TigerSharks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TigerSharks is an animated children's television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1987. The series involved a team of heroes that could transform into sharks and other marine animals and resembled the series ThunderCats and SilverHawks also developed by Rankin/Bass.
The series lasted only one season and was part of the Comic Strip show, which consisted of four animated shorts: TigerSharks, Street Frogs, Mini Monsters and Karate Kat.
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[edit] Overview
TigerSharks is considered a knock off of the ThunderCats and the SilverHawks by many, since it followed the team based formula established by those two shows and was animated by the same Japanese studio. However, TigerSharks featured some fresh ideas that helped it to stand apart a little bit from its elder (and better known) siblings.
Mainly, the principal difference was that unlike the ThunderCats, who had innate feline abilities or the SilverHawks who were humans with bionic parts, the members of the TigerShark team were normal humans who had to use a device called the Fish Tank in order to transform into their powered up marine forms and enter it once again to revert back into their human forms.
Another difference is that, while both the ThunderCats and the SilverHawks had a base where they lived, it was always in the same place. In contrast, the TigerSharks' base was a spaceship that could also go underwater. The ship was called the SARK and contained the Fish Tank along with other research facilities.
Finally, while ThunderCats featured a mix of sci-fi and fantasy elements, and SilverHawks a fusion of sci-fi and police adventure, TigerSharks was strictly a fast-paced sci-fi adventure program.
The action took place in the fictional world of Water-O which was covered almost completely by water. The planet was inhabited by a race of fish men called the Waterians. The TigerSharks arrived there on a research mission and ended up serving as the protectors of the planet against the evil T-Ray, who had arrived there first.
[edit] Characters
[edit] TigerSharks
Protectors of Water-O, the team members are:
Mako: A gifted scuba diver, he is considered as the field leader of the TigerSharks. Mako is a good mediator, but also an excellent fighter. He transforms into a human/mako shark hybrid after jumping into the Fish Tank, which grants him incredible speed underwater.
Walro: The scientific and mechanical genius who created the Fish Tank. He acts as the advisor of the team and is very respected by his comrades; when he talks the others listen. Walro turns into a human/walrus hybrid when he uses the Fish Tank.
Dolph: Second in command and also an experienced scuba diver. Dolph has a knack for jokes and fooling around, but he knows when to joke and when to work. Dolph turns into a human/dolphin hybrid after jumping into the Fish Tank which makes him very maneuverable underwater.
Octavia: She’s the team’s communications technician and main strategist; without her tactical skills, the TigerSharks would be much less formidable. Octavia turns into a human/octopus hybrid (with tentacles instead of hair) after she uses the Fish Tank.
Lorka: He’s the team’s mechanic and he often helps Walro to repair or build new machines. He’s also the team’s strongest member. Lorca turns into a human/orca hybrid when he uses the Fish Tank.
Bronc: A teenager who works as an assistant in the SARK, he is very adventurous and sometimes reckless. He turns into a human/seahorse hybrid when he uses the Fish Tank.
Angel: Bronc's sister. She, along with her brother Bronc, is the younger member of the team; this teenaged girl also works as an assistant in the SARK and is much more serious and responsible than her brother Bronc. She turns into a human/angelfish hybrid after using the Fish Tank.
[edit] Villains
The show featured only two major antagonists, they are:
T-Ray: T-Ray a human/manta ray hybrid type creature, and his assistants/henchmen known as the Mantannas (fish-like creatures named Wall-Eye, Carper and Weakfish) arrived on Water-O because their home planet had dried up. In seeking to conquer Water-O, he freed Captain Bizzarly and his crew from their iced prison on Seaberia. He is hell bent on conquering Waterians and destroying the TigerSharks. He and his assistants cannot survive outside of the water without using water breathing apparatus.
Captain Bizzarly: A pirate with aquaphobia who controlled all crime-related activities on the vast oceans of Water-O until the Waterians froze him, his dragon pet Dragonstein and his crew (Long John Silverfish, Spike Marlin, Soulmate, Lump and Grunt) many years ago. T-Ray freed him and his men expecting them to help him; however, Bizzarly promtly betrayed T-Ray. Bizzarly now constantly tries to get rid of the TigerSharks and regain control of the oceans of Water-O.
[edit] External links
- TigerSharks at the Big Cartoon DataBase
