R.O.B.

This article is about the NES accessory and the in-game character based on it. For other uses of the name Rob, see Rob (disambiguation).

"Robot" redirects here. For Mechakoopas that were called "Robots" in the Super Mario World television series, see Mechakoopa § Super Mario World cartoon. For robots in the Super Mario franchise, see Category:Robots.

R.O.B.
The original NES accessory.
Full name	Robotic Operating Buddy
Species	Robot
First appearance	Gyromite / Stack-Up (1985, original release) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996, Super Mario franchise)
Latest appearance	Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch) (2023)

“They said reviving the video game market wasn't humanly possible. It wasn't.”

—Promotional poster

R.O.B. (short for Robotic Operating Buddy) appears in the Super Mario franchise as a sentient robot that creates computer-generated sound effects, and is most notably featured as a playable character in Mario Kart DS. R.O.B. in real life is an accessory that was released alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System to help advertise the console as a toy, due to American consumers being uneasy about video games after the video game crash of 1983, though it was compatible with only two games: Gyromite and Stack-Up. In Japan, R.O.B. is called Family Computer Robot, shortened to Famicom Robot or simply Robot.

History

WarioWare series

R.O.B. as a boss in WarioWare: Smooth Moves

R.O.B. makes various minor appearances in the WarioWare series. In WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!, R.O.B. is the subject of 9-Volt's Stack-Up microgame. In WarioWare: Twisted!, a R.O.B. is seen in 9-Volt's game room. In WarioWare: Touched!, a R.O.B. accessory appears in the microgame Gunslinger after the player destroys a blue canister. In WarioWare Gold, R.O.B. is featured in the R.O.B. Block Set microgame.

R.O.B.'s most prominent WarioWare appearance is in WarioWare: Smooth Moves, as the boss of 9-Volt's boss microgame, Star Fox. Like many of his other appearances, R.O.B. model differs between Japanese and western versions. He bobs around, shooting either a large revolver-like light gun using both arms in the Japanese version or its western equivalent, the NES Zapper. To defeat him, the player has to shoot the flashing blocks set-up for as if he is being used to play Stack-Up.

Mario Kart DS

Artwork of R.O.B. for Western Mario Kart DS releases (left) and Japanese release (right)

Data-rendered model from Mario Kart DS

R.O.B. is one of the four unlockable characters in Mario Kart DS, the others being Daisy, Dry Bones, and Waluigi. This is R.O.B.'s first and only playable appearance in a Mario Kart game, and he is the game's only playable character that does not return as a playable character in later installments. He can be unlocked by winning gold trophies on either all Nitro or Retro Mirror cups. In the game, he is tied with Bowser for being the fastest and heaviest racers. R.O.B.'s symbol is the NES D-pad colored purple and is the only emblem in the game not to be in a circle. R.O.B. has two original karts: the ROB-BLS, which resembles R.O.B.'s stand for the game Stack-Up, and the ROB-LGS, which is a kart that appears like "legs" for R.O.B. His karts are fast, heavy, and have stronger handling, but they also offer the weakest drifting among all the other karts. Due to his arms not being very flexible and lacking true hands, R.O.B. is the only character in Mario Kart DS who does not control his kart with the wheel, despite his karts having one; instead, he seems to do so by moving his arms, like the real-life accessory.

In non-international releases, R.O.B. is named HVC-012, the model number for the Japanese version of R.O.B., and also colored after his Japanese model. His karts also have different colors in the Japanese version. Also, the staff ghost data for Desert Hills and Rainbow Road feature the Japanese R.O.B. and vehicles, regardless of the version of the game the player has.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. fighter R.O.B.
Game appearances
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (unlockable) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (unlockable) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (unlockable) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (unlockable)
Special moves
Neutral:  Robo Beam Side:  Arm Rotor Up:  Robo Burner Down:  Gyro Final Smash:  Diffusion Beam (Brawl); Super Diffusion Beam (for 3DS / Wii U); Guided Robo Beam (Ultimate)
Battle entrance
Assembles piece by piece as his parts drop from the sky.

“The Last of His Kind”

—Boxing Ring nickname, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

R.O.B.'s artwork for Super Smash Bros. Brawl

SmashWiki article: R.O.B. (SSBB)

R.O.B. appears as a newcomer and unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He is unlocked by playing 160 Brawl matches, collecting 250 trophies, or having R.O.B. join the party in The Subspace Emissary. His moveset is mostly based on the original R.O.B. accessory. His standard special move is Robo Beam, which fires a beam from between R.O.B.'s eyes. R.O.B.'s side special move is Arm Rotor, which has him spin his arms around rapidly to attack. His down special move is Gyro, which charges and tosses one of R.O.B.'s gyro accessories. His up special move is Robo Burner, which uses jets in R.O.B.'s base to fly into the air. His Final Smash is Diffusion Beam, which fires a short-range constant beam from R.O.B.'s eyes that deals constant damage to nearby opponents.

