Medabots facts for kids

Medabots
Promotional image showing main characters.
メダロット (Medarotto)
Manga
Written by	Horumarin
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	1997 – 1999
Volumes	3
Manga
Medarot 2
Written by	Horumarin
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA Viz Media (as Medabots)
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	1999 – 2000
Volumes	4
Anime television series
Directed by	Tensai Okamura
Produced by	Tomoko Gushima Yōko Matsushita
Written by	Ryōta Yamaguchi
Music by	Osamu Tezuka
Studio	Bee Train
Licensed by	NA Discotek Media
Network	TV Tokyo
English network	CA YTV UK Pop Max US Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox Kids)
Original run	July 2, 1999 – June 30, 2000
Episodes	52 (List of episodes)
Manga
Medarot 3
Written by	Horumarin
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	2000 – 2001
Volumes	2
Anime television series
Medarot Damashii
Directed by	Masatsugu Arakawa
Produced by	Tomoko Gushima Yōko Matsushita
Written by	Yōsuke Nakagawa
Music by	Osamu Tezuka
Studio	Trans Arts Production I.G (cooperation)
Licensed by	NA Discotek Media
Network	TV Tokyo
English network	CA YTV US ABC Family (Jetix)
Original run	July 7, 2000 – March 30, 2001
Episodes	39 (List of episodes)
Manga
Medarot 4
Written by	Horumarin
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	2001 – 2001
Volumes	2
Manga
Medarot 5
Written by	Horumarin
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	2001 – 2002
Volumes	2
Manga
Medarot G
Written by	Horumarin
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Children
Magazine	Comic BomBom
Original run	2003 – 2003
Volumes	2

Medabots, known in Japan as Medarot, is a popular Japanese series. It features robots that battle each other. The series started as a role-playing game (RPG) in 1997. It was created by Rin Horuma. Now, Imagineer owns the series. Most of the games have been released on Nintendo systems. These include the Game Boy family, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS.

The Medabots story has also been made into an anime TV show. There were two main TV series. The first was made by Bee Train. The second, called Medarot Damashii, was made by Production I.G. Both shows aired in Japan from 1999 to 2001. They were later shown in English in Canada and the United States.

A manga (Japanese comic book) series was also created by Rin Horuma. It was published in Japan in a magazine called Comic BomBom. Some of the manga series were translated into English. For example, the Medarot 2 manga was released as Medabots in North America.

What are Medabots?

Medabots are special artificially intelligent robots. They are designed to help humans in the future. Each Medabot has a "medal" which acts like its brain and soul. These medals give Medabots their unique personalities. They also allow them to perform special attacks.

Medabots Storylines

The First Medabots Series

The story begins with a ten-year-old boy named Ikki Tenryō. He dreams of becoming a champion in the World Robattle Tournament. Robattles are fights between Medabots. Ikki can't afford a Medabot. But he finds an old model and a rare medal in a river. He puts the medal into his new Medabot, named Metabee.

Metabee has a strong personality and can be disobedient. This is because his medal is a "rare" medal. Rare medals give Medabots a special power called "Medaforce." This power makes their attacks much stronger.

Ikki also meets a mysterious store clerk named Henry. Henry has secret identities, including Phantom Renegade and Space Medafighter X. These characters often help Ikki and Metabee. During the World Robattle Cup, Ikki and Metabee face many challenges. They also try to stop a bad group called the "RubberRobo Gang."

Later, it's discovered that Medabots are very old. They come from an ancient civilization called the Medalorians. These people put their memories onto metal pieces, which became the "medals." The Medabot Corporation then copied and made many of these medals.

Medabots Spirits Series

Medarot Damashii, also known as Medabots Spirits, is a sequel to the first series. Ikki and Metabee face a new threat. A twelve-year-old boy named Kam Kamazaki creates dangerous robots called Kilobots. These Kilobots use special "X-Medals." Kilobots have no feelings and often cheat to win battles.

In this series, Ikki gets new parts for Metabee. These parts help him use "Action Mode" to fight Kilobots. Ikki, his friend Erika, and a new friend named Zuru (who is also the Mystery Medafighter) battle Kam's Kilobots. The Mystery Medafighter wants to get rid of all Kilobots. Eventually, Kam realizes that his Kilobots are wrong. He stops making them and keeps his own Kilobot, Blackbettle, who gains a personality.

