Zoids: Chaotic Century (1999–2003) User Reviews

If you like The Last Airbender, you'll like Zoids.

[albaz16 · 9/10 · 7 July 2011]

When this show first aired, I was young, i used to get up every morning at 6:30 and watch this show, and when time zones changed,(I am from Arizona, no time zones) i would get up at 5:30 am. I was hooked and devoted to Zoids. Then it was time for the finally, the final four episodes, 63 episodes in the making and... the show cut off. Later, 10 years later, i researched the show and found out that the final four episodes had a delay on the English dub and Cartoon Network played it on their prime time slot, i had missed it. But luckily i tracked down the episodes and rewatched them all. Even 10 years later i was still intrigued with this story.

The main character, Van has flaws, he is young, impulsive, jealous, immature, and yet completely lovable. You get to see Van grow up and become a man. Its a character ark that spans the entire length of the show and gives you a real connection with him.

The story line is fantastic, yes the show is about giant fighting robots, but there is still so much depth. Such as, where do the Zoids come from? The people who live on Zi, are actually from Earth, who came and colonized the planet, only to find the Zoids. And while they used them as weapons, the have a very extensive past.

The main plot centers around a war between an Empire and a Republic, the all powerful Emipre has better weapons, more troops, and more money, whereas the Republic is fraught with flawed technology and poor leadership. As the show progresses, you find yourself just as conflicted as the characters on whose side you are rooting for. Character betray their commanding officers, switch sides and ride the line between good and evil.

Van is caught up in the war after finding a small Zoid in some ruins, later it is reveled to be an Orgnoid, one of the rarest and most desired Zoids. Upon returning to where he found the Orgnoid, he finds a strange girl, who posses amazing abilities. While searching for the secrets that unlock her past, meets a friends, enemies, and finds himself in the biggest conflict the planet has ever been in.

And as must as i like the show, its not perfect. The show reuses shots from previous episodes, which when watching a marathon, is obvious. Plus the English dub is sometime awkward and doesn't fit, which is to be expected since it was in Japanese first. And I am pretty sure they stole the music from Jurassic Park.

Overall a great show for kids and adults alike, i give it a 9 out of 10.

One of the greats of animation

[Ravenrules · 8 October 2003]

When I first saw this series, I wasn't expecting very much. Boy was I wrong. The series drew me in with the captivating plot about Zoid EVE and the Ancient Zoidian Race. Having a killer war story didn't hurt it's cause either. I absolutely loved the characters. The dynamic between Raven and Van is much better than any other hero and rival. Batman and Joker, Gokou and Vegeta, Superman and Luthor. Van and Raven top them all. They both get great character development throughout the story and also have some of the greatest fights. Fiona is a 'nuff said character. Her naiveness and mystery draw the viewer in. Irvine gets a chance to shine in episodes like "Run, Wolf" and "The Black Lightning". And Moonbay, well her singing gets better.

The villains are nice because you can feel for people like Raven and Ryss, while despising Hiltz and Prozen. The plot is so amazing as well, and the music is just so cool. This series gets a 10/10.

The Best Cartoon Ever

[solomon_gooner · 10/10 · 21 March 2006]

The best cartoon by far. Zoids chaotic century possesses all the ingredients that make it a great cartoon. whilst following van and his companions on their journey you really feel as if your their. the cast and crew have researched and developed a cartoon that i would say is heads above its competitors. What makes Zoids so entertaining is how viewers experience how each individual within the story develops and grows. The diversity within emotions displayed, during the course of this cartoon makes it more gripping and entertaining, whether its Fiona's gentle loving side or Ravens' Raging side the viewer is still left in suspense and eager for more. Zoids is a revolutionary cartoon and you never get bored watching the seasons. I thoroughly enjoyed this cartoon and I take my hat of to the producers and developers for creating a work of art.

Far better than expected

[votkamartini · 10/10 · 30 October 2006]

My expectations about this series weren't very high before I started watching it but everyone seemed to tell only good words about it so I gave it a try.

My first impression was that the series was meant mainly for the kids and I was afraid that the plot couldn't be taken too serious or the series would be too lame. Luckily i was very wrong.

Despite my low expectations it started quite OK and the world of zoids seemed actually very exciting. As I watched it got better and better all the way to the best ending for the series which I have seen for a long while.

