SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron/Characters

The SWAT Kats


The show's titular heroes. Jake Clawson and Chance Furlong, were Enforcers until an, er, misunderstanding with Commander Feral got them kicked off the force and demoted to garage mechanics. However, they used the military salvage that's regularly dropped off at Jake & Chance's Garage to become Razor and T-Bone, aka the SWAT Kats--two high-tech heroes who defend Megakat City from an endless parade of super villains, Aliens and Monsters.

Tropes associated with both SWAT Kats:
 * Animal Superhero
 * Badass
 * Badass Normal
 * Badbutt
 * Barefoot Cartoon Animals: In their pilot suits.
 * Blank White Eyes: In their SWAT Kats outfits.
 * Cool Plane
 * Determinator
 * Fingerless Gloves: Both SWAT Kats wear them.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: You can pretty much count the number of times their real names have been used on one hand.
 * Superhero
 * Those Two Guys

T-Bone, aka Chance Furlong
"Voiced by: Charlie Adler"

This fearless air ace is the best--and toughest--pilot in the sky. T-Bone's flying and fighting skills make him "a criminal's worst nightmare" in the air or on the ground.

Tropes associated with T-Bone:
 * Ace Pilot
 * Adult Child: T-Bone is shown enjoying Scaredykat cartoons (in numerous episodes) and reading the comic book Kat Kommandoes (in "A Bright and Shiny Future").
 * The Big Guy
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Dating Catwoman: In "Cry Turmoil", T-Bone is genuinely attracted to Turmoil ("She's kind of cool, in a nasty sort of way"), but his duty to stop her is clear.
 * Fake Defector: In "Cry Turmoil".
 * Genius Bruiser: He's really strong, and the best pilot anywhere.
 * The Hero
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to Razor's blue.
 * Super Drowning Skills: He can't swim, and stubbornly refused to learn how to, even when it would save his life.

Razor, aka Jake Clawson
"Voiced by: Barry Gordon"

The SWAT Kats' "High Tech Edge", Razor is an inventor who creates the team's vehicles and weapons. An effective fighter, Razor is also a "sure shot" who can nail the most elusive criminal with the Turbo Kat's missiles, which contain such gimmicks as circular saws, drill bits and capture nets.

Tropes associated with Razor:
 * All There in the Manual: Jake's surname, Clawson, is never mentioned once in the entire series.
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Catch Phrase: "Bingo!", which he often shouts when his missiles connect.
 * Gadgeteer Genius
 * The Lancer
 * My God, What Have I Done?/Ten-Minute Retirement: In "Razor's Edge", after he accidentally injures an elderly couple.
 * Oblivious to Love: Is almost completely oblivious to Callie's feelings towards him.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to T-Bone's red.
 * The Smart Guy

Mayor Manx
"Voiced by: Jim Cummings"

The In Name Only leader of Megakat City, an old-fashioned pol who sounds like W.C. Fields with an Irish accent. He's cowardly and slightly corrupt, he wears an unconvincing toupee, and he puts at least as much effort into his golf game as running the city, but he's basically a likable comic relief character.

Tropes associated with Mayor Manx:
 * Last-Name Basis: Mayor Manx's first name is never revealed.
 * Lovable Coward: When danger gets too close, you can always find him... running and hiding.
 * The lovable part is completely thrown out the window on one occasion, when he and Callie were fleeing a threat and a helicopter shows to lift them to safety. Callie reaches the rope ladder first and barely even begins to climb when Manx actually shoves her off so he can climb first.
 * Office Golf: Unless he's at the course.
 * Took a Level In Badass:
 * Took a Level In Badass:

Commander Ulysses Feral
"Voiced by: Gary Owens"

The leader of the Enforcers, Feral is courageous and honest, but he's also arrogant, ill-tempered, narrow-minded, stubborn and rude. Worst of all, he regards the SWAT Kats as reckless vigilantes who are as dangerous as the villains they fight. Ironically, he's also indirectly responsible for the formation of the SWAT Kats in the first place; see Nice Job Breaking It, Hero/Only I Can Kill Him for more details.

