SWATbot (disambiguation)

The SWATbots (スワットボット) are humanoid robot shock troopers originally from the "SatAM" and Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog continuities, before briefly being adapted into the video game continuity. Designed by War Minister Julian (who would later become the evil Dr. Robotnik) for use during the Great War, early SWATbot units were initially under the control of the Kingdom of Acorn, but were reprogrammed when Julian rechristened himself Dr. Robotnik and took near total control of Mobius in the year 3224. Years later, Robotnik programmed all SWATbot units with the code "Priority One", which ordered them to specifically pursue the Mobian rebel Sonic on sight, who became the dictator's arch-nemesis.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Swat Bots, as they are called in the game, appear in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. First appearing in Central City, they have notably heavy armor, and have two POW moves: "Self Repair" and "Crusher". "Self Repair" works like a Revival Ring; after a Swat Bot is KO'ed, it can revive itself with 23 or 28 Health Points. The only way to avoid this is to KO all enemies, or all remaining enemies, at once. With "Crusher", a Swat Bot brings its fists together, leaps high into the air, and brings its fists down upon the player.

SatAM
Several varieties of SWATbots exist in SatAM. Standard SWAT-Bots are humanoid shaped robots, shiny metallic black. Standing at roughly six feet tall, SWAT-Bots view the world with a single red-tinted optical visor, which blinks when communicating or processing data. Melee spikes protrude from the joints and head, while large “fins” occupy the forearms. The standard SWATbots were armed standard with pulse blaster rifles with stun or kill settings which were slung on their backs when not in use, and also have wrist-mounted blaster weapons. They also have a flashlight built into the right forefinger, and an on-board communication system in the right arm. They can also wield grapple hook launchers and other devices. Standard SWAT-Bots pilot Robotnik's Hover-Units, which are large, heavily armed, bulbous vehicles resembling the hovercraft used by Dr. Robotnik, Hover-Tanks, which are low-altitude, uncovered Hover-Units with a large mounted blaster, and Mega-Muck Units. They also can pilot unnamed yellow mechs that were able to fold up their limbs and use built-in wheels to travel like a car. The design of the mech seem somewhat similar to E-102 Gamma, a bot which was introduced in Sonic Adventure. There are also red-armored models that have two wrist blasters, instead of one. The red models usually employ air bikes for higher mobility and firepower.

All SWATbots were very durable, highly resistant to their own weapons, including artillery, and were often able to quickly recover from anything less than a Super Sonic Spin Attack. They are not, however fully waterproof, and any substantial amount of water (such as a lake or flood) would destroy them. They are unaffected by rain.

Sonic Underground
A bulkier variety of SWATbot breed exists in the TV series Sonic Underground. They come in several variations, use multiple vehicles, and all have orders to capture Sonic and his siblings (whenever the SWATbots spot any of the three they exclaim "Priority 1, Hedgehog alert" and attack them). However, these SWATbots are incredibly inefficient, being very vulnerable to water and laser fire, and having an easily accessed control panel on their arm. They are usually armed with energy guns, referred to as lasers. They would fire a steady stream of energy, unlike the blasters weapons in the earlier cartoon. Maurice LaMarche provided the voices of the SWATbots.

Archie Comics
In the Archie Comics, SWATbots were visually very similar to, but much more class-oriented (specialized), and far less durable than their SatAM cousins. Also, they had retractable wrist blasters. Due to specialization, some other varieties exist, though only in the Archie Comics. Hover-SWATs are more alien in construction than the standard SWATbot. A dull gray in color, with red highlights on the head and blue tones on their arms and chest. Consisting of an upper half of a torso, the Hover-SWAT is approximately three feet in height, not including the hover-sled, which adds another two feet. The sled itself, from bow to stern, appears close to six feet in length. Like their brother model, the Hover-SWAT observes the area around it with a single optical sensor, triangular in shape, with a purple tint. Their heads are long and sharp, extending back into a flat fin, which possibly helps for aerodynamics.

