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Monster Rancher (TV series)
Genre	Fantasy, Adventure
Anime
Directed by	Hiroyuki Yano
Studio	TMS

Monster Rancher (known as Monster Farm in Japan) is an anime series based on the video game series of the same name. The series initially consisted of only 48 episodes; however, it was eventually decided to extend it for a total of 78 episodes. The series follows a young boy named Genki who gets trapped in the Monster Rancher world. Genki eventually meets a variety of characters that join him on a quest to defeat Moo, an evil entity bent on destroying the world.

Compared to other "pet monster" animes at the time, such as Pokémon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, the show had a much darker, more serious tone. Deaths and murders were frequent (although the monsters were not really "killed", they were turned into disks), though, admittedly, most were implied, and offscreen. Minor characters were usually given a tragic backstory, and even some villains were given depth. The show still supplied a sizable amount of humor, usually in the characters' mannerisms, so it could well appeal to multiple age groups.

Characters

(Main article; Characters in Monster Rancher anime

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Heroes

• Genki: A 10-year old elementary school boy that is sort of the 'leader' of the group. He has a good heart, and he truly cares for his friends and the monsters. His goal is to turn all of the evil monsters called 'baddies' into good monsters again. Determined, optimistic, and hopeful, Genki is a real go-getter. "Genki" means "Energetic" or "Healthy" in Japanese.

• Holly: A 13-year old girl who is on a quest to find the location of the ancient Monster called Phoenix. Holly uses a magical pendant to locate new Mystery Discs that contain monsters. Though she denies it at first, she learned that her father has become a vessel for the soul of the evil Moo. After the Phoenix and Moo destroyed each other, Holly went on a quest to find Moo's Mystery Disc to save her father from the very monster he had become.

• Mocchi: A little pink monster who is Genki's tag team partner in many battles. Mocchi came into existence when Genki went to the shrine and unlocked his video game disk which turned out to be a Mystery Disk. Although Mocchi's initial actions indicated that he was a very young child, he soon became a great fighter and a valuable asset in the search for the Phoenix. Like Genki, Mocchi is very brave and good-hearted. When in battle, Mocchi can move very fast by rolling into a ball like an armadillo and bouncing. Mocchi is also capable of producing very powerful attacks, most notably his Mocchi Cannon move.

• Suezo: A simple monster with only a mouth, a huge singular eye, and and an upright tail. He is Holly's loyal monster retainer. Suezo serves as comic relief in many instances, though he can be a little obnoxious and loud-mouthed. He has amazing Telescopic vision and can teleport himself and other objects from one location to another in mere seconds.

• Golem: A large and powerful humanoid monster made of rocks. He moves slowly, but his punch is destructive. Golem is a kind-hearted monster who loves nature. However, when in battle he will fight furiously with powerful techniques. He can break apart to perform his Tornado attack, launching bits and pieces of himself in a whirlwind formation. Because he cannot swim, he is also afraid of water.

• Tiger: (Rygar in Japanese) A blue, wolf-like monster with horns on his head. He is a feared thief and bandit known as "Tiger of the Wind". He was the leader of a pack of rouge mixed-breed Tigers that were isolated from all humans. Eventually, he met up with Genki. At first, he looked down upon Genki's optimistic and caring nature. Tiger had a rough past that changed him forever, giving him a jaded and cold view of life. However, after listening to Genki, he has learned to care more for others. A clan of Black Dinos commanded by Moo killed off Tiger's pack, so he joined up with Genki's team in hopes of finding and defeating Moo. Tiger is extremely fast and powerful in battle. He uses an array of swift attacks, as well as firing electricity from his horns and using ice-based attacks.

• Hare: (Ham in Japanese) A humanoid, charismatic rabbit with large fists. He is very cunning and a trickster. At first, he was a con-artist who tried to steal the gang's valuables. Tiger did not trust him at all and was sore about losing to him in battle. But after Tiger forgave him, he joined the team. After a while he formed strong bonds of friendship and with the others, and although he and Tiger still argued frequently, they too developed a sense of friendship. While friendly, Hare tends to be selfish and gloats about his skills. His fighting style revolves around boxing, flying kicks and flatulence. Although he was often reminded of his shifty past by his teammates (Particularly Tiger), Hare became the team planner and often devised cunning battle strategies, rescue operations, and even methods of retreat when necessary.

