Eggman or Robotnik? The Many Versions of the Mad Doctor

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The greatest villain of Sonic the Hedgehog has come in many shapes and sizes...and names. Today in "What's in a Name" we look at almost all the varieties of the good doctor and talk about what may be the greatest compromise in the Sonic franchise.
many thanks yet again to @Channel Pup for editing this sucker!
Check out more "What's in a Name" in the playlist:
• The Censorship of Cucky
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[@dylannolan6338]

I love both names, they both suit him in different ways. Robotnik is a name that was quite intimidating and showed his love for robots whilst Eggman is a name that shows his goofy side. Both of these characteristics are very true to his character which makes me think that's why Sega has kept both of them around.

[@Jadinite-2006]

Yeah, I agree as well, I would definitively named him just "Dr. (Eggman) Ivo Julian Robotnik".

[@dylannolan6338]

@@Jadinite-2006 Or Baldy Mc.Nosehair 😆

[@AltKaxREAL]

i personally use to call modern Robotnik 'Eggman', and for classic Robotnik just... Robotnik

[@extremmefan7305]

@@Jadinite-2006 Wait, where does Julian come from?

[@Jadinite-2006]

@@extremmefan7305 The SatAM Series

[@Blandy8521]

I kinda like the Sonic Adventure approach where his name is Robotnik but Sonic & Co call him Eggman as an insult

[@IN-tm8mw]

That's what I settled on also. I loved his full English human name "Dr. Ivo Robotnik" and the silly insult Sonic gave him.

[@sonicwithglasses131]

That was never said in the jp version

[@LoliconSamalik]

Far more simpler than making a convoluted plot line to just rename a character.

[@themissingbits6375]

I agree

[@sonicwithglasses131]

@@secoTheSonicFan who is talking about fronteirs ?

[@RoninCatholic]

Robotnik is and always has been better as a "real" name for such a fictional and cartoony person, and "Eggman" works really well as a nickname. Moreso for some versions than others.

[@Dremag_Gaming]

Yep. I noticed they would have his name as: Dr Ivo "Eggman" Robonik. And seems like they (sega) would also see eggman as a nickname as well.

[@stargazer-elite]

that’s exactly what was confirmed in sonic frontiers egg memos Robotnick embraced sonics insult name of Eggman and it became one of the most feared names in the sonic universe

[@cherrypopscile3385]

I love how Flynn writes Eggman. He makes him intimidating while keeping him goofy. That, above all else, makes me excited hes writing the next game

[@carso1500]

Unfortunately sega seems incapable of allowing a sonic game time to properly cook

[@themissingbits6375]

The story was made by Sonic Team, The writing was done by Ian flynn

[@TF2Fan101]

I’m from the future! Frontiers was great!

[@frog4307]

@@TF2Fan101...uh-huh...

[@alexisislas-gonzalez5991]

@@frog4307 he’s right in the story department And evident by sega approving one line he wrote and canonized one of the idw characters That character is TANGLE But gameplay could be tweaked

[@hsandco9560]

I personally loved how they set up a reason as to why sonic would call Jim's robotnik eggman, establishing the weird names with "donut Lord" and "pretzel lady" earlier on in the movie

[@dn22pkkdd476]

What's better is Carey's Robotnik just rolls with it. Most of his stuff is egg shaped anyway, so he just accepts the nickname, I don't think we ever see him rebuke it, get mad at Sonic, or angrily correct him once (at least not that I remember). If he returns for the third movie, think he will fully embrace the name like western game Eggman has?

[@dn22pkkdd476]

Also, Jim Carey did sing a cover of I Am The Walrus. So he was already claiming to be the Eggman before the Sonic movie. Goo goo g'joob

[@kirbo4252]

@@dn22pkkdd476 goo goo g'joob, hmmm... what could it mean

[@ironwraith852]

@@dn22pkkdd476 wasn’t it Cuckoo kachoo? Have I been mishearing that this whole time?

[@colbyboucher6391]

@@ironwraith852 "Holds you in his armchair you can feel his disease" Who the hell knows with Beatles lyrics tbh

[@Zenithal1843]

I've always preferred Eggman but I've grown to like the idea of Robotnik being a real named ignored for a more mocking nickname. It's a nice parallel to Tails where they have their physical characteristics mocked but they take it as new nicknames to empower themselves. I do like his old design's red eyes a lot.

[@Zenithal1843]

@@secoTheSonicFan With enough willpower, anything is possible.

[@fataleflare]

Is it weird that I heard eggman’s theme before Iam The Walrus?

[@outspade]

Both Tails and Eggman are genius in their own ways and both have completely embraced a name that existed to mock them I’m seeing a pattern

[@spicybreadproductions1972]

@@secoTheSonicFan personally, I prefer the Christian named Atheist

[@theartman6297]

@@secoTheSonicFan Hi I'm carl

[@thewinterprince1731]

I'm impressed you made a whole video about the origins of Eggman's names without mentioning the possible reference to the 80s/90s term "Egghead" which referred to "someone who is hilariously smart." That said, I always liked the idea of Eggman being an insult/nickname and Robotnik being the real name. It makes more sense as a proper name, since it connects better to real naming conventions.

[@Rgoid]

Tell that to Ian Flynn and IDW.

[@OneCalledRPG]

Fun fact, Jim Cummings also voiced the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Robotnik in the unfinished pilot, so that whole trinity of evil robot doctors who hate Sonic and voiced by Jim Cummings is complete

[@rynobehnke8289]

One of my favorite thing about his full name being Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is that it fits well with Miles "Tails Prower.

[@derrickdaniels3955]

Perfect

[@TheDamnWinner]

Yup! And Sonic “big dick” the Hedgehog!

[@ap1evideogame44]

@@TheDamnWinner Yeah, the classic name we all know him by!