R.O.B.'s general appearance in the game is that of the Japanese version of the accessory, while his NES colors appear as an alternate costume. Also, one of R.O.B.'s alternate costumes is based on the colors of the North American SNES. In addition, a structure that looks similar to R.O.B. appears in the Port Town Aero Dive stage, as it is in F-Zero GX. It is visible in one of the stop spots in the background of the stage. R.O.B. is an unusual character as he is fast and is difficult to launch, but has lower attack power than other heavyweights.

The Subspace Emissary

Before the events of the Subspace Emissary, R.O.B. was the leader of the R.O.B. race of robots, officially titled the Master Robot. He and the other robots lived on the floating Isle of Ancients and watched over the World of Trophies. However, it was ultimately invaded by Tabuu, a humanoid entity from Subspace. He attacked the Isle of Ancients, deactivating many R.O.B.s and eventually taking the robots hostage. R.O.B. was forced to ally himself with Tabuu in order to prevent the deaths of more of his robot brethren, and began to hide under his ceremonial robes of mourning and assume the title of Ancient Minister. The Isle of Ancients itself was converted into The Subspace Bomb Factory, and the Ancient Minister became the commander of the Subspace Army. As the commander of the army, he lead the invasion of the World of Trophies on behalf of Tabuu, while a specially trained group of R.O.B.s served as the "Ancient Minister's" personal bodyguards, the R.O.B. Squad, made up of R.O.B. Sentries, R.O.B. Launchers, and R.O.B. Blasters. R.O.B.s were also used to detonate Subspace Bombs, to the "Minister's" deepening regret.

The Ancient Minister's introduction

As the Ancient Minister, he first appeared in the Subspace Emissary after Mario and Kirby's match at the Midair Stadium, where he detonated a Subspace Bomb, sending the stadium to Subspace. He escaped, only to be later chased by Mario and Pit in The Plains, who had little success catching him. He then detonated another Subspace Bomb at The Battlefield Fortress, attracting the attention of Marth, Meta Knight, and Ike. Regardless of the group's efforts, he manages to escape their grasp, however, he is soon discovered by Mario and Pit once again, along with Link and Yoshi. Again, the Ancient Minister escapes, but not before detonating yet another Subspace Bomb, sending King Dedede's Castle into Subspace.

The Ancient Minister is not seen again until Samus and Pikachu corner him at the Subspace Bomb Factory. Samus and Pikachu are ready to fight, but the Ancient Minister refuses, growing depressed at the number of R.O.B.s sacrificed to activate the Subspace Bombs, confusing them. Soon after, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Captain Falcon, and Captain Olimar arrive, also battle-ready, but the Ancient Minister still refuses. A holographic Ganondorf appears, quickly realizing that he has betrayed him. Using a remote-controlled button, he is able to control the R.O.B.s, ordering them to attack the Ancient Minister and activate every Subspace Bomb in the factory.

The Ancient Minister's true form: R.O.B.

However, when the R.O.B. Squad shoots the Ancient Minister, his robes burn off, revealing to everyone present that he was a R.O.B. himself all along. Unable to prevent the bombs from being detonated, he decides to remain with the other R.O.B.s until he ends up being carried away by Donkey Kong as the factory explodes. R.O.B. escapes with the others on the Falcon Flyer and later meets up with the rest of the characters on the ground. He and the rest of the cast go into Subspace to confront Tabuu, but are all turned into Trophies. Eventually, Kirby saves him and he joins the group who go on to defeat Tabuu and save the World of Trophies. With so many Subspace Bombs set off simultaneously on the Isle of Ancients, only a shining, X-shaped scar appears where the Isle once was when the rest of the world is restored with the destruction of Tabuu and the Great Maze.

• 

  Enemy R.O.B.s in The Subspace Emissary.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

R.O.B.'s NES version appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.

SmashWiki article: R.O.B. (SSB4)

R.O.B. appears again in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U as an unlockable character. This time around, his default palette is different depending on the version to match the colors of his original release; in the Japanese version, he is the tan and red Famicom palette, while other versions have the grey NES palette. R.O.B. also has a new Final Smash, the Super Diffusion Beam, which turns R.O.B. into a cannon that fires a single beam, dealing continuous damage until the end of the attack.

