Ben 10 Retrospective - Season 1 | A Creative Goldmine

Hey everyone! It's time to begin a Ben 10 retrospective series, starting with the 13 episodes that started it all! This type of retrospective and recap is something I've been planning for a while, so let's get into it and take a close look at one of my favorite cartoons of all time, Ben 10 Season 1!
Want to join the community, support me, or learn about Ben 10: Omnitrix Awakened? Links below!
Patreon: / theawesomealan
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / theawesomealan
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - The Pilot (Episode 1)
05:27 - Beginning Adventures (Episodes 2-4)
08:34 - Worldbuilding (Episode 5)
11:42 - Break Time (Episode 6)
12:35 - Meet Kevin 11 (Episode 7)
20:36 - Max's Injury (Episode 8)
24:10 - The Rogues (Episode 9-12)
29:29 - Vilgax Is Here (Episode 13)
38:01 - Outro

[@drag0nart555]

Alanuh, this shit is peak Alanuh.

[@MegaToonzNetwork]

You have an Omnitrix. Now fight Alita!

[@purity_2428]

Imagine being 25

[@sebbainbridge-coombs9279]

The facts this show is nearly 20 years old makes me feel old af

[@anishsankar8725]

*UAF

[@KeyThrast]

We are, but it’s okay

[@Knightimous]

Im 7 days older then this show. I also feel old

[@Black_Knight_-BK-]

Ben 10 will be forgotten in a couple years, so I wanna enjoy the time we have left. Soon enough, nobody will know what Ben 10 is if you ask them

[@mrsonicsimpsonman7202]

No no no you’re lying oh my god where has time gone

[@MilczekHD]

I always loved Vilgax's spiky ball, it's a really inconvenient way to travel but you can tell he doesn't give a fuck.

[@samlasley798]

I had an omnitrix as a kid and spent so much time releasing the watch face and slapping it back down until the mechanism broke 😂

[@kingmin9491]

The art style of the original series is so beautiful and well thought-out and detailed ! Just compare it to the other Ben 10 series and see how it makes them look bare bone in comparison

[@rushalias8511]

especially the transformation sequences. A shame they stopped being so detailed after ben wolf

[@baconator_x4098]

I wouldn't say the art style is beautiful. I'd actually say the show looks ugly and that is amazing. Pretty much any time Dr. Animo shows up you are going to see something gross. Anytime Ben transformers it looks horrifyingly cool. It makes ugly, gross, and horrifying look good. AF and UA are too clean+bland and Omniverse is too whimsical. The original got style. Imagine saying some of Ben's newer aliens in the old style. Big Chill would have been a treat, I tried looking it up online no one has tried it that is disappointing.

[@kingmin9491]

@@baconator_x4098 i agree 100% , the ugliness of the art style is what makes it beautiful Bro, i would pay millions to see UAF and OV in classic's art style Some aliens would look horrifying just like you said

[@foafy7]

@@baconator_x4098100% agree Some of OV’s aliens were **too** polished, and didn’t allow the aliens to be ugly

[@paulgilbert5278]

@Baconatir_X the OG Ben 10 is gritty I wouldn’t say ugly. But yeah it’s definitely better than the over-polished UAF art style and the exaggerated Omniverse art style

[@SharonStoppable]

I remember the build up to Alien Force and I was obsessed with the original series. I built myself a prop Omnitrix out of a wristband, Snapple bottle caps, foam, markers and hot glue. I wore it for the Alien Force premiere.

[@supergoji2007]

We need a season 2 retrospective dude, because this content is just amazing!!

[@paulgilbert5278]

Season 2 was fantastic

[@somehelluvafanboy8357]

As a kid, I only really cared about XLR8 in the show and playing as him in PoE. That's how I lived by for 9 years and I do not regret it (I think he's my fav alien, idk)

[@fwjakestro]

Think bro likes fast track

[@Black_Knight_-BK-]

Heatblast was so op in that game

[@tooth1539]

I always assumed the swat team and helicopters came around not to protect the video games, but to capture the mutant Kevin if he falls for the "tip" he received about the games.

