If you are a fan of Spider-Man, you must be familiar with Peter Parker. A young genius and smart who works as a photographer in one of the print media called Daily Buggle. But Japan also has its own version of Spider-Man, named Takuya Yamashiro.

The Japanese version of Spider-Man started when Toei collaborated with Marvel Comics. The partnership earned Toei Company the rights to the Spider-Man franchise in Japan. On the other hand, Marvel Comics can also use one of their franchises, namely Shogun Warriors.

After getting the rights, Toei tried to create their own version of Spider-Man. By combining the concept of a sentai film with Marvel's Spider-Man, Toei no Spider-Man, also known as Supaidaman, was created.

Therefore, the Japanese version of Spider-Man also has a number of differences that make it very unique, one of which isa mecha robot named Leopardon. Well, this mecha robot belonging to Spider-Man turns out to have some interesting facts that you might not know.

1. Created by a Toy Company

In the 1970s to 1980s, Japan was very well known for robot toys made of very sturdy and detailed steel. Robot toys also became the biggest income in the toy industry in Japan at that time. This makes Marvel interested in incorporating robotic elements into the Spider-Man story. So Toei finally called a robot toy designer, Katsushi Murakami from the Popy toy company at that time. He was asked to design a robot character that would later not only appear in the Toei no Spider-Man series, but also be sold to children in Japan.

2. Leopardon’s Design Inspired by Sphinx

The name Leopardon comes from the name of a new German tank, namely Leopard which was made in 1979. The appearance of a robot that looks like a leopard is very interesting, because Spider-Man is actually very synonymous with a spider, but Toei has combined it with a robot in the form of a leopard. According to information provided by the creator through an interview conducted in Marvel 616, Katsushi Murakami got the idea while on a train and got inspiration from the shape of the Sphinx statue. According to Katsushi, this is very suitable for Toei's version of Spider-Man.

3. The World’s First Transformable Robot

The next interesting fact is that Leopardon is the world's first transformable robot. Before becoming Leopardon, he had the initial form of a starship named Marveller which was owned by Garia. While developing the design of the robot, Katsushi said that he wanted an unusual robot. At that time, comic makers in America had used the term "Transform" or "Morphing". So he thought about implementing the idea to a robot. The idea of ​​changing the shape of a robot is also the first idea introduced by Katsushi in the world at that time.

4. Flying Car As Main Control Room

Inside Marveller, there is also a flying car called the Spider Machine GP-7. The flying car is not only equipped with weapons and missile systems, but also becomes a control room when Takuya's Spider-Man transforms Marveller into Leopardon.

5. Leopardon Size

When Marveller transforms into Leopardon, it’s 60 meters tall and weigh up to 25 thousand tons. In comparison, Leopardon's size is even larger than Scott Lang's version of Ant-Man, which only reaches 65 feet or about 20 meters when it turns into a giant during a battle in Captain America: Civil War.

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6. Can Fly in Space

When in Marveller form, it can fly in space and can fly at speeds up to Mach 15. This allows Marveller to fly at the speed of light. But since Marveller was given to Takuya who was on Earth, Marveller was rarely seen in outer space and more often acted as Leopardon.

7. Leopardon is Equipped with Several Weapons

As a great mecha, Leopardon is also equipped with a number of weapons that are shown in a number of actions against giant monsters. Some of these weapons, including; Arm Rocket, Arc Turn, Leopardon Strings, Spider Protector, and the most legendary is Sword Vigor.

Sword Vigor is also Leopardon's mainstay weapon which he holds with his right hand. This weapon is not only very powerful for killing Machine BEM (monsters in the Japanese version of Spider-Man), it is also one of the weapons that can kill Solus.

8. Has Also Appeared in Marvel Comics

Not only in the live-action version, Leopardon also briefly appeared in the Spider-Verse comic series. At that time, Miguel O'Hara with Lady Spider asked Takuya and Leopardon to join a number of other Spider-Man to fight against Solus and The Inheritors.

9. Also Released As Toys

As one of the main factors in the development of the Japanese Spider-Man, Leopardon is also one of the products sold as toys in Japan. At that time, the robot was made by a toy company called Popy. This company is owned by Bandai and was founded in 1971. At that time the Leopardon robot toy was made using iron material with details and designs that resembled the film. Although it is quite old, the Leopardon toy was also remade by Bandai in 2006 under the name Soul of Chogokin GX-33 Leopardon.

10. Stan Lee Loves Leopardon

Before being shown for the American region, the film Toei no Spider-Man was shown first to the Marvel executives. Among the executives, only Stan Lee stood up and applauded after watching the series. He said that the Japanese Spider-Man was extraordinary and both adults and children would love it. In addition, Stan Lee was also very impressed with the Leopardon form possessed by the Japanese Spider-Man. Apart from Stan Lee, many people also admire the design of the Marveller and Leopardon robots by Katsushi Murakami. As a result, sales of the robot toy increased drastically at that time.

Those are the facts about Leopardon, the giant mecha owned by Japanese Spider-Man. Stay‌ ‌tuned‌ ‌on ‌Dunia‌ ‌Games‌ ‌for‌ ‌more‌ ‌articles‌ ‌about‌ ‌anime‌ ‌and‌ ‌games.‌ ‌Don't‌ ‌forget‌ ‌to‌ ‌follow‌ us‌ ‌on‌‌ ‌‌Facebook‌‌ ‌‌and‌‌ ‌‌Instagram‌.‌ ‌

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Also Read >> Eternals to Be Released Soon, Here Are 5 Things You Need to Know About the Superhero Movie!

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