Top 10 Times Robot Chicken Made Fun of Anime
#10: Digimon Tron
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“Tron: Legacy” focuses on Sam Flynn following his father Kevin into the digital game world of Tron…and that’s about as much as anyone remembers, other than the soundtrack. “Robot Chicken” lampoons the film by mashing it with “Digimon: Digital Monsters”, an anime series that also features characters entering a digital dimension. In the sketch, Kevin spends years stuck in the creature-filled digital world. He passed the time by “coupling” with digimon. But before Kevin can return home, his son Sam reveals the electric company is about to kill the power at the arcade that keeps the digital world alive. As the digimon break down, Kevin hilariously embraces death. While the sketch leans more into the “Tron” side of the parody, it’s still an entertaining combo.
#9: Sailor Earth
As any fan will tell you, the Sailor Scouts are named after the celestial bodies in the solar system…except Earth. That is, until now! While eating at a mall food court, the magical girls are attacked by a food vendor who becomes a giant churro. All of a sudden, a nearby man who claims to be Sailor Earth comes to their aid. After transforming, Sailor Earth shows that his powers are based on human “qualities” like obesity, alcoholism, and racism. But it’s his ability to summon “unintended consequences” that ultimately defeats the Churro man. The sketch is a hilarious and disturbing take on an untapped part of “Sailor Moon.” We just wish he (and humanity) weren’t so terrible…
#8: Henry Kissinger Pokémon
Pokémon battles usually involve various monsters fighting one another at the behest of their human trainers. We just didn’t expect to see the perpetually youthful Ash Ketchum encounter an unexpected opponent during this sketch. While he chooses his customary Pikachu, his foe sends out former U.S. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. Instead of repeating his name aloud and using special attacks, Kissinger yells out controversial events that occured during his administration. Ash and Pikachu are quickly overwhelmed by these historical facts...and a barrage of aircraft bombs. Ash should’ve used an Attorney General type Pokémon―they’re super-effective against controversial Secretaries of State.
#7: Speed Racer Joins NASCAR
Given that “Speed Racer” is a classic show about racing, combining the anime with NASCAR is a natural comedic match-up. This sketch features the title character joining the racing sport and really shaking things up. Although his tactics are both questionable and destructive, he proves to be a ratings hit. The sketch lampoons everything from NASCAR fans’ apparent enjoyment of crashes to Japan’s bizarre taste in erotica. But the sketch really excels at parodying every aspect of “Speed Racer.” Racer X’s easily discerned identity? Check. Speed and company’s distinctive speech pattern? Check. Spritle and Chim-Chim stowing away in the Mach 5? Ch-…ooooo, that’s dark!
#6: Piccolo Gets Busted
During the first arc of “Dragon Ball Z”, then-alien-anti-hero Piccolo kidnaps Goku’s son Gohan in order to train him, all in the hope of getting him stronger before the Saiyans arrive. This sketch sees police and child protective services arrive just as the combat training starts to get physical. They arrest Piccolo for child abuse, brainwashing, and feeding Gohan Senzu Beans. While the beans restore a fighter’s energy in the series, the authorities mistake them for a new kind of drug. As bad as Mr. Piccolo’s actions are within the context of the show, reframing them in this sketch makes his kidnapping seem so much worse. At least it’s funnier for us.
#5: Pokémon Daycare
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The Pokémon “Daycare” is one of the odder features of the “ Pokémon” games and anime. Basically, you leave your Pokémon with an elderly caretaker and when you come back, there’s an egg with no explanation of how it got there. This sketch plays the process up to the natural conclusion. In the parody, not only do some of the Pokémon who stay there engage in roleplay, but the old people running the facility apparently record the Pokémon’s late night activities. It’s not too surprising that aspiring Pokémon breeder Brock is into the idea little bit more than his friends.
#4: Sailor Moon’s Thorny Villains
Over a series of three sketches in the “Joint Point” episode, we see Sailor Moon villains getting a little too...let’s say, excited about her. The first sketch sees her confronted by a villain on the street. After her elaborate transformation sequence causes him to have a visible, ahem, “reaction”, they both become too embarrassed to fight. When the villain is yelled at by his boss Queen Beryl in the second sketch, her anger gets him “excited” again. And when the queen is alone in the third sketch, her body shows how “interested” she is at the prospect of defeating Sailor Moon. Her unexpected and very visible physical reaction prompts her to remark that anime is weird. You’ll get no arguments from us, Beryl!
#3: Voltron Gets Served
The sketch begins with members of team Voltron assembling their giant mech to protect a space station from enemy ships. But they’re surprised to see a monster arrive on the scene. Instead of fighting them, the huge creature challenges them to an impromptu dance off. They try to serve each other while a parody version of DMX's "Get It on the Floor" plays in the background. Although the song was later changed, the dance off is still hilarious. While Voltron has better moves than you’d think for a metal robot, their opponent styles all over them. We don’t know where the idea for this sketch came from, but we’re glad it exists.
#2: Anime Christmas
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On Christmas Eve, Santa falls down a chimney and into the house where Goku and his young son Gohan live. After teaching the kid some colorful new words, Santa enlists their aid to fight against some villains who stole his presents/pants. The ensuing anime style battle is action-packed and hilarious. It all culminates in a fight against the true enemy – Mrs. Claus. Although “Robot Chicken” tends to be short and sweet with its sketches, this holiday themed story takes its time. It pays off by being a great parody of both Christmas and anime tropes. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: What Pikachu & Squirtle Actually Think Every Actor Wants a Little Variety in Their Dialogue Spring of the Drowned Nerd A Nerd Meets “Ranma ½” Astro Boy Presentation When It’s Put Like This, the Concept Does Seem Pretty Creepy… The Greatest “ Pokémon” Generation The Sketch That Made Pokémon Fans Feel Old Tiny Gets in Shape You Would Think The G-Force Had A Fitness Regimen
#1: A Dad Discovers “Inuyasha”
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One of the true greats. A middle-aged man is annoyed that his daughter is watching“Inuyasha” when he wants to watch a hockey game. Despite his initial disinterest, he appears to get more and more into it over the course of the episode. He eventually goes into full fanboy mode. The dad buys the DVDs, skips work to watch episodes, begins dressing as Inuyasha and even roleplays as the character with his wife in bed. The way this builds and builds until it's hilariously revealed that expressing interest in his daughter’s shows was all according to his master plan is pure genius!
