Line #234 Characters/InvaderZimIrkenEmpire


1	[[center: [- [[Characters/InvaderZim Main Character Index]] \| [[Characters/InvaderZimZimAndAllies Zim & Allies]] \| [[Characters/InvaderZimMembraneFamily Membrane Family]] \| '''Irken Empire''' \| [[Characters/InvaderZimSkool Skool]] \| [[Characters/InvaderZimAliensMonstersAndWeirdos Aliens, Monsters, and Weirdos]] -]]]
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3
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	[[folder:In General]]
7	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/irken_insigna.png]]
8	The alien race that Zim comes from, a conquest-obsessed empire of LittleGreenMen with a hierarchy based on height, hellbent on taking over the entire galaxy.
9	----
10	* AbusiveAlienParents: Irkens don't form families or personal relationships. Young Irkens are spawned in incubation tubes and raised from birth to serve the Irken Empire.
11	* AerithAndBob: Irken naming conventions are...odd. We've met Irkens named Zim, Tak, Red, Purple, Miyuki, Spork, Skoodge, Sizz-Lorr, and Timmy.
12	* AliensLackAttributes: According to the creators, they don't have reproductive organs.
13	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Despite having their own written language, Irkens are always shown to speak English, even on their own planet.
14	* AlwaysChaoticEvil: What else could you call a race of alien {{Galactic Conqueror}}s?
15	* AwesomeBackpack: From birth, each Irken is fitted with a backpack-like device called a PAK that contains their memories, serves as a brain in it's own right, and can be used as a BagOfHolding. However, the PAK is so essential to an Irken's life that they will die if separated from it for longer than 10 minutes. Also, if an unlucky Irken happens to be fitted with a defective PAK at birth, they themselves are also considered defective (read: Zim).
16	* BizarreAlienBiology: Irkens are dependent on their [=PAKs=] to live, are allergic to water and meat, and have a large super-organ called a "squeedlyspooch" that fills their entire torso and performs most or all bodily functions. The [=PAK=] being applied at birth and animating an otherwise lifeless Irken infant along with their dependence on it implies the organic body is artificially grown to host the [=PAK=].
17	* BlueAndOrangeMorality: [[invoked]] According to WordOfGod, they ''are'' capable of feeling love, but it's unlike the type of love humans are familiar with. What exactly this means has not been elaborated on.
18	* CultureClash: Most Irkens show nothing but utter confusion/revulsion when dealing with alien cultures. Justified since their own society is a ruthless, racist, and imperialist military junta.
19	* {{Cyborg}}: All of them are this because of their [=PAKs=].
20	* TheEmpire: It's in the name. Amusingly, the fact that the Almighty Tallest are actually puppets to the Control Brains suggests that their government is run in a manner more reminiscent of a modern constitutional monarchy than what this trope typically implies.
21	* EvilEmpire: Well, ''obviously''.
22	* EqualOpportunityEvil: Female Irkens are shown serving as soldiers, invaders, and even the Almighty Tallest. That said, short Irkens suffer from constant discrimination within their society, with [[ButtMonkey Skoodge]] in particular being treated like dirt in spite of being an excellent soldier simply because of his height.
23	* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}}. Virtually every Irken seen on the show is incredibly full of themselves, with it eventually leading to their downfall.
24	* FantasticRacism: Generally speaking, Irkens see all other life as utter filth only fit for being either MadeASlave or exterminated. That being said, some of their worlds (like Foodcourtia) suggest that their policies aren't ''always'' as extreme as that implies, with them being "fine" with other races as long as they serve the Empire's best interests.
25	* GalacticConqueror: The Irken Empire is hellbent on taking over every planet in the universe. And when we say "every", we ''mean'' every, with it being heavily implied near the end of the series that they've been steamrolling their way through most of the Milky Way with no signs of slowing down. [[spoiler:Well, at least until ''Enter the Florpus'', which has the Irken Armada and The Massive all sucked into the titular Florpus and basically derails Operation Impending Doom II for the foreseeable future]].
26	* GeniusDitz: They are collectively incredibly decadent and egotistical, but they are capable of maintaining and constructing elaborate weapons with incredible destructive capabilities, which is why their invasions usually succeed.
27	* GreaterScopeVillain:
28	** The Control Brains, genetically altered Irkens encased in massive robotic forms, are the actual rulers of the Empire, with the Almighty Tallest as just figureheads (though they do still hold not-insignificant power on their own).
29	** Likewise, there's Tallest Miyuki, one of the Tallest before Red and Purple, and the one responsible for the Irken Race's massive technological advantage.
30	* InvincibleVillain: Despite being led by the glaringly incompetent Red and Purple, it's made clear that no race in the universe really stands any kind of chance at stopping the Irkens' intergalactic conquest, with all who attempt to resist them being instantly squashed like bugs. The only thing that seems to truly pose any threat to them is [[SpannerInTheWorks Zim's]] stupefying incompetence. [[spoiler:This is possibly subverted after ''Enter The Florpus'', though, as the Irken Armada and The Massive are all sucked into the Florpus and the fate of the Irken Empire is left completely up in the air]].
31	* LargeAndInCharge: The hierarchy of Irken society is based on height. The tallest individual in a generation becomes the Almighty Tallest. Taller Irkens are given more important duties, while shorter Irkens are assigned to menial jobs such as food service.
32	* LaughablyEvil: As a whole. Sure, they might all be AlwaysChaoticEvil {{Galactic Conqueror}}s, but they're just so damn ''hilarious'' at the same time!
33	* LittleGreenMen: They resemble a human's stereotypical idea of aliens, with green skin, solid-colored eyes, and a pair of antennae. In a particularly notable riff on this trope, their society determines authority based on height.
