Professor Saotome directs the Saotome Getter Ray Research Institute and created the Getter Robo series. He is the father of Tatsuhito, Michiru, and Genki Saotome. His life's work centers on the obsessive study of Getter Rays, driving advancements in Getter Alloy production and the development of increasingly powerful Getter Robo units. Physically, he is a short, broad-bodied older man with short, somewhat unkempt gray hair, often sporting a beard or mustache. He typically wears a white lab coat over a shirt, tie, and pants, frequently choosing geta over conventional shoes. His personality combines intimidating, morally ambiguous traits with underlying humanity. He employs extreme methods, such as sending armed assailants to test potential pilots like Ryoma Nagare. He makes tragic decisions, including killing brainwashed staff and his own son Tatsuhito to prevent further harm, actions followed by crushing grief. As his exposure to Getter Rays intensifies, he develops a deepening obsession with their properties, accelerating his mental deterioration. His history begins with developing Getter Robo to counter threats like the Dinosaur Empire. He recruits pilots Ryoma Nagare, Hayato Jin, and Musashi Tomoe, overseeing their battles against mechasaur assaults. He personally kills his brainwashed son Tatsuhito during an institute attack, mourning visibly afterward. He witnesses Musashi Tomoe's sacrificial destruction of the original Getter Robo to halt a mechasaur army, subsequently overseeing the completion and deployment of Getter Robo G with Benkei Kurama replacing Musashi. During Getter Robo G's era, he operates as a mission advisor, providing strategic insights during conflicts like the Hyakki Empire's invasion of Japan, where he sheltered in the institute's basement with his staff until rescued by Getter Robo G. In the Shin Getter Robo era, prolonged Getter Ray exposure worsens his mental decline. He becomes increasingly detached, communicating with spectral visions of past enemies like Burai and Emperor Gore while dismissing concerns about absorbed colleagues. His final act involves urging Ryoma to pilot the Shin Getter Robo during an alien assault. He and his remaining staff are absorbed into the Getter Rays as the institute is destroyed, merging completely with the energy he studied. His legacy persists. His discoveries sparked conflicts within the Getter Robo universe, with every major adversary opposing Getter Rays. His spirit manifests before Hayato Jin, encouraging him to pilot Shin Getter Robo. Hayato views himself as Saotome's successor, developing new Getter machines, leading the Saotome Institute, and referring to Getter Robo Āḥ as "the last of Saotome's machines," cementing his enduring influence on Getter technology and its pilots.