R.O.B.

''For enemy info, see R.O.B. Squad. For other uses, see R.O.B. (disambiguation).''


 * For the Star Fox character, see ROB 64.

R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) (, Robot) is a peripheral for the (NES). Initially made as Nintendo's attempt at enduring the, R.O.B. has since transitioned into a video game character via in-game cameos and playable appearances.

R.O.B. made his Super Smash Bros. series debut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as both an unlockable character and as enemies in. The playable R.O.B. has reappeared as a playable character since then.

As a video game peripheral
R.O.B is a battery powered mechanical apparatus outfitted with photosensing optical electronics just like its companion peripheral, the Zapper. The peripheral is compatible with two games, Gyromite and Stack-Up. When the game requires R.O.B. to complete a task, the screen will flash in a specific way, which R.O.B. will detect and then perform the according action. Gyromite requires the use of spinning gyros that are placed on pressure sensitive trays which manipulate the game when activated. Stack-Up requires the use of several blocks, which R.O.B will stack in various ways. An unlicensed game that uses R.O.B was created in 2014 titled 8-Bit X-Mas 2014, which manipulates R.O.B. into dancing to christmas music.

The peripheral started life in Japan as the Family Computer Robot in 1985, and was met with very little fanfare. The peripheral would have been considered a failure and a footnote in Nintendo history if not for its significance outside of Japan. Due to the, Nintendo sought to enter the North American market by portraying the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as an advanced toy instead of a video game console. Nintendo of America's then-sole marketing staff Gail Tilden was tasked with promoting the system as such in preparation for its North American test launch. To this end, Tilden suggested that the Family Computer Robot and the Zapper be packaged alongside the NES in order to promote the console as a futuristic toy. According to Tilden, the Famicom Robot's North American name was "originally going to be OTTO, which was a play on the word 'auto'", but she instead settled on rechristening the Robot as the Robotic Operating Buddy, or R.O.B. for short.

Although R.O.B.'s time in the spotlight was brief, he nevertheless established a legacy. He was ranked fifth in GameSpy's "25 Smartest Moments in Gaming" because of his impact in reviving the video game industry and helping Nintendo establish a major presence in the North American video game market.

Conversely, ScrewAttack called R.O.B. the fifth worst game peripheral ever, citing that he only moved up, down, and side to side, was noisy and slow, was nearly impossible to put together by oneself, and specifically noted the lack of games that could be played with him.

As a video game character
Despite its short-lived status as a peripheral, R.O.B. has gone on to make many appearances in games. The first in-game appearance was a cameo in ; in this game, there is a stage in which Kirby must complete puzzles in various rooms to collect pieces of R.O.B. for Professor Hector, R.O.B.'s creator in Gyromite, so that R.O.B. can be rebuilt.

R.O.B.'s head appears as treasure in , and is known as the "". Similarly to how its head is a collectable treasure, R.O.B.'s status as a collectable is referenced in , where it makes a cameo in his entirety in the. However, it can only be seen to the right of the counter when looking from the backroom and cannot be purchased. Robotic cranes designed in R.O.B.'s image can be seen in the F-Zero GX course Port Town Aero Dive, which can also be seen in the Super Smash Bros. Brawl stage of the same name.

 notably marked the debut of R.O.B. as a playable character; in this game, R.O.B. appears as an unlockable driver alongside three signature karts, one of which resembles the stand for Stack-Up. Also in Brawl, debuts as a playable fighter and has reappeared in every Smash release since.

The series in particular has been tied with R.O.B. closer than any other Nintendo series. references R.O.B. both in name and as a robotic assistant, owing to his status as the pilot of the Great Fox, the Star Fox team's battleship and base of operations. On a related note, R.O.B. itself also appears as a boss in the Star Fox-based levels in 9-Volt's stage in WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

Lastly, Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard both feature robots that are almost identical to R.O.B. Zero features Direct-i, who is tethered to the Gyrowing and functions similarly to ROB 64 and R.O.B. itself by being an assistant to the player. Conversely, Guard features the A.T.K. Unit, which is one of the "combat class" robots in the game that threaten the player's mining facilities.

As a playable character
R.O.B. is an unlockable playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Initially appearing as the Ancient Minister during the events of The Subspace Emissary, his true identity is revealed rather late into the story. R.O.B. sports his Japanese color scheme of white and red as his default color, regardless of the language, though one of his alternate costumes consists of his North American color scheme of white and gray.

Some aspects of R.O.B.'s real world design are incorporated into his moveset. Specifically, his "Gyro" and "Spinner" from his Gyromite configuration are used for his Gyro special move; his ability to rotate his torso is used for his down smash and Arm Rotor special move; and the LED bulb on his head indicates how powerful Robo Beam is. Due to the aesthetic used in Brawl, R.O.B. also looks more detailed than he does in other games and real life.

R.O.B. boasts a strong zoning game, thanks to Robo Beam and Gyro. Despite his appearance, he is a heavyweight that also boasts excellent recovery thanks to Robo Burner, a potent air game, and useful tilt attacks. However, R.O.B. is terribly weak for a heavyweight, as his strongest attacks require opponents to be significantly damaged before they can KO reliably. As a result, R.O.B. is currently ranked 18th out of 38 on the tier list, placing him in the C- tier.

As enemies
The R.O.B. Squad is the general term referring to the army and race of R.O.B. enemies in The Subspace Emissary. Although having no real canon of their own outside of the Super Smash Bros. series, the story of The Subspace Emissary suggests that the race of R.O.B. robots called the Isle of the Ancients their home before it was subsequently taken over by Tabuu in preparation for his invasion into the World of Trophies.

