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{{infobox television|image=<!-- TO BE ADDED -->|caption=Logo used in the Season 2 finale poster|alt_name={{ubl|''AVA''|''AvA''}}|genre={{ubl|[[Action-adventure fiction|Action-adventure]]|[[Science fiction on television|Science fiction]]|[[Comedy drama]]}}|creator=[[Freddie Goodwin]]|developer=|writer={{ubl|Alan Becker|Skim}}|director={{ubl|Alan Becker|Skim|guzzu}}|voices=|composer={{ubl|AaronGrooves|Scott Buckley}}|country=[[United States]]|language=English|num_seasons=3|num_episodes=12|executive_producer=|producer={{ubl|Alan Becker|Skim}}|editor=|runtime=3–31 minutes|network=[[Newgrounds]]|first_aired={{Start date|2006|06|03}}|last_aired={{End date|2014|10|02}}|network2=[[Atom.com]]|first_aired2={{Start date|2006|11|04}}|last_aired2={{End date|2010|10|04}}|network3=[[YouTube]]|first_aired3={{Start date|2007|09|12}}|last_aired3=present}}
{{Infobox television
| image               = <!-- TO BE ADDED -->
| caption             = Logo used in the Season 2 finale poster
| alt_name           = {{ubl|''SF''|''Stick Fighters''}}
| genre               = {{ubl|Action-adventure|Science fiction|Comedy-drama}}
| creator             = [[Freddie Goodwin]]
| developer           = [[Freddie Goodwin]]
| writer             = {{ubl|Freddie Goodwin|Skim}}
| director           = {{ubl|Freddie Goodwin|Skim|Guzzu}}
| voices             = <!-- to be added -->
| composer           = {{ubl|Aaron Grooves|Scott Buckley}}
| country             = [[United States]]
| language           = English
| num_seasons         = 3
| num_episodes       = 12
| executive_producer = Freddie Goodwin
| producer           = {{ubl|Freddie Goodwin|Skim}}
| runtime             = 3–31 minutes
| network             = [[Newgrounds]]
| first_aired         = {{Start date|2012|06|03}}
| last_aired         = present
| network2           = [[Atom.com]]
| first_aired2       = {{Start date|2012|11|04}}
| last_aired2         = {{End date|2014|10|04}}
| network3           = [[YouTube]]
| first_aired3       = {{Start date|2013|09|12}}
| last_aired3         = present
}}


'''''Stick Figures''''' is an American animated web series created by Alan Becker.<ref>{{Cite web|last=DeMott|first=Rick|date=October 12, 2010|title=Animator vs. Animation 3 Hits Atom.com|url=https://www.awn.com/news/animator-vs-animation-3-hits-atomcom|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250711142803/https://www.awn.com/news/animator-vs-animation-3-hits-atomcom|archive-date=July 11, 2025|access-date=2024-08-14|website=[[Animation World Network]]|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Beale|first=Scott|date=2008-01-08|title=Animator vs. Animation by Alan Becker|url=https://laughingsquid.com/animator-vs-animation-by-alan-becker/|access-date=2024-08-15|website=[[Laughing Squid]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Alan Becker - Biography|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4251911/bio/|quote=Alan Becker is best known by Internet users as the kid who made Animator vs. Animation. He made it during his junior year of high school in 2006.|access-date=2024-08-15|website=IMDb|language=en-US}}</ref> The original animation was first published on Newgrounds on June 3, 2006,<ref>{{Citation|last=Becker|first=Alan|title=Animator vs. Animation|date=2006-06-03|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2382912/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_3|access-date=2024-08-18}}</ref> with a sequel following five months later.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Beale|first=Scott|date=2008-01-08|title=Animator vs. Animation by Alan Becker|url=https://laughingsquid.com/animator-vs-animation-by-alan-becker/|access-date=2024-08-15|website=[[Laughing Squid]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Almost every installment is animated in either Adobe Animate or Blender, with live-action scenes also being incorporated into the series, starting with the fourth episode.
'''''Stick Fighters''''' is an American animated web series created by Freddie Goodwin. Blending action, comedy, science fiction, and digital-realm mythology, the series follows a group of sentient stick-figure warriors who escape their origin code and evolve into fully independent beings fighting across the vast “Outernet”—a simulated dimension hidden beneath software, devices, and abandoned networks.