Others

• Pixie: Formerly one of Moo's Big Bad Four, Pixie left Muu after Genki opened her eyes to the truth of Moo's evil. Although her exact age is not known, Pixie appears to be in her early twenties. Pixie is based on the pure-bred pixies depicted on the Monster Rancher video game. Her overall appearance is that of a slim young woman with red hair and a pair of leathery wings. Two silver horns jut from her head and she has a whip-like tail that ends in a small spike. Her usual garb is a reddish-pink bikini-like outfit. Pixie is one of the most physically powerful characters featured on the Monster Rancher series. In addition to seemingly superhuman strength and speed, Pixie can fly and generate massive energy surges. Pixie came to play a semi-regular role on Monster Rancher, and helped Genki and his friends time and again until she was mortally injured by Moo. By the sacrifice of her follower, Big Blue, Pixie was healed and reborn as Granity. After this transformation, Pixie took on an angelic appearance. Her wings became feathery and her hair turned green, and her reddish-pink clothes were replaced with silver battle armor. Pixie’s disposition ranges from quiet and shrewd to level-headed and mature. Strong-willed, independent and very pretty, Pixie is perhaps the character on Monster Rancher most likely to click with adult anime fans.

• Big Blue: An ice-carved giant whose is made of un-meltable ice rock. He functions as Pixie's bodyguard and travelling companion. Although seemingly as cold as he appeared, he was truly loyal to Pixie and fought by her side no matter what she believed in. After Pixie's fatal injuries during her battle with Moo in his newly perfected body, Big Blue loved his master so much that he sacrificed his own existence to save Pixie by fusing his being into her, turning her into Granity. Except for color, he is identical in appearance to Golem.

• Grey Wolf: He was Tiger's younger brother who was made into a member of Moo's Big Bad Four. Although he was once like his brother, Grey Wolf was captured during a battle and the darkness of his heart was exploited by Moo, turning him into a baddie. As a member of the Big Bad Four, Grey Wolf led a pack of mixed breed Tigers and commanded armies of baddies which patrolled the surrounding areas. After many of his minions were defeated by his brother and the others, Grey Wolf fought his brother and was defeated.

• Alan: Alan was a young human boy with a Worm as his monster partner. He wanted to join Moo, but after three female Weeds known as Seed Sisters double-crossed him and killed his Worm, he decided that he would fight against Moo. Although he used to be a cruel master to his monster, he changed after watching the Seed Sisters kill his Worm. In return for helping them get rid of the Seed Sisters, Genki and the searchers handed Alan a young Worm that they had unlocked from a Mystery Disk. Alan was later seen aboard Captain Horn's pirate ship, helping him defeat Moo's baddies.

• Centaur: This noble warrior has the lower half of a horse, while his upper body parts appear humanoid yet reptile-like at the same time. He and his fellow warriors Dragoon and Ceilous live under a code of honor, and once protected humans. When Grey Wolf defeated him in battle, Centaur and the others joined Moo and served under Grey Wolf. They eventually fought Genki, Suezo, and Hare, but the battles outcome was unclear due to the interference of the Salamanders. They fought side by side with Genki and his friends to defeat the Salamanders.

Villains

• Master Moo (Muu in Japan): He was an extremely powerful giant dragon-like monster engineered as the ultimate weapon in the great war of ancient times. His dark powers eventually grew too powerful to be controlled, and he created legions with his ability to transform good monsters into his evil servants for the purpose of destroying the world. The surviving scientists created the one creature capable of defeating Moo, the Phoenix. They battled, but proved to be closely matched. Realizing that they had no other choice, the scientists created a machine that would put an end to the war of the monsters, but they knew that it would affect all monsters. Using the machine, Moo's spirit and the Phoenix's spirit were separated from their bodies, and all other monsters became sealed into Mystery Disks. Moo's soul became a Mystery Disk imprisoned in his castle, along with the Mystery Disks containing many of his old troops.

