Recaps

Xiao Ran’s fleet arrived at NERV Headquarters, where two Angels were attacking the EVAs, and intervened to rescue Unit-01 while learning Asuka was trapped in Unit 3. The Gedim then appeared alongside an unfamiliar force, and Xiao Ran prepared to launch Dawn while ordering the fleet to isolate and assess the newcomers.

• Xiao Ran ordered the pilots to launch after the fleet found Unit-01 under attack, Unit-00 wrecked, and Unit 2 defeated.
• Soji Okita’s VangNess attacked the Angels while Ryoma Nagare and his team used Getter Robo to drive Unit 3 away and escort Unit-01 to safety.
• NERV explained that Asuka was trapped in Unit 3 and that a second Angel had devoured Unit-00 and defeated Unit 2, then handed on-site command to Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran ordered Gendo Ikari to stop mass-production EVA development and transfer NERV’s technicians and research to the Union, while directing forces to disable Unit 3 and rescue Asuka.
• The Gedim appeared in the underground space, and Xiao Ran ordered most of the fleet to attack them while a select group fought the Angels alongside Unit-01.
• Xiao Ran recognized an unfamiliar force among the arrivals, launched in Dawn, and ordered Mwu to block communications and prevent contact until the fleet had tested their strength.

Xiao Ran spotted unfamiliar machines among Gedim’s forces and recognized them as Participants from the hostile Impact Legion. As both sides held position in the underground space beneath Tokyo-3, Xiao Ran’s team prepared for a possible confrontation while Luo questioned why the Impact Legion had allied with Gedim.

• Xiao Ran noticed a powerful, unfamiliar MA and other non-Gedim machines mixed into Gedim’s forces.
• Xiao Ran and the Victory Fleet formed up behind Dawn and guarded against the newly appeared units after Mwu ordered them not to engage.
• Basak celebrated the arrival of a real enemy, and Xiao Ran challenged him for calling their earlier work unreal.
• Luo identified the unfamiliar machines as belonging to the Impact Legion but could not explain its connection to Gedim or its delayed arrival.
• The chapter established that the Burning Legion had little intelligence on the Impact Legion because Naza’s faction had withheld what it knew.

The Victory Fleet and the Impact Legion scouted each other and discovered the huge gap between their forces. After learning that the Impact Legion intended to stop the Yamato from reaching Iskandar, Xiao Ran ordered a decisive attack, leaving the two sides on the verge of battle.

• The Impact Legion scouted the Victory Fleet and was shocked by its overwhelming lineup of powerful units.
• The Impact Legion's True A-Class Pilot recognized the Yamato and ordered the Gedim units to test the Victory Fleet while his force tried to stop it from reaching Iskandar.
• Xiao Ran's side scouted the Impact Legion and identified its leading MA as the only A+-class unit in a comparatively weak force.
• Xiao Ran decided not to let the Impact Legion leave and ordered Cruze to kill them all.
• Xiao Ran told Mwu to have Sheryl prepare the strongest attack in case the Impact Legion had a dangerous last resort.

Xiao Ran cut off communications across the underground battlefield, then used his Pure Innovator abilities to link the Victory Fleet’s pilots and captains. As the fleet engaged Gedim’s forces, Cruze and Basak both rushed toward the Impact Legion’s gigantic MA, each claiming it as his target.

• The Burning Legion launched missiles that detonated into electromagnetic pulses and signal-blocking fields, shielding the Victory Fleet’s warships while cutting off communications and disrupting radar.
• Xiao Ran used GN Particles and his Pure Innovator abilities to create a mental communication network, relayed orders, and directed the Victory Fleet to protect the Angels, NERV headquarters, and the warships.
• Kira, Athrun, Shinn, Amuro, Kamille, and the other available pilots spread out and attacked the more than five hundred Gedim Mechanical Units, whose coordination collapsed without communications.
• Cruze charged toward the Impact Legion’s gigantic MA with his GN Dragoons and said he would take it on.
• Basak rushed after Cruze, drew his greatsword, and shouted that the MA was his kill.