34	* MasterOfDisguise: With a few notable exceptions (i.e., Tak), this is amusingly subverted with most Irken Invaders. Despite possessing sufficiently advanced holographic technology that would allow them to perfectly disguise themselves as natives of the planet they are currently conquering, most Invaders are [[FantasticRacism so comically ultranationalistic and bigoted towards non-Irkens]] that they don't want to "sully" their true forms and instead take up {{Paper Thin Disguise}}s, which all seem to rely on the natives holding the IdiotBall to not notice.
35	* NoBloodTies: Irkens are grown in jars and enter military training immediately after "birth." They nevertheless seem to have familial feelings, since Zim considers the "cold, unfeeling robot arm" that activated him as his parent.
36	* NonHumanNonBinary: According to Creator/JhonenVasquez, Irken do not have male or female identities, [[https://twitter.com/JhonenV/status/1325571053238640640?s=19 stating on Twitter]] that "the only IRKEN gender is [=A55H0LE=]. all caps."
37	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: It can be hard to remember at times that for all of their childish egotism and revolting decadence, they're also basically an entire species of ruthless sociopaths that have been conquering the entire Milky Way with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
38	* NotWorthKilling: Or make that Not Worth Invading. The Irken empire have ''no desire'' to conquer Earth. They consider it a remote dump; the climate is horrible, and the natives are [[HumansAreMorons mostly morons]]. Only two rogue invaders are obsessed with claiming it for the Tallest. Tak (who was driven to insanity), and Zim (who has always been insane). The Tallest don't acknowledge them, and as long as Zim [[ReassignedToAntarctica occupies the planet in exile]], it makes the world ''even less desirable'' to the alien race.
39	* OrbitalBombardment: Referred to as the "Organic Sweep," this has the Irken Armada bombarding a newly-conquered planet from orbit so as to cleanse their new conquest of all organic life and make it fit for Irken colonization.
40	* PaperThinDisguise: It's a relatively minor RunningGag that Invaders wear absolutely ''horrible'' disguises to fit in with the natives of the planets they're trying to conquer. Notably, Zim actually comes across as one of the ''more'' competent in terms of disguising his alien form here... at least when compared to, say, Invader Slacks, who infiltrated the Large Nostril People of Boodie Nen by just [[GagNose sticking an absurdly big set of prosthetic nostrils to the front of his face]].
41	* PowerfulButIncompetent: They vastly misuse their resources, have absolutely no tactical skills, and are a massively shallow race that values physical height and size more than anything (to the point where their Mothership is called The Massive). That said, their massive technology advantage over every other race in the universe keeps them on top.
42	* PragmaticVillainy: Instead of fighting against the Planet Jackers, the Irkens instead just have a treaty with them for the Jackers to leave any planet marked by the Irkens for conquest alone, apparently having decided that a war with them wasn't worth the effort. Relatedly, they don't seem to want to ''always'' wipe out any non-Irken life when they can instead be used to serve the Empire's best interests (i.e., the Vortians being enslaved as {{Mad Scientist}}s to help the Irkens develop better war machines).
43	* RiddleForTheAges: It has never been explained how the Irken race became completely dependent on artificial reproduction to survive (to the point of modern Irkens lacking reproductive organs).
44	* SigilSpam: They put the Irken insignia on all their stuff. "Battle of the Planets" even shows that they first ''bomb the Irken insignia'' into the surface of planets they've recently conquered.
45	* SingleBiomePlanet: Parodied, with the Irkens often devoting entire planets to utterly pointless and meaninglessly singular objectives. For instance, Blorch is designated to serve as a "parking structure planet" after it's conquered.
46	* TechnicolorEyes: Most Irkens have red eyes, with a few having purple instead. There are a few other colors that show up even more rarely, including green, blue, and brown.
47	* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: Female Irkens have long eyelashes and curled antennae.
48	* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:As noted below, the Irken Armada gets sucked into the Florpus along with the Massive and the Almighty Tallest during ''Enter The Florpus'', leaving the fate of the entire Irken Empire unknown. Though go by the fact that we last see the Tallest burning in agony some hellish dimension, their prospects do not seem good]].
49	* UndyingLoyalty: Due in part to them all being {{Cyborg}}s, the average Irken has a near-fanatical loyalty to the entire empire. It's quite a pity that [[BadBoss their leaders typically don't return the favor]].
50	* WomenAreWiser: One of Red and Purple's predecessors, Tallest Miyuki, is implied to be female from her name. She's also massively more competent than Red and Purple, being why the Irken Armada has incredible technology.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:The Almighty Tallest]]
54	[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/almighty_tallest.png]]
55	->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/WallyWingert (Red), Creator/KevinMcDonald (Purple)
56
57	->'''Red:''' "''The universe will be ours for the taking! It's only a matter of time before all the races of the Universe serve the Irken Empire!"''\
58	'''Purple:''' ''"I'll have them serve me the curly fries."''
59
60	The leaders (figureheads, really) of Irken society. Their height is their only qualification for office, so they're not very well-equipped in the brain department, although Red seems to have it together better than Purple. They usually sit around snacking and acting like jerks, similar to a pair of teenage bullies picking on and bossing around a group of younger kids.
61
62	Red and Purple weren't the first Tallest. Some of the previous leaders were slated to appear in flashbacks if the show hadn't been canceled.
63
64	The proper way to address the Almighty Tallest is "My Tallest", the equivalent of "Your Majesty" (or, perhaps more accurately, "Your Highness") on Earth. As a general rule of both grammar and respect, "My Tallest" is never pluralized, even when more than one Tallest rules.
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66	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Like all Irkens, they inexplicably speak perfect English.
67	* AllThereInTheScript: Their real names are Red and Purple (guess which is which).
68	* AmbiguousRobots: It's not clear whether they're cyborgs or organic beings wearing mechanical armor.
69	* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Their final fate in ''Enter the Florpus'' is to be trapped in the titular hole, a swirling void of infinite realities crashing into and off of each other. We last see them in some kind of puppet hell dimension, screaming in horror as they burn. Zim, of course, sees nothing strange about this.]]
