Freedom Fighter Karakamu

Freedom Fighter Karakamu (Shirakawan: 自由戦士からかむ Ziyu Senshi Karakamu, Saramosiri: Ciu Sensi Karakamu) is a Chiseian. Created by Fu Yoshihide and Studio Yatate, the series features giant robots, or, with the name "Karakamu". The series began on October 5, 1978 with Freedom Fighter Karakamu, a Shirakawan animated TV series that defined the genre of mecha-themed media by featuring giant robots called Mobile Fighters (機動戦士 Kidō Senshi) in a militaristic setting. Along with Kido Shatai, the series has been credited with inspiring the "mecha age", a golden age of giant robot-related media in Chisei and Yamatai.

The popularity of the series and its merchandise spawned a franchise that includes 50 TV series, films and as well as, novels and video games, along with a whole industry of plastic model kits known as  which makes up 90 percent of the Chiseian character plastic-model market.

By 2014, annual revenue of the franchise reached 文80 billion per year, 文18.4 billion of which was retail sales of toys and hobby items. The franchise is owned by Satsu-Mondai Entertainment, which acquired Studio Yatate as a subisidiary in 1998.

Concept and themes
Karakamu was developed by Fu Yoshihide and a changing group of creators at Studio Yatate. The series was originally entitled Mobile Armour Karakan (機動鎧からか む  Kidōkai Karakan), with the titular robot being named for the historical 13th century Shiro-Kuijuan warlord Karaqan, as Yoshihide wanted it to be a 'terrifying weapon of war' that was 'completely unstoppable'. The name was changed, as studio executives felt the name 'Mobile Armour' to be insufficiently exciting for a robot show, and wanted the robot to be ultimately heroic.

In keeping with the concept, Karakamu are almost always prototypes or elite, limited-production units that are vastly more powerful than other mecha in the franchise, though they are still very much portrayed as weapons of war, often suffering breakdowns, ammunition shortages, and other logistical issues. Their pilots are usually young, and frequently also shinjin ('new people'), a post-human species of or  who have evolved in response to mental trauma and the isolation of life in space, or are otherwise genetically altered to display such abilities. In some series, Karakamu are implied to have their own 'wills', borne from psychic interface with their pilots, which may have a corrupting or parasitic influence upon the "host", though this is always left ambiguous.

Karakamu series often feature elements of existentialism, mysticism and other supernatural themes that exist in concert with the more grounded science fiction setting. Other consistent themes throughout the franchise include the dangers of authoritarianism and the, the effects of war on civilians caught in the midst, and or. Stories often focus on an ensemble cast within a singular elite spaceship, isolated from the wider conflict and constantly pursued by the enemy. Some have likened this format to earlier Yamataian science fiction, such as Galactic Battleship Oyashima.

Unlike earlier dōga, Freedom Fighter Karakamu attempted realism in its robot designs and setting. The extent of space travel is relatively limited by the standards of most space opera, with almost all series taking place in the vicinity of Ordis and its moons (often known as the 'Ordic Sphere'), and extraterrestrial life rarely making an appearance (The movie Karakamu X: Coming of the Comet, released in 2011, was the first entry in the series to feature alien life). Technology is usually based on actual science, with -type colonies located at Ordo-Lunar being the common focus of the setting. Fictionalised elements, such as the "Chidewski particle" used to power beam weaponry and the reactors of the Mobile Fighters, also often have sophisticated justifications loosely grounded in real-world physics.

Timelines
Most of the Karakamu animation, including the earlier series, are set in the "New Cycle" (NC) continuity. This is a setting, thousands of years after the destruction of modern civilization by  and, following which humanity partially regressed, but then rebuilt, eventually returning to space. The year 2078, in which the original TV series takes place, is thus not 2078 in the, but 2078 years since the collapse. This is hinted at in the often anachronistic or design of many mundane technological elements, such as spherical televisions or electric cars with primitive spoked wheels.

Major powers in the NC timeline include the World Federation, in control of Ordis; the Republic of Zaralba, located on the moon; and the authoritarian Kasei Heavenly Kingdom, which wishes to attain independence from the Federation and force the migration of all humans into space. A key theme throughout the NC series, as the name implies, is the cyclical nature of violence, collapse and recovery. The shinjin are portrayed as an evolutionary innovation of the New Cycle, blessed with the ability of unlimited empathy and understanding which enables them to, at least temporarily, "halt the great cycle of time".

