Monday 2 March 2000.
The talk about him was still hot across the media, but Zaboru did not really pay attention to it. Right now he had a far more important meeting. He wanted to confirm that every cartoon project Nickelodeon was currently producing was ready and running smoothly.
At the moment Nickelodeon was already airing several popular shows such as SpongeBob, Taz‑Mania, Powerpuff Girls, TMNT, Transformers, Spider‑Man Animation, X‑Men Animation, and Blade Animation.
These were the ongoing core series of the channel, and they were performing well with audiences. However, Zaboru had bigger plans. Starting this month he intended to significantly expand the cartoon roster, introducing several new series that would gradually enrich Nickelodeon's overall cartoon library and strengthen its position in the animation industry.
Right now Zaboru had already arrived at the Nickelodeon offices. The building itself was large, modern, and filled with colorful decorations that reflected the creative atmosphere of the animation studio. As he entered, the current CEO approached him—Brendan Devin, a completely new figure in this world and not based on any Nickelodeon executive from Zaboru's previous life. Zaboru did not mind the difference at all; in fact, Brendan had proven himself to be an energetic and passionate leader for the studio. Brendan was accompanied by several of Nickelodeon's lead animators and designers, all of whom were eager to discuss the upcoming projects.
"Good morning everyone," Zaboru said with a warm smile as he greeted the team. Brendan immediately responded with his usual energetic attitude. "Morning boss! Hahaha," he laughed, clearly excited. Brendan had always been a cheerful person with a childlike heart. He genuinely loved cartoons, which was one of the main reasons he had devoted his career to building Nickelodeon into a creative hub for animation. When ZAGE later acquired the network, Nickelodeon did not shrink under corporate ownership—instead it expanded even further. With ZAGE's resources, the studio had gained better technology, larger teams, and more ambitious projects than ever before. Because of that, Brendan could barely hide his excitement. To him, the upcoming cartoon lineup felt almost unbelievable, and he knew that if everything went well Nickelodeon would soon need to expand its studios and staff to keep up with the growing number of productions.
"So how's the project?" Zaboru asked calmly.
Brendan grinned again, clearly eager to talk about it. "So far everything is moving steadily, boss. Honestly, I can't wait for these stories to be released to the public. The teams are extremely passionate about them, and the quality we're seeing right now is amazing. Every department—from the writers to the animators—is doing great work."
He leaned slightly forward as he continued. "Once these shows start airing, I really believe audiences are going to love them. The characters are memorable, the humor works for both kids and older viewers, and the animation quality is improving with every episode. It's honestly one of the most exciting production cycles Nickelodeon has ever had."
Zaboru nodded, and Devin began presenting the report for each project. In total, there were nine new cartoon projects currently in development.
Chalk Zone
The Fairly OddParents
Dexter's Laboratory
Samurai Jack
Kim Possible
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Ben 10
Johnny Bravo
Danny Phantom
These nine series would be released across roughly two years. During the first phase, Chalk Zone, Samurai Jack, Kim Possible, and Dexter's Laboratory would begin airing this year. The remaining shows—Ben 10, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and Johnny Bravo—were scheduled to release the following year. Many of these series were designed to run for a long time, building strong characters and worlds that could grow into major franchises. Zaboru also planned to continue expanding the lineup in the future, gradually adding even more original cartoons to strengthen Nickelodeon's library.
Many of these series were especially important to Zaboru because he remembered them clearly from his previous life. Each one had a strong identity and a concept that made it memorable to audiences.
For example, Chalk Zone had a very unique premise centered around the mysterious Chalk World, a strange dimension that appears whenever chalk drawings on a blackboard are erased. In that world, everything drawn with chalk becomes real—characters, monsters, cities, and entire landscapes. The show followed Rudy, a boy who could travel into this world and explore it alongside his chalk‑drawn friends. Because the environment was literally created from imagination, the series allowed endless creativity for stories, bizarre adventures, and constantly changing settings.
Meanwhile The Fairly OddParents was built around pure comedic chaos. The story followed Timmy Turner, an unlucky kid whose life suddenly changed when he received two magical fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda. They could grant almost any wish—but Timmy's wishes usually created even bigger problems. The humor came from the ridiculous consequences of those wishes, making every episode unpredictable and extremely funny.
Dexter's Laboratory focused on the chaotic life of a child genius secretly running a massive high‑tech laboratory hidden inside his house. Dexter constantly tried to conduct serious scientific experiments, but his overly cheerful sister Dee Dee kept accidentally ruining everything. The show mixed science‑fiction ideas with fast comedic timing, creating a style that was both clever and hilarious.