Tropes associated with Commander Feral:
 * Badass Longcoat
 * Brutal Honesty: Diplomacy is not one of Feral's virtues.
 * By-The-Book Cop: By the time of the series. It's a bit muddier in the backstory.
 * Can't Catch Up: He's a fairly good officer, if a bit pigheaded at times, but he's out of his league when dealing with the villains the SWAT Kats face.
 * Catch Phrase: "This is Feral! Bring me chopper backup!"
 * "The Enforcers will handle this!"
 * General Ripper
 * Honour Before Reason: Feral's response to the Metallikats' offer to give away the identities of the SWAT Kats in exchange for their freedom: "I don't deal with scum."
 * Inspector Javert: Commander Feral is portrayed as this, though...
 * Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: He does have a point: the SWAT Kats are unsanctioned vigilantes illegally operating in the city, using city property.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He has his moments of this.
 * Lantern Jaw of Justice
 * Last-Name Basis: Feral's first name isn't revealed until very late in the series.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero/Only I Can Kill Him: While they were still Enforcers, Jake and Chance had Dark Kat's ship cornered. Unfortunately, Feral insisted on capturing the villain personally, and his interference resulted in Dark Kat escaping, Enforcer headquarters being damaged, and Jake and Chance getting thrown off the force--and deciding to become the SWAT Kats.
 * What Could Have Been: Lance Falk had big plans for Feral in his initial pitch for "Cry Turmoil". It was originally Feral, not T-Bone, who joined Turmoil's forces. Unlike T-Bone's Fake Defector act in the finished episode, Feral's Face Heel Turn would have been real--until he realized that the SWAT Kats were going to win, which prompted him to betray Turmoil, then claim he was planning to do so all along. In the end, only Feral and the audience would have known about his trip through the Face Heel Revolving Door.

Deputy Mayor Calico "Callie" Briggs
"Voiced by: Tress MacNeille"

Mayor Manx may have the title, but Callie, his attractive young troubleshooter, is the one who really runs Megakat City. (Which is a good thing, considering how lazy and incompetent Manx is.) She's also the SWAT Kats' most powerful ally, although the TV series never revealed how their friendship started. Callie has a secret communications link with the SWAT Kats that allows her to call them into action, and she defends the heroic pilots whenever Commander Feral criticizes them. Callie copes with danger better than Manx or Feral, because she's braver than Manx and smarter than either of them.

Tropes associated with Callie:
 * Action Survivor
 * The Commissioner Gordon/Regular Caller: Callie alerts the SWAT Kats whenever a supervillian or giant monster is making trouble in Megakat City.
 * Eighties Hair: Callie's hair is huge.
 * Geeky Turn On: Brains, beauty, courage and compassion--what's not to like?
 * Girl Friday/Hypercompetent Sidekick: To Mayor Manx.
 * Hair of Gold: Callie has this, plus fur of gold. Most fans love her.
 * Hot Chick in a Badass Suit
 * Improvised Weapon User: She becomes one during her Awesome Moments as a temporary Action Girl. In "The Wrath of Dark Kat", she saves the SWAT Kats by hitting the titular villain with one of the money bags he'd stolen. In "The Ci-Kat-A", when alien-possessed scientist Dr. Harley Street is trying to "recruit" her, Callie says "I don't think so!" and smashes him on the head with her briefcase.
 * Meganekko
 * Oblivious to Love: She is unaware that Chance has feelings for her, and only considers him a friend.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: As noted above, Callie's full name is Calico Briggs. It's only used occasionally.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: In marked contrast to Manx and Feral.
 * She's Got Legs: Does she ever, the Fandom in particular seems obsessed with Callie's legs.
 * Spoiled Sweet
 * The Woman Behind the Man: A rare heroic example.
 * Silk Hiding Steel: Despite only being Manx's assistant, if she wants something done then the mayor will find himself doing it. Also, as noted above, she can handle herself in a fight.