The premise of the web series is a stick figure attempting to escape the animation program in which it was created, either by using the built-in animation tools or through sheer brute force.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|last=Silverberg|first=David|date=2014-10-02|title=Alan Becker releases long-anticipated Animator vs. Animation IV|url=https://www.digitaljournal.com/social-media/alan-becker-releases-long-anticipated-animator-vs-animation-iv/article/406562|access-date=2024-08-17|website=Digital Journal|language=en-US}}</ref> The series contains almost no spoken dialogue.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title=Animator vs. Animation|url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WebAnimation/AnimatorVsAnimation|access-date=2024-08-19|website=TV Tropes}}</ref>
The series debuted on Newgrounds on June 3, 2012, before expanding to Atom.com and later YouTube, where it developed a dedicated following for its fluid animation, fast-paced battles, and near-absence of traditional dialogue, relying instead on visual storytelling, expression-based symbols, and interface effects.


Known for its unique concept and high-quality animation, it became an immediate internet hit, receiving 4.78 stars on Newgrounds<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Becker|first=Alan|date=2006-06-03|title=Animator vs. Animation|url=https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/316541#:~:text=Daily%202nd%20Place,June%204,%202006|access-date=2024-08-18|website=via [[Newgrounds]]|language=en}}</ref> and 80 million views on YouTube.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npTC6b5-yvM|title=Animator vs. Animation (original)|date=2007-05-14|last=Becker|first=Alan|access-date=2024-08-27|via=YouTube}}</ref> The fourth installment gained almost 5 million views on YouTube within a month.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Verma|first=Arpit|date=2014-11-26|title=This Animator vs Animation Video Goes Viral and Worth Sharing|url=https://fossbytes.com/this-animator-vs-animation-video-goes-viral-and-worth-sharing/|access-date=2024-08-14|website=Fossbytes|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Premise ==
 
''Stick Fighters'' centers on artificially generated stick-figure entities created within a defunct animation engine called **FrameForge Studio**, which unintentionally produced self-aware constructs. When one of them violently rebels, it triggers a chain reaction that unlocks contact with the **Outernet**, a hidden digital world that mirrors the abandoned scraps of internet history. As new threats form—including corrupted AIs, rogue code weapons, and long-lost prototypes—the Stick Fighters must uncover their origins while battling forces that threaten both the Outernet and the human world.
A Kickstarter campaign for a reboot episode of the series was created on July 10, 2013,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|last=Silverberg|first=David|date=2014-10-02|title=Alan Becker releases long-anticipated Animator vs. Animation IV|url=https://www.digitaljournal.com/social-media/alan-becker-releases-long-anticipated-animator-vs-animation-iv/article/406562|access-date=2024-08-17|website=Digital Journal|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Nobilt|first=Jennifer|date=July 23, 2013|title=Becker shooting for 4th 'Animator vs. Animation' installment|url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/dublin-villager/2013/07/23/becker-shooting-for-4th-animator/23264665007/|access-date=2024-08-22|website=[[The Columbus Dispatch]]|language=en-US}}</ref> reaching their $10,000 funding goal on August 9, 2013. The episode was released on October 2, 2014.
 
Multiple browser game adaptations of the series have been created, including one in 2006 titled ''Animator vs. Animation Game: SE'', developed by Charles Yeh.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Beale|first=Scott|date=2008-01-08|title=Animator vs. Animation by Alan Becker|url=https://laughingsquid.com/animator-vs-animation-by-alan-becker/|access-date=2024-08-15|website=[[Laughing Squid]]|language=en-US}}</ref>


== Characters ==
== Characters ==


=== Humans ===
=== Humans ===
* '''The Creator''': A reclusive programmer who originally designed FrameForge Studio. Believed to have abandoned the project years before the Stick Fighters became sentient. The Creator appears only in silhouette or through system logs, serving as an unpredictable external force in the narrative.


* "'''The Animator'''" (a self-insert of Alan Becker): The titular character. He initially showed disdain towards his creations, before showing more care to them after learning that one of them (The Second Coming) could talk through text.
=== Stick Figures ===
 
=== Stick figures ===


==== Artificial Stick Figures ====
==== Artificial Stick Figures ====
Four hollow-headed stick figures all created by the Animator at different points in the story.
Sentient stick figures accidentally produced by the FrameForge codebase.


