History Main / EasilyDetachableRobotParts

* This is taken UpToEleven with Goddard, Jimmy's robotic pet dog from ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius''. Due to an error in programming, when given the command "Play Dead", Goddard explodes into pieces...only for the pieces to reform back into the same shape a few seconds later. How not a single part of Goddard manages to warp or break from internal combustion is beyond this troper, but it makes for a pretty impressive dog trick.

* Bender from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has spontaneously popped off virtually ever piece of himself (head, arms, legs, fingers), and is pretty much hollow. Taken to absurd levels and lampshaded as early as the first episode: A scene opens with Bender using one arm to put his other arm on, with the view so close that we can only see the act itself. Then the arm that was just screwed in picks up the first arm, and the camera pans to the second arm attaching the first to his other shoulder. Fry then remarks that he has no idea how that was possible.

* Bender from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''. He is pretty much hollow.
** Taken to absurd levels and lampshaded as early as the first episode: A scene opens with Bender using one arm to put his other arm on, with the view so close that we can only see the act itself. Then the arm that was just screwed in picks up the first arm, and the camera pans to the second arm attaching the first to his other shoulder. Fry then remarks that he has no idea how that was possible.

* Johnny 5 from ''Film/ShortCircuit'' (and, presumably, every other SAINT robots) are built like this; each Nova truck is full of parts for them, and Johnny uses them to at different times replace an arm that went dead (which, apparently, was being held on at the shoulder joint by just magnets) and [[FakingTheDead building an entire duplicate to get blown up by the military for him]]. Justified in that since he's a military model robot he'd have to be easily repairable and moddable, otherwise they'd spend too much time and money in fixing him out on the battlefield.

* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'':

*** Local wifi control?[[note]]This particular episode debuted before WiFi and Bluetooth technology came into common use.[[/note]]

* No3ll3 of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' undergoes an upgrade by placing her [[spoiler: soul conduit]] into a new, larger body, and then attaching additional limbs to it.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Pandorica Opens", Amy and the Doctor encounter a Cyberman who has his head and arm removed and all three parts are capable of acting independently.

* A PublicServiceAnnouncement features Astar, a robot from the Planet Danger. He can put his arms back on. You can't, so play safe. and even launching the top half of the Force Impulse at the Freedom and making it explode!

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'''s Knightmare Frames have arms capable of being detached, handy if they're trapped or damaged to the point of uselessness.
* In ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'', Jeeg's head and limbs are held together by powerful magnetic fields in the first place, so detaching them is easy.
[[/folder]]

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'''s Knightmare Frames have arms capable of being detached, handy if they're trapped or damaged to the point of uselessness.
* In ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'', Jeeg's head and limbs are held together by powerful magnetic fields in the first place, so detaching them is easy.

Some robots are apparently conf and even launching the top half of the Force Impulse at the Freedom and making it explode!

Some robots are apparently constructed of easily detached (and easily reconnected) parts. An arm fell off? [[LosingYourHead The]] ''[[LosingYourHead head]]'' [[LosingYourHead fell off?]] No sweat, just screw or push it back on, since they usually are as easy to connect as [[BuiltWithLEGO LEGO]]. [[RocketPunch Use it as a weapon]], why don't you? Sometimes it appears that each of their parts is [[OrganAutonomy self-sufficient]] and [[HelpingHands can function on its own.]]

This is generally {{justified|Trope}} by having the power source and [[HeartDrive CPU being the only real parts that matter]]; everything else can be repaired or replaced. Kinda makes sense when you look at a computer, which will continue running as usual after you unplug everything but the power cord. That doesn't mean [[FridgeLogic it makes sense]] every time.

Can get a bit ridiculous if the robot is easily rebuilt after things like explosions, which logically should misshape the parts that reconnect. To go to the computer analogy, your PC will work if you take anything but the power cord out, but it won't work that well if you do something like shoot it with a shotgun.
(On the other hand, [[http://www.topgear.com/UK/videos/killing-a-toyota sometimes things do work after bending.]])

