Mecha-Mooks: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''"If you are looking for an unstoppable army of killing machines unhampered by such weaknesses as mercy and compassion, robot warriors are for you."''|'''Neil Zawacki''', ''[http://evil-guide.tripod.com/ How to Be a Villain]''}}

In many American cartoon series, the extraordinary violence is blunted by having the [[Faceless Goons|nameless bad guys]] (or [[Mooks]]) be, in fact, robots. This allows the protagonists to [[What Measure Is a Mook|dismember, mutilate, and otherwise wreck-up armies of faceless goons]], in a manner [[Family Unfriendly Violence|unacceptable if said bad guys were squishy and red on the inside]].

In many American cartoon series, the extraordinary violence is blunted by having the [[Faceless Goons|nameless bad guys]] (or [[Mooks]]) be, in fact, robots. This allows the protagonists to [[What Measure Is a Mook?|dismember, mutilate, and otherwise wreck-up armies of faceless goons]], in a manner [[Family-Unfriendly Violence|unacceptable if said bad guys were squishy and red on the inside]].

In many of these shows, a common sequence has the heroes fighting the mooks [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|as normal]], until one of them hits one a little ''too'' hard, [[Robotic Reveal|revealing]] it to be a robot. At which point, things [[What Measure Is a Non Human|start to get really]], ''[[Good Thing You Can Heal|really]]'' [[Just a Machine|messy]], as the heroes [[The Unfettered|decide they don't have to hold back anymore]].

In many of these shows, a common sequence has the heroes fighting the mooks [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|as normal]], until one of them hits one a little ''too'' hard, [[Robotic Reveal|revealing]] it to be a robot. At which point, things [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|start to get really]], ''[[Good Thing You Can Heal|really]]'' [[Just a Machine|messy]], as the heroes [[The Unfettered|decide they don't have to hold back anymore]].

Mecha-Mooks are [[Strong Flesh Weak Steel|surprisingly fragile]]. In extreme cases the heroes will demolish them with their fists. Mecha-Mooks go to the [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]], since it would be awkward if the heroes had their brainstems [[Gun Kata|targeted perfectly by Mooks running a predictive kinetic model]] [[Computers Are Fast|much faster than real time]]. Expect them to be programmed to march in eerie unison using [[Marionette Motion]] (and in a pinch [[Summon Backup Dancers|provide back-up for dance numbers]]).

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This often is a form of [[Pragmatic Adaptation]] when the series is based on an earlier source which was more realistically violent, but showing that would invoke the ire of [[Media Watchdogs]]. When you've got an action-based children's show where [[Nobody Can Die]], expect Mecha-Mooks to pick up the slack. After all, they're [[Just a Machine|Just Machines]]. Should they ''not'' explode, then at the least you will see [[Eye Lights Out]]. On a related note, if they should be [[Hacking Minigame|hacked]] or reprogrammed their [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]] will have a [[Convenient Color Change]].

[[Anime]], has a second, more [[Humongous Mecha|literal]] type: [[Real Robot]] series' will usually have at least one class of [[Mecha]] that basically acts as [[Redshirt Army|the "Grunt" unit]] for the bad guy's army. This mech is usually simply constructed, probably with a basic ranged weapon ([[Gatling Good|machinegun]] or [[Frickin Laser Beams|energy weapon]] or two, a close-combat weapon, and may have the option of carrying a [[BFG|bigger gun]], depending on how much tougher the hero's armor is. These will act just like regular Mooks ''or'' Mecha-Mooks, depending on how much the writers want you to empathize with the enemy. There's usually a very good chance that the Hero's Rival will at least start out by riding in an [[Ace Custom]] version of this mecha.

[[Anime]], has a second, more [[Humongous Mecha|literal]] type: [[Real Robot]] series' will usually have at least one class of [[Mecha]] that basically acts as [[Redshirt Army|the "Grunt" unit]] for the bad guy's army. This mech is usually simply constructed, probably with a basic ranged weapon ([[Gatling Good|machinegun]] or [[Frickin' Laser Beams|energy weapon]] or two, a close-combat weapon, and may have the option of carrying a [[BFG|bigger gun]], depending on how much tougher the hero's armor is. These will act just like regular Mooks ''or'' Mecha-Mooks, depending on how much the writers want you to empathize with the enemy. There's usually a very good chance that the Hero's Rival will at least start out by riding in an [[Ace Custom]] version of this mecha.

