- For the character from the live action remake, see Emperor Zu Zambajil (Voltes V: Legacy).
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| “ | I'm getting tired of waiting! Push those Earthlings closer towards the rings! | „ |
| ~ Emperor Zu Zambajil ordering his minions to destroy the Voltes team. |
Emperor Zu Zambajil (皇帝ズ・ザンバジル) (Western order: Zambajil Zu) is the main antagonist of the anime series Voltes V. He is the ruler of the Boazanian Empire after usurping the throne from his "hornless" cousin and Prince Heinel's father, La Gour. He is extremely racist but at the same time cowardly and desires to expand his empire further through force.
He was voiced by the late Mikio Terashima. In Voltes V: Legacy, he was portrayed by Christian Vasquez as Emperor Zambojil.
Personality[]
| “ | I thought you were on the side of good, but you're just a materialistic bastard! | „ |
| ~ Heinel before killing Zu Zambajil. |
Zu Zambajil is extremely racist, viewing horned Boazanians with higher regard than the hornless ones. He uses this to take advantage of the throne, manipulating the Boazanians to consider him as the worthy ruler since he has horns while La Gour lacks. However, under his reign, Boazanians, horned or hornless alike, are imprisoned, enslaved and executed, showing that he doesn't care about either of them at all and only uses the racism to take over the throne. By the end of the war, his obsession to destroy Voltes V has also grown so great that he doesn't care if his own troops get within range of his electromagnetic rings, as long as it is defeated.
Zu Zambajil's ambitions know no bounds, as despite having successfully ruled Boazania, he still seeks to take over Earth to expand his empire and get more slaves. To this end, he sends his nephew Heinel to invade Earth while also to remove a threat to his rule, and exiles the latter for his failures against the Voltes team, further demonstrating his lack of love for his family. Zu Zambajil is also paranoid, fearing that Heinel can overthrow him to take over the throne, which is why he tries to have the latter killed at all cost, even though Heinel always displays loyalty to him.
At the end of the day however, Zu Zambajil is nothing more than a coward hiding behind power, getting easily panicked when his side loses a battle, be it to the Voltes team or Heinel. When the Boazanians rebel against him and his loyalists leave him, he tries to run away with a load of riches and lets Heinel take the fall, only for the latter to find and kill him as a punishment for his actions.
Biography[]
Past[]
Zu Zambajil was the bastard son of the previous emperor of Boazania and his mistress. As a child, he often faced humilation for his heritage and desired the throne. When the time to choose the 124th king of Boazania arrived, due to the actual heir being mentally disabled and unfit to rule, the other candidates were La Gour, the minister of sciences, and Zambajil. To prevent him becoming king, Zambajil entrusted his spies with anything incriminating in La Gour. Eventually, one found La Gour's doctor and tortured him into confessing La Gour was hornless.
Although his cousin, La Gour, was the rightful heir to the throne, Zu Zambajil revealed La Gour's "hornlessness" and banished the latter mere moments before La Gour ascended to the throne, allowing Zu Zambajil himself to be crowned instead. La Gour then led a coup against Zu Zambajil, but was defeated and fled to Earth, immigrating with humans as Professor Kentaro Goh. Despite successfully taking over the throne, Zu Zambajil sought to expand his empire further through force.
Years later, Zmabajil called Goh back to Boazania, promising not to invade Earth if he came back. However, when he arrived, Zambajil revealed that ever since Gohl's departure, the Boazanians had been weakened, and as the minister of science, he wanted Gohl to create weapons for the Boazanian military. Gohl refused and begged Zambajil not to invade other planets, but the Emperor refused to listen and imprisoned him.
Voltes V[]
A decade later, Zu Zambajil sends Prince Heinel, La Gour's son to lead an invasion against Earth with legions of fleets. In truth, he wants to send Heinel away to remove a perceived threat for his rule. To ensure Heinel's death, he sends his chief inspector Duke Zaki and Zuhl to pretend aiding Heinel, but in truth to kill him if necessary.
Boazania's forces easily slaughter Earth's forces and destroy many cities, while survivors retreat. Professor Goh's half-Earthling children, Kenichi, Daijiro and Hiyoshi, alongside Ippei Mine and Megumi Oka, are then summoned by Professor Hamaguchi and Mitsuyo Goh (Kentaro's wife) to pilot Goh's greatest invention, the giant robot Voltes V, forming the Voltes team. Ever since then, the team has caused a lot of troubles for Zu Zambajil's henchmen, threatening his ambition to take over Earth. Halfway through the war, Ri Katherine exposes a plot of Zaki and Zuhl to send Heinel to his death, allowing Heinel to kill Zaki. Zuhl is eventually executed in a later plot to betray Heinel. Zu Zambajil then sends general Do Bergan to keep an eye on Heinel. Later on, Do Bergan and General Gururu betray Heinel and try to blow up Earth with a Magmite Bomb, but this once again fails, foiling Zu Zambajil's plan to have Heinel killed. However, due to Heinel's repeat setbacks against the Voltes team, Zu Zambajil demotes and exiles him back to Boazania.
