Medabots, known in Japan as , is a Japanese role-playing video game franchise created by Rin Horuma (Horumarin) and currently owned by Imagineer. The main series of RPGs focus on collecting and battling with the titular robots. The bulk of the games releases have been on Nintendo platforms, including the Game Boy, GameCube, and the DS, and 3DS handhelds.
The series was adapted into a Japanese anime television series spanning two adaptations. The first was animated by Bee Train while the second, Medarot Damashii, was animated by Production I.G. The television series originally aired on TV Tokyo from July 2, 1999, to March 30, 2001. Both series were originally licensed and localized into English by Nelvana and were broadcast on YTV in Canada and Fox Kids and ABC Family in the United States from 2001 to 2004.
A manga series, written by Rin Horuma, was also produced. It was serialized in the children's magazine Comic BomBom in Japan and then published into collected volumes by Kodansha. The manga based on the first game, Medarot, was never translated into English, but the manga based on the sequel, Medarot 2, was licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media, simply under the title Medabots. Medarot 2, 3, and 4, have also been translated into English for distribution in Singapore by Chuang Yi.
To date, only Medabots (a remake of Medarot 2 for Game Boy Advance), Medabots AX, and Medabots Infinity have been released in North America. There have also been plastic models produced by Kotobukiya.
A compilation game, Medarot Classics Plus, was released on November 12, 2020. It features the Kabuto and Kuwagata versions of the first eight mainline games.
Plot In the future, the Medabots are a type of robot created by Dr. Eugene Aki, Professor Hushi, and Dr. Armond, who engage in Robattles alongside their owners. In submission battles, the loser of the battle must give up one of their Medabots' parts, ranging from their head, one of their arms, or their legs, to the winner of the Robattle.
Medabots The series takes place in the future and centers around Medabots, artificially intelligent robots whose purpose is to serve humans. The series begins with Ikki Tenryō, a ten-year-old (nine in the Japanese version) boy who dreams of becoming a champion of the World Robattle Tournament. Ikki cannot afford a Medabot and his parents refuse to buy him one. However, he manages to get enough money to buy an outdated model and finds a medal in a river, which was previously dropped there after the Phantom Renegade thwarted a robbery by members of the Rubberobo Gang. Ikki inserts the medal into the Medabot he purchased, named Metabee. The medal gives Metabee a severe attitude problem, a problem rarely seen in a Medabot, leading Ikki to think that he is defective. However, this theory is proven wrong later in the series, as it is revealed that Metabee actually has a rare medal. Ikki and Metabee fight in Robattles while contending with the Rubberobo Gang and its members Seaslug, Gillgirl, Squidguts, and Shrimplips, who are led by Dr. Armond under the alias Dr. Meta-Evil. In addition, they also encounter the Medabot Rokusho, who was originally owned by Professor Hushi before he was presumed dead in a fire.
The rare medals were kept secret by the mysterious Medabot Corporation. A Medabot with a rare medal would be able to call upon an attack called the "Medaforce". In the manga, the Medaforce is a form of medal mind control, as explained by Dr. Aki in the third graphic novel; in the anime, however, it is shown as a way of increasing the power of a Medabot's special skill into a focused beam attack.
Another important character is Henry, a store clerk who sold Metabee to Ikki and is revealed to be the Phantom Renegade. A running gag in the series was Henry almost revealing he is the Phantom Renegade, but no one ever discovering this fact. Space Medafighter X, another one of Henry's secret identities, is the number one Medafighter in Japan. Later, during the World Finals, he rarely shows up to fights, instead sending substitutes and working behind the scenes. This is because he supposedly started the Ten Days of Darkness, which occurred eight years before the events of the series during the World Robattle Cup when Henry fought as Hikaru Agata with the original Metabee; however, the medal was different. During the Ten Days of Darkness, the Medabots went on a rampage, which stopped when Henry was forced to kill his Medabot by destroying his medal.
At the end of the second season, it is revealed that Victor, a Medafighter for Team Kenya and Warbandit's owner, was helping Dr. Meta-Evil to get medals during the tournament. During the finals, Metabee and Warbandit continue to fight, even with their partners lost and their bodies damaged. During the event, Dr. Meta-Evil starts his plan using Metabee and Warbandit's medals, trapping them in a dream. However, Ikki manages to wake Metabee from the dream, and the other Medabots, now free, help Metabee fight against Dr. Meta-Evil.
Later in the series, Medabots are revealed to be thousands of years old, being remnants of an ancient civilization who called themselves Medalorians. The Medalorians were obsessed with war and, to become more effective warriors, fastened metal armor to themselves. However, their wars decimated the civilization, and the survivors coded their memories onto hexagonal pieces of metal. These "Medals", cloned and mass-produced by the Medabot Corporation founded by Dr. Aki, are the Medabot equivalent of a brain and soul. The original medals, referred to as rare medals, are kept in storage because of the extreme power they have. After Dr. Meta-Evil was defeated, Professor Hushi was revealed to have been saved from aliens as he invites Dr. Meta-Evil with him on a space trip, ultimately resulting in the disbandment of the Rubberobo Gang.
