| Doctor Ivo Robotnik aka Doctor Eggman |
|
|---|---|
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik[1] as seen in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
|
|
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog series |
| First game | Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) |
| Created by | Naoto Ōshima |
| Voiced by (English) | Video games Deem Bristow (1998-2004; deceased) Mike Pollock (2005-present) Cartoons Long John Baldry (AoStH; deceased) Jim Cummings (SatAM and AoSTH pilot episode) Gary Chalk (Undergrond) Anime Edwin Neal (Sonic OVA) Mike Pollock (Sonic X) |
| Voiced by (Japanese) | Video games Masaharu Sato (1993) Chikao Ōtsuka (1998-present) Anime Junpei Takiguchi (Sonic OVA) Chikao Ōtsuka (Sonic X) |
| Fictional profile | |
| Nickname | Eggman[2] |
| Species | Human |
| Likes | Mechas,[2] trying to take over the world |
| Skills | IQ of 300[2] |
Doctor Ivo Robotnik (ロボトニック Robotonikku),[3][4] also known by his alias Doctor Eggman (ドクター・エッグマン Dokutā Egguman),[5] is a fictional video game character, the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog series created by Sega. Dr. Eggman is a rotund, mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who plans to conquer the world in order to build his Eggman Empire and is the archenemy of Sonic the Hedgehog. His character designer is Naoto Ōshima, and while he has gone through several large appearance changes throughout the series, his in-game designs retain several basic characteristics, such as his egg-shaped body. Other incarnations may only retain his large mustache. Most of the time, Dr. Eggman is portrayed as horribly immature: he tends to throw temper tantrums when he fails or is offended, despite his incredible intellect and skilled mind. He has appeared in almost every Sonic the Hedgehog game since his first appearance and has appeared in all other Sonic media, including comics, TV series, and an Original Video Animation.
Contents |
In April 1990, Sega commissioned its AM8 R&D department to create a character who would replace Alex Kidd as the company's mascot, as well as compete against Nintendo's flagship character, Mario. A caricature of Theodore Roosevelt was among the proposed designs, and combined with the idea of an egg-shaped character, it eventually became the basis of the visual design for Dr. Robotnik/Eggman.[6] In creating the "bad guy" for the Sonic series, the development team wanted a character who was "the opposite of Sonic;" a character who represented "machinery" and "development" to play on the then-growing debate between developers and environmentalists.[7] The character was also designed to be easy for children to draw.[7]
The English instruction manual for his 1991 debut game Sonic the Hedgehog described the character's full name as "Doctor Ivo Robotnik"[3] while the original Japanese version's instruction manual for the same game called him "Doctor Eggman".[8] Then in 1999's Sonic Adventure, the character was called both "Doctor Robotnik" and "Doctor Eggman" in the English version,[5][9] with all following English releases to date referring to him as "Doctor Eggman". Yuji Naka has explained that "Robotnik" is the character's real name while "Eggman" is a "common name taken after his shape."[9] Despite this, the Japanese Sonic Channel profile listed his full name as unknown.[10]
Eggman is described as being a certifiable genius with an IQ of 300.[11][12][13] His fondness for machines has also made him a renowned authority on robotics.[2][11] Ultimately, his goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate "utopia", Eggmanland (alternatively known as the Eggman Empire or Robotnikland or Robotropolis).[14] He selfishly never gives up on this matter, and does not care for others' opinions.[2][15] He considers those who would interrupt his plans a prime threat.[14] His abominable laughter and maniacal declarations contrast his self-professed softer side, as a romanticist, feminist, and gentleman.[12] Despite his intelligence, Eggman can be terribly immature, prone to childish emotional fits when he is not getting his way.[15] Although Sonic has always ruined his evil plans, Eggman begrudgingly holds a secret respect for his determination.[2][13]
