Benjamin Kirby "Ben" Tennyson was a normal 10-year-old boy until he found the Omnitrix, a powerful watch-like device that allowed him to turn into ten different aliens. Though initially immature and clumsy, Ben grew to be a true hero. By the time he was sixteen, he had become famous in not only his hometown of Bellwood but on Earth and beyond. Ben has also been deputized by the plumbers and gained more aliens as time progressed.
Appearance[]
Ben's physical appearance has changed throughout the series from a 10-year-old to a 16-year-old. However, he retains some recurring characteristics. He has shaggy brown hair, green eyes, pale skin, and he is quite skinny for his age, though he shows a lot of muscle definition due to being athletic.
Regular Appearances[]
In the Omniverse flashbacks in which he was 5 years old, Ben wore green overalls with a white shirt underneath it. White numbers saying "5 1/2" were on a black square in front of his overalls.
In the original series and Omniverse flashbacks, Ben's usual clothes consisted of a black-striped, white shirt with short sleeves, military green cargo pants with side pockets with a black belt hidden under his shirt, and black and white sneakers with black stripes. Ben wore the prototype Omnitrix on his left wrist.
In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Ben wore a black shirt, blue jeans and a green jacket with white stripes and the number 10 on it, white socks, and black and white Converse-style shoes. Ben wore the prototype Omnitrix in Alien Force and the Ultimatrix in Ultimate Alien on his left wrist.
In Ultimate Alien, he wore a standard Plumber suit during a few of his off-world excursions.
In Omniverse, Ben wears a black shirt that has a green stripe in the middle with a white 10 and green stripes on the sides of his shirt. He wears brown cargo pants with pockets at the knees with a brown belt hidden under the shirt and green and white shoes. He later gains a white hooded jacket with green stripes on both arms and a green number 10 on the right side for some time. He wears the Omnitrix on his left wrist.
In Omniverse, while riding the Tenn-Speed, he wears a white helmet with the number 10 on it, a green visor, a short-sleeved black T-shirt, long white pants and a belt with the number 10 on it.
Occasional Appearances[]
In The Krakken and Dr. Animo and the Mutant Ray, he wore an orange life jacket.
In The Krakken, he wore a red diving suit.
During water-based activities in the original series, he wore a blue swimsuit in The Krakken and A Small Problem and a red and yellow swimsuit in Divided We Stand and Big Fat Alien Wedding.
In a daydream in The Galactic Enforcers, Ultra Ben looked like Ben with a stereotypical superhero costume in a grey, black and white color scheme.
In A Change of Face, he wore a pilgrim outfit.
In Merry Christmas, while cursed as an elf, he had pointy ears and his eyes were fully green.
In Game Over, while inside Sumo Slammers Smackdown, he wore brownish-green armor and had longer hair, tied in a ponytail.
In The Unnaturals, he wore a blue baseball shirt with the letter "C" at the front and number 23 at the back, white shorts, blue and yellow socks, blue and white shoes, and a blue baseball helmet. Before the baseball game and after he battled the Squires and Coach Finn, he wore a blue and yellow baseball hat with the letter "C" in the middle.
In a dream in Perfect Day, Ultra Ben wore frame-less blue goggles with horn-like extensions, a cyan shirt and white pants. He also donned a white cape.
In Back with a Vengeance, he wore a yellow raincoat while touring Niagara Falls on a ship.
In Big Fat Alien Wedding, during the wedding ceremony, he wore a purple tuxedo with a red ribbon and white polo shirt.
In Secret of the Omnitrix, he wore light-blue pajamas. Later in the movie, he wore a spacesuit.
In Ben 10 Returns: Part 1 and War of the Worlds: Part 1, Ben's soccer clothes consisted of the T-shirt he wore as a 10/11 year old but with the number 10 at the back, a long-sleeved green undershirt, green shorts, gray gloves with black stripes, and knee-high socks.
In a flashback in Ben 10 Returns: Part 2, Young Ben wore his T-shirt from the original series and shoes from Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, along with military green shorts, white socks and a bluish grey bicycle helmet.
In What Are Little Girls Made Of? and In Charm's Way, he wore green trunks.
In Save the Last Dance, he wore a white bicycle helmet.
In Birds of a Feather, when on the Moon, he wore an orange spacesuit with four arms.