[@ObaREX]

I remember when the series premiered. I didn't see any promos or commercials for it. And I missed the first five minutes. So my first introduction to Ben was him already as Heat Blast and his family trying to think of how to turn him back. And for some reason, I was convinced it was a new episode or some movie special of Teen Titans. Up until the next commercial break stating "You are watching Ben 10" and I felt so excited that it was something new.

[@Nagasakevideo]

I miss that back in the day, Ben 10 wasn't exclusively about aliens. It mostly was but there was people like kevin and Doctor Animo who where just random supervillains/heroes and people with powers that also happened to exist in this world. It made it feel more dynamic. By the time Ultimate alien rolls around everyone is part alien.

[@mayotango1317]

The big problem is that all this "mutant people with powers" thing is that it hardly has an impact in the world of Ben 10; we do not see a community or a group of them. For Animo, it can simply be a product of its own experiments. For in Omniverse, it seems that only Kevin is treated like he's the only one with a mutation. Ben 10 is a show about aliens, as should be.

[@pemanilnoob587]

@@mayotango1317yeah, like remember those mutants with the normal human mom about to die from the mafia

[@mayotango1317]

@@pemanilnoob587 That was a weird episode.

[@pemanilnoob587]

@@mayotango1317 at least we got to see ditto being cool

[@Fei-Chan]

We do have Captain Nemesis and pseudo J.Jonah Jameson in UA

[@hwgwrestling9203]

Ben 10 was honestly the best show cartoon network has made including it's sequels The reboot can burn in hell tho

[@mrkaji8913]

Ben 10 was like the avatar the last air bender to Cartoon Network

[@dbzenthusiast8152]

I honestly agree with you’re point about the artstyle of the OG series. I think what I like about it the most is that it’s western with an anime like aesthetic to it. The aliens also look a lot better designed compared to the later installments . But that’s just me

[@PlatformingCyndaquil]

I’m the same way, Ben Ten was the show that made me want something crazy to happen in my life. Then when I started watching Pokemon it gave me the idea of a Pokemon version of the Omnitrix, which was kind of the thing I wanted.

[@MikeyTheCartoon]

The first ever time I watched Ben10 I was immediately sold on the show. As a kid, the alien designs were the main selling point for me and most likely all the other people who watched. Going back to it as an adult, so much more of it stuck out to me as so unique from almost every other cartoon I watched as a kid. The alien designs and transformations, the art style, and the world building are just so awesome even all these years later. And even though I loved Alien Force and grew to like Ultimate Alien, nothing beats the OG to me.

[@timedragon5492]

"I think 'a small problem' is the only episode to heavily feature only one alien" LEMME TELL YA SOMETHIN', THE AWESOME ALAN! RATH IS INSULTED BY YOUR IGNORANCE!

[@richardkirkland6805]

That opening was accurate to my experiences with Ben 10, except it wasn't "coming soon" it was "coming up next"

[@retzerbil867]

I was ADDICTED of Ben 10 as a child. I didn't even fully understand English when watching as a child but it was still magical. The artsyle, aliens, world building and all is so good

[@Truthfulnerd]

Even as a 39 year old, I still love this show now. I remember watching it when it was first coming out, and it made me think of my first days of reading Spider-Man comics. Loved this video and thank you for making it.

[@kerempeker143]

28:05 Rath's debut is also one character i guess. Even more famous.

[@Karimftw0.0]

It’s funny how Ben 10 parallels Spider-Man. First the Kevin 11 episode, and then how literally Ben in the later series is literally voiced by Yuri Lowenthal who is the voice actor of Peter Parker in the Spider-Man games from insomniac

[@connorgolden4]

Ben 10 was and is such an iconic show. It really is wild how great it was in so many ways! God. Watching cartoons in the early to late 2000s was such a great time! So many gems were on and this was one of it not the best!

[@Steelwall4]

I remember when Ben 10 first came out it was going to replace Pokemon on the 4pm slot. Was not happy about it. Turns out it was one of the best things for western animation in decades.

[@A_VeryIdea]

28:35 Hank Pym entered the chat. In all seriousness, a great retrospective video, subbed!