Main Characters

• Ikki Tenryou is the main hero of the series. He is a lively and friendly boy. At first, he doesn't have a Medabot. But he finds a medal and buys Metabee. Even though Metabee is stubborn, Ikki and Metabee form a strong bond. Ikki learns a lot through his Medabot battles.
• Metabee is Ikki's main Medabot. He is a beetle-type Medabot. Metabee is known for his strong will and sometimes sarcastic attitude. He has a rare medal, which lets him use the powerful Medaforce. Despite his rebellious nature, Metabee is very loyal to Ikki.

Medabots Media

Video Games

Most Medabots games come in two versions: Kabuto and Kuwagata. In the Kabuto version, your first Medabot looks like a rhinoceros beetle. In the Kuwagata version, it looks like a stag beetle. These versions also have different Medabot parts to collect and small story changes.

Main Game Series

• Medarot (1997, Game Boy)
• Medarot Perfect Edition (1999, WonderSwan) - An improved version of the first game.
• Medarot 2 (1999, Game Boy Color)
• Medarot 3 (2000, Game Boy Color)
• Medarot 4 (2001, Game Boy Color)
• Medarot 5: Susutake-mura no Tenkōsei (2001, Game Boy Color)
• Medabots (2002, Game Boy Advance) - This game is a remake of Medarot 2. It was the only main game released in English.
• Medarot DS (2010, Nintendo DS)
• Medarot 7 (2012, Nintendo 3DS)
• Medarot 8 (2014, Nintendo 3DS)
• Medarot 9 (2015, Nintendo 3DS)
• Medarot Classics (2017, Nintendo 3DS) - A collection of the first five games.
• Medarot Classics Plus (2020, Nintendo Switch) - A collection of the first eight games.

Other Games

Many other Medabots games have been made. Some are like the main RPGs, while others are different types of games.

• Medarot R (1999, PlayStation) - An RPG with 3D battle graphics.
• Medarot Card Robottle (2000, Game Boy Color) - A game based on the Medabots trading card game.
• Medarot Navi (2001, Game Boy Advance) - An RPG with a different battle system.
• Medabots AX (2002, Game Boy Advance) - A fighting game. This was the only Medabots game not released in Japan.
• Medarot G (2002, Game Boy Advance) - Another fighting game.
• Medabots Infinity (2003, Nintendo GameCube) - An action role-playing game.
• Shingata Medarot (2004, Game Boy Advance) - This game reuses the engine from Medabots (Medarot 2 CORE).
• Medarot DUAL (2013, Nintendo 3DS) - A third-person action game.
• Medarot Girls Mission (2016, Nintendo 3DS) - An action game with an all-female cast.
• Medarot S: Unlimited Nova (2020, iOS, Android) - A mobile game.

Manga Series

Rin Horumarin wrote the Medabots manga series. It was published in Japan in the Comic BomBom magazine from 1997 to 2003. Six different series were released:

• Medarot (1997-1999, 3 volumes)
• Medarot 2 (1999-2000, 4 volumes) - This series was translated into English as Medabots.
• Medarot 3 (2000-2001, 2 volumes)
• Medarot 4 (2001, 2 volumes)
• Medarot 5 (2001-2002, 2 volumes)
• Medarot G (2003, 2 volumes)

Anime Series

The Medabots anime series was inspired by the Medarot 2 game. It also took ideas from another robot fighting show called Plawres Sanshiro. The first Medabots anime had 52 episodes. It aired in Japan from July 2, 1999, to June 30, 2000. A sequel series, Medarot Damashii (known as Medabots Spirits in English), had 39 episodes. It aired from July 7, 2000, to March 30, 2001.

Both series were translated into English by a Canadian company called Nelvana. The English version of the first series aired in the US on Fox Kids from 2001 to 2002. It was a very popular new show. Later, it moved to ABC Family. Medabots Spirits aired from 2003 to 2004. In Canada, the show aired on YTV.

The anime series has been released on VHS and DVD in Japan. In North America, ADV Films first released the English dub on VHS and DVD. Later, Shout! Factory and Discotek Media also released the series. Discotek Media has worked to release the English dub on SD Blu-ray.

Images for kids

• 

  Promotional image showing main characters.

See also

In Spanish: Medabots para niños