In Video Games, he wore a blue full-body motion capture suit with white balls on it.
In Fused, Revenge of the Swarm, and Night of the Living Nightmare, Ben's sleeping clothes consisted of his usual black T-shirt and white shorts.
In Basic Training, while at the barracks in the Plumbers' Academy, he wore an olive tank top and black shorts.
In Inspector 13, he wore a green T-shirt and black shorts.
In The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2, he wore full-body armor while wielding Ascalon.
In Bros in Space, he wore a ceremonial female Revonnahgander outfit.
In Special Delivery, while working for Mr. Baumann, he wore a pink and white cap and a pink apron with a black 'B' on it.
In From Hedorium to Eternity, 11-year-old Ben's pajamas consisted of a green T-shirt with a white '10' on it, as well as white shorts.
Personality[]
Initially cocky, childish, and arrogant, Ben's immaturity and attention-seeking behavior often led him to joke around, regardless of the situation. His allies often criticized his attitude, unaware of the fact that he used humor to mask his fears. Despite some childish attitude, he was heroic, caring and generally good-natured, always willing to save others at any time.
Over the years, Ben has displayed good leadership skills, as well as the ability to adapt his attitude to a situation, becoming serious when it's called for. He became more mature, responsible and sensible. He's kind-hearted, willing to sacrifice even his own life for others. His idealistic views and unwillingness to compromise his values – aspects condemned by Azmuth, yet commended by others – sometimes drive him to act against reason, such as helping his enemies if they need it (most remarkably Vilgax).[1] Professor Paradox has praised Ben's good nature, going so far as to say he had the gift to make the right choices at the right moments.[2] Also, Ben doesn't give up and would't let anyone stop him from doing what's right for those in need, especially his family, friends and mentors, or to bring enemies down, even when he once got a broken arm.[3]
However, when Ben fails to save someone, or if someone gets hurt because of his failures, he becomes angry and much more violent. Perhaps the most notable of these instances is when Kevin willingly mutated himself to succeed where Ben had failed and stop Aggregor, Ben was set on killing Kevin, even fighting Gwen when she refused to help him.[4] He also threatened to hunt down and destroy the Forever Knights once making Driscoll promise to cease the hunting of aliens.[5]
Though often stated to be silly or unintelligent because of his immaturity, Ben is cunning and resourceful when needed, quickly adapting when the Omnitrix doesn't provide him with the alien he wanted.
Later on, Ben starts thinking of himself as more of a superhero than a Plumber, often remarking that he's not a cop, but a superhero.[6] Although he once again became cocky, he retained his selfless and heroic nature.
Powers and Abilities[]
Ben is a crafty fighter, having trained in hand-to-hand combat by black belt Gwen and Max. He has also received basic Plumber training, having succeeded in the Plumbers' Academy with a 95 out of a 100. On top of that, he has gained experience from various years of fighting aliens.
Ben is quite agile and acrobatic, being able to easily dodge shots from Manny's blasters before disarming him while in human form.
Ben actually uses freestyle fighting, being able to hold his own against Pierce. Max has hinted that Ben was a highly-skilled fighter, even as a human.
It is evident that Ben is smart in some respects, possessing an above-average intelligence. Gwen even stated that he really is not working up to his potential at school. He also has fairly moderate grades, maintaining a B+ average in his toughest subjects Physics and Chemistry.
Ben has an extraordinarily sharp memory, as he was perfectly capable of remembering and writing down the mystic rune-like symbols for entering the inter-dimensional realm of Ledgerdomain with just one glance from a distance. This is even more true for things that interest him.
Ben is a cross dominant, skillfully wielding tools and weapons in either hand, in human or alien form.
Ben has a knack for turning his weaknesses into strengths.
Ben is surprisingly a natural at hoverboard-based combat, which generally requires intensive training and the use of holographic simulators. This is most likely because he can snowboard.
Ben has remarkable pilot skills that function like a combination of playing video games and tap lessons Sandra made him take, but he would never admit it.
Ben is a decent musician, as he can play the guitar.
Equipment[]
Ben is the wielder of the Omnitrix (formerly the Ultimatrix and first Omnitrix), which gave him the power to modify his own genetic code in order to turn into various alien creatures. Traditionally, he could only transform into ten aliens at the beginning of both the original series and Alien Force, but he later gains additional forms by either unlocking them or by scanning the DNA of aliens he meets.