[@FloridusMan]

I remember being there for the Negative 10 and earlier episodes. Series is a banger. Shame that it had to go through a failed attempt at getting their ratings back and using a fan wiki as an official source

[@mrkaji8913]

I grew up watching this show, it impacted my life. I’m a hard-core fan.

[@Black_Knight_-BK-]

Gimme a hug mate.

[@mrkaji8913]

@@Black_Knight_-BK- sure can do

[@sshk1653]

Imagine the concepts they introduced to us It wasn't dr strange for me back then it was the professor paradox. Big bang , time dilation , parallel universes, dna mutation, I mean it was peak sci fi...

[@mrkaji8913]

@@sshk1653paradox was like my gojo at the time for me

[@brightenblack207]

I feel like "retrospective" implies more than simply summarizing every episode as they come. Like, talk about how this season/series compares to later ones. Elaborate on how influential the individual episodes and "planted seeds" are.

[@TheAwesomeAlan]

That's definitely the biggest thing I wanted to fix after the Season 1 Retrospective, I played it safe for this one but going forward that shouldn't be an issue for the most part, as I go a lot more in-depth.

[@JoelFeila]

The first episode I saw was camp fear, I was at my grandparents with my cousins and it came on. Oddly fitting

[@kevinlockhart2000]

For me its ironic that i grew up with this cartoon especially when one of the major characters is named "Kevin"

[@jackhamilton9604]

here's the difference between a squid and a octopus A Octopus has a round head A Squid has a pointy head

[@just_some_greek_dude]

Permanent retirement is an episode that scared me as a kid

[@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149]

The older I become the more I grow to appreciate this series, which for a show originally made for kids you don't always expect. It's just really, really well done. A creatively fantastic idea coupled with some of the best animation and art direction on kids' television not only for its' time, but still today. I never appreciated the sound design as a kid either, but man did it add a lot. And while not expored to its fullest in the classic series, the worldbuilding always really drew me in too, and sparked a love of it which pushed me into later career and education choices. It nailed that balance of showing just enough to get viewers to start to imagine. I find myself taking a lot of inspiration from Ben 10 nowadays, artistically speaking. It's really good stuff. The classic series is especially fantastic.

[@nocontent3644]

1:26 bro 5 year old me didn't notice the alien buttplug

[@Ziggerath]

my first impression as a kid watching this was that I thought the show's name was cringe and that ben was annoying but as I kept watching because I refused to ever change the channel back then, I couldn't deny the show's quality and uniqueness. during ben10 I was definitely invested and by the time they had a timeskip and the characters became more rounded and likable, I was a big fan. then came the instant disinterest when they rebooted the series into something objectively worse..

[@MarcoSuperNova2784]

Nothing can beats the original classic series of Ben 10 !!

[@z.ngaming2681]

14:43 grandpa max gets brutally shot in an alley way 18:04 fr 18:07 plot reasons 19:17 i knew it couldn't been that easy 27:41 i could break these cuffs 29:50 fine 35:10 wtf is this piece of sh#t 37:26 sick 38:54 fact

[@SubToTheUpchucks]

The only creative-er goldmine is The Upchucks! nice to see more people talking about Ben 10.

[@twistedyogert]

I never knew that there were so many Spider-Man references in Ben 10. I've always been reminded of Spider-Man from Ben 10. Both Peter and Ben can be cocky at some points but ultimately are good people.

[@nickjaxon1317]

Looking back now that warehouse break in scene was over the top for the police. Guess they wanted us kids to stay in school bad.

[@bentoboi2882]

OMG! i absolutely LOVED Ben 10 when i was younger, i had the first season on dvd and would rewatch it like every week lol. my fave aliens are ghostfreak and XLR8, i just think theyre really cool :D awesome video, keep up the great work!

[@Bmhtsos18]

Cool retrospective, the original Ben 10 series is my favorite out of the franchise. The original series, to me at least, feels like a Western anime somewhat due to the animation. Looking forward to the other 3 seasons!

[@Super-Animation]

I love how PJ Masks teaches kids about the importance of using their powers for good.

[@SonicBahasa]

I honestly just loved watching Specs slowly going insane as he has to explain what "damageless" means repeatedly.

