Xeexi first appeared in “Phantom Ninja,” an episode of Sym-Bionic Titan that aired earlier this month. The creepy creature is an alien assassin sent to Earth to destroy Lance, Ilana and Octus — the two humanoids and one hilarious robot who together form the mega-mecha known as Sym-Bionic Titan.

Here’s how Xeexi works: The monstrosity rams its entire body down your throat, where its tentacles overtake your body while its crustacean-inspired head lodges inside your mouth. The beast then overtakes your mind.

Resist, and Xeexi will bulge your blood vessels and tender skin to the point of rupture, blotting out your eyes and causing unimaginable pain. Once it has extracted the information it requires, it slops out of your throat and saunters off with a wicked grin on its face.

Instant nightmare fuel.

Sym-Bionic Titan's nasty monstrosity Xeexi, as illustrated in Genndy Tartakovksy's exclusive sketches above, is an all-ages horror.
Images courtesy Genndy Tartakovsky/Cartoon Network

While Xeexi is one of scariest villains ever to grace television, much less animation, Tartakovsky assured us he had no trouble getting the monster past the TV censors — and reassured us that 21st-century children are fully acclimated to the kind of horrors that give parents bad dreams.

“We really didn’t have any issues with standards,” Tartakovsky said. “We do carry a PG rating, so a goal at the beginning of the show was to skew a little older. But I would never do anything that I think my 7-year-old and 9-year-old would be freaked out to watch.”

According to Cartoon Network, we’re unable to provide video of Xeexi here (thanks to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, ironically enough). Those who want to watch the parasitic creature in action can check out its demonic possession on Cartoon Network or YouTube.

“We’re definitely accustomed to seeing scarier things” these days, Tartakovsky said. “Videogames and media accessibility have probably affected the way we respond. I think kids in general like to be scared; I think we always hide things from children that are too intense, especially in television.”

Tartakovsky’s stunning toons have always pushed the animation envelope, from the mad science of Dexter’s Laboratory to the silent majesty of Samurai Jack and the light-speed intrigue of Star Wars: Clone Wars, the animated series that brilliantly set the table for Lucasfilm’s current CGI sensation.

Filled with blazing animated action, Sym-Bionic Titan is another stellar entry that blows past genre and demographic restrictions with ease.

“Overall, I think everyone is pleased,” Tartakovksy said of the show’s success. “It is a very competitive and crowded market right now, and I think Titan has just begun to find a way to stand out from the crowd.”

The unforgettable horror of creatures like Xeexi will help make Titan’s case, as will the show’s hyper-destructive mecha and monster fights and satirical jabs at everything from boring children’s television to horny teens and desperate housewives. Those who haven’t had a chance to familiarize themselves with Sym-Bionic Titan might find more than they are looking for if they tune in to Cartoon Network at 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central on Friday nights.

“We’ve written 10 more episodes and hopefully we will be able to produce them,” Tartakovsky said. “Because the one thing about this show is that it keeps getting better and better with each episode.”

See Also:

• Genndy Tartakovksy’s Sym-Bionic Titan Is a Mecha Mash
• Must-See Cult TV: Samurai Jack
• Is Clone Wars the Most Action-Packed Series on Television?

Authors: Scott Thill

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