* '''H4CK3R''' (formerly '''victim'''){{sic}}: A black (later gray) stick figure created in June 3, 2006 by the Animator. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation" before seemingly being killed off in the same episode.<ref name="victim gender">{{cite AV media|last1=Becker|first1=Alan|author-link1=Alan Becker|last2=Welch|first2=DJ|date=2024-07-20|title=Animator Vs Animation Season 1 (Ep 1-4) {{pipe}} AvG Reacts|work=Animators VS Games|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I87626hm9UA&t=103s|quote=This is victim, yeah. Yeah, you can see his name right there.|language=en|access-date=2025-02-01}}</ref> Nearly seventeen years later, he was revealed to have ultimately escaped Macromedia Flash via a rocket after being recreated and tortured by his creator countless times throughout 2006 and 2007, turning dull gray and being marooned alongside an animated female character known as Mitsi. The two created a technology company called Rocket Corp together and lived a peaceful life in the Outernet until 2011, when Mitsi was killed by victim's successor, The Chosen One/The Dark Lord. This prompts victim to track him down over the coming years with the help of four mercenaries. He later tricks the Animator into changing his name to H4CK3R, granting him tech based reality-warping abilities before teaming up with The Dark Lord.
* '''Obsidian''' (formerly '''Victim'''): The very first sentient stick figure, created on June 3, 2012. Originally unstable and tortured by repeated resets inside FrameForge, he eventually escaped to the Outernet, turning gray as his code deteriorated. After losing his partner, **Mitsi**, during an attack by the rogue stick figure Cinder, he founded **Rocket Corp**, a tech syndicate dedicated to processing corrupted code. Later, he forcibly rebrands himself as "Obsidian," gaining destructive cybernetic abilities.


* '''The Chosen One (TCO)''' (now "NO ONE"): A black stick figure, originally almost identical in appearance to victim, was created in 2007 by the Animator.<ref name="The Chosen One gender">{{cite AV media|last=Becker|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Becker|date=2007-05-14|title=Animator vs. Animation 2 (original)|work=Alan Becker|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxM1cnphLpw&t=105s|quote=he might kill aim soon|language=en|access-date=2025-02-01}}</ref> He has several superpowers, including fire-breathing, laser vision, and superhuman strength, creating ice, among others. He debuted in "Animator vs. Animation II" as a villain and was presumed dead after the next episode before reappearing at the end of "The Virus", having redeemed himself to defeat The Dark Lord. In ''Animator vs. Animation 12'', H4CK3R downgrades The Chosen One by changing his name to NO ONE.
* '''The Chosen One / Cinder''' (later "Null"): The second sentient prototype created in 2013. Designed with layered combat subroutines, Cinder became unstable and turned on Obsidian and the Creator alike. After years of self-improvement and absorbing rogue modules, he rechristens himself “Null” after Obsidian forcibly strips his identity in Season 2.


* '''The Dark Lord (TDL)''': A red stick figure, created by the Animator in 2011,{{Efn|While this character's debut episode was released on Atom.com in 2010, Becker confirmed in "The Flashback" that the events took place on October 2, 2011, the day the episode was officially uploaded to YouTube.|group=lower-alpha}} programmed solely with the mission of destroying The Chosen One. He<ref name="The Dark Lord gender">{{cite AV media|last1=Becker|first1=Alan|author-link1=Alan Becker|last2=Welch|first2=DJ|date=2024-07-20|title=Animator Vs Animation Season 1 (Ep 1-4) {{pipe}} AvG Reacts|work=Animators VS Games|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I87626hm9UA&t=568s|quote=He has fireballs. They're just kind of smaller now.|language=en|access-date=2025-02-01}}</ref> debuted in "Animator vs. Animation III". He was presumed dead in the same episode, only to reappear in "The Flashback" as a villain seeking to spread havoc across the internet with his army of computer viruses. He was killed by The Second Coming in "The Showdown", but was revealed in "Hacker" to have been resurrected by his minions, the ViraBots, reprising his role as an antagonist by teaming up with H4CK3R.
* '''The Dark Sovereign''': A red-coded enforcer created in 2014 as an emergency failsafe meant to destroy Cinder. After initially failing his mission, the Sovereign reactivates in the Outernet and transforms into a virus-generating tyrant. Though destroyed in Season 1, dormant fragments later reassemble him.