[@acolossalangrybook3169]

@@ap1evideogame44 and don't forget Knuckles "cock&balls" the echidna

[@dededeletethis9940]

Nah, Sonic’s full name is Sonic “the“ Hedgehog

[@sonicnov1850]

As a younger fan who played the Adventure games first, I always called him Robotnik, and sometimes Eggman. It just feels natural to switch between the too. I bring it down to using Eggman when he’s being an idiot and using Robotnik when he’s actually makes a big brain move against Sonic.

[@minamoorelull4521]

Well in SA1, he introduced himself as Dr. Robotnik, then sonic immediately calls him eggman. As an American who also played the adventure games first, i like to think that his actual name is Robotnik, while eggman is just sonic making fun of him as he does.

[@ironwraith852]

@@minamoorelull4521 I’m pretty sure that in canon it was just a random nickname Sonic used that ended up sticking.

[@ironwraith852]

@IsaacInfernape2000 I’m confused, why are you trying to say?

[@ironwraith852]

@IsaacInfernape2000 I get that, I just don’t get why you’re called yourself a gigachad 5 times,

[@ironwraith852]

@IsaacInfernape2000 Aight.

[@MrStrikecentral]

In the original Sonic 1 Mega Drive instruction booklet in Japan, it stated his real name was Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but he was commonly referred to by his nickname Eggman. Yes, he was designed before Sonic with a deliberate egg-shaped body. His design was put on the sideline as they developed Sonic and they kept giving Sonic more and more speed and additude, so they made Sonic the main character and came back to Robotnik to be the villain since they already had a design for him done. His real name is Julius Kintobor, son of Ivo. He adopted the name Dr. Ivo Robotnik after overthrowing King Acorn and turning Mobotropolis into Robotropolis (SatAM and Archie comics canon). Fun side fact: Did you know that 'Sonic' is also a nickname? That's not his real name. It's Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog (again, Archie comic canon). Put that in your egg and scramble it!!

[@TonySpike]

I actually liked that uncle chuck invented the robotociser Because whilst it takes away from robotniks genius, it makes him more cruel in the fact he took a concept designed to help people and perverted it

[@TopityTurvity]

i always saw Ivo Robotnik being his real/birth name, and Eggman was a nick name that Sonic started calling him, so over time he just owned it as a kind of brand name. i like both names and i can see it being interchangeable

[@maude7420]

That's a retcon the English dub of SA1 tried to pull which was dropped the very next game

[@doomsdayrabbit4398]

@@maude7420 SA2 has the guy's grandfather named Gerald Robotnik and this cousin named Maria Robotnik. In Japanese.

[@maude7420]

@@doomsdayrabbit4398 Yes out of a desire to unify the canon But from Heroes onwards they completely forgot about it

[@doomsdayrabbit4398]

@@maude7420 It doesn't have to be mentioned every five seconds. Both are dead and haven't had much effects on the canon outside of Shadow's story.

[@yocapo32]

@@maude7420 And then Eggman directly mentions Maria in Frontiers. Funny how that works out, huh?

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

The name "Eggman" fits his character because he looks just like an egg as a joke, but "Robotnik" makes a lot of sense due to his passion of crafting robots and machine, hence the word "robot" in his name.

[@i-dont-burn-under-the-sun]

He dresses like a Walrus in the Genesis games.

[@wyzolol]

the word "robot" was actually derived from "robotnik", being a word that means worker or slave

[@orlandolee4438]

@@wyzolol A Slavic word to be precise

[@maude7420]

Eggman makes just as much sense because you know... all of his robots have the word "Egg" in them ? Narcisism ? One of Eggman's core personality features that doesn't make sense if you rename him Robotnik for no reason ?

[@wyzolol]

@@maude7420 yeah i still like both names tho

[@TheProswagonist]

I think it's great that they've kept both of the names. But at the same time, it's kinda wild how they've seemed to completely ignore Tails' real name. I always thought it's be cool if some of the characters referred to him as "Miles" but no one does it. Even in the second movie, he introduces himself as "Tails" which seemed like a missed opportunity to tie the two names together. You could've had a situation where Miles had yet to introduce himself, and Sonic just gives him the nickname in the spur of the moment, especially since the two were running from Jim Carrey's Eggman and Knuckles at the time. And then after they get away, Tails officially introduces himself as Miles Prower, but then tells Sonic it's fine to keep calling him "Tails." I just think it's weird how they've kept both Robotnik and Eggman throughout the years, but have seemingly all but wiped Miles Prower out from Tails' character.

[@Thor-Orion]

Miles Per Hour Prower

[@1993MovieMan]

Tails does introduce himself as Miles Prower in Sonic 2.

[@robinthrush9672]

Maybe it's due to Tails already accepting the nickname by the time of most of his media and it not being mocking? Although, I vaguely remember one of the Jaleel White cartoons establish him being mocked by other kids and Sonic saying it was a cool nickname.

[@randa4382]

@@robinthrush9672 ok so it wasnt a mandella effect thing. I remember that too.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

I mean, sonic does call him be his real name in the second movie.

[@themaddoctor1741]

Fun fact, Jim Cummings has a history of voicing ultimately evil doctors. He also voiced the Master in Fallout 1.

[@akiradkcn]

Thats pretty cool

[@Talib323Ninja]

That Sat AM version was my favorite back in the 90’s. His voice was so sinister and perfect in that version.

[@nightshadehelis9821]

It was surprisingly really good. My only complaint was the dragon character. I irrationally hated her.

[@IN-tm8mw]

@@nightshadehelis9821 ah i remember her, always doing crash landings.

[@Soufriere84]

@@nightshadehelis9821 EVERYONE irrationally hated Dulcy. I even hated that I hated her because her voice actress Cree Summer is one of the greats of the field (up there with Jim Cummings and Kath Soucie). At least the Archie comics gave her _some_ introduction rather than just plopping her in like SatAM did, even if Kenders - who hated & undermined SatAM's showrunner Ben Hurst [RIP] - had no idea what to do with her.

[@SymbioteSpider4736]

Ken Penders is one of the worst Sonic villians.

