Soldat J
Summary
Soldato J is the sole surviving member of the Soldato Battalion, a group of combat cyborgs created by Abel, the ruler of the Red Planet. Designed to command the J-Ark fleet and fuse with it to battle the Z-Master, the battalion’s plan ultimately failed due to poor coordination with the Alma bioweapon, the living computer, and the J-Ark battleships. This disarray led to the collapse of planetary defenses and the subsequent mechanization of the world. As a cyborg, Soldato J possesses immense strength and speed. His armor features a green scarf that can extend and harden into wings for flight, while his left gauntlet houses the Radiant Ripper, an energy sword. Although typically wielded with two hands, the blade can remain attached to the gauntlet, as demonstrated in the FINAL arc. As one of the two remaining battalion members, Soldato J #002 fought in isolation after his J-Ark’s main computer, Tomoro 0117, fell victim to Zonder infection. His J-Ark was launched into space to safeguard its infant Alma onboard. J confronted Arm Primeval, a leader of the offensive against his home world, but barely survived the encounter, fleeing into the wasteland of his mechanized planet. He was soon captured by his own living computer, which had transformed into the Zonderian Pinchernone, and was converted into the Zonderian Pizza, with his memories of past pride sealed away. As Pizza, he accompanied Pinchernone and the Zonderian terminal program Pasder to Earth, the "Blue Planet," with orders to infect humanity with Zonder Metal. Despite his condition, Pizza experienced fleeting memories of his pre-mechanized life. He developed a fierce rivalry with GGG Mobile Unit commander Guy Shishioh, and their duels gradually restored Pizza’s pride and sense of purpose. In a final act of defiance, Pizza shielded Guy from a direct attack by Pasder, sustaining critical injuries. He was saved by his Arma, who had landed on Earth under the identity of Ikumi Kaidou. Kaidou performed Purification on both Pizza and Pinchernone, restoring their original forms and memories. Upon restoration, Soldato J resumed his original mission: destroying the Z-Master. He reunited with his team in his J-Ark, which had crashed in Mt. Aso in Kyūshū, Japan, and awaited the arrival of the 31 Machine Primevals. When the Primevals appeared, J demonstrated the immense power the Red Planet fleet could have wielded if properly organized. He initiated an independent mission to eliminate the Primevals, disregarding Gutsy Galaxy Guard operations and even clashing with them directly. However, realizing their shared objective, J and GGG began to cooperate grudgingly. During this period, J also confronted and destroyed Soldato J #019, the other surviving battalion member, who had pledged loyalty to the Z-Master and replaced his J-Jewel with a Zonder Crystal, a story detailed in the manga serial "Wings of Light and Darkness." In the final battle against the Z-Master, J and Kaidou infiltrated the Heart Primeval and overloaded the J-Ark’s "THE POWER," triggering a cascade reaction that destroyed the Z-Master from within, though it also critically damaged King J-Der. Deeming the sacrifice fair, J and his team were prepared to perish to end the Zonder threat permanently. The J-Ark survived, falling into a wormhole generated by "THE POWER" and emerging ninety million light-years outside the universe. There, the ship began slow repairs. From this vantage point, Tomoro 0117 detected a contracting universe and tracked the source back to Earth’s solar system, orbiting Jupiter. There, they found an exhausted Mamoru Amami and the Pas-Q Machine. As Mamoru asked Kaidou to bring the device to Earth, Pia Decem of the 11 Planetary Masters of Sol attacked. Kaidou returned with the Machine, while J retreated to the Tri-Star System with Mamoru. Soldato J and his J-Ark covered Mamoru’s retreat to the G-Crystal but were captured by the other Masters of Sol and imprisoned on the repli-Earth created by the Pas-Q Machine, located at Mont Saint Michel. They were eventually freed by Renais-Kerdif Shishioh and Mikoto Utsugi, only to face Palus Abel, the leader of the Masters whose program was based on Abel herself. Abel revealed she had captured Ikumi Kaidou and was using him as the living computer core for Pia Decem Pit. Unable to attack Pia Decem directly without harming Kaidou, King J-Der was forced to fight a mind-controlled Guy Shishioh. The clash between J-Quath and Goldion Hammer resulted in the destruction of both weapons. Palus Abel used Kaidou to send remote commands that shut down the J-Ark and Soldato J’s J-Jewel. Pia Decem and Pillnus then captured J and Renais Kerdif-Shishioh, though they escaped by accident. Proximity between Renais’ G-Stone and Soldato J’s J-Jewel restored them, activating their Hyper Modes. During this sequence, J’s helmet broke partially, revealing his eyes for the first time in the series. With the reactivated J-Ark, they proceeded to confront Palus Abel aboard the Pia Decem Pit. Although many fans use the translation "Soldat," the correct official translation is Soldato, an Italian word meaning "Soldier," consistent with other terms like Arma and Pizza. While "Soldat" means soldier in several languages, including Swedish, Soldato is the intended name. Soldato J serves as a homage to Cyborg 002 from Cyborg 009, sharing similar design elements, numbering, personality traits, and a fondness for flight. This reference honors the late 1970s era of GaoGaiGar, a time when Sunrise and Toei Animation collaborated on a Cyborg 009 adaptation.
