Robotix is a 1985 American animated series based on the original Milton Bradley toyline of the same name featured on the Super Sunday programming block. The toyline is of the construction type that includes motors, wheels and pincers and similar to the Erector Set and K'Nex. The series follows the conflict between the peaceful Protectons and the warmongering Terrakors on the prehistoric alien world Skalorr V in the distant past and two groups of humans from the year 200X who get caught up in it.
The show was produced by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and animated in Japan by Toei Animation, which also animated other cartoons featured on Super Sunday.
Characters Protectons Argus "Ark" Power Electronixus (voiced by Arthur Burghardt) is a leader of the Protectons. Before his transfer into his Robotix body, he was the chief-in-command of the Protectonian spacecraft city Zanadon and had a romantic relationship with Nara. He is compassionate and brave and tries to help the humans. He despises killing to the point that he would rather hurt himself than allow anybody to use him to kill another being. He almost suffered a nervous breakdown upon discovering that his mind and life force were downloaded into his robot shell. It is a monster/dragon/dog hybrid with a head on a long neck usable as a ramrod and a hook for a right hand that changes into a gun and crossed between a firetruck and an airliner. His transformations and features include a car-like form, a compact mode with shrunken arms and legs, laser cannons deploying from his chest and an additional K-series drone monster dog known as K-9. His pilot of choice is Exeter. Bront (voiced by Frank Welker) is a strongest tough-guy-like member of the Protectons. Before his transfer into his Robotix body, he maintained Zanadon's command center and initiated its battle mode. He is close friends with Jerrok, who often teased him in the past because of his meager size. Their trust was strained when Bront was wrongly accused of sabotaging Zanadon's reactor and almost attacked Kontor and Jerrok, but their partnership was soon re-established. His Robotix body is a monster/dragon hybrid with four wheels on walker legs extendable for river crossing that change into feet. His transformations and features include a car-like form with a deployable grabber, an extreme extension of his torso to form a ladder, a deployable twin-shell canister laser cannon on his forehead and hands that transform into smaller legs and combine into a drill, a two-man space control cockpit capsule, a cam-operated jaw, swivel joints and articulated elbows. His pilot of choice is Tauron. Jerrok (voiced by Neil Ross): Second-in-command of the Protectons and a friend of Bront, he helped him activate Zanadon's battle mode. He used to tease Bront as he was twice as tall as him, but after his transfer, he acquired the smallest Robotix body. It is crossed between a police motorcycle and a racing car. With that robot shell being the fastest and most maneuverable, he likes to play with his opponents while fighting them. His transformations and features include hands with built-in laser cannons and extreme extensions of his arms. His pilot of choice is Sphero. Nara (voiced by Susan Silo) is a female Robotix character in the series. Before being transferred into her Robotix body by Skalorr Penton Compu-Core "Electronix", who is the deity of the Protectons, she was his assistant and shared a romantic relationship with him. She is caring and wants to help humans as she understands how fragile they are compared to their robot shells. She is also very bright, being the first Protecton to see through Venturak's masquerade. Her Robotix body is a small dome-shaped monster/dragon hybrid torso with a face mounted on four powerful legs that are also usable as arms and crossed between an ambulance helicopter and a racing tank. Her body is significantly durable, and it can remain fully operational and mobile even when some of her legs are severely damaged or even removed. Her transformations and features include a hoverjet-like form, an ability to slide above ground, grabber cranes deployable from her legs and laser cannons deployable from her feet. Her pilot of choice is Steth. Venturak: When attacking the stasis chamber, Nemesis and Tyrannix manage to subdue Kontor, replacing his mind with that of Venturak, who serves as the Terrakor spy until he finally reveals his nature during the assault on Zanadon. His Robotix body was built by the Protectons from spare parts found in the Capsule Chamber and is a monster/dragon hybrid with shovel arms that double as walker legs and crossed between a police carrier and a saucer. He is the weakest Robotix, having no ranged weapons at least onscreen and never besting any Robotix in a fight without assistance. He appears not to have been given a Siliton crystal, instead, when he protests to Nemesis about it, he is flung unceremoniously to the ground, with Nemesis saying they will honor his melted remains throughout Terrakor history. His pilot of choice is Traxis. Boltar (voiced by Arthur Burghardt): Gentle beast of the Protectons, he is kind and supportive to his allies, but he can be a serious threat to his enemies. On one occasion, he was able to take out four Terrakors all on his own. He may be slightly mentally undeveloped, as he always speaks of himself in the third person and uses simple, short sentences (much like the Dinobots from The Transformers). His Robotix body is a bulky monster/dragon hybrid torso on six thin walker legs and crossed between an ambulance van and a racing jet and he can use its front ones as arms. It is the last robot shell created in the series and was assembled and animated by Zarru and Compu-Core during their stay in Zanadon, when they found an unfinished and part-lacking Robotix in one of the hangars. Apparently, the body that Boltar uses was still under construction when Skalorr's sun went supernova and was abandoned by its creators. His transformations and features include a humanoid combat mode, a helicopter mode and multiple onboard weapon systems, including laser cannons and flamethrowers. Boltar did not choose his pilot, as during his first battle he was piloted by Zarru, but Exeter later assigns Flexor as his partner, without any objection from the Protecton himself. Kontor (voiced by Michael Bell): Before the supernova cataclysm, Kontor was the main architect, designer, guardian and vice leader of the Protectons who Argus found trustworthy. He had a very short appearance, as he was ambushed by Nemesis and Tyranix in the Capsule Chamber just after he was transferred into Venturak's Robotix body and sent back into Compu-Core's essence bank to be replaced by Venturak himself. He never had any pilot or a chance to use any of his body features. Terragar is briefly seen when Nemesis captures Argus and attempts to delete his personality, replacing it with a Terrakor to deceive the Protectons. Once discovered, Terragar's mind is returned into Compu-Core.
