Cobra, a notorious space pirate, is enlisted by bounty hunter Jane to rescue her sister from the strange being known as Crystal Boy, but then finds himself drawn into a complex struggle over the fate of a mysterious wandering planet.
[Source: Anime News Network]
Meek salaryman Johnson discovers that he is in fact the notorious (and reportedly dead) space pirate Cobra, with a new face and altered memories. Embedded in his left arm is Cobra's unique Psychogun, a famous weapon powered by his own will. Having recovered his past, his partner-in-crime Armaroid Lady, and his spaceship, he journeys across the galaxy seeking adventure.
On his travels he will hunt for the galaxy's ultimate weapon, rob museums, break into and out of maximum-security prison, infiltrate a drug ring in the brutal and deadly sport of Rugball, engineer a coup on an alien world, confront the Pirate Guild's most fearsome leaders, and do much else besides—smoking cigars, chasing women and cracking jokes all the while.
This, the 1982–83 Cobra TV anime, adapts the Cobra manga from the beginning, covering the first three major stories and building to a grand conclusion with some shorter one-off tales interspersed along the way. (The 1982 Cobra film has only a loose connection to the TV series—though it involved the same director and some of the same animators.)
When Utopia More discovers an ancient record that holds the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe, she becomes the target of the ruthless Gypsy Doc of the Pirate Guild. Utopia finds herself saved by the easy-going yet legendary space pirate, Cobra, whose custom made Psychogun makes him a force to be reckoned with. Together, the two of them attempt to stop Gypsy Doc (along with Cobra's revived arch-nemesis, Crystal Boy) and his efforts to steal the record and use its secrets to rule the universe.
Lady has disappeared so Cobra must dive into her past to save her. This is the story of who Lady used to be and how she got that metal body.
This Cobra adaptation features short arcs of Cobra saving the world, his friends or himself.