Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos


Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos, known in French-speaking world as La Revanche des GoBots, is a Japanese anime television series produced by Ashi Productions. It ran on TV Tokyo from July 3, 1986, through May 28, 1987.
A large portion of the Machine Robo toy line was exported and sold by Tonka in America as GoBots and Rock Lords. Central Park Media released 15 English-subtitled episodes of the series on three DVDs in 2003; these remained the only official English releases until 2022, when Discotek Media released the complete series and its associated OVAs on one SD Blu-ray set.

Story

The story takes place on the mechanical world of Cronos. A band of villains called the Gyandlar have come to the planet in search of the mythical energy known as the Hyribead.

Characters

Heroes

  • Rom Stol
  • Leina Stol
  • Blue Jet
  • Rod Drill
  • Triple Jim
  • Kirai Stol
  • Battle Flex
  • Land Giant 32
  • Tough Trailer
  • Pro Truck Racer
  • '''Land Commander 5'''

    Dash Machine Robo

Recolors of Bandai's "Zenmai Kahen Winch Robo" line. Other recolors were released as "Secret Riders" GoBots in the U.S.
  • Battle Gyror
  • Battlancer
  • '''Land Fighter'''

    Rock People

Based on the molds released in the Tonka "Rock Lords" toy line in the U.S. and Europe.
  • Battlerock - Design used for many Rock People characters, including variants for elders, females, and children. Made of kimberlite. Carries a Justice Laser Gun.
  • Crossrock - An old prophet and knight Rock Person made of hematite. Carries a Saint Sword.
  • Gutsrock - Multiple Gutsrocks appeared in the series. Immensely strong and made of Granite.
  • Karma - Female Rock Person, seen in episode 32. Similar to Battlerock. No toy exists for her.
  • Magnarock - A heroic Rock Person made of silver with magnetic force field. Carries a Barrier Amp weapon. First introduced as Maskrock's sidekick.
  • Maskrock - A knight and guardian of the Rocks Mountain. Made of cristobalite. Carries an Impulsar weapon.
  • Mecharock - Multiple Mecharocks appeared in the series. Has telescopic vision.
  • Rockgilan - A green pterodactyl that served as one of the two legendary beasts in the underground graveyard.
  • Rockdon - A purple stegosaurus that served as one of the two legendary beasts in the underground graveyard. Noted for looking similar to Baragon from the Godzilla franchise.
  • Gattaisaurer - A large dinosaur-like rock person that assists Rom and Leina during the siege of Emerald City. It can divide into four smaller robots named Header, Abarar, Leggar, and Taildar.

    Jewel People

Recolors of these toys were released in the "Rock Lords" toy line in the U.S. and Europe.
  • DiaMan
  • RubyMan
  • '''AmberMan'''

    Wheelmen

These characters had highly articulated and detailed pull-back toys that are exclusive to Japan. They were not used in the Gobots series.
  • Hot Rod Joe
  • F-1 Jack
  • Power Riser: A mecha similar to the Power Loader from Aliens. Used in the latter episodes by Leina and Rom.

    Guest Characters

  • Sophia
  • Rury
  • Min
  • '''Sara'''

    Villains

  • Gadess
  • Grujios
  • Diondra
  • Garudi
  • Devil Satan 6
  1. Gillhead : : The head. Speaks in a Kansai dialect. Weapon: Nunchaku.
  2. Barabat : Left arm. Weapon: Tonfa.
  3. Deathclaw : Right arm. Weapon is the Sasumata.
  4. Gurogiron : Torso. Weapon is the Wolf Tooth Staff.
  5. Eyegos : Right Leg. Weapon is Kusarigama.
  6. Blugoda : Left Leg. Weapon is Azure Dragon Sword.