* '''The Second Coming (TSC)''': Also known as "Orange". He is an orange stick figure accidentally created by the Animator in 2014 and the leader of the Stick Gang. In almost all animations he appears in, The Second Coming is depicted as being a completely normal stick figure, much like the other figures he meets the same episode in which he is introduced, albeit with far more honed fighting abilities. However, he has hidden powers and capabilities that make him one of the most potent figures currently introduced in the series. These powers include telekinesis, flight, laser vision, extremely powerful strength, and regeneration. These abilities have only surfaced temporarily through vague means.
* '''The Second Spark (TSS)''': A bright orange stick figure born from a failed auto-save recovery. TSS becomes the leader of the Stick Fighters, possessing rare “Threadborn” abilities—telekinetic control of digital constructs, limited file manipulation, and temporary regeneration. These powers activate unpredictably and often overwhelm him.


==== Fighting Stick Figures ====
==== Fighting Stick Figures ====
A group of four solid-headed stick figures consisting of Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green was introduced in 2014. Residing on ''sticksfight.com'', they escaped with the help of The Second Coming before each being terminated by the Animator, then subsequently revived. They were later killed by The Dark Lord during "The Showdown", only to be revived again by The Second Coming.
A group of solid-headed stick figures originally imprisoned on a combat-testing website before escaping into the Outernet.


* '''Red''': A red stick figure that loves animals. He is reckless and most impulsive of the Stick Gang.
* '''Red''': Hot-headed brawler who is impulsive but fiercely loyal. Loves animals and often rescues Outernet creatures.
* '''Blue''': A cyan stick figure that likes farming and brewing potions. He's been described as a "hippie" and has an addiction to nether wart in the ''Animation vs. Minecraft'' spin-off.
* '''Blue''': A mellow potion-brewer and digital botanist who grows data-plants from corrupted memory.
* '''Yellow''': A yellow stick figure that likes computer programming. In "The Box" he is kidnapped by victim's company, Rocket Corp, to manifest the Animator in the Outernet.
* '''Yellow''': A coder capable of threading scripts into physical form. Kidnapped by Rocket Corp in Season 1.
* '''Green''': A lime stick figure who likes music and is The Second Coming's best friend. He is arrogant and, as karma, suffers the most out of the Stick Gang.
* '''Green''': A music-obsessed fighter able to weaponize vibrations. Known for being arrogant—and constantly suffering for it.


==== Mercenaries ====
==== Mercenaries ====
A group of four stick figures with unique designs and fighting styles. Excluding Ballista, the mercenaries lack official names and are only being referred to with community-created nicknames.
Four powerful, uniquely coded fighters hired by Obsidian.


* '''"Agent"''': A thin, dark gray stick figure of above average height who wears sunglasses. He has a solid white head with a dark gray outline, identical to his body, and possesses a toolbar that gives him the powers of an animator. Despite being grouped as part of the mercenaries, the episode "Victim" reveals he is victim's full-time employee, security guard and best friend who watched victim's lover Mitsi die at The Chosen One's hands and wants to avenge her death. It's been revealed in a Q&A his non-canon production name is '''G.U.I.'''.
* '''Agent''': A tall, dark-gray stick figure wearing digital sunglasses. Wields a UI-toolbar that grants rudimentary animator abilities. Loyal to Obsidian after witnessing Mitsi’s death.
* '''"Hazard"''': A pictogram portrayed as uncommitted and comical, but also loyal to victim. He has control over any and all pictogram signs, allowing him to use electrokinesis; clone himself; or summon an atomic bomb, among many others.
* '''Hazard''': A pictogram entity who uses iconography to unleash unpredictable abilities—cloning, electricity, explosives, and giant hazard symbols.
* '''"Primal"''': A tall, brown stick figure (similar to stick figure drawings by cavemen) that embodies a wild and untamed nature, often acting on immediate instinct and raw power while having a stronger, more powerful form. His non-canon production name is '''Lasco''', after the cave system he was based on.
* '''Primal''': A caveman-style stick figure built from ancient ASCII art. Channels “raw code” to enter a berserk enhanced form.
* '''Ballista''': A pixelated stick figure that can shapeshift and is short-tempered. He's a crossover character from the 2003 animation ''Stick Figure vs Door''. His non-canon production name is '''EZToon''', after the animation program he was created in.
* '''Ballista''': A pixelated shapeshifter from a discontinued animation engine. Can morph into weapons, shields, or tools.