Several voice actors have portrayed Dr. Eggman in his game appearances, as well as in other media. The first voice actor for Eggman was Masaharu Satō, who portrayed him in the arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog. In the Japanese game releases from 1998 onwards, Eggman is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka, who also voices him in the Japanese version of Sonic X. From 1998-2004, Deem Bristow provided the English dub for Eggman in the video games;[16] 4Kids employee Mike Pollock and voice of Eggman in the English dub of Sonic X was cast in the video game role shortly before Bristow's death from a heart attack in 2005. The first video game to star Mike Pollock was Shadow the Hedgehog, in which all of the regular voice actors were replaced with the 4Kids cast. While it was announced that the rest of the cast would be replaced from Sonic Colors onwards in 2010, Pollock retains his role as Doctor Eggman, now making him the longest serving voice actor to potray the character.[17]
In the Japanese game releases from 1998 onwards, Eggman is dubbed by Chikao Ōtsuka, who also voices him in the Japanese version of Sonic X. The only person besides Ōtsuka to portray Eggman in a Japanese production is Junpei Takiguchi, who provided Eggman's voice for the original video animation, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.[18] Edwin Neal later provided the English dub.[19]
The early television incarnations of Doctor Robotnik (as he was known as exclusively in) have been voiced by three different actors. In Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Robotnik is voiced by British blues singer Long John Baldry,[20] who coincidentally died the same year as Deem Bristow from a severe chest infection. Robotnik was voiced by Jim Cummings in the ABC Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon,[21] and by Gary Chalk (who also voiced Grounder in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog) in Sonic Underground.[22]
In the majority of video games set in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, Eggman has served as the main antagonist. Most of the Sonic video games that were released before 1998, the year in which Sonic Adventure was released in Japan, featured Eggman as the final boss that the player fights at the end of the game. Eggman also appears as a boss who the player must confront at the end of almost every level in most of the 2D Sonic games, and in Sonic 3D. In each game in which he makes multiple appearances as a boss, Eggman fights the player using a different machine each time he appears. In most of the 2D Sonic games, the player had to hit Eggman eight times in order to defeat him and move on to the next level or next boss. In most three-dimensional Sonic games since the release of Sonic Adventure in 1998, Eggman may serve as a boss at one or more points in the game, although he usually does not serve as the final boss. Many of the final bosses in these more recent Sonic games were former allies of Eggman who then betrayed him, while others were a third party that had no connection with Eggman whatsoever. Eggman has often formed temporary alliances with Sonic and others to help them defeat these foes.
Dr. Eggman debuted in the 1991 Mega Drive/Genesis platform game Sonic the Hedgehog, where he attempted to collect the six Chaos Emeralds and hoped to turn all of the helpless animals inhabiting South Island into robots under his control, Sonic manages to defeat Eggman and returns peace to South Island.
He returned in the immediate sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where he once again sought the Chaos Emeralds, of which there were now seven. In this game, Eggman sought to collect the emeralds to fuel his ultimate weapon, a space station known as the Death Egg (an obvious homage to the Death Star), which has reappeared in several other titles in the series.
In 1993's Sonic CD, Eggman, along with his latest creation, Metal Sonic, travels to Little Planet in search of magical gems called Time Stones that have the power to control the passage of time. In both endings, Eggman is seen flying away with a Time Stone, but is shot down by a rock thrown by Sonic.
In Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, following the events in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Eggman's Death Egg crash-lands onto Angel Island, causing critical damage to the ship. While repairing the space station, Eggman meets Knuckles the Echidna, whom he tricks into believing that Sonic is trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds. In truth, Eggman intends to use the emeralds to repair the Death Egg.