With radar disabled, the Victory Fleet battled Gedim’s machines and the Impact Legion inside the underground complex while Xiao Ran observed their coordination falter. He then gave every Victory Fleet member a complete mental projection of the battlefield.

• Kira, Athrun, Shinn, Amuro, Kamille, Tobia, Kim Kido, Murrue Ramius, Soji Okita, Banagher, and the others dispersed to fight Gedim’s machines and protect NERV headquarters and the battleships.
• Cruze and Basak’s team overwhelmed the Impact Legion participants, while Basak charged a powerful A-Class Pilot’s MA and Cruze used his weapons to constrain it.
• The MA’s six armor plates detached and revealed themselves as Floating Weapons, while its pilot fought off Basak and Cruze at once.
• More than five hundred Gedim units clashed with the Victory Fleet, and crippled radar left the fleet unable to track friendly positions, causing coordination problems.
• Xiao Ran used his abilities to place a complete projection of the underground battlefield in the minds of every Victory Fleet member.

Xiao Ran linked the Victory Fleet pilots and bridge commanders through his consciousness, giving them detailed battlefield awareness and dramatically improving their coordination. He discovered he could also guide them in real time, while Basak and Cruze used the advantage to overpower the massive MA without Xiao Ran entering the fight.

• The Victory Fleet pilots and bridge commanders received a shared three-dimensional view of enemies, allies, movements, and incoming attacks.
• Xiao Ran filtered the information through himself, sparing the linked pilots from overload while the connection increased his own strain.
• Basak and Cruze used the shared battlefield awareness to coordinate and break the massive MA’s advantage over them.
• Xiao Ran realized he could assign targets and provide real-time combat guidance to every linked pilot, potentially helping lower-level pilots fight like True A-Class Pilots.
• Xiao Ran stayed motionless as Basak and Cruze fought the MA under his calculations and guidance.

Xiao Ran assessed the Impact Legion’s elite reconnaissance squad as Graham, Naluo, and Luo kept its members suppressed. He sent Kira, Athrun, Shinn, and Amuro to join the fight, while concluding that the encounter would reveal the Victory Fleet’s strength and might foreshadow more battles on the journey to Iskandar.

• With Xiao Ran coordinating them, Kira, Athrun, Shinn, and Amuro cleared their opponents and headed to support Graham, Naluo, and Luo.
• Graham, Naluo, and Luo, aided by Zechs, Saki, and the unmanned squad, held off the Impact Legion’s experienced B-class Pilots without suffering a disadvantage.
• Xiao Ran observed the enemy’s coordination and resilience, recognized that an A-class Pilot with Newtype abilities was likely guiding them, and judged their squad to be an elite reconnaissance unit.
• Xiao Ran sent Kira, Athrun, Shinn, and Amuro into the fight, expecting seven A-class Pilots to break the enemy’s fragile resistance.
• Xiao Ran reasoned that the Impact Legion had probably sent the squad to test the Victory Fleet and that the reconnaissance unit might escape using Ejection Devices.

Xiao Ran’s forces destroyed the Impact Legion’s reconnaissance squad, but its MA pilot escaped by triggering a devastating explosion that destroyed the machine and damaged nearby units. The chapter left Xiao Ran identifying the weapon as an X Moonlight Cannon and anticipating the Impact Legion’s next move.

• Xiao Ran assessed the Impact Legion’s strength and considered how the Victory Fleet’s planned Mecha upgrades would change a future battle.
• Kira and three others helped seven A-Class Pilots and two B-class Pilots destroy every Impact Legion Mecha, though Xiao Ran received no notice that any participants had been killed.
• The MA pilot broke free from Cruze and Basak’s attacks and escaped from the cockpit using his Ejection Device.
• The pilotless MA exploded, unleashing a blast that destroyed Cruze’s GN Dragoons, knocked Basak down, and forced nearby units to endure the shockwave behind green shields.
• Xiao Ran concluded that the pilot had deliberately destroyed the MA and identified its weapon as an X Moonlight Cannon.