For equipment, R.O.B. uses the Zapper equipment for attack, the Block equipment for defense, and the Booster equipment for speed.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

R.O.B.'s Famicom version appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

SmashWiki article: R.O.B. (SSBU)

R.O.B. reappears as an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This time, he has a light gauge on his chassis showing how much fuel he has left when using his Robo Burner, which emits blue when it is full, yellow when it is two-thirds full, red when it is one-third full, and flashes red when it is completely empty. R.O.B.'s pummel now has him headbutt the opponent, while his forward throw now has him rear his arm back, and punch the opponent. R.O.B. travels higher during his up throw, while his down throw now buries opponents; it deals less damage to compensate. His double jumping animation is now a midair twirl.

R.O.B.'s Final Smash has been changed again, this time to Guided Robo Beam, making him one of the few fighters that have appeared to have a different Final Smash across every game since their introduction (along with King Dedede, Pit, and Zero Suit Samus).

In the Korean version, despite R.O.B.'s name being written the same way as in the English version, unlike in the Korean version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the announcer refers to him as "Robot", as in the Japanese and Chinese versions.

Due to the default and secondary palettes being swapped between the Western and Eastern regions, some spirit battles featuring NES-color R.O.B. in the Eastern versions use the Famicom-color one in the Western versions, and vice-versa. His Boxing Ring stage name, The Last Of His Kind, references his role in the Subspace Emissary.

In Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, R.O.B. does not appear when the fighters oppose Galeem for the first time. However, he, like every fighter except Kirby, is hit by one of Galeem's beams of light and imprisoned in the World of Light, where a puppet fighter of him is created. Said puppet fighter initially serves Galeem, but is later forced into serving Dharkon. Kirby's team defeat the Dharkon-serving R.O.B. puppet fighter in the Dark Realm, freeing the real R.O.B. who joins the team against Galeem and Dharkon.

Classic Mode route

Unreadable Expressions
Round	Opponent(s)	Rule	Stage	Song
1	Meta Knight		Halberd	Pink Ball Activate!
2	Dark Samus		Frigate Orpheon	Psycho Bits
3	Mr. Game & Watch ×5	Horde Battle	Flat Zone X	Flat Zone
4	Little Mac (wire-frame costume)		Boxing Ring	Tunnel Theme - X-Scape
5	Wii Fit Trainer (female), Wii Fit Trainer (male)		Wii Fit Studio (Battlefield)	Rhythm Boxing
6	R.O.B. ×6	Horde Battle	Mario Bros. (Battlefield)	Stack-Up/Gyromite
Final	Galleom			Boss Battle - Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Mario Maker

R.O.B. also makes an appearance as a Mystery Mushroom costume in Super Mario Maker. His appearance changes depending on the region: in the Japanese version of the game, his appearance matches that of the Famicom; in all other versions, it matches that of the NES. Upon transforming into R.O.B., the "level start" tune from Gyromite plays. When is pressed, R.O.B. emits beams of light from his eyes.

Profiles and statistics

Mario Kart DS

• Default Karts: Standard RB, ROB-BLS
• Unlockable Kart: ROB-LGS

• Website description:
  • English (British):
    Robotic Operating Buddy, to give R.O.B. his full name, has come out of retirement to take up a new career as a Mario Kart driver - and a strong one at that. But you'll be lucky if you catch sight of him, as he's notoriously elusive...

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Website description

• English:
  R.O.B., the Robotic Operating Buddy from the NES, makes a grand entrance into the maelstrom!
  His stately form has received a lot of attention, but it’s his air of gentle playfulness that really charms us.

Trophies

Trophy R.O.B.
	Appears in: NES Nintendo Entertainment System Robotic Operating Buddy
	R.O.B. sporting his Famicom colors. R.O.B. debuted in Japan as Robot in 1985 as an add-on for the Famicom. He could be combined with a "gyro set," etc. for two types of play. The player controlled Professor Hector, the TV emitted light, and R.O.B. responded to the light by moving. At the time, it was epoch- making game play. Recently, R.O.B. appeared in Mario Kart DS.

Trophy Diffusion Beam
	Appears in: Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl
	R.O.B.'s Final Smash. He emits a beam from his eyes that spreads across the spectrum and undulates in great variety as it travels. What makes this technique different is R.O.B.'s ability to move while using it. This allows him to use it in combination with his other moves to increase his Final Smash's effectiveness.

