Cyborg Men

The Cyborg Men

The Cyborg Men are a group of mass-produced cyborg soldiers used by the Black Ghost organization, appearing in the Weekly Shonen King and Weekly Shonen Magazine runs of the manga but also being used in other incarnations.

Appearance

The Cyborg Men all wear identical, form-fitting black bodysuits with a yellow V neck-style trim in the center (though in the 1970s Kodansha color editions, the V-neck is depicted red). Their faces are concealed by black helmets, with red visors.

Most notably, the Cyborg Men are initially shown to have breathing tubes that extend from the mouths of their uniform to oxygen tanks on their back. These oxygen tanks serve as their life support, as the numerous alterations made to the Cyborg Men have made them unable to function without the tanks and breathing tubes. If their breathing tubes are severed, the Cyborg Man will die a near-instantaneous death.

In their reappearance in the Yomi arc, the breathing tubes are no longer a fixture of the Cyborg Men uniforms, likely due to the liability that they posed before.

History

The Cyborg Men first appear in the "Vietnam" arc of the manga, when they're used to interfere and exploit the war going on in Vietnam. They make a second appearance in the Yomi arc, under the guidance of Van Vogt as they attack 009's house.

Following that appearance, the Cyborg Men would not be seen again, although the 1979 arc "The Golden Triangle" depicts Black Ghost soldiers that wear incredibly similar uniforms (but still appear to be human).

SF Roman light novel (1978)

The Cyborg Men are a minor villainous presence in the novel, being used by Skull to operate submarines and to attack the 00 cyborgs.

1979 series

The Neo Black Ghost's soldiers in this adaptation were a loose re-imagining of the Cyborg Men, with different uniforms and exposed mouths. While they lack the life support tubes on their uniforms, they prove to be relatively fragile and easily to defeat in combat, with the soldiers tending to explode when thrown.

Cyborg Soldier adaptation (2001-2002)

In the third anime series, their debut appearance was changed to them trying to spark a war in 008's home country (due to the Vietnam War having long been over).

008's friend Mamado wound up being revealed to have been converted into a Cyborg Man, and could not be swayed to go against the Black Ghost. As in the manga, these types of cyborgs re-appear in the Yomi arc, being lead by Van Vogt. In a difference from the manga, Van Vogt has the Cyborg Men attack Dr. Gilmore's beach house (doubling as his research center), though the outcome is the same.

In the episode "Gilmore's Notes", it is revealed that the converted bodies for Cyborg 0010+ and 0010- were early prototypes for a "Cyborg Man" design. It is also outright stated that the 00 cyborg prototype line ended at 0013, with these being the next models to go into production.

The Cyborg Men were also utilized in the early visual development trailer for the series, with the team facing off against them in the desert.

Archaia Graphic Novel (2013)

The Cyborg Men were loosely adapted in Archaia's re-imagining of Cyborg 009, having been engineered by Sekar to face off against the 00 team in the climax.

Unlike the original manga, this troop also features women as test subjects and all soldiers' faces are exposed. Thus, the Cyborg Men (and women) lack their life support breathing tubes that were a feature of the original design.

Notable Members

Manga

• Cyborg Man #1: A cyborg stationed at the Black Ghost base in Vietnam. He captures 007 and subjects him to torture for information, but is killed by 004 at the end of the arc.
• Cyborg Man #8: Pilot of a "Black Monster" mech. Dies when his breathing tubes are severed.
• Cyborg Man #6: Takes 009, 004, and 007 hostage. Is part of the group that includes #11.
• Cyborg Man #11: The brother of a Vietnamese girl named Lan. Dies when his Black Monster is blown up.
• Cyborg Man #19: Corners 003, 004, and 006 at the Viet Cong base, but is killed when his mecha is blown up by 009.

Cyborg Soldier (2001)

• Mamado: Analogue to Cyborg Man #1 of the manga. He captures 008 to torture him for information, and has been so re-programmed by Black Ghost that betraying the organization is no option for him. This leaves a sorrowful 008 to have to shoot his former friend.