Lieutenant Felina Feral
"Voiced by: Lori Alan"

Introduced in the second season, Felina is a gung-ho Enforcer who happens to be Commander Feral's niece. Her uncle tries to keep her out of danger, but this macha warrior woman insists on storming into the thick of each battle. Like Callie, Felina realizes that Megakat City needs the SWAT Kats and is willing to work with them.

Tropes associated with Felina:
 * Action Girl
 * Fair Cop
 * Friend on the Force: To the SWAT Kats.
 * The Ladette
 * Tomboy

Ann Gora
"Voiced by: Candi Milo"

""This is Ann Gora of Kat’s Eye News, live from the site of a spectacular disaster!""

This Kat's Eye News correspondent often risks her life to cover the SWAT Kats' adventures.

Tropes associated with Ann:


 * A Day in the Limelight: Ann gets more important roles than usual in "The Ci-Kat-A" and "Caverns of Horror".
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Going for the Big Scoop
 * Hot Scoop
 * Intrepid Reporter
 * Ms. Exposition: Ann's reports are often used to bring the audience up to speed on the plot.
 * Punny Name

Dr. Abby Sinian
"Voiced by: Linda Gary"

A historian and archaeologist who works as the curator of the Megakat City Museum of History. She occasionally helps the SWAT Kats and Callie Briggs gather information on supernatural villians.

Tropes associated with Abby:
 * Adventurer Archaeologist
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Punny Name
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Is it "Abby" or "Abi"?
 * Abby, going by one model sheet, although it's annoyingly mostly illegible due to the Cartoon Network logo.

Professor Hackle
"Voiced: by George Hearn"

""Such senseless violence. It's all so disheartening.""

An elderly inventor who used to work at the Pumadyne weapons lab. He came to feel guilty about his role in creating superweapons, so he quit to concentrate on peaceful projects, such as bringing back dead people by transferring their memories into robot bodies. When two drowning victims washed up near his home, he used them as test subjects--only to realize that he'd created the Metallikats. Hackle hopes to correct this error by recapturing the robot gangsters so he can "program out all [their] criminal tendencies". Hackle's other inventions include Cybertron, the Robot Buddy who assists the SWAT Kats in "The Deadly Pyramid".

Tropes associated with Professor Hackle:
 * Actual Pacifist: Which is why he doesn't just dismantle the Metallikats when he gets a chance.
 * The Atoner: Hackle says that he wants history to forgive him for creating superweapons.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Last-Name Basis
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Hackle's creation of the Metallikats shows that he is, at the very least, dangerously naive. Never mind his using two strangers in prison uniforms as test subjects; he was trying to save their lives, after all. But then he leaves them alone with a Weaponized Car and a cache of arms, even after Mac says "I've never felt so powerful, like I could rip apart this town with my bare claws!"
 * It's All My Fault: In the alternate future in "A Bright and Shiny Future", he blames himself for not dismantling the Metallikats when he had the chance.

Burke and Murray
"Voiced by: Mark Hamill (Burke) and Charlie Adler (Murray)"

Burke and Murray are two annoying delivery men who bring salvage to Jake & Chance's Garage, always taking a moment to pester Clawson & Furlong about their status as officially disgraced ex-Enforcers.

Tropes associated with Burke and Murray:
 * All There in the Manual: Early promotional material says they're brothers, but this isn't mentioned in the show.
 * Jerkasses
 * Last-Name Basis
 * Put on a Bus: They don't appear in the second season.
 * Talking to Himself: Whenever T-Bone and Murray interact.
 * Those Two Guys

Dark Kat and his Creeplings
"Voiced by: Brock Peters (Dark Kat), Charlie Adler (Creeplings)"

Dark Kat is a criminal mastermind whose muscular body, hood, cape, and resonant voice give him an imposing physical presence. He specializes in plotting, scheming, and manipulating others into doing his will, but is more than capable of fighting when necessary. Dark Kat's goal is to destroy Megakat City and replace it with a "capitol of crime" called Dark Kat City, "where lawlessness is the law of the land!" His henchmen are an army of demonic little bat-like creatures called Creeplings.