Centuries later, after he was banished from his village, Holly's father went in search of the Phoenix without the aid of the Magic Stone, but found Moo's castle instead. When he unintentionally unlocked Moo's soul, it entered his body and thus Moo was reborn. He reassembled his army with his Big Bad Four enforcing his injustice and terrorizing the world while in search of the location of his old body. After kidnapping Holly, he told her that he was her father Although she did not want to believe it at first, he showed her the dagger that her father once had. Moo then used the Magic Stone to point out the location of his ancient body. Thanks to a little interference from Holly's companions and Pixie, the stone was taken from him and given back to Holly and they fled to escape his clutches. Moo flew to the North in his Castle and ordered his minions to begin an excavation so that he could find his ancient body. He found it, but failed to merge with it. The discovery of the machine that had been used to defeat him allowed his servants to use it and allow him to fuse with his body. With his body back, Moo immediately flew to meet Genki and his friends and destroy them. Despite the fact that Pixie helped them, Moo was still victorious. When they seemed defeated, the sun rose over the horizon causing him pain. He fled in confusion and sought to solve whatever problem had occured. After obtaining the Magic Stone from the treacherous General Durahan who had it stolen from Holly, Moo perfected his body. He once again went to finish what he had failed to do earlier. After the Phoenix arose, Moo and the Phoenix destroyed each other. Muu is a play on the Japanese word mu meaning "void" or "nothing".

• Gali: One of Muu's Big Bad Four. This suave and cultured creature is invisible save for the golden mask and cape that he wears. Gali enjoys mocking his opponents and toying with lesser rivals, but if pressed, he can unleash fearsome attacks that batter and drain even the most formidable enemies. His calm and arrogant nature hides a wrathful temper; if angered or insulted, Gali attacks without mercy. During his encounter with Genki and the searchers, he trapped them in a sand pit and rendered them useless by draining their energy. Luckily, Mocchi was shielded from this attack and was able to escape the darkened area beneath the sand pit and was able to do battle with Gali. Near the end of the battle, the others overcame the effects of his attack and rejoined the fight. Genki struck Gali and damaged his mask, causing him to go into a rage and in his wrath, he released a giant hurricane that threatened to destroy them. He was killed by Mocchi's Mocchi Cannon attack.

• Naga: Formerly one of Muu's Big Bad Four, a humanoid serpent with a stinger on his tail. He lives for battles, his cruel fighting style horrifies other monsters. He took his own life after he was defeated by Genki's group only to be resurrected later as a purified monster.

• General Durahan: A living suit of armor that serves Moo. His body houses the soul of a proud, ancient knight. After the defeat of Naga, General Durahan was summoned by Moo to defeat Genki and Holly's group of rebels and stop their search for the Phoenix. Durahan's base of operations is a giant Iron Bird, equipped with powerful weapons and his craft also holds a collection of Moo's most powerful warriors. After Durahan's meeting with Master Moo, he created a plan to defeat his weakened master and taken over as ruler of the baddies, but first a agreed to take out the Moo's enemies. Opening the capsules holding the warriors, he dispatched his powerful warriors and one by one they were defeated. After hearing that Moo needed the Magic Stone from Holly to perfect his body, Durahan released the Gangsters from their capsules and sent them to claim the stone, but they were robot-like and were deactivated after Lilim took the Magic Stone from Holly. Durahan returned to Moo, but instead of giving him the stone, he attacked his master and was badly injured in the process. He fled in his Iron Bird when Lilim turned on him and helped Moo. Suezo teleported the others aboard the craft. They defeated Durahan, but Moo's baddies took the stone from him, and Suezo was forced to teleport himself and his friends to safety before the Iron Bird crashed. Durahan was on board the Iron Bird when it crashed. He would resurface years later to resurrect Moo and absorb him into his own body.

