Tekkaman Blade II
Encyclopedia
is a six-episode original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

.

Ten years have passed since the end of the original Tekkaman Blade
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

, and a new generation of Tekkaman must confront a powerful new enemy while rebuilding their forces.

D-Boy/Blade (title character of the preceding Tekkaman anime) appears here as well, but does not play a major role until the later episodes. The main character this time is Yumi Francois, a young and bumbling mechanic who proves the unlikely third candidate for the elite Tekkaman fighting trio. Thrust into battle with very little training, she must earn the trust and confidence of her teammates if she is to succeed and survive.

Pre-Episode 1: Black September Incident

Thousands of human beings, changed into Primary Bodies by the First Invasion
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

, rally in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

 at the call of an insane Tekkaman cult leader named Mikhail. The Space Knights are deployed in a peacekeeping effort, unaware of world armies preparing to annihilate the entire city in a nuclear attack. Aki, the "Red Devil", fights and kills the leader of the uprising before assisting the sudden evacuation of the city. Aki finds David Krueger moments before the bombs are dropped, spiriting him away on the back of Pegasus II. Dead End's friends and family are killed with tens of thousands of others; he survives the blast.

Episode 1: Virgin Flush

English Title: Stage 1: The New Generation - Part 1

Three Space Knights are chosen to become Tekkamen. In space, the United Earth Fleet fights off another invasion by Radam. The Radam bring Tekkamen and wipe out the fleet, sending missiles to Earth. This causes a problem during the Tekkaman evolution process for the three new cadets, and a computer error results in Yumi (instead of Natasha) receiving the Reactor Voltekka. The Space Knights attack Radam, but are overpowered. When attempting to help them, Yumi uses Reactor Voltekka; Yumi is unable to control its power, which leads to a disaster.

Episode 2: Virgin Blood

English Title: Stage 1: The New Generation - Part 2

Yumi is training and improving. Radam hit the Space Knights' HQ. The Space Knights hold back, out of mercy for the enemy. Aki joins the fight and kills the Radam Tekkamen.

Episode 3: Virgin Dream

English Title: Stage 2: The Alien Intruder - Part 1

Blade finally shows up, and destroys a group of Radam. Yumi contends with Aki for D-Boy's love.

Episode 4: Dead-Boy

English Title: Stage 2: The Alien Intruder - Part 2

Dead End makes his first appearance. He defeats Blade in the middle of Space, but is not killed. David tries to prevent this by attacking, but Dead End escapes.

Episode 5: Dirty Night

English Title: Stage 3: Final Encounter - Part 1

David befriends Dead and remembers Black September. We also see Noal and Milly (from Tekkman Blade) in a flashback and learn what happened to Noal: he was apprehended by the military police supporting the General. His ultimate fate is unknown.

Episode 6: Dangerous Boys

English Title: Stage 3: Final Encounter - Part 2

Blade battles Dead in a final showdown.

Main characters (Tekkamen)

Yumi Francois:
Known as Tekkaman Hiver (Winter). Originally one of thousands of Primary Bodies produced by the events in the first Tekkaman Blade, she dreamed of becoming a Space Knight her whole life. She finally joined as a mechanic despite her clumsiness, airheadedness and tendency to make mistakes. The same positive attitude and friendly enthusiasm that got her the job ends up getting her personally selected by D-Boy though Chief Aki Kisaragi – much to her surprise – to be the third (final) member of the new Space Knights Tekkaman team.

Natasha (the Tekkaman for whom she previously worked) expresses disgust upon noticing Yumi's TekSet crystal; Natasha later resents her when Yumi inadvertently receives the Reactor Voltekka weapon because of an accident, during the team's final conversion process into full-fledged Tekkamen. Her nervousness and panic during her first use of the powerful weapon result in a portion of Earth's Space Ring being obliterated, but it becomes a potent tool once she learns to control it. Yumi is smitten with the image of the "White Tekkaman" (having seen him fly over once during her childhood) and fantasizes about him constantly. This leads to a shock for her when she finds out he is still alive and involved with the Chief. The love triangle turns messy over several episodes as several others express interest in her, including her pilot and her teammate Hayato.