Tropes associated with Dark Kat:
 * Badass Cape
 * Barefoot Cartoon Animal
 * Big Bad: Arguably the most powerful and ambitious villain in the entire series.
 * Blank Orange Eyes
 * Cool Plane: His Doomship.
 * Diabolical Mastermind
 * Evil Plan: Like any good villain, he uses one or more on the list in his quest to ultimately destroy Megakat City.
 * Evil Sounds Deep
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom
 * Large and In Charge
 * Large Ham
 * Visionary Villain

Dr. Viper
"Voiced by: Frank Welker"

""I can see it all now. A specactular new Megakat City! No more ugly metal and plastic, only beautiful swamp, ruled by me! Dr. Viper's Megaswamp City--it will be so beautiful!""

This slimy scientist started out as Elrod Purvis, a greedy, unscrupulous biochemist. When he tried to steal Viper Mutagen 368 from the idealistic colleague who had co-created it with him, the formula killed him, then revived him as a half-kat/half-reptile monstrosity--and he likes it that way. To make his twisted dream of Megaswamp City a reality, Viper mutates ordinary plants, reptiles and insects into hideous, kat-eating monsters under his control.

Tropes associated with Dr. Viper:
 * Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: He temporarily becomes a giant in "Mutation City".
 * Badass Labcoat
 * Blank Yellow Eyes
 * Glowing Eyes of Doom
 * Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal
 * Mad Scientist
 * Mix and Match Critter
 * More Teeth Than the Osmond Family
 * Name's the Same: Dr. Viper was also the name of the Big Bad in the short-lived Shadow Strikers franchise.
 * Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Applies to Viper and many of his monsters.
 * Snake Talk
 * Visionary Villain: See his quote above.
 * You Haven't Seen the Last of X: "You haven't seen the last of Dr. Viper!", in "The Origin of Dr. Viper".

The Metallikats
"Voiced by: Neil Ross (Mac) and April Winchell (Molly)"

Also known as the married gangsters Mac Mange and Molly Mange. These feline felons died while escaping from Alkatraz prison, but Professor Hackle, who had no idea who they were, found them and transplanted their minds into powerful robot bodies. The result: two heavily armed mechanical mobsters with attitudes.

Tropes associated with The Metallikats:
 * Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: Yeah, they fight almost constantly. But when one of them is hurt, the other goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
 * Back From the Dead/Unexplained Recovery: Twice! First Professor Hackle revives them, then
 * Badass Longcoat/Nice Hat: When they wear clothes at all.
 * Cool Car/Weaponized Car: Their Metallikat Express.
 * Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!
 * Deadpan Snarker: If they're not insulting each other, they're insulting the SWAT Kats. Or Mayor Manx. Or Commander Feral. Or...
 * Drives Like Crazy: Mac certainly does.
 * Happily Married: More or less.
 * Killer Robot
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Bonnie and Clyde as wisecracking Funny Animal Killer Robots.
 * Outlaw Couple
 * Shock Collar: In "Katastrophe", Dark Kat and Dr. Viper keep the Metallikats in their Legion of Doom by attaching "neuro scramblers" to their necks.
 * Tiny Guy, Huge Girl

The Pastmaster
"Voiced by: Keene Curtis"

An ancient sorcerer whose magical pocket watch functions as both a Time Travel device and a weapon that shoots energy beams. This medieval miscreant wants to return present day Megakat City to its Middle Ages incarnation of Megalith City, but he's also known for creating "time vortexes" to bring monsters from the past (like dinosaurs and mummies) into the present to do his bidding. And when he's not doing that, he's sending the SWAT Kats into the past or future in his latest effort to get rid of them.

