Orbot


 * For other uses of the term, see Orbot (disambiguation).

Orbot (オーボット) is a fictional character from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a robot built by Dr. Eggman to wait on him hand and foot and serves as one of his assistants.

Orbot's main jobs are assisting Dr. Eggman in his schemes for world domination and making sure the processes of his plans are carried out correctly. He is paired up with his counterpart Cubot in his service of Eggman. While Orbot is loyal to Eggman, he does not like him very much and usually points out his mistakes, much to Eggman's frustration.

Appearance
Orbot is a diminutive robot with a round head composed of a semispherical cap with a smaller black semisphere under it for a lower face. His lower face can separate to reveal a cover, representing his mouth, and he has two grey-framed and pupil-less eyes. He has also a ball joint for a chest and red gloves for hands. His arms and back consist each of two thin bars that are joined by a ball joint. His lower body is a small semisphere with a grey inside and a ball joint connecting it to his back.

In Sonic Unleashed, Orbot had a white head cap and pink eyes and mouth, while the rest of him was pretty much all-black with a few white joints. From Sonic Colors and onward, Orbot received a new color scheme, having been given a red head cap and light blue eyes and mouth, while the rest of him being dark grey with a few red joints.

Sonic Unleashed
In Sonic Unleashed, Orbot assisted Eggman in his plan to use the power of Dark Gaia, which scattered around the world when Eggman awoke it, to construct Eggmanland by overseeing the process, doing the mechanical processes involved and relaying information to Eggman that he needed regarding how his plan was carried out. When Eggman deployed his Egg Cauldron to take of Sonic in the Tornado-1, Orbot warned Eggman to handle it gently, but was ignored.

Later on, Orbot accompanied Eggman to Mazuri to secure the local Gaia Temple. There, Orbot laughed at Eggman when he was pegged in the face by a rock from Kwod before he was shut up by the doctor. When Sonic then came to the villagers' rescue, Orbot came with Eggman as he escaped.

Back at Eggman's base, Orbot presented Eggman with his dinner and reported his plans were behind schedule, which Orbot constantly noted was the doctor's own fault while pointing out the undesired results of his hasty actions. As Eggman contemplated on how to gather Dark Gaia's pieces, Orbot gave his suggestions, but was brushed aside when Eggman had the idea of attracting them with an energy pulse. As Eggman's plan proved to be successful, Orbot commenced Project Dark Gaia upon Eggman's clearance.

Later on, Orbot was in Eggman's Egg Mobile with Eggman as the doctor was defeated by Sonic in the Egg Dragoon and then knocked into the horizon by Dark Gaia appeared. Landing in a rocky region as Sonic and Chip defeated Dark Gaia and thwarted Eggman's plans, Orbot suggested to Eggman that he could begin anew as he listed all the ways the doctor's plans had failed, making Eggman snap and try to kick him. Orbot, however, dodged the kick and ran off with the doctor chasing after him.

Sonic Colors
In Sonic Colors, Orbot and Cubot assisted Dr. Eggman in his scheme to enslave the world with a mind control cannon by capturing the Wisps from their planets in Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park and harvesting their Hyper-go-on. Before the opening day of the amusement, Orbot and Cubot were out trying to capture Yacker and a Cyan Wisp, until Sonic saved the Wisps.

Later, Orbot and Cubot presented the Wisps they had caught to Eggman and were just sent out to get more when Sonic had arrived. Orbot then followed after Eggman when the doctor unleashed the Rotatatron. After Sonic destroyed the Rotatatron, Orbot and Cubot were send to clean up the robot's remains. Though they could not find Rotatatron's arm, Orbot was not concerned, unaware it had gotten stuck in the mind control cannon. Back at Eggman's headquarters, Orbot was ordered by to give Cubot a new voice chip to get rid of his cowboy-accent. However, Orbot got the wrong chip and gave Cubot a pirate-accent, resulting in him hurrying out on Eggman's orders to fix it.

When the mind control cannon was ready, Orbot watched Eggman activate it, only for it to backfire due to the Rotatatron's arm being stuck in it. As Orbot then slapped Cubot's back in praise for being more "attentive" when Cubot noted Eggman's constant failures, he gave Cubot his old voice back. When Eggman then faced Sonic in his Nega-Wisp Armor and was defeated, Orbot was pulled with Eggman and Cubot into a temporarily black hole created by the mind control cannon. Now stranded in outer space, Orbot and Cubot began helping Eggman get back to civilization by pushing him in his trashed Egg Mobile through space.