[@nightshadehelis9821]

@@Soufriere84 NO WAY! I had no idea that was her! LOL. She's a legend! She played Foxy Love in Drawn Together! I thought her voice sounded familiar. That is so crazy to me.

[@strikerevimus]

Having him be canonically called both names, and interchangeably as it is these days, is one of the most brilliant decisions Sega ever made. It's a fantastic decision that keeps the old fans happy and feeling validated while acknowledging the newer fans who know him by the more common name of this day and age. Granted, I do tend to call him Eggman more these days, but as a kid of the 90s who saw the original cartoons and read the Archie comics, I still call him Robotnik from time to time. Old habits die hard as they say. By the way, where'd you get the music for SatAM and AOSTH? I've been looking forever for clean, accurate versions of those themes forever, and could never find them. I could find recreations, but not the actual versions of the music you used in your video.

[@ethanhinton4549]

Similar to how they combined Peach's western and Eastern names by making her western localisation "toadstool" her last name and her original name her fist name.

[@zbazza6978z]

There aren't any around on KZbin? There's heaps of fans of these series (including myself) and I'm sure there are files around here

[@strikerevimus]

@@zbazza6978z There's recreations, but the actual clean versions of the music also known as "In The Halls of the Mountain King" that the show used for Robotnik's theme in AOSTH, the music for the various chase sequences, nor the music that's better known for Scratch and Grounder. Best I could find were rips that attempt to edit out the voices, albeit poorly. As for SatAM, I can tell you that Robotnik actually had a different theme for season 2. Heck, the majority of music used in season 1 was dropped for season 2, but from what I could find, you would think that Season 2 used the same exact music as Season 1. I know for a fact that this is nowhere near the case, but a simple search doesn't seem to turn up anything of that. I mean, yeah, maybe Season 1's Robotnik theme and other tunes are better than Season 2's, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to listen to the Season 2 soundtrack. It's like, for Power Rangers fans, trying to find the other variation cues of Bulk and Skull's theme beyond the minute long piece out there, or the Piranhatron theme to give one example. (I know Turbo is not the most beloved season where the Piranhatrons are concerned, but given Ron Wasserman's music is fire, I find it strange that tune can't be found in clean complete form that isn't a rip directly from one episode. It's also strange that given how much old fans like me love Bulk and Skull's shenanigans, I can't find even rips of the variation cues of their theme.)

[@colbyboucher6391]

Of course there's still people insisting that no, it *must* be one or another. People are weird.

[@gothxm]

@@strikerevimus With some movies, you can't find the little scores they use for specific moments in a film in the OST and that frustrates me to no end. Hunting for some obscure piece of audio is gratifying.

[@knellycornnan5132]

I like it that this franchise has so many versions of one character. It makes the game feel more diverse in ways and keeps things a bit fresher.

[@Nuhuhblud]

“He’s an absolute TREAT” *Eggman shaking his ass*

[@shonenbois]

Honestly The name “Eggman” goes well with the character bc while he is goofy he can honestly be a monster and has a serious presence and with that name you wouldn’t expect to act like that. So the name, “Eggman,” is honestly genius in my opinion

[@gamingnubs7628]

@@secoTheSonicFan he took over the fuckin planet.

[@pixeldemon6173]

Like in the past, threatening to shoot Amy or rusting away Little Planet, or stealing the master emerald to destroy whichever planet Angel Island is on

[@colbyboucher6391]

@@secoTheSonicFan I mean?? The main theme of the original games is that this dude seemingly just hates the natural world and wants everything to either be roboticized or dead. Literally firebombs Angel Island in Sonic 3. CD shows how everything he touches eventually turns into a bigass nonsense factory. He's like the theoretical "paperclip machine" that maximizes efficiency by bulldozing cities away to build more paperclips. But unlike those he seems to enjoy hurting people. His motives are complete nonsense and I think it's fun that this dude's whole goal is seemingly just a nonsense apocalypse. I always liked how in one of the comics he was pretty much like "I love carnivals, I love hurting people, put 'em together and it's hilarious". Yeah, sometimes he "has a heart" if it's something other than him causing the damage. But he's mostly just jealous.

[@justascarecrow6988]

@@secoTheSonicFan i am an Eggman enjoyer, but come on. He split the earth in Unleashed (that's thousands dead at least), enslaved an alien race (colors) and unleashed a robot zombie (Zombot) virus in the IDW (canon btw) comics. He has blood on his hands. That's what makes him intimidating.

[@wanderlustwarrior]

One thing I'm surprised you didn't mention when you brought up the Kintobor backstory: At least in UK canon, it wasn't just the last name that was reversed . His full name prior to the accident that warped him and Sonic was "Ovi Kintobor". Ovi is latin for "relating to an egg", for adjectives and such. That makes it clearer that the "Ivo" first name for Robotnik was itself an egg reference, and thus the character was always, quite literally, an egg-man in this canon.

[@draykohunter6805]

perfect

[@Hyper_Drud]

I don’t know if that was intentional but it’s still brilliant.

[@derrickdaniels3955]

I thought that was the name of his anti doppelganger in the comics?

[@wanderlustwarrior]

@@derrickdaniels3955 I haven't read the archie or fleetway comics. But it's definitely his original name in the UK children's novels. There was an entire book about his and Sonic's transformation and history, involving time travel, called "Sonic in the Fourth Dimension". I last reread it like 2 years ago, but even if I didn't, I remember it vividly from growing up. I'd love for Arctur the Dragonkin and the rest of the Mythos Creatures to be brought to game or comics lore.

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

@@wanderlustwarrior YES. Arctur was an awesome antagonist (I'm straight up avoiding calling him a villain) for that book. Honestly, I'd settle for Ian Flynn mentioning in the IDW comics that the Mythos were the ancestors of the Zeti or something, and there's a shrine on the Lost Hex paying homage to the "Ancestral Father Arctur."

[@mrterrychaos]

Always happy to see some appreciation for Long John Baldry's Robotnik. I adore that version.