Tropes associated with The Pastmaster:
 * Artifact of Doom: He has three of them: his watch, his Tome of Time spellbook ("The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice"), and the Jeweled Headdress of Katchu Piccu ("The Deadly Pyramid").
 * Everything's Deader with Zombies: He rings up a buncha zombies in "The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice". Why? Just 'cuz!
 * I Have You Now, My Pretty/Love Makes You Crazy: He kidnaps Queen Callista (in "Bride of the Pastmaster"), and then her lookalike descendant Callie Briggs (in "The Deadly Pyramid"), in separate attempts to marry them. The SWAT Kats rescue the withered wizard's intended victim both times. Thank God.
 * Immortality Immorality
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In "Bride of the Pastmaster". By tampering with the timestream, the Pastmaster accidentally brings the SWAT Kats to his time, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Oops.
 * Our Liches Are Different
 * Really Seven Hundred Years Old: In "The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice", he mentions that he's been "imprisoned... for 800 years."
 * Red Baron: His real name is never given.
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: If only those grave robbers in "The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice" had picked another cemetery to desecrate...
 * Time Travel: This is his main tactic.

Hard Drive
"Voiced by: Rob Paulsen"

A Cyberpunk "technology pirate" who wears a "surge coat" that gives him the power to steal secured computer files, control vehicles, and turn into a Pure Energy form that can travel through power lines. The suit has one other interesting feature: when Hard Drive puts it on, his normal hairstyle automatically changes into a mohawk!

Tropes associated with Hard Drive:
 * Badass Longcoat
 * Blank White Eyes: In his case, they become yellow when he activates the surge coat.
 * Cyberpunk
 * Energy Beings: He can become one when it suits him.
 * Genre Savvy: "I still say you shoulda let me fry 'em!" (When Dark Kat tied the SWAT Kats to a Conveyor Belt of Doom.)
 * Red Baron: We never learn his real name.
 * Technopath

Madkat
"Voiced by: Roddy McDowall"

""I’m a tough act to get off the stage!""

Insane comedian Lenny Ringtail, whose mind snapped when he was turned down as a Talk Show host in favor of David Litterbin, lets himself be possessed by the vengeful ghost of a medieval court jester who suffered a similar rejection centuries ago. The result is Madkat, a wisecracking, shapeshifting harlequin who uses his magical powers to kidnap "the king, queen, knight and jester" (aka Manx, Briggs, Feral and Litterbin), then vanish into thin air before the SWAT Kats can stop him.

Tropes associated with Madkat:
 * Blank Yellow Eyes
 * Deadpan Snarker: Okay, so he's not very deadpan, but he's definitely a snarker.
 * Evil Clown/Monster Clown: What was your first clue?
 * One-Scene Wonder: For a villain who appeared in only one episode, he has quite a fan following.
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting

The Red Lynx, aka The Ghost Pilot
"Voiced by: Mark Hamill"

"Red Lynx: "Manx is mine!" T-Bone: "Over my dead body!" Red Lynx: "Mine’s already dead!""

During "Megawar II", enemy air ace The Red Lynx was the most dangerous pilot in the sky--until he met his match in the heroic Blue Manx, who finally shot him down. Decades later, The Red Lynx's plane is recovered and displayed in the Megakat Museum of History, an event which somehow revives his vengeful spirit. The so-called "ghost pilot" goes after the closest living relative of The Blue Manx--Mayor Manx, the flier's great-grandson, who happens to be in the middle of a re-election campaign.

Tropes associated with The Red Lynx:
 * Always Someone Better: He's actually a better pilot than T-Bone.
 * Badass: As noted above, he is an awesome pilot. He would have to be to fight a jet on even terms in an old biplane.
 * Red Baron: Not only is he an Expy of the Trope Namer, but he's known only by his two nicknames--his real name is never revealed.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His motivation for coming Back From the Dead.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His motivation for coming Back From the Dead.