Xiao Ran recognized the self-destructing MA’s cannon as a Moonlight Cannon, while its explosion badly damaged Basak and Cruze’s units. As the Victory Fleet’s fighters recovered and inspected their mecha, Unit-01 and Getter Robo struggled against the Apostles, and Unit 3 retreated after losing an arm.

• Xiao Ran identified the MA’s unusual wings and cannon as components of a Moonlight Cannon, then considered the weapon’s power and limitations.
• The Impact Legion’s forces were wiped out, while the Victory Fleet destroyed Gedim’s Mechanical Units with little difficulty.
• Xiao Ran ordered Mwu to recover Basak and Cruze’s units and told Graham and Kira to return for inspections.
• Basak’s unit suffered severe damage from the MA’s blast, Cruze’s Dragoons were destroyed, and Cruze landed after his thrusters began failing.
• Unit-01 and Getter Robo struggled against the Apostles because Asuka and Rei Ayanami were being used as shields.
• The explosion distracted Shinji Ikari, allowing the Apostle-form Unit 3 to tear off its left arm before Titan 3 carried it to the rear.

Ryoma, Hayato, Benkei, and their allies fought the Apostle-corrupted Unit 3 while Shinji suffered from the pain of Unit-01’s damage and stopped responding. Getter Robo breached Unit 3’s AT Field and struck its shoulder, but the Apostle countered and deflected the attack away from its core.

• Shinji collapsed in pain after Unit-01 lost an arm, while the Apostle attacked Getter Robo with a ray and tentacles.
• Getter Robo split apart to evade the Apostle’s attacks, and Titan 3, Sanbot 3, and VILLKISS destroyed the tentacle nets trapping the Getter Fighters.
• Getter Robo attacked Unit 3 with its axe, but its increasingly powerful AT Field blocked the strike as Hayato warned that Asuka was at risk of corruption.
• Unit 3 sent extending arms through its AT Field and grabbed Getter Robo’s axe, but the axe’s spikes pierced the arms.
• Getter Robo used its drill to breach Unit 3’s AT Field, and the hero shattered the weakened barrier with the Spinning Sword.
• The Apostle deflected Getter Robo’s attack with a cross-shaped burst of light, but the drill tore a large hole in Unit 3’s left shoulder.

Shinji Ikari awakened Unit-01’s terrifying new power and attacked the Angel possessing Unit 3 to save Asuka and Rei Ayanami. After tearing Unit 3 apart and swallowing its core, he turned his attention to another target.

• Benkei separated Getter Robo into three Getter Fighters as the Angel’s attack disrupted Hayato’s drill strike.
• Ryoma shouted at Shinji Ikari to stop running away and save Asuka and Rei Ayanami, prompting Shinji to awaken Unit-01.
• Unit-01 transformed as its synchronization rate surged, while Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi reacted to its unknown power.
• Misato ordered Shinji to save Asuka and Rei Ayanami, and Shinji declared that Unit-01 was under his control.
• Unit-01 charged the Angel-possessed Unit 3, ripped out its Entry Plug, and bit its core in half before swallowing it.

Unit-01 devoured Unit 3’s core while Getter Robo awakened greater power and fought off a new attack on NERV. Mazinger ZERO appeared and overpowered Getter Robo, leaving Break Dawn to block its path.

• Unit-01 destroyed Unit 3’s core, rescued Asuka, and pierced the other Angel’s AT Field.
• Gendo Ikari identified Unit-01’s transformation as a suspected first-stage evolutionary awakening.
• Ryoma Nagare’s Fighting Spirit drove Getter Robo into a powerful transformation that melted Unit 3 and affected the other Angel.
• Ryoma sensed an enemy approaching and redirected Getter Robo to defend NERV from a red beam and falling debris.
• Mazinger ZERO broke through the underground structure and blasted Getter Robo to the ground before Break Dawn blocked its path.
• Ryoma got Getter Robo back on its feet and vowed that it could grow stronger, despite failing to defeat Mazinger ZERO.

