Manga Mazinger Z is written and illustrated by
Go Nagai. It began
serialization in
Weekly Shōnen Jump in October 1972. While the manga was being published in
Weekly Shōnen Jump, Go Nagai made an agreement with
Kodansha to have
Mazinger Z also be published in '''', in an effort to reach a younger audience. The manga was also collected into five volumes by
Asahi Sonorama in 1974, four volumes by
Chuokoron-Shinsha in 1994 and 1995, and three volumes by in 1996.
Anime An anime adaption of
Mazinger Z was produced by
Dynamic Planning and
Toei Animation, with Toei handling the animation. The series ran for a total of 92 episodes from December 3, 1972, to September 1, 1974. The news, initially protected by tight secrecy, managed to leak and was spread by the specialized press. Toei protested, saying to Dynamic that the rights of the animation of
Mazinger was only theirs and that they did not tolerate a
Mazinger animated by others. As a consequence, the
Daimajinga project was blocked. This wasn't helped by the fact that Nagai was in the middle of a court battle with Toei, suing them for not properly crediting him and not paying him royalties over the creation of
Gaiking in 1976. However, since then, the relationship between Nagai and Toei has steadily improved.
International release In 1976,
Honolulu-based entertainment concern,
Consolidated Amusement Co., licensed the first 52 episodes of the series from Toei, as reported by the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and commissioned
M&M Communications, a local sound studio, to produce an English language dub. Consolidated, which ran four of the biggest theater chains in Hawaii, packaged the episodes of
Mazinger Z for weekend kiddie matinee screenings in their venues, starting with a big promotional push over Thanksgiving weekend (November 27 & 28) that same year with a "personal appearance" (a 10' electronic model) at the
Pearlridge Shopping Center, as promoted in the
Honolulu Advertiser. The first package of episodes debuted at the Pearlridge 4-Plex Theaters on Saturday, December 4, 1976 (according to the
Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Unlike other English adaptations of various anime series at the time,
Mazinger Z was left with its plot and character names unaltered. This English dub also aired in the
Philippines; it proved so popular there that additional episodes were locally dubbed. There have been some claims that
Frontier Enterprises produced an English dub
Mazinger Z at some point in the 1970s, stating it was one of the serial works that his company Frontier Enterprises had been in charge of translating but failed to sell to a network and thus never aired or was released. The series partially aired in
Spain on
TVE 1 at the same time. Rumors emerged that the series was pulled from broadcast because it reportedly induced violence to an underage viewer, but according to
Claudio Biern Boyd in a 2021 interview, nothing happened at all.
Discotek Media acquired the American home video rights to the show. The result was a release of all 92 episodes of the original series in 2 volumes:
Mazinger Z TV Series Vol 1, Ep. 1–46 and
Mazinger Z TV Series Vol 2, Ep. 47–92. Discotek Media later released a double feature DVD on April 29, 2014.
Tranzor Z In the United States, Three B. Productions Ltd., a production company headed by Bunker Jenkins, developed
Mazinger Z for American television by producing an English-dubbed version, which Jenkins retitled
Tranzor Z. This adaptation aired in 1985 and was, like many English-dubbed anime shows that were on American TV at the time, re-edited for American audiences. Many of the Japanese names used in
Mazinger Z were changed for its adaptation into
Tranzor Z; for example, Koji Kabuto became Tommy Davis, Sayaka Yumi became Jessica Wells, Shiro became Toad, Professor Yumi became Dr. Wells, Dr. Hell became Dr. Demon, Baron Ashura became Devleen, Count Brocken became Count DeCapito, and Archduke Gorgon became Genghis the Ghastly. Only 65 out of the 92 episodes were dubbed into English, as 65 was the minimum number of episodes required for syndication. The final episode was not dubbed in English, instead the series ended with the defeat of Dr. Demon. The fate of Genghis was left up in the air.
Films The shows spawned so-called "team-up movies" early on, which were like longer episodes that teamed up Mazinger Z with one of
Go Nagai's other creations, as in
Mazinger Z vs. Devilman in 1973 as well as
Mazinger Z Vs. Dr. Hell and
Mazinger Z Vs. The Great General of Darkness both released in 1974. On the franchise's 45th anniversary, a sequel film titled
Mazinger Z: Infinity was announced, taking place ten years after the events of the original series. It was released theatrically in Japan on January 13, 2018.
Video games Mazinger has also been successful in the video game area (at least in Japan) as one of the main stars in the acclaimed battle simulation game series
Super Robot Wars, released by
Banpresto, featuring characters and units from almost all
Mazinger-related shows, alongside other anime franchises. In 1994, Banpresto released an arcade game called,
Mazinger Z, which is a vertical
shoot 'em up with three selectable characters: Mazinger Z,
Great Mazinger, and
Grendizer. Announced on December 3, 2022 by
Hamster Corporation,
Mazinger Z was eventually included in the
Arcade Archives series on May 11, 2023, for the
Nintendo Switch and
PlayStation 4. The
Sega Genesis title,
Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter, was released by
Sega in 1993. It can be played in two different ways: one as a side-scroller, and the other as a one-on-one fighting game. == Merchandise ==