Mighty Orbots facts for kids
| Mighty Orbots | |
Cover of the Warner Archive DVD Box release.
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Quick facts for kids マイティ・オーボッツ(Maiti ōbottsu) |
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| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Mecha |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Osamu Dezaki |
| Produced by | George Singer Tatsuo Ikeuchi Nobuo Inada |
| Written by | Michael Reaves |
| Music by | Yuji Ohno |
| Studio | MGM/UA Television TMS Entertainment Intermedia Entertainment |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | ABC |
| Original run | September 8, 1984 – December 15, 1984 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Mighty Orbots (マイティ・オーボッツ, Maiti Ōbottsu) is an animated TV show from 1984. It was made by teams in both the United States and Japan. The show is about giant robots and was shown on Saturday mornings in the U.S. on ABC. It ran from September 8, 1984, to December 15, 1984.
Contents
About the Show
How Mighty Orbots Started
Mighty Orbots began as an idea from Fred Silverman. He might have thought of it because other robot shows, like Transformers, were very popular. An early version of the show was called Broots. The robots looked a bit different back then. Even their combined form, "Super-Broots," changed before becoming Mighty Orbots.
The show was made by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and Intermedia Entertainment. They worked with MGM/UA Television. Unlike many other robot shows, Mighty Orbots was not just a Japanese show translated into English. It was made specifically for both the U.S. and Japan.
Who Made the Music?
The main theme song for the show was created by Steve Rucker and Thomas Chase. The lead singer was Warren Stanyer. The rest of the music was composed by Yuji Ohno.
Why the Show Ended
The series only had one season with thirteen episodes. This was mainly because of a legal problem. A toy company called Tonka said that Mighty Orbots was too similar to their "GoBots" toys. They thought it would confuse people.
Even though it was short, Mighty Orbots still has many fans today. The show's narrator was Gary Owens. He was also the voice of Hanna-Barbera's Space Ghost in the 1960s.
What is the Story About?
Life in the 23rd Century
The story of Mighty Orbots takes place in the 23rd Century. This is a time when robots and aliens live together. People from Earth and other peaceful alien groups have joined forces. They created the United Planets to keep peace across the galaxy. The Galactic Patrol is a group of law enforcers. They work to keep order under Commander Rondu.
The Evil SHADOW Group
But there is a powerful criminal group called SHADOW. They want to destroy the Galactic Patrol and the United Planets. Their leader is Lord Umbra, a huge cyborg-computer. SHADOW uses evil agents and clever plans to attack and take over the galaxy.
The Mighty Orbots to the Rescue
One thing helps fight SHADOW. A clever inventor named Rob Simmons secretly works for the Galactic Patrol. He creates six special robots. These robots use their unique powers to fight Umbra's forces. When they work together, these robots can combine. They form a giant robot called Mighty Orbots. They fight for truth, justice, and peace for everyone.
Mighty Orbots is one of the few Saturday morning cartoons that had a clear ending. In the last episode, "Invasion of the Shadow Star," SHADOW's home world is destroyed. Lord Umbra is defeated for good. Most other cartoon villains usually escape to fight another day.
Meet the Characters
Hero Characters
- Rob Simmons – Rob is a very smart inventor and scientist. He created the Mighty Orbots. He is also a secret member of the Galactic Patrol. Most of the time, he acts like a normal robotics engineer in his lab. But when he is needed, he changes his lab clothes into a special uniform and helmet. This is his secret identity, the Orbots' Commander. The Galactic Patrol knows him as this hero. Only Commander Rondu knows that Rob and the Orbots' Commander are the same person.
- Rob has curly blond hair and blue eyes. He can call the Orbots from their charging stations using a device on his wrist. He flies a special vehicle called the Beam Car. This car becomes a "command center" when it links up inside Mighty Orbots. From there, he and Ohno can control Mighty Orbots in battle.
- Voiced by Barry Gordon (English) and Yū Mizushima (Japanese).