Medarot Damashii (Medabots Spirits) Medarot Damashii, a sequel to the original series, takes place some time after the events of the original series and follows Ikki and Metabee as they face a new challenge. Kam Kamazaki, a 12-year-old boy, has designed a new and dangerous type of Medabot: Kilobots (known as Death Medarot in the Japanese version), who use the X-Medal. Kilobots have no feelings, since the emotion part of the Medabot medal has been removed and replaced with more strength parts. They can break the rules in order to win a fight, and the Medaforce is useless against them due to their lack of personality. In the first episode, Ikki loses a Robattle to Ginkai and his Kilobot Desperado when it cheats and reloads. He soon meets Nae, a Medabot mechanic and Dr. Aki's granddaughter, who gives Ikki new medaparts in order to defeat Desperado using a new feature called Action Mode, and later on Demolition Mode is introduced as well. Throughout the season, Ikki, Erika, and their new friend Zuru, who secretly operates as the Mystery Medafighter, battle several of Kam's friends and their Kilobots. The Mystery Medfighter's ambition is to rid the world of Kilobots with the help of his Medabot Roks, who resembles Rokusho. Eventually, Ginkai re-discovers the true spirit of medafighting, defects from Kam's side, and returns to using Medabots. Kam also realizes the error of his ways and stops trying to develop stronger and more dangerous Kilobots following the Kilobot Gryphon's defeat, choosing to remain with his Kilobot Blackbettle, who has a personality installed into her X-Medal.
The sequel is often criticized for dropping several supporting characters such as Henry/Hikaru Agata/Phantom Renegade/Space Medafighter X and Arcbeetle, Rokusho, Koji and Sumilidon, Rintaro and Kantaroth, Karin and Neutranurse, Victor and Warbandit, Mr. Referee, the Rubberobo Gang, and the Chick Salesman, as well as the fact that many of the new Kilobots and Medabots are modified versions of the original series without relation to the original characters: Roks (Rokusho), Exor (Sumilidon), Arcdash (Arcbeetle), and Unitrix (Warbandit).
Characters Main characters
Ikki Tenryou is a lively and easygoing boy, although somewhat timid, and is one of the main protagonists of the series. At first, Ikki is unable to afford a Medabot. After finding a medal in a river, he manages to buy a model, which is named Metabee. However, the medal he found appears to be defective, as Metabee is short-tempered and disobedient. Despite this, a strong bond grows between them after several Robattles. Though Ikki is not a full-fledged Medafighter, he gradually matures through the Robattles he engages in.
Metabee is one of the main protagonists of the series, a Medabot belonging to Ikki Tenryou whose name is a portmanteau of Metal Beetle. Metabee is a Hercules beetle-type Medabot, specializing in revolver tactics. He possesses a rare medal that allows him to access the Medaforce. Metabee is known to be a rebellious and arrogant Medabot who often causes problems due to his headstrong personality. He is often sarcastic to his owner Ikki, but Ikki trusts him deeply because of the close bond he shares with him.
Erika Amazake is a member of the school's journalism club and Ikki's best friend.
Sailor-Multi, also nicknamed Brass, is an SLR-1 model sailor-type Medabot specializing in shooting who is owned by Erika.
Supporting characters
Karin Junmai is a gentle girl from a wealthy family and Dr. Aki's grand-niece. She is a love interest for Ikki, which makes Erika jealous, though she and Erika are friendly towards each other. Karin was later dropped after the original series.
Neutranurse is a NAS-1 model nurse-type Medabot owned by Karin who specializes in healing.
Koji Karakuchi is a wealthy boy and expert fencer who is Ikki's rival for Karin's affection. He was originally into insects at a young age until the cocoons he collected hatched into a swarm of mantis in his closet. During the World Robattle Cup, Koji was ranked #2 and represented Team Japan. Koji was later dropped after the original series.
Sumilodon is a stoic STG-0 model sabretooth tiger-type Medabot owned by Koji who specializes in the Shadow Sword.
Samantha is the leader of the Screws school gang who harasses the other students. Though the strongest and toughest of the bunch, Samantha does have an occasional soft side. During the Medabots Spirit season, Samantha would often help out Ikki or the Rogue Medafights, with the latter reason being for obtaining Kilobot parts, but she often learns the hard way that they are not compatible with normal Medabots. She is confirmed to be ranked no. 87 in terms of Medafighter status.
Peppercat is a CAT-1 model cat-type Medabot owned by Samantha who specializes in performing an electric shock. During the Medabots Spirit series, Samantha would try to obtain Kilobot parts from Kam in exchange for favors, only to learn the hard way that Kilobot parts are not compatible with Peppercat.
Spike is a member of the Screws school gang and its smartest member, also being the tallest and weakest. He is considered to be the worst Medafighter in Japan, having been ranked in last place.
Cyandog is a DOG-0 model dog-type Medabot who is Spike's first Medabot. Metabee later discovered that Cyandog has been equipped with a monkey medal that is not compatible with Cyandog's model, as monkey medals are used for Medabots who are experts at hand-to-hand combat while Cyandog was among the Medabots that specialize in shooting. Though Cyandog's body was later destroyed during his fight against Metabee, his medal was placed into Krosserdog.
Krosserdog is a DOG-1 model dog-type Medabot who is Spike's second Medabot and resembles an upgraded version of Cyandog. Like his predecessor, Krosserdog specializes in shooting.
Sloan is a member of the Screws school gang and its strongest member.