LITTLE SUPERMAN GANBARON (1977)
This was the follow-up series to Super Robot Red Baron (1973) and Super Robot Mach Baron (1974).
The big robot is called Daibaron, and apparently does not show up until the 14th episode, about half-way through the series' 32-episode run, and even then, it's barely seen.
The main character, a 5th grader named Teru Tendo, can become the superpowered hero Ganbaron in times of need. Even though he fights bad guys, most of Teru's efforts are aimed at making sure his friends don't find out his secret identity.
According to IMDB, Susumu Kurobe - Ultraman's Shin Hayata himself - appears as a the main character's butler in 26 episodes of the show. And Hideyo (Eisei) Yamamoto - Dr. Who in King Kong Escapes (1967) - plays Dr. Waruwaru, the villain of the series.
As opposed to the first two Baron series, Ganbaron is very definitely aimed at kids.
This was supposedly a very popular show, but it was cancelled abruptly after the main sponsor, Bullmark Toys, went bankrupt. Apparently, there were budget problems even before then, as most of the supporting cast members left after episode 26 (shades of Ultraman Leo!), and the fighting scenes for the remaining six episodes consisted mainly of recycled footage.