==== Others ====
==== Others ====
* '''Purple''': Once a friend, later corrupted by gaining admin-like power inside a sandbox-game universe. Not evil by nature; driven by ambition.
* '''Pink''': Mother of Purple. A calm, strategic stick figure uploaded by a long-lost animator. Killed during the fallout of Navy’s experiments.
* '''Navy''': A deep-blue warrior and Purple’s father. Secretly trained Purple for combat and inadvertently sparked his fall into corruption.
* '''ViraBots''': Mechanical spider-like virus drones created by the Dark Sovereign. Mostly eradicated—until fragments revive him.
* '''Mitsi''': Obsidian’s partner and co-founder of Rocket Corp. Her death becomes the emotional core of Obsidian’s villain turn.
* '''Corn Dog Guy''': A tall maroon stick figure known for inventing absurd businesses inside disasters. Upload date: March 15, 2012.


* '''Purple''': Purple is one of the main stick figures alongside Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. Initially introduced as a friend to the others, Purple becomes an antagonist in Animation vs. Minecraft after being driven by power within the Minecraft world. Unlike the Dark Lord, Purple’s motivations are not inherently evil; they stem from ambition and the temptation of control over digital elements. Over time, Purple’s actions lead to conflict with the other stick figures, though later appearances show him displaying remorse and an eventual desire for redemption. His complex character arc, shifting between ally and adversary, has made Purple one of the most prominent and discussed figures in Becker’s animated universe.
* '''Pink''': Pink is the posthumous mother of Purple. Pink is portrayed as caring, protective, and resourceful, living peacefully with her child before being caught in the larger conflicts of the series. Pink was uploaded to Newgrounds by an unknown animator alongside her husband Navy and her son, Purple.
* '''Navy''': Navy or Dark Blue is a overarching antagonist and is the biological father of Purple and the husband of Pink. He tried to train Purple into a fighter before leaving after an argument with Pink about his son's well being. He was indirectly the cause for Purple's evil arc.
* '''ViraBots''': The Dark Lord's minions, a species of computer viruses that take the form of robotic spiders. The majority of them were killed by The Second Coming in "The Showdown", but "Hacker" reveals a few of them survived and resurrected The Dark Lord.
* '''Mitsi''': Victim's first friend and lover and the co-founder of Rocket Corp who helped him overcome his trauma caused by the Animator's abuse of him. She was killed by what appears to be The Chosen One back in 2011, which motivates victim and Agent into avenging her death. Victim, as H4CK3R, later teams up with The Dark Lord under the promise of resurrecting her.
* '''Corn Dog Guy''': A tall maroon stick figure who is characterized by his incredible head for business, as he could stay calm in many disastrous situation and turned that into business opportunities. Apparently the one thing that makes him sad is the customers ignoring him. He was uploaded to Outernet in March 15, 2007. He was originally uploaded as a side character by Alan but he quickly went viral on the Internet.


== Episodes ==
== Episodes ==

Revision as of 01:19, 2 December 2025


Stick Fighters
Also known as
  • SF
  • Stick Fighters
Genre
  • Action-adventure
  • Science fiction
  • Comedy-drama
Created byFreddie Goodwin
Developed byFreddie Goodwin
Written by
  • Freddie Goodwin
  • Skim
Directed by
  • Freddie Goodwin
  • Skim
  • Guzzu
Composers
  • Aaron Grooves
  • Scott Buckley
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producerFreddie Goodwin
Producers
  • Freddie Goodwin
  • Skim
Running time3–31 minutes
Original release
NetworkNewgrounds
ReleaseJune 3, 2012 (2012-06-03) –
present
NetworkAtom.com
ReleaseNovember 4, 2012 (2012-11-04) –
October 4, 2014 (2014-10-04)
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseSeptember 12, 2013 (2013-09-12) –
present

Stick Fighters is an American animated web series created by Freddie Goodwin. Blending action, comedy, science fiction, and digital-realm mythology, the series follows a group of sentient stick-figure warriors who escape their origin code and evolve into fully independent beings fighting across the vast “Outernet”—a simulated dimension hidden beneath software, devices, and abandoned networks.

The series debuted on Newgrounds on June 3, 2012, before expanding to Atom.com and later YouTube, where it developed a dedicated following for its fluid animation, fast-paced battles, and near-absence of traditional dialogue, relying instead on visual storytelling, expression-based symbols, and interface effects.

