OJR Battle Story Characters

One issue to keep in mind here is that the fanbooks and Zoid Graphics and the boxes sometimes disagree on dates, Zoids piloted, means of death, what have you...and official romanizations of names are pretty much nonexistant or Engrishy.

Thus, this is a collection of random info, best guesses, and my own feelings and speculation on every named character that I can find as I find them. It's subject to change, but hopefully reasonably accurate.

Last revised Feb. 20th, 2006 (original likely typo-rific version!)

Big John
Bird, Lt.
Chance
Gambino
Guylos
(Evil Emperor) Guylos
(King) Helic
(President) Helic II
Isaac, General
Isaac, Kendall
Shuu (also presumably Isaac)
Elena Muroa
Emperor Zenebas Muroa
Störmer

To add when I get enough info: Janice(?) (Helic II's mother), Kamikaze Joe, Krüger

Big John

Big John's nickname seems to be a bit of a joke based on the courageous things he did, not his stature-he's actually a kid, younger than Shuu. He uses looking unassuming/harmless to act as a spy, bringing back useful info like routes through the Devil's Maze, the Guylos kidnapped the princess thing, and that Deadborder's weakened if you cut the tubes.

Other than that, he seems to disappear afterwards to points unknown, and about all we know about him beyond what he did is that he looked up to Shuu. Or, as Rick put it, "He's young and not very big, and there isn't much else to say about him. He's only really here becuse I'm being a completist, and Tilly would spork me if I left him out."

Appeared in Zoid Graphics 17

Lt. Bird

Bird, whose name seems to be another bit of OJR weirdness, was an officer serving under Shuu who piloted a Salamander F2.

In Devil's Maze.

When Gilvader showed up.

There's not much else to be said, other than he seems to have been a friend of Shuu's.

Appeared in Zoid Graphics 18

Chance

Chance (hey, it's a real name, not just a silly English word) apparently served under Shuu's father and was thus assigned to advise Shuu when they went to scout out Nyx. He doesn't do much but say stuff about how there were many times he'd thought he'd die in battle but he always pulled through, which is presumably meant to be encouraging.

I don't know how encouraging one can be when facing down a Dark Horn swarm, but it seems to help.

Appeared in Zoid Graphics 17

Gambino

ZAC ?? - ZAC 2032

Originally a young officer under King Helic assigned to guarding Zenebas' mother, Gambino followed Zenebas after he split off from the Republic (and Zenebas' mother killed herself). He saw the split between the two sides turn to all-out war...a war that dragged on, leaving a lot of the people suffering. In 2032, a number of the men under Gambino's command attempted an uprising. It didn't succeed, Gambino killing himself in the end to atone for his men's actions and leaving behind a message to Zenebas pointing out this showed the futility of the war and its effects on his people.

Not only did Zenebas not listen, he was enraged, hunting down the men involved. The one exception was Gambino's son, Störmer, who he took in and raised alongside his daughter, Elena.

While his attitude looks strange alongside the more western-styled mentality of later Zoids stories, I'd argue Gambino was instead very...classically Japanese. He seems to have had nothing against either Helic, fighting for the Empire because he'd sworn to protect Zenebas more than anything else. That same sense of duty and loyalty drove him to the end choice he felt he had to make, and may account for some of Zenebas' attitude toward Störmer.

Appeared in History of Zoids, is mentioned in Zoid Graphics 16. Piloted a Red Horn.

Guylos

Some confusion exists as to how this Guylos is related to the Evil Emperor-y Guylos, though them being the same person is rather unlikely due to sheer age.

What I do have is that he and his unified batch of tribes (including the Earth Tribe) were a rival of King Helic's back in the day, prefering a more nasty military sort of approach to things. However, faced with the strange attacking Zoids from the Central Continent, he allied with Helic and seems to have stopped being evil at least for that long. I have to suspect that this leads to the later Evil Emperor unifying the savage tribes on Nyx later on to build his own army, however.

