Black Ghost

Black Ghost is an enigmatic arms-dealing organization serving as the main antagonists of the Cyborg 009 franchise. Their technology is among the most advanced on Earth. They seek to start wars so they can make money selling their weapons to both sides.

They are responsible for abducting the people who would eventually become the 00 Cyborgs. However, the cyborgs were able to escape with help from Dr. Gilmore, a former Black Ghost scientist who turned against the organization.

History
Black Ghost has existed since World War II, though it's exact foundation is unknown and it likely has been active prior. Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman suggests that Black Ghost was formed from the merging of multiple multinational corporations post-World War I. It is even hinted that Black Ghost may have played a role in the Holocaust.

Black Ghost has enticed many scientists to come work for it. While some, like Dr. Gilmore, were deceived into joining it, others, like Dr. Gaia, became members of the organization for power.

The organization garnered massive profit from selling weapons to rival sides of a conflict, forcing the other side to also buy their weapons in order to match up.

Black Ghost would soon begin development of its 00 Cyborg line, which were created from people the organization had abducted to use as test subjects. However, at the time, the first five cyborgs were unable to be completed, and had to be put in stasis until Black Ghost's technology became more advanced.

Eventually, Cyborgs 006-009 were added to the 00 line. However, one of the scientists working on the project, Dr. Gilmore, had a change of heart and helped the cyborgs break out of the Black Ghost laboratories.

From then on, Black Ghost began dedicating their efforts to either recovering or killing the 00 Cyborgs, sending out several of their newer cyborgs to fight them.

The organization was seemingly brought to an end when the 00 Cyborgs infiltrated one of Black Ghost's main bases and defeated the leader of Black Ghost, Skull, before blowing the base up. Despite this, the 00 Cyborgs would encounter remnants of the organization from time to time, such as Dr. Gaia and his Mythos Cyborgs or the Monster Island scientists.

Eventually, the 00 Cyborgs discovered that they had not defeated the organization, but simply pushed it farther underground, both figuratively and literally, as the Black Ghost had set up shop in the underground Yomi Kingdom, using the kingdom's people and resources to further the completion of their ultimate weapon, the Demon Statue.

The 00 Cyborgs defeated Van Bogoot, the Black Ghost operative overseeing the development of the weapon, but were unable to prevent the statue's takeoff. However, Cyborg 001 was able to teleport 009 inside the statue. The heroic cyborg found himself face-to-face with Skull, who had somehow managed to survive his previous encounter with the cyborgs, and the true leaders of Black Ghost, three gigantic brains. 009 and Skull engaged in a brutal battle that ultimately ended when the brains killed Skull to prevent him from causing any damage to the statue with his ultimate attack. This didn't stop 009 from shooting the interior and causing the statue to begin to explode. However, the Black Ghost brains told 009 that they were only a "cell" in a network of Black Ghost and that, as long as there is evil, Black Ghost would continue to exist in the universe.

Other Appearances
Black Ghost appear in Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman in the form of Dr. Adams Teufel and his High-Teen Number Cyborgs. They are responsible for allowing Atun to manifest on Earth by providing him with the body of Seth to possess.

The ending of the movie also foreshadows the "Underground Empire of Yomi" arc of the manga, which features the 00 Cyborgs' final battle against Black Ghost.

Leaders

 * Skull - Field Leader
 * Van Vogt - Second-in-command
 * Generalissimo - Leader

Military Officials

 * Commander Skarr - Head of Black Ghost Factory
 * Commander Fuerge
 * Unnamed Black Ghost Commander - Head of Antarctic Base
 * Captain Zanburozu - Naval Officer

Scientists

 * Dr. Gaia - Top Scientist / Creator of Mythos Cyborgs
 * Dr. Gamo Whisky - Head of Psychic Research
 * Dr. Adams Teufel - Head of High-Teen Number Cyborgs Development Team
 * Dr. Beruku - Member of 0013 Development Team
 * Dr. Ross - Member of 00 Cyborg Development Team
 * Dr. Keeley
 * Dr. Gilmore - Member of 00 Cyborg Development Team (formerly)
 * Dr. Dressler - Molecular Biologist
 * Dr. Uranus - Co-creator of Mythos Cyborgs

Cyborgs

 * Cyborg 0010+
 * Cyborg 0010-
 * Cyborg 0011
 * Cyborg 0012
 * Cyborg 0013
 * Mythos Cyborgs
 * Apollo - Leader
 * Artemis
 * Achilles
 * Minotaur
 * Hera
 * Poseidon
 * Atlas
 * High-Teen Number Cyborgs
 * Cyborg 0014 - Leader
 * Cyborg 0015
 * Cyborg 0016
 * Cyborg 0017
 * Cyborg 0018
 * Cyborgmen
 * Cyborgman #1

Clients

 * Unbaba

Other

 * Psychic Assassins
 * Cain - Leader
 * Lena
 * Mai
 * Phil

Soldiers
The basic infantrymen working for the Black Ghost organization. They resemble SWAT commandos and carry various firearms. They can commonly be seen guarding Black Ghost installations or being sent out to fight the 00 Cyborgs. They are antagonists in Cyborg 009.

