Bio Booster Armor Guyver

Bio Booster Armor Guyver
1st volume of the Viz US release of Guyver
Genre	Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction
Manga
Written by	Yoshiki Takaya
Published by	Tokuma Shoten<br\> Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine	Shōnen Captain, Shōnen Ace
Original run	1985 – ongoing
Volumes	25

Bio-Booster Armor Guyver (Viz Media) or Guyver (Chuang Yi Publishing) (強殖装甲ガイバー, Kyōshoku Sōkō Gaibā) is a long-running manga series written by Yoshiki Takaya. The Guyver itself is a symbiotic techno-organic (or biomechanical) device that enhances the capabilities of its host.

The manga was originally serialized in Tokuma Shoten's "Shōnen Captain" magazine beginning in 1985. When Shōnen Captain was discontinued in 1997, the manga was picked up by Kadokawa Shoten who subsequently re-released all of the previous graphic novels originally published by Tokuma. The manga is currently serialized in Kadokawa's monthly Shōnen Ace magazine. It has been licensed by Viz Media, Star Comics, and Chuang Yi Publishing.

Guyver has been adapted into a 12-episode anime series (based roughly on the first four books), an animated feature film titled "Out of Control", two live action movies (The Guyver and Guyver 2: Dark Hero), and a 2005 26-episode anime series.

Plot

A test type Zoanoid escapes from the Chronos Corporation with three Guyver Units. Chronos soldiers attempt to recover the units from the test type, but are thwarted when the test type detonates a bomb that he has concealed in his bag. The Guyver Units are scattered in the blast. Two young high school students, Shō Fukamachi and Tetsurō Segawa stumble across a lost Guyver Unit known as "Unit I." The second is retrieved by Chronos and merges with Oswald A. Lisker to become the second Guyver later on. The final unit falls into the hands of Agito Makishima, who merges with it at an unspecified time. Shō accidentally activates the unit which then painfully merges with him.

Over time, Shō learns more about the Guyver and its abilities. The Guyver is virtually invulnerable with its only weak point being the Control Metal. With this part intact, it can rebuild the host from the data stored within. If this part is damaged, however, the host is eaten alive by the unit and perishes. This is disconcerting, and Shō starts to question whether he will ever be free from the Guyver. The situation gradually gets worse, with more powerful Zoanoids appearing all the time. This makes it increasingly difficult to protect his friends, who are not immortal. As the story progresses it also takes a startling turn, in which the antagonist organization, Chronos, actually succeeds in taking over the world and reshaping it according to its ideals. The Guyvers are then labeled as a "vanguard of alien invaders".

Characters

Shō Fukamachi (深町 晶, Fukamachi Shō)

The main protagonist of the series, Shō, is seventeen years old and a second-year student at Narisawa high school. He has black hair and a slim build. He fights Cronos more in order to protect friends and family than from any need to see the enemy brought to justice. Had he not become host for a Guyver Unit, he would have happily continued in ignorance of Chronos. He cares deeply for Mizuki Segawa with the intensity of first love, and Tetsuro Segawa, Mizuki's older brother, is his closest friend. As he is the host for the first Unit activated, he is known as "Guyver I".

Tetsurō Segawa (瀬川 哲郎, Segawa Tetsurō)

A large-framed, chubby third-year student; Tetsuro is Shō's closest friend. He is highly intelligent and can think rapidly when he has to. He is a rabid science fiction fan and the leader of the sci-fi society in the school, which gives him the background knowledge to make numerous accurate guesses about the Guyver armor, Zoanoids, and Cronos. He wears his hair short and has glasses.

Mizuki Segawa (瀬川 瑞紀, Segawa Mizuki)

Mizuki a typical schoolgirl. At the beginning of the story, she has a crush on Agito Makishima, but later begins to appreciate Shō more. She is somewhat short even for a Japanese girl, very slender, and wears her hair in a page-boy cut that emphasizes her large eyes.

Agito Makishima (巻島 顎人, Makishima Agito)

Agito is of medium build and muscular; he is a third-year student at the same high school the others attend, but looks older. Portrayed as an anti-hero, he almost never allows sentiment to stand in his way. He comes across as shrewd and calculating. At one point a candidate-member of the Cronos Elite, he is now viewed by them as a traitor. Even though he may have activated his Unit before Oswald A. Lisker, the second Guyver, he did not openly appear in his Guyver armor until after Lisker was eliminated, and thus he was dubbed Guyver III. Agito shows a frightening knowledge of what the Guyver can do throughout the series.

