Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (commonly known by its initialism, SRMTHFG!) is an American/Japanese animated television series, and was created by Ciro Nieli, one of the directors of Teen Titans, with animation being done by a Japanese studio known as The Answer Studio (whom would later work on the Cartoon Network original series Transformers: Animated). Set mainly on the fictional planet of Shuggazoom, the series follows the adventures of five cyborg monkeys and a human boy named Chiro as they struggle to protect their planet - and the rest of the universe - from the forces of evil.
As is obvious from the visual appearance of the show, there is a significant anime influence present, despite being produced for American television. It was also influenced by Star Trek, Super Sentai (most recognizably exemplified in the West by Power Rangers), Voltron, and Star Wars. The show also contains various references to pop culture, a notable example being the episode "Season of the Skull", which is an obvious parody of the 1970s thriller The Wicker Man.
Since 2020, the series has been rebranded from that of the now-defunct Jetix brand and instead over to Disney for the streaming service Disney+. This can be seen on the series' logo which now displays the Disney trademark above it in blue. Due to the Jetix brand going defunct, it might also be possible that eventually other Jetix original programs will be transferred over to the main Disney brand, however so far SRMTHFG! is the first and only series to do so.
Plot[]
The Super Robot Monkey Team is set in Shuggazoom, a city that takes up a good portion of its planet, also named Shuggazoom. The rest of the planet is called "The Zone of Wasted Years."
The main character is a boy named Chiro. When he was exploring the outskirts of the city, he stumbles upon a giant abandoned robot. Once inside, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he pulls on an old, untouched switch, thus awakening the five robotic monkeys that form the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce. In the process, Chiro also fused himself with the Power Primate, allowing him to transform into the brave fighter and bold leader of the team. With the aid of the five Robot Monkeys: Antauri, Mr. Hal Gibson, SPRX-77, Otto, and Nova, their mission is to save Shuggazoom City from the Skeleton King, the main antagonist of the series.
By virtue of the fact that Chiro was not a superhero from birth, the five Robot Monkeys must train him, which ultimately results in him leading the team. The Robot Monkeys continue to train Chiro, as he fulfills his destiny as protector of the universe.
When fighting the larger enemies, the Hyperforce uses the Super Robot, which can split into six separate vehicles. Its main attack, when combined as the whole robot, is Lasertron Fury, a powerful energy beam that is fired from its chest. The Super Robot also serves as Chiro and the Monkeys' headquarters and home.
Hyperforce[]
Chiro[]
Chiro is the main protagonist of the series. Chiro is 13 years old at the beginning of the series and turns 14 in the middle of the first season. Chiro is at first hesitant in accepting his role as leader of the Hyperforce, but gradually comes to accept his destiny of becoming a defender of Shuggazoom and later the universe. He falls head-over-heels in love with a female protagonist, Jinmay the robot. He pilots the Torso Tank Driver 1, which forms the torso and limbs of the Super Robot. Chiro's powers come from the Power Primate, an entity inside of him. Not much is known about Chiro's background. He is voiced by Greg Cipes.
Antauri[]
Antauri is the black monkey in the first two seasons of the series. After being resurrected, he becomes the powerful silver monkey in the third and fourth seasons. He is second in command of the Hyperforce. Antauri is wise, serious, calm, and collected, and cares very much for his friends. He teaches Chiro how to control the Power Primate and gives spiritual advice to the rest of the Monkey Team. He spends most of his time either meditating or patrolling Shuggazoom City. He pilots the Brain Scrambler 2, which forms the head of the Super Robot. His main weapons are his Ghost Claws in addition to the Monkey Mind Scream, an attack Chiro learns during the series. Chiro adopts Antauri as a father figure and becomes very close to him. Antauri is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
SPRX-77[]
SPRX-77 (or Sparx, pronounced "Sparks") is the red monkey and the team's best pilot. He is very much the comedian of the group. But, he is still very brave and willing to protect his comrades at any cost. Though he is the very essence of annoying to Nova, he still harbors feelings for her. This doesn't keep him from hitting on other females at times, even right in front of Nova. He never calls Chiro anything but "Kid," except in select episodes. He pilots the Fist Rocket 3, which becomes the right hand of the Super Robot. His main weapon are his Magnetic Fists. He turned evil in the second-to-last episode Fire of Hate, but with the help of his friends, and a love confession from Nova, he turns good again in the last episode Soul of Evil. He is voiced by Corey Feldman.
