Hero: 108

Last updated

Hero: 108
Hero 108 logo.svg
Genre Action
Adventure
Science fantasy
Created byYang-Ming Tarng
Written byKent Redeker
Thomas Pugsley
Greg Klein
Nicole Dubuc
John Tellegen
Directed by Trevor Wall
Pongo Kuo
Voices of Eric Bauza
Ian James Corlett
Andrew Francis
Brian Drummond
Scott McNeil
Adrian Petriw
Kelly Sheridan
Tabitha St. Germain
Narrated byIan James Corlett
Theme music composer John McPhillips
ComposerJohn McPhillips
Country of originUnited States
United Kingdom
Ireland
Taiwan
China
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes52 (95 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Mike Young
    Liz Young
    Albert Liu
    Rita Street
    Paul Cummins
    Bill Schultz (season 1)
    Nicolas Atlan (season 2)
  • For Cartoon Network Europe:
    Daniel Lennard
    Suzanne Berman
Producers Lolee Aries
Sanvy Hsieh
Siobhán Ní Ghadhra
Zhang Wenqi
Running time22 minutes
Production companies MoonScoop Entertainment [1]
Gamania
Telegael
Hong Ying Animation
Original release
Network Cartoon Network (United Kingdom)
Kabillion and Cartoon Network (United States)
Release1 March 2010 (2010-03-01) 
9 July 2012 (2012-07-09)

Hero: 108 is an animated television series created by Yang-Ming Tarng for Cartoon Network. It was broadcast on Cartoon Network and the Kabillion On Demand service in the United States and aired on the Cartoon Network international channels elsewhere. The series is co-produced by MoonScoop Entertainment, Gamania, Hong Ying Animation and Telegael Teoranta for Turner Entertainment Networks International Limited. [2] It premiered on 1 March 2010. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

The show was renewed for another season, [7] [8] which began airing on 7 May 2012, on Cartoon Network (Russia and Southeastern Europe), [9] UK, April 30 on Cartoon Network Too, and on Cartoon Network in the United States on 4 June 2012. The series ended its run on 9 July 2012.

Synopsis

Many years ago in the Hidden Kingdom, animals and humans lived in perfect harmony until an evil trickster named HighRoller arrived and fooled the animals into thinking humans were their enemies. Chaos reigned in the Hidden Kingdom until Commander ApeTrully formed a task force called Big Green to reunite the animals and humans while fighting the forces of HighRoller and the Zebra Brothers.

The storyline in a typical episode follows a formula, although the formula varies and several episodes depart from it: Commander ApeTrully goes on a mission to the castle of an animal kingdom to make peace and ask its inhabitants to join Big Green, bringing a gift of gold as a token of goodwill. The animals generally dismiss the gift, and usually capture ApeTrully who calls for help from First Squad. Members of First Squad (usually everyone except Mr. No Hands, who does come along on occasion) deploy by descending through a maze of tubes and landing on turtles fitted with tank treads, and then are launched through a tunnel and out over the water. When they arrive where ApeTrully is being held, a battle or contest ensues, during which special talents or abilities of the animals are revealed, often something based on their nature. After the battle or contest, the animals usually concede to First Squad's skills saying through translation by ApeTrully (unless the animal rulers can talk) that they would be honored to join Big Green. After joining, the animals often are assigned a particular duty at Big Green based on their demonstrated skills, which may help solve a problem introduced in a subplot.

The show is very loosely based on the ancient Chinese novel Water Margin focusing on the exploits of First Squad and Second Squad. [10]

Episodes

Hero: 108 series overview
SeasonEpisodesSegmentsOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 2652March 1, 2010 (2010-03-01)April 5, 2010 (2010-04-05)
2 2652May 6, 2012 (2012-05-06)June 8, 2012 (2012-06-08)

Characters

Big Green

Big Green is a peacemaking force with goals to restore peace between the humans and animals:

First Squad

Big Green's elite warriors and the series' main characters. Among its members are:

  • Lin Chung (voiced by Andrew Francis) – Classified as Hero 006, Lin Chung is known by some as the most accomplished, most skilled warrior in all of Big Green. He possesses the legendary Panther Vision, which allows him to see great distances, or to see the world in slow motion while he moves with speed. He wields a staff that can shoot edible bamboo shoots out at enemies.
  • Jumpy Ghostface (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Classified as Hero 088, Jumpy Ghostface is the King of the Rabbits. He is a talented, straight-ahead fighter who dives headfirst into dangerous battles without flinching an ear. He may look cute as a bunny, but Jumpy is not the sort of animal one would want to meet in combat.
  • Mystique Sonia (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) – Classified as Hero 103, Mystique Sonia is a tough, seasoned warrior. She is usually bickering with Mighty Ray. She can use her long tongue in battle to fight off enemies, using it like a whip and spinning it around to produce winds.
    • Yaksha – Due to a spell cast on Mystique Sonia, anyone who declares their love for her three times turns into a Yaksha. Yaksha is a purple-and-pink creature which rests upon Mystique Sonia's head like a hat. It is also an extremely flexible and stretchable being shown to turn into various forms to aid Mystique Sonia like an accessory, a dress, and a trampoline. It can even extend its arms to propel Mystique Sonia forward.
  • Mighty Ray (voiced by Ian James Corlett) – Classified as 025, Mighty Ray is a warrior of First Squad. He can shoot lasers from his removable eyes, but must recharge them by eating bananas. Mighty Ray was once a member of Mr. No Hands' giant foosball team, as seen in "The Eyes of Mighty Ray" Part I.
  • Mr. No Hands (voiced by Ian James Corlett) – Classified as Hero 020, Mr. No Hands is the military leader of Big Green's First Squad though he does not go on missions as often as his teammates. He is a strict but kindhearted human who is easily irritated by the strong-willed warriors under his charge. The tassel of his hat is capable of spinning like a helicopter, allowing him to fly. The hat itself can shoot dangerous darts at his enemies. He keeps himself in a stockade because he cannot stop tickling himself if his hands were free, though Woo's attempt to cure No Hands leads him to now use the stockade to keep his hands from hitting anything in punching distance.

Second Squad

The Big Green's secondary warriors. They are jealous of First Squad and constantly at odds with them to prove their worth. Among its members are:

  • Alpha Girl Latifah (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – The oni-style leader of Big Green's Second Squad with long black hair and sharp claws who serves as a rival to Mr. No Hands. She wields a spiked club in battle. She is classified as Hero 101.
  • Golden Eye Husky (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Golden Eye Husky is the King of the Ligers who became a member of Big Green's Second Squad after joining Big Green. He seems to be a rival to Jumpy Ghostface since they are both animals. He is classified as Hero 093.
  • Kowloon (voiced by Ian James Corlett) – A karate warrior. He seems to be a rival to Lin Chung. In Hero 108 online, he wields a staff. Classified as Hero 023.
  • Hurricane Lee (voiced by Scott McNeil) – A large, gray-skinned, powerfully built member of Big Green's Second Squad and brother of Archer Lee. He wields two axes in battle. It might be possible that he has a rivalry with Mystique Sonia. He doesn't speak until "Second to None". He is classified as Hero 022.
  • Archer Lee (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain in Season 1) – The blue-skinned, armored archery member of Big Green's Second Squad and brother of Hurricane Lee. It is possible that he might have a rivalry with Mighty Ray. Archer Lee and Golden Eye Husky are the only characters to be created during Hero 108's Chinese debut. He is classified as Hero 009.

Big Green Air Force

A part of Big Green's army that specializes in air battles. They dress in white and use large jet-shaped firecrackers as jets and giant afros inside their hats as air brakes and parachutes. Among the members are:

  • Master Chou (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Leader of Big Green's Air Force. He rides on the same plane as Burly. Classified as Hero 086.
  • Rosefinch (voiced by Kelly Sheridan) – Female member of Big Green's Air Force. Classified as Hero 104.
  • Burly (voiced by Ian James Corlett) – The biggest member of Big Green's Air Force. He usually pulls together the planes for a combined attack which makes his eyes bulge out. Classified as Hero 065.
  • Mano – The member of Big Green's Air Force with an eyepatch. Classified as Hero 083.
  • Air Force Staff – The generic staff members that serve the Air Force.

