| Ricky Cervantes | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Species |
Human |
A tough Mexican-American kid with an even tougher, more competitive dad, Ricky is rough on the outside and can be sarcastic and blunt, but he proves to be a loyal and dedicated friend whenever it counts. In addition to fellow team captain, Ish, among his fellow Guardians, Ricky is noticed to have a close bond with Ash. Upon joining the Guardians, he becomes one of the main characters of seasons 2 and 3.
He is voiced by Nicolas Roye.
Appearance
When not in his blue Tigers football uniform, Ricky is usually dressed in warm, casual street attire. He typically wears a white t-shirt underneath a burgundy-colored hoodie, with black hood and trim. His rather messy mop of a brown mullet is almost always concealed by a matching burgundy knit cap that has two vertical white strips on its rim, which are generally affixed to the front-left side while on his head. He sports a pair of gray jeans and black sneakers, with red laces, that are rimmed around their perimeter and entirely at their soles with white. Lastly, Ricky himself has a slightly tan complexion and dark brown eyes.
During cold, snowy weather, he trades his hoodie for a burgundy coat and a slightly darker shade of mittens to match. He'll also wear a brown and gray ushanka in place of his usually knit cap.
As Guardian QB-6, Ricky's outfit, like his fellow Guardians', becomes that of a fully-armored, football uniform-styled warrior. He becomes taller than his original height, as tall as most adults, and is covered head to toe in the uniform. Primarily off-white with light blue florescent highlights and a design scheme unique to himself throughout the uniform, upon getting the team's Super Guardian upgrade from the "Guardians Unleashed" season, he becomes more visually distinctive from the other Guardians, with his trademark burgundy color now being used and becoming the dominate color of his uniform, including as the color of his helmet's visor.
History
He first appears in the third episode of season 2, "Kick It Up A Notch", where he meets Ish and Ash after Ash missed the kick in the Bulldogs' most recent game. His second appearance is in the try outs for Canton's 'Punt, Pass, and Kick' competition, during episode nine, "Oh Brother", where he began his rivalry with Ish.
He next appears in the following, two-part episode "The Mystery Guardian". During the events of the episode, Ricky's father, Don, grows desperate and overbearingly aggressive towards his son because he feels his he needs better practice with football. Wild Card, disguised as an innocuous personal football coach, arrives and offers his tutelage services for Ricky to Don, who near readily agrees. Wild Card later reveals himself to Ricky and gives him a copy of the Guardians' watch, transforming Ricky into the titular "Mystery Guardian". Under the control of Wild Card, he begins attacking the stadiums in attempts to steal their Megacores, eventually knocking out all of the Guardians with a special gas.
Due to subsequent events, Ricky eventually breaks free of Wild Card's control and helps defeat him. R.Z then officially recruits him as the sixth Guardian. Ish initially has a hard time excepting this decision, but he does come around to it by the end of the season, with the two bonding as teammates in the intern.
Ricky, like the rest of the Guardians, gets a new suit to defeat Sudden Death's new Blitz Borgs and the Anticorians during season three, "Guardians Unleashed". Ricky and his fellow Guardians eventually defeat them and banish them inside a black hole, though it is later revealed that Sudden Death escaped.
Personality
Due to his competitive-minded rearing from his equally competitive-minded, and at the time, overbearing, father, Ricky started off in the show as an aloof, tough-exteriored and sometimes sarcastic person. Driven to be the best youth football player, even captaining his own team, he tended to show a demeanor typical of a cocky, sports-centric jock.
In spite of this poor general first impression, he rather quickly began showing signs of a moral and kindhearted character to him. This was first chiefly displayed in "Oh Brother", where he had his father postpone the Sectionals so that he and a recently apologized Ish could face off against each other, fair and square. Though his father's overbearingly competitive attitude unwittingly drove Ricky to Wild Card, while also showing the tension Ricky had with living up to his father's expectations, these events eventually lead to Ricky showing and embracing his true colors as a selfless hero, while also patching up and strengthening his relationship with his father, who subsequently tones down his prior behavior.
After becoming an official Guardian, Ricky is shown to be a warmhearted and stalwart friend to his new allies, occasionally showing a big-brother-esque vibe in his dealings with them. He, however, still retains the tough and competitive side of his personality, though it's now channeled more positively and carries more good sportsmanship qualities than it previously had. The "Guardians Unleashed" season also showed an eagerly dutiful and diligent side to Ricky, when he takes it upon himself to do odd jobs to gain money after his father becomes in-between jobs. This showcased a more positive take on Ricky's desire to impress his father.
Trivia
- He is the QB of the the rival Youth Tackle Football team, the Tigers.
- He was once under the control of R.Z's son.
- This marks Ricky's inclusion amongst the numbers of main characters who were working with or being controlled by a villainous force, along with Ish and Ash.
- He is the latest, and so far last, Guardian R.Z has ever recruited.
- He and Ish have a friendly rivalry.
- His favorite team is the Arizona Cardinals.