70	* ArtEvolution: In ''Enter the Florpus'', instead of just having two ''very'' long, seemingly metallic prosthetic fingers on their hands like they did in the series, their hands now resemble Zim' short black gloves with stubby claws and even featuring visible thumbs. Also, their skin is slightly paler, their armor is darker, and their spines are pinker.
71	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Their ultimate fate in ''Enter the Florpus'', namely ending up trapped there after trying to destroy Earth just to finally be rid of Zim.]]
72	* BadBoss: They both treat their underlings terribly, but Purple especially seems to enjoy [[ThrownOutTheAirlock shooting them out the airlock]].
73	* BaitTheDog: PlayedForLaughs in the unproduced episode "The Trial". They kindly explain the process of Irken existence evaluation to a young Irken child, and then have him dragged off to the dungeons [[HeKnowsTooMuch for knowing too much.]]
74	* BigBadDuumvirate: For the franchise as a whole. Because of their matching height, they're both the official leaders of the Irken Empire. Unofficially, Red is the more domineering and competent of the pair.
75	* BigBadEnsemble: In ''Enter The Florpus'', they form one with [[spoiler:both Zim ([[TheHeavy who is responsible for all the film's mayhem]]) and the Florpus itself; the Tallest intend to blow Earth up just to finally be rid of Zim, and the Florpus is a NegativeSpaceWedgie that threatens to suck the Earth in and scatter it across infinite realities]].
76	* BigEater: Usually shown eating their own weight in junk food.
77	* BrilliantButLazy: "Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars" reveals that Red can be a surprisingly capable leader when his life is in immediate danger. Otherwise, he'd much rather kick back and gorge himself while letting his underlings take care of the hard work.
78	* BuffySpeak: Despite otherwise being the smarter of the two, Red is consistently shown to be a lot less articulate than you'd expect from a (figure)head of state. This is perhaps best when he [[LetsGetDangerous takes charge]] in "Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars" and refers to the [[WaveMotionGun enormous laser]] that he calibrates the Massive to fire as "Some kind of... Laser thingy".
79	* ButtMonkey: Purple has shades, mostly due to Red's abuse of him.
80	* TheCaligula: Both of them are selfish, lazy and generally incompetent despots, though Purple seems especially useless. They don't even respect the traditions of their position, and somehow cheated their way out of having to amputate their thumbs after being named Tallest.
81	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Named after their eye colors.
82	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: "Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars" shows that Red can be a genuinely competent commander when he has to. This does ''not'' apply to Purple.
83	* CultureClash: They are absolutely ''floored'' when Zim explains to them that adult humans are generally much taller than Irkens, but are also incredibly stupid. This flies completely in the face of Irken societal ideas, so they have trouble wrapping their minds around it. This is also literally the only time in the series that they're genuinely interested in what Zim has to say about the Earth - the concept is just ''that'' alien to them.
84	* DeadpanSnarker: This, hysterical laughter or [[StunnedSilence blank shock]] is how they usually react to Zim's antics.
85	-->''(Zim's base explodes during a video conference)''\
86	'''Purple:''' Well, you look real busy exploding, Zim...\
87	'''Red:''' What a shame, moving on now...
88	* DivergentCharacterEvolution: In the first episode they each got alternating moments of stupidity and intelligence. By "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars", Red seems to have settled into "The smarter one", though he still prefers to laze around with Purple.
89	* TheDividual: While they do develop more distinct traits over time (Red becomes the more intelligent and domineering one while Purple becomes TheDitz bordering on {{Cloudcuckoolander}}), they still have very similar personalities, look almost exactly alike, and are never seen apart.
90	* DrearyHalfLiddedEyes: Both their eyes are almost always half-shut, characterizing them as as smug, snarky, and exhausted by Zim's antics. Since their lids also slant inwards, they also have slight TsurimeEyes fitting their exasperated demeanors.
91	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: "Loved one" might be a stretch, but they are the closest of it to each other.
92	* EvenEvilHasStandards: PlayedForLaughs in "Germs", when both are ''deeply'' unsettled by Zim's germaphobia-induced SanitySlippage.
93	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: They're only ever referred to as "The/My Tallest" in the series.
94	* EvilEmpire: The figureheads of the Irken Empire.
95	* EvilIsBigger: They're called the Almighty ''Tallest'' for a reason.
96	* EvilIsHammy: They're the leaders of a race known to subjugate other planets and are some of the hammiest characters in the show.
97	* EvilOverlord: The emperors of the Irken Empire.
98	* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Their eventual fate at the end of ''Enter The Florpus''. After ''constantly'' refusing to move around it, they fly straight into it and are torn across different realities.]]
99	* FauxAffablyEvil: They're lazy and generally genial, but that won't stop them from committing genocide or having their own soldiers ThrownOutTheAirlock for not being tall enough.
100	* {{Fingore}}: [[invoked]] They only have two fingers on each hand, as opposed to a normal Irken's three. [[http://zim.wikia.com/wiki/Tallest According to the Invader Zim Wiki]], the [[WordOfGod production staff]] have said that when a Tallest is chosen, their thumbs are ritualistically severed to prove that they can rule without them. [[spoiler:However this has been [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by the current Tallest, Red and Purple, who instead hide their thumbs inside their massive gauntlets.]]
101	* FreudianExcuse: If the unproduced "The Trial" counts as canon, they witnessed their two previous Tallest die because of Zim. As such, their mistreatment of him at least might stem from fear that they'd suffer the same fate.
102	* GalacticConqueror: Their and their species' entire motivation is galactic domination. Invaders are used to infiltrate planets and prime them for invasion from within. Afterwards, they tend to use them for mundane activities like serving junk food or parking structures. They're also not averse to just blowing up random planets in the way of their flagship.