Mutilor and Traag
"Voiced by: Michael Dorn (Mutilor) and Christopher Smith (Traag)"

"Traag: "The desert planet Sahabi will pay handsomely for the water we steal this day." Mutilor: "And if this world perishes in the process, it’s just business.""

Mutilor is an four-armed, vaguely lobster-like alien Space Pirate. Traag is his sycophantic aide-de-camp. Together, they and their Mooks attempt to drain all the water from the SWAT Kats' world and sell it to a desert planet.

Tropes associated with Mutilor and Traag: ""It was so refreshing to clash with true warriors. It’s a shame I must destroy you.""
 * Cool Ship: Mutilor stole his mothership from the Aquians, a kat-like race of Technical Pacifists.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: With Michael Dorn playing Mutilor, what else would you expect?
 * Large Ham: Mutilor stands out in a series full of them.
 * Space Pirates
 * Worthy Opponent: How Mutilor regards the SWAT Kats.


 * Yes-Man: Traag.

Turmoil
"Voiced by: Kath Soucie"

""From now on, the skies belong to Turmoil!""

Turmoil is a harshly beautiful villainness in a Nazi-like uniform. She attempts to conquer the skies of Megakat City with an Airborne Aircraft Carrier, an Amazon Brigade of female fighter pilots, and a disorienting "vertigo beam". When T-Bone withstands these obstacles, she's so impressed (and smitten) that she offers him a job as her flight commander--but first he must prove his loyalty by killing Razor.

Tropes associated with Turmoil:
 * Airborne Aircraft Carrier
 * Amazon Brigade
 * Dating Catwoman: Her relationship with T-Bone.
 * Femme Fatale
 * If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten
 * Red Baron: You guessed it--no real name given.
 * Sky Pirate
 * What Could Have Been: Turmoil was planned to return in one of the unfinished Missing Episodes, "Turmoil II: The Revenge". She escapes from a women's prison, taking all the inmates with her, and gains control of a Kill Sat. The SWAT Kats go after her--but first they have to infiltrate her fortress, "a castle on top of a snowbound mountain". Also see Commander Feral's entry.

Rex Shard
"Voiced by: John Vernon"

""More company, eh? Well, that’s okay! I’ve got plenty of pain to go around!""

Shard is a brutal thug who winds up at Megakat Maximum Prison, whose greedy warden enriches himself by using the convicts to mine precious gems from the nearby mountains. When Shard has an accident with an experimental diamond mining machine, it somehow transforms him into a crystalline giant whose touch turns people and objects into crystal... and that's only the beginning of his new powers.

Tropes associated with Rex Shard:
 * Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever
 * Frickin' Laser Beams: Focuses the sun's rays through his hand to create a solar laser beam.
 * From Nobody to Nightmare
 * The Magic Touch: Everything Shard touches turns into crystal, either brittle and fragile or hard as a diamond.
 * Meaningful Name: A guy named Shard in an episode titled "Chaos in Crystal" winds up with crystal-based powers and a crystalline appearance. Who'd have thunk?
 * Miracle-Gro Monster: Shard is originally only transformed into a being made of diamond. When he is knocked into a room full of diamonds, he absorbs them into his body and becomes a giant. Later, he becomes even larger right before the final battle.
 * No Ontological Inertia: Once Shard is de-powered, everything he crystallized reverts back to normal, starting from the last object he touched.
 * One-Scene Wonder
 * What Could Have Been: Lance Falk had two unrealized ideas for future Shard appearances. Each time he returned, he would get a different power to use against the SWAT Kats. And each time the pilots defeated him, he'd show the effects of the previous encounter. For example: "He’d lose an eye, so from then on when you saw the guy he had an eyepatch. And each time he comes back, he’s a little more beat up."