R. JeTan
R. JeTan (アールジェタン) is a Machine Robo who fights on the Electronic Planet B-1.
He is the leader of the Battle Hackers unit. He is named due to his ability to convert from Robot to Jet to Tank. R. JeTan is armed with the R. Bazooka among other weapons, stands 6.2m tall, weights 10.5 tons and can fly up to Mach 8.5 in jet mode thanks to having engines capable of generating 17,000 horsepower.
He is a quiet and thoughtful commander who instead draws respect from his troops from being more heavily armed than the next eight guys on the planet combined. That bit in Hot Shots Part Deux where Topper massacres all those Iraqi soldiers single-handedly? That's R. JeTan on an off day. Which obviously makes for lots of suspense and jeopardy - "Will the Battle Hackers win?"/"Of course they will, they have R. JeTan and his toy costs more than a house."
Fiction[edit | edit source]
Machine Robo: Battle Hackers cartoon[edit | edit source]
- Voice actor: Shinya Ohtaki
R. JeTan once led a unit in battle that were besieged by the Gurendos, and he was traumatised when every last one of them was killed. R. JeTan! Run!
He was later given a new command, the Battle Hackers - consisting of R. JeTan, Garzack and Gattai Saurer. Their main activities were driving around on hoverboards causing other people to crash, though R. JeTan's role in this malarkey involved trundling along passively in his tank mode. Following their disagreements with RIM, former Silver Wolves leader Pro Truck Racer and former White Thunder leader Mach Blaster were assigned to join the team. The new recruits broke protocol when they suggested the Battle Hackers actually do something to help when they picked up an SOS from the Wheelmen, who had the humans from the Good Luck onboard and were under attack from a huge force of Gurendos. Pro Truck Racer and Mach Blaster went off to help anyway, and R. JeTan eventually decided to order the rest of the team to join them, driving the bad guys off with the gigantic guns he never put down. Strongest Warrior - R.JeTan! After Akira was kidnapped from Crystal City by the Gurendos agents Kizune and Gantsuke, R. JeTan led the search and rescue operation, later collapsing a building on the bad guys after the human had been rescued. Crystal Eavesdropping Strategy The Battle Hackers then helped clear Gurendos troops from a strategic bridge outside Crystal City. R. JeTan was knocked into the water in his first meeting with Gakurandar but ultimately the Gurendos were forced into retreat, with R. JeTan using Mach Blaster's gun mode to wipe out scores of retreating Sitappa and Teppodaman units. Jet Riser - Full Fire! After Mia and Patricia returned to the stricken Good Luck in Power Riser suits the Battle Hackers scrambled to protect them, with R. JeTan using the R. Bazooka to slice a giant tree in half, crushing numerous Gurendos troopers. Return to the Good Luck While he was less overtly horrible to Akira about Garzack losing his Garfire-SP in a scuffle with the Gurendos it was likely his reaction that led to Akira trying to draw Sorikondar out by using himself and the Jet Riser as bait. At least he got to have a laugh at Akira getting a chunk of his hair razed off by laser fire. Stolen Garfire-SP R. JeTan then led the Battle Hackers to recover Rotary Kid and Twincam Jimmy. Rotary Kid and Twincam Jimmy He then helped Garzack and Jeep Robo replace the Crystalium in one of the planet's power stations before it overloaded and caused huge damage to the Algo Republic. Crystalium Recovery Operation
The Battle Hackers then assisted the Blue Dragons and Winner Robo, rescuing Gurendos hostages from a mine, with R. JeTan and Mach Blaster helping escort them to safety. A New Machine Robo Team Appears! Gakurandar then attempted to draw out R. JeTan alone by trapping Twincam Jimmy, Rotary Kid, Akira and Zen Ogawa in a huge scrapyard. He realised it was a trap but felt he had no choice, arriving alone. R. JeTan was in danger of being overwhelmed when the quartet escaped their confinement and help him rout the Gurendos. Muddy Duel He and Mach Blaster then destroyed the aerial mines protecting a new Gurendos super-gun set up outside Crystal City, helping the Winner Robo destroy it. Dangerous Grand Whale R. JeTan then led a successful assault on a Gakurandar satellite beaming controlling rays down on Crystal City, blowing the broadcasting dish up with Mach Blaster's gun mode. Destroy the Fortress Satellite Sorikondar later pinned the Battle Hackers down with a huge army, triggering R. JeTan's memories of his previous unit's destruction. However, he snapped himself out of the funk to save his troops, and with help from Drill Crusher, F-One Jack, Akira and Zen was finally able to destroy Sorikondar. R. JeTan! Run! When the Gurendos blew a huge smokescreen over the Battle Hackers, R. JeTan was able to use his weaponry to burn off the smoke before using it again to massacre a whole ton of enemies. Quickly, Gattai Saurer!