Black Ghost Soldiers don't make any appearances after season one of the anime Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier as they look to have been replaced by the V2 Cyborgmen and Van Bogoot's cyclopean robots.

Squads of BG Soldiers were sent out to stop 009 and the other 00 Cyborgs when they broke loose and attempted to escape the Black Ghost facility. Due to the cyborgs' advanced technology, the soldiers did not fair well against them and most ended up retreating. Several more Black Ghost Soldiers were seen manning Captain Zanburozu's ship during the mission to recover Cyborg 0013's brain. In addition, Zanburozu also gave Dr. Beruku a new recruit soldier to assist him in his mission, hoping that the trainee would be able to learn something from the doctor.

Many Black Ghost Soldiers served under an unnamed Black Ghost Commander at a Black Ghost compound in the antarctic. They were presumably killed in the destruction of the compound.

Black Ghost Soldiers also piloted Commander Fuerge's stingray-like ship during his mission to capture the 00 Cyborgs. When Fuerge brought them back to the Black Ghost headquarters, dozens of BG Soldiers could be seen guarding the base. These soldiers later fought against the 00 Cyborgs when they infiltrated the base.

The Black Ghost Soldier corps appears to have been disbanded some time after the 00 Cyborgs destroyed the Black Ghost HQ, possibly due to the disorder the destruction of Black Ghost's main base had caused.

Robot Soldiers


Robotic versions of basic Black Ghost soldiers. They appear to be significantly more competent than their human counterparts, yet they fare just as well against the 00 Cyborgs.

They appear in the first few episodes of the anime to oppose the 00 Cyborgs during their escape from Black Ghost. When the 00 Cyborgs broke out of the Black Ghost facility, Robot Soldiers were sent to kill them alongside regular Black Ghost Soldiers. Both sets of infantrymen were unable to hold off the nine cyborgs and were fended off by the cyborg team.

Black Ghost Robot Soldiers were later seen stationed at Commander Skarr's Black Ghost facility. They fought against Cyborgs 002, 004, 005, 007 and 008 when they attempted to infiltrate the Black Ghost facility, but failed to stop the 00 Cyborgs.

The rest were presumably destroyed when Skarr detonated the explosives inside the facility.

Beetle Robots
Robots resembling rhinoceros beetles, the 00 Cyborgs encounter them at the facility containing the Black Falcon prototype. They tower over regular humans and are equipped with razor sharp metal claws. In the anime, they are under the command of Commander Skarr.

Snake Robots
Snake-like robot soldiers manufactured at an abandoned Black Ghost factory on a remote island. The factory was discovered by Cyborgs 005, 006 and 007, who unintentionally re-initiated the production of the Snake Robots when they turned on the facility's generator.

They are equipped with metal tentacles on either side of their body, each containing a laser gun at the tip.

Cyclops Robots
Cycloptic robots under the command of Van Vogt that appear in the "Underground Empire of Yomi" arc. They are capable firing lasers and incapacitating people with a sticky elastic substance they emit from their chests

The Cyclops Robots were used by Van Vogt to drive the Zattan out from the Yomi Kingdom, allowing Black Ghost to take control of the underground society.

Cyclops Robots were soon seen patrolling and guarding the Yomi Kingdom. A squad of them caught sight of and captured Dr. Gilmore and Cyborgs 006, 007 and 008, presenting them to Van Vogt so he could determine what to do with them. Soon after another squad incapacitated Cyborg 004 and Vena.

The Cyclops Robots later fought against the Zattan again when they attempted to retake the Yomi Kingdom. Both the Zattan and the Cyclops Robots were wiped out when Skull activated the Demon Statue and razed the underground kingdom.

Trivia

 * Black Ghost is similar to Shocker from the Kamen Rider series, as both are evil secret organizations that kidnap people and modify them into superpowered beings. This is likely not a coincidence, as both Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider were created by Shotaro Ishinomori.