OVA
Description
Mai Kobayashi is a central character from the Super Robot Wars Original Generation series, with a notable appearance in the anime Super Robot Wars Original Generation - The Animation. She is a young woman who appears to be around sixteen years old, though her actual chronological age is complicated by periods of suspended animation. Her background is deeply rooted in tragedy and manipulation, as she is not the biological daughter of Dr. Kenzo Kobayashi. Instead, she was one of his test subjects for his research on the T-Link System. To heighten her innate and exceptionally powerful Psychodriver abilities, Dr. Kobayashi altered her memories to make her believe he was her father and that Aya Kobayashi was her older sister. In truth, her abilities were considered a success, but she was ultimately discarded and declared dead to further the development of her "sister," Aya.
Mai was later kidnapped by the alien race known as the Aerogaters and subjected to intense brainwashing. This process transformed her into a ruthless alter ego named Levi Tolar. As Levi, she was made to believe she was a high-ranking Balmarian officer and the leader of the forces aboard the space fortress Neviim. In this role, she served as the biological core for the powerful mobile weapon Judecca, and her personality became egocentric, cruel, and dismissive of human life, viewing humanity as nothing more than a resource for the Balmarians.
During the L5战役 (the L5 Campaign), the SRX Team and the ATX Team confronted and seemingly destroyed Mai as Levi Tolar. However, she survived due to the regenerative capabilities of the Septuagint. The process was halted before it could fully restore her Levi Tolar personality, resulting in her losing most of those specific memories. She was recovered by Dr. Kenzo Kobayashi and taken back to his laboratory to recover. In the aftermath, Mai was placed in the SRX Team as a trainee pilot. As herself, Mai is profoundly shy, silent, and reserved, a stark contrast to her Levi persona. She is loyal to those who have helped her, including her sister Aya, her father figure Kenzo, and the other members of the SRX Team like Ryusei Date, Rai, and the rest of the team.
Her role in the story is that of a recovering victim whose past continues to haunt her. Despite the efforts to restore her, the psychological remnants of Levi Tolar remain deep within Mai's mind, tormenting her through nightmares and moments of instability. Her central motivation is to overcome this traumatic past and the fear that she might revert to being the enemy that the SRX Team once fought. She strives to define her own identity, separate from both the discarded test subject and the brainwashed enemy commander. This internal conflict is a major part of her development, as she must confront and ultimately win her personal battle against the lingering memories of Levi to secure her place among her allies.
Key relationships define her new life. Her bond with Aya Kobayashi is complex; while not biologically related, they share a deep connection forged through Dr. Kobayashi's experiments, and Aya is fiercely determined to protect her "younger sister." Mai develops a strong admiration and a clear crush on the SRX Team's main pilot, Ryusei Date. She has adopted some of his mannerisms, such as shouting the names of her attacks during battle, and this has led to a friendly rivalry with fellow pilot Latune Subbota for his attention. She also forms close friendships with younger pilots like Latune, Shine Hausen, Arado Balanga, and Seolla Schweitzer, who are closer to her apparent age.
As she heals and integrates into the team, Mai pilots the R-Gun Powered. In this machine, she is capable of performing a "Twin Contact" with Aya in the R-3, an ability that allows the combined SRX robot to utilize its most powerful attack, the HTB Cannon. Her notable abilities are her exceptionally high-level Psychodriver powers, which were the original reason for her being selected as a test subject. These powers make her a formidable combat asset, but they are also the source of her tragic past, making her a character defined by the struggle to reclaim her own will and harness her gifts for the side of good rather than as a tool for destruction.
Mai was later kidnapped by the alien race known as the Aerogaters and subjected to intense brainwashing. This process transformed her into a ruthless alter ego named Levi Tolar. As Levi, she was made to believe she was a high-ranking Balmarian officer and the leader of the forces aboard the space fortress Neviim. In this role, she served as the biological core for the powerful mobile weapon Judecca, and her personality became egocentric, cruel, and dismissive of human life, viewing humanity as nothing more than a resource for the Balmarians.
During the L5战役 (the L5 Campaign), the SRX Team and the ATX Team confronted and seemingly destroyed Mai as Levi Tolar. However, she survived due to the regenerative capabilities of the Septuagint. The process was halted before it could fully restore her Levi Tolar personality, resulting in her losing most of those specific memories. She was recovered by Dr. Kenzo Kobayashi and taken back to his laboratory to recover. In the aftermath, Mai was placed in the SRX Team as a trainee pilot. As herself, Mai is profoundly shy, silent, and reserved, a stark contrast to her Levi persona. She is loyal to those who have helped her, including her sister Aya, her father figure Kenzo, and the other members of the SRX Team like Ryusei Date, Rai, and the rest of the team.
Her role in the story is that of a recovering victim whose past continues to haunt her. Despite the efforts to restore her, the psychological remnants of Levi Tolar remain deep within Mai's mind, tormenting her through nightmares and moments of instability. Her central motivation is to overcome this traumatic past and the fear that she might revert to being the enemy that the SRX Team once fought. She strives to define her own identity, separate from both the discarded test subject and the brainwashed enemy commander. This internal conflict is a major part of her development, as she must confront and ultimately win her personal battle against the lingering memories of Levi to secure her place among her allies.
Key relationships define her new life. Her bond with Aya Kobayashi is complex; while not biologically related, they share a deep connection forged through Dr. Kobayashi's experiments, and Aya is fiercely determined to protect her "younger sister." Mai develops a strong admiration and a clear crush on the SRX Team's main pilot, Ryusei Date. She has adopted some of his mannerisms, such as shouting the names of her attacks during battle, and this has led to a friendly rivalry with fellow pilot Latune Subbota for his attention. She also forms close friendships with younger pilots like Latune, Shine Hausen, Arado Balanga, and Seolla Schweitzer, who are closer to her apparent age.
As she heals and integrates into the team, Mai pilots the R-Gun Powered. In this machine, she is capable of performing a "Twin Contact" with Aya in the R-3, an ability that allows the combined SRX robot to utilize its most powerful attack, the HTB Cannon. Her notable abilities are her exceptionally high-level Psychodriver powers, which were the original reason for her being selected as a test subject. These powers make her a formidable combat asset, but they are also the source of her tragic past, making her a character defined by the struggle to reclaim her own will and harness her gifts for the side of good rather than as a tool for destruction.