Zap (Skylanders)

Zap
Element	Water
Species	Water Dragon
Gender	Male
World	Unknown
Attacks	Electric Bolt Water Surge Electro-Slime Mega-Volt Wave Rider
First Released	Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (2011)
Portrayed by	Jeff Bergman (2012)

Zap is a blue water dragon who is one of the playable Skylanders in the Skylanders franchise, first appearing in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure.

Character Development

Zap was originally a slime character called Cyclops Snail, which Michael Graham described as "this little blue water slug that zipped around, left a little pool of sludge behind him, and he would scream and shoot electricity. He was just so weird — really fun, but totally bizarre. After some feedback, we changed him from blue to purple, but then it was 'you can’t have two purple characters, because Spyro is purple.' Then we got an early version of what Cyclops Snail’s toy might look like, and we thought, 'Oh my gosh, these don’t look at all detailed, not in the way that we want them to be.’ He was revised again, made of oil and now called Tarclops, and that was the final straw. The character evolved so much, by the end, character designer I-Wei Huang at Toys For Bob felt that everything he liked about the character was gone, so we thought, let’s just scrap it — we’ve got to go in a different direction."

But in a way, you’ve already played as Cyclops Snail; you know him as Zap. "We reimagined the character,” says Graham. “Same moves, actually; he plays exactly the same way as Cyclops Snail did. And even Zap went through a little evolution. His original concept didn’t have his scuba tanks, and we shortened his snout quite a bit."

• 
  Cyclops Snail concept by I-Wei Huang
• 
  Early models of Tarclops
• 
  From Tarclops to Zap
• 
  Tarclops' Spyro's Kingdom card
• 
  A dragon resembling Zap part of the early Spyro's Adventure character roster

Background

Personality

Zap is a friendly and mischevious water dragon, being revered by most of the sea creatures of Skylands who see him as a true dedicated guardian of both the seas and Skylands. He enjoys racing, being able to outstrip almost any opponent, and excels at everything he turns his claws to. Naturally curious and super-competitive, Zap is also a bit of a prankster, loving to shock his fellow Skylanders whenever he gets a chance. However, he can be too curious for his own good and has a nose (or snout) for trouble, which can lead him and his fellow Skylanders into dangerous situations.

Biography

Zap was born into the royal family of water dragons, but a riptide washed him to a distant sea, where he was raised by electric eels. Growing up, he excelled in everything and even created a special gold harness that allows him to carry an endless electrical charge and shock things at a great distance. Zap also proved to be a gifted racer, outstripping any opponent... with the possible exception of the dolphins. With them, it became a good natured challenge to see who could keep up with Zap. But an electric current in his wake often reminded them who they were dealing with. Despite his mischievous streak, Zap grew to be a true protector of the seas and Skylands.

Story

History

Born into a royal family of water dragons, Zap was well known at court as a show-off swimmer and all-round mischief maker. He would most certainly have grown up to be king But one afternoon, young prince Zap found himself quite literally in deep water. A riptide had sucked him out into open ocean and beyond, to faraway shores. Soon, Zap found himself surrounded by slippery and shocking. A school of electric eels was swimming around him, spitting out sparks and sizzles. Zap held out a wet foot to say 'hello' when... YEEOWWW! Well, his mother had warned him electricity and water don't mix. The electric eels felt sorry for the unplugged youngster and decided to raise Zap as one of their own. To fit in, he even built himself an electric harness with an endless charge. Now, Zap can hurl a white-hot electric bolt the length of ten sheep fields.

Zap continued as a champ in the water and often left dolphins buzzing in his electrical wake. News of his swimming exploits soon reached the ears of Master Eon, who immediately signed him up.

Skylanders: Gill Grunt and the Curse of the Fish Master

Zap, Gill Grunt, and Wham-Shell being surrounded by Captain Grimslobber and his pirates.

