“Chōdenji Robo Combattler V” (超電磁ロボ コン・バトラーV), Original Hand-Painted Production Cel-ga (“セル画”) of Combattler V with Chōdenji Yō-Yō, A-10 Action Sequence Frame, Toei / Soeisha–Sunrise Production, circa 1976–77
A single original hand-painted production cel-ga (“セル画”), measuring approximately 26.5 x 23 cm, depicting Combattler V in a dynamic combat pose, wielding its iconic Chōdenji Yō-Yō (超電磁ヨーヨー / Super Electromagnetic Yo-Yo). The robot is shown in full-body action, its chain weapon sweeping across the lower portion of the composition, with the red yo-yo blade visible at the right. The image is executed in hand-painted animation colour on transparent cel, with sharp black linework, bold red, blue, white and yellow palette, and visible studio production markings.
The upper margin is marked “333 A-10”, with a further “A10” annotation visible at the lower right. This identifies the cel as the tenth drawing / cel in the primary A-layer of production sequence or cut 333. The surviving registration holes, pencil outlines and studio notation preserve the working logic of late-1970s Japanese television animation.
The present work comes from Chōdenji Robo Combattler V (超電磁ロボ コン・バトラーV), the landmark super-robot television series broadcast on NET, now TV Asahi, from April 1976 to May 1977. Toei Video records the series as a 54-episode colour television production, with Tadao Nagahama as chief director, Saburō Yatsude as original creator, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko as animation character designer, Studio Nue as mechanical designer, and music by Hiroshi Tsutsui.
Combattler V occupies a major position in the history of Japanese Super Robot animation. The series is generally understood as the first work in the later Nagahama Romance Robot line, preceding Voltes V and Tōshō Daimos. Super Robot Wars DD’s official profile describes Combattler V as the first robot anime in what later came to be called the Romance Robot trilogy, combining strong robot action with dramatic treatment of both hero and enemy characters.
The series was also important in the development of the five-part combining robot formula. Toei Video emphasizes that Combattler V could combine only when the five pilots’ hearts were united, and notes that the five Battle Machines’ transformation and combination were closely reflected in the hugely successful DX Popinica toy line. Tamashii Nations likewise identifies Combattler V as the first five-body combined robot in its Chogokin context, underscoring the work’s continuing significance in the history of Japanese robot toys and animation culture.
The cel’s subject is especially desirable because it shows the completed robot with weapon in use, rather than a static standing pose or isolated pilot portrait. The Chōdenji Yō-Yō is one of Combattler V’s signature weapons; Bandai’s official Tamashii Nations description of later Combattler V figure releases specifically lists the Super Electromagnetic Yo-Yo among the robot’s major armaments and refers to its bladed parts. In the present cel, the extended chain, red blade and full-body stance give the work a particularly strong display presence.
The composition itself is highly effective. Combattler V stands diagonally across the sheet, braced in mid-attack, the sweeping chain creating a strong horizontal axis across the foreground. The robot’s compact central pose, extended weapon and visible movement lines give the image the character of a photographed action frame. The pale production sheet behind the cel allows the underdrawing and registration to remain visible, while the absence of a finished painted background focuses attention on the robot and its attack animation.
What makes the work especially compelling is its survival as a physical artifact of pre-digital animation production. Traditional cel animation relied on transparent painted sheets photographed frame by frame over background or layout elements. Here, the process remains plainly visible: hand-painted colour on cel, registration holes, graphite guide lines, production numbering, and apparent underlying / transferred drawing detail.
For collectors of Combattler V, Tadao Nagahama, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Studio Nue, Toei / Sunrise-related robot animation, Chogokin history and original Japanese cel-ga, this is a strong and historically resonant production piece. It represents not only an important robot from the late-Showa super-robot period, but one of the visual formulas that shaped the subsequent development of combining mecha animation and toy culture.
Provenance
Acquired in Japan from a well-known private collection in Kyoto; same provenance as the referenced Ultraman Ace original genga / production artwork.
Condition
Overall very good for period animation production material of this type, with strong surviving colour and excellent display presence. The cel shows expected age toning, light handling wear, minor edge and corner wear, small surface marks, visible registration holes, graphite guide lines and original production annotations including “333 A-10” and “A10”. The linework remains clear, and the principal colours remain strong. Please review the photograph carefully, asit shows the exact item for sale.
Authenticity
This is an original period hand-painted production cel-ga (“セル画”) from Chōdenji Robo Combattler V (超電磁ロボ コン・バトラーV), depicting Combattler V with its Chōdenji Yō-Yō. It is not a reproduction, printed cel, sericel, modern replica or digital print. Certificate of Authenticity Included.
Age
This work dates to circa 1976–77 and is now approximately 49–50 years old.