[@spinyjustspiny3289]

I love that they recontextualize the nickname "Eggman" in the films to be Sonic making an observation about all the sleek white machines he sends out and still ties it into Sonic's personality in that films being a bit more driven by childlike wonder and a lack of context for human society. Much like his adoptive dad Tom is "Donut Lord" ruling over a bunch of little donuts he dressed up and gives speeches to in his boredom, Robotnik is "Eggman" because he commands a bunch of weird metallic eggs.

[@surreal_dreams]

I've always assumed that Ivo Robotnik was his actual name, and Eggman was his nickname.

[@Game_Hero]

That's what the game said to justify the two names.

[@xxsegaxx]

then Sonic Generations comes and says "no one calls me that anymore" regarding the Robotnik name and I'm here like 🤨

[@midnightartist43]

I always saw eggman as an insult, but instead of being offended robotnik went “lmao ok I’m eggman now” and kept the name just to piss sonic off. I actually have a little head cannon that sonic calls him stuff like “egghead” and “egg-stache” just to see what else will stick lol.

[@christophermonteith2774]

same

[@maude7420]

@@xxsegaxx Good, based Generations In the games he's Eggman, Robotnik was an invention of the western canon that is not relevant to the main continuity

[@KraziShadowbear]

I thought that the name "Robotnik" was based off Robotnik's affinity for creating robots under the name of "Badniks". He just dubbed himself a "Robot-nik" to say that he was the "master" of all his created Badniks. He's been probably living too much alongside them that he believes he himself IS one in some form. Robotnik, to me is his "original name". His "Classic Sonic" name. After all, it's pretty well known as his full name's "Dr. Ivo Robotnik". Eggman is more of his "mockery-turned-villain name". And I guess he worked that into his machines in later media and games to prove Sonic's mockery wrong and finally get to rub it in that an "Eggman" with "egg robots" (Egg Pawns, etc..) beat a supersonic blue hedgehog. XD

[@i-dont-burn-under-the-sun]

The Eggman name slipped a few time to an western audience in games such as Sonic 2 and Sonic Drift for example. It's not an exclusive modern thing in the West. (This ignoring the re-releases of course)

[@colbyboucher6391]

It's not his original name so much as his western name. In Japan he was already Eggman. But yeah, that seems like it's pretty much the idea now.

[@randa4382]

I doubt they realized they were writing future pop culture material at the time of the first two games.

[@Megahog2010]

You know that line at the end "I'm gonna make myself an omelet" could honestly serve as a forshadow for the heavily loved fan-character Omelete!

[@Ocarinist_Drew]

As someone who grew up in the Adventure era (my first Sonic game was SA1 on Dreamcast), I never understood the whole debate between whether he was called Robotnik or Eggman. SA1 clearly established that his real name is Robotnik and his nickname is Eggman. Edit: In other words, both are correct.

[@jasonjimerson7046]

Jim freaking Cummings!!! That is my ideal Sonic's nemesis. BTW, the Walrus and the Eggman were two lower tier characters from Alice in Wonderland stories, where I believe the Beatles got their original inspiration from those characters.

[@marbledgold0605]

In all honesty, I think the name of either Robotnik and Eggman are like a scale of what kind of character you're going to get in the medium. Robotnik is the name you use when the character is going to be intimidating but can also be funny at times, while Eggman is the more silly and bombastic funny guy who's also a threat.

[@brndtkng]

I think my favorite acknowledgment of the two names is in one of egg logs in sonic Frontiers. Eggman excitedly talks of how he reclaimed the name Eggman but then shuns the name baldy mc nosehair.

[@thewinterprince1731]

Fun fact that you probably already knew, the Swatbots and some of Eggman's more cunning and evil persona from SatAM made a return in Sonic Chronicles: the Dark Brotherhood. Say what you want about that game, but I personally think it was a great game and the plot and characters especially fascinated me.

[@gozillabk]

Sadly due to Penders we will never get a sequel to that game.

[@lunakingsley.7247]

​@@gozillabk true but I think frontiers mentioned it. (I could be wrong.).

[@calamario8]

I feel like Eggman, Despite being and doing bad things, would still have a safe VPN. call it EggVPN or like Scramblers

[@ShaimingLong]

EggVPN scrambles your online identification profile, making you untraceable!

[@Hyper_Drud]

@@ShaimingLong you’d have to be a hard-boiled hacker just to crack his security and poach his personal information.

[@ShaimingLong]

@@Hyper_Drud Indeed! EggVPN's anti hack system is able to reverse hack the hacker and fry~ their CPU!

[@colbyboucher6391]

FYI, VPN services as they're sold to the public don't... do a whole lot. Eggman would have a VPN to connect to his main network when he's out and about. That way he could access files from that home network without broadcasting them out all over the internet. What most VPN services do is sort of the reverse. You're connecting to one of the company's "home networks" just so you can get back to the internet again. That only does two things: It mostly stops your ISP from spying on you, and in theory, the websites you connect to won't know your real IP address. But... your real IP address hardly matters. There's a whole lot of ways to figure out who someone is (at least compared to everyone else if not absolutely) that don't involve your IP address at all. Browser fingerprint, any accounts you have online, etc. And while it can be useful if you really don't want your ISP watching you, you're just signaling that you trust the VPN provider to not spy on you, instead.

[@calamario8]

@@colbyboucher6391 Where did you learn this? also cool

[@mememachin4508]

Sega combining the names Eggman and Robotnik was one of my favorite things that they did in terms of names Well that and still acknowledging the name Cucky in games like Sonic Generations and the Sonic Dash mobile game

[@penprp]

"Are you keeping up? Because I'm not done." I love how you underline the absolute ridiculousness of Archie Robotnik. SatAM Robotnik was my first experience, and he's definitely always going to have a soft space in my heart for him.

[@Saintbow]

It's funny how Jim Carrey predicted he would be playing Eggman in the live action movie...back in the 90's... for real, he did the cover song "I'm the walrus" and the line with him saying he was the Eggman came true.