After the Cronos conquest, Agito leads a resistance organization known as "Zeus No Ikazuchi" or "Zeus's Thunderbolts," as he plans to overthrow Chronos and steal their power (as the god Zeus did to his father, Cronus).

Fumio Fukamachi (深町 史雄, Fukamachi Fumio)

Fumio is a widower and Shō's father but almost nothing else is known about him. He is captured and used by Cronos as a guinea pig and turned into a Guyver-killer zoanoid to entrap Shō. He ends up being killed by Guyver I in battle.

Aptom (アプトム, Aputomu)

He is a battle creature that hunts down other Zoanoids created by Chronos (except Lost Numbers). By absorbing small amounts of DNA from other Zoanoids, he can replicate their forms and powers, as well as mix the attributes of several Zoanoids in one body. He can regenerate himself even if only small pieces of him are left. Since discovering this ability, he begins killing Zoanoids to take their powers and bio-matter in order to become the most powerful battle creature, and becomes a renegade from Cronos. In time, he comes to ally himself with the Guyvers in various battles.

Aptom was one of the lost, along with his two compatriots Solm and Dyme. His two close friends were killed in battle with Guyver I. This leads Aptom to have a vendetta against Sho Fukamachi. Over time, Aptom questions his own motives and considers Chronos' part in his suffering.

He was originally created to be a Zoanoid who have the ability to morph into different types of Zoanoids and have the power of the type he morphs into. The project failed and he became a Lost Number: which he can only imitate Zoanoids, but does not gain their powers. Dr Barcas was interested by Aptom's abilities, and carried out further experiments on him. This freed Aptom from the mental control of the Zoalords and gave him the ability to rapidly evolve. Aptom was also gifted with other unexpected abilities, including the ability to regenerate himself from even from the smallest remaining piece of his tissue, and the ability to clone himself, each clone having its own consciousness.

He has gone through six different forms.

His human shape is of a muscular man with a distinctive scar that runs down the left side of his face from hairline to jaw; he often dresses in a leather jacket, jeans and sunglasses.

Bio-Freezer/Toshiaki Hayami (バイオ・フリーザー／速水利章, Baio Furīzā/Hayami Toshiaki)

One of Dr Odagiri's assistants, he is the sole survivor of that group of scientists that escaped in the relic. The scientists were infected by a deadly virus as Cronos' means of keeping them under control. The only way to escape death is to be supplied with regular shots, or to become Zoanoids. The only way to become a Zoanoid and yet not be slaves to the Zoalords is to become a lost number. Since supplies were running out on the medicine, they resorted to attempt to becoming missing numbers.

Hayami was the only scientist that survived the process, becoming Bio-Freezer. He possesses the power to affect the temperature of the environment around him to a certain extent. Aptom finds him and, once he realizes what Hayami is, brings him to meet the Guyvers and their friends. Unfortunately, later on his mission with Sho to save Aptom, he sacrifices himself to save the latter.

Cronos

Genzo Makishima ([巻島 玄蔵 Makishima Genzō] Error: {{nihongo}}: text has italic markup (help))

Director of Cronos' Japan Branch, he is in charge when the Japan Branch loses the Guyver Units. While initially one of the people in charge of developing new Zoanoids, Genzo has, unknown to him, fallen behind in this category as well once Dr Barcas begins designing Hyper Zoanoids, Zoanoids of highly enhanced capabilities. His failures to retrieve the Units as well as come up with any significantly new Zoanoid designs results in Commander Richard Guyot relieving him of duty. Genzo is turned into the Enzyme Zoanoid prototype, a Zoanoid specifically designed to destroy the Guyver Armor by dissolving it with its acid. After he retrieves Guyver I's Control Metal in battle, he is ordered by Guyot to self-destruct when the dissolving Guyver I attacks Enzyme.

Oswald A. Lisker (オズワルド・Ａ・リスカー, Ozuwarudo Ēi Risukā)

A Cronos agent, or as he describes himself to Shō, "an inspector from Cronos HQ". Lisker was in Japan to supervise the transfer of the inactive Guyver Units to Cronos HQ, and was considerably annoyed to discover Makishima had managed to lose them. When one damaged unit was recovered, he insisted on taking a look at it, and involuntarily became its host. As the second known activated Unit, he was called Guyver II. A man vain of both looks and martial arts skills, he decided to take on the task of retrieving the Unit Shō had bonded with. His Control Metal, which had been damaged when the Unit was initially lost, malfunctioned under the stress of combat. Shō took advantage of his weakened state and struck the metal, causing further malfunction. The control medal burst out of his head and the organism that made up the armor began to consume Lisker's body. Shō then used his Mega-Smasher (more details below) to put him out of his misery. Lisker is tall, with curly blond hair.