The storyline was full of action and yet it was surprisingly intelligent with politics, plots, personal tensions and even a little bit of delicate romance. Events started from a small scale fights and grew into global war between good and evil. Zoids looked nice and they managed to keep the bigger and better ones just perfectly away until the later parts of the series. Storytelling itself was flawless and well managed.

Characters were extremely interesting and every aspect of them were carefully thought. Every character had their little surprises and weren't as stereotypical or boring as in the most movies or series.

I must say that I am very impressed. I never thought that any series could turn out to be so positive surprise. It actually reminds me about the old star wars trilogy. It has the same positive energy in it and the general atmosphere is very similar. You could recommend this to a child and still watch it as an adult and feel excited and entertained.

This is definitely the best cartoon series that i have ever seen and it is actually better than most movie series. I am very difficult person to impress but this series got all of my respects. No series should deserve full 10 but this was much closer to a 10 than 9 so my vote is 10/10.

Another little known, but great anime series.

[jmcginn174 · 10/10 · 16 June 2011]

Zoids consists of two series. Chaotic Century and The Guardian Force, essentially it's all one series.

The series takes place on the Planet Zi, where living machines called Zoids live. There are wild ones, and ones controlled by humans. There are two major powers on the planet Zi, the Republic and Guylos Empire. Though the war they fought is over, the peace is tenuous and could give way to war at any moment. The story follows Van who lives in a village. He goes out one day a...nd gets chased by bandits into some ancient ruins. The he finds a organoid, and names it Zeke. Zeke reviews a Shield Liger and defeat the bandits. They go back into the ruins and discover Fiona a ancient Zoidian who has lost her memory. The group on a adventure searching for t he Zoid Eve, through bandits, merc's, and war.

STORY: The story is great, it's light, but there are dark undertones. I guess the company did it to attract younger viewers. The violence is toned done, though you see cities being destroyed, and Zoids being destroyed so you know what's happening and doesn't take anything away from the story.

ART: The animation is great done by XEBEC, the same people who did Love Hina, Elemental Gelade, and Buso Renkin, which were all pretty good series.

SOUND: The one flaw I found in this series was the soundtrack. It lacked depth and feel. Was it still good, yes. It just didn't to the series justice.

CHARACTERS: The characters in this series were great. You could feel their pain and see their suffering and joy. The just captivated you and brought you in. The best characters were the two main ones Van and Fiona and their story was just wonderful.

OVERALL: Zoids is 24th favorite anime series out of about 250 series/OVA/movies I've seen. It's a great series, not quite a classic, but still great. A series everyone should watch.

Excellent Series

[Superfob · 2 October 2003]

In the conclusion of the awesome Dragonballz series I didn't think I would find another series that would be as exciting. However I was wrong, Zoids Chaotic Century is just as good if not better with an intelligent plot that delves into politics,fabulous animation with great detail, action sequences that have your heart racing reinforced by great music that can also be touching. The characters are great each of them are unique, you'll either love'em or hate'em, I really like these characters even the villains. My favourite characters have got to be Raven and Irvine.

I have nothing but praise for this Japanese masterpiece giving it 10/10

amazin'

[HPcraZ · 16 August 2004]

its awesome! the story is real good. and let it be known that RAVEN rocks hard, hes the best. its kinda about war and stuff, the plot is real good, and so is the animation. it deals with a lot of emotions, loyalty and darkness. if you watch this you should watch gardian force witch is the second season. i got up to watch it a 7 in the morning and I never missed any except the last 4, cuz my TV blew, and its just killing me because i never did find out what happened, its been a whole year sense iv even seen a commercial of it and I'm still obsessed with it. over all, its Definitely worth buying. 10 outta 10. all hail raven.

An Awesome Movie...

[johnthe23 · 3 May 2006]

Zoids. Gigantic metal beasts who form bonds with their partners. They combine to become unstoppable fighting forces on the planet of Zi. This is they story that has captivated thousands. I think so many of us are hooked because we like to imagine what it would be like if zoids are real, being a pilot of our very own mechanical beast while at the same time feeling like a pet. There are thousands of types of zoids, some mass produced, some are one of a kind, but all are special to their pilots. There are flying, swimming, and ground types also. There is a lot of action and a great storyline. anyone who already likes anime will love this. if thats not you i still strongly suggest trying it to see how you like it. Battle Start.

Zoids kick butt, and so does this show.

[vonfiedler · 16 April 2008]

When I was a kid we had this one-hour programming block on Cartoon Network right before we went to school. It was the on from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM. Unfortunately, most of the shows they had on it weren't very good. When Zoids aired, now that was something to enjoy. In the very second episode we saw guns, bandits threatening villagers with guns, even priests retaliating with guns. Other networks still censor guns out of their children's programming. Zoids was the show to watch, and when I got to school and encountered my friends, that day's episode was the first subject of conversation. Imagine my surprise when I went back to rewatch and discovered that it was in fact an extremely awesome show.

The original Zoids is actually two different shows. The first, Chaotic Century, follows the adventures of Van Flyheight, a rambunctious fellow who finds a small dragon Zoid and a naked girl with no memory in some old ruins outside of his hometown. He names the Zoid Zeke and the girl names herself Fiona. Zeke, an organoid, has the power to drastically increase the capabilities of any normal Zoid, which is good because Van kinda sucks at piloting at first. Van and Fiona go on an adventure to find her memory, and are eventually joined by Irvine and Moonbay. In their travels they get pulled into a war between the Guylos Empire and the Helic Republic, they have to protect a prince from the evil machinations of Minister Sephiroth, er, Prozan, and are constantly harassed by the villainous Raven and his own organoid Shadow. It's a feel good adventure with a decent amount of peril (at 6:00 AM, anyways).

The second series, Guardian Force, takes place some time after Chaotic Century. Van is older and kicks serious butt. The Empire and the Republic join forces to establish the Guardian Force in order to combat a recent wave of Zoid terrorism, at 6:00 AM, right after 9/11 (Go Cartoon Network). The team consists of Van, Fiona, and some lech named Thomas. The first half of this series really suffers from filler episodes, but the show makes up for it. The second half is dedicated entirely to combating a short series of downright monstrous Zoids. It's extremely dark, and consists of seeing the Guardian Force come up with desperate plans strategies, watching them flee constantly or face annihilation, and watching cities get destroyed. Two of the more powerful Zoids are named the Genosaurer and the Genobreaker. That's Geno as in genocide, which is exactly what happens during Guardian Force, at 6:00 AM.

Van is a small town boy who wants to be a great Zoid pilot just like his father before him. He's the least original of the main characters, and you've seen this stock character before plenty of times but that's because it works. Fiona is a lot like Fina from Skies of Arcadia, or Melfina from Outlaw Star. The whole, "I don't know why I'm here, I'm socially awkward, can you help me find my purpose?" sorta thing. I'm almost inclined to believe she's another stock character, but she brings her own charm to the role and is easily my favorite anime character of all time.

Irvine is an enemy at first, and a daunting one too, but he eventually joins the group. He's Snake Plisken if played by Harrison Ford. He's got the headband and eyepatch, says cool things like "Never tell me the odds", and is generally pretty laid back when not being the only character in the group to carry a gun and kicking butt with it. Moonbay is a transporter who helps move Van and Irvine's Zoids around during long journeys. She's smart, but her vice is greediness. Yet while humorous, it never really becomes stereotypical in her case.

Van's arch rival is Raven, an anti-social punk who hates Zoids even more than he hates people. He gets two of the most daunting Zoids in the show, but it's him in the pilot seat that's really terrifying. When he obtained the Genobreaker during Guardian Force, you knew that very dark times were ahead for our heroes. During Guardian Force Irvine and Moonbay get turned into recurring cast, and Thomas is introduced as a main character. Thomas is kind of a jerk to be honest, and spends most of his time hitting on Fiona much to my confusion (well, if Van is an adult by the second season then Fiona must be, but still...).

The show has a cool main cast, but that's not what it excels at. Zoids has by far the best recurring cast in any show I've ever seen. For instance, the first episode introduces a bandit group. In many shows, this group would have been easily defeated and possibly killed (or destroyed, if 4Kids had its way). In Zoids they keep coming back and keep getting defeated. Again, not too odd, but any other show would imply that they were incompetent and turn them into a comic relief. Not Zoids. They are truly worthy adversaries for the first part of the show. They evolve as characters, grow on you, and even turn over a new leaf just before their unfortunate and sad demise. You love the good guys and despise the bad guys, no matter how insignificant they may be, and you almost always remember a character's name.

I don't know how to summarize the appeal of the Zoids themselves. Many scoff at the idea of animal shaped robots. Many are under the mistaken impression that Zoids rips off a number of series. These people are not very open-minded. Zoids kick butt, and so does this show.