Mazinger-Z and it's Hover Pilder docking configuration is a fairly popular trope of super robots. In A UFO Conspiracy, I covered how our very own Dr. Wily pays homage to the Pilder docking system with his very own Wily UFO. But it doesn't stop there, as there are other machines in Rockman that also follows the legacy of Mazinger. So, Pilder-On! Let's see what we have;
Gamma
The big lug is even striking
the Mazinger-Z powered up pose
the Mazinger-Z powered up pose
While both being "Giant Super Robots", there doesn't seem to be any similarities between Mazinger-Z and Rockman 3's final boss Gamma at first. That is until Dr. Wily makes his grand entrance into the battle at Gamma's controls. You can practically hear "Pilder On!" coming from Dr. Wily when he falls from the sky in his cockpit center, quickly docking and activating the full power of the Gamma in Hover Pilder fashion. Even like Mazinger-Z, the eyes light on upon docking on Gamma. Watch for it 20 seconds in on the youtube embed below:
Pildan
Three Pildans; two
docked with bodies
docked with bodies
Named after the Hover Pilder itself, it's first appearance is in Rockman 10. This appropriately brain shaped robot slowly drifts down from above seeking a compatible "battle body" to use in combat. If it happens to find one, it's "Pilder-On!" and the robot rapidly drops straight down to dock itself to start it's rampage. Thought the "bodies" are not anything humanoid super robot shaped, but far more practical flying bomber barricades and twin barrel stationary turrets.
Wily Machine World #2
While the Wily UFO is an homage to Mazinger, the Wily Machine World #2's top dockting vertical takeoff vehicle is a direct parody of the Hover Pilder. Wings, hover turbine, side mounted jet engines, glass dome, it has it all. And we see it dock to three seperate robot bodies in it's fight against Rockman. We see it in action in Rockman World 2, as the game's final boss mecha.
Metonger-Z
Mazinger-Z, in CB head tank form.
And the last one on the list, is not only an actual "Hover Pilder", it also has a full Robotic Body with a funnel like crown to dock in. Rather than the "Hot Blooded" Kabuto Kouji, we have a "Hot Blooded" Metall as the pilot. This does goes to show that while at the controls of a super robot, even the most lowly are able to truly show off their fiery passion. Appearing in Rockman 6, the platform unfortunately left this particular super robot fighting more like is more just a tank. The game staff pretty much ensured no one missed this instance of super robot homage, so this info is not new to most, but I've included it for the sake of completeness. But let's have a bit of fun with this courtesy of MMN's Ryudo, who has dubbed in the Metonger-Z battle with a chip tune of the Mazinger-Z theme song~
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