Tranzor Z is another adaptation in a long line of popular Japanese characters reformatted for the US market, diluting so much of what it made it popular in the first place. In this case Tranzor Z, which aired in the United States in 1985, is an adaptation of Mazinger Z (マジンガーZ, Majingā Zetto) by a mysterious company that cut Mazinger Z down to 65 episodes and then, mostly disappeared. But Tranzor Z wasn't the first attempt at importing Mazinger Z into the United States and that story is just as strange.