Mecha-Crab

“	This is the terminal station of the Crab Mecha transportation system, which is an indispensable part of the islanders' lives.	„
	~ Translated description from TwinBee PARADISE in Donburi Shima

Mecha-Crab (メカガニ, Mekagani^?), also known as Mecha-Spider, is a form of public transportation in Donburi Island created by Dr. Mardock.^[1] It was first introduced in the TwinBee series as the first boss in Detana!! TwinBee.

Description[]

A giant mecha in the shape of a red crab. The Mecha-Crab has appeared in numerous games and other media along the TwinBee franchise, making it somewhat of a mascot; especially after the introduction of the new cast in Detana!! TwinBee (Light, Pastel, Warumon, etc.).

It uses its eight larger legs (four on each side) to displace itself along two train-like rails, and the two shorter ones near the front as cannons. It also bears a single eye-like core at its center from which it shoots bubbles and which often serves as its weak point.

However, the Mecha-Crab wasn't purposely created to be a giant enemy robot and instead is actually a form of public transportation similar to a train, created by Dr. Mardock, that travels all along Donburi Island, and Light and Pastel actually take it every day to go to school.

Appearances[]

Detana!! TwinBee[]

First appearance of this enemy in the series. The Mecha-Crab acts as the boss of the first level, Valley of the Wind. It walks along two long metal beams located on each side of the screen and slowly walks backward as the battle progresses. It attacks by shooting harmful bubbles and projectiles from its central eye, as well as triple spreading shots from its two "arm" cannons. These can be destroyed, thus decreasing the giant robot's overall dangerousness.

It changes colors according to the amount of damage it has sustained: first turns from its initial light red to pink, and then to blue when nearly destroyed.

Interestingly enough, in its debut appearance in Detana!! TwinBee the Mecha-Crab is fought in Planet Mel, since the entire game takes place in that planet. The mecha reappearing in following installments was likely the result of the series' developers wanting to bring it back to be used as a transportation device in Donburi Island. There's also the possibility the mecha was gifted by the people of Mel to the TwinBee Team in gratitude for their help.

TwinBee PARADISE (anime)[]

In the anime, the Mecha-Crab is used now as a public transportation, connecting various part of the island under a railway-styled system. In Midsummer Mirage, Pastel and Light use it to go to the school.

TwinBee RPG[]

Much like in the anime, the Mecha-Crab serves as Donburi Island's main form of public transportation and the player can actually ride it to reach different destinations.

Otomedius Excellent[]

A redesigned version of the Mecha-Crab, called the "Crab mechanism transporter", frequently appears in the third downloadable stage, Donburi Island, where it enters from the left side of the screen and the player needs to get out of its way to prevent being run over. Near the end of the level, a station for this transport can be seen in the background.