Bionic Six
Bionic Six is an American-Japanese animated television series that aired from 1987 to 1989. It was produced by TMS Entertainment and distributed, through first-run syndication, by MCA TV, years before the latter company became NBCUniversal Television Distribution. Renowned Japanese animation director Osamu Dezaki was involved as chief supervising director, and his distinctive style is evident throughout all its episodes.
The title characters of the series are a family of machine-enhanced human beings possessing unique powers after being augmented with bionic technology. Each family member is given specific bionic powers, and thus they form a superhero team called the Bionic Six.
Plot
In the near future, Professor Dr. Amadeus Sharp Ph.D., head of the Special Projects Labs, creates a new form of technology to augment humans through bionics. His first subject was Jack Bennett, a test pilot who secretly acted as Sharp's field agent, Bionic-1. On a family ski vacation in the Himalayas, an alien spacecraft triggers an avalanche that buries the entire family, exposing them to the unusual radiation of a mysterious buried object. Jack frees himself but discovers his family in a comatose state. Theorizing that Jack's bionics protected him from the radiation, Professor Sharp implants bionic technology in the others, awakening them. Afterward, the family operates incognito as a publicly lauded team of adventuring superheroes, the Bionic Six.The primary antagonist of the series is a mad scientist known as Doctor Scarab, along with his gang of henchmenGlove, Madam-O, Chopper, Mechanic, and Klunkaccompanied by Scarab's legion of drone robots called Cyphrons. Scarab is Professor Sharp's brother. Obsessed with obtaining immortality and ruling the world, Scarab believes that the key to both goals lies in the secret bionic technology invented by his brother, ever plotting to possess it.
Characters
Heroes
- Professor Dr. Amadeus Sharp Ph.D. is the genius scientist who infused the Bionic Six team with bionics. As was the case with Dr. Rudolph "Rudy" Wells in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, all his research is supported by the government, and Sharp's technology must be periodically reviewed by government agency Q10. He lives alone in his private museum, which houses his secret Special Projects Lab, the hidden base of the Bionic Six. Amadeus is also Scarab's brother. Sharp excels in the fields of aeronautics, animatronics, archaeology, bionics, and neurology. He was voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
- Jack Bennett, aka Bionic-1, is an engineer, an expert test pilot, and the secret agent known to the world only as "Bionic-One." He enjoys gourmet cooking, even participating in the Paris Food Conference. Bionic-1's powers are mostly related to his bionic eyes, and enhanced hearing. His family was initially unaware of his secret bionic identity until bestowed with powers of their own. Bionic-1 was voiced by John Stephenson.
- Helen Bennett, aka Mother-1, is Jack's wife. She is an oceanographer and an accomplished marine biologist. Mother-1 possesses various ESP powers that allow her to occasionally see glimpses of the future, telepathically communicate with other sentient and non-sentient beings, determine the function and operation of mechanical devices by mentally "tracing" their internal workings, and can mentally project hologram-like optical illusions. She is also an accomplished fighter, having bested Dr. Scarab's henchwoman Madame-O on the occasions when the two physically fought each other one-on-one. She was voiced by Carol Bilger.
- Eric Bennett, aka Sport-1, is Jack's and Helen's blond, athletic son. At local Albert Einstein High School, Eric is a shortstop on the baseball team, the Einstein Atoms. He routinely employs baseball vernacular in his dialogue. As Sport-1, he affects electromagnetic powers to attract or repel metallic objects with tremendous force, meld them together, or even rip them apart. This force is directional andby varying the configuration of his hands, or by using one or both armsSport-1 can adjust the strength of attraction or repulsion. He can also use objects as he would a baseball bat, including steel beams, lampposts and other objects to redirect incoming objects and energy blasts; infused by the same field that comes from his arms, he can use those ordinarily fragile objects to hit and deflect things they normally could not. He was voiced by Hal Rayle.
- Meg Bennett, aka Rock-1, is Jack's and Helen's daughter and Eric's younger sister. Meg is an excitable, and somewhat ditsy, music-loving teenager. She is prone to habitual use of the future-slang phrase "So-LAR!", as well as the prefixes "Mega-!" and "Ultra-!" At Albert Einstein High School, Meg is a member of the debate team; in a number of episodes, she is seen dating a classmate named Bim. As Rock-1, she can emit sonic beams from blaster units mounted on her shouldersthe blaster units are only visible when she assumes "bionic mode." While all of the Six can run at superhuman speed, Meg is the fastest among them by a large margin. She and Eric are the only Bennett offspring biologically related to each other, and to their parents. Meg was voiced by Bobbi Block.
- James Dwight "J.D." Corey, aka IQ, is Jack's and Helen's remarkably intelligent, adopted African-American son. He enjoys amateur boxing, although he is not particularly skilled at it. As IQ, he has super-intelligence ; moreover, while all of the Six have superhuman strength, J.D. is the strongest among them by a large margin. He was the only team member whose bionic code name did not include the number "1" as a suffix. He was voiced by Norman Bernard.