Gibson[]
Gibson is the blue monkey, and the team's scientist. His full name is Mr. Hal Gibson, but he prefers "just 'Gibson'". When answering scientific-related questions, he answers them with long, even confusing and boring, speeches, which are always interrupted by someone or something. He has trouble deciding if Otto, the team's mechanic, is a genius or an idiot. He despises bugs and someone who is smarter than him. He pilots the Fist Rocket 4, which becomes the left hand of the Super Robot. His main weapon are his Cybovac Drills. These contain a variety of different charges within them, giving him the widest choices of attacks. He is voiced by Tom Kenny.
Otto[]
Otto is the green monkey and the team's mechanic. Although his talent with machines is unmatched, he is quite oblivious to everything else around him. He has an obsession with naming the monsters the team encounters. As the monkeys are robotic themselves, it is usually up to Otto to repair any damages. Otto has a dream of being in the circus - more specifically, being a trapeze artist. He also has a soft spot for anything young or smaller than him, as seen in The Stranded Seven when he gives the seemingly useless piece of metal on the end of his tail to a young cat-like alien, whom he called "Lil' guy." He pilots the Foot Crusher Cruiser 5, which becomes the right foot of the Super Robot. His main weapons are his Energy Saws. He is voiced by Clancy Brown.
Nova[]
Nova is the yellow monkey with pink eyes, and the only female on the team until Jinmay became an honorary member. She's the team's main fighter and has been known for her fiery attitude. She has a love-hate relationship with Sparx. She eventually admits her feelings, claiming she loves him and saying that it's "too much to lose him", in the last episode. She had a loving bond with her creator, the Alchemist, who becomes Skeleton King due to an accident in his lab caused by Mandarin (the original leader of the Monkey team who later became evil), (when he was human, the Alchemist used to call Nova "Dearest Nova.") She also cares for Chiro as if he were a brother of hers. Antauri stated she's the team's third-in-command, which did not bode well with Sparx and Gibson, as they were fighting about who it would be in the episodes The Savage Lands, Part 1 & 2. She pilots the Foot Crusher Cruiser 6, which forms the left foot of the Super Robot. Her main weapons are her Robotic Fists. She is voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
Allies[]
Jinmay[]
A robot girl who Chiro falls in love with. She becomes an official Hyperforce member and becomes the protector of Shuggazoom when the Hyperforce left to destroy the Dark Worm. She and Chiro have fallen in love when they first met after he rescued her. She has pink hair and green eyes. She usually wears her blue dress with a heart in the front and the back when she was an honorary member. Now she wears the same style as Chiro's but in dress form. When she called for help in ghosts of Shuggazoom she was wearing her original dress. She is voiced by Ashley Johnson.
The Sun Riders[]
A team of superheroes that Chiro idolizes. Super Quasar, the leader of the group, can emit solar energy from his visor. Aurora Six wields the Sun Gun. Johnny Sunspot can control small black holes. They once worked under the Skeleton King, but eventually turned to the Hyperforce's side.
Slingshot[]
Also known as Prometheus Five, the fifth and most recent in a series of robots of which the Super Robot is the prototype. Slingshot can manipulate energy to increase speed. He is voiced by Scott Menville.
Planetoid Q[]
A living planetesimal convinced to work for the side of good.
The Circus of Ooze crew[]
A brainwashed circus crew: The Ringmaster, Leeah the Jungle Girl and the clown.
Thingy[]
A tiny furball that can transform into a large battle form. Its slobber cured all of the monkey team (except Gibson, for he didn't want it to lick him, then he was licked anyway.)
Mobius Quint[]
A galaxy-class pilot, became obsessed with the Skeleton King after the entity placed his crew in risk.