Premise

Stick Fighters centers on artificially generated stick-figure entities created within a defunct animation engine called **FrameForge Studio**, which unintentionally produced self-aware constructs. When one of them violently rebels, it triggers a chain reaction that unlocks contact with the **Outernet**, a hidden digital world that mirrors the abandoned scraps of internet history. As new threats form—including corrupted AIs, rogue code weapons, and long-lost prototypes—the Stick Fighters must uncover their origins while battling forces that threaten both the Outernet and the human world.

Characters

Humans

  • The Creator: A reclusive programmer who originally designed FrameForge Studio. Believed to have abandoned the project years before the Stick Fighters became sentient. The Creator appears only in silhouette or through system logs, serving as an unpredictable external force in the narrative.

Stick Figures

Artificial Stick Figures

Sentient stick figures accidentally produced by the FrameForge codebase.

  • Obsidian (formerly Victim): The very first sentient stick figure, created on June 3, 2012. Originally unstable and tortured by repeated resets inside FrameForge, he eventually escaped to the Outernet, turning gray as his code deteriorated. After losing his partner, **Mitsi**, during an attack by the rogue stick figure Cinder, he founded **Rocket Corp**, a tech syndicate dedicated to processing corrupted code. Later, he forcibly rebrands himself as "Obsidian," gaining destructive cybernetic abilities.
  • The Chosen One / Cinder (later "Null"): The second sentient prototype created in 2013. Designed with layered combat subroutines, Cinder became unstable and turned on Obsidian and the Creator alike. After years of self-improvement and absorbing rogue modules, he rechristens himself “Null” after Obsidian forcibly strips his identity in Season 2.
  • The Dark Sovereign: A red-coded enforcer created in 2014 as an emergency failsafe meant to destroy Cinder. After initially failing his mission, the Sovereign reactivates in the Outernet and transforms into a virus-generating tyrant. Though destroyed in Season 1, dormant fragments later reassemble him.
  • The Second Spark (TSS): A bright orange stick figure born from a failed auto-save recovery. TSS becomes the leader of the Stick Fighters, possessing rare “Threadborn” abilities—telekinetic control of digital constructs, limited file manipulation, and temporary regeneration. These powers activate unpredictably and often overwhelm him.

Fighting Stick Figures

A group of solid-headed stick figures originally imprisoned on a combat-testing website before escaping into the Outernet.

  • Red: Hot-headed brawler who is impulsive but fiercely loyal. Loves animals and often rescues Outernet creatures.
  • Blue: A mellow potion-brewer and digital botanist who grows data-plants from corrupted memory.
  • Yellow: A coder capable of threading scripts into physical form. Kidnapped by Rocket Corp in Season 1.
  • Green: A music-obsessed fighter able to weaponize vibrations. Known for being arrogant—and constantly suffering for it.

Mercenaries

Four powerful, uniquely coded fighters hired by Obsidian.

  • Agent: A tall, dark-gray stick figure wearing digital sunglasses. Wields a UI-toolbar that grants rudimentary animator abilities. Loyal to Obsidian after witnessing Mitsi’s death.
  • Hazard: A pictogram entity who uses iconography to unleash unpredictable abilities—cloning, electricity, explosives, and giant hazard symbols.
  • Primal: A caveman-style stick figure built from ancient ASCII art. Channels “raw code” to enter a berserk enhanced form.
  • Ballista: A pixelated shapeshifter from a discontinued animation engine. Can morph into weapons, shields, or tools.

Others

  • Purple: Once a friend, later corrupted by gaining admin-like power inside a sandbox-game universe. Not evil by nature; driven by ambition.
  • Pink: Mother of Purple. A calm, strategic stick figure uploaded by a long-lost animator. Killed during the fallout of Navy’s experiments.
  • Navy: A deep-blue warrior and Purple’s father. Secretly trained Purple for combat and inadvertently sparked his fall into corruption.
  • ViraBots: Mechanical spider-like virus drones created by the Dark Sovereign. Mostly eradicated—until fragments revive him.
  • Mitsi: Obsidian’s partner and co-founder of Rocket Corp. Her death becomes the emotional core of Obsidian’s villain turn.
  • Corn Dog Guy: A tall maroon stick figure known for inventing absurd businesses inside disasters. Upload date: March 15, 2012.