When transforming into an alien, Ben gets all the creature's features, including its appearance, voice, all of its unique and special abilities and powers, strengths and weaknesses. Though he mostly retains his personality, there are some cases where the transformation causes a change in it, like with Rath and Juryrigg.
Though he usually uses his alien forms to fight, he can impersonate aliens as he did with Water Hazard to convince P'andor to go home, though he was only successful at getting P'andor to believe he was Bivalvan.
In addition to transforming into aliens, the Ultimatrix included what is referred as an "evolutionary function", that allowed Ben to evolve his alien forms in order to get upgraded versions of them, referred to as Ultimate Forms.
In addition to the primary transformations and evolutionary function, the Omnitrices and Ultimatrix can both be used for various purposes. Both have a built-in Universal Translator that allows Ben to communicate with most aliens that do not speak English.
The prototype Omnitrix displayed the ability to manipulate and repair genetic damage, a function he used to cure DNAliens and save the Highbreed from extinction. Azmuth also mentioned that Ben could use the prototype Omnitrix to bring back to life any species stored on Primus.
The Omnitrix also has a failsafe to help prevent Ben from dying. If Ben is in mortal danger and the Omnitrix is in recharge mode, it will automatically go into active mode.
Weaknesses[]
Whenever the Omnitrix times out, Ben is left powerless until he either dodges or switches to a new alien form. In addition to gaining the selected alien's powers and strengths, he gains its weaknesses.
Whenever Ben unlocks a new alien form, he is at a disadvantage of not knowing its abilities and weaknesses until he gains experience with using that alien.
Though he has matured substantially since receiving the original Omnitrix, he is still a teenager with much to learn and is prone to irrational impulses and recklessness.
Despite his experience in using the Omnitrices and Ultimatrix, Ben still does not know every function of them. Due to his inquisitive nature and impatience, he has accidentally unlocked new functions such as the Master Control and the randomizer, which can at times do more harm than good.
Though the current Omnitrix is designed to work only for him, Ben still has not mastered it. According to Azmuth, Ben may get the Master Control on his 18th birthday.
The Omnitrix does not actually mistransform, but rather it is due to Ben hitting the Omnitrix too hard, thereby causing the time-out function to select another alien at random.
At times, the natural biological behavior of certain aliens can override Ben's behavior, such as Big Chill's reproductive phase[7] or Swampfire's blossoming process.[8]
Any illness Ben is experiencing in his human form will affect his alien forms.[9][10]
Ben appears to have a short attention span at times, and more often than not it can get him into trouble.
Ben has an allergy to peanuts.[11]
Ben has coulrophobia (i.e. the fear of clowns),[12] which was indirectly caused by Max.[13]
Ben's worst fear is that of peacocks.[14][15][16]
Ben is not immune to Corrodium and will be mutated when exposed to this mineral unless he either wears special protection or transforms into an alien.[17][18]
Ben's left eye twitches whenever he tells a lie, but only Kevin appears to notice this.[19]
Despite his piloting skills, Kevin is considered to be a better pilot than Ben.Template:Refn
Ben's worst subject is Physics,[19] followed by Chemistry.[20]
Ben is vulnerable to being erased from existence by a Chronosapien Time Bomb.[21]
Ben can be banished back to his original timelines by a Chronosapien, as demonstrated with some of his alternate counterparts.[22][23]
Ben can experience pain from electricity, such as that generated by a Nosedeenian.[22]
Appearances[]
Episodes[]
Ben has been in every episode, movie and short except Ken 10 and the "what-if?" episodes, Gwen 10, Goodbye and Good Riddance and Ben 10: Race Against Time, which feature Bens from alternate timelines. Here's a list of all his appearances throughout the series.
- Ben 10/Episodes
- Ben 10: Alien Force/Episodes
- Ben 10: Ultimate Alien/Episodes
- Ben 10: Omniverse/Episodes
Books[]
Ben has appeared in every book, except for Old Friends and It's a Set Up.
In Other Media[]
MAD[]
Ben appeared briefly in a snippet of, Mad. They were doing a Star Trek parody and the crew was watching Ben 10 on their screen.
Then, they did another parody, but this time with Benjamin Franklin.