If one wants something a bit more up the ladder in terms of "kill-tasticness" and "[[Elite Mook|non-suckitude]]", look at [[Mechanical Monster]]. If you want the guy ''building'' the mooks, that's the [[Robot Master]].

== Anime & Manga ==

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* The Jovians employ millions of the suckers in ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'', ranging from drone scouts to automated [[Wave Motion Gun|Wave Motion Guns]], to the point where [[The Reveal|we don't see a live Jovian until halfway through the series]]. There are several reasons for this, including some justified [[Offscreen Villain Dark Matter]] and how the [[Teleporters and Transporters]] [[Applied Phlebotinum|Phlebotinum]] works, but mostly it allows the ship's mostly civilian crew to [[Stuff Blowing Up|blow stuff up]] indiscriminately, {{spoiler|and allow for drama when actual human enemies appear}}.

* ''[[Gundam Wing]]'' makes this a major plot point with the introduction of Mobile Dolls, mecha controlled by an AI program rather than a human pilot. Its introduction widens the pre-existing ideological fissure within OZ, between [[Worthy Opponent|noble-minded soldiers]] who hate them for dehumanizing war, and [[War for Fun And Profit|heartless war profiteers who love them for being good business]], which results in an outright civil war between the supporters of Treize (who is the former) and Duke Dermail (the latter).

* Jail Scaglietti's [[Anti Magic]] Field protected Gadget Drones in ''[[Lyrical Nanoha|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. Precia also had her own small army of Mecha-Mooks protecting the Garden of Time.

* Jail Scaglietti's [[Anti-Magic]] Field protected Gadget Drones in ''[[Lyrical Nanoha|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]''. Precia also had her own small army of Mecha-Mooks protecting the Garden of Time.

* Numerous small ''[[Zoids]]'', such as the Molga, Godos, Zabat, Scissor Storm and Laser Storm. The most infamous, however, would have to be the Rev Raptor. While the aforementioned Zoids were depicted as being reasonably formidable in their introductory episodes, the Rev Raptor is completely pathetic right from its introduction and is *never* given an opportunity to shine, except for in one episode where Van pilots one... and uses it to destroy ''other Rev Raptors'' before getting quickly shot down himself.

** Subverted and ultimately ignored in ''Zoids Genesis''. The Digald empire uses legions of mass-produced Zoids piloted by robots. However, {{spoiler|it is revealed that the robots are powered by human souls}}. Unfortuntely, this revelation is never explored and appears to be completely forgotten within a few episodes, used only as a cheap plot device for a Heel Face Turn for the rival.

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* The robotic aliens who hunt the title character in ''[[Omega the Unknown]].

* [[Doctor Doom]]'s Doombots--both the [[Robot Me]] Doombots, and the more straightforward purple-and-gray Mecha-Mook Doombots. Oddly, the two designs rarely appear together in a story.

* [[Superman]] is one of the few ''good guys'' to keep a contingent of Mecha-Mooks, the Superman Robots in the Fortress of Solitude. In the Silver Age, he mainly used them as [[Robot Me|decoys]] to preserve his secret identity, and occasionally to pinch hit for him when he'd been incapacitated by Kryptonite or some such. A [[Dropped a Bridge On Him|bridge got dropped]] on the bunch of them in the [[Bronze Age]], but they were reintroduced in the [[Post Crisis|modern era]] and occasionally appear in the present day.

* [[Superman]] is one of the few ''good guys'' to keep a contingent of Mecha-Mooks, the Superman Robots in the Fortress of Solitude. In the Silver Age, he mainly used them as [[Robot Me|decoys]] to preserve his secret identity, and occasionally to pinch hit for him when he'd been incapacitated by Kryptonite or some such. A [[Dropped a Bridge On Him|bridge got dropped]] on the bunch of them in the [[Bronze Age]], but they were reintroduced in the [[Post-Crisis|modern era]] and occasionally appear in the present day.

