TV-Series
Description
In the anime UFO Senshi Daiapolon, the character known as Grey is the English dub name for Goro, one of the protagonist Takeshi’s closest friends from the Blue Sky orphanage. Grey is a member of the core team who, alongside Takeshi, Miki, and Matsuo, becomes embroiled in the conflict between the forces of the planet Apolon and the invading Dazaan empire. He is a young boy of similar age to Takeshi, and like his friends, he is an enthusiast and player of American football, a sport that serves as a recurring visual and thematic motif throughout the series.
Personality-wise, Grey is characterized as a loyal and dependable companion. He is part of a team that, while built on certain stock character archetypes common to the mid-1970s, generally avoids being excessively comedic or tragically dramatic. The group functions as a cohesive unit, and Grey’s primary trait is his steadfast support for Takeshi. When the group learns of Takeshi’s true heritage as the prince of the planet Apolon and his mission to harness the power of the Key Energy in his chest to control the giant robot Diapolon, Grey immediately steps into a supporting role without significant internal conflict.
In the story, Grey’s main role is as a pilot of the UFO support craft that assist the giant robot Diapolon in battle. While Takeshi is the only one who can perform the painful process of Body Fusion, where his body grows to gigantic size to wear Diapolon as a form of cybernetic armor, Grey and his friends provide essential backup. He operates one of the flying saucer-shaped vehicles that can launch from the team’s secret base. Over the course of the series, Grey and the others learn to pilot the three individual component robots—Header, Trunker, and Legger—which combine to form Diapolon. This development allows them to handle these machines independently, lessening the physical strain on Takeshi, who normally must initiate the combination himself. Grey’s key relationships are naturally with his fellow orphans: the leader Takeshi, Miki who is also a capable and strong-willed heroine, and Matsuo. Together, they form the UFO Squad under the guidance of the scientist Labi, and they function as a surrogate family tied together by their shared origin and their fight to protect Earth.
Grey does not undergo a significant, solitary character arc or transformation on par with Takeshi. His development is tied to the team’s growing proficiency with their machines and their deepening commitment to a war that spans planets. He participates in the escalating battles against the Dazaan commanders, which eventually leads the team from defending Earth to launching a final assault on the Dazaan homeworld itself. While Takeshi possesses the unique solar-powered Key Energy, Grey does not have any comparable supernatural abilities. His notable skills are his piloting capability, his courage in the face of the alien Dazaan, who were mutated by the toxic atmosphere of their home planet, and his unwavering solidarity with his friends. In the English-dubbed compilation film Shadow World, which recontextualized the series for an American audience, the character of Goro was renamed Grey and voiced by actor Gregg Berger.
Personality-wise, Grey is characterized as a loyal and dependable companion. He is part of a team that, while built on certain stock character archetypes common to the mid-1970s, generally avoids being excessively comedic or tragically dramatic. The group functions as a cohesive unit, and Grey’s primary trait is his steadfast support for Takeshi. When the group learns of Takeshi’s true heritage as the prince of the planet Apolon and his mission to harness the power of the Key Energy in his chest to control the giant robot Diapolon, Grey immediately steps into a supporting role without significant internal conflict.
In the story, Grey’s main role is as a pilot of the UFO support craft that assist the giant robot Diapolon in battle. While Takeshi is the only one who can perform the painful process of Body Fusion, where his body grows to gigantic size to wear Diapolon as a form of cybernetic armor, Grey and his friends provide essential backup. He operates one of the flying saucer-shaped vehicles that can launch from the team’s secret base. Over the course of the series, Grey and the others learn to pilot the three individual component robots—Header, Trunker, and Legger—which combine to form Diapolon. This development allows them to handle these machines independently, lessening the physical strain on Takeshi, who normally must initiate the combination himself. Grey’s key relationships are naturally with his fellow orphans: the leader Takeshi, Miki who is also a capable and strong-willed heroine, and Matsuo. Together, they form the UFO Squad under the guidance of the scientist Labi, and they function as a surrogate family tied together by their shared origin and their fight to protect Earth.
Grey does not undergo a significant, solitary character arc or transformation on par with Takeshi. His development is tied to the team’s growing proficiency with their machines and their deepening commitment to a war that spans planets. He participates in the escalating battles against the Dazaan commanders, which eventually leads the team from defending Earth to launching a final assault on the Dazaan homeworld itself. While Takeshi possesses the unique solar-powered Key Energy, Grey does not have any comparable supernatural abilities. His notable skills are his piloting capability, his courage in the face of the alien Dazaan, who were mutated by the toxic atmosphere of their home planet, and his unwavering solidarity with his friends. In the English-dubbed compilation film Shadow World, which recontextualized the series for an American audience, the character of Goro was renamed Grey and voiced by actor Gregg Berger.