Quirky animated shows are nothing new, especially these days with the continuing popularity of Adult Swim, but if you are only watching television you’re likely to miss one of the best shows to ever come out of the genre: BRAVEST WARRIORS. Created by Pendleton Ward (creator and writer of ADVENTURE TIME), Bravest Warriors is a web based animated series from Cartoon Hangover, which is Federator Studio’s television channel on You-Tube. While the show certainly follows the animation style of Adventure Time, it deals with somewhat more adult themes, so even though it can be rather juvenile at times, it feels more geared towards a mature, or possibly bent, audience. Most of the episodes clock in at 5 minutes, but here and there one will run long, and there are also some minisodes; despite the short time frame, the show boasts a creative setting and hilarious characters that are hard to resist.
The show takes place in 3085 and features a group of four super powered teenagers who operate as a team of galactic heroes for hire, filling in for their parents who are trapped in the See-Through Zone. The team is led by Chris Kirkman, voiced by Alexander Walsh, who has an obvious and well publicized crush on Beth. A future version of himself shows up from time to time who insists he is destined to become an Emotion Lord, which is little surprise given his propensity towards emotional outbursts. He sports a blue uniform, has spiked blond hair, and his animal weapon is a bee which is featured in the Bravest Warriors logo. Beth Tezuka, voiced by Liliana Mumy (TV’s CHOWDER), is the only female member of the warriors. While she has a fun, lighthearted attitude, she is also a fierce fighter and more than willing to jump into the fray; whether or not she is aware of or reciprocates Chris’s feelings is a repetitive device for the show. She has dark hair, a pale complexion, and her animal weapon is a cat. Wallow, voiced by Ian Jones-Quartly, is the loveable big man of the team, though he does sport a dickish sense of humor. He originates from Samoa and has a tendency to make friends with many of the alien creatures the team helps, which may explain why their invisible hideout always seems to be full of odd creatures. He wears an orange uniform and his animal weapon is a falcon. Lastly, Danny Vasquez, voiced by John Omohundro, rounds out the team as a too cool inventor. His egotism is kept in check by periodic bouts of self hatred, and he is often antagonistic to other members of the team, but in a helpful way. His custom color is red and his animal weapon is a dog. Base descriptions really can’t do these fantastic characters justice, but they are only one aspect of what makes the show so great.
Every episode of BRAVEST WARRIORS has a variety of unique characters and off the wall scenarios that keep things interesting and funny. There’s a virtual reality restroom called the Holo John, memory stealing monsters, homicidal space bee’s, a temporal pair of socks (no, that’s not a typo), butt possession, Impossibear and his encounter with a gas powered stick, time machines, unitards, and a universe sized elf that will have you professing “It’s always been Wankershim!” Possibly the best minor character to date is Catbug, a loveable cat ladybug combination who’s so loved he got his own episode. If all this sounds beyond crazy, than you might just might be starting to understand the charm of the show.
If you’re at all a fan of ADVENTURE TIME or Adult Swim’s original programming, then BRAVEST WARRIORS is right up your alley. It boasts colorful characters, crazy settings, and bizarre scenarios that make it hilarious and endearing. So if you find yourself with spare time and are hankering for some new animation, head on over to Cartoon Hangover’s You-Tube page and give it a watch, because you might find out you’ve been missing something great.