- Bunjiro "Bunji" Tsukahara, aka Karate-1, is Jack's and Helen's Japanese foster son. He was placed under their guardianship after his own father disappeared 10 years earlier somewhere in the East. Bunji is an avid karate enthusiast. As Karate-1, his already-formidable martial arts prowess is enhanced by his bionics. He is the most agile among the Six, and his super-sharp reflexes are surpassed only by those of Rock-1. He was voiced by Brian Tochi.
- F.L.U.F.F.I. is a gorilla-like robot who lives as a housekeeper with the Bennetts. He regularly demonstrates a comical craving for aluminum cans that extends to casually devouring the Bennetts's cookware, vehicles, or other metal objects. Despite his bungling behavior, he nonetheless proves helpful around the Bennett home, or assisting the Bionic Six with physical tasks in the field. F.L.U.F.F.I. was voiced by Neil Ross.
Villains
Dr. Scarab has assembled a motley team of henchmen, imbued with an apparently lesser form of the same bionic powers employed by the Bionic Six.
- Glove is a purple-skinned villain named for his left-handed blaster glove which is capable of firing both beams and projectiles. He serves as the field leader in Scarab's evil plans and constantly vies to replace Dr. Scarab as leader. Although cunning and vicious, he tends to retreat at the first sign of defeat. His strength varies, as in some instances, he seems to be the equal of Bionic-1, while in one instance, he was able to physically overpower and dominate both Bionic-1 and Karate-1 at the same time. He was voiced by Frank Welker.
- Madame-O is an enigmatic blue-skinned femme fatale who wears a full face mask and uses a harp-like weapon to fire sonic blasts. She has a verbal tic of ending many of her statements with the word "...darling." While possessing super strength, she is not as strong as many of the other characters; Mother-1 was able to defeat her in physical struggles in various occasions. Before her transformation, she actually appeared to be an elderly woman. She was voiced by Jennifer Darling.
- Mechanic is a dim-witted, childish brute who employs various mechanical tools as weaponsnail or rivet guns, throwing circular saw blades, using a large wrench as a bludgeon. Despite his short temper, he has a soft spot for animals and an engrossing fondness for children's television cartoons. He was voiced by Frank Welker.
- Chopper is a chain-wielding thug who articulates sounds mimicking a revving motorcycle. He is sometimes depicted riding a three-wheeled motorcycle vehicle. He, like both Mechanic and Glove, was voiced by Frank Welker.
- Klunk is a patchwork monstrosity who appears to be made of living glue, and who rarely speaks coherently. Immediately after his creation, Scarab noted to himself to "use a little less power next time." While relatively unintelligent, he is considered one of the most dangerous opponents to engage in battle with, due to his unparalleled strength, high resistance to physical attacks, and his gooey body's ability to engulf his opponenteven Dr. Scarab fears him to some extent. Unlike the other minions of Dr. Scarab, he is horrified by his own transformation and longs to be human again. He, like Jack "Bionic-1" Bennett, was voiced by John Stephenson.
- Mrs. Scarab, aka ScarabinaDr. Scarab's attempt at cloning a perfect mate for himself: a woman possessing his own intelligence added to Mother-1's beauty and ESP powers. Madame-O tampered with the lab equipment during her creation, resulting in an obnoxious female version of Dr. Scarab who was utterly devoted to him. Scarab, though repulsed by her, attempted to use her to his advantage. She eventually caught on to his manipulation and left him. She returned in a subsequent episode, trying to win his affection by creating opposite-sex versions of his own henchmen to overcome the Bionic Six through sheer numbers.
- Shadow BoxerRescuing a down-on-his-luck former boxing champion from arrest and trying to give him powers, Dr. Scarab instead accidentally creates Shadow Boxer due to Glove's interference. Rather than becoming merely another super strong minion, Shadow Boxer acquired the ability to solidify his shadow and to act through it at will. He apparently lost this ability when Bionic-1 exposed his shadow to an intense light and it faded away.
In addition to his henchmen, Scarab also uses robots of his own design, called Cyphrons, in battles against the Bionic Six. The Cyphrons are, like the rest of his minions, generally incompetent but dangerous in large numbers. Attempts by Scarab to create more advanced Cyphron units are shown to backfire.
Supporting characters
Bionic Six episodes also featured a number of recurring, supporting characters.- Bunji's Father. Bunji's father, who taught him his martial arts skills but suddenly and mysteriously vanished over 10 years ago, shows up in several episodes of the series during its run. He assists his son in instances where his son's life is in danger and there is no other apparent way to save him. It is implied that he has ascended to some unknown, higher plane of existence through his martial arts training, and has become a quasi-immortal being. His efforts at saving his son are usually orchestrated in ways that are unseen and unnoticed by everyone, including his son, and his own son does not even know for sure that his father is alive or what has become of him until much later into the series. He first appeared in episode #2, "Enter the Bunji." He was voiced by Shuko Akune.