Zoalords

• Archanfel (アルカンフェル, Arukanferu)

Quite easily the most powerful being on Earth, Archanfel appears to be a young, fair haired man with pointy ears and cat-slitted eyes. He is actually the founder, creator, and ruler of Cronos. He is an extremely powerful psychic, and with amazing battle abilities. Archanfel was created by the "Creators" to be the leader of all the Zoanoids and the people on Earth. The Zoacrystals that give Zoalords their powers were all cultivated using Archanfel's crystal as a base.

Quoted from book 14, page 16:

"And then… cleaving and cultivating one of Archanfel's Zoacrystals, we created 11 others. Accepting one of them, I became a Zoalord. In the centuries since then, I have searched for the 10 chosen people who would become Zoalords as well."

Although powerful, he has been increasingly dormant since prehistoric days. When the Creators withdrew from Earth, they attempted to destroy it with a Mars-sized meteorite, which was stopped by Archanfel at great cost to himself.

• Hamilcar Barcas (ハミルカル・バルカス, Hamirukaru Barukasu)

Co-founder of Cronos and top scientists and the second eldest member of the Council of Twelve. He is responsible for designing and creating the first Hyper Zoanoids and completing the final work on most of the Zoalords. He is over 400-years-old, and is, in fact, the person who awoke Archanfel from his long slumber. He is widely believed to be the top scientist of Cronos and is said to have greater telepathic prowess than any other Zoalord, save for Archanfel. He is currently in bed recovering from a grave wound that was inflicted by Guyver III.

• Sin Rubeo Amniculus (シン・ルベオ・アムニカルス, Shin Rubeo Amunikarusu)

Discovered by Barcas 370 years ago in Armenia. He is a close friend of Freid'rich von Purg'stall and commands Cloud Gate after his death. He is considered to be the third-in-command of Chronos after Barcas. His brief appearance as a Zoalord showcased his incredible long range capabilities by being able to target various missiles in long range and in all directions, then destroy them with precision.

• Fried'rich von Purg'stall (フリドリッヒ・フォン・プルクシュタール, Furidorihhi Fon Purukushutāru)

Discovered by Barcas 215 years ago in Vienna. He generally seems to be more compassionate toward the civilian population than the other Zoalords. He is one of the weakest in close-range battle, but his lightning-based power can be formidable. Deceased: murdered by the rogue trio of Zoalords.

• Luggnagg de Krumeggnic (ラグナク・ド・クルメグニク, Rugunaku Do Kurumeguniku)

One of three rogue Zoalords out to overthrow Chronos and obtain a Guyver unit.

• Cablarl Khān (カブラール・ハーン, Kaburāru Hān)

Another rogue Zoalord. He attempts to trap the Guyver using Aptom as bait, and later controls Aptom's zoaform to destroy the Guyver. When Sho and Hayami defeat Aptom, Cablarl transforms into his first Zoalord stage, Brain Mode. In this stage, he is able to control hundreds of Zoanoids and absorb them to make himself stronger. He also creates long tentacles with faces on them for attacking. If a head is severed, it can grow back. He shifts into his second form, the Dragonlord, where he becomes huge and dragonic. Later he shifts into his third and final form, "The Destruction mode" where he grows a pair of large wings on his back. He is more powerful in this form, he can fire missiles (that can neutralize and penetrate barriers) out of the wings. Cablarl Khān has almost the same ability like Aptom, where they both can absorb other zoanoids to be part of them. While Aptom can absorb the DNA of other zoanoids to gain their form and ability, Cablarl absorbs other Zoanoids to merge them into body parts of his second and final form. He can plant his cell into other tissues, to influence and control others. This is how he was able to turn Aptom into a stone, and later controlling his body. Deceased: He was defeated by Aptom, when he shows up in front of him in form VI and uses Hayami's freezing air to freeze and shattered Cablarl into pieces.

• Edward Caerleon (エドワード・カールレオン, Edowādo Kārureon)

A gentle looking man with long curly hair. His armour suggests an affinity with water. His attitude at times has appeared somewhat rebellious but nothing concrete has come of it.

• Jabir Ibn Hayyan (ジャービル・ブン・ハイヤーン, Jābiru Bun Haiyān)

Another rogue. wears a turban and has a visible Zoacrystal.

