Greetings, anime fans, martial arts aficionados, fighting game devotees, and enthusiasts of all things about anime, martial arts, video games, and fighting tournaments. Antoni here with another written entry. My beloved seven-person anime martial arts teams who have also been Dudley’s and Daisy’s as well as their seven children’s martial arts trainers have struck again. There is no doubt that Dudley, Daisy, and their pups have been very happy and blessed to have these seven-person anime martial arts teams as their instructors. This is because these anime martial artists are individuals first which is the same story said about their fighting video game counterparts. The fourteen anime martial arts teams are not only going to be organized by their respective martial arts but also from oldest to youngest according to their birth years and their ages. I am using the ages they currently are after their shows aired on television. I want to remind you that the characters featured here are from anime series that aired between 1998 and 2009, especially considering that my anime-watching days on Animax during my time in Cebu, Philippines, and Adult Swim during my time in the United States reached an all-time high when I was a 12-year-old sixth grader in 2004. With that said, let us get acquainted with when these anime martial artists were born and express our collective joy about their ever-flourishing tenure as combatants and as people. Some of them are based on canon birthdays, while others are partially based on my own personal headcanon. Osu! Hajime! The Splendid Seven (Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran) Sesshoumaru from Inuyasha – Mixed Martial Arts; April 30, 1981; 42 years old Shuran from Inuyasha – Professional Wrestling; March 14, 1982; 41 years old Inuyasha from Inuyasha – Pankration; April 1, 1982; 41 years old Hakkaku from Inuyasha – Muay Boran; May 9, 1983; 40 years old Ginta from Inuyasha – Lethwei; May 16, 1983; 40 years old Ayame from Inuyasha – Kyuk Too Ki; February 7, 1985; 38 years old Shunran from Inuyasha – Shaolin Kung Fu; February 14, 1986; 37 years old The Radioactive Rebels (Shido, Ban, Ginji, Kyuzo, Heihachi, Satella, and Akemi) Shido Fuyuki from GetBackers – Japanese Jujutsu; August 12, 1980; 43 years old Ban Mido from GetBackers – Brazilian Jujitsu; December 17, 1980; 43 years old Ginji Amano from GetBackers – Judo; April 19, 1981; 42 years old Kyuzo from Samurai 7 – Kajukenbo; October 30, 1983; 40 years old Heihachi Hayashida from Samurai 7 – Qwan Ki Do; February 20, 1984; 39 years old Satella Harvenheit from Chrono Crusade – Nippon Kenpo; June 10, 1984; 39 years old Akemi Takaishi from Shootfighter Tekken – Shorinji Kenpo; March 3, 1986; 37 years old The Quicksilver Quantums (Masaru, Tatsuya, Ryuichi, Mario, Hiroto, Sakurako, and Kuniko) Masaru Aoki from Hajime no Ippo – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing; September 9, 1982; 41 years old Tatsuya Kimura from Hajime no Ippo – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing; October 10, 1982; 41 years old Ryuichi Hayami from Hajime no Ippo – Otowa Mixed Martial Boxing; December 23, 1983; 40 years old Mario Musicanova from Geneshaft – Luta Livre; December 26, 1983; 40 years old Hiroto Amagiwa from Geneshaft – Pancrase; April 12, 1984; 39 years old Sakurako Yukihira from Detective School Q – Musti-yuddha; September 16, 1986; 37 years old Kuniko Touya from Detective School Q – Adithada; June 19, 1988; 35 years old The War Emperors (Yoshiki, Mamoru, Kuranosuke, Tsume, Mitsuhide, Kisuke, and Shinosuke) Yoshiki Takaishi from Shootfighter Tekken – Kapu Kuialua; March 13, 1980; 43 years old Mamoru Takamura from Hajime no Ippo – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing; July 7, 1980; 43 years old Kuranosuke Takeda from Inuyasha – Shoot Wrestling; July 14, 1980; 43 years old Tsume from Wolf’s Rain – Vale Tudo; June 