Armageddon is a love letter to the Getter Robo franchise and exceeds every aspect it set out to accomplish. By borrowing elements from every arc of the manga it manages to create a completely original story with tons of nods and references to what you already know while still creating an engaging and emotional story of its very own. I loved seeing the leaders of both the dinosaur and hyakki empire show up as minor enemies and getting to see the Getter Emperor, my personal favorite mech from the series, in a small cameo.
Ryoma, Hayato and Benkei are shown with more complexity and flaws than they ever were in the saga while still managing to keep all of the elements that made them fun and likeable in the first place. Ryoma still feels like a badass hotheaded loose cannon who will do anything to get the job done while still feeling guilt and regret over the death of Michiru and none of these elements contradict one other or feel out of place.
Saotome’s turn from ally into the main antagonist feels both tragic and unavoidable, you can understand his hatred for the Getter pilots after what happened to his daughter and you can see how a man already considered on the edge by his peers became humanities greatest enemy. He’s easily one of the best mad scientist archetypes I’ve ever seen.
Kei’s story fits in well with Getter Robo’s theme of evolution and growth and manages to utilize a very underdeveloped character from the series and turns them into one of the strongest members of the cast. The reveal of who she actually is doesn’t feel out of place at all.
Gou is a great addition to the series and his stoic personality proves to be an interesting foil to Ryoma’s hotheadedness that we’ve grown accustomed to. He also manages to stand on his own without it feeling like it comes to Ryoma’s detriment as a character in the story. They both feel equally important, unique, and likeable for their own reasons. Even when Ryoma is temporarily taken out of the story so that Gou and his friends can be established.
Armageddon’s ending feels like a strong final salute to the original trio and comes across as completely fitting, awesome, and deserved. They will fight the enemies of humanity for eternity in the distant future while leaving the job of safeguarding the past to those that they have watched rise to the task and I can’t think of a better conclusion for Ryoma in particular than something like that.
The series has fantastic visuals, action, and music on top of an excellent story which leads to this being one of the best OVA’s I’ve ever seen and easily the strongest entry in the Getter Robo franchise.
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