Orko
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This article is about the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe character. For the ancient Basque deity, see Orko (Basque). For the Finnish film producer and director, see Risto Orko.
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Orko is a character from the animated TV series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He was not part of the original toy collection on which the show was based; he was created by the show's writers to serve as comic relief. A toy figure of him then began to be manufactured. Orko also appeared in the 2002 remake of the series. The character was named Gorpo in the early original series drafts (and oddly that name is used in the Brazilian Portuguese dubbing), but was renamed Orko for animation purposes - Filmmation artists often flipped the character cells, a technique that works best when the characters are symmetrical in design, and putting a "G" on Orko's shirt would have complicated the process because the letter G is not a symmetrical shape, so the letter "O" was used instead.
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[edit] Character information
Orko is a "Trollan", a race from Trolla, a world in another dimension. Trollans wear red robes, red hats, and hide their faces behind scarves. (Apparently, in Trollan society, showing your face to each other is considered an intimate act, similar to humans sharing a kiss. There was a production drawing of what Orko looked like without the hat, in which he basically looked like a little blue elf, but it was never used.) Orko does reveal his face in an episode, but his back is turned and his face is not visible. Trollans appear to be blue-skinned humanoids with pointy ears. However, their feet remain hidden behind their robes. Trollans have natural magical abilities, including levitation, which they exclusively use instead of walking. (In one episode, Orko temporarily loses his levitational powers, and he can be seen crawling around on his knees.) Still, some Trollans have greater magical power than others; Orko's uncle, for example, was a famous magician.
Orko himself has always had trouble with his magical powers. It's an old joke in the series that, almost every time, when he tries to use magic, it backfires in some amusing way. The reason for this isn't clear; in one episode, it was suggested that Trolla operates with natural laws that are the opposite of Eternia's, and that in Trolla, Orko WAS a good magician. However, in later episodes this was contradicted, and Orko was shown to be equally incompetent even in Trolla. Another episode indicated that Orko used a magical pendant that allowed him to use magic correctly, but that he later lost it.
In addition to his magic spells, Orko also stores a plethora of items (some useful, some not-so-useful) inside his hat. The sheer number of things he stores inside the hat is impossibly great, suggesting that the hat itself is a bag of holding under some kind of magic spell.
Orko came to the world of Eternia when a "cosmic storm" accidentally transported him there. He appeared in the Tar Swamps, where he found a young Prince Adam (and his pet, Cringer, at the time a tiger cub) and saved them both from dying in the tar. However, he lost his pendant in the process.
Stuck in Eternia, Orko was made Royal Buffoon by the King of Eternia in gratitude for having saved his son. Orko became one of Adam's closest friends; in fact, Orko knows that Adam is secretly He-Man (although it has never been revealed how he found out.) However, Orko frequently annoyed Man-At-Arms, due to his magic constantly backfiring or Orko coming into his lab unexpected and uninvited and messing with his equipment, which got on Man-At-Arm's nerves rather than amusing him as it did others. Orko has proven to be a good friend and a valuable ally, despite his unpredictable powers and the fact he's more than a little clueless. Sometimes Orko wonders how useful he is to He-Man, but despite his apparent cowardliness, he never fails to help those in need.
Orko has returned to Trolla (with the help of others) on a number of occasions. The first time, he helped He-Man save the life of several Trollans captured by a humanoid dragon called The Dragoon, and began a romance with a Trollan girl named Dree Elle. However, he decided that his place was now in Eternia, and so he returned there. However, he still occasionally visits his friends and relatives in Trolla.
In the 2002 series, Orko is more or less the same, but it is revealed that he and Cringer followed Prince Adam to Castle Grayskull and watched him transform into He-Man for the first time. Orko then follows He-Man and the new Battle Cat into battle and almost reveals He-Man's identity to Teela and the other Masters - despite having been warned by both The Sorceress and He-Man not to - but fortunately, Man-At-Arms, who recognized He-Man as the alter ego of Adam, quickly stepped in and stopped him, informing Teela and the other Masters that the new hero is He-Man and that the Sorceress had told him of He-Man's coming beforehand.
[edit] Other Trollans in MOTU
Other members of Orko's race who have appeared in the He-Man shows include:
- Dree Elle - Orko's girlfriend, who appeared in the episodes Dawn of Dragoon, Dree Elle's Return, Trouble in Trolla and The Bitter Rose as well as the She-Ra episode The Greatest Magic.
- Yuckers - Dree Elle's brother from Dree Elle's Return.
- Uncle Montork - Orko's uncle, from the episodes Orko's Favorite Uncle, The Return of Orko's Uncle and Trouble in Trolla.
- Snoob - misguided Trollan wizard who appeared in the episode Trouble in Trolla.
- Prankster/Wakrapanike - a member of a race of Trollans who excels in practical jokes, who appeared in the episode Trouble's Middle Name, the only Trollan not to conceal his face.
- Squunge - Orko's friend from the episode Orko's New Friend, identical to Orko aside from wearing a pilot helmet, known for concocting tall tales
- The Oracle - all-knowing Oracle from the episode of the 2002 series titled The Power of Grayskull who resided on Ancient Eternia in a flashback sequence. The only other Trollan besides Orko to appear in the modern series.
[edit] Trivia
Some fans note that in the original Final Fantasy (and a few others), the Black Mage was modeled after Orko. Although this has yet to be verified, the images of each character are strikingly similar.