• Lilim: Lilim is a combination of a Pixie and Joker and was probably one of the most cunning and devious of the baddies. Although she resembles Pixie, she proved to be much more treacherous than her counterpart. After Durahan's brief meeting with Master Moo, she suggested that he defeat their weakened master and rule over the baddies. Durahan agreed, but he first set out to destroy Genki and his companions. When Durahan's collection of warriors began to shrink due to their destruction, Lilim stepped in and decided it was best if she enacted her own devious plan rather than rely on his warriors. Lilim kidnapped a human baby and forced its caretaker Jagged Hound, to attack the searchers. Although it appeared to work, Lilim was outsmarted when Tiger and Jagged Hound tricked her and took the baby to safety. Lilim fled in anger, but would later aid Durahan in claiming the Magic Stone for him. After learning how strong the stone could make him, she turned on him and helped Moo get back the stone. During this attempt, she and Durahan crashed in his destroyed Iron Bird.

Other Baddies

• Jells: The Jells were possibly some of the most common troops in Moo's army of baddies. Although they were not the strongest troops that Moo's army had to offer, that does not mean that they weren't dangerous. The Jells appear in a humanoid shape composed of a blue jell material, have a shapeless blob in place of legs, and have a large red ball in their chest. (visable through their torsos) Their powers mostly lie in their ability to transform into other forms, particularly types of weaponery. They are particularly noted for taking the form of a cannon and blasting their opponent using the red ball in their chests as a projectile weapon.

• Black Dinos: Although they appear to be smaller versions of carnivourus dinosaurs, the Black Dinos are reasonably intelligent and do not hesitate to use violence. They are simple monsters who use physical attack methods such as biting to defeat their opponents. Although they have the ability to speak quite well, they are used as beasts of burden by their fellow baddies while serving Moo.

• Weeds: The Weeds are a group of purplish plant-like monsters who appear to serve as Moo's attendents and messangers. While they usually shuffle along on their lower tendrils, they use their longer, upper tendrils to catch the wind and float or fly through the air. They also possess the ability to shoot seeds from their blossoms.

• Evil Hares: Although they appeared as darker colored versions of Hare, these baddies did not possess the skill, trickery, and special attacks of the Hare who traveled as one of the courageous searchers. The Evil Hares relied mostly on punching and kicking attacks. Although incompetent, the often served as Moo's foot soldiers and were easily dispatched or driven off by skilled fighters.

• Unsabas: These one-eyed pests are yellow plant-like monsters who resembled the Weeds. They served as guards and ground soldiers and are not the smartest monsters in Moo's army.

• Clays: These creatures have a strong resemblance to the Jells and share many qualities with their counterparts. They too can transform into a variety of weapons, and serve as Moo's ground troops. In contrast to the blue coloring of the Gells, the Clays are colored very dark and have a red mark on their torsos.

• Zillas: The Zillas are a group of powerful underwater baddies who attack relentlessly at sea and do not usually retreat. While their bodies resemble that of small whales, their arms allow them to grasp weapons while their legs allow them to stand upright like humans. The Zillas who patrol the ocean are under the command of their master, Guji.

• Guji: This large and powerful Zilla is the leader of the Zillas, and Captain Horn's arch enemy. Although large, Guji can swim extremely fast in the water and could easily sink a ship. When Guji was ordered by Gali to defeat the searchers who were onboard Captain Horn's pirate ship, he sent his Zillas to defeat them. When they failed, Guji himself attacked the ship, and although he was much more powerful than his minions, he was defeated and cast into a whirlpool while the others escaped.

• Joker: He is probably one of the trickier baddies and uses the power of illusion and the scythe he carries to defeat his opponents. The tricky Joker was sent by Gali to deal with the searchers. When they journeyed through an underground cavern, Joker trapped them in illusions of their own fears, and attempted to kill them while they were defenseless. He was defeated by Hare who had split from the group and returned to rescue his friends.

• Scaled Jells: The Scaled Jells are a group of green colored Jells who are covered in green scales. Although they bear a close resemblance to their counterparts, they are more powerful and appear to have stronger abilities. They have the ability to combine their bodies together to create large and powerful weaponery, and they can even stretch their bodies out like sheets in order to float from high places.