Zap and Wham-Shell were called by Master Eon to assist Gill Grunt when the Gillman was about to get eaten by a rampaging Cloud Kraken that was attacking Deep Water Wasteland. Zap's electric bolt saved Gill Grunt from the clutches of the Cloud Kraken, who then turned its blind fury upon a pirate ship called the Fearsome Fang and its crew. The ship's captain, Grimslobber, mysteriously scared off the Cloud Kraken without having to do a thing, confusing Gill Grunt, Zap, and Wham-Shell as the pirate crew praised their captain for his bravery.

Although Gill Grunt didn't want any trouble with Grimslobber and his band of pirates, Zap's curiosity about the accidental mentioning of treasure by one of the pirates prompted the seemingly friendly Grimslobber to surround the Water Skylanders with his crew and attack them. Gill Grunt, Zap, and Wham-Shell narrowly escaped the Fearsome Fang crew and dove into the safety of the sea, but not before Zap left a painful parting gift for Grimslobber as payback for calling Gill Grunt names during their encounter.

The Water Skylanders then heard from Spyro that Kaos was after the Water Fragment so that he could reassamble the Mask of Power in order to use it to destroy the Core of Light. Determined to beat Kaos to the fragment, Gill Grunt quickly lead Zap and Wham-Shell to the Kingdom of the Merpeople, knowing that the merfolk, who have swam the waters for thousands of years, would know the location of the fragment. The Skylanders discovered the kingdom deserted, with only the elderly, children, King Scalebeard, Prince Aquan, and Princess Finella still within the kingdom's barrier. Suddenly, Prince Aquan and Princess Finella fell under a strange trance and swam out of the kingdom along with several other merfolk with the Skylanders in hot pursuit to see where they were going.

With the help of Zap's speed, the Water Skylanders were able to keep up with the merfolk, avoiding a swarm of electro-jellies along the way. During the chase, Wham-Shell mysteriously had fallen under a spell and turned on both Gill Grunt and Zap, capturing Zap (after confusing the water dragon with his starfish bullets) and taking him into a cave where the hypnotized merfolk went into.

Zap is pinned down by Wham-Shell's blanket of starfish in Gill Grunt and the Curse of the Fish Master

A hypnotized Gill Grunt soon discovered that Zap was imprisoned in a cage, covered in a blanket of Wham-Shell's starfish that held him down forcefully to prevent the water dragon from moving. Distraught at the sight of seeing his friend under the spell as well, Zap revealed that Captain Grimslobber couldn't control him with the use of the Fish Master's Crown, since the water dragon wasn't born beneath the sea like the others. He strongly encouraged Gill Grunt to break free of the crown's curse, reminding the Gillman of their mission to find the Water Fragment and stop Kaos, and that Master Eon, Spyro, and even Zap himself believes in Gill Grunt that they would succeed. Thanks to this, Gill Grunt was able to free himself from the influence of the Fish Master's Crown, causing Grimslobber to lose control over a portion of the merpeople and Wham-Shell when trying to concentrate on putting Gill Grunt back under his influence. During the confusion, Grimslobber lost his hold on the Crown after Wham-Shell released the gem-eels, and it shattered into pieces, fully freeing the merfolk. As the pirate captain made a hasty retreat, Zap freed himself from the now-dormant starfish and followed after Gill Grunt back onto the deck of the Fearsome Fang along with Wham-Shell. With the help of the merfolk, and even Spyro, the Water Skylanders bested Grimslobber and his pirate crew.

Captain Grimslobber pulled out a pistol and attempted to kill Gill Grunt, when the captain was suddenly knocked overboard and eaten alive by the Cloud Kraken. Kaos then revealed his presence, having recovered the pieces of the broken Fish Master's Crown that supposedly contained the Water fragment. After taunting the Skylanders by dropping fish on them, the evil Portal Master made his leave but not before sinking the Fearsome Fang, causing Spyro, Gill Grunt, Zap, and Wham-Shell to quickly escape off Grimslobber's sinking ship via portal.

