Metabee (KBT-0)

Metal Beetle メタル・ビートル
Model No.
KBT-0
Motif
Rhinoceros beetle
Parts
Head:	Missile ミサイル
Right Arm:	Revolver リボルバー
Left Arm:	Submachinegun サブマシンガン
Legs:	Ochitsuker オチツカー
Game appearances
Medarot 1, Medarot 2, Medarot R, Medarot Navi, Medarot DS, Medarot 7
Other appearances
Medarot 1 (manga), Medarotter Rintarou (manga), Medarot Navi (manga), Medarot Card Game, Merchandise
Designer

This page describes the Medarot model found in Medarot 1, 7, Navi, and DS. For information on the character itself, see Metabee (character). For the Medarot model used by Ikki, see Metabee.

Metal Beetle (メタル・ビートル), often shortened to Metabee (メタビー), is the original KBT-type Medarot, based on a rhinoceros beetle. It first appeared as Hikaru's partner Medarot in the Kabuto version of Medarot 1.

In the video games, Hikaru's Metal Beetle (listed as KBT-0) is usually distinguished from Ikki's Metabee (KBT-1), despite them essentially being the same model of Medarot according to the anime and manga series. Along with some color differences, they have different stats when they appear in the same game, and can therefore be considered different gameplay-wise.

Description

The first of its series, Metal Beetle's design is based on a Japanese rhinoceros beetle, with the missile-launchers on its head representing the beetle's branching horns. Its color is mainly goldish-brown with white and black accents.

Metal Beetle is a well-balanced Medarot that specializes in shooting attacks, designed to be compatible with the Kabuto Medal. It has a gun on its right arm designed for speed an accuracy, a machine gun on its left arm for rapid-fire shots, and can fire powerful and accurate tracking missiles from its head part.

The original version of Metal Beetle (KBT-0) can be differentiated from later version used by Ikki by its darker brown color, and the ends of its shoulder pieces being colored white instead of yellow. This "Old-style Metabee" has been included in several games past the first one, but usually as more of an Easter egg. Until Medarot DS, it could always be considered to be "Hikaru's Metabee".

In the games

In the video games, Metal Beetle is exclusive to the Kabuto versions. It's a bipedal Medarot with a variety of shooting attacks: a Rifle attack on its right arm, a stronger Gatling attack on its left arm, and a powerful Missile attack on its head that can pierce multiple parts.

Outside of the original game, this version of Metal Beetle usually had its name and parts written in hiragana letters (akin to writing them in a more cursive font) to seperate it from the newer Metal Beetle with the same part names. This ended in Medarot DS and Medarot 7, where its part names were changed to "Meta-Missile", "Meta-Revolver", "Meta-Machinegun", and "Meta-Ochitsuker".

Medarot DS also changed the skills used by its parts; its right arm (Rifle) was changed to a heavy attack with the Snipe skill, and its left arm (Gatling) was made weaker and switched to the Shoot skill.

When compared to Head Scissors (or Rokusho), Metal Beetle can be considered to be the more offense-oriented Medarot. Unlike Head Scissors which has a Scan action on its head, all of Metal Beetle's parts are focused on attacking.

In Medarot 1

In Medarot 1, Metal Beetle is obtained at the beginning of the game in the Kabuto version. After finding a Kabuto Medal dropped by a member of the Rubberobo Gang, Hikaru receives a Tinpet and parts for Metal Beetle from his dad as part of a "Medarot starter kit".

Because it is one-of-a-kind and the game always displays the name of the Tinpet, the default name Metal Beetle is normally never seen. However, if the player cheats or modifies the game to face an enemy Metal Beetle, it can be seen that the game mistakingly refers to it as "Power Beetle" (パワービートル).

In Medarot 2

KBT-0's Medarot 2 sprite, which resembles its sprite in Medarot 1 more than the official artwork.

In Medarot 2, the old version of Metal Beetle appeared as a seperate Medarot from the new version Ikki uses, although both of them are numbered KBT-0 on the parts list. It can be only obtained by trading it over from Medarot 1 or the Parts Collection games after clearing the game.

Here, rather than being called Metal Beetle, its name was changed to "Metabee" (めたびー) written in hiragana. Its parts were also written in hiragana to distinguish them from Ikki's new Metal Beetle parts, which would otherwise have the same names. Its sprite (pictured right) was different from the new version and more closely resembled its sprite from Medarot 1, most likely as an Easter egg for players who traded it over from the original game.

In Medarot R

The original Metal Beetle appears in Medarot R as well, used by the Phantom Retort and Fake Hikaru.

This game re-organized the model numbers in the KBT line, cementing the original Metabee as KBT-0 and Ikki's Metabee as KBT-1.

In Medarot Navi

Metal Beetle reappears in the Kabuto version of Medarot Navi as a Medarot used by Hikaru in the post-game; Hikaru instead uses Head Scissors in the Kuwagata version. Its model number is KBT-0BH and its name and part names are written in hiragana, much like the ones found in Medarot 2 and R.

In Medarot DS

Metal Beetle, simply renamed to Metabee, is the starter Medarot in the Kabuto version of Medarot DS. It is the first Medarot Azuma receives, and his partner Medarot until he obtains the parts for Gun-Nose partway through the game.

Here, its part names were all given the prefix "Meta-" (from "Metal"), and the relative strengths of its left and right arms were swapped. Its right arm Rifle attack is now stronger, slower, and uses the Snipe skill (giving it more penalties), while its left arm Gatling attack is weaker, faster, and uses the Shoot skill.

Related Medarots

• KWG-0 Head Scissors, the original Kuwagata Medarot found in Medarot 1.

KBT-type Medarots
KBT-0	Metal Beetle	KBT-2	Bayonet	KBT05C	Saikachis C	KBT08 (KBT-0NF)	Granbeetle	KBT0D (KBT-1CH)	Dechotom	KBT13-M	Torito Beetle
KBT00-M	Metabee	KBT-3 (KBT-2020)	Kantaros	KBT-55	Blackbeetle	KBT09 (KBT-1NF)	Kaiser Beetle	KBT0E (KBT-0)	Beet	KBT14	Musha Beetle
KBT-1	Metabee	KBT03R-M	Kantaros R	KBT05A	B Beetle A	KBT0A (KBT-9BX)	Anzudo Beetle	KBT10-M	Gun-Nose	KBT15	Anzwei
KBT01-M	Metabee	KBT-4	Arcbeetle	KBT-6	Arcbeetle-Dash	KBT-0NF	Pupa Beetle	KBT11-M	Sägehorn	KBT50-M	G-Metabee
KBT01A	Metabee A	KBT-5	Saikachis	KBT-7	Kabuto Benimaru	KBT0C (KBT-0CH)	Chrotojil	KBT12-M	Jhuk