103	* GreaterScopeVillain: While not intentional, they're the reason Zim is trying to take over Earth. Honestly, they weren't sure ''anything'' was there, nevermind a planet; they just wanted Zim out of the way while they conquered the rest of the universe.
104	* HeterosexualLifePartners: [[invoked]] Fans debate whether they're this, twin brothers ([[WildMassGuessing from the same cloning tube, maybe]]?) or [[HoYay gay lovers]]. More obvious in the comics, where they are shown playing together.
105	* HiddenDepths:
106	** Red is confirmed to be BrilliantButLazy in "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars."
107	** [[invoked]] "The Nightmare Begins" shows Purple to be the more eloquent of the two (at least enough to remember the word "armada"), though it could be argued that this is just a case of [[CharacterizationMarchesOn his personality not having fully crystalized yet]].
108	* HonorBeforeReason: In ''Enter the Florpus'' they refuse to diverge from their projected course, a straight line, because "turning is stupid." [[spoiler:Even though they have more than enough time to get out of the way of the titular Florpus, they continue on in a straight line to their doom.]]
109	* HyperactiveMetabolism: They remain rail-thin despite constantly putting away enormous amounts of junk food. It's possible that [[AmbiguousRobots their bodies aren't entirely organic]].
110	* {{Irony}}: They only became rulers or Irk because Zim accidentally killed the last two. Now they have to constantly deal with the destructive individual who made their ascension possible. Granted, as mentioned, said individual was responsible for the '''deaths''' of the last two individuals to hold their position, so it's only natural they'd want to get rid of him for reasons beyond personal annoyance.
111	* InadequateInheritor: Unreleased episodes would've implied that their predecessor, Tallest Miyuki, was a much more capable leader. She was the one commissioned the Massive, while as far as the audience knows, these two don't have one accomplishment to their names.
112	* {{Jerkass}}: Along with being a pair of genocidal [[EvilOverlord Evil Overlords]], they're also generally lazy, selfish assholes who can barely stand ''each other'', let alone anyone they consider beneath them (as in, everything else in the universe).
113	* JerkassHasAPoint: Given what we see of Zim’s actions during Operation Impending Doom I, it’s hard to argue that Zim didn’t deserve to be banished. Honestly, he probably got off ''easy''. It’s also easy to see why they don't trust him as an invader after this, and Zim’s antics ''do'' tend to create more problems for the Irkens than they solve.
114	* KarmaHoudini: Well, except for "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars". ''Finally'' averted in comic Issue #4. [[spoiler:Their game of [[ItMakesSenseInContext torturing Zim with a large Cheese Puff]] ''literally'' blows up in their faces. Further averted in the movie]].
115	* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: After having escaped the series itself unscathed due to its cancellation, the Tallest finally get their comeuppance in the movie nearly two decades later: [[spoiler: Namely, being trapped in a hellscape thanks entirely to their own stupidity and stubbornness, with traumatic -- and potentially fatal -- results.]]
116	* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: They're obviously in distress at the end of the movie, and Jhonen confirmed during the Pixelatl México stream that they died. He then mentions the show's NegativeContinuity and tendency to bring characters back from the dead with no explanation in the same breath, so whether they'll ''stay'' dead is up in the air.]]
117	* LargeAndInCharge: They're the leaders of their race because they are the tallest.
118	* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:In ''Enter the Florpus'' they end up doing the eponymous action, meaning they've entered what essentially boils down to an indeterminate period of incredible pain at best and a wackier-than-usual death-by-black-hole at worst. Their final transmission seems to show them either trapped in or passing through a hellscape.]]
119	* LaughablyEvil: They might be genocidal sociopaths who treat their own people like shit, but they also provide some of the funniest moments in the series.
120	* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: Red is smarter, more competent, and more domieering than Purple.
121	* LazyBum: Neither of them ever do much in the way of leading, instead spending most of their time snacking and goofing off, and they tend to show aggravation whenever they ''are'' forced to actually do something. Operation Impending Doom II itself could be viewed as a product of their laziness: send out invaders to conquer planets for them ahead of time so that they don't actually have to ''do'' anything when they get to them. [[spoiler: [[KarmicDeath This ends up bringing them their doom]] in ''Enter the Florpus'', where their refusal to make the small effort to steer The Massive out of the way of the Florpus ends up getting them and the entire Irken fleet [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in an interdimensional hellscape for what may be eternity]].]]
122	* LeanAndMean: In addition to being the tallest Irkens, they're also rail-thin despite how much they eat.
123	* LetsGetDangerous: "Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars" shows that Red can be a surprisingly competent and level-headed military commander when his life is directly threatened.
124	** It's also amusingly subverted in the same episode for both of them. After being utterly humiliated by the Resisty and tossed around like pinballs for most of the episode due to Zim's actions, they contact him on a video call with the express purpose of making "our ''friend'' Zim '''hurt'''." Unfortunately for them, their video call is instead "answered" by Zim getting attacked by his own brain parasite while [=GIR=] and Zim's robotic parent decoys rampage through Zim's base. The Tallest lapse into horrified/baffled StunnedSilence, right before Purple runs offscreen to throw up.
125	* MadeOfIron: Seemingly, "Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars" seems to imply that they're impervious to plasma from the Sun, and presumably other stars. Granted, they ''are'' inside the Massive, but their reaction makes it sound as if their bodies are being exposed to it. [[spoiler:With that said, they don't seem to be immune to {{reality warp\|er}}ing from the Florpus.]]
126	-->'''Red:''' Y'know, this isn't so bad.\
127	'''Purple:''' I think so, too!
128	* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: They've repeatedly tried to do this to Zim, so as not to ''directly'' implicate themselves in his demise, be it sending him off on a SnipeHunt in the hopes that he'll die en route to trying to have him killed at boot camp. [[spoiler:By ''Enter the Flopus'', however, Zim teleporting the Earth directly into The Massive's flight path has them decide to forgo discretion completely and just blow up the planet so they never have to deal with him again.]]