Other two-dimensional games released before 1998 that Eggman appeared in include Sonic Chaos, Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic Blast, and Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, as well as the 8-bit renditions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
In Sonic Adventure, Eggman learns of a legendary monster trapped in the Master Emerald, Chaos, and seeks out the Master Emerald. Upon finding it, he shatters it, freeing Chaos in the process. Eggman's goal is to control Chaos and obtain the Chaos Emeralds, which he can feed to Chaos so that it transforms into its most powerful form, using its destructive powers to conquer the world.[23]
Sonic Adventure 2 marks Eggman's first appearance as a playable character in a main series game. Eggman revives the antihero Shadow the Hedgehog from dormancy. Shadow, knowing Eggman's desire to rule the world, agrees to help him by using the Eclipse Cannon aboard Space Colony ARK. In the last story, Eggman aids Sonic in trying to stop a fail-safe put in place by his grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, which set the colony on a crash course with Earth.[24]
In Sonic Heroes, Eggman creates a series a battle ships called the Egg Fleat which he plans to take over the world in 3 days. He is believed to be the main antagonist for the most of the game, but it is discoverd that he was captured by his own creation, Metal Sonic, who disguised himself as Eggman as part of a larger evil plan.
In Shadow the Hedgehog, Eggman is an opportunist who tries to gather the Chaos Emeralds in the middle of the alien invasion. He ends up sending his robots to help stop the alien menace in the end. As Shadow interrogates Eggman for information regarding his past, he is met with taunts from Eggman, who claims that Shadow is one of his androids.[25] In some of the possible endings, Shadow accepts being an android and kills Eggman. However, in the true ending during Shadow's fight with Black Doom, Eggman admits that he was lying.[26]
In the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game, Dr. Eggman (who had a realistic human appearance) kidnaps the princess of Soleanna, who harbors the Flames of Disaster within her, in order to control time. Once again, he is forced to assist the heroes during the last act, much like previous games.
Eggman also appears in Sonic and the Secret Rings as Shahryār of Persia. Here, his physical appearance has been changed back to his Adventure look.[27]
Eggman appeared in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, where he is once again a main villain, alongside a parallel version of himself called Eggman Nega. He is also a playable character in the Sonic RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.
In Sonic Unleashed, Dr. Eggman is one of the two main villains in the game, along with Dark Gaia. Eggman tricks Super Sonic into a trap and uses his energy to power a giant laser cannon, which fires into the Earth and shatters it into pieces, freeing the beast contained within; Dark Gaia. He spends most of the game collecting Dark Gaia's power as well as fighting Sonic with various machines, and much like the original games, flies off in his Egg Mobile when defeated. Unlike many previous games, Eggman actually assumes control of his plans at the end of Sonic Unleashed by creating Eggmanland and makes no effort to join forces with Sonic to stop his own plans once they have spiraled out of control. Still, Eggman suffers a defeat when he gives Dark Gaia a single order and is shot into the atmosphere by the creature.
In Sonic the Hedgehog 4, (Set between Sonic 3 and Knuckles and Sonic Adventure), Sonic goes traveling on his own, not knowing Eggman survived the destruction of the Death Egg in Sonic and Knuckles. The doctor remakes his old badniks, and improves them to destroy his old rival once and for all. Eggman is the main boss in the game.
In Sonic Colors, Eggman claims to be seeking forgiveness for his past transgressions, and attempts to make amends by opening up a theme park within the Earth's orbit. However, it becomes clear that the park is merely a front for Eggman's true intentions, which involve harnessing the energies of the alien Wisps for his own use; specifically, a mind-control cannon which he plans to use in order to take over the universe. Unlike most 3-dimensional Sonic games, Eggman is the final boss, piloting an Eggmobile protected by Nega-Wisp armor. After his defeat, he ends up being sucked into his theme park which has transformed into a black hole when the negative energy backfires, consuming the entire park. After the credits, Dr. Eggman is seen out in space inside the Eggmobile along with his two robot assistants Orbot and Cubot stating he has his revenge plan layed out.