Captain Shuggazoom[]
Previous defender of Shuggazoom City, whose secret identity was the wealthy billionaire playboy industrialist Clayton Carrington. Captain Shuggazoom was a close ally of The Alchemist, who built all of his equipment (including the sleep cannon). When one of the Dark Ones escaped the Netherworld from the Alchemist's dimensional portal to terrorize Shuggazoom City, Captain Shuggazoom fought against it and used the sleep cannon to put it into stasis. However, he was caught in the rays and lay dormant in a hidden underground cavern along with the Demon Beast for the next 60 years. He was later discovered and awakened by the Hyperforce, and the Demon Beast was roused in the process. After Captain Shuggazoom aided the Hyperforce in sending the Demon Beast back into the Netherworld, Captain Shuggazoom returned to the Alchemist's lab in the Savage Lands to learn what happened in Alchemist's last days before he was transformed into the Skeleton King. Captain Shuggazoom was attacked by Valeena the Skull Sorceress and Mandarin but was rescued by the Hyperforce and currently resides in one of the Super Robot's healing chambers. Captain Shuggazoom bears a strong resemblance to Chiro and has a mental connection to Antauri. During his glory days he was young and dashing. When he awoke 60 years later, however, he had aged into an incredibly old man. He is voiced by Bruce Campbell.
The Alchemist[]
Mysterious yet kind man who can fuse the elements of Science and Magic for the good of mankind. It was revealed that The Alchemist was the former human identity of The Skeleton King who created The Hyperforce and Super Robot to combat himself when he was transformed by the Dark One's influence into his current undead form.
Master Offay[]
Also known as the Hard Master, Master Offay runs an interplanetary dojo on the planet Galaxia and was Nova's former martial arts trainer.
Villains[]
Skeleton King[]
Skeleton King is an evil undead warlord/sorcerer. And is the main antagonist of the series who resides in the Citadel of Bone, a gigantic living spaceship made entirely out of bone filled with nightmarish creatures. Skeleton King plots to rule the universe starting with The Planet Shuggazoom and is obsessed to find out why Chiro is able to manipulate the Power Primate. Once The Skeleton King was The Alchemist, a kindly master of the elements of science and magic until he was corrupted by The Dark Ones, a race of Trans-Dimensional demons and became their most loyal servant. Before he became Skeleton King the Alchemist created the Robot Monkeys to protect The Cosmos from his own Evil. Skeleton King masterminded key events like the creation of The Pit of Doom and the corruption of The Power Primate to awaken one of The Dark Ones from the Planet Shuggazoom's core. During the climactic battle, The Skeleton King's decapitated head merged with the unleashed Dark One Worm to become "The Skeleton King Worm" and traveled across the universe transforming once peaceful worlds into desolate wastelands in his wake. Eventually The Hyperforce ended The Skeleton King Worm's rampage before he could destroy the planet Earth, another target in the Skeleton King Worm's path. But The Skeleton King's head was recovered from the depth of space by Mandarin and returned to the Planet Shuggazoom. Under Mandarin's possession, Skeleton King's head was stolen by The Skeletal Circle, The Skeleton King's mortal disciples whose leaders were Ma and Pa Shenko (Valeena's Parents) who thought to use the head's power to curse Shuggazoom City until they were interrupted by The Hyperforce. During the battle the Skeleton King's head was split in two revealing a Crystal Skull which was collected by Mandarin and Valeena. It is revealed that The Crystal Skull is one of the elements needed to resurrect the Skeleton King (along with such objects as The Alchemist's Robe, The Ice Crystal of Vengeance, The Fire of Hate, and The Soul of Evil) which led Mandarin and Valeena to team up and gather the objects across the planet with the Hyperforce in an attempt to stop them. The search ended in the Pit of Doom (the place where The Skeleton King lost his original body) where Valeena was successful in resurrecting The Skeleton King in a new form similar to Darth Vader. Upon his resurrection, he raised a black castle of Formless Ooze within the Pit, which currently serves as a fortress for him and his undead army and plan to wage war "between the living and the dead" on Shuggazoom City.
