Characters / Robot Taekwon V

This sheet is for characters who originally appeared in Robot Taekwon V.

Heroes

Kim Hoon

He's totally not copied from the protagonist of Mazinger Z.

Voiced in Korean by: Kim Young-ok (first film)

Voiced in Japanese by: Hiroki Takahashi (first film/second dubbed version)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Rafael Alonso Naranjo Jr. (first film)

Main protagonist of Robot Taekwon V. He's a Taekwondo martial artist and the only child of a scientist who worked to create Taekwon V in order to protect South Korea from its enemies after his colleague Dr. Kaff goes missing. He had spent most of his adult life in the taekwondo arena as a professional.

After his father's death at the hands of the Red Empire, he becomes the main pilot of Taekwon V.

• Action Hero: Becomes this after he becomes the main pilot of Taekwon V.
• Chekhov's Skill: Hoon's knowledge of Taekwondo is used later when he was chosen to pilot Taekwon V since the robot can fight with martial arts.
• Cool Helmet: Gets to wear one after he starts to be the pilot of Taekwon V.
• Establishing Character Moment: At the start of the movie, Hoon takes down two Taekwondo semi-finalists in a Taekwondo match, showing off his skills and to establish him as the main protagonist.
• Experienced Protagonist: Prior to the start of the movie, Hoon is an experienced martial artist in South Korea and has dominated Taekwondo for several years. It is subverted when he was chosen to pilot Robot Taekwon V, having no knowledge of handling such a machine.
• Falling into the Cockpit: Played with. His father was assassinated by Red Empire soldiers, which forced him to pilot Taekwon V.
• Hero Protagonist: Very much obviously played with.
• Missing Mom: Never mentioned in the movie.
• Revenge: Wants to do this to the Big Bad responsible for his father's death.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to Dr. Kaff after he is defeated.
• Wolverine Publicity: You can see him in most Korean (and later Japanese) promotional movie posters of him standing near Taekwon V.

Yoon Yeong-Hee

An early Action Girl in Korean animation.

Voiced in Korean by: Song Do-young (first film)

Voiced in Japanese by: Yukana (first film/second dubbed version)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Selina Torcal (first film)

The girlfriend of Kim Hoon (aka the official love interest) and the secondary protagonist of the movie, her scientist father worked alongside his father to help create Taekwon V. She eventually joins her boyfriend after his father was assassinated by the Red Empire with her own father being captured by Red Empire soldiers.

Like Hoon, Yeong-Hee is also a taekwondo martial artist.

• Action Girlfriend: Yeong after she helps Hoon pilot Taekwon V. It also helps that she's also a taekwondo practitioner.
• Cool Helmet: Gets to wear one after she starts to be the pilot of Taekwon V.
• Experienced Protagonist: Subverted with Yeong. She has no knowledge of piloting Taekwon V after she was asked to help Hoon out.
• Falling into the Cockpit: Somewhat deconstructed in the movie. Her father asked her to help out Hoon since his father had been assassinated.
• Missing Mom: Never mentioned in the movie.
• Nice Girl: To the Kims and to her own father.
• The Lancer: To Hoon once she gets to be the co-pilot of Taekwon V.
• The Reliable One: When co-piloting Taekwon V with Hoon.
• Spell My Name With An S: Some English sources on the movie states that her first name is "Young-Hee".

Kim Cheol

Yes, that's his "official" costume.

Click ^here  to see what he really looks without the kettle helmet.

Voiced in Korean by: Woo Moon-hee (first film)

Voiced in Japanese by: Saori Sudo (first film/second dubbed version)

Voiced in European Spanish by: Valle Acebrón (first film)

The younger brother of Kim Hoon, he's an elementary school student who tags alongside Hoon and Yeong after their scientist father is killed to fight the Red Empire despite Hoon's initial disagreement due to the danger of being killed. Cheol idolizes his older brother due to his skills in Taekwondo. He serves as the unofficial mascot of the franchise alongside the titular Taekwon V mech in South Korea.

He's known in the movie with the nickname "Tin-Can Robot Cheol" due to his homemade costume made of everyday kitchen utensil and other related items.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: Kim Cheol acts like one that Hoon calls him out as such initially before he tags along with him. He gets a bit better later on in the middle of the movie.
• Big Brother Worship: For Hoon, especially given his winning streak in various taekwondo matches.
• Butt-Monkey: Cheol is an annoying younger brother, he gets ditched when Hoon and Yeong are in Taekwon V and the kids make fun of him in his kettle costume.
• Custom Uniform: Wears one made from everyday kitchen utensils. He evens get to use an empty kettle for his helmet. Lord knows what went in his head when he decided to "make" the costume.
• Hero-Worshipper: Is one for his older brother as soon as he starts to kick enemy butt when he's in control of Taekwon V.
• Hot-Blooded: Cheol starts to get into this department after he tags alongside Hoon and Yeong to take on the Red Empire and sees them about to get killed by a brainwashed Richard Shaw. Good thing Dr. Yoon was present to let cooler heads prevail or he would have been in danger and have become a casualty.
• I Just Want to Be Special: The reason why Cheol wanted to tag along with Hoon and Yeong in Taekwon V to save the latter's father despite the risk of being killed in a confrontation with the Red Empire. It worked out in the end when Hoon and Cheol shook hands (albeit the former did from inside the control room of Taekwon V).
• Kid-Appeal Character: As part of his Mascot status in South Korea to promote the franchise amongst young Taekwon V fans.
• Mascot: One of the main mascots of the franchise alongside Taekwon V in Taekwon V promotional material released in South Korea.
• Missing Mom: Never mentioned in the movie.
• Plucky Comic Relief: He is this aside from being a literal Butt-Monkey.
• Tag Along Kid: In the latter part of the movie when he joins Hoon and Yoon despite objections for the risk of being killed in a fight.