As a playable character
R.O.B.'s return to the series was officially announced on SSB4's official website on October 9th, 2014, although he was one of several characters who was initially leaked on August 19th, 2014 as part of the ESRB leak. Compared to his design in Brawl, R.O.B.'s design in SSB4 is more in line with his appearance as a real-life peripheral: the sheen of his body is now a satin finish instead of a glossy finish, his gray-colored components are darker, his head is now slightly smaller, and his eyes are now slightly larger and have more defined lenses. R.O.B. also received a new Final Smash called Super Diffusion Beam.

R.O.B.'s previously unimpressive KO potential has drastically improved, as his smash attacks, up aerial, up throw and back aerial are now potent KOing options. His grab game now boasts combo potential, thanks to down throw becoming a useful combo starter into up aerial. R.O.B.'s mobility has also improved, as his walking, dashing and especially air speeds have all increased, the latter of which also improves his already excellent recovery. Outside of these changes, the potency of his zoning and air games has remained largely intact: Robo Beam and Gyro are both reliable projectiles, while his neutral, back, up and down aerials boast disjointed hitboxes.

However, R.O.B. has some weaknesses. While his KO potential has been significantly improved, his newfound KOing options suffer from noticeable ending lag for some of his moves. His Arm Rotor in particular has a lot of ending lag. His projectiles have also been toned down: Robo Beam travels slower, while a fired Gyro deals much less damage and covers less distance. R.O.B.'s large hurtbox has also become slightly larger and his falling speed has increased; when coupled with his status as a heavyweight, these traits make him more susceptible to combos. Lastly, his grab game is hindered by his much smaller grabboxes, which have significantly decreased his overall grab range to the point it is now the shortest in the game.

Nevertheless, R.O.B. is generally seen as somewhat more viable in competitive play than in Brawl, thanks to his zoning game's potency largely remaining intact and his improved KO potential. He has since earned some noteworthy and dedicated mains, who have achieved decent results at all levels of play. As a result of his improvements and tournament success, R.O.B. is currently ranked 36th out of 55 on the tier list, placing him in the D tier.

As a playable character
R.O.B. makes a return in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, yet again as an unlockable character. He has a new Final Smash yet again, being Guided Robo Beam.

R.O.B.'s moveset has once again been improved drastically in Ultimate from the previous game, and he is considered by many competitive players to be a top-tier. This is backed up by his very consistent presence and results in tournaments for which he has become somewhat infamous. This can be attributed to his improved combo game and kill power: R.O.B. has many ways of comboing into his side special, which can drag opponents with him closer to the blast zones before sending them into it with a powerful horizontal launching hit. He also has a killing up throw and a down throw that buries, therefore setting up for up smash or up air, both of which kill between 100% and 150%. His neutral air attack is a slow but large, disjointed combo starter and extender. Combined with the kill power of his side special and gyro enables not just one but many possible zero-to-death combos.

Trivia

 * The R.O.B. peripheral has a product ID of HVC-012. This appears as his name in the Japanese version of Mario Kart DS, in the filenames of stickers related to him, and is even referenced in Palutena's Guidance regarding him.
 * R.O.B. is the only character in the Super Smash Bros. series that is not from a video game. Instead, he is a video game peripheral for the NES. This gives him the distinction of being the only character in the series who originates from the real world.
 * Along with Duck Hunt, he is one of the only two characters that has a direct connection to the real world.
 * R.O.B. is the only known character who is not coded to experience helplessness, as in Brawl the game freezes if he is put in helpless state. As of SSB4, however, he can be rendered helpless by touching Pac-Jump's red trampoline.
 * As of SSB4, R.O.B. is the only character whose default costume is different depending on what version of the game is played. He uses his NES color scheme in all regions outside of Japan, whereas his Famicom color scheme is used in the Japanese version.
 * Despite this, his portrait in the Sound Test for is that of his Famicom color scheme instead of his NES color scheme, regardless of the game's region.
 * Although difficult to hear, R.O.B. actually has a "voice" of sorts, which consists of subdued mechanical beeps. It is easiest to hear him when he is stunned, asleep, or star KO'd.
 * is the only unlockable newcomer in Brawl to remain as an unlockable character in both versions of SSB4.
 * Additionally, he and are the only newcomers from Brawl to return for SSB4 as unlockable characters, as Wario is a starter character in Brawl.
 * R.O.B. is one of four characters to have a different Final Smash across every installment since Final Smashes debuted in the Super Smash Bros. series. The other three are Pit, Zero Suit Samus, and King Dedede.
 * He is also the only sole fighter from a series to have this trait.
 * R.O.B. is the only playable fighter without feet.
 * Ike and R.O.B. are the only characters whose default costumes became alternate costumes in a later installment.
 * However, his Famicom color scheme is still the default in Japanese versions of SSB4 and Ultimate.
 * With his debut occurring in July 1985, R.O.B. is the earliest fighter introduced in Brawl.
 * R.O.B.'s up aerial is very similar to an attack used by, a boss from . Interestingly, Spyborg bears a vague resemblance to R.O.B., and its Japanese name is HVC-09, which is similar to R.O.B.'s serial code, HVC-12.
 * R.O.B. is the only fighter to currently lack a home stage from their own universe.
 * He is also the only fighter to represent a universe introduced in Brawl that lacks a single Assist Trophy.