Despite his best efforts neither R. JeTan or the Battle Hackers were able to ultimately prevent Yasand stealing a number of electromagnetic missiles from an Algo Army base, though at least he used Mach Blaster to blow Devil Satan 6 into his components. The Stolen Secret Weapon An attempt to recapture the projectiles before they could be fired on Crystal City was similarly stalled by the Gurendos bogging down the Battle Hackers' assault, and Yasand fired one of them on the city - causing huge casualties. Target: Grand Whale Along with Akira he tried to stop further missiles hitting the city and later mount a second assault on Yasand's missile convoy but another missile was burst over the Battle Hackers. R. JeTan was in the path of the fallout until Buggy Wolf sacrificed himself to knock him out of the way - which the leader took with his usual laconic apathy. The Flower of Hope Blooming on the Battlefield He did then lead a mission to retrieve a device to restore the casualties from the missile attack. They were beset by Gurendos so he and Mach Blaster held off the bulk of the force, with Akira and Twincam Jimmy eventually getting it back to the Grand Whale. Let's Do It! His special gunsight was the only sensory device the Algo Army had that could pick up Igarn and R. JeTan played a major role in destroying both Igarn and his partner Shinobis before they could destroy RIM. He then led an assault on the Gurendos, besting Gakurandar in single combat and forcing the enemy into a retreat. Special Command - Destroy RIM
The Battle Hackers then attempted to combat a huge aggressive sludge from below the surface of B-1 that was being used by the Gurendos to attack miners. The team climbed down, with R. JeTan ultimately defeating the creature single-handedly before confronting Rikimines. The battle between the pair was initially even before the Gattai Saurer team took out the Gurendos captain. Break Through the End of the Earth After a gruelling combat in the desert he ended up in single combat with Kariagen, blasting the Gurendos' flying mohawk (sic) out of the air with his leg cannons; Kariagen was destroyed by the resulting explosion. Hot Sand Battle, Hurry Jet! R. JeTan later led a daring raid on the Gurendos' new mobile fortress; after the team crept onboard he ended up in single combat with Shibumidas when one of the guards raised the alarm. While the Gurendos captain was able to use his shield to negate R. JeTan's firepower he eventually destroyed Shibumidas with a flying kick. The operation nearly went off without a hitch and the base was destroyed - but Mach Blaster was captured by Yasand and Rikkimines. Captive Mach Blaster He had little hesitation in leading the team to rescue Mach Blaster from the Gurendos' Blood Country base. When Gakurander and a large force of Gurendos met them outside he took the lot on single-handedly so the other Battle Hackers could undertake the rescue. After withstanding a huge barrage he met Gakurandar in combat again; this time his cannon shattered the Gurendos' blade, which lodged in Gakurandar's chest and killed him. As the others rescued Mach Blaster he fought the army single-handedly until the arrival of the Algo Army in the Grand Whale. He was oblivious as Akira, Luke, Mia, Patricia and Zen discovered the true origins of B-1 as a human weapons testing ground before they were sent back to Earth in a spaceship, continuing to fight the Gurendos. Goodbye - Battle Forever
Leina Stol in Wolf Sword Legend[edit | edit source]
R. JeTan and the other Battle Hackers thanked Rom Stol for his help on B-1 before heading off to parts unknown. Leina Stol in Wolf Sword Legend II
Toys[edit | edit source]
Machine Robo: Battle Hackers[edit | edit source]
- R. JeTan (Battle Hacker, 1987)
- ID number: BH-05
- Accessories: R. Bazooka (robot version), R. Bazooka (tank version), R. Bazooka (robo-jet version), Subrifle, magazine, cockpit, tailfin (2), pellets (type 1), pellets (type 2), discs, battery pack
- R. JeTan was released in Bandai's Machine Robo: Battle Hackers toyline in 1987, and converts from robot to jet to tank to robo-jet. The tank is tenuous at best, and the robo-jet is a Gerwalk-style in-between mode. The different R. Bazookas can be fitted to each mode, each firing a different kind of ammunition; linking up the electronic pack added sound effects to the mix. R. JeTan has a flip-down gunsight on his head in robot mode, which is awesome. R. JeTan has articulation at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, and the jet mode has retractable landing gear. The cockpit and tailfins were not attached to the toy in the box and had to be clipped on by the buyer. R. JeTan retailed at ¥6500, and was by far the most expensive figure in the Battle Hackers line.
- R. JeTan was not released outside of Japan.
Merchandise[edit | edit source]
EM Gokin[edit | edit source]
- R. JeTan (2017)
- Accessories: R. Bazooka (robot version), R. Bazooka (tank version), R. Bazooka (robo-jet version), Subrifle, Hoverboard, Mach Blaster
- R. JeTan was released in November 2017 as part of Fewture Models' EM Gokin range of licenced cartoon robots, made from a mix of PVC, ABS and diecast. The figure is highly poseable and was sculpted by Mune Moriguchi of XELFLEX in line with the cartoon's stylised character model. It included a show-accurate range of accessories, including a hoverboard. The first production run included a small version of fellow Battle Hacker Mach Blaster in gun mode. Through parts-switching the figure can form R. JeTan's jet, tank and robo-jet modes. The figure cost ¥24,800.
- R. JeTan (Metal Ver) (2017)
- Accessories: R. Bazooka (robot version), R. Bazooka (tank version), R. Bazooka (robo-jet version), Subrifle, Hoverboard, Mach Blaster
- The above figure was simultaneous issued with a metallic colour scheme.
Notes[edit | edit source]
- R. JeTan was reportedly given pink colours by PLEX design legend Katsushi Murakami to give him a unique look as the colour had rarely been used on a character in a line aimed predominantly at boys.
- Early concept art (right) for the character featured red colours and a different head design closer to that used on the animation model for the tank mode.