Xiao Ran and the others saw that Kouji Kabuto had been taken over by Mazinger ZERO, while an Angel regenerated from attacks and advanced toward NERV headquarters. With Gendo Ikari urging Shinji to keep his promise to save Rei and Kouji, Xiao Ran split the forces to confront both threats and charged Mazinger ZERO.

• Kouji Kabuto appeared on the communications screens, bound and suffering inside Mazinger ZERO, but urged everyone to run as Sayaka and A Qiang called out to him.
• Shinji Ikari vowed to save Rei and Kouji, and the others joined him in promising to help.
• Gendo Ikari encouraged Shinji to take responsibility for his words, then warned Xiao Ran that Mazinger ZERO was disrupting causality around NERV.
• Xiao Ran's beam badly damaged the Angel, but it immediately recovered and began advancing toward NERV headquarters.
• Xiao Ran ordered one group to intercept the Angel and another to help him defeat Mazinger ZERO, then charged forward in Dawn with crystal greatswords and rainbow wings.

The Victory Fleet split its forces between holding off the Angel and attacking Mazinger ZERO, but Mazinger kept growing stronger and regenerating as the underground base began to collapse. Mwu warned the others that the battlefield could not withstand the fight much longer.

• Xiao Ran sent B-Class pilots to intercept the Angel while A-Class pilots joined him in attacking Mazinger ZERO.
• The Angel's attackers focused on slowing it and keeping it in place with sustained firepower.
• Xiao Ran, Ryoma Nagare, Shinji Ikari, and Ange led the assault on Mazinger while the other A-Class pilots supported them with concentrated attacks.
• Mazinger endured the attacks, grew stronger, and regenerated its armor as the underground environment was battered by explosions and falling debris.
• Mwu warned that the underground space would collapse if the battle continued.

The Victory Fleet struggled to stop Mazinger ZERO as the underground battlefield began collapsing. Xiao Ran prepared Dawn’s strongest attack, and Athrun’s machine intervened just as Mazinger turned its beam toward Dawn.

• Athrun, Kira, Kim Kido, and Xiao Ran recognized that Mazinger had grown too powerful to damage while the underground space threatened to collapse.
• Xiao Ran pulled Dawn away from Mazinger and began charging three Energy Rounds while Getter Robo took the brunt of Mazinger’s attacks.
• Mazinger threw its spinning disc at Dawn, and Xiao Ran used two Energy Rounds to slow the blade after a fierce collision.
• Mazinger aimed a devastating beam at Dawn, but Athrun’s detached backpack struck its head and redirected the beam into the ceiling.
• A massive machine raced toward Tokyo-3 after the beam tore through the surface and shot into the sky.

Athrun and the others battered Mazinger ZERO, and Xiao Ran’s Dawn dealt it devastating damage, but Kouji Kabuto remained trapped inside and struggled to resist its control. The chapter ended with Kouji asking the others to bury him with Mazinger if he failed to stop it.

• Athrun rammed Mazinger ZERO’s head with his unit’s backpack, diverting its attack away from Dawn and drawing its attention.
• Unit-01 and the others attacked Mazinger together, damaging its armor while its defenses protected Kouji Kabuto in the head.
• Xiao Ran fired Dawn’s charged beam, melting away Mazinger’s armor and destroying both arms and much of its legs.
• Ryoma Nagare urged Kouji to summon his fighting spirit and defeat Mazinger while it was helpless.
• Kouji, trapped and struggling to breathe inside Mazinger, said he was still trying and asked the others to bury him with it if he failed.

The demon god unleashed a red power that restrained the fighters and threatened to collapse the underground space, while Xiao Ran, Ryoma Nagare, and Shinji Ikari attacked it. As the Victory Fleet struggled to stop the falling dome, a gigantic robot appeared and raised it with a beam from its arm.

