UFO Robo Grendizer 3.20

A Citizen from a Distant Planet

or Our so-distant home star

or La princesse amoureuse (The princess in love)

Rubina, the daughter of the Great Vega Daio, leaves planet Rubi and comes to Earth. Her first stop is Skull Moon Base. The Great Vega Daio doesn't know what to do. He proposes to Zuril that he can marry her if he can keep her in line. Zuril isn't successful at that. Rubina tries to talk her father into making peace with Duke Fleed. She suggests that she and Duke Fleed could get married to seal the peace but her father doesn't want to have anything to do with her plan.

Rubina goes to Earth, unaware that Zuril is following her in a saucer beast. She finds Duke Fleed, who initially thinks that it is a trick and that she isn't who she says she is. Even after he has been convinced of her identity he still can't help but think of how the Vegans, her people, killed his parents.

Rubina tells him about how the radiation on Planet Fleed is receding and the planet is returning to life. She suggests that they could return to Planet Fleed together. Their happy moment is interrupted by Zuril who attacks in the saucer beast. He has them in his sights but then Kouji shows up in Double Spazer and gives Duke Fleed enough time to recover. Duke Fleed in Grendizer and Kouji in Double Spazer get out of there rather than stick around and fight.

Rubina send a message to Duke Fleed later which is relayd to him by the Space Science Center. She suggests that they meet again. Daisuke goes out that night and flies off in Grendizer to find Rubina. He finds her but he also walks right into a trap set by Zuril. Rubina frees them from the trap but then she gets shot out of the sky by Zuril. Grendizer catches her space ship. Zuril continues to attack but then Kouji joins the fight. Together they defeat Zuril but Rubina is almost dead.

Duke Fleed and Rubina are sharing a tender moment when Zuril shows up out of nowhere and attacks. Zuril is shot and killed by Kouji. Rubina dies from her wounds. Duke Fleed is heartbroken.

Thoughts

This is a key episode according to Wikirak. I can see a couple reasons for that. First there is the introduction and death of Princess Rubina, which brings with it more about Duke Fleed's past. Second, there is the death of Zuril.

Danbei and Goro are not in this episode but Maria and Hikaru are. Hikaru is there towards the end and sees Daisuke's last moments with Rubina. She seems to be visibly hurt that Daisuke seems to cares so much about Rubina.

There is a flashback to Duke Fleed and Princess Rubina's time together on Planet Fleed. Even then they were in love.

Rubina tells Duke Fleed about Skull Moon Base, before she dies. 

I thought that maybe because the series was coming to an end that Rubina might not get killed but unfortunately I was wrong. 

What an ending! This was way better than than most other episodes of this show. So many great little bits from the father-daughter interactions to Zuril getting nowhere with Rubina to the tragic ending. It was all very good nd on a level that makes me wish they had introduced these sorts of twists earlier in the show.