Eventually, Voltes V and Big Falcon reach Boazania and free Professor Goh. The Voltes team then convince the Boazanians about Zu Zambajil's tyranny. As a result, the Boazanians rebel against the Emperor, while his loyalists desert en masse to save their own skins. With the Boazanians' help, the Voltes team manage to defeat Zu Zambajil's men. Terrified, Zu Zambajil tries to escape with a load of riches and a grenade, but is found by Heinel, who then kills him as a punishment for betraying his planet and people, ending his reign of terror once and for all. Unfortunately, Zu Zambajil accidentally drops the grenade in the process, causing it to explode and engulf the castle in flames. Heinel then sacrifices himself to rescue Kenichi from the fire.
After Zu Zambajil's death, Goh, now going by his real name La Gour again, is finally crowned as the Emperor of Boazania.
Relationships[]
La Gohl[]
La Gour is the half-brother of Zambajil, sharing the same father but having different mothers (Zambajil was the child of a mistress). Zambajil always despised La Gour and was jealous of him since he was the rightful heir to the throne. Even after he had La Gour publicly humiliated, his first wife, Lozaria, taken away, his reputation ruined and subject to constant police brutality, La Gour still tried to appeal to him, hoping that he had some goodness in his heart. However, Zambajil responded by throwing La Gour in prison. Zambajil also despised Heinel as he was the son of La Gour (and had a more powerful claim to the throne) but kept him at a distance and once Heinel was of age, had him sent to earth in the hopes to kill him. He was unsuccessful.
According to Tadao Nagahama: The world of Robot Romance Trilogy Anime Infobook, Zambajil was jealous of La Gohl because he was a clever and handsome boy.
Heinel[]
Heinel is the nephew of Zambajil. While Heinel sees his uncle as a respectable man who wants to do what's right for Boazania, Zambajil despises him as Heinel is the true heir to the throne, being the son of La Gour, while he is the son of the Emperor and a mistress. Their relation is technically first cousins once removed, though Heinel calls him "uncle" as their fathers are brothers.
Even though Heinel makes it clear he loves his uncle and has no intentions of opposing him, Zambajil still sends assassins to kill him and is infuriated when his attempts fail. Zambajil also mocks Heinel relentlessly to his court and encourages them to also dehumanize him. In episode 8 Duke Zaki reveals that Zambajil thinks Heinel leading the earthern invasion was a mistake, and calls him "stupid" and "a failure".
The fact that Heinel has a higher claim to the throne than he does makes Zambajil heavily insecure, hence him going through every effort to keep Heinel at a distance. He only appointed him to his court out of reluctance. In episode 40, once it's clear that Zambajil is losing the war, he tries to pin the blame on Heinel. Upon realizing that his uncle is nothing but an insecure coward, Heinel throws his dagger at him, putting an end to Zambajil once and for all.
General Gururu[]
Gururu is endlessly devoted to Zambajil, but Zambajil sees him as a mere pawn, chiding him for not giving him his standard salute when entering the room (in contrast to Heinel who, while honour-obsessed, is more lenient to his comrades and treats them with respect). Even though Gururu is visbly distressed upon being told he has to combat Voltes V, Zambajil sends him on the mission regardless. Unsurprisingly, Gururu and Bergan end up annihilated.
Zaki[]
According to Jangal, Zaki loves feeding Zambajil bad news, hence Zambajil putting many to death based on whatever Zaki reports. In a sense of karma, Zaki himself would meet his end trying to humiliate Heinel by deliberately sabotaging him. His plan failed because Katherine overheard it, and Heinel thanked her during his battle the next day.
Relatives[]
On September 30, 1979, the bi-monthly Japanese magazine OUT (published by Minori Shibou) released an issue titled "Rendezvous" that contained Zambajil's genealogy. Though the article is in Japanese, it has been translated here.
