Alan Sukando (Due Ottobre in Italy) is a member of Princess Milenjo’s gang, effectively serving as her bodyguard. As with many of the characters in Yattodetaman, he presents an interesting departure from past characters.
While fulfilling the role of a bad muscleman, Sukando is quite different in several ways compared to his other counterparts. He is tall with a huge build, sporting beedy eyes and an overbite with gaps in his teeth. Sukando also doesn’t talk too much and when he does he’ll sometimes pepper English phrases into his dialogue.
Unlike prior Time Bokan musclemen who were cowardly and easily brushed aside he’s actually quite intimidating and tends to be the biggest threat of Milenjo’s gang short of a mecha. It’s usually encounters with him that prompt Wataru to transform into Yattodetaman, whom Sukando can never defeat.
Sukando is also the focus of a reoccurring joke known as “Sukando’s Eccentric Oddball Corner” where Kokematsu demonstrates Sukando’s unorthodox abilities against a mustached man. Such feats, some of which occasionally factors into the plot, include drinking an entire pond to catch fish or making a headband out of his ears.
The Daikyojin (King Star in Italy, translated as Great Giant in the Royal Revival OVA and Great Flame of Anger in Nurse Witch Komugi) is Yattodetman’s mecha in times of need, first appearing as a ship before quickly taking a humanoid form. Instead of having several cartoony mechas like in past series, the Daikyojin goes for a more Gundam-esque design and is the only one used by the hero here.
Whenever the villainous Milenjo’s gang would receive a mecha via their Timenagamochi, the heroes would summon the Daikyojin by combining Yattodetaman’s key Koyomi’s heart shaped lock and citing the following chant:
Japanese: “Odoroki, momo no ki, sanshou no ki, buriki ni, tanuki ni, sentakki~! Yattekoi koi Daikyojin!” English translation: “Surprise, peach tree, pepper tree, tinplate, tanuki, washing machine! Come come forth, Daikyojin!”
The Daikyojin’s weapon of choice is primarily a blade, though in certain situations he can also use a javelin or a bow and arrow. Yattodetaman usually pilots him, although how much of the input is Yattodetaman or the Daikyojin himself seems to vary. While the Daikyojin can act independently and offer some guidance to Yattodetaman, his pilot can trigger special functions to help get them out of a bind if need be.
Contrary to most other mechas at the time, he’s got quite a personality and can be very emotional, getting angry or excited, even being able to cry. While he hates Milenjo’s gang with a passion, he is a true defender of justice and does go out of his way to not kill them. Yattodetaman supposedly pilots him, although how much of the input is Yattodetaman or the Daikyojin himself seems to very.
If the Daikyojin’s struggling in a fight, Yattodetaman will call upon the Daitemna (Sagittarius in Italy), a yellow pegasus mecha. The Daikyojin will then combine with with it via a method known as Super Docking and form a centaur body that grants him the ability of flight, enhanced speed, and discs that serve as armor and weapons. The Daitenma can also transform into a tank like form with or without the Daikyojin called the Daibajin Tank.
A running gag is that after Milenjo’s gang was defeated, they would plead with the Daikyojin to leave them be. Any sort of bad mouthing about him, often started by Kokematsu, Komaro, or even Don Fan Fan, would get him riled up and attack the gang and what’s left of their mecha. It got to the point where the gang would put on dramatic performances either praising the Daikyojin or making him pity the gang, but all it took was a slip of the tongue for him to unleash his wrath upon them.
In the Royal Revival OVA Milenjo and Kokematsu summon the Daikyojin, borrowed from the Yattodetaman heroes in exchange for appearing in the next episode if the trio wins, and send him to attack the Clean Aku trio’s Sharekobe Buggy. They retaliate by summoning Ippatsuman’s Gyakuten-Oh to fight back.
Both mechas prove to be evenly matched, and the battle quickly comes to a end when their swords break. Both sides feeling embarrassed, the Daikyojin and Gyakuten-Oh spark a friendship and call a truce. This prompts Milenjo to start insulting the Daikyojin, and it should be pretty obvious what happens next.
The Daikyojin appears as a boss in both Bokan to Ippatsu and Bokandesuyo, with it’s combined form with the Daitenma serving as his second form in the latter. On a related note the Daikyojin was considered as a fighter in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, but was cut either due to two giant characters being enough or replaced by Gold Lightan. It goes to show how prominent the Daikyojin is to the Time Bokan series as a whole.