- Perceptor. Peter Wilcox was one of the finest bionic researchers under Professor Sharp. Due to impatience, Wilcox tested their bionic experiment on himself. The experiment bestowed on Wilcox bionic abilities, but at the cost of his own sight. Blaming technology for his blindness, Wilcox became the anti-technology vigilante known as the Perceptor. However, after a confrontation with Sharp and the Bionic Six, Wilcox renounces his terrorist activities to become a hero and occasional ally of the Bionic Six. Perceptor was voiced by Neil Ross.
- Dr. Hugo Fish. An eccentric scientist inventor and colleague to Professor Sharp, Dr. Fish consistently creates devices with unusual functions, including foodstuff that grants enhanced intelligence, a device that gives people the ability to recreate famous works of art, an animatronic theme park, and a device capable of generating giant mushrooms. These quirky inventions often put him in crossfire between the Bionic Six and Scarab's group. Dr. Fish was voiced by Howard Morris.
- The Bandroids are androids, created by Dr. Bruce "Bad Brains" Huxter, designed to perform as a musical band. The Bandroids are guitarist Rivet Rick, keyboardist Techno Tex, bassist Metalhand, and drummer Bob. Each Bandroid has their musical instrument designed into their chassis and showcases some special ability: Rivet Rick can generate force fields, Techno Tex is equipped with two six-shooters, Metalhand can grow in size and has a jet pack, and Bob can generate electrical blasts from his drumsticks. The Bandroids perform in concert and are reported to have had four consecutive number one hits.
- Kaleidoscope. Harlan Nails was a brilliant scientist who worked alongside Prof. Sharp in the field of Bionics. During that time, he invented a device that could temporarily rearrange an item's atomic structure. After Sharp snubbed him, Dr. Nails continued to experiment independently, soon partnering with Dr. Scarab. Nails created an outfit from his invention to become a master of disguise, calling himself Kaleidoscope. He became Scarab's partner in crime, until Scarab betrayed him. Kaleidoscope was the true inventor of much of Scarab's technology, including his Bionic Masking Units and the first-generation Cyphrons. After spending 20 years in jail, Nails is released into the custody of the Bionic Six to help track down Scarab. However, the newly escaped Kaleidoscope has only one thing on his mind: revenge on both Dr. Scarab and Prof. Sharp. Kaleidoscope's suit is one-of-a-kind, and attuned so that only he can use it. Unlike the Bionic Masking Units employed by Scarab's minions, Kaleidoscope's suit can not only create illusions, but also temporarily reconfigure matter; in one instance, he once transformed his body into a large metal plate of armor, shielding the Bionic Six from a massive energy beam intended to kill them all. In "I, Scarab," Kaleidoscope is blackmailed by Sharp to help Perceptor and the Bandroids rescue the captured Bionic Six and help defeat Scarab's mind control over the world. Kaleidoscope yells at the group over how he is no hero, but a crook. However, Sharp points out that Harlan has not committed any crimes since his escape from prison. Kaleidoscope admits that his time in jail soured him on crime and aids the group in defeating Scarab, earning a pardon as a reward.
Bionic Six vehicles
- The Sky Dancer is the Bionic Six's jet for long-range missions. The Sky Dancer can carry the Bionic six and all their support vehicles. It is housed on the Bionic base and enters via an underwater runway.
- The M.U.L.E.S. Van, or Mobile Utility Energizing Station, is a support vehicle that can fly, carry the team on short-range missions, and carry their motorcycles and Quad ATVs. At one time, the Van was outfitted with crab armor.
Episode list
The second season continues on from the first seamlessly. Old supporting characters like Perceptor and Dr. Fish return, and new characters, such as the Bandroids are brought aboard. The second season includes a two-part episode titled "I, Scarab," wherein Professor Sharp assembles a second Bionic Six group to rescue the original team. This second team is made up of supporting characters from prior episodes: Kaleidoscope, Perceptor, and the Bandroids.
The series finale finds several of the members from the Bionic Six trapped for a time in a dimension where the "cartoon characters" of their favorite TV shows exist; after I.Q., Rock-One and Karate-One escape, I.Q notes that in the cartoon dimension, the characters were unaware that they were imaginary characters; he then wonders if it is at all possible that he and everyone else in the "real" world are cartoon characters themselves. His family dismisses his thoughts as meaningless babbleas a bunch of characters from the cartoon dimension walk outside the Bennett family's residence and break the fourth wall as the episode fades out.
Merchandising
Action figures
Produced by LJN in 1986, the line consisted of 13 figures, five vehicles and one playset. These figures and vehicles were made up of plastic and die-cast metal with some of the figures having transparent limbs. The 13 figures were designed and copyrighted by Paul Samulski on behalf of LJN. F.L.U.F.F.I. the robot ape was difficult to find early in the show's release, but became easier to come by later as the line lost popularity. Today, the line remains moderately collectible with the playset and vehicles being the hardest to come across.Books
Publishing produced the Bionic Six Super Picture Book, a collection of color and black & white pin-ups of the Bionic Six, Dr. Sharp, F.L.U.F.F.I., and Scarab's team. The books's art was supplied by Vince Perez and Lisa Santangelo.A Bionic Six comic book advertised mid-1988 for forthcoming release by independent publisher New Comics Group never materialized.