The Sad State of Medabots Games

MEDABOOOOOOOOTS
Taking a quick look at the western Medabots titles. They're pretty rough! There's 2 psuedo-fighters and a jrpg. I get the impression that Medabots, or Medarot in Japan, never really had a shot in the west, even though it totally should have. Those designs are peak toy-shonen stuff, and the merchandise was cool. Even the anime was oddly characteristic and well-produced. So let's look at the games and get sad.
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#medabots #kbash

[@TheAzulmagia]

It's so unfair that a series about collectible robots that shoot lasers and flamethrowers isn't more popular.

[@CornBreadtm1]

It would be. If it was pushed even a little anywhere except Japan for more than a a few months. I mean, Gundam was super popular in the west, then they just stopped pushing it. It's not like westerners don't like robots, we love them, Terminator is regarded as one of the best movies along with the Matrix. But Japan just never pushes their robot franchises with any effort.

[@keithragin89]

@@CornBreadtm1 ok

[@Klonoahedgehog]

RPG's where the main gimmick is collecting shit never gains traction in the west because it's always compared to Pokemon in some way. I hate it.

[@keithragin89]

@@Klonoahedgehog ok

[@GamerBoy870]

@@Klonoahedgehog I hate Pokemon so much

[@maraganger]

Character design in Medabot was the slickest thing ever. I miss this type of art style, and Rokusho. Specifically Rokusho.

[@NouKex23]

cyandog/krosserdog is also a really good character imo, imagine a loyal dog that can shoot your enemies and also talk!

[@Ricki5ifty]

FACTS

[@aaxxeell92]

You mean robot sasuke uchiha?

[@maraganger]

@@aaxxeell92 Exactly why I love them lmao B)

[@PaKePo]

Yeah, Metabee was my favorite. I still have my metabee figurine.

[@reviathan3524]

Loved the Medabots rpg one back then. I like games that lets you level up, explore and customize parts

[@oh-not-the-bees7872]

Yeah bud i think we all do

[@jordenfrost2329]

That one for GameCube where you could do a Frankenstein mister style build was the best one

[@mrvfino]

Same. Any more other games like these?

[@MsTatakai]

I really loved that RPG medabot... it had a boring random encounters but was challenging and had strategy ...

[@fckyall2113]

Zaku’s overrated

[@Salmacis32]

This is one of the first nostalgic "wish this was a real thing in the states" feelings that I can relate to deeply on a personal level. I was sure Metabots was gonna get big someday and then it just didn't, reminds me a lot of my relationship with Duel Masters.

[@nathanielhaven3453]

Don’t you mean drool masters? Either way, strange name for a bubblegum card

[@Salmacis32]

@@nathanielhaven3453 How could I have forgotten that it was called that? Can't believe they thought the Black Licorice flavor was a good idea.

[@Lost_Yeti]

Pretty sure duel masters is still the second most played card game in japan, they just stopped shipping to the rest of the world cause it didn't stick

[@Salmacis32]

@@Lost_Yeti Exactly. Metarot isn't nearly as big in Japan currently, but it equally had a pretty hard time penetrating the western market. Though, while it seems like it's more obscure these days, Metabots seems more fondly remembered than Duel Masters ever really was. Can only hope both can get another shot over here, though I'm pretty sure Kaijudo buried that effort for DM.

[@ekuh78]

@Shin Shaman android game? What android game? I searched for it and found nothing

[@completelyferrouschemist6776]

Metabots is one of the sorest spots for me, not only because of localization issues, but because EVERYBODY I talk to seems to remember it in some capacity. "Yeah, that was pretty cool, I saw some toys on the shelf at Toys'R'Us back in the day and I remember seeing an episode or two on TV." Just... What the hell? How is this NOT more popular?

[@jksanrio]

Many new toys in the Japanese industry like spinning toys and playing with marbles are based on traditional toys Japanese children used to play with and would occasionally learn about in school as “toys from the olden days”, so since all kids had their hands on tops and marbles from school, making epic versions based on those would be really easy sells since they make sense to everyone immediately. Metabots, on the other hand, are just super cool. That’s all they need. Edit: if you can ever find a way to read the metabot manga, you would really enjoy it. It is parallel to the anime but focuses on a different character.