19, 1981; 42 years old Mitsuhide Kuroda from Shootfighter Tekken – Combat Sambo; July 21, 1981; 42 years old Kisuke from Inuyasha – Shootfighting; August 23, 1981; 42 years old Shinosuke from Inuyasha – Shoot Boxing; September 25, 1981; 42 years old The Kings of Formidable Fists (Baki, Ryoma, Takeshi, Kiibo, Alexander, Ichiro, and Ippo) Baki Hanma from Baki the Grappler – Total Fighting Mixed Martial Boxing; January 3, 1982; 41 years old Ryoma Sakamoto from Shura no Toki – Historical Pride FC Mixed Martial Boxing; January 8, 1982; 41 years old Takeshi Sendo from Hajime no Ippo – Naniwa Mixed Martial Boxing; May 5, 1983; 40 years old Kiichi “Kiibo” Miyazawa from Shootfighter Tekken – Nanshin Shadow Mixed Martial Boxing; May 19, 1983; 40 years old Alexander Volg Zangief from Shootfighter Tekken – Otowa Mixed Martial Boxing; October 30, 1983; 40 years old Ichiro Miyata from Hajime no Ippo – Kawahara Mixed Martial Boxing; August 27, 1984; 39 years old Ippo Makunouchi from Hajime no Ippo – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing; November 23, 1984; 39 years old The Blood Empresses (Toran, Blue, Wakana, Mika, Enju, Karan, and Takako) Toran from Inuyasha – Krav Maga; January 15, 1982; 41 years old Blue from Wolf’s Rain – Pencak Silat; June 21, 1982; 41 years old Wakana from Inuyasha – Systema; September 30, 1983; 40 years old Mika Seido from Geneshaft – Bokator; May 25, 1984; 39 years old Enju from Inuyasha – Jeet Kune Do; July 30, 1984; 39 years old Karan from Inuyasha – Hapkido; April 25, 1985; 38 years old Takako Kawashima from Shootfighter Tekken – Taekwondo; June 18, 1985; 38 years old The Queens of Scintillating Strikes (Rosé T, Rose A, Winry, Megumi, Maya, Solty, and Kaoru) Rosé Thomas from Fullmetal Alchemist – Yongmudo; July 23, 1986; 37 years old Rose Anderson from Solty Rei – Gongkwon Yusul; June 30, 1987; 36 years old Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist – Kuk Sool Won; June 9, 1988; 35 years old Megumi Minami from Detective School Q – Hwa Rang Do; February 4, 1989, 34 years old Maya Orihara from Ultra Maniac – Tang Soo Do; March 3,…
Teams
Greetings, anime fans, martial arts aficionados, fighting game devotees, and enthusiasts of all things about anime, martial arts, video games, and fighting tournaments. Antoni here with another written entry. If you know me, based on the title, there are four things I am most passionate about. One is the number seven because it is the number of high fortunes, wealth, prosperity, abundance, sanctity, hope, and faith. Two is anything divisible by seven, and my first passion should be indicative, especially for those of you who have been paying attention in your mathematics classes when you were very young. Three is anime because of the variety found in the choice, interesting storylines, and the cool factor some of the shows possessed. Four is martial arts tournaments because it is enjoyable to see fighters using various combat styles duking it out in the arena and having it soaked in blood and guts. Combine my four passions in life and you get fourteen team-ups consisting of seven anime characters and the martial arts they specialize in. My philosophy revolving around my seven-anime character martial arts teams may affirm the importance of discipline, camaraderie, self-confidence, respect, cooperation, balance, and self-defense. Those attributes are exceptional and should be implemented as habits. However, I also argue that nothing should be held back when launching a series of brutal attacks against various opponents. Those supposedly squeaky-clean characters from the early to mid-2000s Disney Channel sitcoms and cartoons can get their insipid pansy behinds to bail out and get lost, for these fourteen septets of anime martial artists are in the house to tear some butt while looking great in doing so. Therefore, no opponent is safe. Think of this entry as a more