Reuben (Lilo & Stitch)

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Reuben (Experiment 625)

Age	Unknown
Gender	Male
Appears in	Disney Adventures Magazine, Stitch! The Movie, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Leroy & Stitch
Performer	Rob Paulsen

Reuben (also known as Experiment 625) is a character from Lilo & Stitch: The Series. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen.

[edit] History

Reuben is experiment number 625 of Dr. Jumba Jookiba's original 626 experiments. He is preceeded by Angel (624) and followed by Stitch (626).

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Reuben was introduced as experiment 625 in Stitch! The Movie. His dehydrated experiment pod falls out of the pod container during the rush to hide it from Gantu, who later finds it on the floor while he is interrogating Jumba (Jumba tells Gantu that the pod is a "ping pong ball", but Gantu knows that this is a lie). Being unable to make Jumba tell him where the rest of the pods are, Gantu kidnaps him and and takes him along with the pod to Dr. Hämsterviel's space ship. Hämsterviel is initially disappointed in Gantu's failure to bring all of the experiments, but then decides to activate 625 (who Jumba says has all the powers of 626) to torture Jumba into revealing the location of the others. 625 is reactivated and left inside Jumba's detention cell. After waiting outside the door and not hearing any cries of torture from within, Hämsterviel peeks inside and sees that 625 is eating a sandwich instead. Jumba tells him that 625's design flaw is that he's very lazy and only makes sandwiches, leaving Hämsterviel significantly "irked". Being useless, 625 remains on Hämsterviel's ship, making sandwiches and sarcastic remarks. After Lilo and Stitch are captured, he annoys Gantu by using a security alert to summon him to help order bologna. 625 happens to be on Gantu's ship when Lilo, Stitch, and Sparky disable it's navigation equipment, resulting in him being stranded on Earth with Gantu.

625 ends up becoming Gantu's sidekick in Lilo & Stitch: The Series and spends most of his time relaxing, making sandwiches, and making fun of Gantu. He usually stands at the sidelines, making snide remarks as he watches Gantu fail his missions, but will help out if he feels so inclined. Although Gantu and 625 are often at odds they share some tender moments: watching TV together, relaxing at the beach on a day off, attending a carnival, and in a rare display of compassion 625 even fusses over Gantu when the captain is sick. On occasion 625 has also sided with Lilo, as an anti-hero. His reasons for doing so range from spite, to convenience, to moral principles. 625 is never given a name during the course of the series, though Lilo calls him "sandwich boy" in the episode "627."

At the beginning of Leroy & Stitch, Lilo and her ‘ohana are rewarded for capturing all of Jumba's experiments and finding the one true place they belong. Gantu wonders why Lilo never bothered catching 625, and 625 guesses that the one place he truly belongs is being Gantu's buddy. Gantu, suggesting that was his problem all along, decides to leave Earth and 625 behind in order to break Dr. Hämsterviel out of prison. Later, Lilo visits Gantu's old ship, looking for an intergalactic communicator to contact Stitch with. She finds 625 filling the ship with sandwiches, saying that he's going to start "the best spaceship-shaped sandwich shop on the island." She gives him a home-made peanut butter & jelly sandwich as a peace offering. 625 is moved by this act, since no one had ever made him a sandwich before, but is suspicious of Lilo's motives and refuses to fix Gantu's broken communicator when she asks him. She then realizes that she never gave 625 a name. After rejecting Patty, Monte, and Pita Pita Sandwich Eata, 625 chooses the name Reuben. The newly christened Reuben asks if his new name gives him "official cousin status," "full ‘ohana rights", and "all that aloha stuff." Lilo says he'll get aloha if he gives some back in return, so he decides to fix the communicator. After learning that Stitch is in danger, Lilo asks Reuben to help her fix Gantu's ship so they can rescue him. Reuben again refuses, but Lilo tells him that, since he's the closest experiment to Stitch, if he stopped making sandwiches he could make something of himself. Reuben decides to try it, revealing to her surprise that he really does have all the same powers as Stitch. Working together, they quickly repair Gantu's ship and fly to Planet Turo. The two of them are captured by Dr. Hämsterviel, but join up with the recently fired Gantu (and later Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley) to escape. Reuben does his part in fighting during the Leroy clone battle along with all of the other experiments. When they perform the Aloha Oe concert, Reuben sings along with Lilo and Stitch and plays the saxophone.

In the end, Gantu is offered back his former job as captain of the Galactic Armada when Stitch steps down. He accepts the job on one condition: That Reuben joins him as his Galley Officer.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Abilities

Reuben has the same powers as Stitch, with the addition of advanced language programming (the ability to speak perfect English, with an inexplicable Brooklyn accent) and the ability to make sandwiches. Due to his laziness, laid back nature, and lack of violent mentality, Jumba considered him a failed project. Reuben only uses his powers a few rare times until Lilo persuades him to use them for good in Leroy & Stitch. Like Stitch, he has an extra set of retractable arms, super strength, and the ability to walk on the ceiling (though he is out of practice). He also proves to be an excellent mechanic, fixing Gantu's abandoned ship in less than a day using pickle juice as a conductor, and can play the saxophone. During the battle scene in Aloha Stadium it is shown that even his sandwich making skill has a place in battle, when he throws sandwiches at the Leroy clones to make them slip and fall.

However powerful Reuben potentially may be, he does have a physical weakness - he is ticklish. But despite saying otherwise in "Snafu" he gets tickled on his sides and foot by Tickle-Tummy (Experiment ???) where he finally admits it.

[edit] Other Appearances

Rueben as he appears in the first Disney Adventures Lilo & Stitch comic.

Reuben first appeared in the promotional Disney Adventures comics released before Lilo & Stitch, where he acts as Jumba's lazy sidekick and helps him test Stitch's abilities. His physical appearance in the comics is different, having blue-green fur, beadier eyes, and a larger belly, but he retains his personality and love of sandwiches. These Disney Adventures comics have since been retconned by the events described in Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch, where Stitch is apprehended directly after his creation and Reuben is no where to be seen. In the promotional Lilo & Stitch: The Series comics, his eyes and build change to reflect his new look, but his blue-green fur color remains the same.
Reuben makes a short appearance at the end of the game Lilo & Stitch 2: Hämsterviel Havoc for Game Boy Advance, where he offers the defeated Gantu a breadless cheese sandwich.