
Mecha Character Profile: Kouji Kabuto – Mazinger Z (1972 ver)
When you talk about Super Robot, you have to mention Mazinger Z; and when you mention Mazinger Z, you have to talk about its hot-blooded pilot: Kouji Kabuto. Kouji is one of the pioneer of the energetic and hot-blooded pilot that became a staple in mecha.

I. Background:
– Kouji Kabuto (Japanese name 兜甲児) is the main character of the Mazinger Z series. He is the chosen pilot of Mazinger Z – a super robot built by his grandfather – Juuzou Kabuto. He is a teenager living with his little brother Shirou and his grandpa in a house whose basement was secretly a mecha hangar. After Dr. Hell attacked Japan and eventually Kouji’s house, Juuzou revealed Z to Kouji and instructed him to pilot it.
– Kouji also had a father – Kenzo Kabuto – who was thought to be deceased when the Mazinger Z series started. However, it was shown that his father was actually still alive at the end of the series and in the Great Mazinger series. In the original 1972 series, it was never revealed who was Kouji’s mother.
– Kouji is a high school student. He attended a normal high school where he met Sayaka Yumi – daughter of the Head Professor of the Photonic Research Institute. He also built a rival relationship with Boss – a delinquent at the school. Kouji and Boss both had a soft spot for Sayaka, and Boss wanted to prove himself to be more capable than Kouji several times, although Kouji usually came out ahead.
– After his grandfather passed away, Kouji inherited the Mazinger Z and continued fighting against Dr. Hell and his Mechanical Beast Army to protect Japan and everyone. After the Mazinger Z anime ended, Kouji still went on assisting other heroes – such as Duke Fleed in Grendizer – in fighting to protect the Earth. And when the situation calls for it, he doesn’t hesitate to get inside Mazinger once more to take up the fight.
– Kouji Kabuto (Japanese name 兜甲児) is the main character of the Mazinger Z series. He is the chosen pilot of Mazinger Z – a super robot built by his grandfather – Juuzou Kabuto. He is a teenager living with his little brother Shirou and his grandpa in a house whose basement was secretly a mecha hangar. After Dr. Hell attacked Japan and eventually Kouji’s house, Juuzou revealed Z to Kouji and instructed him to pilot it.
– Kouji also had a father – Kenzo Kabuto – who was thought to be deceased when the Mazinger Z series started. However, it was shown that his father was actually still alive at the end of the series and in the Great Mazinger series. In the original 1972 series, it was never revealed who was Kouji’s mother.
– Kouji is a high school student. He attended a normal high school where he met Sayaka Yumi – daughter of the Head Professor of the Photonic Research Institute. He also built a rival relationship with Boss – a delinquent at the school. Kouji and Boss both had a soft spot for Sayaka, and Boss wanted to prove himself to be more capable than Kouji several times, although Kouji usually came out ahead.
– After his grandfather passed away, Kouji inherited the Mazinger Z and continued fighting against Dr. Hell and his Mechanical Beast Army to protect Japan and everyone. After the Mazinger Z anime ended, Kouji still went on assisting other heroes – such as Duke Fleed in Grendizer – in fighting to protect the Earth. And when the situation calls for it, he doesn’t hesitate to get inside Mazinger once more to take up the fight.

II. Skills & Abilities:
– Kouji is a very reckless and hyper teenager, and that reflect in his early piloting style. He usually charges into the enemy and throws random attacks without formulating a detailed plan despite everyone’s protest. Thanks to the superiority of Mazinger Z’s armor and power, he usually came out victorious, but there are times where his recklessness landed him in very sticky situation. Throughout many battles, Kouji gained more experience and began to fight more sophisticatedly. However, he is still prone to getting emotional during battles – especially when Sayaka was in danger.
– Kouji also develop a sense of duty and responsibility as he pilot Mazinger. He witnessed many atrocities commit by Dr. Hell and his army and his willpower to defeat him as well as protect the innocents grow bigger day by day. This also reflect in his piloting style as he turn from a bruiser into a strategic fighter. His fighting instinct also became sharper and he was able to identify an enemy’s weakness and capitalize on it.
– Kouji belongs to a lineage of scientists – with both Juuzou and Kenzo being geniuses in their fields, so it is no surprise that Kouji also possesses high intellectual potential. Although he didn’t show much scientific prowess during Mazinger Z’s run, he was confirmed to be studying abroad and eventually became a respectable scientist to continued the Kabuto family’s tradition (in Great Mazinger, Grendizer and Mazinger Z: Infinity).
– Kouji seems to possess more than average strength for a high school student. He isn’t afraid to get in fights, ride motorcycles at high speed and is able to endure being in Mazinger’s cockpit. Even though Mazinger Z is powerful, the cockpit and the pilot is its sole weakness – and Dr. Hell’s minions usually target that weak spot to take Kouji out. There are many times where he suffer serious injuries but was able to fight on and eventually recover completely despite all odds.
III. Gallery:






