— IDENTITY —
Full Name
Kikō Senki Doragunā (機甲戦記ドラグナー) / Metal Armor Dragonar
Type
Real robot — Metal Armor, three-unit squad type
Creator
Original concept: Hajime Yatate; Character design: Ken'ichi Onuki; Mechanical design: Kunio Okawara
Debut
February 7, 1987
Country of Origin
Japan
Original Medium
Anime (TV series) — an original Sunrise concept, not adapted from a prior manga
Publisher
N/A — original anime produced by Nagoya TV and Sunrise for the TV Asahi network, planned and sponsored by Bandai
Genre
Real robot war drama, with a lighter, more youthful tone than its immediate Gundam predecessors
— DEVELOPMENT HISTORY —
Project Designation
Dragonar — three "D-weapon" Metal Armors: D-1 (close combat), D-2 (artillery), and D-3 (electronic warfare)
Original Designer (Story)
Within the story, developed by the Giganos Empire but secretly diverted to the Earth Federation by defecting engineer Lang Pratt, disillusioned with Giganos's tyranny — the unit already bore Federation markings upon completion
Construction Purpose
Built as next-generation Giganos military hardware, but never deployed against Earth as intended — instead falling into the hands of Kane Wakaba, a young man from the neutral space colony Arcadia, who becomes its registered pilot by chance
Activation Method
Conventionally piloted, activated via a startup disc Kane obtains along with the D-1 unit
Historical Significance
Director Takeyuki Kanda took over the General Director role from Yoshiyuki Tomino, who had led five consecutive Sunrise works from Combat Mecha Xabungle through Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. Conceived explicitly as a "renewal of Gundam" after the post-ZZ boom cooled, blended by Kanda with his own idea of "a story about recruits slightly older than the cast of Vifam" — the show he had directed in 1983. Widely regarded as the last real robot anime Sunrise produced in the 1980s
— CONTROL SYSTEM —
Primary Operator
Kane Wakaba, piloting the D-1 unit
Control Method
Conventionally piloted; D-1 was the first Metal Armor in the series to feature an AI navigation system, affectionately nicknamed "Clara," a female-voiced Clay 9000-type computer
Pilot Location
Onboard cockpit
Cockpit
Not documented in further detail in available sources
Autonomy
None beyond AI navigation assistance — always piloted
Command Authority
Kane Wakaba, later formally attached to the Earth Federation Army after joining its forces
— PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS —
Robot Class
Metal Armor, D-weapon designation, close-combat specialist type
Body Structure
Because D-1's pilot registration could not be removed after Kane took control, the unit remained his personal machine for the rest of the series, gradually taking on his own combat habits and quirks
Head Design
Not detailed in depth in available sources
Visual Characteristics
Heavily damaged and rebuilt into a custom form partway through the series, following a design shift toward the sleeker look popularized by animator Masami Ōbari's opening artwork — a version fans nicknamed "Barigunar," which the show's actual in-episode designs came to resemble more closely from episode 14 onward
— POWER SYSTEM —
Primary Energy Source
Not documented in detail in available sources
Armor Material
Not documented in detail in available sources
Manufacturing Material Origin
Originally built by the Giganos Empire as next-generation Metal Armor hardware, before being secretly redirected to the Earth Federation
Energy Concept
A dedicated attachment called Cavalier was developed alongside D-1 specifically to extend its reach into long-range combat, compensating for its close-combat specialization
— COMBAT CHARACTERISTICS —
Primary Combat Style
Close-quarters combat specialization for D-1, complemented within the squad by D-2's artillery role and D-3's electronic warfare capability
Signature Weapons
Twin-mounted large-caliber railgun, capable of destroying a Mobile Armor in a single shot; the Cavalier attachment for extended-range engagement
Mission Profile
Frontline combat for the Earth Federation Army against the invading Giganos Empire, with performance the series notes as capable of destroying Giganos warships even in the hands of an inexperienced pilot like Kane
Operational Environment
Space and ground combat across the Earth-Moon system, escalating to combat on Earth itself as the war progresses
— ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS —
Affiliation
Earth Federation Army
Role
Frontline close-combat unit of the Dragonar squad, alongside D-2 and D-3
Primary Enemy
The Giganos Empire, a military dictatorship established on the Moon
Enemy Organization
Giganos forces, which have already conquered 70 percent of Earth's nations through superior organization and technology by the story's start
Major Threats
The Gun Jem squad, initially tasked with recovering the stolen Dragonar units, later succeeded by other Giganos commanders as the pursuit continues
— ORIGINAL ANIME / TV SERIES INFORMATION —
Title
Metal Armor Dragonar (機甲戦記ドラグナー)
Broadcast Period
February 7, 1987 – January 30, 1988
Episodes
48
Network
Nagoya TV, TV Asahi network
Production Company
Sunrise (Nippon Sunrise), with Sotsu Agency
Director
Takeyuki Kanda (General Director)
Runtime
Approx. 25 minutes per episode — Saturdays, 17:30–18:00
In the year 2087, Earth and space are consumed by war. Giganos, a unified military empire established on the Moon in the name of humanity's rebirth, declares war on the Earth Federation Army in pursuit of a new order in space. Superior in organization and technology, Giganos has already conquered 70 percent of Earth's nations by the story's start. Kane Wakaba, a young man living in the neutral space colony Arcadia, is unexpectedly registered as the pilot of the D-weapon Dragonar, and finds himself thrust into the war against Giganos. The series draws influence from the Hollywood film Top Gun, with "the bond between parent and child" as a central theme.
— MAIN CHARACTERS —
Kane Wakaba
Protagonist, a young man from the neutral space colony Arcadia who becomes the registered pilot of the D-1 Dragonar by chance.
Light Newman
Fellow Dragonar squad member.
Tap Oceano
Fellow Dragonar squad member.
Linda Pratt
Daughter of Dragonar's defecting developer Lang Pratt.
Lang Pratt
Giganos engineer who, disillusioned with the empire's tyranny, secretly diverts the Dragonar units to the Earth Federation.
— LEGACY —
Historical Position
Widely regarded as the final real robot anime Sunrise produced in the 1980s, and as a heartfelt tribute to the original Mobile Suit Gundam
Genre Innovation
Blended a Gundam-style "renewal" concept with the youthful ensemble cast approach of Galactic Drifter Vifam, resulting in a lighter, more youth-driven tone than its immediate real-robot predecessors
Relationship to Previous Mecha
Marked director Takeyuki Kanda's succession of Yoshiyuki Tomino as General Director following five consecutive Tomino-led Sunrise works from Combat Mecha Xabungle through Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Industry Impact
Its later opening-artwork redesign by animator Masami Ōbari, popularly nicknamed "Barigunar" by fans, proved influential enough that the show's own in-episode mecha designs shifted closer to it from episode 14 onward, and it later spawned its own dedicated plastic model line
International Recognition
Frequently cited by Japanese fans as an "unfortunate masterpiece" — a well-regarded but comparatively overlooked series; later featured across multiple entries of the Super Robot Wars game franchise
— COLLECTIBLES —
Tamashii Nations
Hi-Metal R Dragonar-1 Custom
Metal Armor Dragonar Figure
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