In Italy it was one of the few robotic anime to be aired on Silvio Berlusconi's Canale 5, in 1981, where it failed to garner much following and was never replayed.
Mazinger Z is extremely popular in Spain, Latin America and throughout Asia: UFO Robot Grendizer (aka Goldorak and Goldrake between 1976 and 1980 was a huge hit in Italy and France; Groizer X (aka O Pirata do Espaço ) was a '80s hit in Brasil.