organized line-up of the fourteen seven-anime character martial artists featured in the previous entries. Some team-ups are the same, while others are a little more switched up for credibility’s sake. As always, the characters featured will be from anime that I watched on Animax, Adult Swim, Hero TV, and even on the internet, with the ones featured from Inuyasha, Baki the Grappler, Shura no Toki, Shootfighter Tekken, Hajime no Ippo, Fullmetal Alchemist, Solty Rei, Ultra Maniac, Wolf’s Rain, Texhnolyze, Geneshaft, Chrono Crusade, Samurai 7, Kiddy Grade, Hungry Heart, Full Metal Panic, GetBackers, and Cardcaptor Sakura. Let’s get ready to rumble. Osu! Hajime! The Splendid Seven (Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran) When these seven powerful Yokai martial artists take center stage, their opponents would want to either head for the hills to save their skins or try their luck in overcoming them. This is thanks to the combined forces of two dog Yokai brothers, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, three spiky-haired brothers, Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta, and two auburn-haired sisters, Ayame and Shunran, and their brutal moves. Sesshoumaru’s ground and pounds, Shuran’s piledrivers, Inuyasha’s tracheal grip chokes, Hakkaku’s elbow strikes, Ginta’s flying knees, Ayame’s uppercuts, and Shunran’s nerve strikes make them unstoppable as a mighty team. Sesshoumaru (Inuyasha) – Mixed Martial Arts Shuran (Inuyasha) – Professional Wrestling Inuyasha (Inuyasha) – Pankration Hakkaku (Inuyasha) – Muay Boran Ginta (Inuyasha) – Lethwei Ayame (Inuyasha) – Kyuk Too Ki Shunran (Inuyasha) – Shaolin Kung Fu The Radioactive Rebels (Shido, Ban, Ginji, Kyuzo, Heihachi, Satella, and Akemi) No natural disaster can equal the damage that Shido Fuyuki, Ban Mido, Ginji Amano, Kyuzo, Heihachi Hayashida, Satella Harvenheit, and Akemi Takaishi can accomplish. When combining Shido’s guillotine chokes, Ban’s arm triangles, Ginji’s leg wheels, Kyuzo’s check kicks, Heihachi’s spinning back kicks, Satella’s ox jaw strikes, and Akemi’s palm strikes, opponents are in for an exciting thrill ride full of spins, rolls, and drops as if they boarded an intense roller coaster ride to oblivion. Where these seven lethal combatants are going to take their opponents is far from bright and breezy, as it will be full of destructive turbulence. Shido Fuyuki (GetBackers) – Japanese Jujitsu Ban Mido (GetBackers) – Brazilian Jujitsu Ginji Amano (GetBackers) – Judo Kyuzo (Samurai 7) – Kajukenbo Heihachi Hayashida (Samurai 7) – Qwan Ki Do Satella Harvenheit (Chrono Crusade) – Nippon Kenpo Akemi Takaishi (Shootfighter Tekken) – Shorinji Kenpo The Quicksilver Quantums (Masaru, Tatsuya, Ryuichi, Mario, Hiroto, Sakurako, and Kuniko) There is nothing more fulfilling, let alone more purposeful, than ensuring that a true martial artist combines brute force, military precision, quick self-defense, and benevolent character and turn these attributes into a unit. Fortunately for Masaru Aoki, Tatsuya Kimura, Ryuichi Hayami, Mario Musicanova, Hiroto Amagiwa, Sakurako Yukihira, and Kuniko Touya, they are living proof that they have what it takes to live like true martial artists and more. Masaru’s haymakers, Tatsuya’s hooks, Ryuichi’s jabs, Mario’s armbars, Hiroto’s leglocks, Sakurako’s roundhouse kicks, and Kuniko’s double flying kicks can easily incapacitate their opponents. Masaru Aoki (Hajime no Ippo) – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing Tatsuya Kimura (Hajime no Ippo) – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing Ryuichi Hayami (Hajime no Ippo) – Otowa Mixed Martial Boxing Mario Musicanova (Geneshaft) – Luta Livre Hiroto Amagiwa (Geneshaft) – Pancrase Sakurako Yukihira (Detective School Q) – Musti-yuddha Kuniko Touya (Detective School Q) – Adithada The War Emperors (Yoshiki, Mamoru, Kuranosuke, Tsume, Kisuke, Mitsuhide, and