The Skeleton King's design and color scheme are homage to the 1970s Japanese toy series Henshin Cyborg's villain known as Dokuro King as well as other undead villains Horned King and Skeletor. He is voiced by Mark Hamill.
Mandarin[]
The sixth and orange monkey, who was the original leader of the Super Robot Monkey Team. His weapons were an energy sword and shield, the sword being very similar to a Lightsaber from Star Wars. Antauri say he was the smartest and strongest monkey out of all of the six. After he turned evil and tried to take over Shuggazoom, he was kicked out of the monkey team and was sent to an off world prison. He joined forces with Skeleton King, only to be replaced with a formless ooze replica of himself. The Mandarin replica would fill Mandarin's role in the series from then onwards. The fate of the original Mandarin is unknown but he was most likely killed. The Mandarin replica had the same memories and personalty of the original Mandarin and is just as powerful. He then joined forces with Valeena to resurrect the Skeleton King, in which they were successful. After Valeena was killed by the Skeleton King (as a form of "gratitude"), Mandarin joined his master once more to aid him in waging a war between the living and the dead. He was voiced by James Hong.
Valeena[]
Valeena is better known as the Skull Sorceress and her first appearance is in the episode The Savage Lands, Part 2. She kidnaps Jinmay and is going to sacrifice her to the Skeleton King worm but the Monkey Team interferes, frees Jinmay, and knocks Valeena off the temple edge and she falls into a pit of ooze, seeming to kill her. She returns in later episodes near the end of the series run as one of the main villains, and when the team returns to Shuggazoom in The Ghosts of Shuggazoom. She is behind everyone turning into zombie like ghosts, but she is defeated again and trapped inside of a necklace that Mandarin wears in the Night of Fear to show the Monkey Teams true fears. It is revealed in one of the episodes that she was brought to the Skeleton King as a disciple to him and he turned her into the skull sorceress as a young child, and her whole goal is to resurrect Skeleton King after his defeat. She succeeds along with Mandarin, but as a token of "gratitude", Skeleton King blasts her into ash. She is voiced by Hynden Walch.
Dark One Worm[]
The Dark One Worm is part of The Dark Ones, a race of trans-dimensional demons created by an unknown evil force in the beginning of time to end creation. While many of The Dark Ones still trapped in their home dimension The Netherworld, countless others such as The Dark One Worm are sealed within the core of countless planets, waiting to be awakened to begin their mission to destroy the universe. Skeleton King, a devoted disciple to The Dark Ones created the Pit of Doom as a conduit to connect The Citadel of Bone and corrupted The Power Primate to awaken The Dark One from its slumber to destroy the universe.
The Dark One Worm is possibly inspired by Space Slug from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and The Worm that Gnaws in the Night.
Formless Minions[]
Also known as Bone Drones, the Formless Minions are the black skeleton-like creatures that are created from some kind of black ooze and act as the foot soldiers of the Skeleton King's army.
TV Monster/Skeleton King Droid[]
A black and bulky looking, yet powerful robot made to personally serve Skeleton King as his herald. He was later transformed into the powerful Skeleton King Droid as a result of having a piece of the Skeleton King’s essence in him. Also voiced by Mark Hamill.
Elevator Monster[]
A psychic being that serves the Skeleton King. He looks like an old man, except that his waist and below is an elevator-like protrusion instead of feet. He has the ability to transport anybody who comes into the elevator to a completely different spot. He disguised himself as an old man in an elevator, leaving many people inconspicuous.
Gyrus Krinkle[]
A sad and lonely man who grew up with a robotic mother. He is a fan of the Hyperforce, and this fanaticism eventually turned into an obsession. In one episode he creates his own virtual world using an invention he created where he can manipulate anything he wants to his will and sucks Chiro into it, but he ends up having his own physical body sucked into the world presumably killing him, but he appears in a painting of him with the Hyperforce as you hear him laugh, assuming he is living out his dream. He is voiced by Jeffrey Combs, known as the scientist in the Re-animator and the voice of the Scarecrow during the recast in the Batman animated series.
