Line #12 WesternAnimation/Roboroach


1	%%
2	%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17009326780.02243500
3	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
4	%%
5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/roboroach___poster.png]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:The duo's here[[note]]From left to right: Reg and Rubin[[/note]].]]
7
8	->''Hey! I've got a story to tell,\
9	about a roach named Rube with a high-tech shell.\
10	Caught in a trap late one night.\
11	He got away fast, but he didn't feel right.\
12	Nowhere to hide, so he started to run.\
13	Instead of a swat, HE GOT A CHIP ON HIS BUG!!\
14	Now he's the roach with the most. Robo Roach. (ROACH!)\
15	He don't like to boast. Robo Roach. (ROACH!)\
16	Unlike his brother Reg (he's got all the edge).\
17	Robo Roach and Reg!\
18	Robo Roach.\
19	Robo Roach (and Reg).''
20	-->--'''The BraggingThemeTune.'''
21
22	''Robo Roach'' is a Canadian AnimatedSeries created by Canadian cartoon screenwriter J.D. Smith. It was released on Creator/{{Teletoon}} in 2001 and produced by Creator/PortfolioEntertainment (which would go on to make a couple other cartoons for Teletoon, like ''WesternAnimation/CarlSquared'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Freaktown}}'').
23
24	The show follows Rubin "Rube" Roach (voice of Creator/ScottThompson), a cockroach living in the insect-populated city of Vexburg, which is situated inside the walls of a laboratory. One night, Rube is caught by scientists and becomes a guinea pig for an experiment, wherein he had microchips inserted into his body. He is saved by his brother Reginald "Reg" Roch (voice of Creator/TedDykstra), but as they escape, Rube jumps into a wall socket and gets a nasty shock that changes him into a powerful cyborg cockroach called "Robo Roach". Swearing an oath to never utilize his new powers for self-gain, Robo Roach uses his cyborg implements to do all kinds of good deeds for the citizens of Vexburg while living with Reg, who is perpetually discontent with his brother's refusal to put his array of abilities for money-making purposes and desperately wants to be rich.
25
26	The series ran from July 16, 2001 to June 14, 2004, and had two seasons with a total of 52 episodes.
27
28	----
29	!!''Robo Roach'' contains examples of:
30	* AlliterativeName: An duo version of this: '''R'''ubin '''R'''oach and '''R'''eginald '''R'''oach.
31	* AnimationBump: The animation in the theme song is much more fluid than in the show itself.
32	* BigLittleBrother: Rubin is a lot bigger than his older brother, Reg.
33	* BornUnlucky: Reg always gets injured, inconvenienced, and screwed over, although some of it ''is'' his own fault.
34	* BraggingThemeTune: Of course Robo Roach doesn't like to boast -- the theme song does that for him. See the lyrics in the page quote.
35	* ButtMonkey: Reg, to the point of getting dissed ''in the theme song''. It doesn't help that even when he ''wants'' bad things to happen to him, things don't go right.
36	* CharacterCatchphrase: Reg has "Why me? why me? Why all the time me?"
37	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Sterling Uberbucks.
38	* {{Cyborg}}: Rube Roach, the titular Robo Roach, is a cockroach who was turned into a cyborg by a science experiment. He swears to use his cyborg abilities only for good and selfless reasons.
39	* DoAnythingRobot: Rube's cyborg implants allow him to perform all manner of tasks and pull out all manner of crazy tools from his body.
40	* DownerEnding: Pretty much every single episode ends like this (mainly because of Reg losing whatever riches he's managed to gain whether he has it coming or not), [[spoiler: and even the series finale ends this way, with the usual ending of Reg sobbing over his lost riches and Rube being completely oblivious to it.]]
41	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
42	** Reg was kinder and more considerate in early episodes, and the endings were a lot more varied and even ''happier'' in some cases, than they would later become. Heck, Reg even receives money and ''doesn't lose it'' in "Rube Awakening", despite being asleep the whole time. Later episodes would always end in a YanktheDogsChain or a LaserGuidedKarma for Reg, with him always sobbing "Why me? Why all the time, me?" with slight variations depending on the episode.
43	** Early episodes also seemed like they were building a RoguesGallery for Reg and Rube, while later episodes are purely episodic and feature stories outside of the usual setting of Vexburg.
44	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mandible Lecter is a wanted bug eater, but he won't eat anyone who has an unhealthy diet, which is why [[spoiler:he refused to eat Reg]].
45	* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Nearly every single episode ends with Reg and Rube either losing all their money, getting lost and getting directions back home written in a language they can't understand, not getting any money at all due to Rube's [[{{KindheartedSimpleton}} generous idiocy]], or with some contrived coincidence causing Reg and Rube to lose everything anyway.
46	* GleefulAndGrumpyPairing: Rube is a dimwitted yet KindheartedSimpleton who wants to do the right thing in contrast to Reg who's a greedy and grouchy JerkAss who'll stop at nothing to get cash.
47	* HonorBeforeReason: Rubin vowed never to use his powers for personal gain. Though he sticks to those guns so much that, as a result, he and Reg live in poverty.
48	* IdiotHero: Rube is, in general, a heroic and good-natured fellow who always uses his powers for good and selfless purposes. However, he's rather dim and takes his oath to never use his powers for self-gain so seriously that it's often to his and Reg's detriment.
49	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While Reg can be selfish and greedy most of the time, it clearly comes from living in poverty and starvation and he never outright antagonizes anyone. He has also shown on many occasions he cares about Rube deep down.
50	* KafkaComedy: The show tends to fall into this when it comes to Reg at times. While a lot of the times he brings misfortune on himself, there are almost just as many moments in the show where he's [[{{DisproportionateRetribution}} punished for very small infractions]] or just suffers because he's BornUnlucky
51	* KickTheDog: Even when Reg does the right thing, he still tends to get [[{{YanktheDogsChain}} screwed over badly]] for the sake of KafkaComedy
52	* KindheartedSimpleton: Rubin's heart is definitely bigger than his brain. He finds happiness in the act of simply doing good deeds and always sees the bright side to his and Reg's failures, while seemingly oblivious or uncaring to the pair's constant lack of money and sometimes failing to realize the obvious.
53	* MisterSeahorse: Rubin fitted this in "The Miracle of Girth" episode. Subverted that [[spoiler:it was actually bread]].
54	* MouseWorld: Well, Cockroach World is more accurate, but this can apply to the city of Vexburg, where everything is made out of human refuse and other small objects.
55	* TheNapoleon: Reg, while the smaller of the two brothers, is also the much more short-tempered and greedy of the pair.
56	* PerpetualFrowner: Reg is always seen with a grumpy frown on his face to contrast his brother Rube who's more of a PerpetualSmiler.
57	* SadistShow: The fact that nearly every episode ends with Reg sobbing and in some cases getting hurt right afterwards whether he deserves it or not should clue you in. Some episodes just end poorly for him out of nowhere for the sole reason of giving him misfortune at the end.
58	----
59	->''[[TheStinger Why me? Why, all the time, me?]]''

Context WesternAnimation / Roboroach