Back at the Eternal Archives, it seemed that the Skylanders had failed their mission to retrieve the Water fragment, when Gill Grunt checked Grimslobber's satchel he brought back with him and held a dirty rag the captain had used to wrap the Fish Master's Crown. The rag soon revealed itself to be the Water Fragment, making the Skylanders realize that Kaos had stolen nothing more than a worthless broken crown. Knowing that Kaos would be after the next fragment to the Mask of Power, the Skylanders would be ready for him..

Skylanders: Trigger Happy Targets the Evil Kaos

Zap was one of the Skylanders assembled to stop Kaos from putting on the completed Mask of Power. Unfortunately Kaos used the Mask of Power to steal the Skylanders' powers, including Zap's, rendering the heroes powerless. Before the evil Portal Master could finish the Skylanders off, they were safely teleported back to Eon's Citadel.

As Kaos wrecked havoc across Skylands, Zap and the other Skylanders began to lose hope, but Spyro managed to lift their spirits. Together they held a last stand against Kaos to protect the Core of Light, but were overwhelmed. Before Kaos can destroy the Core, he was tricked by Trigger Happy followed by Zap and the other Skylanders into performing their powers at the same time, causing the evil Portal Master to lose control of the Mask of Power. In Kaos's moment of weakness, Trigger Happy pulled the Mask off Kaos's face, restoring Zap's powers as well as the other Skylanders'. Rejuvenated, the Skylanders destroyed the Mask of Power in a combined attack and defeated Kaos once again.

Character Relationships

Electric Eels

Zap's foster family are a school of electric eels. To better fit in, he created an electric harness that holds an endless charge of electricity.

Dolphins

Zap has a long running feud with the dolphins, due to the fact that he regularly shocks them by accident when they ride the waves together, and Zap usually takes offense at the dolphins saying the shocks are no accident... and sometimes they're right. When they race together, the dolphins also have long insisted that Zap uses his power to electrify the water to his advantage. This isn't actually true... at least when he's racing. Zap denies foul play and believes the dolphins are just sore losers.

Gill Grunt

Gill Grunt is Zap's fellow Skylander and friend. When Grimslobber noticed the Skylanders and called Gill Grunt names, Zap was quick to defend his Gillman companion.

Abilities

Using his special golden harness he created as a child to mimic the electrifying power of his adopted parents, Zap can breathe bursts of electricity and spew electrical surges of water at his enemies. He can also leave a trail of slimey water behind him to slow down (and when hit by a spark, electrify) foes. Once upgraded enough, he can ride a wave, if you do not travel with it then the wave goes off by itself, but still damages foes.

Statistics

Series 1Series 2

Name	Statistics
Strength	30
Defense	70
Agility	65
Luck	65
Health	260
Speed	50
Armor	24
Critical Hit	30
Elemental Power	25

Name	Statistics
Strength	55
Defense	80
Agility	80
Luck	70
Health	N/A
Speed	N/A
Armor	N/A
Critical Hit	N/A
Elemental Power	N/A

Powers and Upgrades

Basic UpgradesTelsa DragonSlime SerpentSoul Gem3DS

Power	Gold	Description
Lightning Breath	None	Zap spits out pure electricity.
Sea Slime Slide	None	Zap slides on a trail of sea slime that enemies will become stuck in.
Electro-Slime	Price: 500	Sea Slime can be electrified by Zap's Lightning Breath.
Stay Awhile	Price: 700	Zap's Sea Slime stays electrified much longer.
MegaVolt	Price: 900	Lightning Breath does more increased damage.
Wave Rider	Price: 1200	Zap can summon (and ride) a great wave that washes away enemies.

This upgrade path lets Zap further develop his Lightning Breath and Wave attacks.