• Waferdanos (ワフェルダノス, Waferudanosu)

The second Zoalord to be found by Barcas, he is the only Zoalord confirmed not to have a human origin; he is actually a collective formed by a living forest, the name "Waferdanos" is actually the name of the island or Kingdom that the creature lives on. Balcas believes him to be older then Archanfel, and that of human race as well. He was a previous bio-weapon prototype abandoned by the Creators. Deceased as a result of the destruction of the Arizona headquarter with Yǎn-Tuí.

• Tuatha Dé Galenos (トゥアハ・デ・ガレノス, Tuaha De Garenosu)

Looks like a large man made of rock. He has so far only demonstrated an attack using his mouth's breath to help destroy the Creators Relic. Hardly ever speaks and we know little about him.

• Lǐ Yǎn-Tuí (李剡魋, Ri Yan Tui)

A mysterious young man. Lǐ Yǎn-Tuí uses a technique named "Zue Kong Zhan" (絕空斬) that seems to involve dimensional wormholes. He marks a set of coordinates and links two points in space with a 'window'. He uses these to instantly travel from point-to-point, or slice through other objects. Deceased as a result of the destruction of the Arizona headquarter along with Waferdanos as they battle Guyver III and his allies. He along with Waferdanos manged to protect Balcas up until their deaths and it was Lǐ Yǎn-Tuí who managed to allow Barcas to escape the battle. His name has struck a lot of controversy due to an early mistranslation by an unofficial publication "visual datafiles". It was mistranslated in the book as Rienzi but has since been confirmed to be Li Yentsui in the manga by the author himself.

• Richard Guyot (リヒャルト・ギュオー, Riharuto Gyuō)

A tall, powerfully built man, Guyot would stand out in a crowd even without his large blonde hair and abnormal eyes. He is an immensely commanding presence. Guyot has been bio-engineered into a Zoalord and was gifted with the ability to control gravity, making him the more powerful than the others, second only to Archanfel. He has weapons that are gravity and pressure base, weapons such as: Gravity Bullet, which bullet like orbs shoot from of his finger-tips. He also has a similar weapon like Guyver's Pressure Canon. He has the unique ability to compress gravity to release it like a volcano explosion. His ultimate weapon is the "Artificial Black-Hole", which, like its name implies, creates something like a black-hole and will suck everything that surrounds it. It is a weapon forbidden to be used on Earth.

Guyot discovered the secret of the Guyver, before the other 10 Zoalords (Archanfel knew this all along,) and made a foolish ambition to merge with it and take control of Chronos. This ambition was discovered by Murakami, and so Murakami made it his goal to destroy Guyot. Agito Makishima also has a grudge against Guyot and Guyot similarly hates Agito for his treachery. Guyot's ambition caused him to hide the device called the "Unit Remover", which he was about to use when Archanfel showed up and defeated him. He has recently been shown to be alive and recovering, with numerous bandages. He seems to be plotting revenge, but his status and the status of the Remover are not known.

In the Viz translations, his name is translated as "Reichmann Gyro."

It is likely that his name is actually derived from guyot as there are instances of Guyot's having strange gravity anomalies surrounding them. http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm05/fm05-sessions/fm05_V21D.html

• Imakarum Mirabilis / Masaki Murakami (イマカラム・ミラービリス／村上征樹, Imakaramu Mirābirisu/Murakami Masaki)

Masaki was a freelance journalist captured by Cronos and used as an experimental guinea pig in the Zoalord development program. He is a 'prototype body' for the Zoalord form of Richard Guyot. Dr Yamamura, a scientist involved in the project, discovered Guyot's plans for the Guyver units, and recruited four of the prototypes - including his old pupil, Murakami, in an attempt to destroy the Commander while he was being processed into his new battle form. The other 11 members of the Cronos Council Of Twelve - all Zoalords - intervened; Masaki is the only surviving rebel. He joins with Shō to fight Cronos, having his own revenge in mind. He doesn't quite trust Agito at first because of Guyver III's earlier connections with Cronos. When combating the Zoanoids in his human form, he uses a massive laser-sighted (depending on the adaptation) three-shot revolver called a Zoanoid Buster. He has a Zoalord's strength and the ability to command Zoanoids while in human form to a limited extent. He is not as powerful as Guyot, so loses his battles with the full Zoalord the two times they fight. After Guyot mortally wounds him, Archanfel retrieves Masaki's body. Murakami is turned into an obedient, powerful Cronos general - and a full Zoalord, who assumes the name "Imakarum Mirabilis" to take the place of the fallen Guyot. When his obedience is questioned Barcas explains that Imakarum Mirabilis has a unique relationship with Archanfel; they are in constant telepathic link, as if he is a part of Archanfel, which explains the nature of his sudden loyalty towards Archanfel. He is now more powerful than Guyot was, and has been given Guyot's Zoacrystal.