David Kruegel:
Known as Tekkaman Sommer or Tekkaman Summer. A survivor of the Black September incident (a conflict between the government and a splinter group of Primary Tekkamen which resulted in the destruction of Prague), his easygoing, joking manner belies his true feelings. Deeply troubled by the past and often depressed, he goes bar-hopping in an attempt to drown his sorrows – which are compounded by his love for Aki, who he knows is already beyond his reach. He unknowingly befriends Dead End through being one of the few survivors of Black September, and the only person Dead has met capable of truly sympathizing with his loss.


Natasha Pablochiva:
Known as Tekkaman Vesna. She is the daughter of the general responsible for Black September and, as the most seasoned of the new Space Knights, serves as their squad leader. Intelligent but short-tempered and prone to snapping, she finds herself constantly berating Yumi for her airheadedness and inexperience. She uses a pata
Pata (weapon)
The pata, patta, dand patta or dandpatta is an Indian sword with a gauntlet integrated as a handguard. Traditionally, Maratha warriors were trained to fight with dual patas by bearing one in each hand. Alternatively, a single pata was used in addition to a belt, javelin, or axe in the other hand...

 for her lancer.


Dead End:
Known as Tekkaman Dead, he uses the name Dead End in his non-Tekkaman identity. A survivor of Black September, he blames the "Red Devil" for the massacre. He breaks into a military facility holding a captured Radam Tekkaplant, using it to upgrade him from a Primary Body to a full-fledged Tekkaman. The use of the captured Radam technology (as opposed to an adapted Earth Tekkaplant) results in an exponentially higher level of power bestowed upon Dead during his first transformation; he uses this power to cause widespread destruction in an attempt to attract the attention of the Space Knights. Dead can use the Crash Intrude technique (as Tekkaman Blade does), in which his armor generates a bird-shaped aura of energy; this allows him to "crash" through enemies with tremendous force. He also has the ability to absorb (through his shoulder armor) any Voltekka directed at him and return the energy through his own Voltekka.

Alternatively motivated by rage and despair, Dead End believes that no one understands him; he wants to die, but not before killing the woman he blames for the loss of his family and friends. During an attempt to stop Dead's mayhem, Tekkaman Blade is fatally wounded. Out of mutual loss, Dead End befriends David after meeting him in a graveyard
Graveyard
A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...

; they meet again in their Tekkaman identities, and a third time in a bar. Here Dead recognizes David as Tekkaman Sommer; David does not recognize Dead as a Tekkaman until later, when David finds Dead's Tek crystal. Between the climax of the final battle between the Tekkamen Space Knights and Tekkaman Dead, Dead loses his shoulder-mounted Voltekker cannons. This, however, could simply be an animation error as they are not present when Dead resurfaces against the Radam.


Aki Kisaragi (アキ 如月):
One of the leaders of the Space Knights, she has no Tekkaman alias (she is referred to only as "Tekkaman Aki", according to Super Robot Wars W
Super Robot Wars W
is part of the Super Robot Wars franchise and was published for the Nintendo DS by Banpresto. It is the first Super Robot Wars game released for the Nintendo DS. Like some DS games, special features can be unlocked by starting a new game with any of the Game Boy Advance era games inserted into SLOT...

) and is called "Chief" by the members of the team. Her hair and eye color have both changed since the original series (from dark-blue hair and brown eyes to green hair and eyes), owing possibly to her first metamorphosis into Tekkaman form. More realistically, though, it may be due to the change in animation teams between series; in the Tekkaman Blade
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

OVA specials (which are set in the same time as the original Tekkaman Blade series but done by the same animation team as for Tekkaman Blade II), she has the same green hair and eyes. Early on, she plays an administrative role – overseeing the training of the new Tekkamen and briefing the team on mission objectives. Soon, however, it becomes necessary for her to intervene directly. She transforms into a red Tekkaman with the help of a new Pegasus robot, based on the design of the original (which was destroyed by Tekkaman Omega in the final episode of Tekkaman Blade). Her powers are incomplete compared with other "full" Tekkamen: although she is able to leap great distances she has no thrusters of her own, and is incapable of self-induced flight. She also does not seem to possess any form of Voltekka, unlike all other Tekkamen in the series (SRW W gives her twin-liked guns mounted in her Tekkalance).