[@GmNdWtchr96]

Note: Jim Cummings almost voiced the Robotnik in the AoStH series. He was actually in the pilot.

[@RPowell1980]

John Lennon deliberately wrote "I am the Walrus" as nonsensical after he found out that beatles songs were being studied academically. Apparently after he wrote it he said "let them interpret that!"

[@MadDragonify]

I’m so glad you made this video because it brings back memories of one of my favorite moments in the series. At 14:58 you can see Robotnik’a various credentials as a villain listed under megalomaniac, tyrant, dictator and most importantly *insurance salesman*. For is there a more hated presence than an insurance company?

[@oie5765]

6:50 I could recognize that scene from anywhere, so glad you used that to introduce the cartoon robotnik

[@hydrocityshark]

I see Eggman as a sort of a nickname Robotnik uses to push his brand forward. Sort of like how Dwayne Johnson is the Rock.

[@skulliothepumpkin535]

My favorite Robotniks are the Sonic X interpretation and Jim Carrey’s immaculate performance

[@derrickdaniels3955]

Jim Carrey is the perfect Robotknik

[@maude7420]

@@derrickdaniels3955 No he's not, Jim Carrey played himself in the movie, didn't even try

[@fightingmedialounge519]

@@maude7420 not really. He played a megalomaniacal genius filtered through his own bread of humor. Not exactly game robotnik or just himslef.

[@azraelentertainment3178]

As a Russian who grew up playing sonic, I don't quite remember what we called him, but becoming an adult, and having genuine or jokey debates with my friends regarding whether Robotnik's name actually comes from "Работник" ("Rabotnik") or not, especially considering that his first name is Ivo, similarly to a Russian/slavic name Иван ("Ivan"). Thanks for bringing that up, Nick, really took me back to both my childhood and the good times joking around with me lads and lassies as an adult:D

[@garryjones1776]

It would be more suited for polish Robotnik and Ivo is real name in Poland

[@azraelentertainment3178]

@@garryjones1776 oh, never knew that, thanks for letting me know!:)

[@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp]

@@garryjones1776 That makes home one Polack who can screw in a light bulb.

[@garryjones1776]

@@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp yeah the rest of them can screw in your mom

[@omgodification]

Whatever version it is that you prefer, we can all agree that the good doctor has left an everlasting impression in all of us

[@Hey-Its-Dingo]

I really look forward to the 3rd Sonic movie making a running joke about the characters learning about Gerald and Maria Robotnik and saying "Robotnik is his REAL last name!?"

[@nightshadehelis9821]

I grew up with Robotnik and always preferred this name. The whole "eggman" thing always felt like Sonic trying to be edgy. Being said, sonic is for everyone and should always unite fans, not divide. I absolutely love how Dr. R's (or eggman's) voice has led to an almost half hour video that brings everyone together. Sonic will ALWAYS be special to me.

[@trevinodude]

I also love the idea that Dr. Robotnik took the insulting nickname Sonic gave him and turned it into a badge of honor. It’s a cool bit for the character, as if he’s telling us “Yeah, I’m an egg shaped man? What of it? I’m still the genius villain here!”

[@kirbo4252]

Don't think sonic calling robotnik eggman is really considered edgy

[@liviwaslost]

@@kirbo4252 yeah it’s more of a joke than edgy

[@Chaos-15]

The irony is that the name Robotnik seems like the West attempt to be edgy since Eggman is objectively a goofy name.

[@kirbo4252]

@@Chaos-15 that is true

[@TanoxBranar]

Yes you're right about the Beatles song! The original Sonic Team (or at least some of them) were fans of the Beatles and so they used that line from the song as a kind of design philosophy for the character "I am the eggman, I am the walrus" and it's why he has the big moustache and also it inspired the costume, those two big yellow triangles on the shirt represent the walrus tusks :) I wish I could remember my source for this, if I find it I will link it!

[@xXBlackDragoonXx]

Honestly, it feels right to have both names. With Robotnik being his real name while Eggman is more along the lines of a supervillain name. Also I've always liked his game designs than his TV show ones, it always felt like the TV show designs were made to be really ugly for the sake of being ugly. Like they didn't think they could make his game design threatening in any way... which I feel is wrong. Lets not forget that in Sonic 2 in the air ship level right before going to the Death Egg that the ship sported the name Eggman everywhere.

[@theidotshandleiguess]

I mean, in those shows, Robotnik was either a unfeeling person or a goofball you're supposed to laugh at. Look at that head! Look at his body! And I think that's the reaction Eggman's Classic design was going for. It's just that the Japanese don't think that a character that looked like that would belong in a kids game.

[@tylerrusnak7736]

No matter what, he's one of my favorite characters of all time!

[@gottagofastfaster]

He's plotting his schemes and he's got a master plan.

[@Ben_Hammond]

I believe the person responsible for localising the name Robotnik (and a bunch of badnik names) is Dean Sitton. Back in 2009, he appeared in the Sonic Retro forums with a broken keyboard. I think, if I'm recalling correctly, he mentioned that the name Robotnik was also derived from the term Beatnik.

[@PlebNC]

In regards to Eggman/Robotnik's love of carnivals and theme parks, the Imposter Syndrome arc of the IDW Sonic comics has a small scene where Eggman explains why he makes so many of them despite how impractical they are. Simply: he just likes theme parks. Personally I think it is more of a cheap way to establish a place as his as a projection of his ambitions of imperialism.

[@ToastyRoyale]

That Snively bit made me realize it'd be cool to see you go through all of Robotnik's sidekicks across media. for such a consistent trope, it's so strange how MANY he's had. Scratch and Grounder, Snively, Sleet and Dingo, Grimer, Agent Stone, Starline, Omelette, Orbot and Cubot, among others I'm probably forgetting.