Masaki is a tall, thin young man with shoulder-length hair. He normally wears sunglasses even at night. After Archanfel gets his claws into him the glasses conceal the fact he now has cat-pupiled eyes; his hair has also now been allowed to grow much longer.

The Guyver units

The Guyver units are mysterious symbiotic bio-mechanisms that bond with a host, enhancing the host's own capabilities. Guyver unit was designed as an all-purpose environment suit for its Creators (believed to be a group of aliens of different species).

• Guyver I -

Unit Holder: Sho Fukumachi. Gender: Male. Color: Teal. Height: 174cm. Weight: 261kg.

• Guyver II -

Unit Holder: Oswald.A.Lisker Gender: Male. Color: Yellow. Height: 210cm. Weight: 360kg.

• Guyver III -

Unit Holder: Agito Makishima. Gender: Male. Color: Dark purple/black. Height: 191cm. Weight: 328kg.

• Guyver IV?-

Unit Holder: Unknown. Gender: Female. Color: Purple (by the page that was colured on Shōnen Ace). Height: Unknown. Weight: Unknown. She made her first Appearance in chapter 161, where she was attacking The Pillars of Heaven. The unit was constructed by Cronos using the 'fake control medal' and possibly some bio-booster material taken from guyver 2. The most striking thing about her apeparance is the diagonal split on the fake control medal. It is unclear if this has anything to do with the damage to The Control Medal it is based on, or simply a result of the construction method.

As the human race was developed as a weapon, the unit gives humans super-strength, incredible speed, strong armor, and various weapons and abilities:

• Vibration Globe (口部金屬 Kōbukinshoku) - two orbs at the Guyver's mouth that produce highly destructive sound waves known as the "Sonic Buster"(聲波爆破).
• The Mega-Smasher (胸部粒子砲 Kyōbu Ryūshihō) - Two high-power particle cannons contained beneath the Guyver's chest armor. It should be noted that the Mega-Smasher is considered, in Guyver canon, to be the most powerful particle beam weapon in existence on Earth. It has been shown heavily gouging Mount Minakami, as proof of its raw power. The upgraded version in the Gigantic versions of the armor are even more powerful at 100 times the power of the Mega-Smasher. The Gigantic version of the Mega-Smasher is called the Giga-Smasher. In Bioboosted Armor Guyver, the Mega-Smasher is shown to require a significant amount of time to recharge after being fired.
• Head Beam - A multi-directional laser mounted just above the control metal on the Guyver's head. Lisker in the 2005 series says it utilizes excess body heat.
• High Frequency Swords (高周波ソード Koushūbi Zōdo) - blades that extend from the Guyver's forearms. These blades vibrate at an extremely high frequency allowing them to cut through almost any material with ease. Also known as Sonic Swords (see vibroblade).
• Gravity Control Orb/Controller (重力制御球/裝置 Jūryoku Seigyō Kyū) - The purpose of the gravity Controller is to siphon gravitational energy from a higher dimension. Two main uses include giving the Guyver the ability to fly and to unleash destructive gravity waves in the form of a directed "Gravity Cannon" also known as the "Pressure Cannon" (重壓砲). It could also be used to block attacks like a small temporary shield.
• Hyper Sense-Each guyver displays two metallic orbs on either side of its head. These orbs give te guyver an unspecified sense that can locate certain bodies outside of the guyver's direct line of physical sight. The manga often displays this as an outline of whatver body the guyver is sensing. It also appears to have some thermal sensing properties. This ability was demonstrated early by Guyver I, and has gone unnamed until it's recent usage by th unknown female guyver. The Gigantic exhibits two sets of these organs.

Other various systems are revealed slowly as the manga continues.

It is the Control Metal (制御装置/控制金屬 Seigyō Sōchi/Kōseikinshoku) located on the Guyver's forehead that regulates the armor and prevents the alien parasite that the Guyver system is based on from literally eating its host alive. It also records the genetic structure, and memories of its host, so that if the host is injured or killed, it regenerates that host from even the smallest bits of genetic material. If the control metal is destroyed, the Unit absorbs its host. The control metal has tentacles that reach into the host's brain, and is the hard wiring of the Unit that allows the host to use the systems of the Guyver. During the joining with the Guyver, the host's body is changed permanently. The Guyver leaves two growths on the back of the host, that act as a form of 'transceiver' to Guyver. When the host calls for the Guyver, a signal is sent and the Guyver is activated. When not needed, the armor is stored in what can best be described as a sub-dimension; it follows the host constantly so as to be instantly available when needed. When the Guyver is called by its host, its appearance causes a destructive burst that damages anything within a few feet of the host's body.

