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Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3
Logo from show opening
無敵鋼人ダイターン3 (Muteki Kōjin Daitarn 3)
Genre	Mecha
TV anime
Director	Yoshiyuki Tomino
Studio	Sunrise
Network	TV Nagoya
Original run	3 June 1978 – 31 March 1979
Episodes	40
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The Unchallengeable Daitarn 3 (無敵鋼人ダイターン3, Muteki Kōjin Daitān 3 ^?, lit. Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3) is an anime series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate, and produced by Sunrise. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1978. The series lasted for 40 episodes. The opening theme Come Here! Daitarn 3 is sung by Makoto Fujiwara.

Plot

Sōzō Haran was a brilliant scientist that was conducting research on Mars. He created a form of cyborg life with the ability to think for itself. These cyborgs, dubbed the Meganoids (メガノイド, Meganoido ^?), soon ran out of control and killed Dr. Haran along with his whole family, save his youngest son, the 16-year-old Banjō Haran. Banjō escapes from Mars on a rocket with a solar-powered super robot called Daitarn 3, which was built with the special metals of Mars. Now 18 years old and living on Earth in a luxurious mansion, Banjō fights against the Meganoids with the aid of his faithful butler Garrison and his two gorgeous companions Reika and Beauty. Together they must stop the evil Meganoids which aspire to turn all humans into cyborgs and thus "improve" the human race.

History

Some of the staff fresh from Zambot 3 worked with Tomino on the Daitarn 3 project. The suave nature of the hero, Banjō Haran, was a direct attempt at capturing some of the spirit of the James Bond movies, which can be seen in the fact almost as much action takes place with Banjo, Reika Sanjō (ex-Interpol agent) and Beautiful Tachibana (also called "Beauty") playing superspies as Banjō fighting against Meganoid robots in Daitarn 3.

Other important characters were Garrison Tokida, Banjo's trusted butler and Toppo, a comic-relief character who gets rescued from a Meganoid-hijacked city block in ep. 2 and then stays with Banjō & C. for no apparent reason.

An interesting point to note is a light comedic element running through the whole series - the Meganoid foot soldiers exert some of their own personality with witty banter, bringing a fresh change to the silent drones which permeated super robot series previously.

Character

Main Characters

• Haran Banjō (破嵐万丈, Haran Banjou ^?)
• Garrison Tokida (ギャリソン時田, Gyarison Tokida ^?)
• Beautiful Tachibana (ビューティフル・タチバナ, Byuutifuru Tachibana ^?)
• Reika Sanjō (三条レイカ, Sanjou Reika ^?)
• Toppo (Tota Toda) (トッポ（戸田突太, Toppo (Toda Tota) ^?)

Meganoids

• Don Zauther (ドン・ザウサー, Don Zausaa ^?)
• Koros (コロス, Korosu ^?)

Other Characters

• Haran Sōzō (破嵐創造, Haran Souzou ^?)

Mecha

• Daitarn 3

The robot Banjō uses against the Meganoids. Originally built to test the Megaborgs.

Heights: 120.0 meters.

Weight: 800.0 tons.

Power Source: Solar Energy-powered Pulse Ion Engine.

Weapons:

Daitarn Zanber

Daitarn Fan

Daitarn Javelin

Daitarn Hammer

Daitarn Missile

Daitarn Snapper

Daitarn Web

Big Web

Cross Dart

Sun Laser

Final Weapons

Sun Attack

This attack is usually followed by the "Daitarn Crash" (Daitarn finishes the enemy with a flying downward kick).

Sun Attack Scattershot

A modified version of the Sun Attack, which attacks at a weaker but wider arc capable of destroying large numbers of lesser enemies.

• Daifighter

Daitarn's plane/spaceship form.

Length: 80.0 meters.

Width: 50.0 meters.

Max Speed: Mach 20. Near lightspeed in outer space.

• Daitank

As the name suggests, the tank-like form of Daitarn.

Length: 80.0 meters.

• Mach Patrol

Banjō's car (resembling a police vehicle) which can transform into a plane. When in plane form, it is referred to as the Mach Attacker.

Other

• While he is officially 18, nobody in the show treats Banjō as being 18 years old, his appearance also being that of an older man. His background also contradicts his official age: he is an adventurer famous among the Interpol agents and has been a university student for a while.
  Since his age was never stated in the show (it was only stated in the Roman Album), many fans do not consider this age canonical.

Since he grew up on Mars,however it might be considered that '18 years' is a relative age and since Mars' orbit is longer than Earth's he is actually much older.

• Banjō's full name, Haran Banjō, is a homophone of a Japanese phrase, 波乱万丈, which means "stormy and full of drama".
• The official international name, as stated on the Sunrise Official Website is a fitting The Unchallengeable Daitarn 3".
• Bandai will release Daitarn 3 as part of their Soul of Chogokin line of diecast figures.

External links

• Muteki Kojin Daitarn 3 (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• (Italian) Daitarn III (Anime Mundi), detalied production information