In Sonic Generations, Eggman appears in both his modern design and his original design. After his defeat in Sonic Colors, while in space, Eggman comes across a being known as the Time Eater and, after somehow converting it into robotic form, attempts to use its time powers to reverse all of his past defeats at the hands of Sonic. By using the Time Eater, however, he causes rifts in time to open, bringing Sonic, Tails and Himself to meet their classic counterparts. Eggman works together with his past self to attempt to vanquish Sonic once and for all. During the game, they serve as the Classic Era, Modern Era, and final bosses. Each fights with a different mech: Classic Eggman with the Death Egg Robot from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Modern Eggman with a redesigned Egg Dragoon from Sonic Unleashed, and together with the Time Eater. Unfortunately for the duo, the Time Eater is defeated when both Classic and Modern Sonic become Super and, in a post-credits cutscene, both Eggmen wind up stranded in White Space with no apparent way out, leading Classic Eggman to suggest reobtaining their teaching degrees once they escape. Modern Eggman agrees to this as he mentions that he "always enjoyed telling people what to do", although it is unknown if this was a joke or if they were serious.
In Sonic Spinball, a pinball-themed game, Dr. Robotnik seizes Mount Mobius and turns it into a mechanical base, setting up an elaborate pinball mechanism to keep the Chaos Emeralds safe.
Eggman has also appeared in "2.5D" isometric platformers; in Sonic Labyrinth, he secretly replaces Sonic's famous red shoes with the new "Slow-Down Boots," which take away his ability to jump or run fast, and in Sonic 3D Blast, he turns innocent Flickies into robots in yet another search for the Chaos Emeralds.
Dr. Eggman is also a playable character in such games as Sonic Drift, Sonic R, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Riders and its sequel Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Sega Superstars Tennis, and Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. Eggman appears as a playable character in the crossover game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Dr. Eggman made a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a trophy. He appeared as a playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, also as one of the two main villains (alongside Bowser) in the game's Adventure Mode (DS version only). Eggman and Bowser plan to make their own Olympic Winter Games by kidnapping the Star Spirits. In the game's climax, the two villains act as the final bosses. Eggman is also set to appear as a playable character in the upcoming game Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The only game as of yet to feature Dr. Robotnik as the central character is the 1993 game Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, a Puyo Puyo clone in which Robotnik, along with numerous bounty hunters seen in the first episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, attempts to rid all the fun and music on the planet Mobius by kidnapping the citizens of one insignificant town and turning them into robots. Despite the fact that he is the title character, he is still the villain and is the final boss.
Sonic and the Black Knight is the only game in the entire Sonic franchise in which Dr. Eggman does not make an appearance and was not even mentioned.
There have been four animated television series featuring Robotnik. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was the first, and featured Long John Baldry as the voice of Robotnik.[28] The cartoon had little history for Robotnik, whom, while still the series' main antagonist, was merely portrayed as a villain who sought to rule Mobius for no reason other than the fact that he appeared to be motivated by the act of "being evil". While the threat he posed to the Mobians seemed to vary from episode to episode, he was nonetheless portrayed as incompetent and Immature, with a tendency to mistreat his dim-witted 'Badnik' slaves, Scratch and Grounder. His foremost of several catchphrases was "I hate that hedgehog!".
Sonic the Hedgehog: the Animated series featured a Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik, who is never called 'Eggman'. (Julian is not Robotnik's name in the usual Sonic canon) Julian is a heartless sadist, is fiercely tempermental, and happens to be an incredibly competent dictator. (He has already conquered most of the planet Mobius, and maintains totilitarian control, this incarnation of Dr. Robotnik existed before there was any "canon" information concerning the character) He was voiced by Jim Cummings.
Sonic Underground featured Robotnik in a style similar to Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series, but in a much funnier light: he maintains less control, and he is more bumbling. He is voiced by Gary Chalk.