Daigoron (known as Abatar Robot in Italy) is a sumo wrestling robot introduced in Yattodetaman that serves as the bodyguard of Princess Karen. He’s a departure from past robot companions in that he’s a big, intimidating figure that doesn’t serve as a direct sidekick to the heroes. He is based off the real life former sumo wrestler Jesse Kuhaulua, known by his stage name Takamiyama Daigoro.
As suggested, Daigoron is absolutely dedicated to practicing sumo wrestling and protecting Princess Karen no matter what, and very little opinion on anything else. Episode 17 shows him partaking in a training montage set to disco music, where he practices with the hapless Wataru.
However his talents are inefficient in actual combat and he’s often easily defeated by Milenjo’s gang, especially when pitted against Alan Sukando. In fact, Koyomi, Karen, and even Wataru when he’s not Yattodetaman put up more of a fight than he does.
(Spoilers for Yattodetman below)
The last few episodes reveal that he’s actually an agent of the Dalla Hermit, who was sent to monitor the progress of Princess Karen to see if she was worthy of becoming ruler of the Nandara Kingdom, alongside Count Donfanfan who was sent to monitor Milenjo’s gang. After Yattodetaman saves the Nandara Kingdom’s residents from doom in the final episode, he abruptly vanishes with no explanation.
Wataru Toki (Beppe Domani in Italy) is a cowardly 15-year old boy that transform the courageous and charismatic Yattodetaman.
Just about every aspect of him is a parody of Takeshi Yoroi and his
superhero identity, Hurricane Polymar, another Tatsunoko series that
some of the Time Bokan staff had worked on prior to this show.
Along
with his girlfriend Koyomi, both serve as assistants to would be
detective Kingorou Toyama and live in the apartment building which he
manages. One day they notice a time machine appears in the attic, and
out of it appears Princess Karen, the future descendant of the two
teenagers. Seeking the Jujaku phoenix to become ruler and bring peace
the Nandara Kingdom, Wataru and Koyomi agree to help her travel through
time to find it.
After Wataru gets into a nasty encounter with Milenjo’s gang, a rival group looking for the phoenix, Karen bestows upon him the power to awaken his inner courage, and from then on he can become Yattodetaman to fight off the gang and prevent them from getting the Jujaku first.
Wataru
is normally rather meek, clumsy, and wimpy, constantly upstaged by
others around him. In spite of that, he is determined to prove himself
to everyone and at times tries to act bold to impress everyone. He wears
clothing consisting of overalls and a hat with stylized markings on
them, and their general blue colours contrast that of his girlfriend and
his heroic alter-ego, which are more of a “courageous” red. His
favorite food is noodles, in particular cup noodles, and the occasional
gyudon beef bowl dish.
He’ll
attempt to fight back against Milenjo’s gang with varying degrees of
success, sometimes with a gadget he made himself, but he is always
brushed aside by Kokematsu, Sukando, or his own carelessness. This makes
changing into Yattodetaman necessary to properly deal with them.
As
Yattodetaman, he is bold and confident, and acts without hesitation. He
frequently introduces himself by playing a flute, then proclaiming a
motto along the lines of “Surprise, peach tree, pepper tree! From the
ends of time I’ll get you! At last I came through, I’ve finally came
through, Earth’s Idol Yattodetaman!” Unlike previous Time Bokan
heroes he acts alone without a female companion, although he calls upon
Koyomi to combine his key with her keepsake lock to summon the
Daikyojin.
This
state is often triggered by praying and chanting “courage” three times.
Although it’s implied to be a physical transformation, later episodes
show that Karen calls for a special team from the Nandara Kingdom to aid
him. They engulf Wataru and themselves in a ray where time doesn’t
pass, bonk him with a hammer to put him into a trance, and have him go
through a rapid training exercise and costume switch which occurs the
span of a few seconds outside the ray.
One
of his signature weapons is the Rose Shurikens, which often hit the top
of somebody’s head or through their clothes. His other notable weapon
is the Doremi Sword, which acts more like a combination of a flute and
an extending pole that stamps a Y for Yattodetaman onto his enemies,
though it can slice through objects.
He
appears as in the Banpresto Time Bokan games, as a foe of the Dorombo
gang in the shoot-em-ups and as a NPC computer controlled racer in Bokan
GoGoGo! in opposition against Milenjo’s gang racing for a pair of
magical tulips.
While
Wataru himself isn’t present, Arashi member Kazunari Ninomiya
transforms into Yattodetaman in the animated music video for “Believe”,
complete with Rose Shurikens and Doremi Sword. In this state, Ninomiya
fights a robot mole that wrecked his grandparents’ garden, and later
faces off against the Dorombo gang with the rest of Arashi.
Operation Time Bokan 