Xyber 9: New Dawn is a Science Fiction animated show by Saban Entertainment that aired on Fox Kids.
Terrana once was a utopia of technological advances and living in peace, but that age ended long ago. Amid the ruins, King Renard pushed his troops out and all over the land, while Queen Tatania tries her hardest to win her country back. King Renard is too powerful, because he is an ally of Machestro, an evil lord of the underworld thought only to exist in myth. Jack, The Chosen One and a 15-year-old orphan, is called upon by the people of Terrana. In order to become king, he needs to kill Machestro. Jack would be nothing without Xyber 9, a scepter-like "thinking machine" or superintelligent computer, the last of the Xybers. Machestro tries to get Xyber 9 from Jack to make him vulnerable. The series follows Jack's adventures and struggles.
The show itself got screwed over badly by the network. In 1999 the first ten episodes were shown, only for the show to be completely dropped in favor of the likely better sponsored NASCAR Racers. In 2007, the next 12 episodes were shown after the first 10 in one Jetix block, but the series ended on a less than satisfying note. Fans have risen again on the Internet, who admire the show for its well-developed plot.
Tropes used by the series:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: Most of the vehicles were done this way; it did not age well.
- Absurdly Spacious Sewer: There's one of these on Renard's command ship, of all places. Jack, Ikira and Anakonda have enough room in there to fight a running battle with the Machina while on vehicles, and get rid of them by flooding the place.
- After the End: The civilization that produced the Xybers ended in fire, probably centuries before the series starts.
- Aggressive Negotiations: Renard pulls this in the third episode.
- Agony Beam: Machestro's battle armor allows him to throw these around.
- Airborne Aircraft Carrier: The HMS Independence, Queen Tatania's flagship. It's a relic from the old civilization with lots of guns and a fairly sizeable flight deck to launch Skyfighters from.
- Airstrike Impossible: Jack does quite a few of these, though the last one ends up with his plane destroyed.
- Alien Sky: Terrana has two moons, with both usually visible in the night sky at the same time.
- All Animals Are Dogs: Honk, the little wild boar thing that follows Jack around. Most other critters on Terrana are an aversion.
- Another Dimension: Jack, Xyber 9, Ikira, and the crew of an advanced Machina fighter end up dropped into one of these, when the Spider fighter reveals a hidden defensive system in response to the other jet's Darkbolt cannon. It's possibly an Elemental Plane of Fire as they land inside a giant volcano, and the light there doesn't trigger the Machina virus.
- Apocalypse How: The Eye of Darkness would've ended up as at least a Class 4, but more likely a Class 6.
- A Protagonist Shall Lead Them: Jack is slowly built up into this, first by leading his small group, later gaining land and the start of a kingdom to rule.
- Archaeological Arms Race: A lot of the series is Jack's party attempting to dig up or control various bits of the Lost Technology before Renard or Machestro manage to.
- Base on Wheels: Renard's command ship, essentially a tank the size of an aircraft carrier with a huge main gun.
- The Beforetimes: Xyber 9 remembers the civilization he hails from very well, and is often wistful for it whenever he and Jack are exploring the ruins that remain.
- Beneath the Earth: The Underworld; the Machina live there due to being Weakened by the Light, and it holds most of the remaining technology on Terrana.
- Berserk Button: Whatever you do, do NOT call Jack "boy".
- Better with Non-Human Company: Anakonda gets along far better with various animals as opposed to other humans.
- Big Bad: At first it seemed like King Renard was going to be the main enemy, but then it turns out he's taking orders from Lord Machestro, ruler of the nocturnal Machina.
- Bling of War: All of the faction leaders have fairly cool suits of armor.
- The Big Guy: Willy; easily the tallest and largest of Jack's band, though it takes quite a bit to get him rattled.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: The entire party will usually engage in this at one point or another, but the most likely are Jack, Anakonda, Mick, and Willy.
- The Chosen One: In the first episode, Jack encounters a storyteller singing a prophecy, that implies the kid as the 'young boy king' that will defeat the darkness plaguing the world.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Anakonda and Roselyn both have their moments of this, though Roselyn does it a little more.
- Combat Parkour: Jack uses this a lot in close quarters fights, to easily dodge or fake out less agile opponents.
- Cool Plane: Lots of them, though YMMV in regards to the Spider Fighter...
- Cute Little Fangs: Anakonda, unless she's pissed off and hissing at someone.
