Thanks so much for watching! Also thanks again to Harry's! Click here Harrys.com/fringe to redeem your trial set for just $3! Let me know what color razor handle you get in the comments below!
the og ben 10 to the end of ultimate alien the fight against daegon or whatever it was called was a perfect sendoff to the series the fact they kept going and the god awful reboot was them just pissing on the greatness of the franchise
The original Ben 10 was a master class in how to make a fun and action packed show, I was a super fan and even had the toy Omnitrix as a kid. Man, good times.. thanks for covering this series!
I like the theory that the Omnitrix is actually training Ben to become a better warrior. If Ben had his way, he would use four arms for a good 80% of his fights. The Omnitrix though, deliberately puts Ben into forms that *can* succeed in the situation, but which force Ben out of his comfort zone and make him learn how to make better use of the tools he has available.
if i remember right they explained it as, because he keeps hitting the damn thing to transform, he accidentally set it to a randomizer mode. So the whole, "Omnitrix keeps choosing the wrong damn alien" thing, is because ben keot slamming his palm onto it.
@@Akuzhir that was for the final Omnitrix which uses a touch hologram gui. The prototype Omnitrix didn't have this and required manually turning the dial a decent amount to swap aliens.
@@Akuzhir nah IIRC what Asmuth said in that episode was that him slamming the watch randomized the time-out function, then got cut off before he could elaborate. Essentially an in-universe explanation for the whole why Ben’s transformations last for however long the plot needs him to.
@@joaolima7131 the feeling just didn't feel the same man literally when i was a kid watching ben 10 the first time it's hyped me so bad i didn't leave my room
Ben 10’s entire premise is absolutely brilliant as a cartoon pitch. Though I’m still in the camp that really loves Alien Force and Ultimate Alien- never got the hate.
People disliked or hated it because it seemed or as they claim, darker and edgier than Ben 10 Classic and Omniverse. That might be why. I personally thought AF and UA was an improvement of Classic even if I do love Classic.
@@dasuero7489 Yeah but it makes sense. Classic Ben 10 was always designed to be watched out of order, so they could never develop Ben out of his bratty ways. But the sequels actually give him that evolution. Or at least create a teenage Ben who’s still childish but at least seems more responsible than who he was as a kid. Feels like logical progression.
@@thecod2345 I feel like McDuffie kind of had to do with how AF and UA turned out and was structured with Man of Action helping or in the background and because they were going for a more mature take on Ben 10, I think they got caught up with that; not that McDuffie is a bad writer or evil. Some parts of the story definitely feels less polished or put in there to satisfy certain fans or niche parts of Ben 10. In what way did they run into an action and alien problem?
I know you mentioned the inventor not seeing how his creation could be used as a weapon being a bit of an oversight, but I think it actually matches up well with how inventor's tend to think. Many think only of all the good that could be done and are so blinded by their optimism that they forget to think about the potential negative consequences. They're just so focused on changing the world (or universe in this case) that they really never considered their tool being used as a weapon.
Just look at the story of Alfred Nobel. The guy was a pacifist, he invented dynamite, but seeing his inventions could be used as weapons he chose to dedicate his money as a prize for a person as dedicated as him, but whose inventions would serve good - the Nobel prize.
Watched the first Ben 10 series religiously as a kid when it was new, and the 3 sequel series from the original continuity were also a fun watch too. Probably one of my earlier exposures to serialized animated media, outside of the sporadic anime here and there. Within western cartoons, it was kinda ahead of its time in that regard, given how massively popular that format is nowadays.
Even a lot of non animated TV that day wasn't like that. It was a lot of syndicated stuff that was easy to rerun and watch. Actual plot was too hard for western media on TV.
Man I ate this shit UP as a kid! Now that I’m old enough to understand it, Ben 10 was a genius show. Perfect show to hook kids but not super cheesy where it’s not enjoyable as an adult. The concept is familiar, but just different enough from traditional super hero shows. & I didn’t think of the marketing! They had to make millions off toys & merch Great video 👍🏾
I love how Ben 10 is more relevant now than ever thanks to online discussion. And how many people are either discovering this series for the first time, or coming back to it and looking in deeper.
@@initialdosth8221 I'd give it time. The Ink Tank started this sorta Twitter campaign to get Ben in Multiversus, and it seems to have made it to the ears of some of the devs. I'd say he's a very likely candidate for DLC.
