| “ | If Casshern can't do it, who will? | „ |
| ~ The show's catchphrase |
Tetsuya Azuma (東鉄也 Azuma Tetsuya?), also known as Casshan or Casshern is the main protagonist of the 1973 anime Neo-Human Casshern (新造人間キャシャーン Shinzō Ningen Kyashān?).
Personality
Tetsuya is calm and duty driven, and has a strong sense of justice. He is a caring son towards his parents, as seen when he takes an active role in keeping them safe from Braiking Boss. He also reassures his father when he is grief stricken at causing the robot rampage and his reputation falling.
Tetsuya can also be self sacrificial, as when the robots attacked, he willingly gave up his life to be an android despite his family's protests. He also can be a tsundere, as shown by his interactions with Luna. Even though she is his childhood friend and closest companion outside of Lucky, he still refuses to tell her his secret identity as the robot hero Casshan because he doesn't want her to worry. This is even though Luna accurately figured out him and Casshan are one and the same. He goes to great lengths to protect Luna from harm, and is also committed to making sure that the robots are stopped as soon as possible.
He knows that even though humans can be judgemental towards him for being a robot, sometimes even treating him with prejudice, this does not reflect badly on him or is his fault. He continues to treat the human race as worthy of protecting regardless. He has no qualms about going through any kind of danger of it means saving innocent lives.
Tetsuya also has a fiery side and can be blinded by rage. Once when he was pushed too far, he began beating Braiking Boss mercilessly with a large metal bar, prompting Swanee (Midori in a robot form) to come between the two and calm him down.
History
Tetsuya is the son of Kotaro Azuma and Midori Azuma. They lived a peaceful life in the family castle with their dog, Lucky.
Kotaro was a scientist and enjoyed making inventions with the purpose of the betterment of the human race. Among his long line of creations included an army of androids who were meant to behave as protectors of the human race and Earth.
One day, a bolt of lightning struck the castle, piercing right through Azuma's laboratory. It struck the chamber where the androids were being developed. They instantly came to life; however they were evil and hated humanity, for they did not want to live alongside then as equals and thought that it would be better if the entire world belonged to them.
The leader of the robots was a pollution cleaning robot named BK-1, who after his "birth" took upon the name Braiking Boss and swore to wipe out the human race. After attempting to murder the Azumas (who escaped, in part due to Lucky defending them), Braiking Boss took over the castle and declared it his base. He would sit upon a throne through which he would give orders to the other robots on how to take over the planet.
Using the technology left by Dr. Azuma, Braiking Boss created a robot army that would infiltrate human cities and kill as many people as they could. Dr. Azuma greatly regretted creating them and his reputation as a great scientist fell. However, Tetsuya urged his father not to give into despair.
During one of Braiking Boss' military attacks, Lucky intervened to save the life of Luna, one of Tetsuya's friends, from being killed. However, he died in the process. Luna was distraught and took the dog to the Azuma's new home. Kotaro managed to save Lucky by turning him into a robot. Upon witnessing this, Tetsuya had an idea. He asked his father to turn him into a robot too, reasoning that with his scientific genius, he could develop him into a super powerful hero who could defeat Braiking Boss' forces. Kotaro was reluctant at first but with the boy's insistence, he went through with the operation.
Now a robot, Tetsuya took upon the name Casshan. Using his raw force and determination alongside his martial arts skills and newfound powers, he demolished Braiking Boss' army. He continues to fight against Braiking Boss until he is defeated, and along the way helps the human race and the world he lives in recover from the losses at his hand.
Other versions
- Casshan (Casshan: Robot Hunter) - 1993 OVA
- Tetsuya Azuma (Casshern) - 2004 movie
- Casshern (Casshern Sins) - 2013 reboot series
Trivia
- It is speculated that Casshan's backstory is an allusion to Pinocchio, as both are non-human beings who wish to be accepted as humans regardless. Hiroshi Sasagawa, one of the producers of the show, also said that his love of fairytales was one of the influences of the show.
- There are 2 theories behind Casshan's name.
- In Japanese, the onomatopoeia for breaking glass is "cass-han". This could be a reference to how like broken glass, Casshan can never be human again, which is something his father Kotaro points out. Additionally, the anime's opening theme depicts glass being broken at the beginning.
- "Casshan" sounds like "cache", which refers to a buildup of stored data on a device.
- In the Italian dub his name is Kyashan.
- According to Akira Kitamura, Casshern was one of the inspirations of Mega Man.
Gallery
 Heroes
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Neo Human Casshern Casshan: Robot Hunter Casshern 2004 Casshern Sins | ||