Sonic Generations
Some time before the events of Sonic Generations, a short while after the destruction of Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, Orbot and Cubot were still pushing Eggman in his damaged Egg Mobile through outer space alongside when they encountered the primordial form of the Time Eater. As Eggman decided to harness the creature's powers for his own needs, Orbot and Cubot pushed Eggman into the Time Eater, disappearing with it to prepare it for his plans, thus leaving Orbot and Cubot behind in space.

Sonic Lost World
In Sonic Lost World, Orbot and Cubot were working for Dr. Eggman in his newest scheme to conquer the world with the help of the Deadly Six, whom Eggman had forced into serving him with the Cacophonic Conch. After kidnapping a capsule full of Animals for Badniks, Orbot was flying through the sky with Eggman and Cubot in the Egg Mobile where they were pursued by Sonic and Tails in the Tornado, until Eggman shot the Tornado down.

Returning to Eggman's factory on the Lost Hex, Orbot worked with Cubot on making Badniks. Later on, when Eggman tested his Extractor, Orbot operated the controls on the device, but was ordered to shut it down before it could destroy the Earth.

Later in Desert Ruins, Orbot and Cubot were with Eggman as he punished the Deadly Six with the Cacophonic Conch when Sonic arrived and knocked the conch away. As the Deadly Six then rebelled against and attacked everyone present with the Badniks, Orbot caught Cubot's detached head, before escaping with Sonic, Tails and Eggman.

After escaping the Deadly Six, Orbot left Sonic and Tails with Cubot and Eggman. When they learned the Deadly Six were using the Extractor to destroy the Earth, however, Cubot, Eggman and Orbot came back and teamed up with Sonic and Tails to stop the Deadly Six before they could destroy the world. Along the group's travels, Orbot served as the carrier for Cubot's head. After Tails got captured by the Deadly Six, Orbot asked Sonic if he could become his sidekick, but was declined. Later, Orbot was forced to have Cubot's head attached to his body by Eggman.

At Lava Mountain, the group was attacked by Zazz and Zomom, who made Orbot and Cubot fall into a lava pit. However, they were saved by Eggman, who faked his death by falling into the same lava pit and then flew them to safety with a jetpack. After Eggman then shut down the Extractor and charged his mech, Orbot and Cubot joined Eggman in his mech as the doctor faced Sonic and Tails but was defeated. After that, Orbot and Cubot followed Eggman to earth when he fell from the Lost Hex and found him in a hole, though with half of his mustache gone. Orbot convinced Cubot to wait telling Eggman about his mustache until he separated them, but Eggman overheard them, scaring Orbot and Cubot away.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Orbot makes several appearances in the game's different events, along with Cubot. In London Party mode, Orbot is one of the helping characters, where sometimes, when placing a sticker on a question mark spot, both Orbot and Cubot will appear and copy an existing sticker on that page, placing it in a random spot that is not a question mark. Additionally, Orbot and Cubot have their own bonus game, "Orbot And Cubot Tag", where they will try to trap the players in metal cages.

Additionally, when speaking to Metal Sonic in London, Orbot and Cubot will appear above his head and talk to the player instead.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Orbot appears alongside Cubot as one of the hosts for the Action and Answer Tour.

Personality
Orbot has a polished demeanor and speaks calmly and formally. Originally, he was rather robot-like, being logical and mechanical in both behavior and speech. However, his personality has over time become more jaded, giving him a wider spectrum of emotions and independence.

In spite of his demeanor, Orbot is sassy, straightforward and insensitive. He has an eye for efficiency, taking close notice of any flaws and unfitting statements, and will criticize others when he sees fit, though he only means to give constructive criticism rather than insults. Early on, Orbot was rather sarcastic and would insult others with snarky remarks, but he has since become less sarcastic and more formal in his approaches.

Orbot is honest to a fault and speaks without a filter, making him rather tactless when telling his opinions, such as criticizing Eggman outright and asking Sonic if he could become his sidekick despite Sonic being depressed over the loss of Tails. He is also somewhat lazy, showing limited interest in his assignments and often slacking off on the job.

Powers and abilities
Orbot has the ability to retract his body into a travel-sized sphere. While in this state, he is fully capable of movements.

Orbot is able to levitate and can move freely through midair. However, he is not able to levitate any higher than a few meters above the ground and requires a solid surface below him to levitate, meaning he cannot fly across large spaces and will fall down if the footing below him is removed.

Doctor Eggman
While Orbot obeys Dr. Eggman faithfully and shows concerns about his well-being, he really does not like him very much. He is constantly bothered by Eggman's attitude and receives worse treatment from him than from enemies like Sonic and Tails. As such, he agrees with both Sonic and Tails that Eggman is a "total bonehead", openly or subtly laugh at Eggman's misfortune and would early on insult him openly with sarcastic remarks. Additionally, Orbot considers working for Sonic a better alternative than working for Eggman. Regardless of his dislike of Eggman, Orbot is very much afraid of his wrath and will try to not overstep his boundaries.

Cubot
Cubot is Orbot's partner in the service of Dr. Eggman and the two are an inseparable pair. In general, Orbot is not fond of Cubot's dimwitted behavior and considers him a bucket-head and a dolt. He especially showed dislike of having to share his body with Cubot's head in Sonic Lost World, considered his situation a "nightmare". When they work together, Orbot usually lets Cubot do all the work while he slacks off. Also, while having to carry around with Cubot's head in Sonic Lost World, he would mostly fumble around with it for his amusement. Nevertheless, Orbot has a good relationship with Cubot and he considers him a close friend of his. Whenever Cubot regains his normal voice, Orbot would be very happy about his recovery, and when Cubot's body was destroyed in Sonic Lost World, Orbot showed genuine sadness when he thought he was dead.

Sonic the Hedgehog
Though they are supposed to be enemies, Orbot does not really hold any personal hostility towards Sonic the Hedgehog besides his obligation to stop him. In fact, Orbot admires Sonic for his devotion to his friends, which makes him wish to be his sidekick. Also, in Sonic Lost World, after Tails was captured by the Deadly Six, Orbot asked Sonic if he could become his sidekick in the case he could not save Tails as he considered working for him a better alternative than Eggman.

Archie Comics
Orbot appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series and its spin-offs. In this media, Orbot is one of Dr. Eggman's emergency lackeys and personal attendants, along with Cubot. When Snively betrayed Eggman and tried to seize control of the Eggman Empire, Orbot and Cubot were activated to help Eggman capture Snively. After the mission was completed, Orbot and Cubot were permanently instated as Eggman's foremost assistants.

Following the events of Worlds Collide, Orbot and his history became nearly indistinguishable from his game counterpart.

Sonic Boom
In the Sonic Boom franchise, Orbot is one of Dr. Eggman's service robots, much like in the games. He works alongside Cubot and assists the doctor in his endeavors to conquer the world and destroy Team Sonic.

Trivia

 * Orbot was not given an official name until Sonic Colors, as he was not addressed by name in Sonic Unleashed. He was given the name "Ergo" by fans on account of his propensity to use the word frequently while dissecting Eggman's plans. However, in the Sonic Unleashed game script given to Archie Comics writer Ian Flynn, he was supposedly named "SA-55".
 * This early name is leet speak for "sass", which refers to his overall sassy and occasionally cheeky behaviour.
 * Orbot's name is a portmanteau of the words "orb" and "robot".
 * It is also an anagram for "robot".
 * In Vectorman, a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive game included in Sonic Gems Collection, the titular protagonist was a type of robot also referred to as an Orbot.
 * Cubot and Orbot share a similar role to that of several Sonic-related television shows, where Eggman has two rather incompetent henchmen in their own right (such as Scratch and Grounder in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sleet and Dingo in Sonic Underground and Decoe and Bocoe in Sonic X).
 * Orbot is usually doing his "trademark pose" by lying down with his hand on his head.
 * In one cutscene of Sonic Lost World, Orbot is seen holding Cubot's head and saying "Alas, poor Cubot, I knew him well.", a reference to the famous "Alas, poor Yorick" speech from William Shakespeare's Hamlet.