Professor Maezono[]
Now a disembodied brain, Professor Jakus Maezono was one of the human scientists who worked on the Prometheus Project and assisted in the creation of the Super Robot. He wanted to transfer his consciousness into the Prometheus Five model, thus allowing him to live forever as the ultimate super-weapon. Dr. Takeuchi, his friend and fellow scientist attempted to stop him but was killed in the process.
Sakko[]
A tiny monkey who acts as a spy for Skeleton King. He was originally presumed to be Jinmay's pet in the first episode, but he pins her down and opens up her chest, revealing that she is a robot. He fails Skeleton King and is taken away by a strange jack in the box looking robot with legs, but he appears in later episodes and with an eyepatch. He makes a brief cameo in the final episode with Krinkle, drawing a picture of the Skeleton King holding him, he says joyfully. He is voiced by Gibson's voice actor Tom Kenny.
Flytor[]
A union of three monsters of the Skeleton King. Skeleton King sent him to scan Chiro's Power Primate.
Biff Beefy Box/Cloggy Colon Creature[]
A seemingly friendly Wonder Fun Meat World manager. He first looks like a box carton in which you get at a restaurant to hold your food, and has three friends one being a meat cone, a shake, and a box of fries who mutate into strange zombie creatures. Also voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
Scrapperton[]
Also known as Duke Scrapperton, Grand Earl of the Mecha Realm. Once a mortal man who replaced every part of his body with a mechanical part. He hovers over Shuggazoom in his first appearance in a giant scrap pile in space, and appears later in a floating Victorian style ship, and wearing a metal suit resembling a Victorian style general. He is voiced by Monty Python Veteran Eric Idle.
Morlath[]
Also known as the Mythic Lord of the Northern Ice, this gigantic frost demon was trapped in a cavern in the Sea of Ice outside Shuggazoom City until he encountered the Skeleton King, who offered to free him if he lent his power to freeze the city. Instead of freeing him however, the Skeleton king imprisoned Morlath into his sceptre and was able to use his power as a result. He was freed when the sceptre was destroyed during the Skeleton King's battle with Chiro and Antauri in the episode I, Chiro. He later guarded the Ice Crystal of Vengeance (which was a piece of the Skeleton Kings essence) in season 4, only for it to be stolen by Valeena and Mandarin. He was soon afterwards destroyed by the Super Robot. He had a daughter, Ice Witch.
Master Zan[]
Antauri's teacher, works for the Skeleton King. He was part of a group of mages that protected the cosmos from a group of creatures called the Dark Ones which are creatures that have been dormant in the center of many planets, but he was brainwashed by the Skeleton King and is now trying to use the Power Primate to awaken the Dark One Worm but it leads to his demise by being blasted with the Power Primate from Chiro.
Wigglenog[]
A genie like alien creature who has the power to grant three wishes, and much like a genie, is set free when the three wishes are granted. Chiro first wishes that they had some real action, second Otto is wished to be smarter, and the third and final wish is Sparx wishes for an anti-wigglenog bazooka but it ends up firing flowers because the rule is you cannot harm a Wigglenog or wish to cause harm to it. Otto outsmarts the Wigglenog and wishes they never met him after faking him out with three new wishes. The Wigglenog is voiced by John Kassir better known as the voice of the CryptKeeper in Tales from the Crypt.
Ma and Pa Shinko[]
The leaders of the Skeletal Circle, and Valeena's loving yet somewhat critical parents who chose her to accept Skeleton King's power. They are voiced by Kari Wahlgren and Clancy Brown respectively.
Shuggazoom[]
Savage Lands[]
A tropical jungle that lies hidden within a series of caves beneath Shuggazoom's surface. The jungle contains large deposits of the black ooze that is used to create the Formless, and thus the environment is inhabited by various Formless creatures. It is likely that the Savage Lands were once inhabited by some sort of ancient civilization, as the area houses a great deal of seemingly ancient temples and tombs. One of these temples was used as Valeena's base of operations, and it is likely that she was there from the time she received her powers from Skeleton King. The Savage Lands were also the location of the Alchemist's laboratory.
Sea of Ice[]
A frozen plain occupied only by Morlath, the frost demon, and his snow monsters.