[@pizzaman-a2]

Also Medarot Girls Mission was weird wasn't it. Never knew it didn't get localized. (Clunky game, the only good thing to come out of it was the official short manga by Z-ton. That man can draw girls, monster girls and even mechs.)

[@MetalSonicReject]

If I had a nickel for every kid friendly robot franchise that suddenly had scandalous girls, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t much, but it’s really weird that it happened twice.

[@EmporerM24]

B-Daman actually had some fun and interesting games on the GBA, where you could customise your robots. It was pretty sick

[@Nathan-rb3qp]

Bomberman getting crucified INTENSIFIES.

[@bigrubberfist2945]

Literally got this in my recommended out of nowhere and I just have to say mad respect for talking about medabots it's actually been 12 years since I've even seen or heard anything about it. I remember playing it for the Gameboy advanced metabee Ax and as much as it is clunky I loved it.

[@Exorcist92]

Glad to see Custom Robo mentioned. Hope we get a full Kbash video on it

[@j.l.9689]

God yes please this so much. An even more underappreciated and obscure gem.

[@thatboyb8659]

Brooo when he mentioned it my memory got unlocked immediately! Such a good game

[@neoflashjf]

If somebody made a custom robo mod to look like medabots, that would officially be the best medabots game lol

[@chimuoma390]

Hadron VS Mega-Emperor!!!!!Death Battle!!!!!!FIGHT!!!!!

[@AdrianPlusUs]

Yo, the Medabot RPG was fantastic! It was definitely easier to get through with an emulator and going through battles at 3x speed

[@Abearnamedfrederick]

One of my earliest memories was playing the Fire Emblem-esque GBA medabots games and then begging my mother to buy it for me for months and months - only to repeatedly soft lock myself with god awful builds only a 7 year old child could construct over and over again. I think now would be a good time to go back and beat it with my (hopefully adequate) adult faculties; thanks for this little reminder, Kbash!

[@del46_60]

What was the name of the game? I didn't know they had an SRPG.

[@Atlas_Azimuth]

You know!!! Same though tbh lol. So much fun but god was I dumb with builds and just wanted to use whatever was cool lol

[@aikou2886]

Never played Fire Emblem but I think you're describing Medarot Navi, my favorite game (Kuwagata version specifically). It was pretty much playing chess with medarots, wasn't it?

[@SophiaSanders61]

The Medabots RPGs are sick. I can respectfully disagree with you on them.

[@DeathHasAMeaning]

I love the medabots RPG's but they are pretty bad. the battles are a slog. you can be instantly killed or can kill instantly at any point in battles, its very slow, there is 0 variation, and there are a few mechanics they straight up don't explain to you at all.

[@Speculativedude]

@@DeathHasAMeaning Agreed, and because it is random encounters, the battles feel way too repetitive.

[@jironamos7650]

@Shin Shaman Medarot 5 is probably the most advanced GBC game ever created, it made Pokemon look like a piece of shit even at that time.

[@3ndg4m3]

I think it was the first game I played with multiple romance options. At the time, that really stood out to me.

[@jironamos7650]

@@3ndg4m3 And when you think about the fifth game then that one had like thrice the dating options. It would have been cool if they ported the 5th game to the GBA instead of the 2nd, it would have easily become one of the best GBA games.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Why does KBash decide to review all games I was playing/reading about back in college days. What is this uncanny ability?!

[@mitchtheninja5864]

Japan definitely got the good Medabots games. I genuinely loved Medarot Dual's gameplay, and the 3DS Medarot rpgs are actually pretty good. Lots of strategy and parts to collect. Unfortunately we'll probably never see any of those localized because the 3DS is "outdated" now and someone bought up the trademark for Medabots and is using it to make horrible mobile games. They even issued an injunction against Imagineer, the original rights holder, to prevent them from marketing any Medabots games in the West. Medabots will always be one of those series that deserved way more than it got.

[@hagishin00]

"WOW METAL" -Ikky Tenryou that's the only phrase apart from holy medaroly that I remember from the game

[@GamerJrdn]

I wish a publisher would give the series a second chance with one of the newer titles

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

Oh, Medabots. I remember begging my dad for the GameCube game. Only to play it once and never want to touch it again. 😂

[@frostnova2144]

because noone on earth expected it to be a weird puzzle platformer

[@plasmodius9449]

if I did that I'd feel so bad that I would just force myself into playing the game through and convincing myself that I liked it lol

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

@@plasmodius9449 Lol, I appreciate that he did that for me. But when you only get one game a year and it's that bad. I just couldn't. I played multiplayer with my brother and it still didn't make it any better.

