Rightot's Forefathers
As memory serves me correctly, Inafune Kenji has stated that the original concept for "Rightot" was not his and that he felt that such a character was completely unnecessary. But being tasked to put such a character into the Rockman world, Inafune worked hard revising his design from the ground up to make him as interesting as possible. During this process, Inafune said he relied on "classic" fictional robots from his own childhood in working out Rightot's design, with aim towards a "mechanized man" quality.
Exactly which robots were referenced were never mentioned. But considering the framework of "childhood of a 40-year old", I present what I believe to be the forefather robots that shaped Rightot's design. Keep in mind that these are all technically speculations on my part. All of these robots were selected because of the following reasons;
- They are all mechanical
- They are major characters from a mainstream series in Japan
- They were available during Kenji Inafune's childhood (during late 1960's through the1970's)
- They all provided comic relief for their respective series, as that role is also Rightot's.
- Their comic relief traits are often times a result of the robot's tendency to screw up, which is also Rightot's role
Boss Borot from the Mazinger Series (1972)
The scrap metal super robot Boss Borot (ボスボロット)is an iconic sidekick in Japanese fictional robot history. Little surprise that it's influences can be found on Rightot, in the form of Borot's general body form/composition. A heavy set stout body combined with segmented long arms and stubby legs makes for a character that has a comical yet hardy feel to it. As a side note, Borot can also be credited for Rightot's name. The name Borot itself is a construction consisting of boro boro (ボロボロ) the Japanese onomatopoeia for "falling apart", and the word robot. The result of this combination is a robot,...that's prone to falling apart. For Rightot, his name would be a construction fitting for Dr. Right's personal use robot, a "Rightot".
Gonsuke from 21emon (1968)
The yam picking robot turned bellhop Gonsuke (ゴンスケ) I would say was a major influence to Rightot's head. The separated and large hinged bottom jaw coupled with the oddly expressive lens eyes seems to shout both "Dutiful Robot" and "Loud Mouth" all at the same time. It is rather fitting that Gonsuke and Rightot can be described with these terms. As Rightot would follow, Gonsuke is also a very proud robot, steadfast in his ways.
Robocon from Ganbare!! Robotcon(1974)
And finally, we have the domestic robot in training Robocon (ロボコン). The star of the tokusatsu tv show imparted his hood like chest plate to Rightot's design. On Robocon, this chest plate can rise open, allowing Robocon access to his internal parts. The function of the chest plate and handle on Rightot on the other hand, remains only a visual detail as no additional information has ever been given or shown. But it does makes sense that it would be the same, since Inafune has stated that "Mechanized Man" was the goal, and what's more mechanical than a direct door to the insides?
I'll say it once more that this is all technically speculation on my part. If you think there's someone major I missed or I screwed up royal, feel free to comment.