Trophy Ancient Minister
	Appears in: Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl
	The commander of the Subspace Army who uses Subspace Bombs to tear up this world. He was once the lord of this world, living on the floating Island of the Ancients with many robots--but the robots were taken hostage on Tabuu's orders. Now that their home's a bomb factory, the robots carry out their functions while enduring deep sadness caused by the loss of their colleagues.

Stickers

Sticker R.O.B.
	Artwork from: Mario Kart DS
	Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Specials: Indirect] - Attack +15
	Usable by: R.O.B.

Sticker Robot & Blocks
	Artwork from: Stack-up
	Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Specials: Indirect] - Attack +27
	Usable by: R.O.B.

Sticker Robot
	Artwork from: Mario Kart DS JP
	Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Energy] - Attack +32
	Usable by: R.O.B.

Snake's codec

• Otacon: So, Snake, you're fighting Robot?
• Snake: Yeah, it's a robot. Although, couldn't they have come up with a better name?
• Otacon: Actually, in the U.S. they called him "R.O.B." Robot, R.O.B.--take your pick.
• Snake: Fine. R.O.B. it is, then.
• Otacon: In North America, R.O.B.'s body was grey, like the NES. But in Japan, he had a white body and red arms, the color of the Japanese Famicom.
• Snake: Huh. You sure know your geeky tech stuff, Otacon.
• Otacon: (chuckles) Well, you know...

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Trophies

Trophy R.O.B.

3DS: Wii U:

Game(s): Both

Category: Fighter

() Appears in: NES Nintendo Entertainment System Robotic Operating Buddy (10/1985) DS Mario Kart DS (11/2005)

() Trophy Box: 77: NES

This NES accessory was released in 1985—a groundbreaking system that controlled the robot via a game on the screen. In Smash Bros., R.O.B. has two projectile weapons and can use his rocket base to fly through the air. If you let his Robo Beam charge over time, it'll make for a powerful blast. (American English)

Released in Europe in 1986, R.O.B., a peripheral for the NES, was a little robot that responded to flashing lights in games. In this game, he can fire gyros and lasers at his enemies. He also has the ability to hover, which is handy for recoveries. Keep in mind that his Robo Beam can be charged up for an extra-powerful shot. (British English)

Trophy R.O.B. (Alt.)

3DS: Wii U:

Game(s): Both

Category: Fighter

() Appears in: NES Nintendo Entertainment System Robotic Operating Buddy (10/1985) DS Mario Kart DS (11/2005)

() Trophy Box: -

R.O.B.'s side smash, S3, fires a laser beam that does more damage up close. You can also aim it slightly up or down before firing. His down special Gyro sends a spinning top hurtling forward and can be charged for more damage. You can even dodge while charging! (American English)

R.O.B.'s side smash, S3, fires a laser beam that does more damage up close. You can also aim it slightly up or down before firing. His down special Gyro sends a spinning top hurtling forwards. While charging it up, you can move left or right to do a quick dodge, then continue charging where you left off! (British English)

Trophy Super Diffusion Beam

Game(s): Wii U only

Category: Final Smash

() Appears in: -

() Trophy Box: 92: Final Smashes 3

For R.O.B.'s Final Smash, he folds his arms down, transforms into an invincible cannon, and fires a huge beam that can be panned slowly up and down. The beam splits up partway through into smaller beams that drag foes to the center, where they'll be hit continuously. The assault finishes off with a single wide beam just for good measure. (American English)

For R.O.B.'s Final Smash, he folds his arms down, transforms into an invincible cannon and fires a huge beam that can be aimed slowly up and down. The beam splits up partway through into smaller beams that drag foes to the centre, where they'll be hit continuously. The assault finishes off with a single wide beam, just for good measure. (British English)

Palutena's Guidance

• Palutena: Look at that cute little robot!
• Pit: R.O.B. isn't a very creative name for a robot.
• Palutena: I think it has a certain ring to it.
• Pit: No way! Any name is better than R.O.B.! Like, hmm... How about Mr. HVC-012?
• Palutena: That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue...
• Pit: How about Robobuddy, Third Edition?
• Palutena: And what happened to the first two editions?
• Pit: Oh, good point. How about Zzzrt...Blaaat...Tron?
• Palutena: Let's just keep things simple by calling him R.O.B.
• Viridi: The light on its head shows you the strength of the laser it's about to fire. The moment you forget about it, it'll unleash its laser at maximum power, so watch out!

amiibo

This robotic operating buddy was released in 1985 as an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. R.O.B. introduced a new and unique way for players to interact with games. In recent years R.O.B.’s appeared as a playable character in multiple games, including Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, using projectile weapons to attack and a rocket base to fly through the air.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Spirits

Spirit #822 R.O.B.
	Series/game	R.O.B. Series
	Type	Fighter
	How to obtain	Clear Classic Mode as R.O.B.