The low-key body horror that came with all the transformations was always something I liked, it was kinda disapointing how that was done in alien force and ultimate alien. They could've done so much with that, but in stead it's mostly just an x-ray changing slightly. Some aliens actually do have interesting and cool ones, while some have either just little to none, reusing literally the same scene(Which to be fair, the original also did to a degree. Like 3 different aliens just reused at least the begining of the 4-arms transformation), or actually jsut nothing at times. So much potential with that
I loved Classic Ben 10, but I think I was one of the few fans who went nuts over Alien Force and Ultimate Alien. Just seeing the characters mature and become even more loveable really made me smile. I remember being so disappointed when the main characters got changed back into kids but i get it..in order to keep up with the times with these cartoons sometimes you gotta start over with a clean slate. I just really miss the character growth they all gained in the first 2 series(I'm counting Alien force and Ultimate Alien as the same series, just different seasons.)
Didn’t see a single Omniverse praise or even compliment. How disgraceful now if we want to talk shit about the reboot I’m all down for that. Gives respects to Omniverse there was some fire characters and aliens and plot lines in that show too.
@@stevenmark4407debatable, omniverse also has it's flaws, the weird drawing is one of them, it never grew on me, Ben being super immature again after the finale of ultimate alien, it's like he backtracked all his growth between Alien Force and Ultimate alien, and Ben being back to acting cocky again, but is good in some parts I give a solid 7.5
I fully agree with this. Stopped watching after Ultimate Alien. I didn’t like the art style, and it seemed really disconnected from the previous storyline. I really wanted to see those characters progress further.
@@joaolima7131 from what I learnt from looking into why this is the case is that It was what the higher ups wanted , they wanted to get the previous popularity of the first series where Ben was a kid . Sooooo... They made the writers make Ben childish and cocky . Essentially disregarding his age and all his character development .
The Ben 10 franchise is one of my _favorite_ TV shows/franchises of _ALL_ time, alongside more modern and early-to-mid 2000s greats such as _Danny Phantom,_ _American Dragon:Jake Long,_ _Randy Cunningham:9th Grade Ninja,_ _Generator Rex,_ _The Secret Saturdays,_ _Voltron:Legendary Defender,_ the entire _Tales of Arcadia_ franchise by Guillermo del Toro, _She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,_ _The Owl House,_ _Amphibia,_ and even _Arcane:League of Legends!!_ :3. (As you can _no_ doubt see, I watch _A LOT_ of classic 2000s and modern 2010s era cartoons :3).
I think Kuro said it best in his Ben 10 downfall video, “Ben 10 was a series of constant changes in characters, continuity, tone and art style. It made it very challenging to be a fan of the show, all the way through. If there was something key you liked about the show, chances are it would be changed down the line. With it universe being imploded on by network demands over and over, what other options was there to just start over and reboot it.". I didn't know what he truly means until rewatching Ben 10. He was right in the things I love about the show were change and it was hard to continue watching. I still like the show, but the changes made it hard to watch. Although that is me. Just keep this quote in mind when watching the show.
As much as I love all 4 series in the original continuity, there were definitely changes in each series/iteration of the franchise and it never felt consistent hence people can find it challenging to like all 4 shows and give up watching.
@@hiitsalex6780 It's a joke about this youtuber who find obscure and interesting facts of different movies, and one of his most viewed vids was when he pointed out how Tony (iron man) learnt from the failures of previous marvel films and incorporated failsafes for it, hence the statement "Tony learns from his mistakes".
Watched these ben 10 vids and decided to rewatch the series and holy shit I'm actually blown away by how good this show is. like I watched it and liked it as a kid, but I fucking love it now as an adult. Relate to ben as a 10 year old hella hard and some of the dialogue and VA in this show is legit top tier. The fifth episode in particular has some amazing lines, Ben as ghostfreak vs that crab dude in particular was so much fun to watch. oh and vilgax is fucking awesome!
I've always enjoyed Ben 10, though I fell off of the series somewhere between Alien Force & Ultimate Alien. Its such a cool concept, and the seemingly unending secrets of the Omnitrix made me wonder what was possible. Not every alien design was amazing, but regardless it has such a great roster. And the (accidentaly) mashups? The possibilities are nearly endless.