In the two-episode OVA film Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, Eggman tells Sonic that he has been banished from Robotropolis by a metallic doppelgänger of himself. It is later revealed that the mecha was piloted by Eggman himself, in a scheme to lure Sonic into his base and copy his DNA for his new Hyper Metal Sonic robot. Eggman was voiced by Junpei Takiguchi in the Japanese version, and by Edwin Neal in the English dub.[29]
In Sonic X Doctor Eggman, along with other Sonic characters, are accidentally transported from their own world, to Earth. This incarnation is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka in the Japanese version, and by Mike Pollock in the English dub.[30]
When the first Sonic the Hedgehog title was released in 1991, Sega published a comic book designed to promote the game. The 14-page story, written by Francis Mao, included a non-canon origin for both Sonic the Hedgehog and Eggman. Originally a benevolent scientist named Dr. Ovi Kintobor ("Ivo Robotnik" with the names spelt backwards--also, 'ovi' is the Latin prefix meaning 'egg', despite Kintobor being thin), he starts out as a friend to Sonic, even helping to develop the hedgehog's super-speed. Kintobor later tries to eliminate all the evil in the world by absorbing it into the Chaos Emeralds, but the experiment goes awry, instead shocking the Doctor with "10,000 volts of pure evil energy."[31] Though inaccurate in regards to the games, a similar origin story later found its way into the now-defunct UK-based Sonic the Comic, which was published from 1993 through 2002, as well as many UK-published books such as Stay Sonic. Kintobor appears in Sonic the Comic as a computer program designed to assist Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. Whilst Robotnik's initial appearance was from that of his appearance in the Mega Drive games, he later 'transformed himself' and took the appearance of his design from the Adventures series, which took effect from issue 22 onwards.
That same year, Archie Comics began publishing its Sonic the Hedgehog comic book. The series is in a sense, a very loose continuation of ABC's Sonic the Hedgehog animated cartoon; As well as a mad scientist, Robotnik is a portrayed as a dictator who took control of Sonic's hometown during a coup d'etat. In recent years, the plot of the comic has changed to incorporate elements from the video games, with Robotnik being replaced by his more traditional video game counterpart.
A potential macrocycle inhibitor of Sonic hedgehog discovered by a Harvard University research team was named "Robotnikinin" after the Dr. Robotnik character. The researchers felt that after Sonic hedgehog was named after the Sega video game character, they should "adhere to the convention" in naming the inhibiting compound after the character's archenemy.[32]
The band Intercontinental Music Lab included a song about Dr. Robotnik on their 2008 album, Superheroes of Science.[33]
The power metal band Powerglove wrote a song called "So Sexy Robotnik" based on the boss theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and features snips from various other level tunes from the same game. It appears as the first track on their 2007 album "Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man".
The character has been well-received, going on to become one of the most well-known villains in gaming. GameDaily ranked him number one on their list of Top 25 Evil Masterminds of All Time article, stating "Out of all the evil masterminds in video games, none are more despicable, more cunning, or more menacing".[34] They also included him in their most persistent video game villains list and their craziest video game villains list.[35][36] In a later article, they listed the "evil mastermind" as one of the top 25 video game archetypes, using Robotnik as an example.[37] He was featured at number three in a "Reader's Choice" edition of GameSpot's "Top Ten Video Game Villains" article, which noted a massive complaint by fans at his exclusion from the original list.[38] Eggman was also named the 15th most diabolical video game villain of all time by PC World.[39] Game Informer notes that in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, "Eggman's villain ego shows some amusing tarnish after constant defeat at the hands of Sonic."[40] IGN listed him at number nine above Mario-series villain Bowser in their "Top 10 Most Memorable Villains" article, calling him "PETA's videogame public enemy number one",[41] and has also commented that his character is a "pretty clever riff on Teddy Roosevelt" that has added to the attraction of the series.[42] In 2010, IGN listed Dr. Robotnik 11th out of their "Top 100 Videogame Villans".[43] Nintendo Power listed Dr. Robotnik as their seventh favorite villain, also listing him as having one of the best mustaches.[44]
|
|||||||||||
