History YMMV / BattleBots

* OvershadowedByControversy: Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team, mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive and cocky {{Jerkass}} behaviour, the fact that its design was possibly based on the team's beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Rival Rival]], which was itself allegedly [[SerialNumbersFiledOff copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit champion beetleweight [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that Calvin Iba of Team Iba Labs owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures]]. In Season 7, it and its team's reputation took a nosedive when Ethan and his team [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of non-sportsmanship. This went on even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately had to end with a referee ''physically'' taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands. This continued into its later fight against Shatter!, where before the fight started and after the weigh-in, Riptide's team were seen changing the bot, allegedly to add on a fake axe for fun before the match. When Adam Wrigley of Shatter requested a re-weigh, Riptide inexplicably came out a couple of pounds lighter than it was before; this has led to people accusing Riptide's team of breaking rules outright. ''Then'', after the same fight was concluded, Ethan spent most of his post-match interview [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating gloating at and insulting]] Adam and the rest of Shatter's team. Ultimately, however, Riptide suffered a KarmaHoudiniWarranty revocation when it went up against Copperhead; with Ethan Kurtz sidelined due to a COVID quarantine, Riptide suffered a harsh beating that included its weapon being shattered, and adding insult to injury, when Kurtz and his team appealed the split judge's decision, it was changed... to a ''unanimous'' decision in favor of ''Copperhead''.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team, mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive and cocky {{Jerkass}} behaviour, the fact that its design was possibly based on the team's beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Rival Rival]], which was itself allegedly [[SerialNumbersFiledOff copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit champion beetleweight [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that Calvin Iba of Team Iba Labs owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures]]. In Season 7, it and its team's reputation took a nosedive when Ethan and his team [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of non-sportsmanship. This went on even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately had to end with a referee ''physically'' taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands. This continued into its later fight against Shatter!, where before the fight started and after the weigh-in, Riptide's team were seen changing the bot, allegedly to add on a fake axe for fun before the match. When Adam Wrigley of Shatter requested a re-weigh, Riptide inexplicably came out a couple of pounds lighter than it was before; this has led to people accusing Riptide's team of breaking rules outright. ''Then'', after the same fight was concluded, Ethan spent most of his post-match interview [[UnsportsmanlikeGloating gloating at and insulting]] Adam and the rest of Shatter's team.

** Bombshell's appearance and victory in the Last Chance Rumble. After going 0-4 in the season it gets a shot at the 16th seed despite several other bots with superior records not being in the Rumble.[[labelnote:Why?]]Several other bots were offered the 16th seed but couldn't continue due to crippled or broken parts they couldn't repair or replace in time, including Skorpios and Warhead.[[/labelnote]] It does a fair bit of damage early, then gets knocked out after a minute or so, and when the dust settles DUCK! is the last bot standing... but Bombshell is able to [[NotQuiteDead regain partial control]] with less than ten seconds left in the fight after being immobile for over a minute, then wins the judges' decision due to the rules of the Rumble being different than a standard match. Either people are confused as to how a bot that failed to get any wins would be allowed in the Rumble at all, upset that DUCK! lost the judges' decision to a bot that barely worked anymore, understand the decision but don't like it, or agree with the decision but understand why the other groups are upset. It all resulted in a fight nobody really enjoyed. This was amplified ''greatly'' by PoorCommunicationKills - The different rules for the Rumble were never mentioned, let alone explained, in the television broadcast and even the live audience and ''the teams themselves'' didn't seem to immediately understand the decision.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team; mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive behaviour, the fact that its design was possibly based on the team's beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Rival Rival]], which was allegedly [[SerialNumbersFiledOff copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit champion beetleweight [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that Calvin Iba of Team Iba Labs owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures.]] In Season 7, its reputation took a nosedive when it [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship; even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately having to end with a referee physically taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands. This would also continue in its fight against Shatter, where before the fight started they were seen changing the bot, apparently to add on a fake axe for fun before the match, but when Adam Wrigley demanded a re-weigh it became slightly lighter, this has lead to people accusing Riptide of breaking rules.