[@ToaArcan]

It would be very easy to give Eggman a decent cast of minions to bounce off of on a regular basis. Even with just a few you can land on basically the same dynamic that the high command of the Decepticons have: The big leader who comes up with all these outlandish schemes (Robotnik/Megatron), the duplicitous schemer with the nasally voice (Snively/Starscream, who actually shared a voice actor a decade apart), the loyal one that could do better but won't (Stone/Soundwave), and the sensible one that eventually decides that he's going to go rogue (Starline/Shockwave).

[@ashesGeek]

It'd be cool, but I highly doubt Sega of Japan even bothers to find them yet alone actually bringing them back. It's much easier to create new lackey in 10-15 minutes rather than reinventing what already exists. Besides, you forgot to mention Commander Brutus, Coconuts, Decoe, Bocoe, Bokkun, Heavy and Bomb, Rough and Tumble, Egg Bosses and Hard-Boiled Heavies(hopefully A.D.A.M and E.V.E may have a chance to return in 20 years or so)

[@fightingmedialounge519]

@@ashesGeek kind of the opposite there.

[@skibot9974]

The ones you forgot are SA-55 from Sonic Unleashed (it’s been confirmed Orbot is a separate entity from him) along with Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun from Sonic X

[@sami32e]

Fun fact. The Ivo of Ivo Robotnik isn't actually pronounced "I-vo" but rather *"E-vo"* as in evil, or Ovi backwards (which is a prefix for egg). It was confirmed as such in one of the questions of the second Sonic Twitter takeover, which was Sonic Boom themed. Although to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Sega rolled back on that and it was now pronunced like most people do.

[@smtmonke]

The fact you can make a 30 minute video on the name of Eggman and his different iterations, only to just scratch the surface of it just shows how deep this series roots go in terms of content. Not just the games, but literally every series spawned from Sonic comes with it's own lore and it's own timeline of how things happened. It's easy to say the series fell off and lost to Mario, but when the fans do this much to keep the ball rolling alongside the creators, you realize that the series never did die, just fell into bad hands here and there.

[@extremmefan7305]

As a fan who entered through modern Sonic (Unleashed and Colors) and learned of the name Robotnik later (through hearing of SA2), I've always seen it as such: just like how Doctor is his title and Ivo is his first name, Robotnik is his actual last name and Eggman is a nickname he picked up and used as a means of propaganda. When TailsTube finally set that as definitive canon, and I found said first episode, you had no idea how happy I was. XD

[@TheAuron32]

i mean, either way, he has the master plan... i live in the UK and always knew him as Dr. Robotnik, when Sonic Adventure released i was like "okay who is Eggman?" i like how the movie uses both as both are fitting really.

[@ShelbyAQD]

Robotnik has been my favorite Sonic character for a long while. What I love the most about him, though, is just how consistent he has been across each alternate continuity in the franchise. His general temperament and ideology may vary, but he always has this great mixture of showmanship and thinly-veiled cruelty.

[@pvp_xguy7870]

I always thought both were good names, but I will say I liked the idea that Eggman was sonic's way of getting under robotnik's skin with a nickname to make fun of him, fit's sonic's personality fairly well

[@M4zamitla]

10:54 funny you mention this, because remnants of footage from the AOSTH pilot show that Jim Cummings was the first voice of that robotnik as well!

[@conradojavier7547]

Boom's Eggman is like an Upside Down Egg, with the Swole Body.

[@Soufriere84]

To add further: Giving Eggman a distinctly Slavic name in the West plus playing up the environmental themes that were already present really turns the early Sonic series into a sort of Cold War allegory, at least that's how I've always seen it. Well, S1 _was_ pre-USSR collapse. By that thinking, Robotnik is Stalin (great moustache) and/or Brezhnev - the former known for purges and the latter for global-scale environmental catastrophe. Sonic then is the Western free-spirit ideal.

[@matygoo1644]

I’ve always liked the idea that Robotnik is his real name and Eggman is his nickname

[@pfunk6945]

I appreciate all the passion you've put into making this video

[@user-fh7di8st6l]

Thinking about Gerald and Maria, I was very happy that his real name was fixed as ivo robotnik in the Japanese version and that Eggman was changed to a nickname. I love that it shows how he can act as a threat even with a funny nickname

[@conradojavier7547]

The Japanese Dub of SA2 Said the Jerry's Surname is Robotnik.

[@user-fh7di8st6l]

@@conradojavier7547 Yes, but after Colors? Or rather, from around that time, I can guess from the remarks of the overseas version of Generations and the place where the name was fixed to Eggman due to the boom. It seems that even the family name has disappeared for a while In Mario and Sonic's Tokyo, Gerald's setting was disappearing from Shadow

[@conradojavier7547]

@@user-fh7di8st6l It's like Yakuza Rename to Like a Dragon Worldwide, cuz the NEW Localization Name matches the Japanese name more than the IP's Former Name.

[@maude7420]

Annnnd then they dropped the name and we never saw Robotnik again Japanese people must have been so confused at wtf a Robotnik is when they played SA2 lol Also really disrespectful to retcon the character's original name as a "joke" only to fit in with the arguably much worse and generic American version

[@user-zc4br7yt4i]

@@maude7420 Daily reminder that Sonic as a franchise was always a collaboration between the West and Japan and that neither side is the "true" Sonic.

[@tipulsar85]

To sum up Archie Eggman/Robotnik in one borrowed phrase: "Comic books are weeird!"