    Evil Rock People

  • Devil Rock
  • Geiger Rock
  • Double Rock
  • Amazon Rock
  • '''Bloody Rock'''

    Gyandlar Commanders

Throughout the first half of the series Gadess uses various natives of Cronos to lead his forces.
  • Zagam: Appears in episodes 5, 17, and 18. Powers include a double sided scythe, invisibility, cold resistance, illusions, and dual foot skate blades.
  • Mizuchi: Appears in episodes 6, 17, and 18. Powers include body electricity that can causes cave ins, kicking, the Dragon King Sword, shoulder needle missiles, launchable back spikes, and lightning summoning that causes fissures.
  • Jingi: Appears in episodes 7, 17, and 18. Powers include dual buffalo horn boomerangs and size growth.
  • Gillman: Appears in episode 8. Powers include swimming, hypnosis, three claws in the right wrist, a jawed left arm, an extendable neck with detachable heads, and drills hidden in the arms.
  • King Girandor: Appears in episode 9. Powers include a disguise, flight, and burrowing.
  • Bug Newman: Appears in episode 10. Renegade Tenkū Chūshin Ken disciple. Mastered the forbidden poison fist "Doku Shutō".
  • Iron Sand: Appears in episode 10. Powers include a sand based body, purple lightning strikes from the hands, and turning his hands into hooked swords.
  • Brock: Appears in episode 12. Powers include a sword that can emit green lightning, high jumping, and a drill-hammer hybrid weapon in the right arm.
  • Glovine: Appears in episode 13. Powers include flight, twin katanas, and self duplication.
  • Kina: Appears in episode 14. Daughter of the Gyandlar yakuza bull warrior Jingi. She can combine with her brother Koron to form Jingi Mark 2. Its only known power is dual buffalo horn boomerangs that can emit electricity. Kina was reincarnated in the OVAs as Nami Kojima.
  • Gildar Brothers: Appears in episode 15. Powers include forming a tornado, flight, the silver one can extend his arms, the red one is armed with a scythe, the black one can fire a bladed boomerang from his abdomen, the combination to form Giant Gildar.
  • *Giant Gildar: Powers include a scythe, abdomen boomerangs, and a constricting whip tail.
  • Preacher: Appears in episode 16. Powers include the Anger Fear which spawns illusions based on fear, throwing knives, a gold broadsword that can be encased in fire.
  • Black Bass: Appears in episode 19. Powers include summoning flying electric jellyfish and emitting electromagnetic shocks.
  • Gelber : Appears in episode 20. Powers include the alpha beam from his atomic death fork and dark illusions.
  • Clay : Appears in episode 20. Powers include stone skin and the beta beam from his hands. Unlike other Gyandlar commanders he is not truly evil.
  • Wiseman/Nerve: Appears in episode 21. Powers include hypnotic sound waves from the mouth, head tentacles, and levitation.
  • Magmanian: Appears in episode 23. Powers include a drill-like right arm trident spear and magma manipulation.
  • Asura: Appears in episode 38. Powers include paralysis goo bullets from the abdomen and wired claw hands.
  • Phenomena: Appears in episode 39 and 41. Powers include levitation and heat bolts from its front spikes.
  • '''Varigale X'''

    Staff

  • Narration: Sho Hayami
  • Story editor: Hideki Sonoda
  • Character designs: Nobuyoshi Habara

    Theme songs

  • "Machine Robo Honō" by MARTIN
  • "Shouri no Machine Robo" by Masato Shimon
  • "Aoi Heart no Stranger" by Ema Watanabe

    Original video animations

Leina Stol in ''Wolf Sword Legend''

When Revenge of Cronos left off, Rom and Leina had crossed a dimensional barrier. Their physical forms changed from robot to human, and they were separated, with blurred memories. Leina Stol is incarnated as Reina Haruka, a Japanese schoolgirl. As the story progresses, she meets up with Rod Drill, Blue Jet, Triple Jim, and Rom, all of whom are now human. Given the fact the Revenge of Cronos robotic characters appear here in new human forms, the Blue Jet and the Rod Drill appearing with the usual robotic forms in Battle Hackers may be all-different robots.

''Lightning Trap'' - Leina & Laika

Taking place in the middle of the Wolf Sword Legend feature, this story centers on Leina Haruka, whose plane has been hijacked by a group of thugs led by the supernatural wizard Zarik. At this point, the series has no resemblance whatsoever to the Machine Robo toy line that spawned it.

Video games

Machine Robo was featured in three of Banpresto's Super Robot Wars series, beginning with SRW Compact 2: Part 2 & 3 in 2000 on the Wonderswan. All three parts of SRW Compact 2 were remade in 2002 as SRW Impact on the PlayStation 2. In 2004, the series was included in the PS2's SRW MXs line-up, as well as the PSP port of the same.