- Deadpan Snarker: Jack, Xyber 9, Mick; the entire cast of heroes have their moments, though.
- Desolation Shot: The show uses these to show the damage left behind when Machestro's or Renard's troops have been through an area. Not many kingdoms or villages survive intact after they've passed by.
- Durable Deathtrap: All the ancient facilities Jack and company end up finding always seem to have working traps or robotic guardians despite their age and state of disrepair.
- Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age: Guns are quite common, yet both Ikira and Renard use swords.
- Enemy Mine: During the above trip to Another Dimension, Jack's group and the Machina pilots are forced to work together to get back to their own world.
- Evil Is Hammy: Renard. He’s voiced by Tim Curry, what did you expect?
- Faceless Goons: The standard Machina uniform is full body armor, including a face concealing helmet.
- Fangs Are Evil: These, along with every other part of his look make Machestro seem rather cat-like.
- Feed the Mole: Renard does this, once he figures out he has a spy.
- Femme Fatalons: Machestro's nails are long and pointed; they're not necessarily used as weaponry but they're sharp enough to leave deep gouges on the remains of a ledge he almost slid off of.
- Feudal Future: There's kingdoms, empires and lots of peasants, and yet there's also hoverbikes, Airborne Aircraft Carriers, and various forms of energy weapons.
- Fighting for a Homeland: Jack himself and most of his crew have no home, but eventually make one out of the New Valley and defend it ferociously.
- Fling a Light into the Future: The Ancients did this by giving Xyber 9 free will and sealing him away from the cataclysm that destroyed nearly everything else they built.
- Ghost City: There are tons of ruins like this scattered around Terrana.
- Great Offscreen War: We get hints of it in the opening but other than that, not much else is told of the war that ended the Ancients' world.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Jack has it, just another way to show his purity and nobility.
- Hellish Pupils: Machestro's eyes have slit pupils like a cat's, strangely enough Anakonda's eyes do too. Though in her case, 'snake-like' would probably be a better descriptor.
- Highly-Conspicuous Uniform: The Machina uniforms are usually some shade of maroon or red, compared to the more drab uniforms of Tatania's or even Renard's military.
- The High Queen: Queen Tatania leads her forces with grace and military decorum, traits that Renard is sorely lacking.
- High-Speed Missile Dodge: Given the amount of aerial dogfights in this show, this is a given.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Machestro is a victim of Explosive Overclocking after trying (and failing) to kill Jack in the series finale.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: The bad guys demand Xyber 9 in exchange for someone's life lots of times. This also has shades of a Sadistic Choice, as Xyber is just as much of a person as anyone else.
- Ignorant of the Call: As much as Jack says he wants to be a hero at first, the moment anyone actually calls him The Chosen One, he vehemently denies it.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Very few of Renard's soldiers manage to hit what they aim at, even with artillery. The Machina aren't much better than Renard's guys, either.
- Improbable Piloting Skills: Jack certainly has them, Mick and Willy get an honorable mention.
- In the End, You Are on Your Own: Jack ends up facing Machestro on his own in the series finale, as the Hunter Claws are causing enough damage on the surface that everyone else has to hold them off.
- Jerkass: Mick is the most disagreeable guy in Jack's party, complaining about just about everything and everyone he encounters. Though, the below trope also applies.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Mick is your typical snarky thief and reluctant hero, but when it really counts he comes through for the others.
- Just a Machine: Xyber 9 is considered this by most outside of Jack's group, given the other Xybers didn't have free will.
- Karmic Death: Renard gets Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves by Machestro after the king tries to save his daughter, Roselyn.
- Kid-Appeal Character: Christopher, first seen in "The Astral Hand" part 1. Alternates between Weak But Lovable and Ankle Biter.
- Kid Hero: Jack is 15 and it shows, though with the help of his team he starts growing up a little.
- Lady of War: Queen Tatania and Miss Thorpe; both are quite proper ladies, but when fighting is required they don't shy away.
- La Résistance: There's one of these going in Renard's kingdom, plotting to overthrow the tyrant and restore proper order.
- Living Relic: Xyber 9, likely the last sapient being other than Machestro to truly remember the glory days of the Ancients.
- Lost Technology: Xyber 9, the Garden of the Ancients, battle medallions/battle armor, and probably most of the tech in the Underworld.
- Love Triangle: Anakonda and Princess Roselyn go at it over Jack in a way that would make most harem anime ladies proud.