History
In SatAM and the Archie Comics continuity, SWAT-bots were developed by War Minister Julian and his assistant Snively during the Great War. In the Archie comic, they were called "Peace-Bots". The original SWAT-bots were created to alleviate front-line casualties for the Kingdom of Acorn. The robots, along with the tactical genius of Julian, helped the embattled kingdom survive the conflict in relatively good order. After the closing days of the war, the SWAT-bots served as an interim police force in the capital of Mobotropolis, effectively preserving order in the war-weary city.

As the King approved Julian's plan to dismantle the military, he was unaware of the treason that his War Minister was brewing. Julian had no desire to scrap the robots. Instead, he altered the SWAT-bots' programming to only obey him. In the Archie Continuity, Robotnik had his nephew Snively begin retrofitting them with laser weaponry. (In SatAM, they were already heavily armed supersoldiers: see above)

On the darkest day of Mobian history, Mobotropolis was attacked. In SatAM, Julian Ivo Robotnik used his spaceship to assault the palace, while the SWAT-bots attacked the populace, the coup was over within two hours. In the Archie Comics, Julian, now Robotnik, used the SWAT-bots to surround the palace and capture the King, and then arrest the population of Mobotropolis at large. In both continuities, eventually 85% of the citizenry was rounded up and fed through the roboticizer, doomed to be slaves for the rest of their lives as Worker-Bots.

Since that fateful day, SWAT-Bots have been the mainstay of Robotnik's security forces, enforcing his iron will over all of Mobius.

SWAT-Bots contain no personality (although in SatAM's pilot episode Heads or Tails, they chuckled at Snively, and showed anger towards Sonic). They are drones in every sense of the word. SWAT-bots contain a rudimentary survival system to avoid unnecessary destruction, but have no compunction about charging into the thick of battle. The robots only obey Dr. Robotnik. When ordered, they will also obey Snively.

The SWAT-Bots are heavily depended upon by Doctor Robotnik to maintain his rule over Mobius. They are projections of his power, able to crush resistance wherever encountered and roboticize helpless Mobians into the growing horde of Worker-Bots slaving under his tyranny. SWAT-Bots react loudly at the sight of Freedom Fighters, and will chase them down relentlessly by any means possible. If Sonic is spotted, the SWAT-Bots all act under the “PRIORITY ONE” alert system, and will drop any other task to try and kill or capture him.

In the pilot episode “Heads or Tails”, SWAT-Bots were quite different in color and mannerisms. Instead of a uniform dark color, the robots sported an alternating gray and white paint job. They also had more of a personality, laughing at Snively's bumbling, then snapping back to attention as he pointed a dangerous remote in their direction. In this episode, the SWAT bots were voiced by Frank Welker. These designs and attitudes were summarily dropped for the rest of the series.

SWATbots appeared in Sonic Christmas Blast (though they look nothing like those seen in SatAM).

In-game appearances
A new version of the SWATbot appears in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, yet in game, they're referred to as very old models. They have armor that can only be pierced by high-power attacks or armor-piercing attacks. They can use a move called Crusher (クラッシュ), in which they body-slam a member of Sonic's party, inflicting a special status that decreases their attack power. They are also capable of repairing themselves if they are defeated in combat but other foes remain on the battlefield at the end of the turn. They possess a weakness to water and earth-element attacks and resist all other elements. A trio of stronger SWATbots, dubbed SWATbot Mk.II, serve as the boss for the end of Chapter 3. Also, the player can meet a SWATbot that has "lost" its programming, and it asks the player what it shall do. The player can either tell it that it works for Eggman, and fight it, or tell it that it's job is done and it may rest now, which will make the SWATbot will go away. A SWATbot later appears in Chapter 8 where it was revealed to be responsible for spoiling the N'rrgals spawning pools (for unexplained reasons, it got sucked into the Twilight Cage and landed on the N'rrgal colony), an act previously believed to have been done by the Zoah.

Trivia

 * The term "SWATbot" is likely a pun on the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) division of police officers.
 * The fact that the Sonic Chronicles SWATbots are referred to as "older models" is no doubt a reference to their presence in older forms of Sonic media, prior to the introduction of robots such as the Egg Pawns.