[@DigiBrad]

I just received two Medabot plastic model kits (to assemble) and now this video comes out, this is a great day

[@micksmith1812]

One of the better 'for kids animes' from my childhood. Always thought it could do well as a fighting game or arena fighter where you could switch out parts for different special moves but cant see that happening anytime soon

[@sanaret3230]

I don't know why you said Bakugan was "short lived" when it started in '07 and ended in 2012 in the US and lasted even longer than that in Japan

[@doxiswolfenstein]

I really enjoyed Medabots RPG, not so much AX or Infinity but I was still really excited to find them in stores way back when. Real shame they've abandoned the west, RIP getting the collection..

[@editorgt8623]

After hearing what you want from the medabots games I'm wondering what you'd think of Gundam breaker 3

[@gettingannoyedquick]

That and M.A.S.S Builder are my go to custom robot games I recommend for people unless they have a ps3 to run armored core

[@SageofLight777]

Holt shit, someone talking even tangentially about Custom Robo in the year 2021...now I long for the (hopefully) eventual video(s) on the two (as far as I'm aware) games we got here in the west.

[@gabrielcastejon7914]

Check out Medabots Dual for 3DS. It looks amazing. (And also Medabots Girls Mission, it has the same gameplay but very lewd if you can believe it)

[@kazual6149]

I'm so glad you made this video. I tried talking to my buddys about this the other day and they just stared blankly at me.

[@ArkayeCh]

I remember playing this twice as a kid and an adult. The story was surprisingly dark for a kids collectible game. A lot like the Megaman Battle Network games. Also, Rokusho was the edgelord Medabot.

[@NotTheWheel]

I remember medabots, I remember watching it AND it just so happened they sold the medabot figures at my dollar store so my Mom bought me like almost all of them when I was young. It came with some weird cylinder dice? but like you could mix and match the pieces it was so cool. Don't be too impressed tho, lots of things in Japan have cool stuff like animes, mangas, card games, video games etc even for the most short lived of franchises. Japanese love of merchandising is one of my favorite things about the Japanese.

[@sallbanjoman1790]

funny thing, i initially found this channel because i was looking for a mana series retrospective kind of thing and i ended up watching all of this channel's videos... multiple times in some cases Edit: also it was the soul calibur series... actually now that i think of it, it may be the soul calibur series that brought me to this channel, either way, love your channel, keep up the good work!

[@dannyshroyer5770]

The one where they have to run to the middle and have the dope cutscenes where they attacked was THE SHIT. I absolutely loved that game and have no clue how many times I beat it

[@avionboi6866]

I thought you were going to talk about 1-3-4-5-DS-7-8-9 and the others that didn't get outside Japan

[@Ichigo111293]

You are now legally obligated to make a Custom Robo Retrospective 💙

[@SECONDQUEST]

The running back and forth in medabots 1 on GBA is just a "cool" way to do ATB gauges.

[@ZenoDLC]

Until you get a few Destroy parts, any of Sunnywitch's parts, watch the terrains...

[@shawninverted8551]

mandatory comment to support the channel, 'cause our boy KBash absolutely slays every one of these videos and doesn't get the love and attention his efforts and passion deserve

[@patrickrosario407]

Your cutaway intros are always so damn hilarious my dude lmao

[@Bloodshade]

Oh man I love the Big Bad Beetleborgs. Gotta catch them all amirite. Kidding aside though, Angewoman got my engine going

[@ezequiel6575]

i really wish your videos blow up more the effort on them is incredible

[@halol537]

Kbash never disappoints with these intros

[@pizzaman-a2]

I appreciate Medarot... or rather the Medarot NAVI manga for introducing me to the mecha designs of Kenki Fujioka. Love Kenki's take on Medarots (the bulk of NAVI-Medarots) and Gundam (Advance of Zeta).

[@Uno_Hunter]

When Medabots came to the US, on the website we had 3D Robattle where we could battle and customize parts I think.

