This article needs more citations. (September 2023) |
| Reideen the Brave | |
Title card | |
| 勇者ライディーン (Yūsha Raidīn) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha |
| Created by | Yoshitake Suzuki |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Yoshiyuki Tomino (#01–25) Tadao Nagahama (#26–50) |
| Written by | Masaki Tsuji Sōji Yoshikawa |
| Music by | Akihiro Komori |
| Studio | Soeisha |
| Original network | ANN (NET) |
| Original run | April 4, 1975 – March 26, 1976 |
| Episodes | 50 |
| Anime television series | |
| Reideen the Superior | |
| Directed by | Toshifumi Kawase |
| Produced by | Yumi Murase Hirofumi Umeshita Toru Hasegawa |
| Written by | Fumihiko Shimo Hideki Sonoda |
| Music by | Kenichi Sudo Kiyoshi Murakami Tom Keane |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Original network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | October 2, 1996 – June 25, 1997 |
| Episodes | 38 |
Reideen the Brave (勇者ライディーン, Yūsha Raidīn), also known as "Brave Reideen" or "Heroic Raydeen", is a super robot anime series created by Tohokushinsha and produced by Soeisha (later renamed as Sunrise). It aired on Nihon Educational Television (now TV Asahi) from 4 April 1975 to 26 March 1976, with a total of 50 episodes. The series is marked as the first mecha anime series to introduce and popularize the concept of Transforming Mecha, which is also tied to its marketing gimmick in the 1970s.
Two spiritual remakes based on the series were made later after the original aired: the first one titled Reideen the Superior (超者ライディーン, Chōja Raidīn) was broadcast from 1996 to 1997 on TV Tokyo, and another called Reideen was broadcast in 2007 on WOWOW.
After a slumber of twelve millennia, the Demon Empire awakens to seize control of the Earth. Reideen, the giant robot-like protector of the lost continent of Mu, senses the evil presence and awakens within its golden pyramid. A young Japanese boy, Akira Hibiki, is alerted about the Demon Empire by a mysterious voice and rushes to the pyramid.
It is soon revealed that Akira is a descendant of the ancient people of Mu who must help Reideen save the Earth. Akira enters the robot by accelerating his motorcycle to a high speed and then throws himself upward, allowing a beam from the robot to pull him into the robot's head and into an internal cockpit from where he assumes control of Reideen. Akira is aided by Mari Sakurano, who happens to be the daughter of a prominent scientist, and his friends from the soccer club. Halfway through the story the Demon Empire's master, Barão, is released from his statue prison and intends to finish what he started twelve thousand years earlier.

Reideen turns into an eagle-like jet for faster flight and often used for Reideen's finishing attacks.
A fighter that assists Reideen early into the series. It is armed with a variety of weapons.
First appears in episode 21 and is piloted by Araiso and the children of the series. Powers include an extendable boxing glove (later two), claw hands for bashing, can be used as a submarine, a slingshot in the torso, and explosives attached to balloons.
The leader of the Demon Empire and appears in every episode starting with episode 2. He is an 800-meter-tall (2,600 ft) demon from the Underworld that sought the power of the Star of Ra Mu and used his minions, primarily of Dlomes and demon robots, led by the demon brothers Gohrai and Gekido, (Also Referred To As Storm And Fury) and Baragon leading the fossil beasts and colossal monsters. If Kibango's origin in episode 24 indicates anything during these events, it is that Barao had successfully kept at war with the Mu for at least two thousand years. Eventually, the Mu managed to use the Star of Ra Mu to defeat Barao by imprisoning him in a statue until the events of the series, and created Reideen to slay any future members of the Demon Empire that would eventually return; however, Reideen would require the control of someone half Mu and half human to operate to handle its power. Upon reawakening from his statue prison, Barao had lost his memories of Ra Mu, but still managed to recollect memories of his empire and those who served him. In episode 41, he begins to regain his memories due to the resurrection of Princess Lemuria (daughter of King Ra Mu and mother of Akira).
