is in a time of prosperity. The Galaxy Garrison launches a mission to explore the galaxy, colonize, and build new maps of the stars. Soon after commencing the mission, the Rugger Team and their starship, the Rugger Guard, are attacked by the xenophobic Galveston Empire. The Galveston homeworld is dying and their space fleet are also on a mission of exploration and colonization. Dairugger, the super robot, must defend the Rugger Guard and its fleet as they attempt to continue their mission. When Galveston repeatedly refuses to accept peaceful coexistence, the Rugger Guard mission turns to finding the Galveston homeworld, liberating its people from their despotic Emperor, and helping them find a new planet before their world collapses.Characters
Dairugger pilots
The Rugger Team is made of three smaller teams of five members each: "Aki Team", "Keats Team", and "Walter Team", after each team's leader. Each of the 15 parts is referred to as a "Rugger" and can combine into larger machines as separate teams called Kurugger, Kairugger, and Rickrugger, as well as together to form the super-robot Dairugger. The 15 separate Rugger units as well as the name come from the sport of rugby, since 15 players are required to form a rugby union team.Aki Team
Aki Team is the air division of the Dairugger team. Their vehicles combine to form the Kurugger.;Manabu Aki
;Shinobu Kai
;Shota Kreutz
;Yasuo Mutsu
;Patty Ellington
Keats Team
Keats Team is the sea division of the Dairugger team. Their vehicles combine to form the Kairugger.;Miranda Keats
;Haruka Kaga
;Saluta Katz
;Tatsuo Izumo
;Barros Kalateja
Walter Team
Walter Team is the land division of the Dairugger team. Their vehicles combine to form the Rickrugger.;Walter Jack
;Moya Kirigas
;Mack Chucker
;Tasuku Izu
;Kazuto Nagato
Galaxy Garrison
Galaxy Garrison is a planetary union of Earth, Sala, and Mira.;Shinji Ise
;Dick Asimov
;Supreme Commander Dewa
;Doctor Search
;Commander Date
;Commander Hagi
;High Commander Wakasa
;Yamamoto
;Morikawa and Satou
Galveston Empire
The Galveston Empire is an advanced alien civilization in search for planets to colonize, as their home planet is rapidly dying from depletion of its natural resources and the deterioration of its Van Allen radiation belt. Aside from a massive fleet of spaceships, the empire is equipped with mechanized Battle Machines and Battle Attackers. The Galveston Empire is named after Galveston Island, a barrier island in Texas with a history of piracy.;Commander Socrat Teles
;Sirk
;General Caponello
;Socrat Tes
;Emperor Corsair
;Science Secretary Gomez
;Rocher
;Commander Luciano
;Jackson, Huddler, McKenny, and Beltran
;Ruckall
;Sim
;Captain Drake
;Roche
;Captain Lafitte
;Captain Barataria
;Captain Marius
;Charch
;Sheela
;Ducas
;Blanc
;Emma
;Sams
;Antonov
;Danton
;Gallo
;Nolan
;Ziegrone
;Zukka
;Gurrey
;Holtes
;Loran
;Gramon
Others
;Zuno;Darl
;Denon
;Bakki
Dairugger specifications
Dairugger is made of 15 vehicle parts, and is tall. The command line to combine the Rugger Machines is "Dairugger Fighting Formation On!".;Weapons
- Dairugger Sword
- Dairugger Lancer
- Shot Arrow
- Dairugger Kilders
- * Spin Cutters
- * Dairugger Typhoon
- Electromagnetic Whip
- Beam Attacks
- * Rugger Beam
- * Wing Beam
- * Dairugger Miracle Power
Episodes
The series' opening theme is "Ginga no Seishun" and the ending theme is "Ai wo Tsutaeru Tabi"; both songs are performed by Koichi Kawazu.Staff
PlanningSusumu Yoshikawa
Yasuo Oyobe
Yu SaitoOriginal concept
Saburo HatteChief Director
Kozo MorishitaSeries Composition
Keisuke FujikawaScript
Keisuke Fujikawa
Shigemitsu TaguchiCharacter Design
Shigetaka KiyoyamaMechanical Design
Katsushi Murakami
Takayuki Masuo
Yoshiroh Harada
Yutaka IzubuchiMusic
Seiji YokoyamaProduction
Toei
Toei Agency
TV Tokyo
Daiwon Animation
Toei Animation
Merchandise