Other members

  • Red-Face Kwan (voiced by Eric Bauza) – Classified as Hero 005, he is a human who leads the infantry of Big Green. He is named Red-Face Kwan because a crab is clamped on his bottom enhancing his anger. When the crab is removed, he makes a funny face as seen in "Lion Castle". He is a direct reference to Guan Yu.
  • Sailor Brothers (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Three green-skinned brothers who head up Big Green's Navy. They have a habit of collecting string in order to make their fishing nets and are good ring throwers due to them always throwing life preservers to rescue drowning people. They have a major crush on Mystique Sonia. Classified as Heroes 028, 029 and 030.
  • Rattle Diva (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – Classified as Hero 073, Rattle Diva is a geisha guitarist with fangs who loves to play for anyone she comes in contact with and hates those who upstage her during her concerts like when Mighty Ray and Mystique Sonia ruined her concert by getting on stage and performing with her in "Pandaffe Castle". She can also turn her kimono into a rocker outlet and play heavy metal songs. She also wears a wig in her geisha appearance, but removes it when she appears in her rocker costume. She plays a pipa.
  • Sammo the Whale (voiced by Andrew Francis) – Classified as Hero 044, Sammo is a whale that serves as transportation for Big Green and the Navy when it comes to missions at sea. His cowardice is what had the other whales drive him away causing his tears to flood the land.
  • Wu Sung (voiced by Eric Bauza) – Wu Sung is the Big Green's dentist. He calls himself a dental warrior due to his dentist tools all being in a swordlike holder. He is the twin brother of the Dog King. He is classified as Hero 014.
  • Gardener Ching (voiced by Andrew Francis) – Classified as Hero 102, Big Green's gardener. He grows the large Calabash Gourds for the Tank Army's tanks and would often insult anyone in order to get the tears to help grow them as seen in "Chameleon Castle". Gardener Ching appeared in the original Hero: 108 lineup as well where instead of being a gardener, he can shoot laser eyes.
  • Origin Man (voiced by Brian Drummond) – Origin Man is a caveman who was found frozen in a block of ice with a Tyrannosaurus by Twin Masters. Classified as Hero 070.
  • Lady Green (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – Classified as Hero 102, Lady Green is a female member of Big Green's navy who has never been defeated in battle before.
  • Yan Ching (voiced by Vincent Tong) – A small aquatic humanoid whose strength makes up for his size. Classified as Hero 036.
  • The Tank Army – A part of Big Green's army consisting of metal glove-wearing soldiers that operate large Calabash Tanks. They are led by the Tank Commander (voiced by Andrew Francis) who is classified as Hero 085. They often accompany Commander ApeTrully on some of his missions to defend him in cases of attack.
  • Anti-Air Units – A part of Big Green that operates the Anti-Air Cannons in Big Green as seen in "Air Battle". They are led by the Air Defense Captain (voiced by Ian James Corlett). The soldiers resemble the soldiers in the Tank Army with different-colored armor. They also seem to like Lin Chung's bamboo shoots (which Lin Chung did not know that they can also be edible).
  • Bronze Giant – When Twin Masters began to drain all life in Hidden Kingdom, Lin Chung suddenly was able to draw up the Bronze Giant which has the titular hero classification 108.

Villains

Animals

Production and animation

Hero: 108 is co-produced by American studio MoonScoop Entertainment, Taiwanese studio Gamania Digital Entertainment, Irish studio Telegael Teoranta and Chinese studio Hong Ying Animation for Turner Entertainment Networks International Limited. Filipino studio Toon City provided the animation for the show with their CelAction2D workstation engines.

Broadcast and release

The show aired on Cartoon Network in the United States from 2010 to 2013. It also aired on Boomerang from February 4, 2013 to May 30, 2014, before later picking up on by their production company Splash Entertainment’s on-demand streaming service app, Kabillion Channel on YouTube, for re-runs after their run ended on Cartoon Network. [12]

In other media

Advertisements

Hero: 108 has appeared in many Beanfun! commercials to sponsor Gamania which featured many flash-animated clips of previous episodes, in which an event occurred which featured a big bean appearing being pixelated, then the character disappears which features the bean transforming into a question mark and an exclamation point. None of the characters have any dialog at all in the commercials except Mighty Ray in one commercial where he says "Okay, Banana?".

An American toy commercial was made to sponsor the Hero: 108 action figures that are available in Toys "R" Us. The commercial aired rarely, mostly on Cartoon Network, making it the only Hero: 108 commercial to air in television.

Video game

An MMORPG based on the series titled Hero: 108 Online had the players play as First Squad and Second Squad. This MMORPG game was developed by Gamania's RedGate Games subsidiary. Its servers are now closed.

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References

  1. Formerly known as Mike Young Productions for season 1.
  2. "Hero:108 Premieres Today On Cartoon Network". ColdHardFlash. 1 March 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  3. "Hero: 108 Sneak Peek" Toonbarn
  4. "Playmates Toys picks up Hero: 108." Playthings . Archived 2009-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Hero: 108 Official Myspace: About Me" Hero: 108 Myspace
  6. "Moonscoop’s Hero: 108 Toys with Playmates." Animation Magazine
  7. "Moonscoop produces second season of Hero: 108".
  8. "H108".
  9. Video on YouTube
  10. "Hero:108 Interview - the Winning Formula | MMO ☆ Culture". Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  11. "Top 10 Characters" Hero: 108 Official Website
  12. "Hero: 108 Season 1" . Retrieved 7 July 2019 via YouTube.