* CommonKnowledge: Many fans think that the original run of [=BattleBots=] was cancelled due to wedgebots robbing the show of popularity. This actually wasn’t the case, the actual reason for the fall in popularity was due to the fifth season’s new time slot and [[ScrewedByTheNetwork reduced amount of airings]] (season 5.0’s episodes where only aired once, compared to previous seasons had reruns in the off season), which kept fans from watching it. And an incident during a battle where the fan favorite Nightmare launched a piece of debris through the lexan walls certainly didn’t help. Ultimately, production decided that upgrading the arena wasn’t worth the reduced amout of money, and the show was canned for 13 years. Additionally, wedgebots didn’t become the main kind of robot until ''after'' the show had already went off the air, and all of the previous champions (Biohazard, Diesector, T-Minus, etc.) had some kind of active weapon, so they weren’t just boxes with forks and wheels.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team; mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive behaviour, the fact that its design was possibly based on the team's beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Rival Rival]], which was allegedly [[SerialNumbersFiledOff copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit champion beetleweight [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that Calvin Iba of Team Iba Labs owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures.]] In Season 7, its reputation took a nosedive when it [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship; even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately having to end with a referee physically taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands. This would also continue in its fight against Shatter, where before the fight started they were seen changing the bot, apparantly to add on a fake axe for fun before the match, but when Adam Wrigley demanded a re-weigh it became slightly lighter, this has lead to people accusing Riptide of breaking rules.

** Chomp briefly became this in ABC Season 2 and Discovery Season 1, thanks to its tendency to throw itself over and spend half of the fight floundering on its side, it beating Disk O’ Inferno in a judges decision despite not doing anything, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking being too overcomplicated]] [[AwesomeButImpractical for its own good]]. Though this died down mostly after it was revealed for Discovery Season 3 as a walker, with many doing a full 180 and becoming fans of the new Chomp.

* CreatorsPest:
** Some have seen DUCK! as this, particularly in Discovery Season 2, when it was matched up against several vertical spinners and one crusher, all of which are some of DUCK!’s worst matchups. That and the fact that the ABC Season 2 rules were brought back without warning during the Last Chance Rumble could be interpreted as being done specifically to make sure DUCK! (who’s main strategy, mind you, is to let the opponent hit it until it breaks itself) wouldn’t win.
** Control bots in general have been this ever since clamp-bot Bite Force won ABC Season 1, with the rules constantly evolving to make 'control and survive' strategies these bots employ more and more impractical without actually banning them. This has caused a number of bots, most prominently Bite Force itself, to abandon control strategies in favor of weapons more capable of directly incapacitating the opposing bot. DUCK! is one of the last holdouts and the tanky pushbot is almost incapable of winning a judges' decision (which control bots rely on winning) because of the scoring system's priority on primary weapon damage. There are a number of pragmatic reasons [[labelnote:like these]]Control bots don't jive with the way the show is presented and make it harder to market. The high-energy 'pro wrestling' atmosphere clashes with the sorts of long, technical fights control bots favor and it's hard to pull a highlight or teaser out of a control fight compared to the sparks and fire of more direct styles. Control fights also take a deeper understanding of the sport to enjoy, which makes it harder to hold casual viewers who just want to see parts fly.[[/labelnote]] for discouraging this style, so it's not just because they're not liked.
** Kraken has also seemingly become this, besides the judging system already practically being rigged against it, the producers seem determined to put it up against the toughest robots in the field. Season 6 in particular saw it put up against 4 horizontal spinners, it’s worst enemy, even after Rotator destroyed its anti horizontal configuration. The vertical spinner (what it’s designed to fight) it faced was the undefeated rookie Glitch, who made short work of it thanks to its [[MechanicallyUnusualFighter omni-wheels]]. Fans quickly caught onto this, believing that [=BattleBots=] was trying to force the robot into its already confirmed retirement with and extra kick in the nuts.

* MemeticBadass: Tombstone has achieved this level within the fandom, to the point where many still see it as unbeatable despite losing the finals. Bronco has gotten this reputation as well. Icewave was initially almost on the level of Tombstone, until it got [[EpicFail uphanded by a weaponless Ghost Raptor]].

* ShockingElimination: DUCK! lost the final qualifying rumble to Bombshell, despite being the dominant robot for much of the match. This shocked both the crowd at the taping and fans when the episode aired. Bombshell builder Michael Jeffries [[https://old.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/9g15df/clarifying_a_few_things_about_the_rumble/ even admitted that he was expecting]] DUCK! to be named the winner.

