Shogun Warrior Views

General Goods

Like certain other toy lines of the 1970s, the Shogun Warriors came under pressure due to safety concerns regarding their spring-loaded weapons features. It was feared that children might launch the weapons and hit other children or pets in the eye, or there was risk that children might swallow the plastic missiles and other small parts. Toy manufacturers were facing new regulations due to reported child injuries as a result of playing with these toys. Consequently, many toy companies were forced to remodel existing toy lines with child-safe variations (such as spring loaded action missiles that would remain attached to the toy). For this reason, as well as decreasing sales, the toy line disappeared by 1980.

Shogun Warriors was licensed in 1979–1980 for a 20-issue series by Marvel Comics,[1] which was written by Doug Moench and featured art by Herb Trimpe. In the comic, the Shogun Warriors were created by a mysterious group called the Followers of the Light. Human operators were chosen from all around the world to operate the massive robots in order to battle evil.

The series is firmly rooted in the Marvel Universe, as evidenced by their interactions with the Fantastic Four in the last two issues of the series. Issue #15 was a fill-in issue written by Steven Grant with art by Mike Vosburg. The series took a dramatic turn with issue #16, as the Shogun Warriors's mentors were destroyed by the Primal One and his followers. This alien force decided that Earth's technology had outpaced its morality, and so it was their duty to destroy the Shogun Warriors as well as other powerful humans, including Reed Richards and Tony Stark.

Shogun Warriors were a line of toys, licensed by Mattel during the late 1970s that consisted of a series of imported Japanese robots all based on then-popular giant robot anime shows. They were originally manufactured in three sizes, the 24 inch plastic versions, the 3.5 inch diecast metal versions and the slightly taller but much more detailed and articulated 5 diecast versions. There were also several vehicles offered and a set that could be put together to form Combattra (Combattler V).