[@Mono_303]

Amazing video, we need a season 2 retrospective!

[@RedTheWeeb]

Tourist trap is a very bland episode but man I loved the megawatts designs it felt like some kind of alien pokemon to me when I was young. Ben 10 always has amazing alien designs in every way

[@RedTheWeeb]

The kraken episode was one of my favorites as a kid and even now as it showed early on that aliens (that arent ben) arent evil and some are just trying to live their lives. Since if I remember right the kraken is an actual alien

[@Rat.Gaming0462]

Please cover the entire series, your videos are awesome

[@user-sy1te8ev9t]

You are so Underrated man..

[@Terraider]

This is so good please continue this series retrospective

[@slayerbrother5779]

it was 2006 when i first was the Show and it was Amazing i Loved every Second of it. it was the Series of Childhood.

[@DaDunge]

7:00 Compelty agree there. The origjnal series is much better than what comes after. I especially hate how they changed Gwens personality in the sequels.

[@robertdobert]

Very well made video man, enjoyed every second of it, though for me personally.. maybe a little too many memes overall great stuff dude earned a sub

[@PlatformingCyndaquil]

11:42 You are so right. Gray Matter needs his wins.

[@TheFalconCaptain]

I love the subvertion jokes all the time I hope you never stop doing them lmfao I’ve seen this entire vid like 4 or 5 times and the “Max gets cancer” and “Ben and Kevin become best friends forever” still kills me lmaooo 😂🤙🏻

[@tropixi5336]

this is my childhood, i watched all of them, hated the new ones but i even had the little box with all the cards that you get with a magazine

[@ElJefe-ol9ow]

I discovered this show on a plane going to Taiwan. Loved it

[@OrokuSaki-ld7if]

In my opinion the best to worst episodes in season 1 of Ben 10 are: 1) Secrets 2) And Then There Were 10 3) Kevin 11 4) Hunted 5) The Alliance 6) Washington B.C. 7) Last Laugh 8) Lucky Girl 9) The Krakken 10) Side Effects 11) A Small Problem 12) Permanent Retirement 13) Tourist Trap Also I think the season as a whole is a solid 9 out of 10

[@MarcoSuperNova2784]

My top 13 Best-Worst Episodes Of Ben 10 Season 1: 1. Secrets Episode 13 2. Hunted Episode 5 3. Last Laugh Episode 9 4. And Then There Were 10 Episode 1 5. Washington B.C Episode 2 6. Lucky Girl Episode 10 7. The Alliance Episode 8 8. Permanent Retirement Episode 4 9. Kevin 11 Episode 7 10. Krakken Episode 3 11. Tourist Trap Episode 6 12. A Small Problem Episode 11 13. Side Effects Episode 12

[@xNico1412]

Man I was absolutely obsessed with this show, it was so freaking good!

[@JabamiLain]

The show might not be around anymore. But a fanfic of the classic show I found recently has filled the void in my heart. It's called "Ben 10: Dark Mirror". It's SO good, it should have been the show's canon version. Ben's allies work better as his enemies and his enemies work better as his allies. I also like seeing young Kevin join them and I LOVE the arc the kids go through with Max. Had he been like in the fanfic, I would have made a joke comparing him to Zeus from "God of War" (they shared the same VA for a time).

[@ThePilleroflightning]

Where can I find it!”?

[@JabamiLain]

@@ThePilleroflightning ao3.

[@PlatformingCyndaquil]

12:02 If I had to pick one alien that should have been a transformation before Ben 10,000, it would be the Megawatts. I know that takes away from Feedback, but Ben needed an electric alien before Amph-ibian.

[@nicholas2828]

Would love to see a part 2 for season 2!! Keep up the great work, amazing video

[@TheReZisTLust]

Its crazy how dirty they did Ben when Fusionfall did him better in their stuff lol

[@ravidukalehe4941]

I wanna binge this series your boutta make I like your breakdown and analysis

[@mrkaji8913]

31:06 I liked his spiked up bowling ball

[@Fangpyre72]

I'm hyped, can't wait to see this

[@therealsewergremlin6412]

another amazing alan video

[@the_lone_raven]

I was never a fan of Ben 10, but this was entertaining and funny to watch! keep up the good work!! :D

[@TheAwesomeAlan]

Thank you so much!!

