RAY TYPE HETERODYNE - DAI-GUARD

De la série "Terrestrial Defense Corp. Dai-Guard", le premier d'une série de créatures d'une autre dimension que devra affronter le robot Dai-Guard.

 was a 1999-to-2000 anime series that followed the adventures and tribulations of Japanese office workers who are in charge of the titular giant robot, that's one of the countries few defenses against the Heterodyne; bizarre monsters from another dimension who start out in life as small Fractal Knots, and gain larger bodies based on the first Earthly element they come into contact with in our reality.

 Despite the seemingly dire, if not wacky, premise above, "Dai-Guard" is a fairly restrained, but no less enjoyable 'salary man comedy', with giant-robots-against-monsters as an exciting backdrop. And all done with some dramatic realism, which is a subtle balance one doesn't find too often in fiction - Japanese animation -OR- otherwise.

 As such, the Heterodynes are played straight, as truly alien things that may not even be true life-forms, at least by Earth-bound standards. And are probably best described as being no different than natural phenomenon / disasters, except that they're from another dimension, and with some basic sentience, as opposed to the more malicious motives of other giant monsters.

 The very first Heterodyne that the Dai-Guard pilots and crew encounter in combat is dubbed the Ray Type Heterodyne, whose giant body is derived from salt water and the biological elements (i.e. dead sea animal dander) merged with it. And hence explains the monster's name and literal 'fishy' appearance.

 The Ray Type can swim up to thirty-knots, spew flashes of eel-like electricity (lighting) to indicate its arrival, and uses twin whips from its starfish-like limbs, for bashing opponents and obstacles alike. The creature also uses simplistic levitation for movement while on dry land.

The Ray Type is the first active Heterodyne since the monsters' first appearances thirty years ago (from 2030), of which the giant robot Dai-Guard was late in its original construction. Dai-Guard has a belated 'baptism under fire' against the alien sea monster, first at a security exposition, and then later affront of our heroes' headquarters of the 21st Century Defense Security Corporation. And its here that the Ray Type  is finally destroyed, when Dai-Guard's detachable Drill Arm shreds apart the original Fractal Knot... along with the rest of the Heterodyne.

 Images courtsey of Ultrazilla aka Troy, and donated by Raf / Enshohma, thanks !