• Dokus: This balls of sludge are a tricky bunch who specialize in surrounding their apponents and attacking with a variety of punches. Although not the strongest baddies, they can still do their job.

• Black Worms: Even more poisonous than regular worms, these baddies are a force to be reckoned with. They roll through the surrounding terrain at a fast pace, and stop to deliver attacks to the enemy by shooting their poisonous stingers like darts.

• Undine: Undine is a seemingly harmless mermaid-like monster. Serving under Grey Wolf, she lived in a serene lake and was ordered by him to destroy the searchers. After befriending Golem, she tricked his friends and fought them using her power to manipulate the water. Although she proved treacherous, Golem protected as he had promised. When he attempted to rescue her from the fire that surrounded the area, she simply told him that she didn't deserve his friendship and chose to remain behind and die.

• Stone Dragon: This large and powerful behemoth is one of the stronger monsters who serve Naga. He terrorized other monsters and attacked Genki and the searchers until one Colored Pandora sent his flying into a pit of quick-sand, sending him to his doom.

• Bajarl: Bajarl was a powerful genie-like monster who lived in a jar, and would use his powers to shrink his opponents and trap them in his jar. He once layed waste to an entire town. When he attacked the searchers and placed them in his jar, Holly and Mocchi escaped and fled to the ruins of the destroyed town. After Bajarl found them, Mocchi held him off while Tiger used his blizzard attack to freeze Bajarl's jar. After they escaped, the searchers defeated Bajarl.

• Endbringer: The robot-like Endbringer was one of General Durahan's most powerful warriors and was the first to be summoned to destroy the searchers. After using his hologram projecting ability to deliver Durahan's message, Endbringer relentlessly attacked the rebels but using their teamwork, they destroyed him. A strange tiny orb flew from his lost Mystery Disk and reached Durahan. After watching the recording, Durahan knew that he was facing a reasonably powerful band of rebels.

Changes

The Character Hare had his "Gas" attack cut out in America. "Gas" is an attack where Hare turns around and flatulates on his enemy. The flatulence stinks so bad, it stuns enemies, knocks them out, as seen in Hare's Trick and he used Gas to keep the Iron Bird afloat in the Iron Bird episode.

A couple of scenes were also lifted from the episode "My Name is Pixie". At one point during the episode, Genki rescues Pixie from quicksand. After he hauls her out, the mud on her face makes her look as if she has a beard (why that was cut out is not known). There is also a scene in that episode where Genki lifts Pixie "bride over the threshold" style in his arms and skates away with her while she kicks and yells in protest. For reasons unknown, a few frames were cut from that scene as well.

Several key episodes of Season 2 were skipped by some networks that aired Monster Rancher in the US. "Battle with the Big Bad Four" and "Tiger's Battle with Destiny" only aired once in the USA on Fox Kids.

Monster Rancher on DVD and VHS

ADV Films owns the rights to the first 12 episodes, which the company released on DVD. ADV also released the entire first season of Monster Rancher on VHS. The series was brought to the US and dubbed by Ocean. After Monster Rancher went off the air in the US, ADV halted its release of the series on home video and DVD. In 2005, BKN International A.G. licensed the DVD rights for 73 episodes of the Monster Rancher anime series to Digiview Productions LLC for US and Canadian mass retail market distribution. Digiview only released one DVD containing episodes 1 through 5 at select Wal-Marts and other select places that sell $1 DVDs in February of 2006. The digiview website currently doesn't offer the DVDs up for sale indicating that it may be canceled.

See also

• Monster Rancher
• Monster Rancher monsters

References

• BKN International A.G. (September 1, 2005). "BKN News". September 05 Newsletter.

• CNN Matthews News Distribution Network (July 21, 2005). "BKN Announces New USA Deal". Press Release.

• Anime series
• Adventure anime
• Creature anime
• Monster Rancher
• Animated series based on computer and video games
• BKN
• Anime of the 1990s