[@vlackz]

Yep. I remembered that. It was fun. But takes a long time collecting parts.

[@landoncore92]

Your final statement in this video was really poignant and hit close to home for me man. Love your work.

[@kobrer3]

the gba digimon games you refered to are digimon battle spirit not rumble arena, rumble arena are the playstation 1 and 2 ones

[@AsprosOfAzeroth]

I remember being a 10 year old kid in the early 2000s and watching the original series. The arc that put the normally stoic Rokusho (

[@osiahene]

The original Medabots anime is the best thing about the franchise (the same could be said about Digimon tbh). Is it time for the Mega Man Battle Network video yet?

[@kagerockman]

The opening hype of Kbash always hits right here. 🤣

[@cesco1990]

There was a 3D battler for Medabots for a short time too but it got taken offline for some reason I believe. Was pretty cool for its time from what I remember.

[@chainsawplayin]

I really like the RPG game, I wish there were more like it. I wasn't looking for an action game with robots.

[@fireproofhail]

We gotta get this man kbash to 100k subs😮💯!! also forgot about this series definitely was locked in the back of my early 2000s mind..

[@darkhaven9119]

I love your videos bro you have great content and you’re funny asf. You definitely have the quality and deserve at least 100k plus subs. Hopefully you get to 100k soon! You’re close.

[@DawnApon]

you're kidding right? Because i RANDOMLY decieded to download the old gba game i had a week ago and here you are with an upload. I truly am convinced that I'll never have an original feeling or thought, that some other member of my age group or experience group will do the same as I would have given the ability; I am not unique, the hivemind will forget me and replace me, do as I would.

[@animegx45]

Fun fact: There's a fan-done english translation for Medarot/Medabot R you can download and play. It was for the playstation, also a JRPG, and features all of the Medabots from Medarot 2 (and more), but in 3D graphics. Not an official port, but it's more Medabots.

[@skvltdmedia]

Our beloved Medas absolutely deserved more, and it's not like we didn't get Custom Robo and LBX that would've been absolutely amazing damn engines where bots would've thrived, but no, can't have nice things.

[@FierceDietyLink100]

level 5 needs port yokai watch1, 2 and 3 also translate 4 port the 3 lbx games which worldwide has 1 out the 3 games and make those yokai watch ports have the special coins be found in the game without missing out on all the yokai because of bad RNG

[@MrSandmanTBB]

Kbash upload? Pog

[@kanchomerocks12]

Look at the bright side! At least we still have Digimon! And they actually made a collab with medabots this year

[@hickknight]

Was it this year? Cause I remember seeing the designs a year so back. Even then, that was really cool.

[@kanchomerocks12]

@@hickknight They made it last year and then repeated it this year.

[@hickknight]

@@kanchomerocks12 They even made that a cross-over with reArise... the gacha game.

[@kanchomerocks12]

@@hickknight and they made an Omedamon dim card

[@sokumotanaka9271]

Man I miss medabots, it's anime and concept can lead to so many great games continuations, toys and many other medias only to be lost to time. It really says how dead it is when you look it up on twitter and see the last thing from it was from 017 the fans even vanished...it's really sad

[@ZenoDLC]

Well, if you're stuck with just English...

[@RyuDouro]

As a Medabot fan I hope I never seen this video. It is full of poor research and just plain wrong in many ways.

[@klokar21]

The first medabots games we got in the west was pretty fun, i wish there was more of a post game though, like an option to collect all the rare parts because there are some medabots you can not possibly get all parts like Robo-emperor and Blackram who are mainstays of the anime.

[@Claego]

There was also a Macromedia shockwave player game. And I remember an online game where you build your own robot with various parts. Can't seem to find a playable version anywhere. I think it was called Robattle 3D

[@CrystalLaser]

I think Medabots Metabee and Rokusho are among the best games on the GBA. It takes a bit to get going but once you do it’s a blast. There’s a ton to find and collect and customizing to fit the current terrain and do the good damage gives it depth. And in turn I think AX sucks.

[@TheSydneyLad]

If you're interested in playing a game that kind of feels like Medabots, but it's a strategy RPG, I recommend the Front Mission series, but number 5 specifically. There's an Englis patch available for that game, too. You can customise your mech to punch, have guns, missiles and guard against attacks. The head, each arm and legs all have individual health bars, and yes, function ceases when the head is destroyed.