Shinosuke) Virile power and heavyweight muscularity are the best lexical descriptions that encapsulate Yoshiki Takaishi, Mamoru Takamura, Kuranosuke Takeda, Tsume, Kisuke, Mitsuhide Kuroda, and Shinosuke. Each of these tall, mighty, powerfully built gentlemen is capable of making their opponents submit regardless of brute strength and/or unparalleled skill, with the arena cheering them on. Yoshiki’s bearhugs, Mamoru’s liver punches, Kuranosuke’s rear naked chokeholds, Tsume’s fireman’s carries, Kisuke’s double leg takedowns, Mitsuhide’s underhooks, and Shinosuke’s overhooks can reduce mighty giants into mere mortals. Yoshiki Takaishi (Shootfighter Tekken) – Kapu Kuialua Mamoru Takamura (Hajime no Ippo) – Kamogawa Mixed Martial Boxing Kuranosuke Takeda (Inuyasha) – Shoot Wrestling Tsume (Wolf’s Rain) – Vale Tudo Kisuke (Inuyasha) – Shootfighting Mitsuhide Kuroda (Shootfighter Tekken) – Combat Sambo Shinosuke (Inuyasha) – Shoot Boxing The Kings of Formidable Fists (Baki, Ryoma, Takeshi, Kiibo, Alexander, Ichiro, and Ippo) Boxing or Mixed Martial…
Greetings, anime fans, martial arts aficionados, fighting game devotees, and enthusiasts of all things pertaining to anime, martial arts, video games, and fighting tournaments. Antoni here with another written entry. The UFC, Pride FC, World Combat League, martial arts tournament, and fighting game junkie in me has struck again. Deservedly so. I love the result of combining anime with martial arts tournaments because of how well they can correlate with each other in terms of strength, excitement, thrills, and formidability. One can never go wrong with such a combination, and I am one of the many people pleased to have done so. When I first made my anime martial arts septet line-up, I initially believed that some of the entries made sense. However, looking back at it, some of them have not held up that well. This time I will bump my list up to fourteen team-ups because, after all, fourteen is a number divisible by seven. It is also better that I work with this number because eight just seemed too deficient. Moreover, I based it on my Toonami-era Inurangers headcanon team line-up, which serves as a fictional counterpart to the real-life Saban-era Power Rangers teams. As I said, looking back at the martial arts I gave some of the teams, they could be better. The same rule applies I will list down the characters I caught on Animax, Adult Swim, Hero TV, and even on the internet. Therefore, do expect some of my favorite characters from Inuyasha, Baki the Grappler, Shura no Toki, Shootfighter Tekken, Hajime no Ippo, Texhnolyze, Wolf’s Rain, Fullmetal Alchemist, Solty Rei, Ultra Maniac, Detective School Q, Chrono Crusade, Geneshaft, Galaxy Angel, Hungry Heart, GetBackers, Full Metal Panic, Gokusen, UFO Baby, and Cardcaptor Sakura to show up. Characters from Cowboy Bebop, Baccano, Hellsing Ultimate, Trigun, Outlaw Star, Fist of the North Star, YuYu Hakusho, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Stratos 4, Witch Hunter Robin, Saiyuki, Saber Marionette J, Otogi Zoshi the Legend of Magatama, Rurouni Kenshin, R.O.D. the TV, Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Jungle no Ouja Tar-Chan, Great Teacher Onizuka, Flame of Recca, Gun X Sword, Tsukihime, Ghost Stories, Haibane Renmei, and many other anime series that I could barely name off the top of my head deserve separate lists too because they are a class of their own, especially the first seven I just mentioned, and I would not want to oversaturate this entry. Furthermore, the now grown-up Inuyasha kids as well as my anime OTP next-generation characters from Inuyasha x Ayame to Hakkaku x Shunran x Ginta to many others I would have loved to mention are also going to be featured in another entry. With that said, let us commence that great kick-butt, high-octane martial action. Osu! Hajime! The Splendid Seven (Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran) These seven Yokai martial artists consisting of two dog yokai brothers in Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, three spiky-haired brothers in Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta, and two auburn-haired sisters in Ayame and Shunran can make their opponents tremble when they enter the arena. When combining Sesshoumaru’s ground and pounds, Shuran’s piledrivers, Inuyasha’s tracheal grip chokes, Hakkaku’s elbow strikes, Ginta’s flying knees, Ayame’s uppercuts, and Shunran’s nerve strikes, they become an unstoppable force. What keeps them together is ferocious formidability, for they can never be knocked down from every grueling challenge. Sesshoumaru (Inuyasha) – Mixed Martial Arts Shuran (Inuyasha) – Professional Wrestling Inuyasha (Inuyasha) – Pankration Hakkaku (Inuyasha) – Muay Boran Ginta (Inuyasha) – Lethwei Ayame (Inuyasha) – Kyuk Too Ki Shunran (Inuyasha) – Shaolin Kung Fu The Honorable Budoka (Kuranosuke, Kisuke, Shinosuke, Toran, Wakana, Enju, and Karan) Honor, decorum, valor, stamina, respect, cooperation, and confidence are what define these seven incredible martial artists. Kuranosuke Takeda, Kisuke, and Shinosuke are valiant combatants of the Kyokushin Kaikan discipline because of how these three gentlemen throw unapologetically hard blows against their opponents. Toran is like water when she makes her enemies fall on their knees. Wakana and Enju possess strikes so painful that they can make any perpetrator’s limbs go numb. Karan has lightning-fast attacks that see her go zero gravity into the air and land sharp blows. Therefore, any bum would be foolish to take them down. Kuranosuke Takeda (Inuyasha) – Ashihara Karate Kisuke (Inuyasha) – Enshin Karate Shinosuke (Inuyasha) – Seidokaikan Karate Toran (Inuyasha) – Jeet Kune Do Wakana (Inuyasha) – Nippon Kenpo Enju (Inuyasha) – Shorinji Kenpo Karan (Inuyasha) – Taekwondo The Noble Karate Warriors (Hoshiyomi, Suikotsu, Amari, Tsukyiomi, Sara, Kikyo, and Shima) Abundant decorum and sharp focus are these seven Karatekas guiding lights as combatants and as individuals. There is no strike, no takedown, no punch, and no kick strong enough to take these warriors down who all have the mindset of a samurai ready for either battle or death. Their enemies need to be wary of Hoshiyomi’s and Suikotsu’s penchant for full-contact strikes, Amari’s deadly precision, Tsukiyomi’s accuracy, Sara’s focus, Kikyo’s relentlessness, and Shima’s agility. Any blow these seven Karatekas have in store can either gain their opponents’ respect or break and burn them on the inside to ashes and cinders. Hoshiyomi (Inuyasha) – Kyokushin Karate Suikotsu (Inuyasha) – Shotokan Karate Amari Nobunaga (Inuyasha) – Goju-Ryu Karate Tsukiyomi (Inuyasha) – Shukokai Karate Sara Asano (Inuyasha) – Shito-Ryu Karate Kikyo (Inuyasha) – Shorin-Ryu Karate Shima (Inuyasha) – Motobu-Ryu Karate The Kings of Formidable Fists (Baki, Ryoma, Takeshi, Kiibo, Alexander, Ichiro, and Ippo) Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts? Who gives a damn? Seven strong and sturdy dudes who are Mixed Martial Boxing? You’re going to give a damn! This is especially true when Baki Hanma, Ryoma Sakamoto, Takeshi Sendo, Kiichi Miyazawa, Alexander Volg Zangief, Ichiro Miyata, and Ippo Makunouchi are prepared to give a whole array of painful uppercuts, jabs, hooks, straight punches, submission holds, ground and pounds, and armbars. Having furious fists and fine footwork may not be enough in the long run, but combining those attributes with abundant physical strength and…