Johnny Bravo took a completely different comedic direction. The series followed Johnny, an overconfident man with a muscular build and sunglasses who believed he was incredibly attractive. Unfortunately, his arrogance and lack of awareness often led him into embarrassing situations. The exaggerated character humor and absurd situations made the show extremely entertaining.
Finally, Samurai Jack stood apart from the others with a far more cinematic tone. The story followed a noble samurai warrior who was sent into a distant future ruled by the evil demon Aku. In that world Jack had to travel across strange lands, battle powerful enemies, and search for a way back to his own time. The series became famous for its stylish animation, dramatic atmosphere, and action sequences that felt almost like animated films rather than simple television episodes.
The other group—Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ben 10, Danny Phantom, and Kim Possible—were even more special to Zaboru. In his previous life, these series had become some of the most iconic action‑adventure cartoons of their generation. Each of them combined strong storytelling with memorable characters and long‑term world building that allowed audiences to grow attached to the heroes over many seasons.
Years earlier, when the TMNT game released during the ZEPS‑1 era, Zaboru had already included Kim Possible as a hidden character in the game as a small teaser. However, she never appeared again in any ZAGE project afterward. In Zaboru's memory, Kim Possible was a perfect example of a modern cartoon hero—an ordinary high‑school girl who secretly worked as a global crime‑fighter alongside her best friend Ron Stoppable. The show balanced action, humor, and teenage life in a way that made the characters relatable while still delivering exciting adventures.
Danny Phantom had a similarly strong identity. The story followed Danny Fenton, a teenager who accidentally gained ghost powers after an experiment in his parents' laboratory went wrong. As a result he could transform into the ghost hero Danny Phantom and defend the human world from supernatural threats. The mixture of school life, secret identities, and ghost battles created a style that was both dramatic and fun for viewers.
Meanwhile Ben 10 offered a very different kind of adventure. The series centered around a young boy who discovered a mysterious alien device called the Omnitrix. With it he could transform into multiple alien species, each with different abilities. This concept made the show extremely flexible, allowing every episode to introduce new powers, new enemies, and new creative situations.
Finally, Avatar: The Last Airbender stood apart from the rest because of its deeper storytelling and world building. The series took place in a fantasy world divided into nations based on elemental powers—water, earth, fire, and air. The story followed Aang, the last Airbender, who carried the responsibility of restoring balance to the world. Unlike many cartoons of the time, the series focused heavily on character growth, emotional storytelling, and a long‑running narrative that developed over multiple seasons.
Originally, Zaboru had planned to introduce these characters directly through video games. His initial idea was to launch them as brand‑new gaming franchises under ZAGE, allowing players to experience their worlds interactively from the very beginning. However, after thinking about it more carefully, he realized that the technology and production capabilities of the current ZEPS 3 era were still somewhat limited for the scale he envisioned. Technically it would still be possible to create those games, but Zaboru felt that the worlds of these characters deserved something larger and more ambitious. Their stories required richer environments, deeper narratives, and more advanced gameplay systems that current hardware could not fully support yet.
Because of that, Zaboru decided that it would be wiser to wait until the ZEPS 4 era, when technology would be significantly stronger and capable of supporting larger open worlds, more detailed animation, and more cinematic storytelling. Only then could their games truly reach the level of quality he imagined.
With that realization, Zaboru changed his strategy. Instead of launching the characters through video games first, he would introduce them to the public through animated series. Television animation allowed these characters to build strong identities, develop loyal audiences, and establish their worlds gradually. Viewers could learn about the characters, their personalities, their struggles, and their adventures before ever touching a controller.
Once audiences became deeply familiar with the characters and their stories, ZAGE could later release video games based on those series with far greater impact. B
Zaboru smiled and nodded to Brendan, clearly pleased with the progress being presented. "Good job, Brendan," he said. "This is exactly the direction I wanted Nickelodeon to move toward. If these series perform the way I believe they will, it won't just be another programming expansion. It will be a real game changer for the network. These shows can redefine what people expect from Western cartoons and push Nickelodeon's reputation to entirely new heights."
Brendan nodded enthusiastically, unable to hide his excitement. "Yes! I honestly can't wait to see the audience reaction when the first wave starts airing. The teams have put so much passion into these projects. And honestly," he added with a grin, "we're expecting even more ideas from you, boss. With your track record, everyone here is curious what crazy new concepts you'll bring to animation next."
Zaboru nodded again, and the meeting continued for a while longer. After it concluded, he planned to visit PIXAR to review the projects he had previously assigned to them, most of which were already nearing completion.
After that visit, he intended to assign the studio a new project for another 3D animated film. He also planned to stop by Disney to review their progress and discuss upcoming productions. Their current film, Finding Nemo, was already close to completion, and Tarzan, which was scheduled for release next month, was also in its final stages of production.
To be continued.
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