Wife
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|───➝ 123rd Emperor of Boazania
| |───➝ Zambajil
| Concubine
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────|
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| Lozaria
|───➝ La Oral |───➝ Heinel
|───➝ La Gour
Wife |───➝ Kenichi
|───➝ Daijirou
|───➝ Hiyoshi
Mitsuyo Go
Quotes[]
| “ | The minister must not become the emperor. Find any dirt you can on him! | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil plotting to usurp the throne from La Gour. |
| “ | Very good. It's almost complete. Once it's complete, I can command all of Boazania! Continue with the construction. No more rest starting today. | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil about the construction of the electromagnetic rings. |
| “ | General Gururu: Emperor! I have urgent news. Emepror Zu Zambajil: General Gururu. You shall not set foot in my court without giving me the proper respect! Start over! General Gururu: Yes, my apologies, your highness! All that I do and all that I am is for the glory of the illustrious reign of Emperor Zu Zambajil! Emperor Zu Zambajil: Much better. Proceed with your report. |
„ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil and General Gururu. |
| “ | General Gururu: We've detected a large craft in the vicinity of our star system, quickly approaching us. Emperor Zu Zambajil: Preposterous! Who would enter Boazanian space without permission from me? General Gururu: Preposterous indeed, sir. Emperor Zu Zambajil: What kind of ship is it? General Gururu: A space fortress, sir. Emperor Zu Zambajil: A fortress? General Gururu: Only an advanced civilization can travel with warp technology. |
„ |
| ~ Gururu reporting to Zu Zambajil about the Voltes V. |
| “ | Emperor Zu Zambajil: It must be La Gour. General Gururu: What do you mean, sir? Emperor Zu Zambajil: He taught the Earthlings warp technology! General Gururu: Does that mean Voltes V is out there? Emperor Zu Zambajil: They've come to attack us. I've underestimated the propensity of those Earthlings for stupidity, bringing Voltes V here. Take the starship Zartan and intercept them. General Gururu: Me!? Emperor Zu Zambajil: Consider it an honor. Be grateful for the opportunity you've been given! General Gururu: Yes... Emperor Zu Zambajil: Fine. Take the Altair and Liger fleets along with you. Is that good enough? General Gururu: Yes! They'll taste our wrath! They'll realize that we are a force to be reckoned with! Emperor Zu Zambajil: You may also take our prisoner La Gour with you! As long as you have him with you, Voltes V won't attack you! General Gururu: It isn't necessary, sir. I'm General Gururu of the Boazanian Forces. They will bow down to our superior military might! Emperor Zu Zambajil: You're beginning to brag before accomplishing your mission. Make sure you don't fail! Go! |
„ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil ordering General Gururu to capture the Voltes V. |
| “ | Your sons have come for you, La Gour. They'll see how futile it is. My army knows no defeat! They have a lot of nerve entering our galaxy. General Gururu will annihilate them! The Boazanian satellites will also fend them off! | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil believing that the Voltes team will fail to rescue La Gour. |
| “ | Well done! That's the end of them! | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil watching the Voltes team's apparent demise. |
| “ | Nothing can escape the electromagnetic rings. Scan the area for debris. | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil ordering his minions to check if the Voltes team have died or not. |
| “ | How is it possible? They're still alive? | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil shocked upon learning that the Voltes team is still alive. |
| “ | Coward! Listen! Set up the inferior defenses! Crush them all! What are you waiting for? | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil scolding his minions for being afraid of the Voltes V. |
| “ | Stand back! Don't try to stop me or I'll drop this grenade and kill all of us! | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil threatening the Voltes team while trying to escape. |
| “ | It was Heinel all along! He's your enemy! The invasion of Earth was his idea! It's his doing! If anyone here should die, it's Heinel! | „ |
| ~ Zu Zambajil trying to pin the blames for the war on Heinel, to no avail; also his last words. |
Trivia[]
- His name has been spelled as Zambajil, Zambojil, Zambujil, Sanbasil, Zanbazil, Sambajil, Zanbazir, Sanbazil, Zanbazil, Sambosil, Sanbajil, Zambasil, Zanbajil, Sambojil and Zanbasil in various English translations.
- The Phillipine live-action adaption Voltes V: Legacy calls him Zambojil in advertisements and promotional posters.
- His style of dressing is reminiscient of that of a French aristocrat.
- Zambajil has a fondness for drinking wine, something his nephew inherited as well.
- In many ways, Zambajil is a foil to Heinel:
- While both pride themselves for their Boazanian heritage, Heinel also places importance on flesh and blood, and was willing to cease fighting once he found out Gohl was his father. Zambajil on the other hand viewed Gohl as a threat to the throne first and a member of his family second, and had him abused and imprisoned even as Gohk begged for peace.
- Heinel treats his comrades with respect and is willing to forgive them. He was willing to forgive Belgan for an assassination attempt, and also cried at Jangal's death. He allows his comrades to participate in battles if they prove themselves. When Katherine disobeyed him and took Kenichi on her own in episode 30, he was angry, but he did not punish her. In episode 40, as he advances towards the castle, he yells at Katherine, his last surviving comrade, to save herself. In contrast, Zambajil humiliated Gurul for forgetting his salute and when he was losing the war, he tried to pin the blame on Heinel instead of taking responsibility.
- Heinel worked to get where he was, graduating as the top cadet at the Boazanian Institute of Military Sciences and Warfare, but Zambajil was handed everything to him based on his birthright.
- Heinel actively takes charge in missions, while Zambajil dispatches troops to do his bidding.
- Though unintentional in the author's part, Zambajil became unexpected metaphor to Ferdinand Marcos, the infamous former president of the Philippines (who ruled from 1965-1986) who put the country in martial law at the time of the show's airing, exposing how detrimental his methods were.
- He has also been considered a metaphor for Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba (from 1976-2008), and Suharto, the former president of Indonesia (from 1968-1998). Like the Philippines, Voltes V enjoys a lot of popularity in Indonesia and Cuba.
- In real life, Zambajil is based on the French aristocrats who oppressed the poorer classes until the French revolution. In addition, his fate (and the fate of the other noble Boazanians) mirrors that of Marie Antoinette's.
- It's possible Zambajil intended to commit suicide at the end of the series, and would have dropped the grenade regardless, due to the fact that since Boazania has fallen he has nowhere else to run to, being a wanted criminal for invading several other planets.
External Links[]
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 Villains
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Chōdenji Robo Combattler V Voltes V Tōshō Daimos Other | ||