Hydra

Hydra is a heavyweight robot built by Team Whyachi which competed in the fourth and fifth seasons of the BattleBots reboot on Discovery and Science. It is a purple colored robot armed with a unique hydraulic flipping arm that would build up pressure, then release. In test videos, it's capable of lifting the teams van, tossing a 450 lbs quad that broke a front wheel off upon landing, hurling 250 lbs with ease, and allowing the robot to right itself. Along with a new version of Falcon, Hydra was a replacement for the recently retired Warrior robots. Hydra's name was derived from the system it uses for its flipper, hydraulics. Hydra performed well in its rookie season, being the fourth unbeaten robot in the opening stages of the tournament, but had an early exit after its defeat in the Top 16.

For Season 5, Hydra had a new end to the flipper put in and a much more monstrous livery instead of the scale-like paint job as well as different frontal configurations depending on the fight. Hydra once again did very well, being one of the few bots in Season 5 to finish the regular season with a 3-0 record and made it into the Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed but lost to eventual runner-up Whiplash in the Quarter-finals.

Team Whyachi intends to return with Hydra for Season 6.

Robot History

Discovery Season 4
Hydra vs. Free Shipping Hydra's Discovery Season 4 appearance. Hydra's first match of 2019 was against Gary Gin and Free Shipping. As the match got underway, Hydra was struggling to get under Free Shipping's low front wedgelets and ended up getting pushed around after missing with their flipper. Hydra mistimes a flip on Free Shipping. Hydra tried again and once more was shoved around by their opponent. Luckily, they managed to get under Free Shipping and threw them into the air where they landed upright on the arena floor. Free Shipping tried to retaliate and managed to get another shove in before Hydra threw them into the air where they landed on their back. Hydra then pushed them in the corner where Free Shipping couldn't self-right. Free Shipping was counted out, giving Hydra the win by KO.
Hydra vs. WAR Hawk Hydra's next opponent was Rob Farrow and WAR Hawk. As the match got underway, Hydra hit a seam in the floor and was unable to avoid WAR Hawk's first attack. Luckily Hydra withstood the punishment by its opponent and continued its attack, eventually tossing WAR Hawk into the air. WAR Hawk landed upright, however and Hydra took another hit, sending more sparks flying. Hydra retaliated by throwing WAR Hawk upside down near the pulverizer. WAR Hawk escaped so Hydra threw it in the air again, this time breaking off about 1/3 of WAR Hawk's chassis. With WAR Hawk's mobility very limited, Hydra threw it in the air again, separating the robot once more and leaving WAR Hawk unable to move in three different pieces. WAR Hawk was counted out, giving Hydra the win by KO.
Hydra vs. Petunia Hydra was next placed against Petunia from the Netherlands. When the match began, Hydra missed with its flipper and was nearly grabbed by Petunia. Hydra then missed again and once again was nearly grabbed by its opponent. Hydra then threw Petunia into the air, but Petunia landed right side up. Hydra got in position and threw Petunia on its head, but Petunia self-righted. Hydra then took Petunia to the arena barrier and tossed it again, nearly getting it out of the arena and damaging one of the battle clock's screens. Hydra got in another flip that sent Petunia over the arena barrier to where its weapon was outside of the barrier and Petunia was trapped against the pulverizer with no way out. Petunia was counted out, giving Hydra the win by KO.
Hydra vs. Bronco Bronco stuck against the arena wall. Hydra was having great success and was now placed against Team Inertia Labs and Bronco. Things were going very well for Hydra as they were first to throw Bronco into the air but Bronco landed upright. Hydra tossed Bronco again and Bronco landed upright once more. After the third flip, Hydra successfully got Bronco upside down, but Bronco quickly self-righted. Hydra continued to throw Bronco around until they got Bronco with its flipper outside the shorter arena lexan wall where it couldn't move or escape. Bronco was counted out, giving Hydra the win by KO.
Hydra vs. Minotaur Hydra was now in the Top 16 and placed against Team Riobotz and Minotaur. The match started well for Hydra as they managed to get a decent flip on Minotaur, and tried attempted to flip Minotaur again. Unfortunately, Hydra missed its flip and was quickly attacked by their opponent losing a piece of their flipper. Hydra attempted to manoeuvre around Minotaur, but Minotaur started chipping away with their drum and Hydra ended up taking damage to the sides and losing its side skirts, as well as the rear left hand drive chain. Hydra continued to take damage to the sides until its electronics failed and it was left motionless against the arena barrier. Hydra was counted out, giving Minotaur the win by KO to advance to the quarterfinals.
Hydra vs. HyperShock Hydra wasn't done yet as it also had an exhibition match against fellow veteran Will Bales and HyperShock. Before the fight Hypershock couldn't get their self-righting mechanism working, giveing an immediate advantage to Hydra. Hydra started off very well, throwing HyperShock onto its back almost immediately. This gave HyperShock an advantage, as they now could more easily hit Hydra and cause damage. However, HyperShock began smoking, and the fight moved to one of the corners with Hydra right next to the edge. Hydra then took an attack from HyperShock but luckily for them, HyperShock's spinner caused it to ramp off of Hydra and end up out of the arena where it couldn't get back in. HyperShock was counted out, giving Hydra the win by KO. At the end of the season, Hydra was awarded the founder's award.
Discovery Season 5
Hydra vs. Witch Doctor Hydra flips Witch Doctor in a shower of sparks. Hydra's first fight was a main event against the previous season's runner-up, Witch Doctor. When the match started, Hydra managed to flip Witch Doctor into the air, and afterwards kept flipping them continuously. After the short hang-time, Hydra got hit and flung by Witch Doctor's weapon, then taking a small hit from the disc spinner. Hydra then managed to flip Witch Doctor almost 15 feet off the ground, which caused one of Witch Doctor's discs to break, but Witch Doctor decided to keep spinning it despite it being off-balanced and smoking. Witch Doctor's drive seemed okay, however, so Hydra flipped Witch Doctor in the screws. Unfortunately for Hydra, the screws reversed, freeing Witch Doctor. After that, Hydra started smoking and was barely moving. However, Hydra was able to get moving again after letting its speed controllers cool, causing some confusion and controversy among fans. The time ran out shortly after and Hydra won by a 2-1 split decision.