They later did a Cowboys and Aliens parody. In Cowboys and Alien Force, Jedediah Benjamin Tennyson wakes up on the left side of Jake Lonergan saying he has no pants and gets punched by Jake. A cowboy said that Jake was wearing Ben's pants, his hat, and his Omnitrix. Jake presses the Omnitrix, turning into an alien similar to Diamondhead or Chromastone and he crushed the cowboy with its hand. The Omnitrix in this episode is more like a square and does not have the black and green color sequence.
South Park[]
In the South Park episode "You're Getting Old," Cartman's Mom mentioned that Cartman gets upset when he doesn't get a present every time someone else gets a present at a party. One of the presents Cartman gets is a "Ben 10 Wrist Rocket."
Robot Chicken[]
Ben made an appearance in the fifth episode of the sixth season of Robot Chicken, Hurtled from a Helicopter into a Speeding Train, where Ben is just turning 14.
Uncle Grandpa[]
Ben, among other Cartoon Network characters, made a cameo watching an awards show hosted by Uncle Grandpa. Omniverse Ben, who did not speak, was annoyed by a lame joke that Uncle Grandpa made.
Video Games[]
Ben appears in every Ben 10 video game. Ben is also seen in the crossover video game Punch Time Explosion and Explosion XL.
Ben 10: Protector of Earth[]
While Ben is sleeping at the Grand Canyon, Vilgax extracts DNA of the Omnitrix. Ben travels around the United States to retrieve all parts of the Omnitrix.
Ben starts with Heatblast and Four Arms. But later obtains XLR8, Cannonbolt, Wildvine, and Perk Upchuck (DS if player cheats). Later, he unlocks the Master Control.
Ultra Ben is a playable character through a cheat.
Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction[]
Ben confronts a new villain, Evil Way Big. To defeat him, Ben looks for parts of the Potis Altiare's located in places around the world. In The Final Battle with Evil Way Big, Ben puts the Potis Altiare together and uses it as Way Big. Later during the Battle, Way Big uses a very powerful cosmic ray and sends Evil Way Big to space.
Ben uses the Ultimatrix, but has access one group of aliens: See Here
Punch Time Explosion and XL[]
Punch Time Explosion[]
Ben hunts down Vilgax, the latter conquers Chowder's Universe. Ben later teams up with other Cartoon Network characters to hunt down Vilgax throughout other universes. He is the first usable character.
- Swampfire (standard attack)
- Big Chill (up/extra jump attack)
- Ampfibian (down attack)
- Humungousaur (side attack)
- Ultimate Humungousaur (Punch Time Explosion)
Punch Time Explosion XL[]
Young Ben doesn't appear in the storyline but is also playable. He costs 1500, which is more than the average character, making him rarer. Ultra Ben is an unlockable costume.
- Heatblast (up/extra jump attack)
- XLR8 (side attack)
- Cannonbolt (down attack)
- Wildvine (standard attack)
- Four Arms (Punch Time Explosion)
Cartoon Network Online Games[]
- FusionFall (NPC)
- Project Exonaut (NPC)
- Formula Cartoon (NPC) (Young Ben)
- TKO (only in alien forms)
Etymology[]
Benjamin is a name from the Hebrew name בִּנְיָמִין (Binyamin) which means "son of the south" or "son of the right hand" going back into the Tanakh (called the Hebrew Bible by Christian scholars), a name of one of the sons of Jacob. His name, "Ben," is to create a rhyming effect between his first name and the number Ten. Also, his surname is a reference to 'Ten' of Ben 10.
His middle name, Kirby, was named as reference to comic book artist Jack Kirby.
- ↑ Ghost Town
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedThe Forge of Creation - ↑ Catch a Falling Star
- ↑ Absolute Power: Part 1
- ↑ The Purge
- ↑ The More Things Change: Part 2
- ↑ Save the Last Dance
- ↑ Charmed, I'm Sure
- ↑ Side Effects
- ↑ The Secret of Chromastone
- ↑ Blukic and Driba Go to Mr. Smoothy's
- ↑ Last Laugh
- ↑ Something Zombozo This Way Comes
- ↑ Arrested Development
- ↑ Rook Blonko
- ↑ Showdown: Part 1
- ↑ Under Wraps
- ↑ Be Afraid of the Dark
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Good Copy, Bad Copy
- ↑ Animo Crackers
- ↑ And Then There Were None
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 And Then There Was Ben
- ↑ The End of an Era