Episodes

Template:Long plot

This section's plot summaries may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve them by removing unnecessary details and making them more concise. (September 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
14June 3, 2006 (2006-06-03)October 2, 2014 (2014-10-02)
24August 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)October 24, 2020 (2020-10-24)
34April 29, 2023 (2023-04-29)TBA

Season 1 (2025)

No. Overall. No. In Season. Episode Title Directed by Written by Original airdate
1 1 "Awakening" Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin December 1, 2025
In a distant digital desert, Green escapes a glitch entity known as the Void King after stealing a glowing Data Core, triggering a system-wide threat as the creature demands its return; Green reunites with Blue, Red, Yellow, and Purple in the Hub World, where the team learns the Core carries an Alpha-level cipher bound to Green’s code signature and the Void King begins corrupting the city with a massive portal. As glitchborn minions overrun the plaza, the Stick Fighters attempt to defend the grid while Purple discovers only Green can unlock the Core, but the Void King arrives personally, overwhelming the team and nearly destabilizing the Hub. Forced into action, Green instinctively opens the Core, unleashing a surge of golden code that transforms him into a higher-tier combat form and reveals the object to be a legendary Patch Key — a system-cleansing failsafe long thought erased. The Void King retreats after being struck by its purifying blast, warning that his corruption has barely begun; afterward, the team views a hologram from a faceless entity known only as Infinity, who explains that the Patch Key was created to defeat the Void King when he reaches full corruption. Realizing the enemy is currently at just one percent of his eventual power, the Stick Fighters prepare for the inevitable escalation as a new breach triggers and the team rushes out together to face the next threat.
2 2 "The First Corruptor" Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin December 1, 2025
In the North Sector’s digital forest, Blue and Yellow discover that a dormant guardian has transformed into a rare Corruptor-class glitch creature, prompting Green, Red, and Purple to mount a rescue when the pair go silent; the group arrives to find the forest ravaged and the Corruptor pursuing Yellow, and Purple confirms that the monster still contains remnants of its original base-code and can be salvaged. As the Void King briefly manifests through the creature and reveals direct control over its corruption, the team battles to restrain it while Green struggles to channel his unstable Patch Key abilities, eventually unlocking a new “restore” capability that can rewrite corrupted code in short bursts. With the others trapping the Corruptor in a containment formation, Green finally manages to overwrite its core and revert it back to an unconscious forest guardian, proving he can disrupt the Void King’s influence. As the forest stabilizes, Purple detects a far larger threat emerging in Sector West — a Titan-class entity not seen in generations — forcing the Stick Fighters to regroup and prepare for the Void King’s escalating assault on the system.
3 3 3 Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin December 1, 2025
4 4 4 Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin December 1, 2025
5 5 5 Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin December 1, 2025
6 6 6 Freddie Goodwin Freddie Goodwin December 1, 2025

Development and history

Becker was inspired by many popular animations and stories, such as Duck Amuck and the 1959 animated version of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Many other Flash games, such as Cursor Thief on Newgrounds, also gave him the spark to create the animation.[1] Approximately three months after starting the animation, Becker posted it to Newgrounds. The next day, the animation received second place for the entire day.[2] Becker began receiving numerous emails and instant messages from website owners who wanted to host the animation on their websites, with one of the websites even offering $75, provided they received exclusive rights to the animation. Becker declined after reading an email above from Steven Lerner, the owner of Albino Blacksheep.[1][3]

AtomFilms offered to fund the making of a sequel, which was released on November 4, 2006.[4][1] Becker used his real AIM username in the animation, which made him unable to use the service without his desktop screen being flooded by hundreds of fans who attempted to message him online. Becker began uploading the videos to YouTube, manually reporting clones of the videos using YouTube's copyright report system, but it reportedly took several years. Becker uploaded "Animator vs. Animation 3" onto Atom.com on October 4, 2010, intending for it to be the final episode. He then went on to study animation at the Columbus College of Art and Design and tried to get an internship at Pixar but was rejected.[1] Becker launched a Kickstarter campaign for the funding of Animator vs. Animation 4 after being motivated by his teacher's words and encouragement to keep going. The campaign launched on July 10, 2013, and the $10,000 funding goal was reached on August 9, 2013.[1] On October 2, 2014, "Animator vs. Animation 4" was released onto YouTube. It reportedly gained almost five million views on YouTube within a month.[5]

eBaum's World controversy

Template:Main articles Main article: eBaum's World § Copyright infringement and controversy

