▁defined ▁the ▁super ▁robot ▁genre ▁with ▁Maz inger ▁Z , ▁which ▁was ▁directly ▁inspired ▁by ▁the ▁former ▁series . ▁He ▁had ▁the ▁revolution ary ▁idea ▁to ▁create ▁a ▁me cha ▁that ▁people ▁could ▁control ▁like ▁a ▁car , ▁while ▁waiting ▁to ▁cross ▁a ▁busy ▁street . ▁The ▁concept ▁became ▁" expl os ively ▁popular ", ▁making ▁the ▁m anga ▁and ▁an ime ▁into ▁a ▁success . ▁The ▁series ▁also ▁was ▁the ▁gen esis ▁for ▁different ▁trop es ▁of ▁the ▁genre , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁a ▁robot ▁as ▁a ▁" dynamic ▁entity " ▁that ▁could ▁join ▁with ▁other ▁machines ▁or ▁humans ▁to ▁become ▁un sto pp able . ▁An ime ▁critic ▁Fred ▁Pat ten ▁wrote ▁that ▁almost ▁all ▁me cha ▁an ime ▁plots , ▁such ▁as ▁mon ster ▁of ▁the ▁week ▁shows , ▁were ▁actually ▁met aph ors ▁for ▁re - f ight ing ▁World ▁War ▁II , ▁and ▁def ending ▁Japan ▁and ▁its ▁culture ▁from ▁Western ▁enc ro achment . ▁ ▁By ▁ 1 9 7 7 , ▁a ▁large ▁number ▁of ▁super ▁robot ▁an ime ▁had ▁been ▁created , ▁including ▁Bra ve ▁Ra ide en ▁and ▁D angu ard ▁A ce . ▁The ▁market ▁for ▁super ▁robot ▁to ys ▁also ▁grew , ▁sp aw ning ▁metal ▁die - cast ▁to ys ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Ch og ok in ▁series ▁in ▁Japan ▁and ▁the ▁Sh og un ▁War riors ▁in ▁the ▁U . S ., ▁that ▁were ▁( and ▁still ▁are ) ▁very ▁popular ▁with ▁children ▁and ▁collect ors . ▁The