Matchless Raijin-Oh facts for kids

Matchless Raijin-Oh
Quick facts for kids 絶対無敵ライジンオー (Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh)
Genre	Adventure, Mecha
Anime television series
Directed by	Toshifumi Kawase
Written by	Hideki Sonoda
Music by	Kohei Tanaka
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	US Anime Midstream
Network	TV Tokyo, Kids Station
Original run	April 3, 1991 – March 25, 1992
Episodes	51
Original video animation
Raijin-Oh Final
Directed by	Toshifumi Kawase
Written by	Hideki Sonoda
Music by	Kohei Tanaka
Studio	Sunrise
Released	August 5, 1992 – February 24, 1993
Runtime	30 minutes
Episodes	4

Matchless Raijin-Oh (絶対無敵ライジンオー, Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh, lit. Absolutely Invincible Raijin-Oh) is an exciting Japanese anime TV show with 51 episodes. It was the first series in the Eldran group of shows, which were funded by Tomy and made by Sunrise. The show aired in Japan from April 1991 to March 1992.

The story is about a group of elementary school kids. They suddenly get control of a giant robot called Raijin-Oh. Their big mission is to protect Earth from the evil Jaaku Empire. There's also a short four-episode sequel series called an OVA.

In 2008, a company called Anime Midstream announced they would release Matchless Raijin-Oh in the U.S. They started selling the first parts of the series in late 2009. The releases included both English and Japanese audio, plus cool bonus features like music videos. The entire series was later released in a box set in 2014, but this set only had Japanese audio with English subtitles.

Story of Raijin-Oh

Before another hero robot named Ganbaruger arrived, a bad group called the Evil Empire (ジャーク帝国, Jāku Teikoku) came to Earth. Their goal was to take over and ruin the planet. From their base, they launched a missile. This missile was meant to fill the world with "Akudamas," which are like dark eggs. These eggs would hatch into scary monsters called "Evil Beasts." These monsters were often based on things that annoy people.

Then, a "guardian of light" named Eldran appeared. Eldran is a powerful being, like a superhero, who protects the universe and Earth. He used a heroic robot called Raijin-Oh to stop the Evil Empire's missile. But the missile hit Eldran instead, sending Raijin-Oh crashing down to Earth. The robot landed right in Hinobori City, Japan, at Hinobori Elementary School.

Eldran had to leave to keep protecting the Earth. So, he gave the job of fighting the Evil Beasts to a 5th grade class at the school where Raijin-Oh crashed. This class became known as the Earth Defense Class (地球防衛組, Chikyuu Bouei Gumi). Eldran trusted the children with Raijin-Oh. Each child got a special role to help operate or support the robot. Eldran also magically changed their school. Now, the school itself could turn into a secret command center when Raijin-Oh was needed!

Three kids, Jin, Asuka, and Kouji, were chosen to pilot Raijin-Oh. They have many funny adventures at school. Jin, for example, often tries to avoid studying, but his friends make him do it!

Main Characters

Earth Defense Class

Jin Hyuga (日向 仁, Hyuuga Jin)

Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto

Jin is a leader in the Earth Defense Class. He is the main pilot of Ken-oh, Raijin-Oh, and God Raijin-Oh. He's brave, a bit boastful, and great at sports. Jin has spiky hair and a strong sense of justice. He often argues with Maria, but they trust each other deeply.

Asuka Tsukishiro (月城 飛鳥, Tsukishiro Asuka)

Voiced by: Rie Iwatsubo

Asuka pilots Hou-oh and controls Raijin-Oh's flight. He is handsome, smart, and from a rich family. He can be a bit vain and timid. Asuka is very popular with the girls in his class.

Koji Hoshiyama (星山 吼児, Hoshiyama Kouji)

Voiced by: Mari Maruta

Koji is the main pilot of Jyu-oh. He controls Raijin-Oh's power and weapons. Koji is kind-hearted and a bit shy, but very brave. He carries binoculars and believes in UFOs and aliens.

Maria Shiratori (白鳥 マリア, Shiratori Maria)

Voiced by: Konami Yoshida

Maria is a commander in the Earth Defense Class and pilots Bakuryu-oh. She is smart, strong-willed, and daring. Maria has a ponytail and is half Japanese and half French.

Tsutomu Kojima (小島 勉, Kojima Tsutomu)

Voiced by: Bin Shimada

Tsutomu is the advisor and computer operator for the Earth Defense Class. He is smart, polite, and loves to study. He wears thick glasses and has bobbed hair. Tsutomu has analyzed Eldran's robots.

Kirara Haruno (春野 きらら, Haruno Kirara)

Voiced by: Kyoko Minami

Kirara mainly operates communications with the outside world. She is honest, has fluffy long hair, and wants to be a newscaster. She is also the president of Asuka's fan club.