* The minor [[Spider Man]] villain Armada was a [[Robot Master]] who liked to build little flying robots to attack enemies with. The interesting thing is that he ''cared'' about their welfare, and would [[Berserk Button|freak out]] when they inevitably started getting destroyed.

* Through the law of [[Conservation of Ninjutsu]], The OMACs from ''Countdown To [[Infinite Crisis]]'' [[Badass Decay|fell from]] [[Killer Robot]] to [[Mecha Mooks]] pretty quickly

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** The Geth themselves seem to be a slight subversion of the trope. They have a smooth organic appearance, bleed some sort of white blood-equivalent, give off odd electronic death-squeels when shot, and don't explode upon death. This doesn't stop the heroes from mowing them down by the score without batting an eyelid, however.

*** The sequel reveals that the Geth are nearly immortal, as they simply upload back into their mainframes when the humanoid frames are disabled. Destroying these mainframes can kill thousands of them with a few bullets, however. Their "death-screams" are actually them transmitting themselves to a new mainframe. Also, all the geth the heroes kill have already crossed the [[Moral Event Horizon]] in spectacular fashion.

* ''[[City of Heroes]]'' [[Never Say Die|generally uses the ambiguous term "defeated"]] regarding human enemies, but the robots used by various factions all explode spectacularly when defeated. The exception is the Clockwork, who usually just slump over, but that's because {{spoiler|they're not really robots, but metallic constructs animated by a powerful telekinetic [[~~Brainina~~ Jar]]}}. Even some of the cyborg enemies explode upon defeat, most notably the Arachnos Tarantulas.

* ''[[City of Heroes]]'' [[Never Say Die|generally uses the ambiguous term "defeated"]] regarding human enemies, but the robots used by various factions all explode spectacularly when defeated. The exception is the Clockwork, who usually just slump over, but that's because {{spoiler|they're not really robots, but metallic constructs animated by a powerful telekinetic [[Brain In A Jar]]}}. Even some of the cyborg enemies explode upon defeat, most notably the Arachnos Tarantulas.

* ''[[Dinosaur King]]'' has the Alpha Droids, who act as servants and guards for the Alpha Gang in the anime (often carrying out orders which lead to their own destruction), and as [[Random Encounter]] enemies in the DS game.

* There are quite a few examples in the ''[[Super Mario Bros]]'' series, but the Mecha Koopa enemies from ''[[Super Mario World (Video Game)|Super Mario World]]'' onwards are the most obvious examples. Some other examples include the entire population of The Factory/Smithy Factory in ''[[Super Mario RPG (Video Game)|Super Mario RPG]]'', Wizzerds in ''[[Paper Mario (Video Game)|Paper Mario]] 2'' and Mechawfuls in ''[[Mario and Luigi Bowsers Inside Story (Video Game)|Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]''.

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* The MTs in any of the ''[[Armored Core (Video Game)|Armored Core]]'' games are this with few exceptions, especially if they're the armless "chickenwalker" variety.

* Many ''[[Transformers]]'' games have you fighting numerous generic or nameless enemy chassis (the Armada game, called simply "Transformers" in the states, coined them as "Decepti-clones"). Different from the TV shows in that every character shown was given a name.

* The [[What Measure Is a Non Human]] part got a nice Lampshade Hanging in ''[[The Incredibles|The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer]]'', where Mr. Incredible spots the first robot enemies in the tutorial stage and quips, "I guess that means we don't have to play nice!"

* The [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]] part got a nice Lampshade Hanging in ''[[The Incredibles|The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer]]'', where Mr. Incredible spots the first robot enemies in the tutorial stage and quips, "I guess that means we don't have to play nice!"

* Without [[The Igor|Klungo's]] aid to raise her army of monsters in ''[[Banjo-Kazooie|Nuts & Bolts]]'', [[Big Bad|Gruntilda]] resorted to create her own band of [[Mecha Mooks]] with the Gruntbots. Thanksfully, those crud-looking mechanical mischief makers are more a nuisance than a real threat to the bear and bird duo.

* ''[[SD Snatcher (Video Game)|SD Snatcher]]'' gives Gillian a large variety of Metal Creatures to do battle with.