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Bite Force has become this, for some its consistent and overbearing success makes its fights too predictable and takes the fun out of watching it (the fact that a lot of those came down to [[BornLucky sheer luck]] probably doesn’t help), not helped by its bland color scheme, generic design, and lack of any real distinguishing characteristics. While others believe that it is a well engineered and well driven machine that deserves all of its wins.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Icewave seemed to be doomed to be remembered as the bot who got its ass kicked by a weaponless Ghost Raptor. Then came it's Discovery season debut where it tore Vanquish literally in half. Suffice to say, fans are suddenly in his corner.

* SeasonalRot: Season 2 of the ABC run received this reaction despite being on a much bigger playing field. This is largely due to the [[ScrappyMechanic active weapons rule]] (explained in detail above) that's completely ruined strategy and control, making the obvious loser in a fight win despite being completely ineffective and solely due to having the weapon switched on. On the other hand, the rise of interesting new competitors like Minotaur has resulted in several matches that have gone internationally viral. Notably, the most popular fight from the entire season, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkbAcwYix7I Minotaur vs. Blacksmith]], was one where the new rules never came into play.
** Season 6 of the reboot is regarded as being inferior to the previous three Discovery seasons, largely due to inconsistent rule sets, [[ExecutiveMeddling shady stuff happening behind the scenes]], and controversial judges decisions.

** Hydra and Jake Ewert were hated for their poor sportsmanship against HUGE. Thankfully, they've largely shaken off this reputation in Discovery Season 4 thanks to Jake learning to play the Heel role much more effectively and in World Championship VII when he dropped the Heel role entirely.

** Hydra and Jake Ewert have wound up in this category after what was arguably the worst show of sportsmanship in the entire series in Hydra's match against HUGE. Some fans of flipping robots have taken to cheering on [=SubZero=] instead. They've largely shaken this off with the new season in Discovery Season 4 due to Jake learning to play the {{Heel}} more effectively and Hydra just not doing that well.

** End Game versus [=RIP=]peroni in the 2023 qualifiers. End Game had a Giant Nut in the trophy case and was a destructive veteran. Their opponent was a silly looking rookie bot painted like a pizza box with stability issues that lost their opening fight to a mid-tier opponent (Gruff). Everyone was expecting End Game to have pizza dinner, not for [=RIP=]peroni to score a ''knockout win'' and establish themselves as a LethalJokeCharacter

* OvershadowedByControversy: Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team; mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive behaviour, the fact that its design was possibly based on the team's beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Rival Rival]], which was allegedly [[SerialNumbersFiledOff copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit champion beetleweight [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that Calvin Iba of Team Iba Labs owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures.]] In Season 7, its reputation took a nosedive when it [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship; even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately having to end with a referee physically taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team; mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive behaviour, the fact its design was [[SerialNumbersFiledOff literally copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit Beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) champion [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that the team owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures.]] In Season 7, its reputation took a nosedive when it [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship; even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately having to end with a referee physically taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands.

** Some robots in the reboot fit. For example, most people think Icewave is a new robot that was introduced in the show, but it's actually been competing since ''2004''. Tombstone, under both that name and as Last Rites, had been competing for ''longer'' than that.

** Riptide was always considered quite a controversial bot and team; mainly due to Ethan Kurtz' hyperactive behaviour, the fact its design was [[SerialNumbersFiledOff literally copied bolt-for-bolt]] from a previous version of live circuit Beetleweight (3.3lb, or 1.5kg) champion [[https://ultimate-robot-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Lynx Lynx]] that the team owned, and the controversy surrounding Stan Kurtz' involvement in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Rescue unethical fake autism cures.]] In Season 7, its reputation took a nosedive when it [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown continued attacking Captain Shrederator after it was already KOed]] -- causing over $10,000 worth of unnecessary damage and destroying that particular version beyond repair when it still had fights left -- in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship; even as Team LOGICOM and the referees were literally pleading for them to stop, and the fight ultimately having to end with a referee physically taking Riptide's controller out of Ethan's hands.

** Riptide was never that popular in the first place, mainly due to its captain's hyperactive behaviour, but in Season 7 it completely destroyed Captain Shrederator in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship, even as the Shrederator team was literally pleading for them to stop and back off.

** Riptide was never that popular in the first place, but in Season 7 it completely destroyed Captain Shrederator in an abhorrent display of sportsmanship, even as the Shrederator team was literally pleading for them to stop and back off.