Mighty Orbots

Mighty Orbots
マイティ・オーボッツ
Genre Adventure, Comedy, Science fiction, Mecha
TV anime
Directed by Osamu Dezaki
Yutaka Fujioka
Studio TMS Entertainment
Licensed by Intermedia Entertainment, MGM/UA Television
Network Animax
English network ABC
Original run 02012-09-08 September 8December 15, 1984 (1984-12-15)
Episodes 13
Anime and Manga Portal

Mighty Orbots (マイティ・オーボッツ?) is an American/Japanese Super robot animated series created in a joint collaboration of TMS Entertainment and Intermedia Entertainment in association with MGM/UA Television. It was directed by veteran anime director Osamu Dezaki and features character designs by Akio Sugino. The series aired from September 8, 1984 to December 15, 1984 on Saturday mornings in the United States on ABC[1] and later on in Japan by Animax,[2] totaling up to 13 episodes.

Contents

Series history

Mighty Orbots was developed from an idea pitched by Fred Silverman, possibly in response to the popularity of other robot-related properties such as Hasbro and Sunbow's Transformers. The original six minute "pilot" featured a slightly different version of Might Orbots called Broots (pronounced "Brutes"). Rob and Ono looked similar to their 'finished' selves, though definitively more late 70s-like. The Orbots, while having the same names as in the finished product, are subtly different, and obviously unfinished. Even their combined form aka "Super-Broots" would go through some more developmental evolution before becoming Mighty Orbots. It was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and Intermedia Entertainment in association with MGM/UA Television for both the United States for the television broadcast and Japan via home video. Unlike many other shows of its kind, Mighty Orbots was not simply a translated Japanese import. The series was directed by anime industry veteran Osamu Dezaki with storyboard work by Dezaki's brother Satoshi Desaki, character designs by Akio Sugino, and animation by Shingo Araki.

The series lasted only a single season of thirteen episodes, mostly due to a lawsuit between the show's creators and toymaker Tonka, who accused them of basing the cartoon on their GoBots franchise (which was adapted from Bandai's Machine Robo line). The robot depicted in the show was virtually identical to the robot in the anime for Bandai's Godmars toy, although the colors were changed. However, the Godmars toy was not among the Bandai figures utilized by the GoBots line. The episodes aired on ABC and although some episodes were available on VHS, the series has yet to be released on DVD. Despite its short run, the series has a dedicated fan base today.

The series got its first commercial broadcasting in Japan via Animax.

Series plot

The 23rd Century, the future is a time of robots and aliens. The people of Earth have banded together along with several other peaceful alien races to promote peace throughout the galaxy, forming the United Planets. As part of the United Planets, the Galactic Patrol — a body of law-enforcers — works to maintain order, under the leadership of Commander Rondu.

However, a powerful criminal organization called SHADOW is out to destroy both the Galactic Patrol and the U.P. Led by Umbra, a massive cyborg-computer, SHADOW employs sinister agents and incredible schemes to attack and someday rule over all corners of the known-galaxy.

There is one thing that helps to fight against SHADOW: ingenious inventor Rob Simmons — secretly a member of the Galactic Patrol — creates six special robots who can use their unique powers to battle against the forces of Umbra. Together, these robots can unite to form a giant robot called Mighty Orbots, to fight for truth, justice and peace for all.

Characters

Hero characters

Rob has curly blond hair and blue eyes. He can summon the Orbots from their recharge chambers with a remote signal from a device he wears on his wrist. He pilots the Beam Car; a special vehicle that acts as a "command center" when linked up within Mighty Orbots' core body. From there, he and Ohno can operate Mighty Orbots with maximum effectiveness in battle.
Voiced by Barry Gordon (English) and Yū Mizushima (Japanese)
Rondu has long silver-white hair and facial hair, and grey-white eyes. He exhibits formidable psionic powers; something that must be key to his race (since a space pirate named Shrike wanted to use his "unique life-force" to power a super-weapon in the episode "Raid on the Stellar Queen").
Voiced by Don Messick
Dia has long, silver-white hair and dark eyes. Aside from being highly skilled in fighting, acrobatics and flying ships, Dia often captures agents of SHADOW in a force-field projector stored in a wrist band on her left arm. It is never said if she possesses the same psionic powers her father does. It is hinted at in "Operation: Eclipse", however, when she volunteers to aid her father in mental battle with Dreneon, who is a member of the same race working for Shadow.
Voiced by Jennifer Darling