His sister was Zenebas' mother, and no doubt a lot of the source of the ties between the two families.

Appeared in History of Zoids and Zoids Bible

Emporer Guylos

ZAC ?? - ZAC 2097

Of unknown origins and age, Guylos was of the intelligent breed of villain, even if he had a fondness for doomy black capes. By the time the end of the Central Continant War came around, he was the absolute ruler of Nyx, having unified the tribes on the Dark Continent at some time after the Helic/Zenebas split. Before then, the people there were vicious and fond of fighting, with a reputation of not letting up until their opponents were completely destroyed. They squabbled amongst themselves, not putting that power to good use until Guylos whipped them into shape with good old-fashioned politics of fear.

Zenebas made the mistake of trusting Guylos, calling on his help to defeat Helic in ZAC 2039. Guylos assisted the Empire army in its return to the Central Continent and completion of Death Saurer, but it all was for Guylos' benefit in the end. He kept his own aims a secret until Deadborder and Hel Digunner attacked the Central Continent, taking out the Republic and Empire Army Zoids alike. Guylos had betrayed Zenebas, replying to his second request for help by taking and absorbing what was left of his army for his own designs. With him threatening to kill Zenebas' daughter, Elena, and the Empire destroyed, Störmer and the rest had no real choice but to follow.

The Republic hung on in the long fight ahead, proving their ability to bounce back from doom Zoids again and again to Guylos' frustration. Unlike the other leaders, he survived the meteors, apparently calling a truce by falling rocks and living until just before the restart of war in 2099.

Also of note is that Guylos had sinister yellow eyes, what the narrative calls "an eerie voice", and what seems to be nasty pointy claws. He is thus the only character that didn't stick with the Zoidians-looking-human style established/retconed in fairly early into the line.

Appeared in most sources. Also dramatically known as Evil Empreror Guylos, and may have piloted a Deadborder.

Helic (King)

ZAC ?? - ZAC 1978?

The Central Continent was once divided into a mess of tribes, one of the more notable ones history-wise being the Wind Tribe, where Helic was from. He unified a large amount of the continent, aiming for peace and a fair government. The more military Guylos (from the Earth Tribe) opposed him, gathering his own groups. Helic himself left to scout the continent riding a wild Shoteagle, returning to find things a mess and strange Zoids attacking from the north. Undaunted, he convinced Guylos to ally with him and drive them off, afterwards forming the basis for what would become the Helic Republic.

Peace held over the continent until his death. He left behind a letter to his two sons, Helic II and Zenebas, telling them to keep the peace and rule fairly...which didn't go as he'd have hoped.

Helic was a fair and sensible sort, in favor of peace but not weakness and all that good stuff you want in a leader. He also seems to be the start of the crazy blond hair that runs in the Helic/Zenebas family, having everything from relatively tame shoulder-length hair in the Zoids Bible to fluffy flowing 80s hair of doom in older illustrations.

Appeared in Everything of Battle Machine Beasts, History of Zoids, and Zoids Bible. Piloted a wild Shoteagle.

Helic II (President)

ZAC ?? - ZAC 1956?

Helic II was the older of King Helic's sons. His mother, Janice(?), was (I believe) a peace-loving member of the Wind Tribe. He looked a good deal like his father, though a very early illustration of him as older has the fluffy blond 80s hair of doom gone short and white.

When King Helic died, he didn't just leave behind a letter-he left Helic II in charge of the Republic, and Zenebas in charge of the military. I doubt he was the type to play favorites, but I get the feeling he trusted his elder son more-and with good reason . Helic II seems to have tried his best to keep the Republic the way his father wanted, with Zenebas being more agressive and military-minded. This led to problems once King Helic was out of the picture, and Helic II ended up in constant arguments with his brother, building to the resentment and the split between them in the end.