For the first half of the series, his powers included instilling life into rocks to create fossil beasts and eye heat rays when he was in his statue form until episode 27. Upon being released his powers included forming an entire island in a matter of seconds dubbed Demon Isle, psychically freezing weapons in mid air, seeing into other dimension, causing fissures, fusing colossal monsters, manipulation of the elements, hand lightning bolts and energy beams, mouth flames that create flaming tornadoes, purple horn energy bolts and balls, a bow and arrow, a barbed boomerang, summoning flames from the middle cave of his island, a giant scythe, blade resistance, levitation, constricting roots from the lower half of his body, and a pair of broadswords with hidden saw blades.
A low-budget Korean film called Space Thunder Kids features a robot whose design appears to be a copy of Reideen's.
A 38 episode remake aired as Reideen the Superior (超者ライディーン; Chōja Raidīn) in 1996. This series was directed by Toshifumi Kawase. Five seemingly ordinary teenagers are actually armored superheroes called "Reideens" and their mission is to fight their enemy the so-called "Super Devils" who want to get their hands on a super robot called God Reideen. This series was notably different than the original, more akin to a Super Sentai series or Tekkaman Blade than the original Reideen and was designed to attract a female audience akin to Gundam Wing, Samurai Troopers and Dagwon.
In January 2007, a twenty-six-episode series, simply titled Reideen (ライディーン; Raidīn), produced this time by Production I.G., was released. In this remake, Saiga Junki, a high school student with a gift in mathematics, learns that his archaeologist father, who disappeared years earlier, has died. When going to claim his remains at a pyramid dubbed "Japan's Pyramid", a meteor falls from the sky containing an evil life-form that seeks total destruction. Just as Saiga is put in danger by this life-form, the bracelet that his father left him reacts to the pyramid, and the titular robot is activated. It is now up to Saiga and Reideen to defend the Earth against the mysterious invaders.
Brave Reideen is considered the first super robot anime to reach a large U.S. audience directly. It was first broadcast in Honolulu, Hawaii on KIKU (channel 13), which ran the series with English subtitles created and produced in-house. The series first hit the mainland in March 1976, Friday nights at 6:00 P.M. on Los Angeles's KWHY-TV (channel 22) and at 8:00 P.M. on San Francisco's KEMO-TV (channel 20). Later in 1976, Brave Reideen began running on KMUV-TV in Sacramento, California (Sunday nights; timeslot to be confirmed), as part of the station's Japanese-American programming. The series also aired similarly in Chicago (station and dates to be confirmed), as well as broadcast as part of the Japanese programming on New York City's WNJU. The Stateside push was sponsored by Honolulu/Los Angeles-based Marukai Trading Co., Ltd., who distributed a large line of Japanese-produced merchandise (as well as some Hawaii-produced items, such as tee-shirts) to local retailers in localities airing Brave Reideen—including Popy's Jumbo Machinder (which may account for Mattel's launching of the popular Shogun Warriors line in the U.S.), according to author August Ragone.
The original toy figures of Reideen (spelled "Raydeen") were introduced to the mainstream U.S. market as part of the Shogun Warriors toyline during the late 1970s under the Mattel brand, as well as the Marvel Comics book based on said toyline.
In December 1994 police found a pamphlet at the headquarters of Aum Shinrikyo that included a song called "Sarin the Brave", a parody of Reideen The Brave.
The Tubes recorded a song based on the show called "God-Bird-Change" written by Mingo Lewis in 1977. The stage show included dancers and the lead singer dressed as Reideen.
The anime series Crayon Shin-Chan parodied the series' theme song for its sixth opening theme.
Dan Briggs discussed the series, and provided illustrations, in Bradford G. Boyle's fanzine Japanese Giants, issue four.
Reideen would appear in the novel Ready Player One where it fights Mechagodzilla.