Terrakors Nemesis (voiced by Peter Cullen) is a ruthless commander of the Terrakors who tries to take over Skalorr. In one of the flashbacks, he is seen trying to attack Zanadon with his army, but he then fails and swears death to deserters and vengeance to Argus. When it was discovered that the sun will go nova, he opted for manning the Terrastar and abandoning the dead planet, and even after transferring into his Robotix body he is willing to execute the plan. He has an obsession with obtaining Compu-Core and using it to control Terrastar, which he admires and treats with great care (as seen when Goon fails in salvaging the ship from a lake, being almost torn apart by a furious Nemesis). Unlike Argus, Nemesis sees his new body as a better chance to flee from the planet and conquer space, which helps him to use his robot shell more efficiently. He trusts only Tyrannix, even if he is not always willing to show it or even throw him away. His Robotix body is a blue monster/cobra hybrid and crossed between a bear and a military truck. His transformations and features included a left hand capable of extreme extension and shifting into a laser gun, buzz saw, super-sharp beam whips built into hands and small treads built into his feet for high speed rolling functions. His pilot of choice is Kanawk. Tyrannix (voiced by Frank Welker): A cold and calculating second-in-command of the Terrakors who was transferred into his Robotix body, he has the most firepower and is also their communications expert. He is mostly loyal to Nemesis, although he overthrows him when he tires of Nemesis' failed attempts to find the Terrastar. There is no record of him before his re-awakening as a Robotix specialized for communications and mid-range combat. He has highly sensitive sensor systems, which makes him able to detect targets approaching from miles away and even accurately telling who exactly the target is. His Robotix body is a skeletal monster/cobra hybrid with oversized wheels, wing-like radar solar panels, thruster pods on his legs and a twin-shell canister plasma engine on his left arm and crossed between an eagle and a military jet. As such, he sometimes walks on the ground and on other times prefers to hover and fly, as shown when he is running in the air when his leg pods are on. His arm engine also doubles as a flamethrower, laser cannon and connection thruster while in zero-gravity. He often singles out Nara in combat. His pilot of choice is Gaxon. As a fitting choice for Tyrannix, he is just merciless and cunning. He suggests stealing the last rations from Exeter's crew with considerable cruel delight and also later tries to force Argus to destroy a rock creature while briefly piloting him. Steggor is the most cunning and serpentine Terrakor of them all, and he has a rivalry with Bront. His Robotix body is a monster/cobra hybrid and crossed between a snake and a military car. His pilot of choice is Nomo. Steggor's relationship with him is the least cordial of all the Robotix. Goon (voiced by Corey Burton) is a dim-witted grunt Terrakor who possesses little intelligence. His Robotix body is a robust build that is crossed between a shark and a military tank and even used as the head of a battering ram for the Robotix to escape the rock creatures with. His pilot of choice is Loopis, who also does not get on too well with his Robotix.
Humans Exeter Galaxon (voiced by Pat Fraley): Textbook leader and father of Zarru, he is brave, compassionate, intelligent, resourceful and holds his own in the face of adversity, never more so in the climactic battle where in a spaceship devoid of oxygen he still is able to steer the Terrastar towards an asteroid for intended mutual destruction of friend and foe. Tauron Oxus (voiced by Corey Burton): Logical, wise and oldest crew member, it is he who states to his captain that it is in their interests to assist the Protectons in their battle. Kanawk Creant (voiced by Corey Burton) is a crew member who soon betrays them so he can join the Terrakors in attempting to leave the planet on their ship. Though he brokers the alliance with the Terrakors he often gets on Nemesis' bad side, almost being killed on their first meeting. Gaxon Gaves (voiced by Neil Ross) is a ruthless and quiet officer who joins to the Terrakors' side. He becomes a pilot to his Robotix Tyrannix and at one point Tyrannix blasts Argus, but the latter survives a conflict. He later tries to pilot Argus in their bid to escape and destroy the rock creatures, but Argus turns the gun on himself and ejects Gaxon as he only wants to escape, not to destroy.