That's because the main point of the show was to sell toys. And it worked because literally every 10 year old at the time (including myself) wanted our very own omnitrix.
@@wrestlinganime4life288 I’ve never been much into Dragon Ball Z the anime is popular in the USA but from my personal experience and the fact I haven’t heard of this til now I don’t think the cards were popular in the US.
The Average Viewer will say that first Classic series is the only one worth watching/is the only true classic. I disagree. The franshise only works as well as it does because each series builds off of each other. If the first series was the only series, it would only be worth the occasional reminiscence in the back of your mind. However, the sequel series expands the lore more and more until you have one of the most well-defined fictional multiverses ever made! Which allows for way more fun fandom disussion and interactivity. To say Ben 10 2005 is the only Classic of the series is like being a Pokemon Genwunner.
I think all versions have something to offer and there's a lot to love about all of them. Classic has a clean artstyle, great pacing and action. Alien Force and Ultimate Alien introduces a lot of new and important characters and ages up existing ones. Omniverse has great worldbuilding and comedy and introduces Rook, which everyone (me included) loves. The series has its ups and downs, but as a fan, it's an engaging ride from start to finish.
The entire franchise was fantastic as a kid. I didn't immediately love omniverse for the animation change but after it grew on me, some story lines really struck gold. I just wish they would have done more about Ben's maturity and growth and love life and didn't just force some random ship out nowhere (and gave Julie a better breakup). Beyond that it really was great. You HAVE to acknowledge the writers for making a DC style multiverse on their own and the show lasting long enough to show it off without being overly confusing.
thank you so much for going of the confusion the three endings, lol. I was confused watching the later series when his identity gets revealed and his parents find out. but I remember the goodbye and good riddance episode where the same thing happens.
I actually liked Omniverse. It was made by Victor Cook. He has worked on Gargoyles before. But his best works were Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc and the Spectacular Spiderman. And I like what he did with Omniverse, especially the first 10 episodes.
@@theamazingspooderman2697 only to be restored in the blink oaf eye and the time ben saved the universe from being destroyed again, and beings that take the form of very thing he loved the most manifested into smoothies
I think the series maintained its artistic integrity despite the influence of toy marketing until nearly the end of Ultimate Alien. The two very slightly different green and black cars were pretty awful, though.
I'm sad and regretful that I only got to experience Ben 10 Classic/OS when I was 19 which was really not that long ago. I wish I had gotten to experience it much much earlier than until I was in my second to last year of high school and senior year. Moreover, I didn't watch Omniverse completely as well as AF and UA, which I watched random episodes out of order and have yet to finish both series. Omniverse was something I didn''t like until I kept watching it. I'm somewhere around Season 2 of Omniverse and I think I will continue watching. I also have to watch Secrets of the Omniverse as I've only watched the first 10 - 15 min. of it Ben's cocky and childish attitude and antics do add to the show and make it lighter and fun, but I feel like as a character, he could have grown so much more if they found a way to strike a balance of still having Ben be cocky while taking each fighting and personal life lessons earned from Grandpa Max, Gwen, and maintaining that consistence of characterization. I don't know. Highlights of Classic/OS--- Ghostfreak and the episodes that focus on him including the final episode of Season 3, that one episode that was a reference and reimagining of Cocoon and Invasion of The Body Snatchers films, the alien designs, Ben and Gwen's sibling/relative rivalry-like dynamic rivalry, Grandpa Max and his Plumber team, the episode with the Mayan pyramid and the sword artifact the gang finds, episode Kevin 11 and Kevin and Vilgax dynamic, the mythic and really weird Benwolf episode and the funny conclusion to it and its final scene along with Ben thinking about girls or crushes (the one featured in the episode who turns out to not really like Ben for Ben), the reversal role what-if non canon episode 'Gwen 10', the episode about Ben's obsession with comic book heroes and manga (I forgot the name of the heroes, something enforcers, all I know is the dude who voiced the leader of the them was the impeccable diverse-voiced Tom Kane who unfortunately was forced to retire due to having a stroke and health problems back in 2020 that rendered his vocal cords and ability to speak weak and took a