• The demon god released a red pillar of light that bound the space and left most of the fighters unable to move.
• Xiao Ran, Ryoma Nagare, and Shinji Ikari launched powerful attacks at the demon god in an attempt to stop its transformation.
• The underground dome began collapsing, and Shinn and Sousuke Sagara led the Victory Fleet in attacking the falling boulders.
• A gigantic robot appeared and pierced through the descending dome with a beam from its arm.
• Mwu routed all of the Burning Legion's energy to Bobby, who prepared to use the Ideon Sword, and Mwu called Sheryl for her entrance.

The transformed Burning Legion unleashed an Ideon Sword that opened the underground space to daylight and inspired the Victory Fleet. As the fleet resumed its assault on the Mazinger, the enemy recovered and launched a devastating barrage, leaving the allies to shield one another while Xiao Ran and Getter Robo tried to restrain it.

• The Burning Legion transformed and cut through the dome and darkness with an Ideon Sword, revealing the underground space to the sky.
• Shinn Asuka, Amuro, and Soji Okita reacted with disbelief, while Miss Huang urged the pilots to resume attacking the Mazinger.
• The pilots found that the Mazinger had blocked Dawn’s attack and restored its original form, while Kim Kido charged the newly freed Apostle.
• The Mazinger unleashed a dense barrage of beams, prompting the pilots to scatter and take shelter behind shields as Xiao Ran and Getter Robo restrained the Mazinger.
• Sheryl encouraged everyone with a song transmitted by FOLD energy, easing their exhaustion and restoring their strength.

The Victory Fleet struggled to regroup after Mazinger ZERO’s sudden attack, while Miss Huang tried to keep the pilots focused and wondered whether Sheryl’s song could still change the outcome. Getter Emperor G arrived to fight Mazinger ZERO, but its first attack was overpowered, leaving Tetsuya shocked.

• Miss Huang reprimanded the distracted pilots, then learned that many units had been damaged and Sousuke Sagara was unconscious.
• Miss Huang assessed the Victory Fleet’s losses and hoped Kouji Kabuto could defeat Mazinger ZERO with Sheryl’s song’s help.
• Getter Emperor G arrived and Tetsuya attacked Mazinger ZERO with the Emperor Sword.
• Mazinger ZERO broke free from 00Q, Getter Robo, and Dawn, then overpowered Getter Emperor G in their clash.
• Tetsuya was shocked that Getter Emperor G had been sent flying back, unaware that Mazinger ZERO had grown even stronger.

Tetsuya and Getter Emperor G attacked Mazinger ZERO with overwhelming force while Sheryl’s song helped Kouji resist its control. The chapter ended with Getter Emperor charging through the light toward the darkness surrounding Mazinger ZERO.

• Tetsuya sent Getter Emperor G diving at Mazinger ZERO, but Mazinger knocked it back.
• A golden phantom appeared behind Mazinger as Tetsuya powered up Getter Emperor G and attacked with tornadoes and bladed fists.
• Getter Emperor G fired a massive beam of flame at Mazinger ZERO, damaging its armor.
• Kouji resisted Mazinger’s control under the influence of Sheryl’s song and held Mazinger still as it endured Tetsuya’s attacks.
• Tetsuya mourned Kouji as the beam engulfed Mazinger ZERO, then drew the Emperor Sword and charged toward it.

After Getter Emperor G left Mazinger badly damaged, the pilots hesitated to attack because Kouji Kabuto was still trapped inside. Xiao Ran urged Kouji to resist Mazinger ZERO, and Ryoma Nagare unleashed Getter Ray to try to separate Mazinger from him.

• Mazinger survived Getter Emperor G’s assault, leaving the pilots torn between destroying it and risking Kouji Kabuto’s life.
• Kouji begged the others to destroy Mazinger with him, while Xiao Ran and Sheryl urged him not to give up.
• Xiao Ran told Kouji that Mazinger was already under his control and urged him to command it with his heart.
• Tetsuya called on Ryoma Nagare, who realized Getter Ray might dissolve the Mazinger binding Kouji.
• Ryoma drove Getter Robo into Mazinger and released a powerful wave of Getter Ray, plunging Kouji into darkness.