Greetings, fans of The Powerpuff Girls, Codename: Kids Next Door, and Teen Titans, Antoni here with another written entry. If you saw my post regarding my favorite six-person teams from some of my favorite shows, you would already know that Team Xtreme which is my headcanon name for the Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff Girls as a superhero team from “The Powerpuff Girls”, Sector V plus Katie from “Codename: Kids Next Door”, and the Teen Titans from Jump City plus Terra and Titans East plus Sarasim were my top entries. You can tell how much I admired these groups because, as you can tell, I grew up watching The Powerpuff Girls, Codename: Kids Next Door, and Teen Titans seeing that these were and will always be my favorite Cartoon Network shows of all time next to Samurai Jack, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Dexter’s Laboratory, Duck Dodgers, and I Am Weasel that also manage to hold a very special place in my heart. Today, I am going to sort out the who’s who in these particular groups, some based on some of the shows’ canon and some based on my headcanons, with their current ages. Get ready to kick some villain butt for the sake of truth, justice, liberty, and, in some cases, the last slice of pizza. Team Xtreme (My Headcanon Name for The Rowdyruff Boys and The Powerpuff Girls as one Superhero Team from “The Powerpuff Girls”) Team Xtreme Members: Brick, the 27-year-old fearless leader who rules with an iron fist, heaps of charisma, and is fiercely protective of his teammates. His special power is his signature fire breath and is a pyrokinesis user. Butch, the 27-year-old brutish muscle who is unafraid to use his Herculean strength to beat up criminals and monsters and help his teammates out in any situation. His special powers are his Tornado Punch and building a forcefield to protect and his teammates. Boomer, the 27-year-old lovable dumb muscle who is the comic relief of the group, loves to tell a good joke and has the strength of Heracles, the combat prowess of Theseus, and the charm of an Apollo. He is a lightning manipulator and can form objects out of raw energy. Blossom, the 26-year-old tech-savvy, articulate, book smart brainy beauty whose wisdom and cool sense of intellect is a great asset to the team. Her special power is her signature ice breath as well as being a cryokinesis user. Buttercup, the 26-year-old rambunctious brawler who is unafraid to let her fists fly and who is any criminal’s worst nightmare. She is a geomancer as well as being a telekinesis user. Bubbles, the 25-year-old sweet, innocent pacifist who ensures that there is unity, good vibes, and great collaboration happening in Team Xtreme. She bears sound-related attacks and is a water manipulator. My love for Brick, Butch, Boomer, Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles as one fine superhero team who keeps Townsville safe knows no bounds because of the many character dynamics that can occur. Combining Brick’s large-and-in-charge big brother personality, Butch’s brawny tough guy attitude, Boomer’s lovable dumb muscle funnyman antics, Blossom’s intellect, Buttercup’s fiery attitude, and Bubbles’ innocence as the pacifist is sufficient to show how much strength there is in numbers and being proof positive that with great power comes great positivity, which is the mantra they have learned ever since they were kindergarteners. As adults, they uphold this principle, as it is passed down to their children. Main Team Xtreme Ships: Brick x Buttercup (Brickercup) Boomer x Blossom (Blossoomer) Butch x Bubbles (Butchubbles) Butch x Blossom (Blossutch) Boomer x Bubbles (Boomubbles) Team Xtreme Next Generation: The Brickercup Children (Brad, Bruce, Bailee, Bea, Brett, Bridget, Baxter, Blaster, Brina, Blaze, Brent, Brooke, Brianna, Bane, Bethany, and Bona) The Blossoomer Children (Bloom, Brittney, Beau, Brian, Becky, Belladonna, Basil, and Bramley) The Butchubbles Children (Brandon, Buddy, Brea, Betty, Blithe, Bibi, Blaine, and Blair) The Blossutch Children (Bernadette, Brendan, Blake, Bradley, Belle, Brenda, Belinda, and Barbara) The Boomubbles Children (Bailey, Barley, Bonnie, Brittany, Ben, Birdie, Bali, and Belina) Sector V (Codename: Kids Next Door) Sector V Members: Nigel “Numbuh 1” Uno, the 28-year-old intellectual, articulate, savvy leader of the group who rules with precision and focus. Hoagie P. “Numbuh 2” Gilligan, the 28-year-old lively, enthusiastic comic relief of the group who loves to crack jokes. Kuki “Numbuh 3” Sanban-Beatles, the 27-year-old lovable, innocent pacifist of the group who loves to ensure unity. Wallabee “Numbuh 4” Beatles, the 28-year-old tough, impulsive, wild muscle of the group who loves to dive head-on into battle. Abigail “Numbuh 5” Lincoln-Uno, the 28-year-old cool, calm, collected brain of the group who uses reason to get through anything. Katie “Numbuh 6” Strong-Gilligan, the 27-year-old athletic, gorgeous, well-rounded sixth ranger of the group who is an exceptional combination of beauty, brains, and brawn. Canonically-speaking there have been five members in Sector V and Katie was only an illusion created by Chester to mess with Nigel’s brain. However, since this is my Codename: KND headcanon, Katie is real, alive, and well, hails from Hawaii, and was and will always be the sixth Sector V operative who has been of great use to the team. You are probably wondering why did I not put Lizzie Devine as the sixth operative and instead favored Katie. That is because I cannot stand how shrill, clingy, whiny, and vexatious Lizzie was as a character, especially when she was adamant for having Nigel to herself, and though she had her moments of competence, I highly doubt that she would ever be a reliable KND operative. Getting back to the main six members of Sector V at hand, while all five members show a great deal of interpersonal chemistry and wonderful group dynamics, adding Katie to the mix would prove to be more beneficial since, at least in my headcanon, she is an athletic, intuitive beauty who can fight like a beast with fierceness and precision. Thus, combining Nigel’s articulate leadership, Hoagie’s lovable goofball personality, Wallabee’s toughness, strength, and occasional foolhardiness, Abby’s…
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, it’s your old pal Antoni here with another written entry. As you can tell from the title above, I want to talk about my favorite teams of six from some of my favorite animated shows of all time. Some of them are based on my headcanons, while others are based on the fact that there are legitimately six characters. The number six. It is a rather infamous number next to four and thirteen. It is said that number six is the number of the devil, especially when it is mentioned three times. However, if one were to positively connotate this number, six is actually a really interesting number, as it is a lucky number when it is indicated as the highest number on the dice, the number of love according to the Tarot cards, and is the number of completeness, thus waning away any form of separation. With that said, let us get to the main list. Keep in mind that these teams of six come from some of my favorite Western cartoon shows, so, anime is eventually going to get its own list. Moreover, these are the shows I grew up with during my life in the 90s to the early 2000s, and, as always, do expect some tied entries. I am also judging each six-person group in terms of their interpersonal chemistry and how exceptionally they work together, both in headcanon and/or in real canon. Now, let’s get cracking. 