huge toll on his speech center), Rob Paulsen as Ditto, Grey Matter and the episode where he is kidnapped by an obsessive man who loves aliens and wants desperately to bring up proof of them which Ben finds himself in the crossfire and throes, some episodes in Season 4 which are again essentially non-canon unless you factor in UA or Omniverse (some listed down below), Rust Bucket (of course; it's a must-have staple of the entire franchise and maybe the Plumbers), Kevin Eleven, Charmcaster and Gwen switching bodies and powers resulting in the funny, Lucky Girl outfit and episode, the Christmas/Winter episode and the elves and Santa and plot twist at the end, the music and sentient weather machine plot, Ben's alien form fighting in the store against the insane scientist Dr. Animo (voiced by Dwight Schultz which is a bonus imo), the Null Void chamber escape and rescue Ben from Vilgax mission-episode, any time where Ben is confronted or battles Vilgax, Ben's Sumo Slammer and fighting game obsession, Tara Strong voicing Ben (of course), Meagen/Megan Smith as Gwen (she's truly underrated and should have voiced, I really wished she had more western cartoon roles or even into anime. she has that energy and snarkiness in her voice that Gwen has), that kind of dark and serious episode where Ben has to get revenge for Grandpa Max's being hospitalized and Gwen calmly rationalizing to Ben about how it's a bad and not noble idea for him to fight and go alien while Max is in the hospital and what Grandpa Max would think and even him running away and defying their wishes, the episode where Ben has to learn to dance and Gwen teaches him was really cute and sweet and the fact that he was about to marry an alien and there was that ceremony or event; that was pretty wild, the 3D cgi film Destroy All Aliens that came out when UA or AF was still airing, Azmuth in all of the series he featured in, the recurring antagonists Sir George and The Forever Knights, Eiding (Roy Campbell from MGS series, Perceptor from the OG Transformers, Diablo narrator) as Grandpa Max, Ben 10,000 episode and Future Gwen, Don't Drink The Water from S4, Goodbye and Good Riddance from s4, Gwen's cousin Sunny and that barn/country -side episode, Tara Strong as Future grown-up Gwen, small-kind Kai Tennyson, Tetrax, Gwen having a somewhat active role in guiding and saving and helping Ben fight in his alien forms, and then some. Fun fact: The Tennyson namesake in the series is reference to Alfred Tennyson, a renowned baron and English poet of the Victorian era. Side-note tangent things: Steve Blum rocked as Vilgax and was menacing, sounded alien and fit his character and appearance pretty well. There was a post like a theory on Reddit that theorized and brought up how each of the Omnitrix aliens are a representation and metaphor for Ben's coming of age and puberty and I can see that. It's a really cool, insightful and interesting post with things you might resonate and side/stand with. You'd have to find the link though, as I'm sure it still exists and wasn't taken down. Edit: I wanna or I'd think of more things to say here and write better and shorter. (I did actually write more while editing and looking over this comment, but earlier I was unable to copy and paste it so it all got lost/deleted and I'm lazy to rewrite it again and it would be rather long and tedious to do. Maybe later or another time since this video essays series is a three-parter special from Mr. Fringe.) I'm still watching this video and I will continue with the show besides Classic/OS and 2016 reboot and specials. This and Generator Rex is near or peak, A to S-tier action cartoon shows and animation that evokes nostalgia even though if you're like me, discovered or watched it much much later in your life and not when the shows actually first aired. I thought Rook/Brook was refreshing and complimented adolescent Ben really well in Omniverse and their cameraderie and it was good to see him voiced by a person of color. Omniverse and UA/AF were being penned and led by the sadly deceased comic book writer of color Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, etc.; RIP) It would be interesting to see if Man of Action collective could write and frame Gwen as a classmate and possible love interest/paramour instead of Ben rather than have her as a cousin since it's been done so many times in the shows. Because originally when they were first drafting and designing her character, she was supposed to be Ben's friend and classmate on the road trips with Grandpa Max rather than be related to him by blood. I don't know, just a thought. Anyway, I wish we could get a full series of the cancelled show Constant Payne which did have a good pilot but was cancelled for various reasons. Maybe Man of Action could find and acquire the rights and attempt to reboot and restore to finality. That would be fun, cool and interesting because if I'm not mistaken the series coincides or is connected to, and maybe based on some video game series with the main female character and villain of the pilot.
