He was called “Steve Armstrong” by the Filipino dubbers from the 1978 anime series Chodenji Mashin Voltes V, a year where the Philippine public had no or limited knowledge about Japanese Animation.
I can’t reconcile any similarities, how minute they maybe between the name Kennichi and Steve. The dubbers should have named this character “Ken”. I suspect, the character’s name was derived from “Steve Austin” the hero from the hit series “The Six Million Dollar Man”. His family name “Armstrong” obviously came from the U.S. Astronaut who first landed on the moon.
Anyway, Kennichi was depicted in Voltes V as an adroit motocross champ and a master marksman. In some write-ups, he was mentioned as a fighter pilot perhaps these qualities qualify him as the team leader of Voltes V.
Kennichi’s character was that of a kid, who suddenly shouldered all the adult responsibilities after the disappearance of his father. The series showed his love for his parents, especially in the episode where his mother died trying to save him and the other Voltes Team from being dangerously locked in a beast fighter’s grip. Sometimes, his character was firm as a rock on a wavy shore, and many times did he scolded his younger brother Hiyoshi if Hiyoshi was out of line and doing other things than those that require utmost priority. Yet at times, his teenage dispositions overshadow these grownup qualities.
There were several times he insisted on taking on the enemy himself just to make sure that his team mates are all safe. Naturally this does not sit well with the other Voltes Team. There were times that Kennichi was involved in fights; may these against the Boazanian Prince Heinnel and his generals or Ippei, one of his team mates or a grave discussion with Professor Sanjuki, the late Professor Hamagichi’s student who replaced him in command . Kennichi exercise a lengthy stream of expressive rhetoric and emotional outbursts rivaling those of corny tele-novella dramas. These scenes just show that Kennichi’s character is still much very flawed and that makes him ever more human.
Kennichi’s character is not that typical “ladies man” who swept many girls off their feet just like in many shows. The Voltes Team seems to function more in brotherly camaraderie than a group where the female hero tends to have amorous feelings for the male hero.
The series showed three of Camp Big Falcon’s pertinent coordinators perished under the strain of Boazanian onslaughts; Professor Mitsuyo (Kennichi’s mother), Professor Hamaguchi and Field General Oka. Their deaths may have shaken Kennichi but it never toppled his strong resolve. Kennichi’s character was bent on defending the Earth and the search for his long lost father.
I can’t reconcile any similarities, how minute they maybe between the name Kennichi and Steve. The dubbers should have named this character “Ken”. I suspect, the character’s name was derived from “Steve Austin” the hero from the hit series “The Six Million Dollar Man”. His family name “Armstrong” obviously came from the U.S. Astronaut who first landed on the moon.
Anyway, Kennichi was depicted in Voltes V as an adroit motocross champ and a master marksman. In some write-ups, he was mentioned as a fighter pilot perhaps these qualities qualify him as the team leader of Voltes V.
Kennichi’s character was that of a kid, who suddenly shouldered all the adult responsibilities after the disappearance of his father. The series showed his love for his parents, especially in the episode where his mother died trying to save him and the other Voltes Team from being dangerously locked in a beast fighter’s grip. Sometimes, his character was firm as a rock on a wavy shore, and many times did he scolded his younger brother Hiyoshi if Hiyoshi was out of line and doing other things than those that require utmost priority. Yet at times, his teenage dispositions overshadow these grownup qualities.
There were several times he insisted on taking on the enemy himself just to make sure that his team mates are all safe. Naturally this does not sit well with the other Voltes Team. There were times that Kennichi was involved in fights; may these against the Boazanian Prince Heinnel and his generals or Ippei, one of his team mates or a grave discussion with Professor Sanjuki, the late Professor Hamagichi’s student who replaced him in command . Kennichi exercise a lengthy stream of expressive rhetoric and emotional outbursts rivaling those of corny tele-novella dramas. These scenes just show that Kennichi’s character is still much very flawed and that makes him ever more human.
Kennichi’s character is not that typical “ladies man” who swept many girls off their feet just like in many shows. The Voltes Team seems to function more in brotherly camaraderie than a group where the female hero tends to have amorous feelings for the male hero.
The series showed three of Camp Big Falcon’s pertinent coordinators perished under the strain of Boazanian onslaughts; Professor Mitsuyo (Kennichi’s mother), Professor Hamaguchi and Field General Oka. Their deaths may have shaken Kennichi but it never toppled his strong resolve. Kennichi’s character was bent on defending the Earth and the search for his long lost father.