Rambo: The Force of Freedom (also known simply as Rambo) is a 1986 American animated series based on the character of John Rambo from David Morrell's book First Blood and the subsequent films First Blood (1982) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). This series was adapted for television by story editor/head writer Michael Chain and also spawned a toy line.
The series ran for 65 episodes and was produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises. It debuted on April 14, 1986 as a five-part miniseries and was renewed in September as a daily cartoon.
Production
The series cost more than $15 million. Many reviewers have noted that Rambo: The Force of Freedom was obviously inspired by the success of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983–86), Sergio Pereira of Comic Book Resources noting the similarities between S.A.V.A.G.E. and COBRA, and between Colonel Trautman and General Hawk.
Plot
On Colonel Trautman's request, John Rambo leads a special unit called "The Force of Freedom" all over the globe with their goal against the paramilitary terrorist organization S.A.V.A.G.E. (Specialist-Administrators of Vengeance, Anarchy and Global Extortion) led by the nefarious General Warhawk.
Characters
Force of Freedom
The Force of Freedom is a team commanded by Colonel Trautman and led by Rambo that goes around the world fighting the forces of S.A.V.A.G.E. Among the core members of the Force of Freedom are:
John Rambo (voiced by Neil Ross) - The main protagonist of the series. He leads the Force of Freedom in fighting S.A.V.A.G.E. when called in by Colonel Samuel Trautman. When not on missions, Rambo would either be shown tending to an animal or helping kids with their survival training. Colonel Samuel "Sam" Trautman (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) - He serves as the group's commanding officer. He would often call in Rambo during his break time. Colonel Trautman would sometimes accompany Rambo on his missions. Edward "Turbo" Hayes (voiced by James Avery) - An African-American mechanical engineer and race car driver. According to his toy bio, Turbo is also a First Lieutenant who graduated from the US Air Force Academy. Katherine Anne "K.A.T." Taylor (voiced by Mona Marshall) - An Asian-American military woman who was a master of disguises, gymnastics, and martial arts alike. K.A.T. seemed to have a crush on Rambo. She is based on Co-Bao from Rambo: First Blood Part II. White Dragon (voiced by Robert Ito) - A heroic ninja who is Black Dragon's twin brother. According to his toy bio, White Dragon had also developed a ninja training program for the U.S. military forces. T.D. "Touchdown" Jackson (voiced by George DiCenzo) - A former football player and ally of Rambo. He joined the Force of Freedom at the time when Mad Dog's gang forces elderly couples out of their homes as part of General Warhawk's plot to dig into a military base and steal a top secret new supertank in "Blockbuster". Chief (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) - A Native American ally of Rambo. He joined the Force of Freedom after he rescued his friends in the swamp and from S.A.V.A.G.E. following the plane crash and helped prevent General Warhawk from burying the gold in the sacred grounds on Spirit Island (where the graves of Chief's forefathers are located) in "Skyjacked Gold".
S.A.V.A.G.E. S.A.V.A.G.E. stands for Specialist-Administrators of Vengeance, Anarchy and Global Extortion. Their goal of world domination leads them into conflict with the Force of Freedom, especially Rambo. In addition to a substantial number of soldiers, among the core members of S.A.V.A.G.E. are: