Tobot Zero

The robot that first went by Zero (Babot/바봇) was a prototype that Franklin and Limo made together. Though it was used by Limo to carry out his evil plans, it was destroyed at Booroong Motors carrying out its number one priority: protect his master's life.

After Limo's redemption, Zero was rebuilt as a tow truck, which Limo made into Tobot Zero. This steadfast Tobot does not have any offensive capabilities, but makes up for it in his protective spirit.

Fiction[]

Voice Actor: 설재근/Seul Jae Geun (Korean), Peter New (English), more...

Zero's Mind Core was a prototype built by Franklin and Limo, based on the Toborobot. The initial Mind Core seemingly didn't function, however, leaving the two stuck on what to do. Franklin decided to create two updated models of the Mind Core, and managed to pull out a success when they bonded to his two twin sons. He then showed Limo that the Mind Cores would activate with a human bond, motivating Limo to try again with both the original prototype and a present for his adopted son.

Eventually, Franklin and Limo succeeded in building the fully-functional first model of Tobot Zero. The success was short-lived, however, when a fire broke out and Tobot Zero was found to not function properly, to harrowing results.

Spoiler warning!
This article contains important plot details regarding Tobot: Zero Story.
Please proceed with caution.

“	I can't stop now. I'm a villain. And so are you. Zero, I'm giving you a new name. From now on, you're Babot.	”
	— Limo Kwon, Zero Story Episode 12, pre-season 1 flashback

After Zero failed to save his wife (among other people) in a fire, Limo began breaking down, believing that he had lost everything and that the world wasn't worth keeping, leading to his conversion into villainy. Zero, who had survived, began carrying out Limo's tasks, following his orders to the bitter end.

(Zero Story Episode 12)

Zero acted as the black van that kidnapped Franklin, thus being the main target of Ryan and Kory. He later lured Tobot X into an undisclosed location, where, under Diluk's orders, he began attacking the newer model. Zero overpowered both X and Y until Ryan and Kory activated Great Tobot X, and, in the resulting battle, Zero was forced to retreat to save Diluk.

Zero was then used to bring Ryan and Kory to the Booroong Motors factory by mimicking Franklin's voice, in which he was deployed to fight X and Y once more. The battle was short-lived, however, when X and Y chucked a large tank truck at him, knocking him into a notably explosive gas valve. Limo demanded that Zero continue to fight the Tobots until the threat of another factory fire triggered traumatic memories; Zero heard Limo's pleas for him to return and sacrificed himself to save his master.

Afterwards, Diluk was approached by Acnee, who wanted to obtain a copy of Zero's AI program. As the only copy that Diluk had was corrupted, he was forced to try to capture one of the Tobots instead. In the meantime, Zero's Mind Core and memory drive were recovered offscreen by Angela.

While rebuilding Zero, Dr. Wang, against Angela's orders, reactivated Zero with his memory still intact. Upon his revival, Zero's only interest was finding Limo, to Wang's frustration. Annoyed, Wang told Zero that Limo was gone, causing Zero to break out into rage, taking down the nearby Boxerbot in one fell swoop, and letting out an immense energy burst strong enough to tear through a truck and at least three brick walls. Dr. Wang quickly disabled Zero before he could cause any further destruction and removed his memory drive for future use.

(Zero Story Episode 8)

Clueless to this incident, Angela returned Zero to Limo as a tow truck and gave him a garage in an undisclosed location so that he could work on him, raising suspicion from Franklin, Ryan, and Kory. The true nature of this action was to frame Limo as a villain by releasing two fake Zeros - one that looked like his original black van incarnation, and another that looked like his current tow truck incarnation - to cause havoc around the city; the former would attack the city and cause general mayhem, and the latter would release Buggys that would make cars go haywire. The Buggys were notably controlled by a video game handheld that Angela had passed on to Limo to then give to Dylan.

Limo was unaware of all of this and showed Franklin the reincarnated Zero; the police mistook this as an attempt on Franklin's life and tried to arrest Limo before being chased off by Zero, who felt that his master was in danger. He was then in turn attacked by Tobot C and was forced to retreat with Limo, narrowly avoiding a deadly Hyper Vox.

With the situation worsening, Limo decided to visit Dylan one last time before turning himself in, ordering Zero to stay put in the meantime. In the process, Limo gave Dylan a calling device, leading to Zero coming to the latter's aid. Noting that both Zero and Z responded to his commands despite not being incubated by him, Dylan asked why they followed him, to which Zero answered:

“	Conclusion: The reason is simple. Explanation: Zero's Mind Core has been raised by Dr. Limo, and thus it is just like Dr. Limo's heart. Zero loves Dylan. That is because Dr. Limo loves Dylan.	”
	— Zero, Competition Ignition (Korean)

Afterwards, Zero provided Dylan with Limo's notebook, which mentioned the old Boorong Motors facilities. Zero was on standby while Dylan and Z, as well as Dolly Park and Tobot D, went to Boorong Motors to save Limo.

During the match with Boxerbot, Z was entangled in the boxing ring's ropes, and thus Dylan called for Zero's help. The recently rescued Limo transformed Zero so that he could stall for time while D freed Z; during this skirmish, it was revealed that Zero did not know how to attack and only took hits from Boxerbot before Z intervened. The Boorong Motors incident was eventually resolved by the arrival of Tobot Quatran.

Later on, the Tobots were dispatched as safety patrol (and autograph signing) during a robotics festival, in which the lesser-known Zero was mostly left out. He did gain respect from some competitors in the robot fighting tournament, however, when he managed to repair the robots that had been defeated by Chaostar with relative ease. During the festival, Dylan noted that the strange pilot of Chaostar kept challenging Zero to fight his robot.

Tobots X, Y, D, and R eventually joined the tournament to challenge Chaostar, only to be quickly defeated as the BullyKing had previously tampered with their repair system. Dylan was eventually coerced into sending out Zero, who managed to avoid Chaostar's attacks until Franklin intervened. In the split second Dylan was distracted, however, Chaostar overpowered Zero and forced the old memory drive into him, recovering Zero's memory that "Limo was gone" and throwing him into an uncontrollable rage once more. Dr. Wang then employed Diluk to control Zero as his secondary pilot, only to immediately lose that power when Diluk began insulting Limo.

The Tobot team formed Tritan and Quatran in an attempt to restrain Zero, but both combiners were outmatched and Tritan was quickly separated. X, Y, and Z then used the Combo Shield to try to keep the destruction in an enclosed location, with Zero rapidly unleashing bursts of energy, until Limo finally arrived, having escaped from the clutches of the BullyKing. This calmed Zero down enough for Quatran to move in and finally subdue the rampaging Tobot.

After the whole ordeal had settled down, most of the Tobots headed back for repairs, while Zero regained his composure. He was then approached by Chaostar, however, as Dr. Wang now planned to destroy him altogether. Chaostar quickly defeated C and Z, the only two Tobots present at the time, and moved to eliminate Zero, only to fall apart when Zero pulled out his wrench and disassembled the robot entirely, ending Dr. Wang's schemes.

Traits[]

Appearance[]

In "Tobot: Heroes of the Big City", unlike other Tobots, he appeared as a small robot, and not an upgraded body, because of this, the vehicle mode was removed. The front area is not much different from the previous one, but during a conversation it flashes gray.

Personality[]

As a reformed Tobot, Zero is quiet and strictly follows Limo's orders. His speech pattern begins with a word that describes his next line, followed by the line itself.

It could appear that Zero was not built with combat programming simply due to his previous "life" as a villain robot, but Tobot: Zero Story reveals that Zero has pacifist programming for a very good reason.

In essence, Zero's lack of combat capabilities is because he strictly protects his owner and only his owner, and thus could potentially cause chaos if he was allowed to fight. This issue is likely caused by his Mind Core being a prototype of the later, complete Mind Cores that are used by the Tobots and Athlons, which are highly sensitive to heartless usage.

Relationships[]

Abilities[]

As Babot, Zero is strong enough to defeat X and Y with ease.

After being rebuilt, Zero have no offensive abilities as Zero is not programmed to fight, though he can support his allies when needed. Instead, his expertise lies in repairing machinery, being able to fix any and all parts.

(Zero Story Episode 6)

Toys[]

Tobot Zero/또봇 ZERO (2014)
- Accessories: crane, silver wrench Tokey, clear wrench Tokey, stickers

Tobot Zero transforms into a licensed Kia Bongo 3 tow truck. The toy has a dynamo generator wheel which makes lights and sounds when pressed and rolled on the floor. One of the Tokeys can be stored on the back of the truck.

This toy was later redecoed into Tobot V Rescue Zero.

Mini Tobot Zero/또봇 미니 ZERO (2014)
- Accessories: hook, stickers

Part of the second wave of Tobot Minis, this is a simplified version of Tobot Zero. So simplified that he doesn't have forward arm movement, so you're limited to making Mario poses. The hook cannot attach to his arm, but on the back.

Trivia[]

Tobot Zero is the only Tobot not involved in any integrations. He is also the only non-combiner Tobot with a number as a name.

Background[]

Resemblances[]

Notes[]

Babot is a play on the Korean word "바보" (babo) meaning "idiot". Of course, that name wouldn't fly overseas and would be renamed Tobot Zero in the English dubs.
It's hard to tell whether Babot was supposed to be the prototype's official name in the first place. He's often called Zero in Season 1, and is only called "Babot" by Diluk when he insults him for fleeing ("이 바보 바봇!" lit "You stupid Babot!"). It's entirely possible that the fanbase and Retrobot found a liking to the name and it just stuck.
Zero's theme music is Feed My Afterburner by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic, a theme he shares with Tobot K.
Of the Tobots from the original series returning in Heroes of Daedo City, Zero is the only one not to return as a Tobot. Instead, he was rebuilt in a non-transforming body and serves as butler/assistant to the team.