Akira Imamura (今村 あきら, Imamura Akira)

Voiced by: Kyoko Minami

Akira operates the core robots' starting system and selects Bakuryu-oh's weapons. He is a punk boy who wants to be a rock star and hates losing.

Reiko Ikeda (池田 れい子, Ikeda Reiko)

Voiced by: Saori Suzuki

Reiko is a main operator for Raijin-Oh. She is lively, curious, and loves wrestling. She is the shortest student in the class and has a crush on Tsutomu.

Miki Mano (真野 美紀, Mano Miki)

Voiced by: Saori Suzuki

Miki manages the energy gauge and safety for Bakuryu-oh's weapons. She is hardworking but gives up easily.

Hiroshi Takamori (高森 ひろし, Takamori Hiroshi)

Voiced by: Mami Matsui

Hiroshi is the vice-commander of the Earth Defense Class. He helps with Raijin-Oh's weapons and is a sub-pilot for Bakuryu-oh. He is usually quiet but very trustworthy.

Orie Ishizuka (石塚 織絵, Ishizuka Orie)

Voiced by: Mami Matsui

Orie, also known as "Potato," monitors Hou-oh's sensors and Raijin-oh's damage. She is a generous, strong-willed, chubby girl who loves potato chips.

Yoko Kuriki (栗木 容子, Kuriki Youko)

Voiced by: Rie Iwatsubo

Yoko, called "Cookie," operates Raijin-oh's radar. She is a short girl who likes cute things but relies heavily on others.

Yoshiaki Ogawa (小川 よしあき, Ogawa Yoshiaki)

Voiced by: Tomoe Sato

Yoshiaki, known as "Yoppa," monitors Ken-oh's circuits and manages Bakuryu-oh's transformation. He is a fat boy with spiky hair who does things at his own pace.

Tokie Sakai (坂井 ときえ, Sakai Tokie)

Voiced by: Tomoe Sato

Tokie monitors Jyu-oh's sensors and Bakuryu-oh's damage. She wears overalls, likes to get involved, and loves superheroes.

Hidenori Kondo (近藤 ひでのり, Kondo Hidenori)

Voiced by: Konami Yoshida

Hidenori operates Raijin-oh's radar. He is a very rich, small, kind, polite, and shy boy.

Daisuke Sato (佐藤 大介, Satou Daisuke)

Voiced by: Kozo Shioya

Daisuke monitors Ken-oh's circuits and is the main mechanic for the robots. He is the tallest and biggest student, but gentle and shy.

Yu Izumi (泉 ゆう, Izumi Yuu)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Yu is a commander in the Earth Defense Class and a main pilot of Bakuryu-oh. She is often sickly, shy, and timid, and has braided hair. She is the tallest girl in the class.

Aiko Shimada (島田 愛子, Shimada Aiko)

Voiced by: Ai Sato, Rica Matsumoto(since episode 37)

Aiko, known as "Love," monitors Ken-oh's sensors and Bakuryu-oh's pulse. She is a mature, tall girl who is good at sports.

Other Important Characters

Shuntaro Shinoda (篠田 俊太郎, Shinoda Shuntarou)

Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada

Mr. Shinoda is the 25-year-old teacher of the 5th Grade Class 3, the Earth Defense Class. He is a passionate teacher who cares deeply for his students. Evil Beasts often interrupt his lessons!

Ruruko Himeki (姫木 るる子, Himeki Ruruko)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Ruruko is a kind and beautiful 23-year-old school nurse at Hinobori Elementary. Mr. Shinoda has a crush on her.

Eikichiro Yazawa (矢沢 永吉郎, Yazawa Eikichirou)

Voiced by: Toshiro Ishii

The 65-year-old principal of Hinobori Elementary. He is a great supporter of the Earth Defense Class. He is also a master of Tai Chi.

General Takeda (武田長官, Takeda Choukan)

Voiced by: Tomomichi Nishimura

A General in the Defense forces. At first, he didn't want children to fight, but he later works with them.

Eldran (エルドラン, Erudoran)

Voiced by: Bin Shimada

Eldran is Earth's guardian. He is a warrior of light who gave Raijin-oh to the Earth Defense Class. He helps them defeat the Evil Empire.

The Jark Empire

Emperor Warusa (皇帝ワルーサ, Koutei Wruusa)

Voiced by: Shigezō Sasaoka

The powerful ruler of the Jark Empire. He lives in a special "five dimensions."

Belzeb (ベルゼブ, Beruzebu)

Voiced by: Kiyoyuki Yanada

Belzeb is a commander in the Jark Empire and pilots the robot Jark Satan. He is a handsome, quick-tempered, and strict warrior with long purple hair. He can change his body shape and teleport.

Falzeb (ファルゼブ, Faruzebu)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Falzeb is Belzeb's other self. She looks like a small, silver-haired fairy in a kimono. She lives inside Belzeb's chest. When she uses Jark Power, she turns into a devilish face.