Helic seems to have been fair enough otherwise, and would probably have let the rivalry drop if his brother had. As it is, he shows the doggedly stubborn attitude the Republic takes toward anyone trying to smite them throughout history, twice driving Zenebas to seek the help of Emperor Guylos...the second time leading to disaster and the long Helic vs Dark Army war on the Dark Continent.

This ends when the meteors fall, though things were swaying the Republic's way after the introduction of the King Gojulas. It's rather unclear what happens to Helic after that, though he almost definitely falls to age and/or meteors. Some sources have him as having a son, though what happened to said son is very unclear, especially as some of the same sources have Elena taking control of the Republic after that as Camford.

Appeared in most sources. Going by fanbooks, may have piloted Ultrasaurus and/or Centaur.

General Isaac

A famous general under Helic and the father of Isaac Kendall (who name is written in Japanese order for reasons I cannot fathom) and Shuu. He seems to have pressured Shuu to be a scientist rather than a fighter after what happened to his brother at Blood Rock, but that didn't entirely work.

Why doesn't he get a first name like the rest of his family? Where's Shuu's mom? Where's anyone's mom but Helic II's and Zenebas', for that matter?

I really need to say more here.

Appeared in History of Zoids, is mentioned in Zoid Graphics 16.

Isaac Kendall

ZAC ?? - ZAC 2035

Shuu's older brother (by a good many years) and something of a hero...after he died at Blood Rock in a battle involving him taking on many Red Horns with a Gojulas, anyway. I can think of both worse and better reasons to be remembered.

I really need to say more here too.

Appeared in History of Zoids. Piloted a Gojulas.

Shuu

ZAC 2034 - ZAC 2055?

As Rick aptly put it, Shuu looks every inch the stereotypical 80s anime hero: a boy with short fluffy brown hair, outlandish blue and white uniform, and shiny gold and white overgunned mecha. He's got the attitude for it, too, being firecely detirmined, courageous, and curious. I personally suspect he also has an evil and/or morbid sense of humor.

Beyond that, however, Shuu was a scientist before he turned fighter-the career his father had wanted for him after his older brother was killed at Blood Rock. After discovering the funky goings on with the ground cracking and birds fleeing were related to enegy from the Dark Continent, he led a scouting party there. That mission turned into what became the full-out war between the Dark Army and the Republic, and Shuu proved he was a pretty good fighter and strategist as well like the rest of his family line.

He and Störmer proved pretty evenly matched in the fight between Dark Horn and Gunbluster at Godcry and in future skirmishes, until Störmer finally got the upper hand with Gilvader, luring the Mad Thunder force into an ambush. How much of this was miscalculation on Shuu's part and how much of it was the simple fact Gilvader was designed to kill the Republic Zoids of the day is up to debate, but he vanishes from continuity after that point. Either Gilvader got him, or he scuttled off and took to doing mad scientisty things. Orudios was experimental...

Appeared in Zoid Graphics 16-18. Piloted a Cannonfort, a Gunbluster (which he liked a bit much), Salamander F2, and possibly Kingliger, Houndsoldier, and/or Mad Thunder. As a side note, his name could also be Siu...the only official romanization is obviously incorrect and both are legit names.

Elena Muroa

ZAC 2033 - ZAC 2105?

Zenebas' only daughter and apparent heir, Elena took more after the Helic side of the family, and not just for the fluffy blond hair. She was emotional yet intelligent, well-liked by the people, and a good deal nicer than her father...though she showed the family's stubborn side too. I personally suspect Guylos wanted to absorb the Empire before she had a chance to take charge of it, as she doesn't strike me as the type to keep the old hatred going and fall for the trap her father did.

She and Störmer grew up together, becoming attached enough to each other that it's her life, not his, that Guylos threatens to force Störmer over to his side.

Her exact fate beyond that in the OJR is unknown, though Guylos wouldn't have killed her unless he wanted an enraged kamikaze Gilvader paying him a visit. Many Japanese sources have Louise Elena Camford (the president of the Republic in the NJR) as the same Elena, which fits in a strange way, especially if Helic and any heirs of his were killed.