While extremely hardy, there are a number of things that can damage or destroy a Guyver. The various Enzyme-type Zoanoids were specifically developed to exude a type of acid that dissolves the bio-booster armor. A battle-trained, experienced Zoalord has enough pure power to destroy a Guyver, as do some of the Hyper Zoanoids. Finally, the Creators developed a tool called the 'Unit-Remover'. It actually deletes host data from the control metal, forcing the Guyver to return to its inactive state. The condition of the human host after being subjected to the Remover's effects is unclear. Unlike the Zoanoids, the Guyver is humanoid in form - mostly because its hosts are human. The Guyver would have been used by the command crew element of Creator spaceships, and in later chapters, Shō uses his Control Metal to speak telepathically with one of the craft.

A Guyver unit itself is semi-sentient and can act on its own to a limited extent, if its host is unable to direct it. In this mode it will usually take no action except to defend itself from what it perceives to be a threat. Guyver I was in this mode when he first assumed his bioboosted form, when he was regenerated by the Control Metal in Chronos headquarters, and when he killed the Zoanoid his father had been turned into. It is presumably also this semi-sentience that prevents the host from disengaging the armor if they have sustained injuries that would prove fatal without the Guyver's protection and ability to rapidly heal from damage--Guyer I has demonstrated the ability to regrow approximately 50% of the host's brain and skull in a matter of minutes.

The first Guyver was an experiment by the Creators aeons ago. They were curious as to how their newly developed weapons would react to their standard armament (Guyver unit). However, the Guyver (dubbed Guyver 0) attacked the Creators, destroying one of their ships. The human would not remove the armor when ordered to. The Creators programmed the humans to be telepathically controlled by them and so, as this human would not listen, the bio-booster human was named 'Guyver' (a word meaning "out of control" in the Creators' language, though other versions give it as "beyond the norm," and Bioboosted Armor Guyver gives the meaning as "not to specification"). They gave the 'unit remover' to Archanfel who then proceeded to remove the unit from the human and incinerate him.

Guyver Gigantic

After Sho and Agito's defeat at relic's point Sho, who was linked to the relic ship through his control metal, summoned the ship to help him and the others. In doing so the control orbs of the ship (used as the interface between the Guyver and the organic ship) fused together, then pulled Agito and the remains of Sho into it, sealing itself off and relocating itself. Not long after the incident Agito found a pupa with him residing inside was the remains of Sho and the fused control orbs. Sho, desiring more power to fight against Archanfel, had subconsciously used the newly fused control orbs to build an Upgrade module for the Guyver unit. One year had past and Sho was finally resurrected as the Guyver Gigantic.

The power of the Gigantic is estimated to be at least 20x superior to the original Guyver. There is currently only one Gigantic suit which can be worn by either Agito or Sho but only one can wear it at a time and it can be snatched from someone already wearing it if the person summoning it has more will power over the current host. This proves to be a problem as Agito has his own plans for the Gigantic Armour and maybe even more as he has obtained two more control orbs from a dead ship in Arizona. So far we know that the Gigantic improves virtually all the weapons of the Guyver and even adds some new ones.

- Power Amps, which give the Gigantic the ability to produce an omni-directional forcefield similar to a zoalords Barrier Technique. Usage of the power amps can include the control of surrounding body parts even if severed from the main body.
- High Frequency Swords now become flexible and can grow and curve to amazing distances.
- The Gigantic grants three head beam orbs, the large center orb, with 15x the intensity of a normal Guyver's head beam, and two smaller orbs with the same output of a normal Guyver head beam.
- Two more vibration orbs at its mouth are concealed by plates which open out.
- The Giga-Smasher, which is 100x more devastating than the Mega-Smasher thanks to two extra gravity orbs, one embedded in each chest plate, which grants it extra power.
- Jets on its back to reach amazing speeds of flight.
- Gravity Fist/Power Punch, a high-powered jab, mostly used in conjunction with the back thrusters, channeling energy into its fist for a powerful discharge upon target impact.
- Gravity Ram (重力衝角), by extending the chest spike, and channeling energy into it, activating Barrier shield, and powering up all three gravity orbs, the Gigantic accelarates using the thrusters on his back. This has the same effect as seen caused by evil Aptoms hi-frequency spear I.E. the surrounding area is totally obliterated without any visible trace as though atomised.

