World of THE POWER
It takes place in 2005, two years after an incident where the first identified extraterrestrial intelligence—classified as EI-01—crash-landed on Earth and absorbed a large number of machines into itself before disappearing without a trace. Following this incident, the Japanese government created a secret organization to combat potential alien threats: the Gutsy Geoid Guard, or "GGG," based beneath G-Island City in Tokyo Bay. Alien lifeforms known as Zonderians have begun to emerge; using Zonder Metal, they can assimilate various kinds of matter to form Zonders, which use humanoid beings as their hosts.
Setting
It takes place in 2005, two years after an incident where the first identified extraterrestrial intelligence—classified as EI-01—crash-landed on Earth and absorbed a large number of machines into itself before disappearing without a trace. Following this incident, the Japanese government created a secret organization to combat potential alien threats: the Gutsy Geoid Guard, or "GGG," based beneath G-Island City in Tokyo Bay. Alien lifeforms known as Zonderians have begun to emerge; using Zonder Metal, they can assimilate various kinds of matter to form Zonders, which use humanoid beings as their hosts.
There is also the threat of Algernon, a mutation in the brain which causes an accelerated alteration in the sensory, neural and nervous faculties. Those subjected to the phenomenon become violently hostile. Akamatsu Industries, a group designated to research and counteract Algernon, head a covert squadron of Neuronoids, robots piloted by Dual Kinds to inspect areas exposed to contamination and neutralize any threats brought thereabout. Keita Aono, a high school student, is brought into the fold after a chance encounter with a childhood friend, Hinoki Sai.
The titular hero of the series, Betterman, is a life form of superior physical and mental capabilities via adaptation of Animus Fruit. Through the resulting consumption of these plants, Betterman can metamorphose into situational combat forms. His most common form is the humanoid "Betterman Lamia." Each transformation allows Betterman to attain distinct physical-, psionic-, and mobility-related abilities.
Trinary Solar System
Another Solar System, far away from Earth. Despite its name, the system has only one sun, but two burning planets provide sun-like light. The system is home to the Green Planet, the Purple Planet, and the Red Planet, possibly in addition to the other cultures seen among the 11 Planetary Masters of Sol. Repli-Earth was also created here.
Blue Planet
Earth (地球 Chikyū?) is a planet in the Solar System. It is the home planet of humanity, and is known to those from the Trinary Solar System as "The Blue Planet".
Green Planet
The Green Planet (緑の星 Midori No Hoshi?) is a planet in the Trinary Solar System. It is the home planet of Cain and Latio. From the flashes visible during Latio's flashbacks to infanthood, the planet's structures were made of stone. The people of the Green Planet possessed 8 angelic wings and a green glow, along with powerful telekinetic abilities. These were focused in three primary techniques that balanced the powers of destruction and creation, which were the basis for the abilities of GaoGaiGar and its successor mechs. In addition, Cain's child, Latio, possessed the power of Purification.
Utilizing the right hand, this was the basis for Broken Magnum. It is the favored combat opener of Pei La Cain, though it is seldom used by Latio. The thumb, index and pinky fingers are outstretched with the middle and ring fingers curled inward - the technique fires a blast of energy possessing moderate power. Like Broken Magnum, it is much quicker to execute than other moves, though it possesses lower firepower.
Utilizing both hands, this was the basis for Hell and Heaven. It is favored as a finishing move by people of the Green Planet. Both hands are folded together in an outstretched fist while speaking the pseudo-Latin chant "Gemu giru gan go gufo...", followed by charging at the enemy while finishing the chant by yelling "Vita!". A variant of this technique can be used to destroy the complete Z-Master program once all 31 Z Crystals have been collected and assembled - rather than charging, this version fires a thin laser from the outstretched fist, which disintegrates the crystals.
Despite these powerful abilities, the Green Planet's people fell against the Zonders and were mechanized. Eventually the planet itself faded from existence, as was the fate of the rest of the Trinary Solar System.
Purple Planet
The Purple Planet (紫の星 Murasaki No Hoshi?) is a planet in the Trinary Solar System. The inhabitants of the planet developed Zonder Metal and the Z-Master program to eradicate "minus energy" in their thoughts, but the program went rogue, turning the entire race into Zonders, who were eventually completely mechanized into Zonderians.
Red Planet
The Red Planet (赤の星 Aka No Hoshi?) is a desert planet in the Trinary Solar System. It is the home planet of Abel and Arma. Soldato J-002 hails from this planet - due to the intense heat he grew up with, he finds the heat generated by Renais Kerdif-Shishioh to be nothing.