[@mizzix]

If i ever have kids, i want to introduce them to ben 10, it made my childhood and it would make me happy if it made theirs as well.

[@okimcringe]

imo the season where ghostfreak becomes the villain was my favorite arc

[@melting7912]

Common Alan W frfr

[@PlatformingCyndaquil]

Sue me, but Diamond head is a better fighter than Four Arms just because of his long range capabilities.

[@gabrieljordan7209]

Bro this is a great video I hope you do more classic Cartoon Network shows like teen titans

[@ben10theorist]

Amazing video. Just subbed!

[@andrewmoore2611]

About there being only one alien In a episode, there was Rath's introduction.

[@srcoeiu6100]

Hope this blows up one day

[@TheFalconCaptain]

This has been my favorite channel for weeks and you’ve only got 6 videos lol but man yeah I remember waking up for kindergarten and the OG series was always on and I’d miss the bus watching it I’m gonna rewatch all your vids and when you post again I’ll be here first fr 🐐👑

[@TheAwesomeAlan]

I really appreciate it :) New one coming soon!

[@jesshood4813]

Yooo i already love this channel

[@twistedyogert]

In the Kevin 11 episode I assumed that the cops used the warehouse as bait. Perhaps Kevin was such a threat that the police thought they needed to get the drop on him. That might explain why the SWAT team was able to show up so quickly. They had someone tail both Ben and Kevin and sent everyone in once the alarm was triggered.

[@matador7409]

I never realised that Gwen is wearing a shirt with a logo thats very similar to the Sly Cooper Logo

[@thatoneguy5347]

Can we all just talk about how the “Kevin 11” episode came out on the 11th of February?

[@mrkaji8913]

I would love the future live action to adapt the first season

[@kristelvidhi5038]

I'd really love to see Vilgax blow up that city in a huge explosion with his big weapon on his ship in the episode Secrets. It would've been so cool.

[@Flipitmixit]

For someone who never really watched this show I appreciate this

[@Lynx-9010]

This is so cool, absolutely love the memes 😂 good job Alan

[@KingLewis52]

I grew up wit the original series nd still love it til this day

[@madlaugher3300]

I grew up with Ben 10 it was great

[@nebbynetwork2089]

I remember watching thos show and really enjoying it good times

[@BetaLikesCoping]

39:07 Ben 10 obviousky clears the DCEU, tho idk if that's a statement about how good Ben 10 is or how bad those movies are (probably both)

[@ben10cardmaker65]

Ooooooo boy can't wait for alien Force season 3

[@mayotango1317]

Believe me, he will be very harsh critical to Omniverse.

[@Faceplay2]

You most I’ve been really young to be watching the show. I was 10 years old when it came out so I was the prime audience for it. And I’m now 28 years old. So if you’re only 23 that means you were five years old crazy

[@DaDunge]

34:30 Wasnt Plumbers the cover used by the agents who dod watergate? I always figured this was a reference to that.

[@thecoldduvet7381]

Unfortunately I was 12 turning 13 around S1 and S2 loved the show but would have got bullied relentlessly if I ever claimed I watched Ben 10 pmsl

[@velvetdarksoul8741]

Ghostfreak and Big Chill are my fav aliens

[@comicbookking3446]

What do you think of Generator Rex’s art style and how would you feel if a Ben 10 series was made in Generator Rex’s art style ?

[@GiraquazaLoquending]

Didn't they have a crossover?

[@comicbookking3446]

@@GiraquazaLoquending yeah, but I’m talking about a Ben 10 series in a Generator Rex art style.

[@dtay8913]

12:04 you are 100% incorrect here, there is a lesson. Mind the signs

[@pizzam4nn]

Mannnnn, i used to buy all the toys and go fckin wild.

[@shauncollinson4393]

Well alan is indeed awsome and i need to smash the sub button and so does everyone else. 💯💯

[@jcosta6220]

Peak review

[@MiDaY_i]

I WANTTTTTTT MOREEEEEEEEEE!!!!