Underdog Man

The Underdog Man units are canine-shaped humanoid machines produced in a numbered series by Child Emperor. At a glance they pass so convincingly for genuine heroes that onlookers can mistake them for the real thing, and their purpose is to fight alongside their young inventor.

Three units are capable of merging into a single, far bulkier body: a muscular three-headed creature called Mad Dog Underdog Cerberus, its heads bound together by spiked collars, chains, and a belt. The design is a nod to Cerberus, the many-headed hound of Greek myth, and an earlier version of the fusion looked leaner and combined far more quickly than the spikier final form.

On their own the robots pack respectable strength, enough for a lone unit to trade blows with a monster before triggering its final option. Their tricks include the Dog Paddle Punch, a leaping strike whose true payoff was never seen because it missed, and a Self Destruct in which the robot flings itself at a target and blows itself apart.

The combined Mad Dog Underdog Cerberus is a genuinely dangerous form, formidable enough that a powerful opponent judged it worth drawing a second blade against. Its signature move, the Vicious Digging Doggie Spinning Punch, whirls its arms at blistering speed. Even so, the fusion proved beatable, dispatched in an unseen clash without leaving a mark on its foe.

Child Emperor is the sole creator and operator of every Underdog Man. During the Monster Raid Arc he fielded No. 22 against the monster Eyesight while rescuing poisoned heroes; after being bitten by Eyesight's venomous snakes, he gathered data for an antidote and had No. 22 seize the monster and detonate.

Later, in the Monster Association Arc, units No. 23, No. 24, and No. 25 were sent against G5. They combined into Cerberus form to buy Child Emperor and Waganma time to flee, with No. 24 the only one of the trio to survive. Of the series, No. 22, No. 23, and No. 25 were destroyed, leaving No. 24 as the last intact unit.