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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* A PublicServiceAnnouncement features Astar, a robot from the Planet Danger. He can put his arms back on. You can't, so play safe.

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* The eponymous robot of ''Anime/DaiGuard'' tends to lose an arm in every fight. This is [[RocketPunch weaponized]] [[IndyPloy by Akagi]] in the third episode, and later elevated to an actual function of the machine, with its advanced weaponry replacing one or both of its arms.
* A lot of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' series loves to do this, especially if the mechs use a Core Block System:
** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'', Kou Uraki separates the GP-01 Fb's lower torso from its upper torso to escape the Val Varo and land a killing blow.
** In ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam'', the titular mech can actually launch its components, the Top Fighter (its arms and chest) and Bottom Fighter (lower torso and legs) at opponents. Justified as the League Militaire have TONS of those things.
** In ''Anime/TurnAGundam'', the Turn X has this as one of its primary gimmicks: the head and limbs can all detach from the main body and propel themselves on their own, allowing the Turn X to strike from unexpected directions. The pieces can then just as easily snap back into place.
** In ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'', Shinn Asuka uses this expertly in his fight with Kira Yamato between the Impulse and the Freedom, including the same separating at the waist maneuver Kou pulled off and even launching the top half of the Force Impulse at the Freedom and making it explode!
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'''s Knightmare Frames have arms capable of being detached, handy if they're trapped or damaged to the point of uselessness.
* In ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg'', Jeeg's head and limbs are held together by powerful magnetic fields in the first place, so detaching them is easy.
[[/folder]]

** Funtime Foxy in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2'' was intended to replace the original Foxy as a normal animatronic pirate, but the kids kept tearing it apart. Reassembling it is easy enough but, but the employees were so sick of doing it ''every night'' they just decided to rebrand it "the Mangle" and claim it's a "built-it-yourself" attraction from now on. This might not be a problem if A) the robots weren't [[HauntedTechnology secretly self-aware]], and B) Mangle's messed-up state wasn't somehow [[DemonicSpiders more deadly]].

* Funtime Foxy in ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2'' was intended to replace the original Foxy as a normal animatronic pirate, but the kids kept tearing it apart. Reassembling it is easy enough but, but the employees were so sick of doing it ''every night'' they just decided to rebrand it "the Mangle" and claim it's a "built-it-yourself" attraction from now on. This might not be a problem if A) the robots weren't [[HauntedTechnology secretly self-aware]], and B) Mangle's messed-up state wasn't somehow [[DemonicSpiders more deadly]].

** Recorded tapes in ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' reveal that Fazbear Entertainment created animatronics that could also be worn as suits by locking the endoskeleton parts in different areas around the suit. And they could be put back together and work just fine. [[spoiler:Of course, the easily detachable parts wouldn't easily ''stay'' detached, as the Purple Man found out...]]

* Vuffi Raa from the Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse can detach his five tentacles from his "body" and have them do tasks by themselves. The tentacles even have enough individual intelligence to operate starship guns, thus allowing Vuffi Raa to get around his ThouShaltNotKill programming.

* This is the entire purpose of XR in ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand''. His name stands for "[=eXpendable=] Robot".

** C-3PO, of course. In ''Film/ANewHope'' an arm comes off and is easily reconnected. In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', he is dismembered and Chewbacca has to work at reassembly. One of the ExpandedUniverse guidebooks indicates that most protocol and translation droids are made this way so that they can take abuse from owners who like to ShootTheMessenger. In ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', C-3PO's head is easily knocked off and re-attached to the wrong body. Then later, the same happens again but in reverse. Which is odd, since no other robots survive having their heads taken off, especially [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mooks those of the type]] that C-3PO's parts keep getting swapped with.