[@maude7420]

Sonic comics in general are fucking weird lol, especiallt the old American ones I feel like I'm reading a generic superhero comic and not a Sonic one

[@Megatonwhale]

Great video, been sitting on it for a while, waiting for just the right lunchbreak to watch it :) I know people who don't hold the Sonic franchise in the highest regard would think I'm absurd, but Dr Eggman is and always has been my favourite video game character. My collection of Eggman merch is always growing and about 75% of my left arm is dedicated to the Good Doctor in tattoo form. I've always been fond of both names and I was so happy when Sonic Adventure merged them

[@lianaverwood9810]

Those who grew up with the 'Robotnik' Name usually tend to still prefer to call him that, though it depends on what they originally felt about it... Another reason the name 'Robotnik' was used was due to the influence of the Russian/German stereotyping being used in cartoons at the time - most infamous being the Russian Spies *Boris and Natasha Badnekov* of the _Rocky and Bullwinkle_ cartoons. When adapting Dr. Eggman for the Western Audiences, *SEGA of America* chose to work these influences into his Name, to put the common '-nik' suffix in stereotypical Russian speech translations along with the 'Robot' prefix to create a name that sounds much like an eccentric (or insane) German Inventor from WW1 (given that the many _Star Wars_ Empire references they used were themselves based on WW1 and Hitler's Regime) - Dr. Robotnik! So it's simply a name of the times - Wartime enemies were the Villains of choice in that time period, so *SEGA of America* capitalised on it to create an Antagonist that was as iconic as a *Fire-Breathing Dragon-Turtle kidnapping a Princess* to be the Big Bad for their *Rebellious Extreme foil* to *Nintendo's Knight in Sewer-Worker's Overalls...*

[@b_e_p_i_s_m_a_n6212]

I had always assumed "Robotnik" was a combination of "beatnik" and "robot"; considering "Eggman" was likely taken from the Beatles, I had always figured they wanted a more lawyer-friendly name while keeping the mild 50s/60s American influence there. Also, speaking as an older zoomer, I grew up with "Eggman", though I was introduced to him as "Robotnik" via Mega Collection Plus. I did find it kind of weird that the older games described him as Robotnik when "Eggman" is clearly printed on the airship in Wing Fortress Zone, though this is before I knew he was always Eggman in Japan.

[@Gilbot9000]

I'm here for both names. Always a pleasure to hear you talk about all things nerd, Nick. Pup did his usual amazing work. Hope you're recovering well.

[@Solesteam]

The good doctor has always been a have your cake and eat it too kind of guy, I mean just look at him! Except in Sonic boom, he's clearly just Eggman as he clearly doesn't eat his cakes very often and sticks to the weights as a treat...

[@Timerpoint]

In my headcanon, I see his use of the name Eggman as a try to turn this insult into a name that should be feared when being called.

[@josiahblaze2270]

There's a bit of retconning involved, but Flynn confirmed on the old Archie blog (now defunct, unfortunately) that the Robo-Robotnik who becomes Eggman was actually a separate character from the one seen in issue #19.

[@SymbioteSpider4736]

Well that clears up some confusion.

[@macjohniezuhaeus316]

Ah yes the Egg boi versus the Robo man

[@chaoscontroller316]

Sonic Generations even had a moment explaining the name change. Classic Tails recognizes classic Eggman as Dr. Robotnik, only for Robotnik to tell everyone that "nobody calls [him] that anymore".

[@maude7420]

Because he indeed never was called that outside of the dubs and American stuff Since Generations is a game based on the Japanese continuity (Like Sonic 1, SA2 and all), Dr Robotnik isn't a thing Not hard to understand lol

[@matthewmatthew981]

18:23 Gosh dang IDK what everyone else thinks but I love Ian Flynn's Sonic comics so much. Especially here wherever you see Eggman showing the evil black-and-red eyeballs behind his glasses.

[@ToaArcan]

I always found it pretty funny that STC Robotnik looked like the AoStH one but acted more like the SatAM one, while the Archie Robotnik was the opposite, at least at first. I do think choosing to use both names is the ideal solution to this problem. I never understood why there was so much division in the fandom as a kid. I grew up with a lot of the extended universe material for Sonic as a kid, as I was both poor and bad at video games, so the best way for me to enjoy Sonic was via the cartoons. In all honesty, I still don't see why we can't just throw most of the cast into the same melting pot (besides obvious legal issues, thanks Pen Kenders) and have them all coexist. The Sonic universe is not so concretely designed that you can't plonk the Acorn Kingdom down somewhere on the islands, or add Eggman's other minions from the comics to the rogues gallery, especially with him seemingly holding 90% of the planet during Forces. Obviously, there are some that, even without the obvious Penders Factor, would probably need to be left at the door. Most of the big-scale villains would probably not fit simply because of SEGA's attitude to that these days. The future-offspring characters would obviously be left out, and the hordes of echidna would need to be left out because of the whole "Knuckles is the only one left" thing. And Scourge's whole "That time he did a sexual assault and then Flynn made that story a major plot point instead of burying it" thing would probably be a bit of a turn-off, especially now that we have a significantly less-horny version of an evil green Sonic based on Ashura in Surge.

[@davibarrosdub3645]

I think that putting the Freedom Fighters in the games would make some of the characters have no role, for example Rotor would have no role, as his role as inventor would be overshadowed by Tails

[@ToaArcan]

@@davibarrosdub3645 This is true, and it's the exact problem Rotor had in the comics as soon as the whole "Tails is a genius" thing actually made it across the Pacific. The comics then made it infinitely worse by adding yet more super-smart characters to the list, to the point that, for a while, they had a specific Smart Guy Club within the Freedom Fighters. Tails, Rotor, Nicole, Chuck, Fiona, and Tommy fucking Turtle were all members. It was a whole thing. Rotor's lack of a niche in the team eventually got so bad that Flynn decided to have him start muscling in on Bunnie's territory as the Strong One instead. At first, they gave him a nanite powersuit, so his being a tech guy was still factored in, and most of his appearances with it happened while Bunnie was depowered and chilling with her Lost Causer uncle because her husband exploded, so it wasn't _too_ obvious, but then in the reboot they just made him super-buff and he _still_ ended up feeling like a spare part because the rebooted FF went from having an overdose of Smart Guys to having an overdose of Strong Guys. However, in the hypothetical context of adding the expanded multiverse characters into the main canon, this wouldn't be a problem, because Tails and Rotor wouldn't be in the same group. Just like Tails can coexist with Wave, Rotor could be the smart guy for the group of characters based in and around the Acorn Kingdom, who wouldn't always be present.