Aki fought for the government during Black September, possibly killing the leaders of the rebellion. When the bomb fell, she grabbed the nearest person (who turned out to be David) and barely escaped the destruction of the city. Dead refers to her as the "Red Devil" for her part in the battle.

Aki is one of the few original Space Knights still on the team; with Honda and Takaya, they train the next generation of Tekkamen to protect the Earth. Aki has been at Takaya's (D-Boy) side since the day he lost his memory – filling him in as much as she could about his past. Though the last ten year, her love for him has never wavered and she continues to be an anchor for his confused and terrified soul.

The fact that she and D-Boy have been in love for over a decade frustrates David, who has been infatuated with her since she rescued him.

Aki is a firm believer in science, as evidenced by her comments about "superstition" when she finds David reading passages from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 aloud.


D-Boy (Dボゥイ) (Known as Tekkaman Blade; real name Takaya Aiba):
In the ten years of peace between Tekkaman Blade and Tekkaman Blade II, D-Boy, with the help of Aki, works towards training a new generation of Space Knights who will be able to defend the Earth after he is gone. Although his crystal was shattered in the original series (necessitating the use of Pegas to allow Blade's transformation into a Tekkaman), in Tekkaman Blade II his crystal is whole again and Blade transforms without any aid. How his crystal regenerated is unknown, but may be related to the form he takes at the end of his battle with Omega.
His power seems to have paradoxically decreased and (somewhat) increased since the beginning of Tekkaman Blade - he could not leave the earth's atmosphere initially unless assisted by another crystal, and a Voltekka attack would leave him drained and exhausted. Ten years later, however, he is seen flying to Earth's moon and back unassisted (as do the other Space Knights). A clear distinction is made between his level of power and that of any of the new Space Knight Tekkamen; Dead End is the only living Tekkaman able to defeat him. He also appears to be less charismatic and less experienced in martial-arts combat than he was in the original Tekkaman Blade
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

, where he defeated many elite full-fledged Tekkamen – including Tekkaman Axe (his Master Martial Artist instructor), Tekkaman Lance (a superhuman Tekkaman), Tekkaman Evil (his twin brother) and Tekkaman Omega (his eldest brother, a Tekkaman warlord). In this, he struggles to keep up with Dead End. He does not display the ability to become a Blaster Tekkaman any more, but his former 30-minute time limit seems to have also expired. Near the end of the last OVA, he demonstrates the same ability to absorb Voltekka attacks through his shoulder armor as Tekkaman Dead; he even combines the absorbed Voltekka with a Crash Intrude.

He appears calmer and less prone to impulsive action than his younger self – perhaps because his memory (of having to face former loved ones in battle) was destroyed by the end of the original series, due to the neural degeneration his transformations caused. He mentions witnessing the slaughter of his family, however. Since then he has worked from a mentally (relatively)-clean slate, although he recognizes Aki during the final moments of the last episode of Tekkaman Blade. The relationship and love that grows from that point forward is quietly (but powerfully) evidenced in Tekkaman Blade II.

Other characters

Honda:
One of the last of the original Space Knights, Honda is responsible for many apparent miracles of engineering during both series – including the design (and construction) of Pegas I and II, and the design of the Space Knights' new Blue Earth tri-docked fighters (which the Tekkamen ride into battle). Although neglected (like the original characters from Tekkaman Blade
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

, he is seen rarely in the show), he works behind the scenes to support the efforts of the group and is seen by the team as a father figure. His friendship with Aki and Takaya has lasted more than a decade.


Anita (アニタ):
One of the pilots of the tri-hulled Blue Earth. Serving as David's counterpart in battle, she and Goliath are good friends and often drink together. She is cool under pressure and a top-notch pilot.


Goliath (ゴリアテ):
Natasha's pilot Goliath is often seen hanging around with Anita, although they do not seem romantically interested in one another. Goliath is quick with a grin and eager to get into the fight, but tends to misunderstand other people when he is drunk.


Hayato (ハヤト):
Assigned to be Yumi's pilot, he develops a crush on her quickly but lacks the courage to tell her how he feels. David picks up on his infatuation quickly and torments him endlessly; Yumi is far too preoccupied with the White Tekkaman to give him any notice. He is prone to bouts of passionate anger when his "love" is threatened, but his loyalty is absolute.