129	* MeaningfulName: Red is the [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority first color of the rainbow]] and purple is a color often associated with royalty.
130	* MoralMyopia: Averted. While the Irkens treat all other races as nonentities, the Tallest have no qualms about shooting ''their own people'' out of cannons or airlocks. One at least can't fault them for hypocrisy there.
131	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Par for being part of the Irken race, their childish egotism and hedonism [[TheSociopath masks their ruthlessness and greed]].
132	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
133	** It ''really'' says something about how '''furious''' they are with Zim in "Backseat Drivers From Beyond The Stars" when Purple (normally TheDitz of the two) starts to show some TranquilFury while Red (who has always been the more open of the two in their hatred of Zim) [[FauxAffablyEvil cheerily]] asks The Massive's technicians to [[BadNewsInAGoodWay "give our friend Zim a call."]]
134	** Similarly, them deciding to [[spoiler:simply destroy the Earth once it appears in The Massive's flight path so as to destroy Zim once and for all instead of [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident Making It Look Like An Accident]] helps show just how profoundly fed up they are with Zim's antics and that they now just want to ''kill'' him no matter what]].
135	* OnlySaneMan: ''Heavily'' downplayed, but Red generally serves as not only the StraightMan to Purple's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, but also as one of the more level-headed Irken leaders (his own foolishness and laziness notwithstanding), and is typically the one to grab the SanityBall in interactions between the Tallest and Zim/other Irkens.
136	* OrcusOnHisThrone: They don't do much except lounge around their mothership.
137	* PaletteSwap: Of each other.
138	* PetTheDog: They occasionally have moments, generally directed at each other, that show that they have ''some'' capacity for good will:
139	** Red gets angry at Zim for denying Purple a planetful of snacks in "Tak: The Hideous New Girl".
140	*** In the same episode, Red affectionately pats Purple on the shoulder after smacking him over the head with his own puppet.
141	** In general, even if Red abuses Purple most of time, he also shows a softer side toward him.
142	** At one point, they let Zim talk about humanity and seem quite intrigued by it. More specifically, they're fascinated by his claims of humans being taller than Irkens and yet still utter idiots.
143	** They also allowed Zim to give his show on Probing Day, despite openly hating him (They planned to fail and pummel him regardless, but still).
144	** Amazingly, they even have one that has nothing to do with either of them, or even their species: At the beginning of "Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain" a young human boy wanders into Zim's base, followed shortly by his mother. She scolds him for wandering off, he cheerfully declares that he missed her, and the two leave. Purple smiles and says he's "glad it had a happy ending after all." Red, also smiling, agrees.
145	** In ''Enter the Florpus'', they compliment an invader for sending snacks to them and mention he is awesome.
146	* PsychopathicManchild: Despite being the [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] overlords of the most powerful known race in the galaxy, they mostly act like a pair of lazy, arrogant and stupid teenagers. They love sweets and junk food, bicker over simple things, and make their servants present their planet-conquest strategies with puppet shows. Heck, their dynamic with Zim can best be described as two [[BigBrotherBully Big Brother Bullies]] and their AnnoyingYoungerSibling.
147	* PointyHairedBoss: Their only qualification for their job is their height. Fortunately for them, that's the only qualification that matters in Irken culture.
148	* PurpleIsPowerful: Purple, of course.
149	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Red, of course.
150	* SlouchOfVillainy: Their designs always make them look slightly hunched over, even in "The Nightmare Begins."
151	* SmugSnake: They're ''extremely'' arrogant and absolutely certain that nothing stands a chance of getting in their way of conquering the universe. While the Irken Empire ''is'' incredibly powerful, that fact is rather clearly unrelated to their incompetent despotism.
152	* TheSociopath: Don't be fooled by their laid-back laziness, as these guys are genocidal dicks.
153	* SweetTooth: It goes in hand with their BigEater status -- although it's possible that what humans consider junk food, [[BizarreAlienBiology Irkens consider healthy]].
154	* ThrownOutTheAirlock: Purple especially seems to enjoy doing this, and uses it as a disciplinary method for things as petty as ''asking questions!''
155	--> '''Purple''': [[CrossesTheLineTwice Well, that was the wrong guy]], but that's okay, I think everyone got the message!
156	* TooDumbToLive: [[spoiler:Taken to its logical conclusion in ''Enter the Florpus'', where they refuse to steer their ship around the deadly Florpus hole since it would mean not going in a straight line. They get sucked into it and end up being burning alive in some kind of puppet {{Hell}}.]]
157	* TookALevelInDumbass: They were never the brightest bulbs in the series proper, but fly straight into TooDumbToLive territory in ''Enter The Florpus'' when they refuse to fly out of the path of [[spoiler:the Florpus Hole despite there being ''plenty of time to do so'', resulting in both them and the entire Irken Armada suffering a FateWorseThanDeath]].
158	* TookALevelInJerkass: The Tallest are ''much'' less subtle about their hatred of Zim in ''Enter The Florpus'', [[spoiler:to the point that they ultimately decide to ''blow up the Earth'' just to be rid of him once and for all.]]
159	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: "Snacks", which is used as a catch-all term for junk food you'd find in a convenience store - chips, nachos, Slurpees, burritos, etc. Though the snack food they're shown eating most often are donuts.
160	* {{Tsundere}}: Red and Purple argue a lot with each other (in private and in public) but they seemingly appreciate each other deep down.
161	* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:As of the ending of ''Enter the Florpus,'' they are shown burning in a puppet-like alternate reality. Whether they ultimately perish in the Florpus, are stuck there alive for eternity, or somehow pass through and escape -- into their own reality or another -- remains unknown. The fact they're able to receive a transmission indicates that, at the very least, they're still on the Massive, which may be their only hope for survival. And even if they do make it out, they'll undoubtedly be traumatized for life.]]
