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Google is not a big help here. I remember an anime series with a fighting robot. Two specifics stood out in my mind. (Which hopefully doesn't indicate my remembering two different series)

1) The boy who controlled the robot did so by phasing through the rock of a mountain that the robot was in.

2) The bad/guy witch had a face that would split apart down the centre. I think it revealed a smaller version of the bad guy/witch when it opened.

My guess is going to be late 70's early 80s. It was on US Broadcast TV. So likely it was dubbed into English.

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If you provide a rough guess as to what decade you watched this series during, that would help, as well as if you saw it originally in English or some other language. Mecha series were massively produced in the 80s and 90s in Japan, but there are earlier and later series that feature throwback and/or groundbreaking techniques. Any more info you could provide would aid in identification. – Aarthi Mar 28 '12 at 18:00
@Aarthi I added some details above. Thanks for the request – Andrei Freeman Mar 28 '12 at 22:19
Do you remember any details about the robot? – DForck42♦ Mar 29 '12 at 13:32

4 Answers

up vote 7 down vote accepted

From your description I'm fairly sure it's UFO Robot Grendizer. I believe it was aired in the US as Grandizer (a instead of e) and was part of the "Force Five" serires.

enter image description here

When the bad guys attacked, the hero (farm hand Daisuke) would rush to Grendizer who was hidden inside a cave and jump into the cockpit while transforming into his real identity as the exiled alien prince Duke Fleed. Here's a youtube of that scene from the Italian version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oqd1ZczuYo

One of the major bad guys was General Gandal who (in the first season at least) housed his minuscule wife inside his head.

enter image description here

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I am absolutely certain that you are right about General Gandal. That image is exactly as I remember it. Going to YouTube and looking at several episodes, the transformation of Daisuke is not what I am remembering. I remember seeing the boy jump off a motorcycle, land back against a mountain and dissolve in. This is very close and. Will look for a few more to be sure. – Andrei Freeman Apr 4 '12 at 2:59
@AndreiFreeman - The bike scene (as user13095 stated) does indeed look like it came from Barve Raideen. So perhaps you are remembering two series? I know there was a lot of anime mashups in the 70's and 80's aired as one show in the US. Link to Raideen intro with a similar bike scene: youtube.com/watch?v=SloHs5O4S48 – System Down Apr 4 '12 at 15:36
I wish I could give both answers the check mark. But you supplied pictures and video links. I'd love to find some of these episodes in full to watch. – Andrei Freeman Apr 4 '12 at 19:47
Fan subtitled versions of both shows exist on the web – System Down Apr 5 '12 at 15:23
The linked Youtube video seemed to be japanese despite the italian URL at the top. This one is in french (better quality also and a scene a little bit enhanced): youtube.com/watch?v=s-k2K0O8A-0. By the way, it was called Goldorak in french (and perhaps other languages too) – LudoMC Apr 6 '12 at 19:21
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up vote 3 down vote

Sounds a lot like Brave Raideen, which has a little kid that phases to get inside of Raideen's head. It's from the 1970s, and is very Japanese giant robot crazy.

All the details you can handle at Wikipedia and this blog.

As was mentioned above, if you can think of anything more that would be helpful. A lot of the giant robots from that time period emerge from stuff and have some person or being fly into their head.

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This link mentions the Shogun Warriors, which I'm pretty much 95% sure was the series that I saw it on. The series looks like a compilation of anime series; which less credibility that I may be remembering two different shows. I wish there were more pictures of those shows. Also, your blog link seems to be the same as your Wiki link. – Andrei Freeman Mar 29 '12 at 12:33
@AndreiFreeman I fixed the second link, it now goes to the correct site. Shogun Warriors was indeed a sort of mish-mash of various anime and manga. – user977 Mar 29 '12 at 13:35
If I am not mistaken Shogun Warriors was a part of Force Five which showed a mix of 5 different shows one on each day of the week or something like that. – Drai Mar 29 '12 at 17:51
up vote 2 down vote

Could it be Tranzor Z? (aka Mazinger Z) I know that the villain had a henchman that was 1/2 woman/man split down the middel of his/her face and the robot lived in an underground cave. I realize that it is somewhat different than the things you recalled, but some similarities and aired in the US during the correct time period. Some pics here to jog your memory.

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I remember Tranzor Z with the kids space-ship that docked into the head. The kid in the one I'm remembering has a younger feel and for some reason I think brown hair. He didn't have that "Derek Wildstar" hero look of the 70s/80s – Andrei Freeman Mar 29 '12 at 12:27
up vote 0 down vote

The series I remember with a giant robot could be Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, A squadron of giant robot pilots of a beleaguered Earth colony bring the war to their oppressive home planet.

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It's got big robots, but how does it match the rest of his post? – DForck42♦ Mar 29 '12 at 20:32
Thanks for the down vote. You should know that the question has been changed after I answered and the new details didn't match. I was looking for another anime. – Advicer Mar 30 '12 at 6:47

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