General Ligern
Encyclopedia
, also referred to as General Rigarn or Wild Beast Battalion Commander Raigon (猛獣将軍ライガーン), is a fictional character, a supervillain
and warrior
from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger
. He is commander of the Mammalian Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire. He resembles a demonic centaur in the original series, with his true face on his chest. In the Mazinkaiser OVA he appears more reptilian, but overall remains the same, as his mane color is changed from green to red and his body armor is now colored black instead of gray.
According to his profile included in the Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness OVA, Ligern(name coming from Liger
) is the most vile of the Seven Generals and is unpopular even among his fellow Generals. This is mostly due to his tendency to steal their thunder in attempts to make himself look good. It was apparently only the skill he has in whipping his troops into bloodthirsty frenzies that prevented the Great General of Darkness
from killing him personally. According to his manga description, Ligern practices shameless battle tactics and is among the more fierce of the 7 generals. He also the ability to fire electromagnetic beams from his fangs.
. Possibly thousands of years old, he and the other Generals plotted their eventual return to the surface world they once ruled under the supreme command of the mighty Great General of Darkness.
Their chance came when an ambitious megalomaniac named Dr. Hell
usurped their technology and created his Mechanical Beasts
in order to conquer the world. At first content to let the upstart human do the dirty work for them (and very likely planning to overthrow him once he succeeded), the Generals quickly realized that the surface world was not completely helpless when Mazinger Z
proved capable of repelling attack after attack. When Dr. Hell was finally vanquished by Mazinger, the Great General finally ordered a full scale attack.
Ligern's Mammalian Battle Beasts were the secondary mobile land unit (Julicaear's superhuman army being the primary unit) of the Mikene Empire's Seven Armies and were among the first of the Mikene forces to battle Mazinger Z. After Mazinger's defeat, the unexpected appearance of the even more powerful Great Mazinger put a stop to the Mikene Empire's plans.
General Ligern is killed in the final episode of Great Mazinger. Together with General Angoras
, he attempts to prevent a revived and strengthened Mazinger Z from pursuing their flagship Demonika. After Angoras is destroyed by Venus A, Ligern turns tail to flee, but is shot from behind by Mazinger Z's Koshiryoku Beam attack and is killed.
OVA Deathmatch! Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness and is the only one of the Seven Generals to be killed by human hands (rather than at the hands of a mecha like Great Mazinger or Mazinkaiser).
He leads his Mammalian Battle Beasts (consisting of Mommothos, Doleman and Grabaru) to a remote base in Siberia, where Archduke Gorgon
, the Great General's personal assassin, has tracked the pilot of Mazinkaiser
Kouji Kabuto. Despite knowing the Great General has ordered Gorgon to slay the youth before he could activate the powerful robot, Ligern attempts to steal the Mikene officer's thunder by attacking the base himself.
This eagerness proves to be his downfall, as Professor Morimori (one of the professors accompanying Kouji and Sayaka Yumi
) launches a suicidal missile attack that kills him and completely obliterates the Mammalian Battle Beast Army. Ligern himself is killed when a missile ripped his body (and face) in half before detonating.
Gorgon, on the other hand, survives and later attacks Kouji again in Japan.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
and warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger
Great Mazinger
is a manga comic book and anime television series by manga artist Go Nagai, made as a direct continuation of the successful Mazinger Z series...
. He is commander of the Mammalian Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire. He resembles a demonic centaur in the original series, with his true face on his chest. In the Mazinkaiser OVA he appears more reptilian, but overall remains the same, as his mane color is changed from green to red and his body armor is now colored black instead of gray.
According to his profile included in the Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness OVA, Ligern(name coming from Liger
Liger
The liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress . Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. It is distinct from the similar hybrid tiglon. It is the largest of all known cats and extant felines.Ligers enjoy swimming, which is a characteristic of tigers, and...
) is the most vile of the Seven Generals and is unpopular even among his fellow Generals. This is mostly due to his tendency to steal their thunder in attempts to make himself look good. It was apparently only the skill he has in whipping his troops into bloodthirsty frenzies that prevented the Great General of Darkness
Great General of Darkness
was a fictional character, a supervillain and warlord from the series Great Mazinger. He takes the form of a gigantic warrior wearing a helmet decorated with three horns, a long red cape and vaguely Roman-like armour. His true face is that of a bearded old man and is set into his chest.He also...
from killing him personally. According to his manga description, Ligern practices shameless battle tactics and is among the more fierce of the 7 generals. He also the ability to fire electromagnetic beams from his fangs.