Power	Gold	Description
Lightning Strikes Twice	Price: 1700	Lightning Breath bounces off enemies, objects and walls.
Electric Wave	Price: 2200	Wave Attack does increased damage.
Telsa Storm	Price: 3000	Lightning breath attack does even MORE increased damage.

This upgrade path lets Zap further develop his Sea Slime skills.

Power	Gold	Description
Strength in Numbers	Price: 1700	Create more Sea Slimes.
Charged with Punishment	Price: 2200	Automatically electrify all Sea Slimes.
More Electro'd Slime	Price: 3000	Enemies take even more damage when stuck in electrified Sea Slime.

Power	Gold	Description	Found in:
Love for the Sea	Price: 4000	Regenerate health in water.	Leviathan Lagoon

Scroll location: Icelight, gain 20% damage bonus.

Power	Level	Description
Bolt Lightning	0	Zap can shoot a ball of electrical energy.
Washout	0	Zap unleashes a massive wave of water at enemies. While the wave is flowing, Zap can release a tidal surge, damaging enemies caught in the burst.
Electric Spout	2	Zap leaves behind a trail of dangerous electric waterspouts while sprinting.
Chain Lightning	5	Ball Lightning will bounce to another target after it hits an enemy.
Tide Pull	8	The electric waterspouts now last twice as long and can be pushed by a Washout.

Character Trailers

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Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ザップ	N/A

Voice portrayals

Voice Actor	Appearance
Jeff Bergman (2012)	Skylanders: Giants

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Zap (Skylanders)/Gallery.

• File:Series1-Zap-Skylanders-MagicMoment.jpg
• File:Series1-Zap-Skylanders-TrailerScreenshot.jpg

Trivia

• Zap's promotional art shows that his eyes are red, and they are orange in toy form, but in the game, they are yellow. His color changes as well. In his promotional art, his toy form and preview video, Zap is a light shade of blue. However in the game, he is a darker, "shiny" blue.
• If Zap hadn't been washed out to sea by a riptide away from home, he would almost certainly have grown up to be king of the High Water Royal Dragon Family.
• He is another playable character known to be raised by a different species, along with Spyro being raised by dragonflies in the Legend series, and Sgt. Byrd being raised by hummingbirds in the Classic series.
• The Electroll, Zapp, in Hurricos shares his name, with an extra "P," with Zap.
• He and Cynder are the only two dragon Skylanders to breathe electricity.
• He is the only one of the nine Dragons in the series without claws on his toes (his feet look like those of a frog or a toad).
• His toy form has a bigger splash in the pedestal unlike other Water Skylanders to contain his four-legged frame. However, as a Series 2 figure, his water pedestal is as normal as Gill Grunt, Wham-Shell and Chill, except it contains four little splashes because of his four feet.
• Zap is the successor of the his original incarnation, Cyclops Slime/Snail or Tarclops, a scrapped Skylander.
• He and Stump Smash can regain health in water with their Soul Gem abilities.
• During development, Zap was originally going to be without his electric gold harness.
• Unlike the rest of the other Dragons who are reptilian, Zap appears to be amphibian due to being a water-based dragon.
• Although he isn't fully capable of speech in Spyro's Adventure, he appears to be saying "Wahoo!" and "Ha Ha!" when using his attacks.
• Zap's Series 2 Wow Pow, "For Riley" was made as a dedication to Riley Van Zyl, a four-year old boy and Skylanders fan who passed away from a rare form of cancer in May 2012. Riley's favorite character in the series was Zap, and the upgrade was named in his memory.
• When Zap talks, he speaks as if he has water in his mouth.
• When he sets foot in a small puddle of water, he can actually heal only when he gets the Soul Gem upgrade.
• His Series 2 figure is based on his Wow Pow ability For Riley!.
• Jeff Bergman portrayed as Zap. He is also very notable for voicing the modern Looney Tunes characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, etc.
• His catchphrase "Ride the Lightning" is also a song and album by the rock band Metallica.

External links

• Zap's official Skylanders character page - archived