In 1982, the original DX Dairugger XV toys were released by Popy Pleasure under the toy release number of GB-72, as part of the Chogokin label, and constructed of high-quality die-cast materials, with transforming gimmicks, which could separate only into the three larger combined vehicles. GB-73, a cheaper, ST version would follow, only Rugger #5 could separate from the robot. A larger version of Dairugger XV was also released, which did not contain die-cast materials, as the metal content was too heavy for the design and for the friction motors installed in many of the vehicles. The smallest non-transforming ST Dairugger and the fully transforming plastic Dairugger XV would be resold in the U.S. as part of the Voltron series by Matchbox in 1984, entirely under the Voltron name. However, the Matchbox version omitted the Dairugger Sword, Rugger units #6, #9, and #10's chrome antenna parts, and the sticker sheets of the Popy version. In addition to the toys above, Popy released a smaller, rubber-based combining Dairugger toy that was molded only in light blue. LJN released this toy in the Voltron series in 1985, with all of the parts remolded in roughly their proper colors and the sword in yellow.Because Dairugger had 15 pieces, and was a highly playable figure compared to many of the other fixed-state super robots of the early 1980s, there were many imitations and bootlegs of Dairugger. Some were cheap plastics, did not assemble well, and had neon-glowing colors dissimilar to the show. Even approved brands such as Big Bear were spawned to rejuvenate the toyline. However, no version is identical in quality, packaging, or comes with all the pieces as does the Japanese original.
Toynami released a 24-inch soft vinyl Dairugger toy under their Shogun Warriors line in 2011.
In 2013, Miracle Productions released a new Dairugger toy as MA-01 "Voltron Vehicle Force". The initial release was limited to a few hundred units and was plagued with quality control issues and design flaws. A second version was released, with many of the parts redesigned and the build quality improved. This toy is considered an unofficial release, as Miracle Productions lost their license to produce the toy before its release.
A new Dairugger toy was released on October 26, 2019 as Soul of Chogokin No. GX-88 by Bandai Spirits. To promote the toy's release, Bandai uploaded the series on their YouTube channel. Like the SOC GoLion, Dairugger includes a weapons rack with the option to use either the Dairugger XV or Voltron nameplate.
Home media
The entire series, in 3 volumes, has been released on DVD in region 1. Collection 1 was released on February 23, 2010, Collection 2 on May 25, 2010, and Collection 3 on January 4, 2011. All three volumes are now out-of-print.Changes for Voltron version
Note: for this section, names in parentheses are Voltron namesDairugger XV and GoLion are not related in any way, in contrast to the U.S. version.- Scenes of Earth and Galaxy Garrison were edited into Lion Voltron episodes, but do not exist in GoLion, only in Dairugger XV, since Earth in GoLion has been destroyed in a thermonuclear war.
- Many allied and enemy soldiers and commanding officers die in Dairugger, as opposed to disappearing without any explanation in the U.S. Voltron series. The finale of Dairugger XV was different in its Voltron form — the U.S. footage had no depiction of Emperor Corsair's true fate, which left a lot of questions for U.S. viewers. The scene of Emperor Corsair's death, perishing in an assassination attempt by Teles and the resistance, who want freedom for their people, was cut due to violence.
- In Voltron, Vehicle Voltron only has five minutes of stored nuclear/solar energy once combined and is thus used only as a last resort against the Drule Empire's Robeasts. This has resulted in numerous plot holes, as Vehicle Voltron is seen participating in lengthy space battles exceeding five minutes.
- In Dairugger, Teles dies a martyr, and there is a sad scene where his body is left to die on Galveston at his request. In Voltron, he becomes the new leader of his people.
- Sirk is Teles's adjutant, not his sister as in Voltron.
- Aki and Haruka have a closer relationship, which is not clearly shown in Voltron. The lucky charm that Haruka gives to Aki is left with Teles after his death on Galveston.
- Dick Asimov was Shinji Ise's superior officer in the original series. The dialogue was rewritten in Voltron to suggest that Hawkins was Newley's superior. There were inconsistencies, however that reveal the original ranks of the two officers.