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** Though in general the original ''[[Jonny Quest (Animation)|Jonny Quest]]'' series [[Moral Dissonance|didn't have many problems killing off human Mooks]] as long as it wasn't ''too'' graphic, like the two frogmen crushed by the leaping motorboat in the title sequence.

* The original ''[[TMNT 1987|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ]]'' cartoon turned the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mirage (Comic Book)|original comic's]] Foot Ninja into a robotic army with unlimited numbers. In the Turtles' first battle with the Foot, they were evenly matched with the robot ninjas until one of them was sliced open. Then began the dismemberment.

* Heavily subverted by ''[[Samurai Jack]]'': although he only ever cut the Mecha-Mooks (or [[Demonic Invaders]]) with his sword, they always seemed to be [[Ridiculously Human Robots]], either outside or internally ("veins" and "bones" in the interior of a roach-robot Jack cut in two, for instance). This allowed the show to get away with the [[High Pressure Blood]] trope and other extreme scenes of carnage, because [[Symbolic Blood|it was just oil]]. ''Really.''

* Heavily subverted by ''[[Samurai Jack]]'': although he only ever cut the Mecha-Mooks (or [[Demonic Invaders]]) with his sword, they always seemed to be [[Ridiculously Human Robots]], either outside or internally ("veins" and "bones" in the interior of a roach-robot Jack cut in two, for instance). This allowed the show to get away with the [[High-Pressure Blood]] trope and other extreme scenes of carnage, because [[Symbolic Blood|it was just oil]]. ''Really.''

** Additionally subverted in one episode in which an episode is told through the perspective of a mecha-mook, and his very real, very human emotions are made painfully apparent to the viewer. Then he fights Jack and gets cut up like any other robotic malcontent.

** Also averted at least once. Jack strikes several people with his sword in the episode where the bounty hunters team up to beat him (and one gets blown up), and they're not revealed to be robots afterwards...

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{{quote| '''Dodgers:''' You are lucky I didn't cut you to ribbons.<br />

'''Guy:''' Not with a Y7 rating, you won't. }}

* ''[[G.I. Joe]]'', when there are B.A.T.s or S.N.A.K.E.s involved, the Sky B.A.T.s in ''[[G.I. Joe Sigma 6]]'' as well as the Zaps and Skyrenes in ''[[G.I. Joe Extreme]]''. All five kinds of Mecha-Mooks are the only bad guys that the Joes seem to be able to hit [[A Team Firing|on the first try.]] Not that they did them any good since B.A.T.s just keep coming and only anti-tank weapons can take them down. Or in case of the B.A.T. Mark I, a [[Attack Its Weak Point|rifle-shot to the weak spot]] (which on the action figure's [[All There in the Manual|filecard]] is noted as the back, but inexplicably in the Sunbow cartoon, was the large window in the middle of their chest). Or Sgt. Slaughter's fists, which proved to be the most effective anti-B.A.T. weapon ever seen.

* ''[[G.I. Joe]]'', when there are B.A.T.s or S.N.A.K.E.s involved, the Sky B.A.T.s in ''[[G.I. Joe Sigma 6]]'' as well as the Zaps and Skyrenes in ''[[G.I. Joe Extreme]]''. All five kinds of Mecha-Mooks are the only bad guys that the Joes seem to be able to hit [[A-Team Firing|on the first try.]] Not that they did them any good since B.A.T.s just keep coming and only anti-tank weapons can take them down. Or in case of the B.A.T. Mark I, a [[Attack Its Weak Point|rifle-shot to the weak spot]] (which on the action figure's [[All There in the Manual|filecard]] is noted as the back, but inexplicably in the Sunbow cartoon, was the large window in the middle of their chest). Or Sgt. Slaughter's fists, which proved to be the most effective anti-B.A.T. weapon ever seen.

* The Jackbots in ''[[Xiaolin Showdown (Animation)|Xiaolin Showdown]]'', nevertheless the egregious use of [[The Hit Flash]] was deemed necessary anyway.

* A variation on this is in ''[[Transformers]]'', where ''every'' character is a robot; this allowed it to do things like, say, [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Death kill off] main characters in [[The Movie]] to [[Merchandise Driven|make place for new ones]]. This didn't keep the scenes where it happens from being quite disturbing to younger viewers who idolized the fallen, [[Dropped a Bridge On Him|original Prime]] and [[Heroic Sacrifice|Dinobot]] being the best examples.