Hydra vs. HUGE HUGE taking sparks off of Hydra's attachment. Hydra's second opponent was HUGE. Before the fight, Team Whyachi installed an attachment dubbed the "Hydragate" onto Hydra, capitalizing a design flaw in HUGE in that its weapon is shorter than its wheels. The attachment was designed to be wide enough catch HUGE by the wheels and push it around the arena while HUGE was unable to flank around it. This idea worked perfectly during the fight as HUGE was unable to deal any major damage to Hydra, only being able to scratch it with its spinner as it lifted it up with its struts, before promptly being let go. Hydra pushed HUGE into the corner of the arena where it was hit by the pulverizer, and soon after Hydra kept HUGE in the corner, where it refused to properly release it. Eventually, Hydra ran out the clock and it won by unanimous decision. This fight proved to be incredibly controversial, and rules regarding the use of an active weapon are being considered for a change in the future.
Hydra vs. Uppercut Hydra propels Uppercut into the air. For Hydra's final match of the 2020 Fight Night season, they were placed against the robot that took down SawBlaze in dramatic fashion, Uppercut. The match started off very well as Hydra quickly tossed Uppercut into the air, then dismantled Uppercut's minibot while waiting for Uppercut to move in again. Unfortunately for them, a piece of the now destroyed minibot was sucked into their back right drive train getting stuck in a drive belt, chewing away at that wheel and causing drive issues. Hydra was ready for a flip and tossed Uppercut once more. After another brief exchange where Uppercut tapped Hydra causing a shower of sparks, they tossed Uppercut onto the screws, which reversed and allowed Uppercut back into the fight. However, Hydra tossed them again before the piece of minibot that was stuck inside of Hydra broke the drive belt that it was stuck in and the wreckage got spat out, meaning that Hydra no longer had drive issues. Hydra recovered and tossed Uppercut once more before time ran out. Interestingly, after Hydra's last flip with about 10 seconds left on the Battle Clock, it received fatal damage which kept the flipping arm stuck in an upright position, this damage not being caused by Uppercut. Hydra's hydraulic valves had small metal flakes creeping in overtime and was keeping one of Hydra's valves open slightly. Now with both sides of the cylinder being pressurized the only difference was the surface area with the blind end having more than the rod end, it forced its way fully open rendering Hydra's flipping arm useless. For their next match against HyperShock all of the hydraulic oil was drained and new hydraulic fluids put in, and all new valves hoping to fix the problem. The judges awarded Hydra a unanimous 3-0 decision.
Hydra vs. HyperShock Hydra tosses HyperShock out of the arena. Despite the controversy surrounding its fight with HUGE, Hydra once again finished the Fight Night season undefeated and made it into the Round of 32 as the No. 1 seed where it was matched with the bot it defeated in an untelevised exhibition match last season, the No.32 seed HyperShock. The match didn't begin very well for Hydra, as they managed to get a flip in but barely tossed HyperShock into the air. HyperShock began running rings around Hydra, and Hydra repeatedly missed their flips, trying to get a good opportunity. On one occasion they opened up their side to HyperShock, and were delivered a glancing blow on the side from its opponent. Hydra managed to get under HyperShock afterwards and toss them into the air. HyperShock had now lost its weapon, and was defenceless to Hydra's attacks. Hydra now chased HyperShock as they began to drive circles around the BattleBox. Hydra then started to get in the flips as they reaptedly tossed HyperShock around. Hydra continued flipping, tossing HyperShock upright and upside down until they finally got their opponent out of the arena with around 15 seconds left for a KO and a spot in the Top 16.
Hydra vs. Gigabyte Hydra's next opponent was the dangerous shell spinner Gigabyte. Although Jake Ewert teased an anti-Gigabyte device, essentially a keep-away stick to hold Gigabyte's self-righting pole at a safe distance, this was not used. Hydra did however add a front wedge to deflect Gigabyte's spinning shell. Hydra sends Gigabyte flying Gigabyte spun up to full speed and gave a glancing blow to Hydra's wedge. Hydra attacked it head on, thrusting Gigabyte into the air. Upon landing, Gigabyte ricocheted into the wall in front of Chris and Kenny. Gigabyte took several more flipping attacks from Hydra throughout the remainder of the fight, with Gigabyte only landing one more hit on the side of Hydra's wedge. Despite Hydra's persistence, Gigabyte's spinner kept working the entire battle, and it went to the judges. Hydra won by unanimous decision, putting them into the Top 8.
Hydra vs. Whiplash Next up for Hydra was the Vazquez family and Whiplash, who were looking stronger as the season went on. Both robots looked tentative in the opening seconds, as Whiplash teased a head-on attack, forcing Hydra to misfire its flipper. Whiplash then managed to slide its forks underneath its opponent's front and tip it over, forcing Hydra to self-right for the first time in its career. Unfortunately for Jake Ewert, it landed on Whiplash's disc and caught the underside of the bot. Hydra misfired once more, and Whiplash was able to lift from the front again, but this time not enough to topple it over. Hydra retaliated, landing a flip on Whiplash which forced them to have to self-right for the first time in the battle. Both bots jostled for an advantage in the middle of the box, before Hydra flipped Whiplash over again, but not with the same power as in previous fights. Whiplash was now pinned against the screws, but used its lifting arm and disc in tandem to attack Hydra from behind. Hydra's flips were temperamental for the remainder of the fight, and parts of its side skirts had come away. Hydra was able to pop Whiplash in the air several times as the fight entered its closing moments. But in the last 10 seconds, Jake Ewert exposed Hydra's rear to Whiplash, and the Vazquez family took full advantage, attacking with the disc and tearing a panel from its opponent. Whiplash itself was smoking with 3 seconds on the clock, but it went to the judges, who ruled in favour of Whiplash by split decision. Hydra was eliminated from the tournament.

