If Mazinger Z is Jim Mazinger, Is Mazinkaiser Violence Jack?
Mazinkaiser is an OAV re-imagining of the Mazinger Z story that was released in 2001. It tells the story of how Kouji Kabuto discovers and masters his grandfather's final legacy, the most powerful of the Mazingers.
Mazinkaiser originally appeared in Super Robot Wars F Final, when Banpresto asked Go Nagai to design a new mecha for Kouji to use as a Mid-Season Upgrade. The idea was for Mazinger Z being upgraded through the exposure of Getter Rays into a new monstrous form, later redubbing it the Mazinkaiser. The idea was such a hit with fans that Go Nagai quickly incorporated it into Mazinger canon in anime and manga form.
During a massive attack by Mad Scientist Dr. Hell's mechanical beasts, the Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger both sortie to battle, but are eventually overrun through sheer numbers. Kouji's Hover Pilder is ripped from Mazinger Z and hurled from the battlefield, and Mazinger Z itself is captured by Dr. Hell, who turns it into a mechanical devil (with a creepy SM look)for his own purposes and sends it against the Photonic Research Institute. Outnumbered, Tetsuya Tsurugi goes to battle with a damaged Great Mazinger when suddenly a new, insanely powerful and more demonic looking Mazinger shows up with Kouji at the helm...
The OAV ran for seven episodes, and was followed up by the movie Mazinkaiser vs The Great General of Darkness, where the Mycenae Empire invades while Kouji is vacationing in Paris, forcing him to fight his way back to Japan and take Mazinkaiser into battle once more.
There's also a second series, Mazinkaiser SKL (Series). This particular take is a very different re-imagining, with all-new characters. It looks a Mazinkaiser-meets-Super Robot Wars Gaiden-meets-Super Robot Wars Compact 3 mix. We're not sure how that will work out, but It looks pretty d-mn cool.
Manga[]
In the 2003 Mazinkaiser Manga by Go Nagai and Naoto Tsushima, Koji Kabuto has given up after Mazinger Z got busted and Sayaka Yumi chats with him about Jun Hono and Tetsuya Tsurugi fighting. Meanwhile, Dr H is reviving Baron Ashura in a tank with his/her DNA and it regrows into the bisected hermaphrodite we know and love. Dr H sez he genetically took the evil of 2 beings into 1 to make him/her loyal to him forever. Sayaka shows Koji the improved Aphrodite A and Koji is bummed over not being able to fight and when Koji goes for a motorcycle ride he meets a reverse Baron Ashura who's man and woman halfs are on the other side and this one is nice looking and polite. Koji dont trust her/him and good Ashura says she/he serves Dr Heaven and reveals that had she/he been evil Ashura she/he could have slagged him by now. so Koji goes into space on a ship to a big a55 satellite that don't reflect waves so its undetectable from da urth. Its been there thousands of years and was pat of the Mycenaeans that were really aliens who the early humans worshipped as gods like f--king ancient aliens! Anti Ashura sez the tech from Mechanical Beasts and Mazinger is from there and she/he takes Koji to meet... His Grandpa Juzo Kabuto!! Turns out the Juzo who bad Ashura killed was a clone and Real Juzo made 2 clones of himself to help him and 1 turned evil and became Dr. Hell (Good f--k! Thats a pretty f'd Retcon! What next?! Optimus and Megatron being Brothers?!). Real Juzo (Shin Juzo??) sez theres good and evil in us all and Koji chose to be good unlike evil clone Juzo. But then the evil Juzo launches an all out attack like in Mazinger Z Infinity and Mazinkaiser OVA 1 to slag Great Mazinger and Shin Juzo Kabuto gives Koji Mazinkaiser to stop his evil clone.