- Commander Rondu – Rondu is the main leader of the Galactic Patrol. He is an alien who looks a bit like a human, but with slanted eyes and pointed ears. Rondu is a calm and wise leader. He has been in charge of the Galactic Patrol for many years. His daughter, Dia, is a senior officer. Only Rondu knows Rob's secret identity and about the six robots.
- Rondu has long silver-white hair and a beard. He has strong mental powers. This power is important to his alien race.
- Voiced by Don Messick (English) and Shozo Hirabayashi (Japanese).
- Dia – Dia is a senior officer and agent of the Galactic Patrol. She works under her father, Commander Rondu. She is one of the best agents. Dia is a good starship pilot and fighter. She sometimes gets into trouble and needs Mighty Orbots to rescue her. She seems to like the Orbots' Commander, but she only sees Rob as a friend. She doesn't know they are the same person.
- Dia has long, silver-white hair and dark eyes. She is skilled in fighting, acrobatics, and flying ships. Dia often captures SHADOW agents using a force-field projector on her wrist.
- Voiced by Jennifer Darling (English) and Atsuko Koganezawa (Japanese).
The Orbots
- Ohno – Ohno is the first robot on the team. She is named because she often says "Oh no!" She is small and acts like a young girl. She is like a "mother hen" and can sometimes annoy Rob and the others. Ohno is feisty but helps Rob keep the lab running and the team in line. She sometimes feels left out, but she always helps the team.
- Ohno is pink, red, and white. When Mighty Orbots combines, Ohno makes the final connection. This allows the giant robot to use its full power. Without her, Mighty Orbots cannot work properly. Ohno also carries tools to fix the Orbots and recharge them.
- Voiced by Noelle North (English) and Miki Ito (Japanese).
- Tor – Tor is a big, strong male robot who likes to brag. He has a loud voice and is the strongest of the five team members. He can sometimes be a bit slow, but he is good at thinking quickly during battles. Tor is kind and supportive to his friends. He has a macho attitude that sometimes annoys the female robots. Tor sometimes acts as the leader when Rob is not directly in charge.
- Tor is silver, red, and blue. When Mighty Orbots forms, Tor pulls his arms and legs inside himself. He then becomes the central body and head of the giant robot.
- Voiced by Bill Martin (English) and Tessho Genda (Japanese).
- Bort – Bort is a very thin male robot with a nervous personality. He is very handy because he can change himself into almost any machine or device. Bort often lacks confidence and can be clumsy. But when things get tough, Bort always comes through for his team.
- Bort is silver and blue. When Mighty Orbots forms, he changes into a boxy unit that becomes the lower right leg. When connected, he can change Mighty Orbots' hands into different weapons.
- Voiced by Jim MacGeorge and Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese).
- Bo – Bo is one of the three female robots. She is outgoing, confident, and likes to play pranks. Sometimes her pranks don't go as planned. She is a caring robot and always supports her teammates. Bo can control elements like fire, water, and wind. She uses these powers for attacks and defense, like creating whirlwinds or water geysers.
- Bo is pale yellow and orange. When Mighty Orbots forms, she becomes the left arm. She can use her elemental powers through the giant robot's body.
- Voiced by Sherry Alberoni (English) and Akari Hibino (Japanese).
- Boo – Boo is the third female robot and Bo's twin sister. She is the shyest team member. But she can be just as brave as her sister in a fight. She will stand up for herself and others, especially when Bo's pranks go too far. Boo can create and control light and energy effects that seem like "magic." She can turn herself and others invisible, create force fields, levitate objects, and even teleport. She can also make optical illusions and holograms.
- Boo is white and yellow. When Mighty Orbots forms, she becomes the right arm of the giant robot. She can use her defensive abilities through the larger body.
- Voiced by Julie Bennett (English) and Hitomi Oikawa (Japanese).
- Crunch – Crunch is a strong, "chubby" male robot. His main focus is eating! He loves to eat. His special ability is to consume any materials, like metal, stone, or glass. He digests them to create energy. Crunch is often funny because of his eating habits. He seems simple, but he is smart and a loyal friend.