Appeared in Zoid Graphics 16 and 17. Doesn't pilot anything named (unless you count Camford's Saberlion), but I would bet money she knew how.

Emperor Zenebas Muroa

(ZAC 1959 - ZAC 2055)

Zenebas was the younger of King Helic's sons. His mother was Guylos' sister, likely of the Earth Tribe. From the start he was the odd one out in his family, inclined towards military strength over peace. When his father died and left his brother, Helic II, in charge of the Republic (and Zenebas in charge of the military), Zenebas continually disagreed with him, wanting to conquer more areas to build the strength of the Republic. Helic II prefered to keep the peace they had going and resented Zenebas making a nusiance of himself, and Zenebas grew increasingly restless and angry.

The whole thing ended in Zenebas breaking away from the Republic in ZAC 1978, and forming the Zenebas Empire along with many of Guylos' people. From then on he would stop at nothing to gain control of the Central Continent and defeat his brother, to the point where it drove people around him and his own Empire to ruin.

In the end, a rather tired Zenebas seems to have known and accepted where he'd led himself-he was not entirely blind. Even then, he couldn't let go, sealing his fate with the final message to Guylos that he knew would bring hell to the continent...though he doubtless wasn't expecting the betrayal that came with it. Still, if one can find nothing else nice about him, one can at least say he was a good father.

Zenebas either died in Guylos' original attack on his forces or was kidnapped with them, with Zoid Graphics leaning towards the former and the fanbooks the latter. It is safe to say that he didn't survive the meteors in either continuity.

Like Helic II, Zenebas' appearance varies with the era of the illustrations. The consistant things seem to be fluffy brown hair (and sometimes a beard, perhaps something he aquired when older), a cape, and a metal sceptre that looks as though it would also be useful for smacking people with.

Appeared in most sources. Piloted an Iron Kong Mk.II in Zoid Graphics, a Death Saurer in the fanbooks, and possibly other Zoids including Red Horn.

Störmer

(ZAC 2032 - ZAC 2056?)

Raised by Zenebas after Gambino's death, Störmer was a very serious and withdrawn type from the start. Known for never smiling, the only person he trusted was Elena, Zenebas' own daughter. He was something of an idealist, apparently planning to rebuilt the Empire along with her. My take on this is he wanted something similar to the NJR Helic Republic, which is apparently Zenebas and Helic citizens alike...just under the Zenebas name. Regarless of how you interpret it, Störmer was as ferociously loyal as his father and would have done anything for Elena, something that would soon be put to the test.

Störmer took after his father in battle too, and was called one of the bravest soldiers in the Empire Army before its fall and Guylos' betrayal. Seeing both Störmer's skill and his weakness, Guylos used Elena as a bargaining tool-work for me, or she dies. There was no choice left Störmer, and when the Republic arrived on Nyx, he was the one who led the Jet Black Corps against them. He proved quite a capable commander, with only his equally intelligent rival Shuu and the timely arrival of Gunbluster stopping him from crushing the Republic Army in that first battle.

The fight turned long and Störmer turned angry and bitter. By the rollout of Gilvader, he'd lost his what remained of his idealistic side, telling the Republic Army to go to hell before destroying the Salamander F2 and laughing coldly as his Zoid destroyed the Mad Thunder force that followed. He blamed them for what happened, perhaps, or just wanted the entire thing over with in what was left of his original goal.

Where Störmer ended up after that is uncertain. His Gilvader is last mentioned being in the force that Orudios was sent out to fight. The fanbooks, which don't mention him by name, do have a Gilvader speared through the cockpit by a young Krüger. This could be seen as Störmer's Gilvader, but all I know at the moment is the pilot survives at least long enough to talk to Krüger and, again, isn't named, leaving Störmer's true fate unknown.

Appeared in Zoid Graphics 16-18. Piloted an "attack custom" Death Saurer, a Dark Horn, and Gilvader.