9. The Jungle Cubs (Shere Khan, Hathi, Baloo, Kaa, Louie, and Bagheera) Back when I was a kid I only heard about this show in passing. It was not until I spent two weeks in Oxford, England with a host family that I caught this show in Playhouse Disney of all networks. Disney’s Jungle Cubs was a cute, enjoyable show and it was rather lovely seeing the animals one knows and loves from Disney’s The Jungle Book as this six-cub band. I figured that if Shere Khan, Hathi, Baloo, Kaa, Louie, and Bagheera had maintained their six-way friendship all the way up to adulthood, these six would have been amazing animal guardians to Mowgli and not just the wolves, thus being akin to a huge family. Shere Khan would have tapped into Mowgli’s skills as a fighter, more specifically a wrestler and a hunter, and his roaring skills, thus making him gain the strength to defeat his opponents. Hathi would have instilled duty upon Mowgli that he has to protect the jungle from all forms of harm. Baloo would still teach Mowgli a thing or two about compassion and friendliness. Kaa would have tested Mowgli’s stealth and cunning. Louie would have taught him how to enjoy his life while he is still young and spry. Finally, Bagheera would have instilled wisdom upon Mowgli to decipher what is prudent and foolhardy, right and wrong, and decent and vulgar. At least, this happens in my headcanon, thus making Mowgli grow not only with his beloved wolf family but also his animal guardians, thus bringing in Shanti as his wife and Ranjan as his human brother along for the ride to protect the jungles of India along with their progeny. Going back to Shere Khan, Hathi, Baloo, Kaa, Louie, and Bagheera as cubs, these six animals have superb chemistry because of the fact that they play off of each other so effectively. Shere Khan is the fierce deadpan snarker, Hathi is the lovable scatterbrain who tries to keep it together, Baloo is the adorable laid-back slacker, Kaa is the hilarious hypnotizer, Louie is the hyperactive bundle of joy, and Bagheera is the only sane cub who is the brains of the group. When they are a team, they are dynamic and rather indestructible but when separated, they would not function as superbly or dynamically. At the end of the day, what one gets with these six cubs is a lot of fun dynamics, interesting characterizations, and some memorable stories that can occur on any given occasion. Special kudos also has to go to Jason Marsden as Shere Khan and Louie, Rob Paulsen as Hathi, Elizabeth Daily as Bagheera, Pamela Adlon as Baloo, and Jim Cummings as Kaa, as well as Cree Summer as the second voice of Louie, Stephen Furst as the second voice of Hathi, and Dee Bradley Baker as the second voice of Bagheera, for doing exceptional jobs bringing these characters to life, especially the first set of voice actors in the first season. 8. The Recess Gang (TJ Detwiler, Vince LaSalle, Ashley Spinelli, Mikey Blumberg, Gretchen Grundler, and Gus Griswald) Ah, yes, my dear millennial comrades, we are going to talk about the Recess gang from Disney’s Recess, one of the greatest slice-of-life cartoons to rank alongside Hey Arnold, Arthur, The Weekenders, and As Told by Ginger. We have TJ the leader, Vince the athlete, Spinelli the brawler chick, Mikey the gentle giant, Gretchen the brain, and Gus the nerd who has a lot more than meets the eye. Every episode featuring these six kids from Third Street School is exciting, fun, and never leaves me bored because of how strongly they stick together as really best friends who have each others’ backs and will not leave anyone behind. This is also due to how exceptionally they work together not only as one team but also a group of friends who have amazing adventures and misadventures in the school playground and in their daily lives as kids. When one combines TJ’s idealism, strong personality, proactivity, and willingness to take charge, Vince’s athletic prowess and cool guy attitude, Spinelli’s fiery temperament and her willingness to let her fists fly at the slightest provocation but still has enough lovability to back her up, Mikey’s sweet, gentle giant lovability, Gretchen’s technological savviness, and Gus’s innocence and shyness, one gets a magnificent team of six friends who use their different skills to either escape any sticky situation, collaborate well when times get rough, and even enjoy themselves, as they get…