The NC storyline continues to be popular, but alternative timelines and spinoff continuities have emerged since the 1990s. These often share aesthetic or thematic ideas with the NC series, but introduce their own entirely new settings and characters. Popular alternative timelines include the "Imperial Century" (IC), the setting of New Century Karakamu (a near-future take on the franchise focused on the efforts of multinational freedom fighters against a world-spanning, authoritarian Pan-Yashiman Empire), and "After Disaster Epoch" (ADE), the setting of Karakamu X, focused on the journey of a colony fleet bound for a mission to the outer solar system, amidst the beginnings of a massive interplanetary war.

Dougwa
Dougwa movies and television series are the origin and main media format of the FF Karakamu franchise.

Games
FF Karakamu is one of the principal recurring franchises in the Uber Robot Wars series of crossover video games.

Other media
Numerous entries in the series have recieved adaptations or spin-offs in the form of or. Both the original 1978 series and the more recent Karakamu X have been adapted into. In 2013 Satsu-Mondai partnered with the Eito Kamugiza to produce a kamugi play called New Century Fighter Karakamu with an original story set in the New Cycle continuity.

Overseas influence
The most immediate impact of Karakamu was felt in Yamatai, where the 1978 show was aired with a week delay, which was immensely popular despite undubbed Shirakawan-language audio and subtitles. It was one of the first codifiers of the genre, and helped spark the "mecha age" in both Chisei and Yamatai throughout the 1980s and early 90s.

Mitsu Television acquired the Yamataian franchise rights in 1980, and in 1981 produced a re-release for VHS and laser disc, which included a Standard Yashiman dub and notoriously altered the plot and writing of the series to include more military detail and, and cut a number of politically sensitive elements, like anti-nuclear subtext and the usage of Yamataian military ranks for the villainous Kasei. Protagonist's names were Yashimanised, and the shows title was changed to Kidō Senshi Karakamu, or Mobile Fighter Karakamu. Hardcore fans rejected the release, and relied on pirated fandubs and subs of later series. Mitsu TV would go on to release several more Karakamu douga in Yamatai, until a 1989 legal battle over merchandising rights forced them to hand over distribution rights to Taiyo Studio. Since the handover, newer series have seen more faithful localisations and a number of re-releases to address past mistakes/censorship. The franchise continue to have enduring popularity in Yamatai, and the country is Satsu-Mondai's primary Escaric market after Chisei, followed by Chanha and Meridon. Studio Taiyo and Studio Yatate have collaborated on numerous projects together, both within and outside the Karakamu franchise.

Valourium was one of the first countries outside Escar to recieve localised versions of the Karakamu television series, with a Zwylnian-language dub airing on Telewizja Walorska under the title Lazurowy Zbrój Karakan ('Azure Armour Karakan') in 1981. The show was a local hit, and spawned an especially dedicated fan following, which surprised both the network and the show's original creators. In 2001 creator Fu Yoshihide visited AnimaKon, a major douga convention in Tefnin, while in 2018 Chancellor Ishū Chika gave a limited edition steelbook edition of the 1978 series as a gift to the Valourian ambassador to Chisei, Kamil Bidanski. Valourium is currently one of only two nations in Amphia with a Kamusu Base, the other being Redon.

In 2010 Satsu-Mondai announced its intent to further market the series outside Escar, launching promotional campaigns and issuing licenses to streaming services in Redon, Zusea, Meridon, Crynia and Achtotlan.

Spinoffs
Kawakamu is an animated series which began during the late 1980s, featuring cute, robot designs from other Karakamu shows, and an emphasis on comedy and adventure.

Kidō Shatai Karakamu or "Mobile Frame Karakamu" is a 2010 crossover OVA series with the popular Yamataian Kido Shatai franchise. A Kaseian clone-pilot from the New Cycle continuity comes into contact with a stellar anomaly and is transported along with her prototype karakamu machine to Niihama in 2011 CE, where she comes into conflict with the mecha forces of the Yamataian military and the Mobile Police. She later unites with HECO to fight against invading forces from the New Cycle, as well as villainous organisations from the present day which wish to make use of the advanced alternate-future technology.