162	* VitriolicBestBuds: Of a sorts. They spend a lot of time together and often play harmful pranks on one another.
163	* VomitDiscretionShot: Purple's reaction to the parasite eating Zim's brain at the end of "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars."
164	* WhileRomeBurns: In the end of ''Enter The Florpus'', [[spoiler:their last words are of premature and stubbornly placed celebration as they fly headlong into the Florpus hole, dooming their entire race and them for presumably eternity.]]
165	* WouldHurtAChild: They send young Irkens to invade dangerous planets and seemingly don't care if they die along the way.
166	* YouDontLookLikeYou: Red's Series 2 Palisades toy gives him darker skin than Purple.
167	* YoungerThanTheyLook: They look older than Zim, but the script for the unproduced episode "The Trial" reveals that the three are actually all about the same age.
168	[[/folder]]
169
170	[[folder:Invader Skoodge]]
171	[[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/invader_skoodge.png]]
172	->'''Voiced by:''' Ted Raimi
173
174	->''"So that no Irken boot has to come in contact with any unsavory alien filth! '''HOO-HA!'''"''
175
176	An incredibly short Invader, and perhaps the closest thing that Zim has to an actual friend. Had the show continued, he would have become a reccurring character, and lived in Zim's basement.
177	----
178	* AffablyEvil: He doesn't really come across as being [[ForTheEvulz evil for its own sake]], but Irkens in general seem to have an AlwaysChaoticEvil bent and at the very least he is complicit to genocide.
179	* ButtMonkey: He was sent to a planet of Slaughtering Rat People, used as artillery against said planet after he pacified it, and then had his achievement given to someone else.
180	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: With the exception of a variant cover for ''Issue #10'', he's absent from the new comics.
181	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He's the first Irken Invader to single-handedly complete his mission, and he survived being on a planet as it was being blown up. If it wasn't for his gullibility, he'd be an Irken to be reckoned with.
182	* {{Deconstruction}}: His character exists to deconstruct the Irken Empires obsession with height, as not only is he the first invader to conquer a planet in Operation: Impending Doom, the planet he conquered was Blorch, [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace home of the Slaughtering Rat People]]. If the Irken were any type of competent, they'd have given him a high status in their empire, but because of their general stupidity and obsession with height, he's treated like dirt due to being so short in spite of being a highly competent, unquestionably loyal, and durable soldier that anybody would want millions of.
183	* MadeOfIron: Even more so than Zim, Dib, and Keef combined.
184	* NoRespectGuy: In spite of his accomplishments, the Tallest still treat him like crap because he's short.
185	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: We never get any indication of ''how'' exactly he managed to conquer Blorch, home of the Slaughtering Rat People, but he did it.
186	* ThePigPen: Quite downplayed, but his uniform is consistently dirty and covered in splotchy stains.
187	* TheDogBitesBack: The unfinished episode ''Day Of the Spookies'' actually has him take pleasure in tormenting Zim when the two pretend to be ghosts on ''Mysterious Mysteries'', and eventually leave him to be hauled off for study when things go south.
188	* UndyingLoyalty: Even with how the Tallest and Zim treat him, he's still determined to prove his worth and risks life and limb to please them. [[spoiler:Although it's shown even he has his limits.]]
189	* UnexplainedRecovery: Blatantly and repeatedly. He often appears to get killed only to later return alive and well with no explanation for his survival.
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Tak]]
193	[[quoteright:180:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taktransparent.png]]
194	->'''Voiced by:''' Olivia d'Abo
195
196	->''"NO, IT ISN'T REVENGE! It's about taking back what's '''mine''', you delusional twit! '''I''' should have been an Invader! '''I''' should have been part of The Great Assigning! I shouldn't '''have''' to be stealing '''this''' planet from '''you'''!"''
197
198	A female Irken out to seek Zim's mission and prove herself as a worthy Invader to the Tallest. Fifty years ago, Zim caused a blackout that caused her to miss her test to become an Irken Elite. Not to be confused with the main character of another [[{{Creator/Nickelodeon}} Nick]] franchise, ''WesternAnimation/TakAndThePowerOfJuju.''
199	----
200	* AliensOfLondon: Tak has a British accent while none of the other Irkens do.
201	* BadassLongcoat: Both her disguise and her Irken uniform resemble a tailcoat in the back.
202	* BerserkButton: She gets visibly enraged when Sara teasingly calls her Zim's "girlfriend", although she doesn't explode, since it would blow her cover. Instead, she uses her CompellingVoice to make Sara apologize and eat her own eraser.
203	* BestServedCold: Tak wants to conquer Earth before Zim, since Zim was the one who made her fail her military exam and sent her to work as a janitor on Planet Dirt for fifty years. She actually doesn't view it as revenge so much as setting things right, though—as she (correctly) points out, she's a highly competent invader who ''deserved'' to get assigned a planet, while Zim was sent there [[ReassignedToAntarctica just to get him out of the Almighty Tallest's antennae.]]
204	* BoyishShortHair: In her human disguise mode, she sports a spiky and punky bob cut.
205	* ButtMonkey: Somewhat, particularly being exiled from her planet despite being an excellent invader but Zim's idiocy caused this, and getting thwarted by Zim and being almost killed in a spaceship crash. Tak just couldn't catch a break.
206	* CatsAreMean: Her S.I.R. Mimi takes the guise of a cat, and is nasty powerful enough to kick Zim and GIR's asses.
207	* CompellingVoice: It only works on idiots though.
208	* EvilBrit: She is not a Brit of the humans, although her accent is clearly British.
209	* EvilerThanThou: To be fair, not ''eviler'' than Zim, just more competent.
210	* EvilLaugh: It's so hideous in contrast to her appearance.
211	* EvilVersusEvil: Her conflict with Zim, since both of them want to conquer the Earth.