"Gigantic Exceed" (巨神殖裝)

A transformation (only used by Sho thus far) that increases the Gigantic's size to 52 meters, with all the orbs and chest spikes glowing, and (in Sho's case) the body color changing into a dark red colour. According to the data file in volume 25, this is the "true form" of the Gigantic. The three gravity orbs and power amps operate at full capacity, constantly drawing the necessary energy needed to keep the Gigantic's size from "another dimension". All of the Gigantic's weapons and abilities are available in this form, and they also receive a power boost based on its size.
- Gravity Implosion (Black Hole Cannon), a new weapon used by Sho as "Gigantic Exceed". As the name implies, this weapon behaves like a black hole by sucking in surrounding matter and energy leaving no trace. It seems that this is highly controlled as it appeared to dissipate as soon as Guyvers opponent was vanquished.

Zoaform

Zoaforming is the process in which a human being is given the ability to transform at will.

Zoalords

Zoalords (獣神将) are the leaders of Cronos, they all have 'Zoacrystals', crystalline structures implanted in their forehead that give them psychic abilities and greatly enhanced bio-energy. They can tap into these powers to fly, and generate energy blasts even without the need to transform into Zoalord battle-form. In one way or another, all can psionically manipulate both gravity and radiant energy, each Zoalord has their own unique powers. It's suggested that without a Zoacrystal a Zoalord would shortly die afterwords.

Zoanoids

The Cronos Corporation has discovered the technology to give humans the ability to transform into superhuman, monstrous soldiers called Zoanoids (獣化兵). These 'normal' Zoanoids are the cannon-fodder of the series, and are constantly getting destroyed left and right. When killed, their bodies disintegrate into little more than wisps of vapor and damp spots on the ground, so there are no bodies - human or monster - left which can be used as proof of what's going on. Initially, most Zoanoids we run across are members of Cronos, but the Corporation is also experimenting with ways to involuntarily transform humans into Zoanoids without their knowledge. It is safe to assume they erase the memories of these people of their being processed. They can be activated from a distance by any Zoalord. These humans come under the Zoalords' telepathic mind-control techniques as soon as they transform, giving the organization an unquestioningly obedient army of super soldiers. These Zoanoids are genetically programmed to obey the orders of Zoalords (with some exceptions now and then, like Aptom). Once these experiments are successfully completed, Cronos begins to openly make its bid to control the world. Zoanoids come in hundreds of different designs. Some are very specialized, like the Enzyme and Hyper Zoanoid units, and are few in number, possibly due to the resources involved in their conversion. Others like Gregole, Ramotith and Vamore are more general-purpose and exist in much larger quantities. While not all humans can be made into Zoanoids, a very large percentage of humans possess the potential. Usually females are not processed, but it is quite possible.

Hyper-Zoanoids

Elite Zoanoids with superior abilities. Every Hyper-Zoanoid (超獣化兵) genetic template is unique, tailored to an individual Cronos soldier, as opposed to the mass-production designs of the "normal" Zoanoids. Hyper-Zoanoids are extremely powerful and specialized to fill particular roles on or off the battlefield, and are sometimes organized into commando units such as the iconic Hyper-Zoanoid Five-Man Team (超獣化兵五人衆) of ZX-Tole, Thancrus, Gaster, Derzerb, and Elegen.

Lost numbers

Lost Numbers (損種実験体) are the survivors of failed experiments in the creation of new Zoanoid genetic templates. They have lost their reproductive ability during processing, and cannot even be reliably duplicated through genetic alteration. This makes them useless to Cronos' long term plans as they cannot self replicate. They often have powers/weapons that are non-conventional and even not intended in the original design, but they offered a new approach in the battle against the Guyvers.

All Lost Numbers have at least a slight degree of resistance to the Zoalords' telepathic commands; as a result they are not trusted soldiers, and even those with useful abilities are kept confined to Cronos bases unless there is an urgent need for their particular powers.

Battle Creature

Battle Creature (戰鬪生物) refers to Aptom when the experiment of Dr Barcus changed him from a Lost Number into something else. Aptom's main goal was to absorb many Zoanoids or even a Zoalord if it was necessary to help him to become the most powerful creature. He has gone through six different forms.