History
Like the other members of the Mikene Empire, General Ligern survived beneath the surface of the earth in the form of a hideous Warrior BeastWarrior Beasts
The Warrior Beasts , also referred to as Battle Beasts in some translations, were the monsters and evil mecha from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger by Go Nagai...
. Possibly thousands of years old, he and the other Generals plotted their eventual return to the surface world they once ruled under the supreme command of the mighty Great General of Darkness.
Their chance came when an ambitious megalomaniac named Dr. Hell
Dr. Hell
Dr. Hell is the main villain of the fictional robot anime Mazinger Z. He is a brilliant, cunning and evil scientist, obsessed with world domination through his creations, the armies of Mechanical Beasts.- History :He was a colleague of Dr...
usurped their technology and created his Mechanical Beasts
Mechanical Beasts
The Mechanical Beasts , also known as mechanical monsters or mechanical brutes, were the antagonist mecha from the Mazinger Z anime and manga series, created by Go Nagai. Almost all of them were created by Koji Kabuto's nemesis, Dr. Hell...
in order to conquer the world. At first content to let the upstart human do the dirty work for them (and very likely planning to overthrow him once he succeeded), the Generals quickly realized that the surface world was not completely helpless when Mazinger Z
Mazinger Z
, known briefly as Tranzor Z in United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In...
proved capable of repelling attack after attack. When Dr. Hell was finally vanquished by Mazinger, the Great General finally ordered a full scale attack.
Ligern's Mammalian Battle Beasts were the secondary mobile land unit (Julicaear's superhuman army being the primary unit) of the Mikene Empire's Seven Armies and were among the first of the Mikene forces to battle Mazinger Z. After Mazinger's defeat, the unexpected appearance of the even more powerful Great Mazinger put a stop to the Mikene Empire's plans.
General Ligern is killed in the final episode of Great Mazinger. Together with General Angoras
General Angoras
Aquatic General Angoras, alternately known as Sea Demon Commander Angoras or Demon Fish General Anglerus, is a fictional character, a supervillain and warrior from the anime and manga series Great Mazinger. He is commander of the Aquatic Battle Beasts, one of the Seven Armies of the Mikene Empire...
, he attempts to prevent a revived and strengthened Mazinger Z from pursuing their flagship Demonika. After Angoras is destroyed by Venus A, Ligern turns tail to flee, but is shot from behind by Mazinger Z's Koshiryoku Beam attack and is killed.
Other appearances
General Ligern also reappears in the MazinkaiserMazinkaiser
is an anime OVA series, inspired by Go Nagai's Mazinger series. The OVA follows Kouji Kabuto, Tetsuya Tsurugi and the rest of the "Mazinger Team" as they fight against Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts....
OVA Deathmatch! Mazinkaiser VS the Great General of Darkness and is the only one of the Seven Generals to be killed by human hands (rather than at the hands of a mecha like Great Mazinger or Mazinkaiser).
He leads his Mammalian Battle Beasts (consisting of Mommothos, Doleman and Grabaru) to a remote base in Siberia, where Archduke Gorgon
Archduke Gorgon
Archduke Gorgon was a villain who was seen primarily in the fictional giant robot anime Great Mazinger, but appeared several times in its prequel series, Mazinger Z, as well. He resembles a centaur somewhat, as from the waist up he is a green-skinned man, but below the waist has the body of a...
, the Great General's personal assassin, has tracked the pilot of Mazinkaiser
Mazinkaiser
is an anime OVA series, inspired by Go Nagai's Mazinger series. The OVA follows Kouji Kabuto, Tetsuya Tsurugi and the rest of the "Mazinger Team" as they fight against Dr. Hell's Mechanical Beasts....
Kouji Kabuto. Despite knowing the Great General has ordered Gorgon to slay the youth before he could activate the powerful robot, Ligern attempts to steal the Mikene officer's thunder by attacking the base himself.
This eagerness proves to be his downfall, as Professor Morimori (one of the professors accompanying Kouji and Sayaka Yumi
Sayaka Yumi
is one of the heroine of Go Nagai's manga and anime Mazinger Z. She was a bit hot-tempered and tomboyish, and had a habit of clashing with the story's hero, Kouji Kabuto even though she had a romantic interest in him....
) launches a suicidal missile attack that kills him and completely obliterates the Mammalian Battle Beast Army. Ligern himself is killed when a missile ripped his body (and face) in half before detonating.
Gorgon, on the other hand, survives and later attacks Kouji again in Japan.