212	* FreudianExcuse: Zim inadvertently ruining her chance to become an Irken Elite and getting her exiled to the planet Dirt as part of the janitorial staff spurred her quest to prove herself a ''real'' Invader by usurping Zim's intended target of conquest and actually turning it into something valuable for the Tallest.
213	* HypnoticEyes: Tak seems to possess these in the form of some sort of device in or near her eyes. While in disguise, a flash of her eyes allows her to erase short-term memories of her victims (unless their mind is too strong, like Dib's and Gaz's were) and, in one case, impose her will over others.
214	-->'''Sara:''' Looks like Zim has a girlfriend!\
215	'''Tak:''' It's not NICE... to embarrass people! You should apologize... and... ''(eyes flash)'' eat your eraser!\
216	'''Sara:''' ''(with MindControlEyes)'' Yes, Tak! I'm sorry, Zim. ''(takes a bite out of her eraser)''
217	* {{Irony}}: Had Zim not stopped her from taking the exam, she might've wound up among the invaders he blew up in Operation: Impending Doom 1.
218	* KnightOfCerebus: Tak is certainly a MUCH bigger threat to Earth than Zim. And comes very close to accomplishing her plans.
219	* LargeHam: It leads to HamToHamCombat when she argues with Zim.
220	* LovingBully: Completely subverted and played for laughs. Zim's conclusion that Tak, while disguised as a skool girl, physically abuses him because she's in love with him is just a sign of his InsaneTrollLogic. She really does just despise him and only uses his efforts to study "pain-based Earth affection" to torture him for giggles.
221	* ManipulativeBitch: She states that the human race is too gullible to suspect a thing when she takes over Delishus Weenie Corp, and proudly exploits that(along with her hypnotic abilities) to carry out her plan from Weenie headquarters.
222	* MirrorCharacter: For as much as she likes to claim she's Zim's superior, they both shirked menial roles assigned to them (Zim's indentured employment on Foodcourtia and Tak's temporary janitorial duties on Planet Dirt) for what they perceived to be faster routes to glory. Interestingly enough, both their respective exiles are also technically Zim's fault: Zim got himself exiled for blowing up the invasion fleet during the previous invasion, and Tak was only exiled because Zim's stupidity prevented her from getting to her final exam on time.
223	* MoreDeadlyThanTheMale: And how!
224	* MotiveRant: She at one point goes on a rant on how she hates Zim for ruining her life and wants to make him pay for it.
225	* NoExceptYes: She insists that she isn't after Zim for revenge, but that she is going to steal his mission in particular rather than that of any other invader.
226	* NothingPersonal: While Tak doesn't deny that she hates Zim, she insists her plan isn't about revenge per se, so much as proving that she's worthy of being an Invader while he isn't.
227	* PurpleIsPowerful: Instead of the standard dark pink Irken uniform, she wears a purple one. Her eyes and the spots on her PAK are purple too.
228	* RightHandCat: MIMI, who in contrast to GIR resembles a cybernetic black cat.
229	* TheRival: She's Zim's rival in the invasion of Earth.
230	* {{Revenge}}: She claims her plan to usurp the conquest of Earth from Zim isn't about revenge but about making things right by proving she's a real Invader while Zim is just a joke. However, she is open on how much she loathes Zim and enjoys making him suffer. In fact, it's telling that rather than choose any other unclaimed planet that could be more appealing to the Tallest, she ''chose'' the backwater far-off Earth where Zim is, despite being clearly aware he was sent there by the Tallest to be rid of him. [[note]]However, given she's going against orders, taking Zim's exile planet and making it valuable while ruining Zim's life in the process was probably the only way she could do this and get away with it.[[/note]]
231	* SatelliteCharacter: Her SIR unit MIMI never acts independently of her. Justified as she's behaving how a proper SIR Unit would, unlike GIR.
232	* SlidingScaleOfVillainEffectiveness: She's essentially a competent, intelligent version of Zim.
233	* VillainsBlendInBetter: Or in this case, Competent Villains Blend In Better. Her human disguise is far more convincing than Zim's, which says more on the latter given how well the other invaders were doing.
234	* WeWillMeetAgain: The last thing she says to Zim before he launches her into space. Had the series continued it was intended for her to come back as a recurring villain, but the closest she gets to returning in the show proper is her ship's presence, since it has an artificial intelligence copied off of her own brain.
235	* WomenAreWiser: She's the only prominently-featured female Irken, and is significantly more competent than Zim or the Tallest are.
236	[[/folder]]
237
238	[[folder:Tak's Ship]]
239	->'''Voiced by:''' Olivia d'Abo, Andy Berman
240
241	->''"DIB! Your face is STUPID!"''
242
243	The modified Spittle Runner Tak used to make her way to Earth. After she was defeated, Dib keeps it within his family's garage to further modify it and study Irken technology. After being reactivated, however, it's discovered that the ship's autopilot runs on a copy of Tak's personality, and is hesitant to allow anyone ''but'' Tak to even sit in itself, let alone pilot it.
244	----
245	* AIIsACrapshoot: The ship is able to copy the memories and personality of its user. However, without proper training and an environment to understand what's going on, it will likely go mad trying to understand what it even is.
246	* BrainUploading: It's able to utilize the brainwaves of its pilot as its primary AI, effectively becoming a robotic clone of them.
247	* DrivenToSuicide: After running on a copy of Dib's brain that is then brainwashed by Zim, the real Dib tries to break it out of the mind control. While it remembers everything, it also concludes that such a life is so horrible that it would rather delete its own personality data.
248	* EnemyMine: Though it confesses that it hates Dib, it also acknowledges that it hates Zim more, and agrees to help Dib and Gaz with the understanding that it'll hurt Zim.
249	* SapientShip: The ship is not afraid to speak its mind at any given moment it's active. And that usually means voicing its displeasure at Dib or any other humans riding in it.
250	* SentientVehicle: An alien spaceship with a fully independent AI.