Fun fact: The Tokustar race is a reference to "Tokusatsu", meaning Special Effects Filming in Japanese. It's the term commonly given to tropes such as Godzilla, Power Rangers, Super Sentai(Japanese source material for Power Rangers), Kamen Rider(Or Masked Rider in the West) and last but not least - Ultraman. Of which Way Big is a very, very clear homage to. Which makes it funny when people say Ultraman; a long-running character for decades way before Ben 10 ever existed, makes a name for itself in the West and is called a Way Big rip-off.
I loved Ben 10 from the start until the new reboot/restart. Also, got triggered with the Gwen ret-con angered me. I totally forgot that Charm Caster was the reason why Gwen got her powers. I am so use to her being an alien or whatever and that purple alien that is supposed to be the grandmother. Really, how many aliens did Grandpa get with?
How was Megas XLR more expensive for cartoon Network?! Ben 10 has much more detailed animation And looked way cleaner then Megas. Xlr. Yet Megas XLR was too much for cartoon Network. 🙄
I remember when either Secret of the Omnitrix or Alien Force was premiering, they held a special weekend long marathon of the original show, but what I was really interested in was the giveaway they were holding. During the marathon, they would show a phone number to call and you could win an omnitrix replica/toy, and I *desperately* wanted to win. I remember sitting up close to the TV holding our home phone, waiting for that number to show up. When it finally did show up, I guess I was too slow and got a busy line tone and was heartbroken. Still fun to think about that and all the sweepstakes/giveaways TV channels did back in the 2000's (the Danimals/Zack & Cody sweepstakes will forever taunt me...)
i don’t remember that but i do remember when they were doing a giveaway for the live action movie of alien force they were giving away kevin’s car but only being around 6 i only wanted the omnitrix
An hour long video on my favorite cartoon OF ALL TIME. I’m definitely watching this, Ben 10 was my childhood, the OG series is 🐐 and it got ruined with Alien Force and after the fact imo
Been following Jordan for years, and seeing this channel’s growth and amazing quality makes me so happy 🥰 Thank you for your hard work and never stress yourself ❤️
I just realized grandpas rv is a 1974 GMC Motorhome where they took the driveline from the Oldsmobile Toronado (and Cadillac Eldorado) which was a big block with a transmission and was front wheel drive
YES! Finally your covering one of my singular favorite series! I knew it’d only be a matter of time and I’m honestly super exited that you are putting so much effort into making a full retrospective. I’ve been watching you for about a year now and I am unfathomably ready for the rest of this!
34:10 That's actually a very common arguement made about a lot of inventioms turned weapons. As a software dev I know first hand that what you create and what the user uses it for can be night and day.
I'm so happy you are taking the time to do this show justice. Ben 10 first aired at a weird time in my life where I was trying to figure out if I was too old for cartoons or not. This weirdly endearing show bridged that gap from child cartoons to animated action and superhero cartoons and anime. Ben 10 evolved in a way to not just create a new super hero, but share his actual climb to greatness both as a franchise and a hero, while also carving out and filling an interesting world to explore. Can't wait for the rest of this. Edit: My nerd is coming out here, in reference to the spiel about the watch being weaponised by a ten year old, Azimuth actually explains this, it's real fast and I believe it's in secret of the omnitrix, but Azimuth had set it to search for and attach to Max Tennysons DNA, but Max and Ben's were close enough that it attached to Ben. Same reason in the alternate timeliness, Gwen gets the watched attached when it's her who finds it. Their DNA was similar enough to confuse the watch
Ben 10 was a huge part of my life growing up. Coming home from school in elementary school to still seeing advertisements for it up until I graduated middle school and early high school it’s definitely a huge part of my childhood
Classic Ben 10 will always be amazing but, Ultimate alien had the best story.. Omniverse utilized Alien X to its full (about 50%) potential and is my favorite
Original Ben 10 is excellent. I became a fan very late. Around late 2007. Glad I give it a chance. I'm happy to be a fan of the franchise. Didn't see all of it. Mainly the later series but will watch every now and then. Thanks Jordan.
