Hero Hesman

History

The series began as an adaptation of Voltron, a Japanese-American cartoon television series, with its first four volumes based on that cartoon. The name Hesman derives from "He's man" (He is a man, not a robot). The subsequent 155 volumes are Hùng Lân's own composition, introducing many events and tens of characters. Most characters and events draw from the author's childhood experiences in Saigon, blending Western-style science fiction with details from East Asian martial arts books. Hùng Lân incorporated elements of the real robot genre, including energy sources and upgrades that alter Hesman's appearance and his status as a cognitive robot. Fantastical elements such as magic, wizards, and ghosts also recur. The series details the adventures of an intelligent, partially autonomous robot and its human companions as they travel the Galaxy fighting antagonists to defend universal peace.

Plot

After a nuclear war in the early 21st century wiped out Earth, the few survivors fled to the three nearest planets: Arus, Hasley, and Garrison. The different environments on each world caused humans to evolve into separate races. The story takes place near the end of the 23rd century, focusing on a group of young people from Arus who dream of returning to Earth to restart human civilization. Their journey is risky, as hostile forces from other planets are trying to take over the universe with brutal and environmentally destructive methods. To protect peaceful people, the king of Arus teams up with a scientist named Kazad to build a lion-shaped robot that can travel between planets.

This robot, Hesman, is a giant humanoid made from five lion-shaped robots. It can hold up to five people, fly like a spaceship, and has a powerful laser light sword hidden in its right arm. Its home base is Arus. The pilot is Keith, the captain, who comes from Garrison. He is good-looking, skilled in combat, and has a talent for leadership and quick thinking. Gadko comes from the planet Gadko, whose inhabitants have ape-like faces, low intelligence, but excellent health. After being infected with dead electricity, Gadko’s hair turns red and he gains incredible strength. His design was inspired by Hercules, and he is the character readers sympathize with most. Hawk is a plump, healthy, and kind-hearted young man. Huy Hùng is of Vietnamese origin and grew up on a small planet near Arus. He receives a special lens that can emit dangerous radiation, and his character is based on the comic’s author.

The story also includes the Force of Thirteen Grand Guardians, which features the Lord of the planet Doom and Biden the Wizzard, as well as the Force of Twenty-Eight Mansions. Early volumes in the series are: Cuộc vượt ngục (The Prison Break), Hesman xuất hiện (The Appearance of Hesman), Mãng xà giả dạng (The Fake Python), Lọ nước thần (The Genie Bottle), Dũng sĩ cụt tay (The Armless Warrior), Mưu kế phù thủy (The Scheme of the Wizzard), Hành tinh chết (The Dead Planet), Thu phục Người Thú (The Subjugation of Beastmen), Kẻ hủy diệt (The Destroyer), Nguồn điện chết (The Dead Electric), and Giống người kinh dị (The Horror Race).