251	* TokenEvilTeammate: In ''Enter the Florpus,'' the ship teams up with Gaz and Dib to save the Earth but it's clear that the ship is only doing it because of its hatred for Zim (and, if the deleted scene is canon, breaking Tak out of prison).
252	[[/folder]]
253
254	[[folder:Sizz-Lorr]]
255	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sizz-lorr_5148.png]]
256	->'''Voiced by:''' Jim Wise
257
258	->''"Nobody escapes from Sizz-Lorr. I will find you, Zim. I will search all of space's dark corners to hunt you down.'' '''''AND I WILL FIND YOOOOOUUUUU!!!'''''"
259
260	Zim's boss during his exile on Foodcourtia, an Irken frycook who runs Foodcourtia's premier restaurant. After Zim escaped the planet, Sizz-Lorr swore to make him come back if it was the last thing he did.
261	----
262	* AffablyEvil: Once he accidentally drops Zim while kidnapping him from the skool, he genuinely apologizes to the human skool students.
263	* AlmightyJanitor: He is the biggest, strongest, and probably the most powerful Irken ever seen in the show. And his job is being a fry cook. Though in his defense he is the highest ranking Fry Cook in the entire Irken Army, and given that the Food Court Planet is often used as a punishment, the position of head Fry Cook may function as a warden.
264	* BadBoss: PlayedWith. On the one hand, he took a good deal of delight in making Zim suffer and working him hard. On the other hand, Zim was sent there as ''banishment'' for nearly destorying their peoples' civilization without regret. As such, Sizz-Lorr's behavior could not only be justified, but also appropriate since he is not just Zim's boss, but more accurately his parole officer or even prison guard/warden.
265	** BenevolentBoss: He seems to be a pretty decent and reasonable boss over to his employees, i.e. the people he ''actually '''hired''''' rather than Zim, who is his prisoner.
266	* BigEntrance: Unlike Zim, he has neither the training nor desire to act as an invader and infiltrate human society in order to get what he wants. In fact, [[SoMuchForStealth he does exactly the opposite and literally crashes into Ms. Bitters' class]] (while Dib was in the middle of giving a speech on Zim being an alien, no less), [[SoMuchForStealth grabs Zim by the head, and drags him back to his ship]].
267	-->'''Sizz-Lorr''': Now, BACK INTO OUTER SPACE!
268	* BigYes: He yells "Yes" in response to Zim's BigNo at having to work for him again.
269	* ChefOfIron: The natural result of combining his role as a chef and a badass. He even suits up in battle armor with a giant spatula as a weapon.
270	* ClarkKenting: Zim was unable to recognize him without his fry cook hat. And Sizz-Lorr was wearing his name tag.
271	* GeniusBruiser: Along with having the usual Irken technological prowess, he's huge, enormously strong and a skilled fighter. He's also one of the few characters who is distinctly not an idiot.
272	* ImprobableWeaponUser: His laser-spatula...thing.
273	* LargeAndInCharge: And how - he is taller than any other Irken we have ever seen, perhaps even surpassing Tallest Red and Purple.
274	* LargeHam: [[WorldOfHam It's a given that he'd be yet another hammy character.]]
275	* NonStandardCharacterDesign:
276	** No other Irken, both those in the show itself and those only shown through concept art of scrapped episodes, has dark circles around their eyes like he does. Similarly, his eyes also don't have the same glossy reflection that other Irken eyes have.
277	** Sizz-Lorr's PAK is ''massive.'' For context, the Tallests' [=PAKs=] are roughly twice as big as Zim's, while Sizz-Lorr's PAK is nearly ''quadruple'' that and almost as big as Zim himself.
278	* PaperThinDisguise: This is a funny one. At first, it makes sense that Zim doesn't recognize him: while he is a very large guy, he's also wearing a gas mask and bodysuit. Then he reveals his face. Zim doesn't catch on. Then he takes off the suit, and changes into his fry cook outfit. Zim still doesn't get it. Then he ''puts on a nametag.'' Zim's still unable to place him. It's only when he finally puts on his tiny paper hat that Zim puts two and two together.
279	* PunnyName: Sizz-Lorr. Sizzler!
280	* RedEyesTakeWarning: After he finds out that Zim is gone in the flashback, his eyes momentarily glow red.
281	* RiddleForTheAges: Why is an Irken who is even larger than the Almighty Tallest and several times more competent working in fast food? Was he exiled like Zim? Does his weight counterract his height in the eyes of Irken society? Is the position of Frylord seen as just ''that'' sacred? The world may never know.
282	[[/folder]]
283
284	[[folder:Vortian Prisoner 777]]
285	->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/WallyWingert
286	One of the Vortian military researchers used by the Irken Empire to produce their tech and weaponry, kept as a prisoner. He copes with this by making... [[AchillesHeel interesting]] [[CoolButStupid design decisions]] in Irken weapons, and trusting them to Zim, who he knows full well will [[LethallyStupid do something horrible with them]].
287	----
288	* GadgeteerGenius: A seemingly common trait for Vortians, who have provided Zim with ''many'' idiotic devices that seem outright designed to kill whoever uses them, such as the malfunctioning santa suit Zim uses in the christmas special, and probably the megadoomer.
289	* IHaveYourWife: How Zim gets said gadgets from him -- he has 777's children stuck in a tube with an "Erase Children" button attached.
290	* NoNameGiven: We never learn his real name.
291	* SarcasticDevotee: He's very happy to ''help'' Zim. [[GoneHorriblyRight For a given value]] [[GoneHorriblyWrong of "help."]]
292	-->'''777''': "(Sarcastically hammy tone) That would be ''wrong!'' It'd infuriate the armada! (Suddenly helpful) I helped design that ship, you know. {{beat}} Here you go!"
293	* YouAreNumberSix: He's only ever referred to by his prison number.
294	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / InvaderZimIrkenEmpire