LOVED this longer video!!!! i’ve always been fascinated about the Ben 10 lore so i’m really happy that you’ve covered it in such an informative video ☺️
Ben should have been allowed to have that card I mean he himself said he wasn't going to ask but since the OWNER brought it up he thought yeah for once I would like a little small thing to enjoy for the absolute lifetime sacrifice Ben makes to be a true hero
An inventor not considering the consequences of his actions? Sounds like a summary of Frankenstein, where Frankenstein makes a living creature without ever once thinking of what he'd do if he succeeded.
The classic Ben 10 was THE cartoon back then for me, appealing concept, great character designs, cool story threads, and having the relatability and life lessons sprinkled here and there for a kid is a perfect combo
Geeeeez, I remember this show. Fuck, I remember just kinda watching less TV, especially cartoons, when I became a teeenager. I honestly did not know about the series beyond the first run, I just started seeing kids out in public wearing newer and newer Ben 10 stuff. This video was a trip and a half to watch a decade+ later. Though, I also remember loving Samurai Jack, I still remember the exact Saturday morning, at 7 AM, when I caught the second ever episode as a 7/8 year old. Plus, the Life and Times of Juniper Lee, super cool main character and a really cool world that was dripping with lore that was kept just behind the scenes. Megas XLR was actually probably my favourite, I was a Transformers kid and loved mechas (Code Geass 👌😁), so that show hit the damn spot. Anyway.... super video, space cowboy.
I had no idea the test footage was considered "lost." I have that preview, notably including Gwen with a red shirt and long ponytail hair, on a Cartoon Network sampler DVD that was bundled with a kid's magazine from the supermarket. I wonder if the lost footage was found by someone else keeping every little bit of weird Ben 10 ephemera the way I have.
Ben 10 made an impact on my younger self back when I used to watch it, to the point where I literally wanted an omnitrix and all 10 aliens I consider ben 10 to be one of CN's best shows of all time
Despite it’s lack of canonicity, I like how in the ken10 episode they point out that if Ben was just a little smarter, he would’ve used grey matter to reacquire the master control
I remember being in 5th grade and my Math teacher called each student and gave us a math problem # from our textbook to do on the board. The scenario went like this "Kelly, 7. James, 8 Natalie, 9. Ben, 10." The whole class went crazy and was like "she said it! She said Ben 10!!"
Yeah we were originally meant to get a 9th and 10th season of Omniverse which would feature the road trip Ben mentions in the last episode of Omniverse and the Negative 10 would’ve returned..
It's so weird to me how often you mention Ben is a jerk but gloss over how abrasive Gwen was early on. She was the worst! Even as an adult on rewatch she irritates me in the first season.
I remember playing ben 10 preotector of earth on my PSP back when i was a child...i am 20 rn and i was playing this game on repeat ever since i was 8 years old till i turned 10 or 11..maybe i got my timeline wrong and i was like around 6 or 7 when i started playing the game...i am old af rn ok cant remember shit accurately ...time really flies...it was a fun game and i finished it multiple times cus that PSP was my first console and ofc i loved ben 10
I’m in the same class as u in terms of how I watched Ben 10 growing up. I watched a lil of the newer season (some of which were more enjoyable than I thought) but never got into them, as around the time I was 18 and I was getting less interested in T.V. as a whole. I also never considered the movie the same as the series even as a kid. Since it was real life I always looked at it as a “what if” version of Ben 10🤣
I've watched the original ben 10 since the day it came out, over and over and over again, when i grew up, and althought everyone shits on it, i considered omniverse to be better than the classic one, but ben 10 alien force and ultimate alien are in a whole another level imo, it's when the series really peaked, and i wish they made more of it
There was also a really fun Ben 10 Flash Game back in the heyday of Cartoon Network flash games that allowed you to experience all of the 10 original aliens. A pattern I noticed in the original series back when I was a kid: The Omnitrix only ever seemed to malfunction and turn Ben into the wrong alien when Ben said the name of the alien he wanted to transform to out loud. Obviously there's probably no causation there but it is a weird writing bit. Never seemed to happen when he stayed quiet.
We have a lot of common reactions to things. I’ve noticed a lot that our reasoning are similar. I stop after ultimate alien cause I thought it was a reboot too
I like the theory that the Omnitrix is actually training Ben to become a better warrior. If Ben had his way, he would use four arms for a good 80% of his fights. The Omnitrix though, deliberately puts Ben into forms that can succeed in the situation, but which force Ben out of his comfort zone and make him learn how to make better use of the tools he has available.
