Steel Titan

(ブリキ大王, Buriki Daiō?, lit. Buriki Daioh)

Buriki Daioh, The Tin King

* Front
* Back

The **Steel Titan** is a giant mecha and a central force in the Near Future chapter, The Outsider. It is a godlike robot from antiquity that can only be controlled via psychokinesis. It is used by Akira Tadokoro and Lawless to fight back against the Conspirators and their deity, Odeo.

## Profile

### Appearance

The Steel Titan is a large mech robot. Its color is a dark grey color and wears a golden crown upon its head with red gems. On its chest is the kanji "大" *(Ō),* meaning "big" or "great," and a black belt with golden borders and stars. The belt has a blue gem in the middle and resembles a wrestling belt. Its body is rather rotund, bulky and round, mainly because of its short legs. It has four black jets on its back which function both as a jetpack and as a missile silo for Tobei's bombs. His bulky arms have three red gems each which are able to shoot lasers.

## History

### The Near Future: The Outsider

The lyrics of Go! Go! Steel Titan! indicate that the Steel Titan was built long ago in Babylonia, a former state in the Mesoptoamia region, and that it conceals god-like abilities. The ancient peoples utilized strong psychic powers to operate the robot and lay waste to their enemies. Though Babylonia would eventually fall, its defender would survive far beyond it.

After laying dormant for millennia, the Titan eventually came into the hands of Doc Tobei, who sought to use it to bring attention to his humble antiques shop. The doctor stored the mecha in a large chamber under his shop, beneath a lake in the central park, away from the public eye. He studied the robot and provided upgrades to its offensive capabilities, though he was never able to understand exactly how it was operated.

The Steel Titan is first stumbled upon by Akira during a visit to Doc Tobei's shop. Having just resuscitated the dying Taroimo, from this Tobei had only just realized the Titan was controlled through similar means; either through the power of a liquefacted human, or by a person with innate psychic abilities. Akira volunteers to try and pilot it, but despite his best efforts he is unable to compel the Steel Titan to move. Akira may ask Tobei to allow him to retry it as many times as he likes, but he will never succeed.

Later, after the conspiracy to summon Odeo is discovered, the heroes come to realize that the Steel Titan is their only hope against such an immense threat. Kaori volunteers to be liquefacted in order to power the Titan, but Akira vehemently refuses. Lawless attempts to control the giant, but being just a normal human, he too meets with failure. Refusing to give up, Lawless consumes a lethal amount of Matango to greatly augment his concentration and tries again. This time, the biker succeeds, and the Steel Titan is finally roused from its slumber.

Lawless is able to navigate the Titan to the Bright Sparks Orphanage and heroically rescues Akira and his sister from an attack by the Crusaders, but the Matango's effects on his body proves too much and he perishes soon after, leaving the giant once more inert. At that moment, Akira demands everyone else exit the mecha's cockpit. Fueled by determination and the sacrifices of his friend, Akira exerts previously unseen spiritual strength, and he is at last able to pilot the Steel Titan. Pressing on through the city to Odeo Temple, General Yamazaki deploys a colossal army in a bid to destroy the Titan, but his modern military technology is grossly outmatched; his fighter jets, tanks, and warships alike are annihilated by the Steel Titan's absolute might.

Arriving at Odeo Temple, Akira is too late to stop the sacrificial ritual, and Odeo enters our world through the temple's Inko Buddha Statue. Akira nevertheless remains steadfast and readies the Titan to fight. The two deities clash on the temple grounds, and with its superior strength, the Steel Titan reduces the Statue to rubble, dispelling Odeo from the mortal plane. The danger was yet to end, however, as the pool of two thousand liquefacted humans that were required for the vile ritual grow agitated and attempt to submerge the Titan. With the last of his determination, Akira wrests the Titan free of their clutches.

The Steel Titan is last seen in the chapter's credits, having been returned to its shelter under Doc Tobei's antiques shop. Akira attempts to activate the robot yet again, but in this time of peace, he is unable to muster the strength. Thus, the Steel Titan silently rests until it should be needed again.

### Final Chapter: The Dominion of Hate

The Steel Titan appears once more in the final chapter, during Odio's last stand. It is again piloted by Akira against the Inko Buddha Statue, where it just as effortlessly prevails against it.

Alternatively, the Steel Titan appears as a boss if Oersted is chosen as the chapter's protagonist. In this scenario, the tables are turned; Odeo's utter disregard for humanity proves supreme, and the Titan is completely wrecked.

## Trivia

* The Steel Titan shares a similar appearance to Tetsujin 28-gō, known as Gigantor in the West.
* Due to being much bigger than a typical playable character sprite, along with its unusual stats, the Steel Titan is programmed as an enemy that the player can take control of.
* In the 2022 remake, checking the drawers of Kato's room in The Mechanical Heart will uncover a mint-condition vintage Steel Titan toy,