Armored Trooper Votoms facts for kids
| Armored Trooper VOTOMS | |
Cover for the third DVD Box Set, with an illustration of the ATM-09-ST Scopedog done by Kunio Okawara.
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Quick facts for kids 装甲騎兵ボトムズ(Sōkō Kihei Botomuzu) |
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| Genre |
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| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
| Written by |
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| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Nippon Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | April 1, 1983 – March 23, 1984 |
| Episodes | 52 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Minoru Nonaka |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| Demographic | Children |
| Magazine | Comic BonBon |
| Original run | May 1983 – April 1984 |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Original video animation | |
| The Last Red Shoulder | |
| Directed by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
| Written by | Sōji Yoshikawa |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Nippon Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | August 21, 1985 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| The Big Battle | |
| Directed by | Toshifumi Takizawa |
| Written by | Masanori Hama |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Nippon Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | July 5, 1986 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition | |
| Directed by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
| Written by | Sōji Yoshikawa |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | March 19, 1988 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| Armor Hunter Mellowlink | |
| Directed by | Takeyuki Kanda |
| Written by |
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| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Released | November 21, 1988 – April 28, 1989 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes (each) |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Original video animation | |
| Shining Heresy | |
| Directed by | Takashi Imanishi |
| Written by | Sōji Yoshikawa |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | March 21, 1994 – December 21, 1994 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes (each) |
| Episodes | 5 |
| Original video animation | |
| Phantom Chapter | |
| Directed by | Ryosuke Takahashi |
| Written by | Fuyunori Gobu |
| Music by | Yasuaki Maejima |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | March 26, 2010 – October 27, 2010 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes (each) |
| Episodes | 6 |
| Original video animation | |
| Case: Irvine | |
| Directed by | Shishō Igarashi |
| Written by | Takuya Satō |
| Music by | Yoshihiro Ike |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | November 6, 2010 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| Votoms Finder | |
| Directed by | Shigeta Atsushi |
| Written by | Masafumi Nishida |
| Music by | Kōtarō Nakagawa |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | December 4, 2010 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| Alone Again | |
| Directed by | Kazuyoshi Takeuchi |
| Written by | Masashi Ikeda |
| Music by | Tetsuro Oda |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | January 8, 2011 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
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| Games | |
Armored Trooper VOTOMS (Japanese: 装甲騎兵ボトムズ, Sōkō Kihei Botomuzu) is a Japanese military science fiction mecha anime series. It has been made into many different animated shows and movies. The first TV series came out in 1983. It was created by Ryosuke Takahashi and the studio Sunrise. Kunio Okawara designed the cool robots.
VOTOMS is known for being more realistic than some other robot anime. It focuses on how giant robots would actually work in a war. The series has led to many OVAs (direct-to-video animated movies) and even video games.
What is Armored Trooper VOTOMS About?
The story of Armored Trooper VOTOMS takes place after a very long war. Two big groups, the Gilgamesh and Balarant nations, have been fighting for a hundred years. Nobody even remembers why the war started anymore! Now, the fighting has mostly stopped, but things are still tense.
What are Armored Troopers?
The main fighting machines in this war are called Armored Troopers. These are giant, human-like combat vehicles. Only one soldier can pilot each one. These robots and their pilots are also known as VOTOMS. This stands for Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS.
However, Armored Troopers don't have very strong armor. They also use a special liquid that can easily catch fire. Because of this, pilots don't usually survive for long. They are often called "Bottoms," meaning they are at the very bottom of the military ranks.
Chirico's Story
The main character is a soldier named Chirico Cuvie. He is a skilled Armored Trooper pilot. Chirico used to be part of an elite group called the Red Shoulder Battalion. This group fought for the Gilgamesh Confederation.
One day, Chirico is sent on a secret mission. He doesn't know that he's helping to steal secrets from his own side! He is betrayed and left behind, but he manages to survive. The Gilgamesh military arrests him, thinking he's a traitor. They question him harshly to get information.
Chirico escapes and spends the rest of the series on the run. The army and even criminals are chasing him. He wants to find out the truth behind the mission. He especially wants to understand a mysterious and beautiful woman he saw during that mission. She becomes his only clue to solving a huge mystery in the galaxy.
Animated Series and Movies
Armored Troopers VOTOMS (TV series)
This is the original anime television series from 1983. It has 52 episodes.