The Orbots

Tor's primary colors are silver, red and blue. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, Tor retracts his arms and legs into himself to form the central body and head.
Voiced by Bill Martin
Bort's primary colors are silver and blue. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, he retracts into a boxy unit that forms the lower right leg. While connected, he can use his quick-change circuits to modify the hands of Mighty Orbots into a variety of offensive and defensive weapons.
Voiced by Jim MacGeorge
Bo's primary colors are pale yellow and orange. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, she transforms in the left arm, which forms a hand after it is connected to the main body. Through her connection, she can channel her elemental powers throughout the body of Mighty Orbots.
Voiced by Sherry Alberoni (English) and Akari Hibino (Japanese)
Boo's primary colors are white and yellow. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, she transforms into the right arm of the giant robot. Like Bo, she can channel her defensive abilities throughout the larger body, allowing it to benefit from all of her "magic" effects.
Voiced by Julie Bennett (English) and Hitomi Oikawa (Japanese)
Crunch's primary colors are purple and black. When forming the gestalt form of Mighty Orbots, Crunch forms a boxy unit that forms the lower left leg. While connected, Crunch also serves as the back-up power source for the giant robot, and at times will detach so he can "chow down" on any available items to give his team mates a much-needed power boost.
Voiced by Don Messick
Ohno's primary colors are pink, red and white. When Mighty Orbots forms its gestalt form, it's Ohno that completes the final circuit "link" that allows the full power of the giant robot form to come online. Without this vital piece, Mighty Orbots cannot become fully functional (a flaw that was exploited once by Umbra, under the machinations of the Shadow Agent called Plasmus, in the episode "The Wishworld"). If necessary, Ohno can operate the controls alone for basic functions, but combat is simply too demanding without the Commander on board. Ohno also carries the repair tools and recharge kit needed should the Orbots be caught off-world away from their base recharge chambers.
Voiced by Noelle North

Villain characters

Umbra himself has no real means of directly fighting his enemies, so he employs massive monsters, sinister aliens and elaborate plans to combat the threat of the Galactic Patrol and Mighty Orbots.
Shrike uses a cybernetic eye to control his Master Computer, as well as stun his foes with a stasis-ray. Using his Master Computer, Shrike used Rondu's life-force to create a creature called a Titan (which looked like a Japanese Oni), to battle Mighty Orbots.
Shrike was the only villain who was not a member of SHADOW.
Plasmus could change his shape to resemble any type of non-robotic life form. He mostly traveled as a mass of gaseous, green/white vapor, which is what appeared as he transformed. As well, he could draw upon energy and matter to enlarge his strength and mass exponentially.

Episode list

  1. Magnetic Menace (8 September 1984)
  2. The Wish World (15 September 1984)
  3. Trapped on the Prehistoric Planet (22 September 1984)
  4. The Dremloks (29 September 1984)
  5. Devil's Asteroid (6 October 1984)
  6. Raid on the Stellar Queen (13 October 1984)
  7. The Jewel of Targon (20 October 1984)
  8. The Phoenix Factor (27 October 1984)
  9. Leviathan (3 November 1984)
  10. The Cosmic Circus (17 November 1984)
  11. A Tale of Two Thieves (24 November 1984)
  12. Operation Eclipse (1 December 1984)
  13. The Invasion of the Shadow Star (15 December 1984)

References

External links