Radam Tekkamen:
The Radam Tekkamen are aliens who are converted into Tekkamen by the Radam. These Tekkamen possess many of the same abilities that the Earth Tekkamen do - self-powered flight, superhuman strength and dexterity, and the ability to launch quantum-energy blasts from their shoulders. Their appearance, however, contrasts sharply with that of the Space Knight heroes, and even with the mind-controlled Tekkamen of the First Invasion
Tekkaman Blade
or Teknoman is an anime series, released in 1992 and 1995 in both Japanese and English language versions.-Plot:During the year 2300 AD , otherwise known as United Earth Year 192, the Earth is under attack from an extraterrestrial enemy known as the Radam...

. They appear much more organic (rather than metallic) in design and typically have tails and large, three-fingered hands; this may be a result of the Tekkaplant contacting an alien species with a different anatomy and environment. As seen when they mourn for a fallen comrade the Radam Tekkamen retain intelligence, and at least some capacity for emotion.


Sol-Tekka Soldiers – Vaking Unit
Utilizing designs based on the original Sol Tekkaman power armor developed by the Earth military in Tekkaman Blade, the soldiers serving as the planet's first line of defense are highly trained and courageous; however, they are ultimately only capable of thinning the ranks of the radam before being literally torn limb-from-limb by a single Tekkaman. Their suits are pressurized to seal out the vacuum of space, armored to withstand attacks and armed with both energy rifles and shoulder-mounted high-yield Fermion cannons; these mimic a Tekkaman's Voltekka attack, making them easily the most powerful soldiers on the planet.


Pegas II
A semi-sentient battle robot that performs several functions for Aki Kisaragi – providing a way for her to transform and a ride for her during battle, much as the original Pegas did for Blade in the first series. Pegas II has two main configurations - a bipedal, humanoid robot form rarely seen in Tekkaman Blade II and a flight configuration (where a Tekkaman can ride on its back).


Other
Primary Bodies are humans who were captured by mobile Radam Tekkaplants (flower-shaped biological creatures doubling as DNA-resequencing pods) to prepare them for mass conversion into Tekkamen during the final episodes of Tekkaman Blade. The Tekkaplants rejected humans unfit for conversion (too old, too young, disabled or ill) – who would quickly die thereafter, drained of all possible strength. Those fit for transformation were converted into Tekkamen in the same way as D-Boy (and his family and friends) had been on the Argos. Due to the timely intervention of the Space Knights, however, many tens (possibly hundreds) of thousands of Primary Bodies were rescued before the transformation could be completed.

A percentage of Earth's population was granted the beginnings of a transformation crystal (or Tek-Setter), and the ability to transform into a first-stage Tekkaman – with a hardened biometal shell similar to a "full" Tekkaman, but without the customized hand-to-hand weapon, thrusters, or energy-weapon launchers. Natasha, David, and Yumi are seen practicing riding one of the Space Knight ships in first-stage Tekkaman form, before undergoing a full conversion in an Earth Tekkaplant. Other Primary Bodies are shown (in flashbacks) in Prague during the Black Sunday battle – some fighting, and others simply fleeing the conflict with other civilians. Later, a large group (numbering in the thousands) of Primary Tekkamen is seen marching on the destroyed city of Prague at Dead's behest. Primary Bodies carry their crystals with them on a necklace or built into a pendant; D-Boy seems to be one of the few individuals capable of simply absorbing his crystal into his body. Dead is seen with a dagger around his crystal; this transforms with him, to become his main weapon in Tekkaman form.

English cast

  • Tara Strong
    Tara Strong
    Tara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...

    : Yumi Francois/Tekkaman Hiver (credited as Tara Charendoff)
  • Adam Paul: David Kruegel/Tekkaman Sommer
  • Tasia Valenza
    Tasia Valenza
    Tasia Valenza is an American actress who has most recently found acclaim as a voice actor.- Television :...

    : Natasha Pablochiva/Tekkaman Vesna
  • Scott Menville
    Scott Menville
    Scott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...

    : Hayato
  • Jessica Lynn: Anita
  • Matt McKenzie
    Matt McKenzie
    Matt McKenzie is an actor best known for his voicework in games and movies. He is the voice of Auron in the RPG games Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, and Kingdom Hearts II...