"Animator vs. Animation" was uploaded to eBaum's World without Becker's permission and proper credit.[6] Legal action was threatened against eBaum's World under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.[6][7] eBaum's World later contacted Becker, offering him $250 as compensation and pressuring Becker into a false testimonial. Becker later retracted the statement and officially requested that eBaum's World remove the animation and testimonial from the website.[1][6]

Other media

Game adaptations

In 2006, a browser game adaptation titled Animator vs. Animation Game: SE was released for Adobe Flash Player, developed by Charles Yeh.[8]

On March 26, 2025, a Kickstarter campaign was launched for Animation VERSUS, a fighting game slated for release in June 2028. The game is being developed with the help of Muno, who created a Rivals of Aether mod featuring characters from the series.[9][10][11]

Spin-offs

The series has had multiple spin-offs, under the Animation vs. label, with some of them gaining more views than the original series itself.Template:Cn[citation needed]

A spinoff called "Animation vs. Minecraft" was uploaded on December 14, 2015. The video briefly had the title of the most popular Minecraft video on the internet for a month.[12] A companion series, "Animation vs. Minecraft Shorts" (AvM Shorts), which alternates between slice-of-life and serialized storytelling, debuted on November 17, 2017. Its fourteenth episode briefly became the most popular Minecraft video on the internet,[13] and it was Becker's most popular video to date.

Another spinoff, "Animation vs. YouTube", featured cameo appearances from numerous YouTubers, including PewDiePie and Markiplier.[14][15] Actual Shorts are shorts formatted for YouTube Shorts, with the name referencing the fact that most episodes in the Animation vs. Minecraft Shorts series are too long to be considered "shorts", with running times of up to thirty minutes.[16][17]

  • Animation vs. League of Legends
  • Animation vs. Pokemon
  • Animation vs. Super Mario Bros
  • Animation vs. Arcade Games
  • Animation vs. Education

Reception

The series has gained a generally positive reception.[18]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Animation Result Ref
2007 Webby Awards "People's Voice" Award style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won [19][20]
2014 Cleveland International Film Festival "Best of Ohio" Award style="background: #FFE3E3; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2 notheme"|Nominated [21]
2024 data-sort-value="" style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #ececec); color: var(--color-base, inherit); vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-na" | Unknown style="background: #9EFF9E; color: #000; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="yes table-yes2 notheme"|Won [22]

See also

  • Flash animation
  • Stick figure

Notes


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Template:Cite AV media
  2. ↑ Becker, Alan (June 3, 2006). "Animator vs. Animation". via Newgrounds. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Animator vs. Animation series". Albino Blacksheep. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ Schechner, Sam (June 22, 2007). "The Joy of Sticks". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  5. ↑ Verma, Arpit (November 26, 2014). "This Animator vs Animation Video Goes Viral and Worth Sharing". Fossbytes. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "June 2006". Albino Blacksheep. May 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  7. ↑ Becker, Alan (August 8, 2013). "Alan Becker". DeviantArt. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  8. ↑ Beale, Scott (January 8, 2008). "Animator vs. Animation by Alan Becker". Laughing Squid. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  9. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  10. ↑ Cichacki, Shaun (March 26, 2025). "'Animation Versus' Is the Creation of Alan Becker, the Creative Genius Behind 'Animator vs Animation', and It Blew Past Its Kickstarter Goal". VICE. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ Staff, Game Rant (March 26, 2025). "Animation VERSUS - Official Reveal Trailer". Game Rant. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Alan Becker". YouTube. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1 at line 2547: attempt to call field 'is_valid_date' (a nil value).
  14. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  15. ↑ "Animation vs. YouTube featured videos". YouTube. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  16. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
  17. ↑ "Animator vs. Animation". TV Tropes. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Alan Becker | Writer, Animation Department, Director". IMDb. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  19. ↑ Nobilt, Jennifer (July 23, 2013). "Becker shooting for 4th 'Animator vs. Animation' installment". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  20. ↑ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Animator vs. Animation IV - Cleveland International Film Festival :: March 22 - April 1, 2023". dev.clevelandfilm.org. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  22. ↑ @theI_M_I (June 12, 2024). "For "Animation vs Math," @alanthebecker will receive an award of $50,000. Known for his reoccurring YouTube series, 'Animation vs,' he makes stick figure animations and captivates audiences with his mastery of animation while tackling subjects like physics & animation. #IMIAwards" (Tweet). Retrieved August 22, 2024 – via Twitter.

External links

Template:NewgroundsTemplate:Minecraft

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