The wings of the people of the Red Planet resembled those of a phoenix. They possessed telekinetic abilities said to be superior to those of the people of the Green Planet. They also took a more traditional approach to warfare, building battleships and arming their Giant Mechanoids with more traditional cannon-type weapons than the "Super Robot"-style weapons of Super Mechanoids. Like the Purple Planet, they possessed ES Window technology and incorporated it into their ES Missile weaponry. They also were the developers of Generating Armor, a simultaneously offensive and defensive mechanism that was mounted on all of their battleships.
Ultimately the Red Planet would be mechanized, though it left behind a legacy in the form of what would be fated to become as terrible a threat as the Z-Master itself - the 11 Planetary Masters of Sol.
Gutsy Geoid Guard
Secret organization created by the Japanese government to combat alien threats following the incident involving EI-01 in 2003. Formed from the best specialists and brightest minds in Japan, using technology discovered in Galeon's databanks (and Professor Leo Shishioh's own designs based on same) as its foundation. Their headquarters is the Bay Tower Base, lying beneath the Space Development Corporation on G-Island City. The late Japanese intelligence agent Kirio Inugami was said to have played a major role in its founding. They have ongoing cooperation with the NASA in the United States, where Leo Shishioh's brother Liger and Swan White's brother Stallion are stationed. Article 5, Section 120 of the GGG Charter states: "Under no circumstances must a GGG member ever give up."
Zonderians and Zonders
Zonders (ゾンダー Zondā?) are the fusion of a sentient being and Zonder Metal. A Zonder has four general phases, culminating in a Zonderian. The first form is a base form resembling a shaggy monster of some sort, which is usually taken immediately upon infection. On occasion a Zonder in this form retains most of their human characteristics, as was the case with EI-12, when it would be more useful for them to do so.
The second form is the usual combat form, the result of the first form absorbing machinery. This results in a Zonder Robo, which is of varying size and design (usually taking a design modeled off of either the source of stress or the machinery with which the Zonder combined). This form usually seeks out and tries to destroy the source of stress, unless it has been commanded to do otherwise.
The third stage is the last one at which Purification is normally possible without killing the host. In this form, the Zonder, having eliminated the source of its stress, begins to produce Zonder Spores. At the end of this phase, it fires the Spores and blankets a large section of the planet it is on, thus allowing the Zonder forces to succeed in their goal of mechanizing the planet.
The last stage, also known as a Zonderian, is almost a more intellectual version of the first stage. The Zonderian somewhat resembles its human self, and regains intelligence and speech. The personality also returns to match that of the human, though twisted to believe in and serve the Z-Master's goals. Though the Zonderian can recombine with machinery, it can also separate from it, and generally remains in human-sized form. A Zonderian can be subjected to Purification - however, under most circumstances this leads to the original being's body dissolving after just a few moments. If one of the 31 Machine Primevals integrates with a sentient being (Arm Primeval is particularly fond of doing so), the host is temporarily transformed into a Zonderian with an exaggerated body part representing the Primeval it hosts. Purification from this "possession" does not harm the host.
Zonderians (ゾンダリアン Zondarian?) are the final form of Zonders that have not been subjected to Purification, and thus have progressed to their final stage of mechanization. Completely mechanized, they cannot be returned to normal by Mamoru Amami's Purification (though Ikumi Kaidou was able to Purify the Zonderians Pizza and Pinchernone without harm to them, suggesting that it was due to the sealed state of Mamoru's ability at the time that Polonaise was killed upon being Purified. It is also possible that only Zondarians based on full organic lifeforms cannot be purified, while those based on Cyborgs and computer systems can be). Like Zonders, Zonderians can fuse with machines to form large Zonder Robos for combat purposes, which they refer to as their "perfect forms" - however, they also possess some combat abilities even in their normal-sized forms.
Technology
Zonder Metal
Zonder Metal is a material composed of what GGG refers to as Elementary Particle Z0 (likely itself referring to the actual particle Z0 in physics, also known as the Z boson). This metal was developed by scientists of the Purple Planet to absorb the stressful emotions of a living being and convert them into energy; indeed, the material was originally designed with a benign function in mind: that of reducing emotional stress. It is also said to grant "immortality" to its host, as a bearer of Zonder Metal can regenerate any sort of damage, and even thwart poisons such as Paras Particles.
Host subjects infused with the Zonder Metal that are not directly part of the Z-Master Program are called Zonders, which eventually turn into Zonderians. This "infection" may only be removed through the process of Purification. The matter created by the subject's stress is usually converted into a quasi-robotic form that retains some traits of the host, and then into a larger robot form related to the source of stress.
Zonder Metal emits energies counter to the G-Stone and J-Jewel, and even possesses the same structural design as the G-Stone.