[@newhelmfun72]

The rant/speech at the end (really love those btw) reminded me that apparently in the sonic 2 movie novelization Knuckles calls Sonic son of Mobius, and I loved that

[@faristhewanderer6571]

hey I've been a huge fan of your work for a while I appreciate all the hard work and effort you put into it thank you so much! I've been curious about the comics for a while and wanted to get into them thanks for the details

[@RedTygon]

To be fair I found the name Robotnik a lot more fitting, and a name to be taken seriously whereas Eggman reminds me more of a comedy villain.

[@maude7420]

Ah yes Robotnik sounds soo much more mature than Eggman and totally not tryhard and 90s lol

[@RedTygon]

@@maude7420 Yes I grew up in the 90s, sorry if I grew up in a better age. ;P

[@user-zc4br7yt4i]

@@maude7420 My dude, the whole point of Sonic was to be tryhard edgy to be cooler than Mario.

[@maude7420]

@@user-zc4br7yt4i That's the outdated American version yeah The Japanese version wasn't particularly edgy, it was just a series about a blue adventure loving hedgehog who loves nature

[@user-zc4br7yt4i]

@@maude7420 No mate. SEGA *literally* had Sonic designed to appeal to Western audiences. That's the reason he's a hedgehog at all, because their research showed Americans specifically reacted better to a hedgehog.

[@crisisboy5822]

Another fun fact about jim cummings, in the unaired aosth pilot he actually voiced that robotnik before being replaced by john

[@RichyBmusical]

I remember playing SA 1 and heard Sonic say Eggman, then be confused. I love both names but the Eggman design is my default and the Eggman theme helps to sell it. Loved this video, you're informative as ever Nick. keep doing your thing.

[@RedTygon]

I'm SO happy you brought up the Fleetway series!

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

OK KO is honestly pretty fun, glad to see the shout out!

[@ffffffffROTHY]

15:24 Slight correction, but SatAM Robotnik never actually died.

[@GIJOEFAN-ys8gp]

He was going to come back in the third season after escaping the void and becoming Naugus’ servant. Where it is revealed that Robotnik and his nephew Snively are the last humans alive after they had sabotaged a space expedition that they were on before coming to Mobius. Which in turn was Earth after a nuclear war had wiped out most of human life and the animals that survived had evolved and took over the planet and renamed it. Due to the effects of time dilation during space travel, thousands of years would have passed by the time the two got to Mobius. Where Robotnik feels that he’s superior to the animals that had taken over. So basically, season 3 of SatAM would have pulled a Planet of The Apes and would have made Robotnik more like George Taylor.

[@mrcwillis6970]

The story of the eggmans in the Archie comics is insane… 🫥

[@midnightartist43]

I was always a robotnik fan, as I grew up with the more manipulative and more intimidating eggman, but I also liked eggman as a name because it really shows another side to the character and shows just how little respect sonic and his team has for the doc. It gives a light shine to the constant darkness of the robot lover.

[@BrochachoTheBro]

24:32 I remember hearing somewhere that Sonic calls Carrey's Robotnik Eggman since he has given people food oriented nicknames before (Donut Lord, Pretzel Lady)

[@Sonicmid]

October is American vs Japan month for game apologist's channel

[@YungandRekless545]

I mean, since he was always called Eggman, I'm gonna go with Eggman. Even though Robotnik is a fun villain name.

[@MrJC1]

what? he was always called robotnik. lol.

[@YungandRekless545]

@@MrJC1 Not in the Japanese version. Doesn't make "Robotnik" any less official but Eggman was the original title

[@noahpeltier]

I'm glad you clarified all of this! I always thought "Egman" was Sonic's irreverent nickname for the Dr. and future baton holders of the franchise just took that nick name and made it his real name out of ignorance.

[@Burnyourphone]

I really like that Ian Flynn took the roboticization idea and expanded upon it in the IDW series with the metal virus. It's genuinely really cool.

[@unwise_TW]

I always loved how Robotnik was portrayed in Sat Am. Because of the fact he was a genuine threat and had a scary menace to him; and because of the environmentalist message that the show conveyed through the side effects of eggman getting his way never really being explored in anything else to my knowledge. He was an Evil Genius and a Tyrant who was beyond reasoning with, it really gave a reason of why Sonic and his Friends NEEDED to fight Eggman, who these days has practically no real presence and is treated as a joke destined for failure.

[@socheata643]

They have so many versions, and other things about himself. 💗🇺🇸👍🏻💙🙏🦔🇰🇭🖤

[@blancslate176]

I once made a collage of all the various different versions and redesigns of Dr.Eggman/Robotnik, I think he might be the character with the most redesigns.

[@LukeStrife]

I was not prepared for the sudden HowToBasic reference, but it makes sense.

[@patrickvstheworld7017]

I like both names but he will always be Robotnik for me. I grew up with SatAM and the old games so there’s my bias

[@maude7420]

The old games always called him Eggman, Robotnik was never a thing outside of the old western comics and cartoons

[@haruhitomaeda4802]

Learning about our beloved doctor’s comic book history was quite the doozy, but still fun to watch! Also, I remember back when I was watching the French version of Sonic Underground(I’m from Canada), I remember one of the characters (Sonia I think) calling him Sputnik (which is the name of a Russian satellite) and then Sonic laughing at the name before referring to him as Robotnik in one of the show’s first episodes, and then never mentioning Sputnik ever again.

[@AngelPerez-tu1nk]

The geniune compromise between the japanese más western side of the series when it comes to Eggman is something that I will always appreciate

[@thedisruptivepodcast8201]

Very excited you posted a character analysis video

[@seasonembrace3624]

Ironic the usually only human in this series acts less human than the animal folk. He can be quite a sociopath at times as well as Arrogant that seems to be recurring theme with the many versions of the dictator doctor/scientist

[@maude7420]

True true