Robot

Species
Name	Robot
⓵ Appearance	Lupin the 3rd Part II
⓶ Appearance	Castle in the Sky

The Laputian Robot Troopers (ロボット兵, robotto hei), or Heavenly Troopers (天兵, tenpei) are primitive automatons that appear in the Studio Ghibli film Laputa: Castle in the Sky.

Appearance

There are two variants, combat type and non-combat type that can be differentiated based on several characterisitics such as colorations and spikes on arms.

Physically, the robots measure 344cm in height and weighs 238kg. Despite this, their bodies are roughly humanoid in shape. Their main body segments are broad and trapezoidal in shape, with their chests embellishing the crest of the Laputian royal family. The robots' arms and legs are segmented; their arms are very long, nearly reaching to the ground. The arms also have spikes on each segment, which support sets of retractable flaps. Each robot has a pair of five-fingered hands; their feet are wide and flat, and lack any distinguishable toes.

Each robot has a relatively small dome-shaped head atop its body, which is connected by a narrow and flexible neck. The head features a bean-shaped plate that houses a pair of uneven "eyes", with the left being roughly twice as large as the right. They act as sensors for movement, and are also capable of shooting lasers. Two much smaller holes between the eyes act as the "nose" of the robot, with a divot along the plate's bottom appearing to be a sort of "mouth".

Story

Lupin the 3rd Part II

It appeared in Farewell My Beloved Lupin, the final episode of the season.

Two types, Lambda (ラムダ, Ramuda) and Sigma (シグマ, Shiguma) appeared as products of Nagata Heavy Industries.

Castle in the Sky

The first robot seen in the film is revealed to have fallen from Laputa, which is found by the military. It is transported to the main base at Tedis in an inactive state, where the military unsuccessfully attempts to discover how it works. When Muska and Sheeta find out about the seized robot, Muska tells that the robot has fallen dormant. However, when Sheeta inadvertently activates the Aetherium crystal on her necklace with a spell she learned from her grandmother, the robot suddenly awakens. It then recognizes Sheeta, who is indeed Laputian royalty, and proceeds to engage in a rampage in order to protect her from the military personnel. Said robot nearly destroys the entire base in the process. Despite the resistance from Tedis' inhabitants, it eventually tracks Sheeta down and meets her on the roof of the fortress. There, it is destroyed by a round fired from the airship Goliath.

When Sheeta returns to Laputa with her friend Pazu, the two discover many more robots, but all except for one are inert. The single operating robot, which is covered in moss and other plants, spends its days tending to Laputa's flora and fauna, including its fox squirrels, as well as leaving flowers on a gravestone. This robot is gentle to the children, which culminates with the robot handing them a flower as a symbol of its kindness. Pazu then realizes that while the robot is the only one still active, it is in no way lonely, as the many animals of Laputa keep it company.

When Muska locates and subsequently besieges Laputa, however, he reactivates many of the inert robots. He then dispatches them for his own selfish use, commanding them to attack the military of which he has just betrayed. They even use their laser capabilities to attack and ultimately destroy the Goliath, keeping the military at bay. When the children realize that Laputa is in danger of complete exploitation, Sheeta recites an ancient spell of destruction. This causes much of Laputa's manmade infrastructure, as well as both Muska and the brainwashed robots, to fall into the ocean below. As they fall, the robots are torn apart and disembodied before disappearing for good.

In the ending scenes, as Sheeta and Pazu sail away from Laputa back to Earth, they look back to see that the gardener robot has survived the events of destruction and continues to take care of the island's plants and animals.

Tasks

The robots' main task, as demonstrated by the one captured by the military, is to protect and serve the Laputian royal bloodline at all costs. This counts even for those who do not live on Laputa itself, such as Sheeta.

When not tending to the needs of the Laputian family, the robots are in charge of maintaining Laputa, as well as guarding and defending it from outside forces.

Abilities

Each robot's arms and legs are extensible, and can be operated independently of each other. A row of concealed flaps is attached to each arm, giving the robots the abilities to fly and glide. They are also very hefty, as they can effortlessly scale up vertical walls and surfaces. Despite the absence of visible ears, they can indeed hear sound, as their eyes pulse red when they detect noises. From the right eye, they can fire a destructive laser of variable force; at peak strength, this laser can melt through solid wood and steel. From the left eye, they can fire smaller laser which don't explode but can easily slice through metals.

Externally, the robots are constructed out of an extremely strong, dark armor. This is shown to be able to withstand large cannonballs, gunshots, and fiery temperatures.

Weaknesses

Due to their agility and brutal destructive power, the robots are formidable and dangerous threats that can demolish nearly anything out of blind obedience. In fact, it took a round from the Goliath's largest cannon to destroy the robot at Tedis; the momentum of the projectile’s impact penetrated the robot's armor and destroyed its internal components, causing it to detonate, much to Sheeta's devastation. Even after the explosion, however, the robot was still able to operate and bid farewell to Sheeta for a few seconds before shutting down permanently.

Later in the movie, the robots falling from a destroyed Laputa are seen to fall apart in midair, although it is unclear about what exactly caused them to break apart.

Origin

When the army captured the robot that had fallen from Laputa, they confirmed that Laputa really existed and was not just a fictional place from Gulliver's Travels. As a result, the government made efforts with Muska - a member of the Laputian family - to find the location in question.

Trivia

• The Robot Troopers in Farewell My Beloved Lupin are presumably based on the robot appeared in The Mechanical Monsters, a 1941 episode of Superman.
  • Maki Oyamada, the daughter of Dr. Oyamada who originally created the robot, later became the prototype of Nausicaä in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Sumi Shimamoto voiced Maki Oyamada and Nausicaä and Clarisse d'Cagliostro in The Castle of Cagliostro.
• A Laputa Robot appears at the Avengers Tower in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
• In Minecraft, the Iron Golem handing out flowers to villagers is a reference to the Laputian robots. When the villager children notice the poppy in its hand, they slowly approach, and take the flower eventually. Iron Golems do not actually pick up poppies; instead, they spawn them in their hands.

Gallery

Frontal view of the gardener robot. Notice the fox squirrel on its shoulder.

Profile view of the robot with more fox squirrels.

Robots and Muska falling into the sea during Laputa's destruction.

GIF of the robot handing Sheeta and Pazu a flower.

Model sheet of a Laputian robot.