See Also:

The unbeatable melody of the sword – Aquarion Spada is Evol’s 2nd form. With a strong resemblance to a swordsman, the Spada is a key element in unlocking the myths of 12,000 years.

The shy and reserved yet bubbly and gentle Solar Priestess whose smiles shine a light on many people. Himeko Kurusugawa is the quiet center of attention, just like the Sun.

After 12.000 years, the Mechanical Angel awakens once again. Fighting for the love that span millennia, the Aquarion EVOL once again unlocks the past that was sealed within.

The big and familiar looking NZ-333 α Azieru rumbles the battlefield for the newly formed Neo Zeon. Ironically, it was piloted by a young and naive Newtype girl.

The Priestess with the power of the Moon, Chikane Himemiya is a perfect girl with only one weakness: Himeko. And she is willing to sacrifice everything for her.

Childish, stubborn, clingy, annoying, anything imaginable for a naughty child but somehow smart, beautiful and unexpectedly came with Newtype powers. Quess Paraya is the all-in-one that possesses all of the above.

The God of Swords born to fight against Evil, the Ame-no-Murakumo only has one mission: to seal away the Evil God Orochi. And this Sword extracted a price.

Even when fate ordain him to fight for evil, he resisted and became a champion of justice and love. Souma Oogami is a prime example of indomitable willpower.

The fighting God that defies evil and protect justice. The Take-no-Yamikazuchi was supposed to be evil, but thanks to the pilot incredible willpower, it became the strongest protector of justice.

The infamous Psycho Gundam terrorizes the battlefield once again during the First Neo Zeon war with its brand-new Mk-II variant and a more cold-blooded pilot than ever.

Ple-Two is a Cyber Newtype clone from the young yet powerful Newtype – Elpeo Ple who is more aggressive and actually made to kill, serving the Neo Zeon without a question… or did she?

The young yet powerful Newtype Elpeo Ple proved her piloting skills to be extremely effective along with her childish energetic and charismatic attitude. However, little she knew that her abilities were inhumanely beneficial to her own people during the conflict.

The most successful Jaeger, Striker Eureka, became the first Mark V and the top Kaiju killer, defending Australia’s coastline.

The cute and energetic Four Murasame, although bonded with love, she is also bound to fight and suffer in her miserable life by the hands of the corrupted Murasame Research Lab.

Gundams are already a terrifying sight to see for regular pilots in their mass-produced mobile suits but what if a Gundam gets even larger, stronger and even transformable? The 40-meter Psycho Gundam strikes fear in their eyes.

Some pilots want their Gundam extra thick because they keep getting shot at so instead of dodging, perhaps increasing its armor is a better choice, an armor so thick they were made from the enemies themselves – the Ez8 Gundam.

Oh boy it’s definitely not a Zaku! The Gouf Custom is a fine choice for Zeon’s aces that prefer lighter mobile suits for close quarter combat over the mass-produced Zaku II.

This iconic and recognizable giant chicken-legged mobile suit – or mobile armor to be exact has made its debut to the Universal Century during One Year War – the Big Zam.

Loyalty is a harsh thing to ask for when it comes to the One Year War in U.C. Gundam series. Speaking of such, the name Norris Packard serves the Sahalin family not only as a servant but as a well-trained mobile suit pilot, up until his last breath.

The kind and cheerful Aina Sahalin from a noble family of the Zeon nation finds herself in the middle of the One Year War, willing to fight for her kind, secretly manipulated by her older brother. She started questioning her own actions during a fateful meeting with a young Earth…

A robot with a gigantic weapon pack on its back is undoubtedly one of the coolest ideas anyone can come up with and the Gundam Dendrobium is here to fulfill everyone’s dream of such. Piloted by the famous carrot hater via ace pilot – Kou Uraki, it soared through war-torn…