* A variation on this is in ''[[Transformers]]'', where ''every'' character is a robot; this allowed it to do things like, say, [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Death kill off] main characters in [[The Movie]] to [[Merchandise-Driven|make place for new ones]]. This didn't keep the scenes where it happens from being quite disturbing to younger viewers who idolized the fallen, [[Dropped a Bridge On Him|original Prime]] and [[Heroic Sacrifice|Dinobot]] being the best examples.

** In episodes that aired before the movie, an important distinction was sometimes made between sentient and nonsentient robots. Several episodes involve the characters encountering armies of identical, literally faceless robots (as opposed to the individualized sentient Transformers) usually described as "drones" or some such, which were mindless and could be blasted to bits with moral impunity. The episode "Sea Change" even went so far as to establish that Transformers have souls like human beings, while the Mecha-Mooks they were fighting in that particular episode did not. The Vehicon drones of ''[[Beast Machines (Animation)|Beast Machines]]'' are the closes to a traditional army of Mecha-Mooks.

** In the case of the aforementioned Vehicons, the common Mecha-Mooks are simply Spark-less drones often under the control of the [[King Mook|larger]] Vehicon generals. Naturally, this makes the Vehicon drones the most [[Cannon Fodder|blown-up, dropped, disemembered or crushed]] mooks in Transformers history.

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'''Cadet:''' Yeah, "robots". ''(laughs maniacally)'' }}

* The ''[[X-Men (Animation)|X-Men]]'' animated series as often as not had the titular heroes battling the robotic Sentinels and all manner of mechanical foes, rather than organic bad guys. Indeed, only two characters (good, bad, or background) are directly shown to die at any point in the series, and both eventually come [[Back From the Dead]].

* Although most of the villains in ''[[Batman ~~the~~ Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' are human, "The Last Laugh" featured a robotic henchman to [[The Joker]], called Captain Clown. In an interview, the producers admitted this was done specifically so that Batman wouldn't have to hold back in the fight.

* Although most of the villains in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' are human, "The Last Laugh" featured a robotic henchman to [[The Joker]], called Captain Clown. In an interview, the producers admitted this was done specifically so that Batman wouldn't have to hold back in the fight.

** Another instance, with better in-universe justification, occurs in the second part of "Heart of Steel."

* ''[[Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (Animation)|Buzz Lightyear of Star Command]]''. Hornets. Interestingly enough, the [[Robot Buddy]] protagonist is the target of more violence than any villain, [[Good Thing You Can Heal|since he's capable of being rebuilt from ridiculous amounts of damage.]]

* In ''[[Challenge of the Go Bots]]'', the "robot" protagonists are actually [[~~Brainina~~ Jar|cyborgs,]] living beings despite their mechanical appearance. However, the villains used nonsentient, inorganic [[Humongous Mecha]] called Zods which the heroes could destroy without any ethical quibbles.

* In ''[[Challenge of the Go Bots]]'', the "robot" protagonists are actually [[Brain In A Jar|cyborgs,]] living beings despite their mechanical appearance. However, the villains used nonsentient, inorganic [[Humongous Mecha]] called Zods which the heroes could destroy without any ethical quibbles.

* Both the 1970s [[Filmation]] animated ''[[Flash Gordon (Animation)|Flash Gordon]]'' and the 1980s ''[[Defenders of the Earth (Animation)|Defenders of the Earth]]'' gave [[Big Bad|Ming the Merciless]] armies of Mecha-Mooks. Interestingly, in the Filmation series, good guy [[Red Shirt|Red Shirts]] would get killed all the time (usually a very tidy and bloodless disintegrator shot, or else an exploding manned vehicle). Presumably because killing people is, after all, what makes the villains ''villains''. The good guys got to fight Mecha-Mooks.

* Referenced in ''[[Darkwing Duck (Animation)|Darkwing Duck]]'', a series famous for averting [[Never Say Die]] (at least in the earlier seasons, before [[Executive Meddling]] came in full force). In the first season episode "Bearskin Thug", villain Steelbeak's trained bear turns out to be a robot. Upon learning this, Darkwing says "Then I can take off the kid gloves!"