Blasted Lands[]
An area with a volcano and unstable landscape and the site of a massive and violent war.
Arcane Isle[]
A small island housing a large monoliths that serves as a portal to the Netherworld, the home dimension of the Dark Ones.
Production[]
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! was created by Ciro Nieli, who previously worked on Teen Titans and ¡Mucha Lucha!. As is obvious from the visual appearance of the show, there is a significant anime influence present, despite being produced for American television. It was also influenced by Star Trek, Super Sentai (most recognizably exemplified in the West by Power Rangers), Voltron, and Star Wars. The show also contains various references to pop culture, a notable example being the episode "Season of the Skull", which is an obvious parody of the 1970s thriller The Wicker Man.
Lynne Naylor, character designer for Samurai Jack and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi served as the show's Art Director, and her husband Chris Reccardi, writer for Samurai Jack and The Powerpuff Girls was the show's assistant director. Naylor and Reccardi were also known for creating the failed Nickelodeon pilot in 2007, titled the Modifyers.
Broadcast[]
SRMTHG premiered on ABC Family's Jetix programming block on September 18, 2004. It also aired on Toon Disney's Jetix block until the Jetix programming block was taken off of ABC Family in August 2006, and the series began to air exclusively on Toon Disney.
It was also shown on Jetix UK from January 1, 2005, but was taken off the air on July 22, 2006, for unknown reasons. The entire series was, however, broadcast in the UK on GMTV's Toonattik.
SRMTHG was produced for widescreen, but originally shown cropped due to network restrictions.
Each episode runs for 30 minutes, with commercials.
Its theme song is performed by Japanese Synthpop/New Wave band Polysics.
Disney did not renew the show for a fifth season, leaving it with a cliffhanger ending.
It premiered on Disney+ on July 17th, 2020.
Trivia[]
- In the original pilot, Chiro was a much younger child and the monkeys were referred by their colors. It was also animated in Adobe Flash. The pilot was reworked into the episode "Thingy".[2] The original design was used for the episode "Night of Fear" in where Chiro was turned into a small child.
- This is the first show from Jetix to be shown on Disney+
- Coincidentally, seven voice actors/actresses who play a part in this show, Greg Cipes, Ashley Johnson, Clancy Brown, Corey Feldman, Mark Hamill, Tom Kenny, and James Hong, also voice characters in the hit Nickelodeon TV show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Greg Cipes and Ashley Johnson voice the characters Chiro and Jinmay, two characters who love each other. Greg Cipes and Ashley Johnson also voice Michelangelo and Renet, two characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who love each other. Greg and Ashley also play characters from the shows Teen Titans and Ben 10, who are on relationships, also.
- The Teen Titans voice actors did the voice of characters in this series (with the exception of Khary Payton): Chiro (Beast Boy) - Greg Cipes, Slingshot/Prometheus Five (Dick Grayson as Robin) - Scott Menville, Olliana (Raven) - Tara Strong, Valeena The Skull Sorceress (Starfire) - Hynden Walch, Jinmay (Terra) - Ashley Johnson, Gibson (Mumbo) - Tom Kenny, Antauri (Mammoth) - Kevin Michael Richardson, Otto (Trident) - Clancy Brown, Skurg (Garth/Aqualad) - Wil Wheaton.
- Ciro Nieli is also the executive producer of TMNT.
- The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also have watched and finished an anime-type show like this called Super Robo Mecha Force V. The show has also contained several references and inspired characters from SRMTHG.
- Lynne Naylor, character designer for Samurai Jack and Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi served as the show's Art Director, and her husband Chris Reccardi, writer for Samurai Jack and The Powerpuff Girls was the show's assistant director. Naylor and Reccardi were also known for creating the failed Nickelodeon pilot in 2007, titled the Modifyers.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Desowitz, Bill (October 27, 2004). "Japan’s New Answer Studio Builds on Animation's Past and Future". awn.com. Retrieved on July 2, 2019.
- ↑ Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! Pitch Pilot (2003)
External links[]
- Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! at the Internet Movie Database
- Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! at the Big Cartoon Database
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