The Introduction

So, it has been four months since I have seriously written anything Gumball related. Will this be a return to form? Pssh. It doesn't matter. I will probably regret writing this in a week's time just like all my other posts anyway.

I decided to take a stab at analyzing what makes Rob such a good character. Hopefully, it will be of at least serviceable quality.

The Analysis

Rob. The star of a myriad pieces of fan art, the launcher of a thousand GumRob stories, and a presumably scary sight in the dark corner of the internet. There is no doubt that Rob is one of Gumball's most popular characters, and it’s completely warranted. He has a cool voice, a unique design, and ship appeal.

However, what I think makes Rob such an interesting character is how much of it is weaved into his awareness of the fourth wall. His metafictional knowledge acts the fundamental building block to the facets of his personality and what drives him as a character.

Rob is arguably the most cynical character among the cast, borderline nihilistic even. This pessimistic outlook on life stems from the fact that he knows he is a fictional character in a cartoon. He is frustrated with the fact he knows this but lacks the power to do anything about it—forever forced into a role he does not want to play.

"The Nobody" plants the seeds for these negative philosophies. Prior to the episode, Rob was a mere background character without much of an active presence in the show. The fact that Rob was so nondescript was even mocked in the ever-so-wonderful episode "The Pony" with the failure of the Watterson brothers to remember Rob's name. Rob was so inconsequential to the show that he was retconned from the world into the Void, only escaping out of mere circumstance. Upon regaining his memory, Rob is angry that Gumball and Darwin deemed him far too trivial to even recognize, let alone save him from an eternity in a vacuum. Rob takes on their offering to be the designated villain as it not only gives him the opportunity to enact revenge on the duo for being so neglectful, but it also allows him to shoulder a deeper pain: the fact that the universe seemingly thinks he amounts to absolutely nothing.

Although Rob's choice to become the "villain" is purely conditional, he slowly grows more into the "role" and becomes more "in-character." He does have some comically major minor setbacks as indicated by his 563 botched traps from "The Nemesis," but eventually he gets into the swing of things, even going as far to adopt a more ominous alias—Dr. Wrecker. For a brief period of time, he actually takes delight in being antagonistic, as demonstrated by the increasing intensity of his plots from "The Nemesis" to "The Disaster." He can delude himself into thinking he has found himself and that he is happy.

In "The Disaster," Rob “purchases” a television remote capable of bending reality from the Awesome Store, ready to unleash more mayhem. However, after accidentally hitting the rewind button, Rob is taken back to the events leading up to his villainy. Upon reliving these memories, Rob comes to the realization that he is not actually happy being a villain. He finally confronts the painful reality he has been trying to run away from: he is a bland character on a television show built on insanity and his vain attempts to be the villain are the only reason he has not been written off again. It is in this moment his feelings toward Gumball become far more complicated; before, it was simply about the adrenaline of leading an exciting life, but now, it is about fighting the universe that insists on holding him back. Gumball, being the main character and the center of this universe, simply acts as a means for Rob to project his anger and confusion toward.

Rob believes that by literally throwing Gumball out of the show, he will finally be able to become the fan-favorite character with a cute line of plush toys and a mediocre spin-off show since the center of the show no longer exists. He can finally have the thing the universe has never given him: love. He will be loved and free of whatever shticks reality throws his way.

Although Rob succeeds in forcing Gumball into the Void, his victory is short-lived as the feline is able to rewind the day and reverse the situation in "The Rerun." Left to rot in metafictional limbo for a second time, Rob officially surrenders. He is tired of fighting. He is tired of holding on to the belief that the cosmos will ever take his side. He is tired of deluding himself that he can be loved.

In a full state of defeatism, he rejects Gumball's charity and even attempts to kill the blue protagonist in a last ditch effort to fill himself with some form of satisfaction. Rob finally has some sort of control, but in this moment of intense power, Rob comes to the realization how fruitless the end result would be. Yes, he is forever subject to a fate of emptiness and dissatisfaction, but to take it out all on Gumball would accomplish nothing. It is not Gumball's fault the world is biased against him, for he is simply just trying to live his life.

Rob rewinds Gumball and himself out of the ill-fated pocket dimension, and the two boys come to a reconciliation with each other. Of course, it is a short-lived moment as Rob must restore the status quo in order to bring back Gumball's family and girlfriend. Rob rewinds back to his villainous status, once again left to wallow in the vacancy of his existence.

Rob makes for a great character because he is simply a kid fighting the odds life throws at him. He is not a one-note villain with nondescript intentions; he is a guy trying to find his place in life in a fictional world that refuses to cooperate. The relatability of his plight to lead a fulfilling life juxtaposed with the surreal nature of being a self-aware cartoon character (an absolutely bizarre cartoon at that) makes Rob such an engaging and fleshed-out character. Rob is a testament to the crew going out of its way to make such developed characters for what is ultimately a comedy and acts as a prime example as to why the show's characters continue to stand out. Unless you're Coach Russo. Or Harold. Or goodness forbid Rachel. Okay, so not everybody can be a winner.

Oh, and "The Ex" was a thing.

The Closing Notes

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this! I really appreciate it!

If you have anything at all you wish to say, please leave me a comment. A little healthy discussion never hurt anybody. Seriously, comments, whether it be adding onto my points, completely destroying my argument, or just acknowledging you somehow like my writing, are appreciated.

Also, special thanks to Game, Angryman8000, Kata, and Zoe for their enlightening revision and feedback. Without them this article would not be nearly as polished. You should check out their stuff in the links. They’re pretty cool.

With that, I have nothing else to say. Enjoy the rest of your day and take care! :)