- Low Culture, High Tech: There's all sorts of tech lying around in the form of guns, vehicles, and warships in the air or on the ground, but Terrana is in a feudal age with kings and queens fighting over the world.
- Man Behind the Man: Machestro and his Machina are probably the only things keeping Tatania from winning the war.
- Master Swordsman: Ikira is this, dual-wielding two katana-like blades.
- Mecha-Mooks: The Hunter Claws, autonomous mechs that were legendary for their destructive abilities, and were sealed away because of it until Machestro revived them.
- Modest Royalty: Roselyn's usual dress really isn't all that fancy.
- Mr. Vice Guy: Mick has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with treasure . . . doesn't stop him from blowing up a statue that his rival managed to steal, though.
- Nature Hero: Anakonda knows all about the wilds of Terrana, and is connected to the trees of her home like the rest of her people. She can call to huge snakes to aid her in battle if she wants.
- The Night That Never Ends: Machestro tried to bring this about with the Eye of Darkness, a device that polarized every particle of the atmosphere.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: Mick has this attitude, or Only in It for the Money, as he's a treasure hunter, but Willy and the others usually manage to steer him in the right direction.
- The Obi-Wan: Primarily Ikira, as he teaches Jack combat skills and how to be an honorable warrior. Xyber 9 also counts, but his teaching is more intellectual in nature.
- Opposing Combat Philosophies: Renard focuses more on ground based combat, Tatania's forces attack from the air. Also, he's more likely to just dump infantry on an area than she is.
- Parental Abandonment: We don't know what happened to Jack's parents other than they're gone; the only thing he has left of them is the key to his family's old house.
- Parrying Bullets: As the local Master Swordsman, Ikira has done this many times against Machina and others trying to shoot him.
- Powered Armor: The armor generated by battle medallions is this. Their wearers can tank all sorts of damage depending on how the armor's barrier systems are set up, can fire energy projectiles, and even fly if the armor is powerful enough.
- Psychological Torment Zone: There's an area deep in the Underworld like this, plaguing Jack with illusions or hallucinations of all his allies falling in battle when he tries to reach the Eye of Darkness. Jack escapes by eventually declaring "This isn't real!"
- Ragnarök Proofing: This is the only explanation for why all the ancient Lost Technology is still generally working when Jack or others find it.
- Raised by Wolves: Anakonda; things like table manners or baths aren't needed out in the wilds.
- Rebellious Princess: Princess Roselyn, who gladly helps out Jack's team once she discovers just how far her father Renard has fallen.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Most of the enemy mechs tend to default to just red, but Machestro's armor is black and red.
- Redemption Equals Death: Renard rebels against Machestro to save his daughter, ending in the obvious.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Xyber 9; he has free will, as well as the full range of human emotion.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Queen Tatania, Princess Roselyn does the same eventually.
- Scavenger World: An odd example; lots of things are scavenged from the ruins, and yet Tatania's scientists manage to come up with a new fighter plane design.
- Scenery Gorn: Between the ancient ruins and the near endless deserts, there's plenty of this.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Early on, the cooperation between the members of Jack's party can be seen as this, though most of the grumbling is solely from Mick.
- True Companions: At first it's only Jack, Xyber 9, and Anakonda that can be considered this. Then they pick up Ikira, and Mick and Willy, though it's not well and truly a solid group until Mick's and Ikira's pasts are brought to light and accepted.
- 24-Hour Armor: A result of Limited Wardrobe and Merchandise-Driven; a character who has armor will always be in it on screen.
- Underground City: The Machina likely live in a few of these, though we only get to see Machestro's Elaborate Underground Base in the show proper.
- Used Future: The planet's been blasted back to feudal times, except for all the leftover tech from the previous civilization lying around.
- Wave-Motion Gun: The Rail Cannon; the cannon's enormous shells are capable of producing a Sphere of Destruction that can level an entire city.
- Weakened by the Light: The Machina can't handle sunlight due to the virus they're all infected with. Unlike most examples this can be overcome, with enough exposure actually curing the virus. Machestro is fully aware of this, but keeps it a secret to maintain control.
- We Will Meet Again: Declared by Machestro at the end of "Balance of Power."
- Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Machestro has copper irises with slit pupils, as well as yellow sclerae. The rank and file Machina soldiers also have yellow sclerae, though all other parts of their eyes are normal.
