R.O.B.

Template:Articleabout Template:Redirectshere Template:LLquote Template:Character-infobox R.O.B. (short for Robotic Operating Buddy; in Japan known as the Famicom Robot, short for Family Computer Robot) is an accessory released alongside the Nintendo Entertainment System to help advertise the console as a toy. He functions by translating flashes of information on the television screen into physical actions to assist players in compatible games, and was only used for the games Gyromite and Stack-Up.

While R.O.B. has made cameo appearances in the Mario series, he has also appeared as a playable character.

Game appearances

Mario Kart DS

File:MKDS-ROB Artwork.png

R.O.B.'s artwork from Mario Kart DS.

R.O.B. is one of the four unlockable characters in Mario Kart DS, unlocked by winning either all nitro Mirror cups, or all retro Mirror cups, and is the first non-Mario character to appear as a playable character in a Mario Kart game. In the game, he is tied with Bowser for being the heaviest racer. R.O.B.'s symbol is the NES D-pad. 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. R.O.B. is the only character in Mario Kart DS who doesn't control his kart with the wheel; instead, he seems to control the kart by moving his arms.

In the Japanese version of the game, R.O.B. is colored like his Japanese model, and is named HVC-012, the model number for the Japanese version of R.O.B. His karts are also different colors depending on region. Also, the staff ghost data for Desert Hills and Rainbow Road features the Japanese R.O.B., no matter what version of the game the player has.

WarioWare series

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

R.O.B. is the subject of the Stack-Up microgame in WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! from 9-Volt's games. 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 (this microgame is found in 9-Volt/18-Volt's stage). In WarioWare: Smooth Moves, R.O.B. is the boss of 9-Volt's stage, the Star Fox boss level. Like many of his other appearances, his 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 has if he is being used to play Stack-Up.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

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

Main article: SmashWiki: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 neutral 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 he is in F-Zero GX. He is visible in one of the stop spots in the background of the stage.

The Subspace Emissary

File:BrawlR.O.BSquad.jpg

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

R.O.B.s have two different roles in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's The Subspace Emissary. The first role they play is serving as enemies to the characters. They are part of the Subspace Army and attack any character that goes to their lair on The Subspace Bomb Factory. There are three variations; R.O.B. Sentries, R.O.B. Launchers, and R.O.B. Blasters. A specially trained group of R.O.B.s serve as the Ancient Minister's personal bodyguards, the R.O.B. Squad. R.O.B.s are also used to detonate Subspace Bombs.

R.O.B. in the Subspace Emissary.

In the Subspace Emissary it is revealed that the Ancient Minister is actually a R.O.B. himself (the playable character) and is being commanded by Tabuu to destroy the world to help his people. When Samus, Pikachu, Olimar, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong infiltrate the bomb factory and meet the Ancient Minister, he refuses to battle with them. Ganondorf appears in a hologram and forces the R.O.B.s to detonate all the bombs and to shoot the Ancient Minster when he tries to stop them.

After the R.O.B.s shoot the Ancient Minister, his robes burn off revealing that he was a R.O.B. himself all along. Unable to prevent the bombs from being detonated, he ends up finally 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, King Dedede, Ness, and Luigi save him and he goes on to defeat Tabuu and save the world.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

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

R.O.B. appears again in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as an unlockable character. This time around, his default palette is different depending on the version to match the colors of its original release; in the Japanese version it is the tan and red Famicom palette, while the US and PAL 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.

Profiles and statistics

Mario Kart DS

• Default Karts: Standard RB, ROB-BLS
• Unlockable Kart: ROB-LGS
• Website Bio (): "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 Bio

"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

Type	Image	Description
R.O.B.		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.
Diffusion Beam		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.

Stickers

Image	Game	Effect
File:MKDS-ROB Artwork.png	Mario Kart DS	[Specials: Indirect] - Attack +15 Usable by: R.O.B.
File:ROB Blocks Sticker.jpg	Stack-up	[Specials: Indirect] - Attack +27 Usable by: R.O.B.
	Mario Kart DS JP	[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

Name	3DS Image	Wii U Image	Appears in	NTSC-U Description	PAL Description
R.O.B.			NES Nintendo Entertainment System Robotic Operating Buddy (10/1985) DS Mario Kart DS (11/2005)	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.	Originally released in 1985 as a peripheral for the NES, R.O.B. 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.
R.O.B. (Alt.)			NES Nintendo Entertainment System Robotic Operating Buddy (10/1985) DS Mario Kart DS (11/2005)	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!	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!
Super Diffusion Beam	N/A			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 drags foes to the center, where they'll be hit continuously. The assault finishes off with a single wide beam just for good measure.	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.

Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

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.

Portrayals

R.O.B. has been voiced by Toru Asakawa in Mario Kart DS. In other games (notably the Super Smash Bros. series), he uses computer-generated sound effects instead.

Trivia

• R.O.B.'s amiibo followed tradition in that the coloring differed depending on the region; however, R.O.B.'s Famicom coloring would later be available around the world (with the NES coloring also being released in Japan).
  • If both are used in Yoshi's Woolly World, the player can get two different R.O.B. Yoshis. Curiously, the same cannot be done in Super Mario Maker.
• The character '80s Robot, from the 2011 Muppets movie, bears a significant resemblance to R.O.B.