Fictional history
On prehistoric Earth, the alien Followers of Light defeated the Followers of Dark – also known as the Myandi – in the Great Chaos War. The Myandi were buried under a volcano in Asia, while the Followers of Light established the ankh-shaped Shogun Sanctuary, whose location was given inconsistently either as the mountains of Japan[12] or the Himalayas.[13] Subsequent generations of the Followers of Light would monitor the volcano until it erupted, reviving Maur-Kon and the remaining Myandi, who unleashed the monster Rok-Korr on Tokyo. Doctor Tambura and the other observers at the Shogun Sanctuary had accounted for this possibility, and have been observing a group of humans to aid them in their battle – American stuntman Richard Carson, Japanese test pilot Genji Odashu and Malagasy oceanographer Ilongo Savage. The trio are transported to the Shogun Sanctuary and – despite their initial skepticism – are persuaded to pilot the mighty Shogun Warrior robot Raydeen into battle, managing to divert the creature from the city.[14] After further training, Carson is assigned as Raydeen's pilot while Genji and Ilongo are given command of two further Shoguns, Combatra and Dangard Ace.[15] Together they are able to conclusively defeat Rok-Korr.[16] Angered by the failure, Maur-Kon prepares the Mech-Monster to destroy the Shogun Warriors, but tampering by his lieutenant Magar sees the machine imbued with dark sorcery;[12] while Raydeen and Dangard Ace battle the creature, Genji takes Combatra to investigate its point of origin – only to be ambushed by Maur-Kon's Dark Agents.[17] After Carson and Savage defeat the Mech-Monster they follow, but come under attack from Combatra, under the control of Maur-Kon. Genji is able to escape and help destroy Maur-Kon's base, but the villain escapes.[18]
After their successful training, the Shogun Warrior pilots are given pendants and allowed to return to their civilian lives until the next crisis arises. Carson meets up with his partner and fellow stunt driver Deena at Los Angeles International Airport, who is annoyed at his extended, inexplicable absence; Savage and his fellow researcher and romantic interest Judith attempt to pick up on the delays caused to his colleagues' dolphin research; Odashu meanwhile finds herself at the center of a diplomatic incident caused by her disappearance. However, they were disturbed when Doctor Demonicus dispatched creatures to attack them; on the West Coast of the United States, Carson is challenged by Cerberus, and summons Raydeen to battle the attacker,[19] eventually driving it off.[20] Ilongo and Dangard Ace come under attack from the alien Starchild, while Genji's court-martial in Japan is disrupted by the appearance of the fearsome Hand of Five[21] which she battles with Combatra.[22] The Followers of Light deduce that the attacks are linked; while Genji is able to defeat the Hand of Five she heads to Los Angeles, feeling she will never be able to clear her name.[23]
A mysterious figure known as the Primal One meanwhile targets Shogun Sanctuary, levelling the facility and killing the Followers of Light while the Shoguns were kept busy by his agents.[13] The trio instead created impromptu bases for the robots near their homes, though this led to Combatra briefly being accidentally discovered and piloted by the 11-year old Enrique Velez until Raydeen and Dangard Ace were able to bring it under control.[28] Off Madagascar, Dangard Ace then comes under attack from the huge Megatron; with the aid of the other two the machine is defeated, but not before announcing that the Primal One's next target is Reed Richards.[29] The trio head to the Baxter Building to warn him, arriving just before the huge Gigantauron arrives to attack. The Shogun Warriors and Fantastic Four pool their resources to defeat the invader.[30] They set off in Combatra to the Primal One's base, where the Invisible Girl discovers that the Primal One is Maur-Kon, ending his control over his minions.[31]
Some two months later, Carson, Odashu and Savage were targeted by a man named McLaughlin who had stumbled across the ruins of the Shogun Sanctuary and discovered a semi-complete fourth Shogun Warrior, the Samurai Destroyer. Drunk on power, he destroyed Combatra, Raydeen and Dangard Ace to neuter any opposition. The trio of pilots went to the Fantastic Four for help, and the gathering was able to defeat the Samurai Destroyer. McLaughlin activated the robot's self-destruct, but the heroes got him to safety, and the resulting explosion levelled the remains of the Sanctuary. Carson and Savage returned to their careers[32] while Odashu would eventually clear her name and was later hired by the Maria Stark Foundation, joining the Avengers' support staff.[33]