Main Voice Cast
- Hozumi Gōda as Chirico Cuvie
- Kazuko Yanaga as Fyana
- Kōsei Tomita as Bouleuse Gotho
- Yōko Kawanami as Coconna
- Shigeru Chiba as Vanilla Vartla
- Issei Masamune as Ru Shako
- Kyonosuke Kami as Ypsilon
- Yūsaku Yara as Maj. Gimual Iskui
- Kenichi Ogata as Maj. Serge Borough, Albert Killy
- Akio Nojima as Aaron Schmittel
- Issei Futamata as Gurran Schmittel
- Shunji Yamada as 2nd Lt. Kudal Conin
- Banjō Ginga as Cap. Jean-Paul Rochina
The Last Red Shoulder
This is a 50-minute OVA (animated movie) released in 1985. It takes place after a part of the TV series. Chirico meets his old friends from his military unit. They plan to get revenge on General Pailsen.
The Big Battle
This 60-minute OVA came out in 1986. It happens near the end of the TV series. Chirico and his friends take part in a robot gladiatorial match.
The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition
This 60-minute OVA was released in 1988. It tells a story that happened before the main TV series. It shows Chirico's time in the elite Red Shoulder military unit and his meetings with General Pailsen.
Armor Hunter Mellowlink
This is a 12-episode OVA series that started in 1988. It's a spin-off from Armored Trooper VOTOMS. It takes place in the same universe and time, but it tells a different story.
The story is about a soldier named Ality Mellowlink. His unit was sacrificed in battle for unknown reasons. Mellowlink was not supposed to survive, but he does. Then, he is wrongly blamed for a crime. Mellowlink escapes and starts hunting down his old commanders. He wants revenge for his fallen friends and to find out why they were betrayed.
Shining Heresy
This is a 5-episode OVA series from 1994. It continues the story after the original TV series.
Pailsen Files
This is a 12-episode OVA series released from 2007 to 2008. It also came out as a movie in 2009. This series tells a story that happened before the main TV series, but after The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition.
Phantom Chapter
This is a 6-part OVA series released in 2010. It is a sequel to the original TV series and Shining Heresy.
Case: Irvine
This OVA tells the story of Irvine Lester. He is a repairer of the tank-like robotic Armored Trooper (AT) mecha in the VOTOMS world.
Votoms Finder
Votoms Finder is an "alternate universe" OVA. This means it's a different version of the VOTOMS world. It's about Aki Tesuno, a guard for scrap salvagers. He pilots a robot called an At or Altro, which is different from the usual Armored Trooper mecha.
Alone Again
This is a 50-minute OVA from 2011. It is a sequel to Shining Heresy and takes place before Phantom Chapter.
Games
VOTOMS characters and stories have appeared in many video games over the years.
Video Games
Here are some of the video games where VOTOMS has appeared:
- X68000: Dead Ash
- PC8801: Black Unicorn
- PC-9801: Votoms: The Real Battle
- Super Famicom: Votoms - The Battling Road
- PlayStation: Blue Sabre Knights
- PlayStation: Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen
- PlayStation: Brave Saga (as a guest character)
- PlayStation: Armored Trooper Votoms Lightning Slash
- PlayStation: Armored Trooper Votoms Steel Force
- PlayStation: Brave Saga 2 (as a guest character)
- Dreamcast: Sunrise Eiyuutan (as a guest character)
- PlayStation 2: Sunrise Eiyuutan 2 (as a guest character)
- WonderSwan: Harobots (as a guest character)
- Game Boy Color: GB Harobots (as a guest character)
- Game Boy Color: Brave Saga Shinsou Astaria (as a guest character)
- PlayStation 2: Soukou Kihei Votoms / Armored Trooper Votoms
- PlayStation Portable: Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-Hen (as a guest character)
- PlayStation Portable: Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-Hen (as a guest character)
- PlayStation Portable: Super Robot Wars OE (as a guest character)
- PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita: Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-Hen (as a guest character)
- PlayStation 4/Nintendo Switch: Super Robot Wars T (as a guest character)
The game Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen sometimes came with a special Red Shoulder Custom model. Chirico also appears in the Sunrise Eiyuutan (Sunrise Heroes) game for the PlayStation 2.
Role-playing Games
The VOTOMS series helped inspire the Heavy Gear role-playing game. There is also an official VOTOMS role-playing game called Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Roleplaying Game. It was made by R. Talsorian Games.
See also
In Spanish: Armored Trooper VOTOMS para niños