- Crunch is purple and black. When Mighty Orbots forms, Crunch becomes the lower left leg. He also acts as a backup power source for the giant robot. Sometimes he detaches to eat things and give his teammates a power boost.
- Voiced by Don Messick (English) and Ikuya Sawaki (Japanese).
Villain Characters
- Lord Umbra – Lord Umbra is the leader of SHADOW. He is a huge, living computer the size of a planet's core. He looks like a large globe with a mouth and five eyes. Umbra uses his agents to try and conquer the galaxy. He operates from a huge base called the Shadow Star. This base is like a shell around a star that captures all its light. The Shadow Star is so powerful that it can move and take over any part of space it enters.
- Umbra cannot fight directly. So, he uses giant monsters, evil aliens, and complex plans to fight the Galactic Patrol and Mighty Orbots.
- Draconis – Draconis is a SHADOW agent. He worked with Umbra on a plan to make the Orbots look bad. He used a fake giant robot named Tobor, which looked like Mighty Orbots. They attacked peaceful people to make the Galactic Patrol think the Orbots had turned evil. The Orbots were sent to a prison planet. Draconis became the chief warden there and planned to destroy them. But Dia and the Orbots exposed and defeated Draconis and Tobor.
- Capt. Shrike – Captain Shrike leads a group of space pirates. He attacks ships and travelers from his secret base in the Sargasso Star Cluster. He fought Mighty Orbots after he took over a luxury space liner. He wanted to use its engine and Commander Rondu's life-force to create a super weapon.
- Shrike uses a cybernetic eye to control his computer and stun his enemies. He used Rondu's life-force to create a creature called a Titan to fight Mighty Orbots.
- Shrike was the only villain who was not part of SHADOW.
- Plasmus – Plasmus is an alien who can change his shape. Umbra ordered him to find a weakness in Mighty Orbots. Plasmus found out that Ohno was key to Mighty Orbots' power. He tricked her into going to the Wish World, where she became a human girl. Plasmus later fought Mighty Orbots but was sent into a hyper-warp and never seen again.
- Plasmus could change his shape to look like any non-robot living thing. He usually traveled as a green and white gas. He could also get more energy and mass to become stronger and bigger.
Episode List
- Magnetic Menace (September 8, 1984) - Bo and Boo go to a concert. They don't know the rock star robots are SHADOW agents.
- The Wish World (September 15, 1984) - Ohno feels unappreciated. She travels to the Wishworld to become human.
- Trapped on the Prehistoric Planet (September 22, 1984) - A SHADOW agent tricks the team. They go to a planet with dangerous monsters.
- The Dremloks (September 29, 1984) - SHADOW takes control of the minds of alien creatures.
- Devil's Asteroid (October 6, 1984) - Mighty Orbots are framed and sent to a prison asteroid for a very long time.
- Raid on the Stellar Queen (October 13, 1984) - Pirates capture a luxury space liner. Bort feels useless on the team.
- The Jewel of Targon (October 20, 1984) - Bo, Bort, and Crunch find a beautiful gem. Bo takes it home, not knowing its dangerous secret.
- The Phoenix Factor (October 27, 1984) - Many machines, including Ohno, get a virus. It makes them go wild.
- Leviathan (November 3, 1984) - SHADOW controls a giant whale named Leviathan. They want to steal a powerful sphere from its underwater home.
- The Cosmic Circus (November 17, 1984) - The Orbots pretend to be circus performers. They try to sneak into a circus used by Umbra.
- A Tale of Two Thieves (November 24, 1984) - Crunch becomes friends with a boy. He doesn't know the boy is working with a thief.
- Operation Eclipse (December 1, 1984) - Rondu's old friend Drennen meets the Orbots. He says he can stop Umbra. But does he have a hidden plan?
- The Invasion of the Shadow Star (December 15, 1984) - The Orbots find plans for another robot team. They worry they will be replaced. They decide to fight Umbra on their own.
Video Releases
Victor Entertainment released the series in Japan on home video. On April 17, 2018, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released the series on DVD in North America.