Paras Particles
Airborne particles which greatly relax nerve cells, causing relaxation, lethargy and eventually unconsciousness in victims. Any cyborg lifeforms are immune to the effects of these particles, as is Evoluder Guy. Papillon Noir is also immune due to the hallucinogenic compounds she consumed during the process of gaining the Sensing Mind, and Mikoto Utsugi's Semi-Evoluder abilities enable her to eventually restore herself. These particles are produced by Palparepa in order to defeat GGG quickly and easily. Papillon Noir later produced an antidote for Paras Particles which was administered to the GGG crew just in time for them to aid Genesic GaoGaiGar.
Evoluder
An Evoluder (エヴォリュダー Evoryudaa?) is an evolution of a human into a higher form of life. Guy Shishioh became an Evoluder through the integration of a G-Stone.
Evoluder Guy shows greatly enhanced physical strength, endurance and reflexes (on par with his cyborg form's capabilities), as well as the ability to control machinery. He is capable of surviving in space unaided, as well as space flight. Guy glows a bright green when using his Evoluder abilities.
A similar evolution, Semi-Evoluder is undertaken by Mikoto Utsugi.
Semi-Evoluder
Semi-Evoluder (セミ・エヴォリュダー Semi Evoryudaa?) is an evolution of humans into a higher form of life, similar to an Evoluder. Mikoto Utsugi became one through the integration of the power of the New Machine Species.
Mikoto displays the ability to regenerate (perhaps infinitely), shrug off poisons such as Paras Particles over time, and access the Limpid Channel. She is also capable of surviving in space to some extent, as well as space flight.
Limpid Channel
Telepathic flow of consciousness. Used by Somniums and Sakura. Mikoto Utsugi became able to access the Limpid Channel while in a near-death state, using her Semi-Evoluder abilities. Represented as a colored light in the center of one's forehead.
G-Stone
The G-Stone is an energy source developed on the Green Planet by the "Green Planet's Protector," Cain, to emulate the natural Zonder-purifying powers of his newborn son, Latio. The resulting green gemstone is capable of converting courage into energy using the GS-Ride. It is described as a gem of life. When crystallized in a large enough form (known as a G-Crystal), it also produces an aura of power known as the Genesic Aura. The energy produced by a G-Stone is the polar opposite of Zonder Metal, and when the two energies collide they erase each other, leaving only the stronger energy remaining in the end.
The G-Stone was first used to power the mechanical lion Galeon, meant as a counteragent to the 11 Planetary Masters of Sol. Due to the rapidity of the Z-Master's advance, however, Galeon was instead sent to Earth. When Galeon came into the custody of GGG in 2003, Professor Leo Shishioh discovered a cache of G-Stones stored within Galeon, and used information from its databanks to help mass-produce related technology.
Every G-Stone is connected to every other G-Stone, allowing information to travel between bearers across any distance. For this reason, it is known by both Leo and later GekiRyuJin as an "infinite information circuit". Because its power derives from the bearer's courage alone, the G-Stone can produce infinite energy, or even beyond infinite - whatever is needed for the bearer to claim victory.
Whenever a being or machine is particularly overflowing with G-Stone energy, it takes on a bright green coloration - this behavior is not observed with the J-Jewel, but is seen in the derivative Loud G-Stone.
Loud G-Stone
A G-Stone derivative, seen in King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL, the Loud G-Stone is the power source for the 11 Planetary Masters of Sol. The Loud G-Stone was presumably created by Abel at the same time as the J-Jewel from her reverse-engineering of the G-Stone.
The energy created by a Loud G-Stone is much greater and more more stable at median output, and emotion does not affect its level of power; however, because of this, the Loud G-Stone cannot attain the potentially "infinite" energy that the G-Stone, J-Jewel and G-Crystal are capable of. Further, power generated by the Loud G-Stone fades before the Genesic Aura generated by the G-Crystal.
When this type of G-Stone is active, a reversed "G" symbol appears visible within the stone.
J-Jewel
The Red Planet's reproduction of the G-Stone, exhibiting identical properties. Mass-produced by Abel, the Red Planet's leader. Used to power the Ark Armada and the cyborg Soldato Division. Using the Jewel Generator (apparently identical in function to the GS-Ride), the J-Jewel can be used as a power source just like the G-Stone.
Since it's a copy of the G-Stone, a J-Jewel can also use courage to attain an infinite level of energy. Furthermore, there is a sympathetic link between the G-Stone and J-Jewel - when they are simultaneously used to power the same machine, this link drastically increases the level of power of both stones and the machine itself. This behavior was first observed with King J-Der's "Silverion Hammer" interface with Goldymarg, and later with the joint-piloting of King J-Der by Soldato J-002 and Renais Kerdif-Shishioh.
When a J-Jewel is active, a "J" symbol appears visible within the jewel. Similar to the activated G-Stone's "G" symbol.
An Arma is able to shut down a J-Jewel at any time.