This is generally {{justified|Trope}} by having the power source and [[HeartDrive CPU being the only real parts that matter]]; everything else can be repaired or replaced. Kinda makes sense when you look at a computer, which will continue running as usual after you unplug everything but the power cord. That doesn't stop it from [[FridgeLogic not making sense]] at times.

** Later episodes show that his his entire body is detachable and his head (if disconnected properly) can function independently.

* This is taken UpToEleven with Goddard, Jimmy's robotic pet dog from TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius. Due to an error in programming, when given the command "Play Dead", Goddard explodes into pieces...only for the pieces to reform back into the same shape a few seconds later. How not a single part of Goddard manages to warp or break from internal combustion is beyond this troper, but it makes for a pretty impressive dog trick.

*** Local wifi control?

* Funtime Foxy in ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2'' was intended to replace the original Foxy as a normal animatronic pirate, but the kids kept tearing her apart. Reassembling her is easy enough but, but the employees were so sick of doing it ''every night'' they just decided to rebrand her "the Mangle" and claim she's a "built-it-yourself" attraction from now on. This might not be a problem if A) the robots weren't [[HauntedTechnology secretly self-aware]], and B) Mangle's messed-up state wasn't somehow [[DemonicSpiders more deadly]].

* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': The T-1000 is a borderline example, but it ''is'' a robot. Albeit a liquid metal one, with detached parts reverting and being reabsorbed into the main mass.

* Bender from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.

* Toy Foxy in ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2'' was intended to replace the original Foxy as a normal animatronic pirate/clown, but the kids kept tearing her apart. Reassembling her is easy enough but, but the employees were so sick of doing it ''every night'' they just decided to rebrand her "the Mangle" and claim she's a "built-it-yourself" attraction from now on. This might not be a problem if A) the robots weren't [[HauntedTechnology secretly self-aware]], and B) Mangle's messed-up state wasn't somehow [[DemonicSpiders more deadly]].

[[folder:{{Comics}}]]
* In the short-lived 1980's Franchise/ArchieComics series ''ComicBook/ManTech,'' both the cyborg good guys and the robot bad guys had modular parts. The comic was based on a toy line that had this characteristic.

* The ''Comicbook/{{ABC Warriors}}'' often display this, with one of them even removing his head when he takes a bath.
* Robotman of the DoomPatrol, although his parts weren't designed to come off. His readiness to discard body parts at the first sign of trouble was actually a symptom of self-destructive rejection of his artificial body and severe depression.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:{{Film}}]]
* [[Franchise/StarWars C-3PO]], of course. In ''Film/ANewHope'' an arm came off and was easily reconnected. In ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'', he was dismembered and Chewbacca had to work at reassembly.
** One of the ExpandedUniverse guidebooks indicates that most protocol and translation droids are made this way so that they can take abuse from owners who like to ShootTheMessenger.
** In ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', C-3PO's head is easily knocked off and re-attached to the wrong body. Then later, the same happens again but in reverse. Which is odd, since no other robots survive having their heads taken off, especially [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mooks those of the type]] that C-3PO's parts keep getting swapped with.
* Another ''Franchise/StarWars'' example: the gangly B1 battle droids' limbs are attached electromagnetically and can be ripped off with relative ease. In case of sudden power loss, they can even just fall off.
* The [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} T-1000]] is a borderline example, but it *was* a robot. Albeit a liquid metal one, with detached parts reverting and being reabsorbed into the main mass.
* Johnny 5 from ''Film/ShortCircuit'' (and, presumably, every other SAINT robots) are built like this; each Nova truck is full of parts for them, and Johnny uses them to at different times replace an arm that went dead (which, apparently, was being held on at the shoulder joint by just magnets) and [[FakingTheDead building an entire duplicate to get blown up by the military for him]].
** Justified in that since he's a military model robot he'd have to be easily repairable and moddable otherwise they'd spend too much time and money in fixing him out on the battlefield.