Wins/Losses

Wins: 10
Losses: 2

Competition

Wins

Losses

Discovery Season 4

Free Shipping (Undercard Match)

WAR Hawk (Undercard Match)

Petunia (Undercard Match)

Bronco (Main Event/Undercard Match)

HyperShock (Exhibition Match)

Minotaur

Discovery Season 5

Witch Doctor (Main Event/Undercard Match)

HUGE (Undercard Match)

Uppercut (Undercard Match)

HyperShock

Gigabyte

Whiplash

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"From the cheese state of Wisconsin, in this fight, it's the big old cracker and you're just de-brie. Give it up for HYDRA!"

"This bot is a wizard with its flippers. It's going to put you on tilt and rock the way you're built. Bounce you off the bumpers and off the walls. When it's over, it's over. In the BattleBox, there are no free balls. It's HYDRA!"

"This bot is going to Die Hard. It's about inflict some John Mcpain. You're gonna need some Nakatomi plasma. Welcome to the BattleBox pal! It's HYDRA!"

"This Wisconsin flipper would make a great cow tipper. It'll udderly defeat you if you make one wrong moooooove. It's HYDRA!"

"It may be the three seed, but it's the baddest flipper in town. Say buh-bydra, it's HYDRA!"

"This bot is flipping fantastic. It's a member of Team Whyachi that'll make you flyachi. Reach for the skydra, it's HYDRA!

"He's launched bots all over, from London to Boston. Get too close, and he'll stun you like Stone Cold Steven Austin, and that's the bottom line, cause Hydra said so. It's HYDRA!"

"This bot comes from Wisconsin, the land of cheese and dairy. If you're lactose intolerant, this might be kind of scary. It'll turn you into swiss, cause its flipper doesn't miss. Make you crumble like ricotta, it's one. Big. Botta. It's HYDRA!"

"When it flips you, you'll be going, going, gone. And when you hit the ground, you'll make this sound: boing, boing, bong. It's the bot that *died ya? (*I don't actually know what he said), it's HYDRA!"

"The number one seed, he beat every bot on the schedule. And had opponents bouncing off the walls, like they just pounded some Red Bull. His launch is so good, you might start in the BattleBox. But take one hit, and end up in the parking lot. It's HYDRA!"

Trivia

Much like Tombstone in the third season, Hydra was the only robot in the fourth season that went undefeated in the fight cards and knocked out every opponent, before being knocked out in the first round.
- It was also similar to Bronco in the first, second and third seasons, in that it was the only flipper advancing to the Top 16 in the fourth season.
  - However, Hydra reached the quarterfinals in Discovery Season 5, but it lost via judges decision instead of being knocked out.
Out of other opponents who've split bots apart, Hydra is the only flipper to physically split a robot apart.
In season four, Hydra's paint changed color from purple to teal depending on the lighting.
Hydra is the only robot who was given the No. 1 seed but did not have a spinning weapon.
Hydra is the only hydraulic flipper in BattleBots history.
Hydra and Son of Whyachi are the only Team Whyachi robots to make it past the round of 16.