In the 1st DAITETSUJIN 17 english compilation , they renamed the robot , BRAIN 17 . It's odd that they do this because the enemy is also called the BRAIN as well. Which is was what the enemy was originally called in the Japanese series. In Japan the series was in fact related to TETSUJIN 28 , more commonly called GIGANTOR in the U.S.. However there is little mention of this ever made. It is strongly suspected the 2 english translations of DAITETSUJIN 17 that were made were meant to be pilots to try to get Toei series like SUPER SENTAI released in America. However tese attempts failed for the most part. In the begining of the 1st english version that was released , Japan scientists created a giant supercomputer with a giant eye in the middle of it to predict their weather, fight crime, invent things, etc.. They named their creation the BRAIN. One night, the thing just unplugs itself and runs off right through the wall and one of the professors, Hassler, is missing too. Realizing the critical situation had grown serious, to quote the narrator, the Defenders (a special military group), scramble their jets, tanks, and soldiers and look around everywhere.They search for over a year , but find nothing. One day however some soldiers manage to rescue a truck stuck in the mud, a wedding party who needs to get somewhere. Then one of the soldiers picks up an unknown object and the MRSS starts beeping , causing the soldiers to gasp with fear. Then there's an avalanche. Some place called Demon Canyon collapses. Some guy falls into a secret cave and finally, we discover that BRAIN has holed himself up in this particular cave. Only one of the wedding party, a guy named Stevie, survives the disaster. Some soldiers chase Stevie around, but he finds a giant robot called DAITETSUJIN 17 , they accidently wake it up, and the army retreats. Stevie is picked up by the robot who hands him a helmet communicator device. Stevie throws it down, the robot puts him down, and he too runs away. Later Brain starts sending giant robots to attack the city. The planes and tanks can't stop them , Stevie continues running towards a 300 foot tall steamroller robot that is trashing the city and thows a live grenade he finds on the ground at it. But, just as Rollerbot is just about to squish him, DAITETSUJIN 17 busts out of the ground and comes to the rescue! DAITETSUJIN 17 also has a secret weapon mounted on his chest, which is a powerful gun called the "Graviton Cannon". Now we learn that Hassler is secretly in league with BRAIN as the mad scientist. And BRAIN wants to recruit himself an army of henchman, so he sends a "hurricane robot" to break famous criminals out of prisons around the world, by famous I assume they mean infamous. Back at the Defender's base one of the soldiers convinces the boss that if he gets himself arrested he'll be a shoe in for recruitment in BRAIN's new army, and he can infiltrate it's secret base. The Hurricane Robot decides his one random act of larceny warrants world class Henchman status and sucks him up, and so the Defenders try tracing his signal. They already know where BRAIN is so their spy decides to try infiltrate the base, and is suprised when he stumbles into a room and finds BRAIN there. But, the BRAIN is onto him. Meanwhile, Stevie and some Defenders end up back in Demon's Canyon and find Stevie's communicating helmet, and their spy on a cross. Then the Hurricane Robot laughs at their pathetic machines and attacks their army! Then, wearing the communicating helmet Stevie calls on DAITETSUJIN 17, who shows up and serveth up a heapin helpin of heavy metal ass kick and uses the Graviton Cannon! DAITETSUJIN 17 tells Stevie he's now his new partner in this new war against their enemy. Back at the enemy base , BRAIN the computer gets angry when Hassler gripes about yet another robot being destroied by DAITETSUJIN 17, and zaps him. Stevie, swearing bloody vengeance on the blood of his family and big sister, slain in the avalanche enlists DAITETSUJIN 17's aid in combating BRAIN. Back at Defender Base a new captain arrives with news the BRAIN has recruited some new criminals. The Defenders are still trying to figure out how the helmet works with Stevie and DAITETSUJIN 17. They figure that DAITETSUJIN 17 is using it to tune in to whenever Stevie is in personal danger and is just trying to rescue him. Deciding to test their theory with a mock attack on Stevie, their plans are thwarted when BRAIN's goons actually attack for real! A mountain explodes, something comes out of the side of it. The army sends a squad of planes to investigate but are destroyed. Gasping in terror as their military proves itself once again ineffective. Before DAITETSUJIN 17 arrives , this new enemy robot is apparently a giant piston robot, so low on 17's foot scale he just dispenses with an attack and puts DAITETSUJIN 17 out of commission. So the Defenders have decided to build a new supercomputer called Big Angel. BRAIN sends a new monster and starts attacking the city. This turns out to be a giant dragon robot! The Defenders stall for time with their rocket lauchers untill DAITETSUJIN 17 can arrive to the battle scene. BRAIN then sends two pink and blue Jaguar Girls to find Big Angel, and is insisting that he be referred to as "Mr. Brain". The Jaguar Girls get their butts kicked pretty fast, and apparently one of them either turns into a mannequin or we're supposed to believe was one all along as the others escape. DAITETSUJIN 17 is still fighting the dragon robot but stops short of chasing Stevie and Hassler and the Jaguar Girls into the BRAIN's base. The Jaguar Girls fight with each other because Pink Jaguar doesn't want to kill Stevie, but Blue's a cold hearted bitch. BRAIN tells the Dragon Robot to attack DAITETSUJIN 17 and the Dragon Robot breathes fire, knocks DAITETSUJIN 17 over and drags him towards the Brain Area. Bad things happen while in the Brain Area but then another, smaller robot named Orson is activated inside DAITETSUJIN 17, he shuffles around moaning. But, after Gravitronning the Dragon Robot, BRAIN sends out his own tentacles to ensnare DAITETSUJIN 17! Stevie decides he has to go inside DAITETSUJIN 17 and flip the a control switch, and encounters ORSON for the first time inside DAITETSUJIN 17's head. He leads Stevie into a Control Room where he now manually pilots DAITETSUJIN 17 to defeat Hassler and the BRAIN. Orson then tosses Stevie out of DAITETSUJIN 17 just before it crash lands on the BRAIN. Thus leading leading to both the BRAIN's and DAITETSUJIN 17's destruction! Stevie survives and decides to continue wearing the control helmet in memory of his fallen comrade. In addition to the english version of DAITETSUJIN 17 called BRAIN 17 , there was another translation with another new story reportedly called REVENGE OF THE DEFENDERS. Sadly it was never released on video and has not been shown on tv for like over 20 years. If anyone ever comes across a copy of this please notify us. Another interesting fact is who translated this and why. It was done by a small company that used to own Marvel Comics. Putting together varrious other storys from other sources , apparently this is related to Toei trying to get Marvel Comics to release SUPER SENTAI ,( POWER RANGERS ) in the U.S. back in the 1970's with BATTLE FEVER J and so on after negotiations with the Japanese SPIDERMAN had failed. DAITETSUJIN 17 nor the Japanese SPIDERMAN are considered to be part of the SUPER SENTAI series in Japan but they both have a close resemblance which later led to the more modern traditional SUPER SENTAI we are more familar with like BIOMAN , DYNAMAN , and so on.