Spirit #823 Stack-Up
	Series/game	R.O.B. Series
	Type	Support
	Slots	1
	Class	Advanced
	Strength / effect(s)	Falling Immunity
	How to obtain	Timmy and Tommy's

Spirit #824 Gyromite
	Series/game	R.O.B. Series
	Type	Support
	Slots	1
	Class	Advanced
	Strength / effect(s)	Back Shield Equipped
	How to obtain	Spirit Board
Spirit battle	Opponent(s)	Giant R.O.B. ×2
	Conditions	The enemy favors down specials The enemy is giant
	Stage	Living Room
	Song	Stack-Up/Gyromite

Spirit #1114 Ancient Minister
	Series/game	Super Smash Bros. Series
	Type	Primary
	Slots	2
	Class	Ace
	Strength / effect(s)	Neutral
	How to obtain	World of Light (Mysterious Dimension); Spirit Board
Spirit battle	Opponent(s)	R.O.B. ×4
	Conditions	Hazard: Screen Flip The screen will suddenly flip The enemy starts the battle with a Bomber Explosion attacks aren't as effective against the enemy
	Stage	Halberd
	Song	Final Destination - Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Blog bio

He has two powerful projectiles: Robo Beam and Gyro, along with a very effective recovery. The 1P color in the North American version of the game is a light gray, and the 2P is red and white, but this is reversed in the Japanese version.

List of Super Mario appearances

Title	Description	Release date	System/format
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!	Non-playable character	2003	Game Boy Advance
WarioWare: Twisted!	Cameo	2004	Game Boy Advance
WarioWare: Touched!	Cameo	2004	Nintendo DS
Mario Kart DS	Unlockable playable character	2005	Nintendo DS
WarioWare: Smooth Moves	Boss	2006	Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Unlockable playable character	2008	Wii
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	Unlockable playable character	2014	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U	Unlockable playable character	2014	Wii U
Super Mario Maker	Costume	2015	Wii U
WarioWare Gold	Playable character	2018	Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	Unlockable playable character	2018	Nintendo Switch
Super Mario RPG	Cameo	2023	Nintendo Switch

Gallery

• 

  Robo Beam in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 

  Robo Beam in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 

  Arm Rotor in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 

  Arm Rotor in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 

  Robo Burner in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 

  Robo Burner in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 

  Gyro in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 

  Gyro in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• 

  Diffusion Beam

• 

  Super Diffusion Beam in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

• 

  Super Diffusion Beam in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• 

  Guided Robo Beam in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Names in other languages

R.O.B.

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	ロボット[?] Robotto	Robot
	ファミリーコンピュータ ロボット[?] Famirī Konpyūta Robotto	Family Computer Robot
	HVC-012[?]	"HVC-012" is the product ID of the robot.	Mario Kart DS
Chinese (simplified)	机器人[?] Jīqìrén	Robot
Chinese (traditional)	機器人[?] Jīqìrén	Robot
French	R.O.B.[?]	-
German	R.O.B.[?]	-
Italian	R.O.B.[?]	-
Portuguese	R.O.B.[?]	-
Spanish	R.O.B.[?]	-

Ancient Minister

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	エインシャント卿きょう[?] Einshanto Kyō	Ancient Lord
	マスターロボット Masutā Robotto	Master Robot
Chinese	上古閣下[?] Shànggǔ géxià	Ancient Lord
French	Ministre Antique[?]	Ancient Minister
	chef des robots	leader of robots
German	Uralter Minister[?]	Ancient Minister
	Meister der Roboter	Master of Robots
Italian	Ministro Ancestrale[?]	Ancestral Minister
	Master Robot	-
Russian	Древний служитель[?] Drevniy sluzhitel’	Ancient Minister
Spanish	Ministro antiguo[?]	Ancient Minister
	Robot supremo	Supreme robot

Trivia

R.O.B. in Tomodachi Life

• In the same style as the original R.O.B., R.O.B.'s amiibo's coloring differs depending on the region; however, R.O.B.'s Famicom coloring would later be available around the world. The NES coloring was never released in Japan.
  • If both are used in Yoshi's Woolly World and Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, the player can get two different R.O.B. Yoshis. Curiously, the same cannot be done in Super Mario Maker.
• In the Nintendo 3DS game Tomodachi Life, R.O.B.'s description references its appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series, referring to it as an "official Smash brawler."

External links

• R.O.B. on Wikipedia