Dr. Kim

Dr. Yoon

Red Empire

General Malcolm/Dr. Kaff

The face of the Big Bad. Do note the red star on his headdress.

Click ^here  to see the man behind the man.

The leader of the Red Empire, a terrorist group that has plotted the destruction of South Korea with three robots piloted by the kidnapped athletes thanks to their agents. The group is headed by Dr. Kaff, a bald-headed scientist who went underground after being ridiculed by his peers too many times.

• Bald of Evil: Played straight since Dr. Kaff has evil intentions for his creations before he went underground.
• Beard of Evil: Rightfully applied to the mad doctor himself.
• Big Bad: Of the first movie. Also applies to the mad doctor.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Dr. Kaff tells off Dr. Kim after the latter tries to help him out from being humiliated by his peers.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Dr. Kaff can't understand why Dr. Kim insists on using his robotics research to help protect South Korea and the rest of the world from enemy invasion.
• Evil Genius/Mad Scientist: Dr. Kaff after being ridiculed too many times by the scientist community. It also helps that he has plans to rule the world by using his robot mechs.
• Just a Machine/Remote Body: Dr. Kaff actually controls General Malcolm from within his body via cockpit in the stomach.
• Sanity Slippage: The doctor feels this after being embarrassed too many times that he decides to use his intellect for evil.
• Spell My Name With An S: Dr. Kaff is sometimes known as Dr. C/Koff.
• The Man Behind the Man: A literal one. Dr. Kaff piloted General Malcolm since he's nothing but a hollow android shell in order to hide his identity.
• Walking Spoiler: With the amount of spoilers present, you can see why it's hard to talk about him.
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: After being humiliated in front of his fellow scientists for the nth time.
• You Have Failed Me/You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: What Malcolm does to anyone who wasn't able to take out Taekwon V/the Kims out.
• You Killed My Father: Being the man responsible for leading the Red Empire, it's natural for Hoon to be angry at him.

Mary

Not your average long-lost daughter of a mad scientist.

The supposed "daughter" of Dr. Kaff who first appeared in Dr. Kim's research laboratory. It was revealed later that the Red Empire created her in order to destroy his research. During an attempt to steal Dr. Kim's plan on Taekwon V, Mary was stunned by an anti-intruder trap, which revealed to the Kims (and to the audience) that she was an android made by Dr. Kaff in order to infiltrate his research lab.

• Cool Sword: Mary uses a rapier that can shoot laser beams aside from being used as a normal rapier.
• Crocodile Tears: Mary pretended to be the long lost daughter of Dr. Kaff so that the Kims can let her sleep in the lab, which gives her the advantage of sneaking around to steal Taekwon V's blueprints.
  • Becomes a Dub-Induced Plot Hole in the North American dub, where she outright states she is a creation.
• Clingy Jealous Girl/Yandere: Gets into this moment when she thinks that Yeong is trying to "steal" Hoon. That's despite the fact that Hoon and Yeong are an item.
• Dark Action Girl: Turns into this after the reveal that she was an android made by the Red Empire.
• Do Androids Dream?: Played with after her reveal as an android, which plays with her desires to be a human being.
• Heel–Face Turn: Mary undergoes this after she finds out she's a disposable asset of the Red Empire and the desire to be a human.
  • Redemption Equals Death: Her fate after she frees Dr. Yoon from Red Empire custody.
• Love Makes You Evil: One interpretation on why Mary just went Yandere on Yeong-Hee.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Uses this to show the audience that she's an android. Most notably seen when she leads a Red Empire team into Dr. Kim's lab to steal his research materials.
• Robot Girl/Just a Machine: Part of the reveal that she's an android.
• The Cape: Wears one when Mary visits Dr. Kim's lab.

Civilians

Ikeda Mori

A Japanese national who is trained in Taekwondo. After loosing a match to Hoon, he was subsequently kidnapped and brainwashed to pilot a mech for the Red Empire to take down Taekwon V.

Richard Shaw

An American national who is trained in Taekwondo. Like Ikeda, he lost to Hoon during a match in South Korea. During his stay at a local hospital, he was abducted by Red Empire agents and forced to pilot a mech for them through brainwashing in order to take down Taekwon V.

Robots

Robot Taekwon V

• Mascot: Of the entire franchise. He was recently made an honorary ambassador of South Korea to represent it in the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
• Super Robot: One of the earliest ones depicted in South Korean popular culture. He serves as one of the precursors to other Korean animated/live action shows, games and manhwas that depict Super Robots.