• Form I: Lost Number stage, in which he was only able to imitate. He imitated Guyver and was able to imitate some of his weapons (weak "Head Beam" and fake "High Frequency Sword").

• Form II: After much experimentation by Barcus, he combined the forms and abilities of Gregole, Vamore, and Enzyme II. From this stage, he not only imitates the forms, but he actually improves upon the originals power. He has also received the power of cellular fusion which makes him able to rebuild a body from the smallest remains and by absorbing other zoanoids for fuel.

• Form III: He absorbed three members of the Hyper Zoanoid Team Five, which was Elegen, Gaster, and Darzerb.

• Form IV: This form he can use the laser beam, and has a pair of wings to fly from Zx-Tole, the voltage of Elegen (which he can shock and also create a form of barrier), Gaster's bio-missiles, and Dazerb's strength.

• Form V: This form is when Aptom was controlled by Zoalord Cablarl Khan, also dubbed "Evil Aptom". Cablarl powered up Aptom, due to his belief that Sho and Hayami weren't able to free him from his control. This Aptom had many new weapons such as: The Molecule Vaporizer, High Frequency Vibration Spear, and the ability to turn invisible.

• OmegaBlast Form: This is his most up to date form. He looks to have the characteristic of Form IV mixed with Bio-Freezer and a few other Zoanoids. He has the ability of Biofreezer, Stealth ability, Molecular Accelerator, and High Frequency Lancer.

He is Confirmed to have the abilities of the following Zoanoids:-

Enzyme II, Gregole, Vamore, Elegen, Ramotith, Gaster, Derzerb, Zx-tole, Rocies, Gastal, Bilfinger, Zangallo, Vikarr, Bio-Freezer.

Manga Tankōbon titles

1. The Unit called "G"
2. Cronos
3. Murakami's Secret
4. Aptom's Menace
5. The 12 Lords
6. Guyot's Counterattack
7. The Menace of the Remover
8. A New Beginning
9. Guyver Gigantic
10. The 13th Lord
11. The Living Ark
12. Archanfel's Island
13. Gigantic Dark
14. Final Match
15. The Return of the Guyver
16. Purg'stall's Attack
17. His Name is Libertus
18. Imakarum's Awakening
19. To the Abyss
20. Evil Aptom
21. Revenge
22. The Dark Kingdom's Rebirth
23. The Real Face of Divinity
24. Aptom's Return
25. The Draglord's Attack

Trivia

• The Guyver's most powerful weapon, the Megasmasher, is said to be influenced by Godzilla's atomic breath. It may also have been ported over from Yoshiki's other Manga Hades Project Zeorymer, which featured a similar attack used by one of the Mecha's.
• In volume 20, former-editor Eiji Ōtsuka confirms that Guyver was influenced by tokusatsu legend Kamen Rider, created by Shotaro Ishinomori.
• The Guyver is said to have influenced many new creations possibly including the following:
  • Seven Star Fighting God Guyferd: Similar plot and aspects to the Guyver.
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: The design of Elemental Hero Neos.
  • Bloody Roar: A fighting videogame series with some plot similarities and character designs.
  • Zuggernaut: A character appearing in a few issues of DC Comics' Firestorm the Nuclear Man in the late 80s. Though the armor's bearer was Russian in this version, his origin, transformation into the Zuggernaut and the Zuggernaut's looks and abilities are pulled directly from the comic. It is possible that John Ostrander got the idea from the live action Guyver movie or from the initial Viz publications of the manga.
• In a 2007 broadcast of Late Night with David Letterman, Letterman featured a joke about ADV's Costumed "Guyver Guy" (aka EvilFX) stating the Guyver's Megasmasher as being "the same pace-maker as Cheney."
• In the game Chrono Trigger, the final boss, Lavos(2nd form) has a similar attack to the Guyver's Megasmasher called "Laser Beams/Doors of Doom open".
• Takeshiro village is most likely based upon Matsushiro, In Nagoya (N, prefecture). The mysterious mountain close by is an obvious source for mount minakami, considering the shrine atop it is named Minakami Shrine. (Japanese Wikipedia page - http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9A%86%E7%A5%9E%E5%B1%B1)

See also

• Guyver: Out of Control (animated film)
• Guyver (OVA)
• Guyver (live-action movie)
• Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor (animated TV seres)

External links

• Official Guyver Website
• GUYVER THE BIOBOOSTED ARMOR / OFFICIAL JAPANESE SITE
• GUYVER THE BIOBOOSTED ARMOR / WOWOW ANIME SITE
• Guyver ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia