Getter Robo
Getter Robo is a Super Robot anime series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa and produced by Toei Animation. The series ran on Japanese TV in 1974 and lasted for 51 episodes.
Story
The plot involves three strong-willed teenagers: Ryoma Nagare, Hayato Jin and Musashi Tomoe, who pilot three specially designed combat jets, that can be combined together in different forms to form three different kinds of giant robots, Getter-1 (used for aerial combat), Getter-2 (for land-based combat), and Getter-3(for undersea battle). They were assembled by Prof. Saotome, who constructed the robots as Earth's first line of defense against the Dinosaur Empire, which is a civilization of reptile-like humanoids, who evolved from the now-extincted dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions of years ago.
The series was goundbreaking in the anime canon: for the very first time, it introduced the concept of seperate machines combining to form a Super Robot. Using three jets, Getter Robo could combine in three different ways to create three different versions of Getter Robo for differing conditions. This idea was discussed during the creation process for Mazinger Z but was developed for Getter Robo. This combination idea proved to be a very powerful concept that has been used in the super robot genre ever since. Also, Getter Robo, by adding three pilots to the robot was able to add an element of teen drama that was lacking in Mazinger Z and proved to be a successful innovation.