[@jasonl1184]

I thought the gba rpg was fun when played on an emulator with a speed boost function

[@davidsterling7570]

When you mentioned hunting for goofy dialogue in older RPGs I thought about Custom Robo on the Gamecube, and the absolute bonkers amount of goofy, useless optional dialogue. Then I'm pretty sure you played some Custom Robo music at 5:30, was perfect. Heard some Star Fox Assault multiplayer music too; good stuff!

[@chimuoma390]

Ray II Dark Versus Arcbeetle!And Hadron Versus Mega Emperor!DEATH BATTLES!!!!FIGHT!!!!!!FUNCTION CEASED!!!!MEDABOTS PREVAIL!!!!!

[@SoDeepSoFineCOD]

Medabots metabee and rokusho edition are one of the most underrated games from GBA ever.

[@nexusgiga]

your end speech made me feel like a fandom zombie at this point

[@s7121n9s]

I loved Medabots. I wish we had more updated games for it. Wait, there's a card game for it?! Where TF was that when I was little?!

[@Jauloid]

The one on the GBA is a hidden gem

[@DNeonLamp]

The worst part of the Medabots GBA RPG was status conditions, nothing like being debuffed by an opponent who cripples your speed and having to watch your little guy run the relay race back and forth ever slower even though you know you're gonna win in the end.

[@ricardchavez8494]

I have never found any translations of the fucking manga and it holds vital lore that connects to the anime and I’m ANGRY

[@gamrage]

I feel like the closest I've ever gotten to the concept of Medabots in terms of fully customizable combat was the game Cosmic Break. It's still playable and available on Steam. It's also free, but it's probably the worst of the worst due to being a Gacha game where the best robots are tied behind a pay wall.

[@crisfrey2753]

Medabots was absolutely brilliant as a concept, shame they didn't get the games the videogame they deserved. Excellent video

[@FierceDietyLink100]

they made games in japan only though

[@Maartwo]

TFW it's 2022 and we still don't have Medabots IRL.

[@TheBucket86]

Have you tried out Medarot Navi? I played it a long time ago, and really enjoyed it. Shame it was Japanese only.

[@Cryzes]

Now that's a really good game!! Always wanted Medarot Navi to be fan translated. And the whole SRPG made the game so much more interesting than the Medabots games. Story wise it also seemed pretty far ahead and art style 10/10

[@tl-josh3058]

They have so much potential 🥲

[@austinhatfield]

I’m in a discord server where we’ve made a randomizer for the medabots rpg, it makes the game wild and very fun

[@crosscarter21]

Dude...YOU Rock!!!

[@MaskedHeroLucky]

Anime arena fighters have been done to death, but I think that’s exactly what Medabots needs, complete with fully customizable medabots to fight with.

[@okaminodin4321]

Every time someone talks about Custom Robo I forget the DS one isn't the only one XD

[@justsomejojo]

I remember finding the first game(s) in this video through a reddit thread a few years ago and promptly tried it. I actually would have loved the somewhat turnbased RPG game, but all I can remember (besides the ridiculous dialogue) was the fact that 80% of attacks missed unless you had a Rokusho head (I think) which was only in the Rokusho version of the game. Despite this frustrating balance issue, the game actually made me check out the anime and I enjoyed it quite a bit (despite watching at 27 or something). The simple art style somehow really did it for me. Funny story though, when I later wanted to buy the thing, I accidentally bought the AX game and super bounced off it. I ended up getting the actual RPG on Wii U even later. Kind of a shame nothing became of it here. (and I'm in Europe, so I saw nothing of it legitimately afaik)

[@IkeSan]

People seems to not love Robots fighting each other anymore unless it is battlebots.

[@SimplyMarque]

I had all the little toys as a kid so this is a weird memory to unlock

[@GigaMan91]

Will you make a video about Custom Robo. There is so little content on that series. The GameCube game is one of my favorite games on the GameCube.

[@Omega_12_Maxim]

since you mentioned final fantasy tactics.......what r your thoughts on the remake rumor?

[@amienabled6665]

0:42 tbf bakugan had 3 more seasons and and 2 spin offs before it's latest version. It has always been massively popular

[@Klonoahedgehog]

One of the biggest impulse buys i ever had in my gaming life was that Medabots Switch collection, i cant even read Japanese but i bought it because of my nostalgic attachment to the show.