Taidar (タイダー, Taidaa)

Voiced by: You Yoshimura, Mahito Tsujimura(since episode 39)

Taidar is one of Belzeb's helpers. He is a cheerful, relaxed, and loyal man with a beard and punk style. Belzeb and Falzeb often get angry with him. Later, Taidar even gets a job at Jin's parents' shop!

Gokudo (ゴクドー, Gokudoo)

Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka

Gokudo is a new evil character from the Jark Empire who appears in the OVA series.

The Robots

Ken-Oh

Ken-Oh (meaning "Sword King") is a robot that looks like a human. Jin is its pilot. It has a sword called the Ken-Oh Blade that comes out of a shield on its back. Ken-Oh forms the chest part of the bigger Raijin-Oh robot.

Hou-Oh

Hou-Oh (meaning "Phoenix King") looks like a phoenix bird. Asuka pilots it, and it's the fastest of the three main robots. Hou-Oh becomes the arms and wings of Raijin-Oh.

Juu-Oh

Juu-Oh (meaning "Beast King") looks like a lion. Kouji controls this robot. It forms the legs of Raijin-Oh. The lion's head is used as a shield and holds the Raijin Sword. Juu-Oh is the strongest of the three robots.

Raijin-Oh

Raijin-Oh is the first robot given by Eldran. When the enemy is too strong for Ken-Oh, Hou-Oh, and Juu-Oh to fight alone, all three robots can combine. They form Raijin-Oh, a large robot with wings. In the beginning of the series, Raijin-Oh would trap its enemies with a beam from its shield and then finish them off with the Raijin Sword.

Bakuryu-Dragon

After the evil commander Belzeb got a giant crystal robot called Jaaku Satan, Raijin-Oh realized it couldn't win alone. Just when things looked bad, the Earth Defense Class found one more robot: Bakuryu-Dragon. It looks like a dragon but can change into a human-like robot called Bakuryu-Oh.

Bakuryu-Oh

Bakuryu-Oh is the human-like form of Bakuryu-Dragon. It is as strong as Raijin-Oh and has a powerful cannon and a shield.

God Raijin-Oh

The Raijin-Oh and Bakuryu-Oh robots can combine even further to create the ultimate robot, God Raijin-Oh! When it first appeared, God Raijin-Oh defeated the Evil Beasts with its cannon. Later, the God Raijin-Oh Sword was found, and it's used to defeat even stronger "Super Jaaku Beasts."

Impact of the Series

Raijin-Oh was a very popular show when it first came out. Its success led to two similar sequel series and OVA specials. This show started a trend in the early 1990s where children became the pilots of giant robots. This was a big change for robot shows, which usually had older teenagers or adults as pilots.

Raijin-Oh inspired future shows like Gear Fighter Dendoh and Machine Robo Rescue. These shows have many ideas similar to Raijin-Oh, like the characters and story. However, they usually don't have a school that turns into a robot base or a being like Eldran creating the robots. While popular in some parts of Asia like China and Taiwan, Raijin-Oh didn't have a huge impact worldwide.

Raijin-Oh also appeared in the New Century Brave Wars video game. This game included robots from the Brave series (also made by Sunrise). This was because both the Eldran and Brave series had similar ideas and were animated by the same studio. The toy companies that made toys for both series later merged, which helped bring them together in the game.

The Raijin-Oh robot has also appeared in several Super Robot Wars video games by Banpresto. It was in games like Super Robot Wars GC and Super Robot Wars NEO. These games often feature robots from older series, and Raijin-Oh became a classic for adult gamers. It was exciting when Raijin-Oh finally appeared in a 2D Super Robot Wars game called Super Robot Wars BX.

Episode List

OVA List

Game Appearances

The Matchless Raijin-Oh series has appeared in several video games. It was first seen in Sunrise Eiyuutan for the Dreamcast. Later, it was included in Super Robot Wars GC for the Nintendo GameCube and its remake, Super Robot Wars XO, for the Xbox 360.

Raijin-Oh also joined the Super Robot Wars series in Super Robot Wars NEO for the Wii, along with the other three Eldran robots.

It also appeared in New Century Brave Wars on the PlayStation 2 in Japan. This game helped connect the Eldran and Yuusha series officially, especially after the toy companies Takara and Tomy merged.

To celebrate Sunrise studio's 30th anniversary, Raijin-Oh was a playable character in the RPG Battle of Sunrise on the PlayStation 2.

There's even a Game Boy fighting game from 1991, published by Tomy, which fans have translated into English.

Most recently, Raijin-Oh has been included in Super Robot Wars OE and Super Robot Wars BX. BX is special because it was the first time Raijin-Oh appeared in a 2D Super Robot Wars game.