The eighth episode of Voltes V expands on drama among the villains and gives Prince Heinel the spotlight. I’m constantly impressed by this series ability to give time to each of the characters to flesh out motivations and backgrounds. This time there was a fun play between wanting Voltes V to be successful and wanting the duke to be stopped.
The episode opens with Voltes V battling with with a purple Bengal tiger that draws energy from Voltes V.
The arrival of Duke Zaki throws the villains into disarray and they leave the battle.
Duke Zaki baites Prince Heinel into a rage, revealing his father to be considered a traitor.
Prince Heinel’s motivations in the invasion are revealed; he fights to clear his family’s designation as traitors.
The emperor is revealed to wish to have the prince die in battle on Earth so that no one will be left to challenge his throne, which he usurped from the prince’s father.
A plan is concocted to send Prince Heinel into battle with intelligence leaked to the Voltes V team telling them of the beast knight’s weakness and that the prince will pilot it into battle.
The Voltes V team get ready to take out the prince.
And the prince gets into the beast knight, telling the duke to report what he sees because he will defeat Voltes V.
Heinel has reinforced the sides of the beast knight in secret, removing the weakness Voltes V was hoping to target, foiling both the duke and our heroes.
The doctor figures out that the beast knight can’t absorb too much energy and the team is able to have the beast attack the saucer holding the duke.
Prince Heinel is defeated and escapes, leaving the duke to be killed in battle himself.