Kouji Kabuto confronted a presence calling itself infinite possibilities and learned that his will could determine whether Mazinger’s power became a god or a demon. After he chose to resist, Getter Robo’s light broke Mazinger Power’s hold on the world, leaving the sky filled with stars.

• Kouji Kabuto awoke in a dark, timeless space and recognized a voice that identified itself as infinite possibilities, born from the Getter Ray.
• The voice explained that Dr. Juzo Kabuto had discovered this power and that Kouji’s desire for strength had led Mazinger Z to become Mazinger ZERO.
• The voice reminded Kouji that Xiao Ran had warned him that strength of heart mattered, and told him that he alone could decide how Mazinger’s power would be used.
• Kouji vowed to resist and defeat Mazinger to protect his friends and their world, and white light emerged from his chest.
• In the real world, Getter Robo released overwhelming Getter Rays that shattered Mazinger Power and dissolved the last Apostle.
• The light replaced Mazinger Power’s influence with an endless starry sky across heaven and earth.

Shinji rescued Rei as the battle ended, and Kouji regained control of Mazinger after defeating Mazinger ZERO. The survivors celebrated their victory while Xiao Ran prepared them for the work ahead and Minerva X wept with relief.

• Shinji used Unit-01 to pull Rei from the Apostle, which crumbled to ash in the Getter Ray.
• Xiao Ran recognized the phantom figures as the Getter Fleet, but Mazinger ZERO's golden light dispelled them and restored the machines.
• Shinn asked what had happened, and Sayaka called for Kouji until he answered that he had successfully controlled Mazinger's power.
• The pilots and crew celebrated the victory, while Mwu reported that recovery teams were retrieving the damaged units and several people were injured.
• Xiao Ran thanked Sheryl and Mwu, then told them everyone could rest before their next departure.
• Minerva X cried with joy, believing the endless cycle had finally ended.

After the battle with Mazinger ended, Xiao Ran assessed the Victory Fleet’s new top-level combatants and the damage they had suffered. He planned upgrades and new weapons for Dawn before the fleet set out again.

• Kouji Kabuto gained control of Mazinger, while Shinji Ikari’s EVA Unit-01 entered Near-First Awakening and Shinji fainted after the battle.
• Tetsuya’s Getter Emperor G unleashed Zeus’s power to destroy Mazinger ZERO, and Ryoma Nagare, Hayato, and Benkei restored and strengthened Getter Robo with Getter Ray energy.
• Xiao Ran concluded that Mazinger, EVA Unit-01, Getter Emperor G, and Getter Robo had become the Victory Fleet’s four strongest combatants, while Dawn needed better armor and weapons with control capabilities.
• Xiao Ran put new weapons and Tactical Armor for Dawn on his agenda and prepared to use the gathered technicians and scientists for the work.
• The battle destroyed Tokyo-3 and injured many Victory Fleet pilots, so Xiao Ran planned repairs, upgrades, and replacements before the fleet departed.

After the battle, the Burning Legion treated the wounded while Xiao Ran and the others discussed rebuilding NERV and future plans. Kouji Kabuto thanked Xiao Ran for helping him control Mazinger, and Basak asked for a Mazinger of his own, leaving Tetsuya to suggest Great Mazinger as a quicker option.

• The Unified military sealed off the crater where Tokyo-3 and NERV headquarters had stood, while treatment pods aboard the Burning Legion filled with injured pilots and NERV personnel.
• Xiao Ran joined the exhausted group in the cafeteria after discussing reconstruction and future plans with Gendo Ikari, Bright, and others.
• Kouji Kabuto and Tetsuya bowed to Xiao Ran, and Kouji thanked him for helping him face Mazinger and prevent it from destroying the world.
• Basak told Xiao Ran he wanted a Mazinger because his own unit was broken and he admired Mazinger's fighting style, armor, power, and speed.
• Sayaka offered to ask her father's institute to build Basak a unit from Mazinger parts, and Tetsuya suggested using the Great Mazinger kept at the Science Fortress Research Institute instead.