    : Goliate
  • John Hostetter: Honda
  • John DeMita
    John DeMita
    John DeMita is a California based Voice, Television and Film Actor. He is married to Julia Fletcher. He is most recognized as the voice of Dosu Kinuta on the hit anime series Naruto. He can also be recognized in the many films he has done...

    : Takaya Aiba/D-Boy/Tekkaman Blade
  • Julia Fletcher
    Julia Fletcher
    Julia Fletcher , sometimes credited as Julia DeMita, is a voice actress whose throaty, articulate vocals have graced many popular animated works and video games...

    : Aki Kisaragi, Dead End/Tekkaman Dead (credited as Julia DeMita)

Japanese cast

  • Mariko Kouda: Yumi Francois/Tekkaman Hiver
  • Ryotaro Okiayu
    Ryotaro Okiayu
    is a Japanese voice actor, who was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, and raised in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture. He has been active since 1989, and is currently affiliated with Aoni Production....

    : David Krugel/Tekkaman Sommer
  • Chieko Honda
    Chieko Honda
    is a Japanese voice actor.-Notable voice roles:*After War Gundam X *Akihabara Dennō Gumi *Bosco Adventure *Devil Hunter Yohko *Dragonball *Dragon Century...

    : Natasha Pablochiva/Tekkaman Vesna
  • Hiro Yuuki: Dead End/ Tekkaman Dead
  • Toshiyuki Morikawa
    Toshiyuki Morikawa
    is a prolific Japanese male voice actor from Yokohama, Kanagawa, was affiliated with Arts Vision. Lately, however, he has become the head of that a voice actor company he founded in Apr 2011. His name is also sometimes mistranslated as Tomoyuki...

    : Takaya Aiba "D-Boy"/Tekkaman Blade
  • Megumi Hayashibara
    Megumi Hayashibara
    is a Japanese voice actress, singer, radio personality, and lyricist from Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with Aksent. Her nicknames include: Megu-san, Megu-nee, Bara-san, Kakka, and Daijin...

    : Aki Kisaragi
  • Shōzō Iizuka
    Shozo Iizuka
    is a male Japanese voice actor from Fukushima Prefecture who is affiliated with Sigma Seven. He graduated from the fine arts department of Nihon University....

    : Honda
  • Wataru Takagi
    Wataru Takagi
    is a Japanese seiyū and stage actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Arts Vision.He is best known for his roles in Detective Conan , After War Gundam X , Slayers Try , the Beast Wars: Transformers series , GTO , Hajime no Ippo (July 25, 1966 - ) is a Japanese seiyū and stage...

    : Hayato
  • Kumiko Watanabe
    Kumiko Watanabe
    is an actress and voice actress from Chiba Prefecture affiliated with Arts Vision.-Overview, character, and career:*She has a wide vocal range, ranging from boys and girls to middle-aged women. She is also known to be a large professional wrestling fan, especially of Pro Wrestling Noah's Kenta...

    : Anita
  • Masaki Aizawa
    Masaki Aizawa
    is a Japanese male voice actor. He currently works for Production Baobab.- Television :* The Red Baron , Norman* Wedding Peach , Middle-aged man * Slayers , Man A...

    : Goliate
  • Nobuo Tobita
    Nobuo Tobita
    is a Japanese seiyū from Mito. He is represented by Arts Vision.He is most known for the roles of Kamille Bidan , Albert Heinrich/004 , and Sueo Maruo...

    : Pegasus II
  • Yasunori Matsumoto
    Yasunori Matsumoto
    is a Japanese voice actor. He currently works for Sigma Seven, formerly for Production Baobab.-About:Some of Matsumoto's most notable roles are Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Magnum Ace in Shippū! Iron Leaguer, Gourry Gabriev in Slayers and Ryou in Sonic Soldier...

    : Noal (ep. 5)
  • Chisa Yokoyama
    Chisa Yokoyama
    is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is founder and head of her own voice company called Banbina after leaving Arts Vision. When she was a high school student, she was an assistant of Jump Broadcasting Station of Weekly Shōnen Jump...

    : Milly (ep. 5)

External links

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