Pirates of Dark Water The

Pirates of Dark Water The is an American fantasy animated television series created by David Kirschner and produced by Hanna-Barbera.

The series premiered as a five-part miniseries on Fox Kids early 1991.

The first season, consisting of 13 episodes including the original five-part miniseries, aired on ABC from September to December 1991.

A second season, consisting of just eight episodes, aired in syndication in the United States from 1992 to 1993.^{[citation needed]}

Premise – Pirates of Dark Water The

Ren, the son of the dying King Primus of Octopon, sails around the alien world of Mer on a ship called the Wraith, searching for the “Thirteen Treasures of Rule”.

The treasures are prophesied to save Octopon and Mer from the threat of Dark Water, an all-consuming black liquid that has taken over the seas.

His loyal crew of misfits that help Ren on his journey are the ecomancer Tula, a monkey-bird Niddler, and the treasure-hungry pirate Ioz.

Ren’s opponent in his quest is the pirate Bloth of the warship the Maelstron, who will stop at nothing to get the treasures and control the Dark Water himself.^[1]

Characters – Pirates of Dark Water The

Heroes – Pirates of Dark Water The

Ren (voiced by George Newbern) – The prince of the once-grand kingdom of Octopon and the main protagonist of the series.
Ren was raised by a lighthouse keeper in the outskirts of his homeland, unaware of his destiny and heritage. He wields the broken sword that belonged to his father in its whole form.
By the second half of the first season, he freed one half of the planet from the Dark Water.
Niddler (voiced by Roddy McDowall in the miniseries, Frank Welker in the TV series) –
A monkey–bird who once belonged to Bloth until he escaped by aiding Ren’s own escape from the pirate captain. He hails from the island of Pandawa.
Niddler is usually depicted as a little greedy and constantly ravenous for food, his favorite food being minga melons, but he likes Ren and his ability to fly often comes in handy.
Tula (voiced by Jodi Benson) –
She is an ecomancer with the ability to control the elements and biological life, both sentient and non-sentient, as well as a natural affinity towards nature and animals.
She is headstrong and often flusters Ioz. Tula is introduced as being a simple barmaid, but she stows aboard Ren and Ioz’s ship, claiming she “wanted to get away from the drudgery of life on land.
” It’s soon revealed that she’s a character with many secrets.
Ioz (voiced first by Hector Elizondo in earlier episodes, Jim Cummings in later episodes^[2]) –
A rogue and pirate, he joins up with Ren initially for the promise of treasure. Throughout the seasons, his character matures and he becomes fond of Ren and his idealism, evolving into a protective brotherly figure to him and often risking his life for Ren and the quest for the Treasures.
He continues his attempts at getting rich quickly but is mostly unsuccessful.
Ioz also has a younger sister named Solia, who appears in the series. Like Niddler, he originally worked for Bloth, but “it ended ugly” according to him.
Zoolie (voiced by Dick Gautier) – A jolly, redheaded rogue who runs a gamehouse in Janda-Town. He and Ioz crewed together on Bloth’s ship the Maelstrom.
Though not a main character, he does make recurring appearances by offering advice and assisting Ren and his friends whenever they make port in Janda-Town.
Teron (voiced by Dan O’Herlihy) – He is a supreme ecomancer who sprouts roots from his body in order to replenish himself from a portable supply of native soil when he is away from his homeland, Andorus.
He is first seen in the series as a prisoner on Bloth’s ship, and Bloth uses his power for evil, in turn exhausting the local environment and its positive life-energy.
Tula has great respect for him as an ecomancer, and she was sent on a mission to bring him back to Andorus to heal the Dark Water-ravaged island.
Teron also helps Tula adjust to her new powers as an ecomancer when they first manifest themselves.