[@GamerBoy870]

Is there an English version of the collection please say yes

[@Klonoahedgehog]

@@GamerBoy870 Well no, sorry.

[@GamerBoy870]

@@Klonoahedgehog what why

[@joaoguilhermenextlevel302]

by the title i thought you where going to talk about the new medabots game, and the meda coin

[@afineegg1040]

The Medabots anime unironically fucking SLAPS, even now. I think it holds up really well. Also, I think it's funny how I feel the exact opposite about the GBA games compared to you - I despise how AX feels to control but I love the RPG series. I've been getting through the collection and it's been neat to see the games we didn't get localized.

[@planlessdan]

Same, the RPG game was pretty solid, with some pretty familiar systems just disguised under its jank animations, and while the story wasn't phenomenal, it did have a lot of interesting and quirky characters and a flavour that was pretty distinct from like, Pokemon or whatever. An RPG made the most sense to me, what with the anime being a kids-with-monsters thing in the first place. Felt like the game could have gotten a lot more mileage with better marketing and a bigger budget, and I'm sure a lot of it went into the jank animations. There's a reason Pokemon didn't fully animate their battle sprites until Black and White. AX felt.... absolutely disgusting to play. No comments there. In another life I suppose.

[@DrsJacksonn]

1:38 Why are you talking about 'bad games' and showing footage of that absolute gem?

[@korrag4]

I've been aware of the fact that the games in Japan have been going and *better* for some time now, I'm really just watching this to feel validated in my fan-grief

[@ashley2449]

i could always remember having seen the pilot of medabots when i was a really little kid and i couldnt for life of me remember what it was called. I even asked all my friends who are around my age if they knew what I had seen and none of them had a clue what I was talking about needless to say im so glad you made this video you unlocked a core memory of mine and now finally after all these years I finally know what this stupid fucking franchise is called!

[@oumono]

All I remember about that first metabots game (the only one I played) is some chicken parts which would break at least one enemy part if they were on their way back to their side. So I had all 3 medabots run that, because what else is destroying a part in a single hit?

[@72SpidersWeb72]

Man I did the same amount of research as you did. I loved this series. It something that sticked with me to my adult hood. I even bought medabots AX and a ds to play on it. Thinking about the toys next. Should I?

[@Luxocell]

Man this video was great and it conveys very well many points and thoughts I've had in my head for a decade at least. But I was hoping maybe you would illustrate me on the JP Medabots games lol I remember being amused at the thought of a 3ds Medabots game, but never even tried it because of language barrier (10 yo me would have laughed at me for saying that btw)

[@ShadowWolfRising]

I'm reminded of the Gundam RPG for the PS2 with an original story where you can create horrible Frankenstein Mobile Suits. Edit: I somehow forgot to put the title of the game in the comment, it's MS Saga: A New Dawn.

[@anderson9244MLG]

MS saga?

[@ShadowWolfRising]

@@anderson9244MLG Yes

[@SaturdayXIII]

If I could walk that way, I wouldn't need aftershave.

[@aregar1]

loved Medabots. Medabots AX only released in America and Europe. Medarot G is the Japanese equivalent but functions very much like a sequel. it features characters from the later main installments, once the original characters are older.

[@cliftonsargent1572]

Fu*k you KZbin I haven’t received any new alerts from your channel in months, sorry about this kbash you are the best, funniest creator on games on youtube! fight me if you disagree

[@BludRayp]

Man, the GBA game is actually amazing, the script is literally the same humour and style as the anime, and has that vibe throughout the whole game, the full customizable element to the medabots and the lvling up the medals, the rubber robos are sickos because they just want to "tickle" girls. I understand you didnt like the running back and forth but its like a visual element of speed in an rpg turn based game. ive played it several times over the last 15 years and its one of my personal favs. but i get it you wanted a medabots game to run around in that wasnt shit, and it is sad that they couldnt put more energy into creating new and better games.

[@RyanTheLion335]

I think MedaBots could make an awesome VR game, the player is a medabot, and it's a series of fights

[@DualEdgest]

At least Metabots Infinity tripped down the stairs so Gundam Extreme VS could run.