Guardians of Obsolete Formats

The Guardians of Obsolete Formats are minor characters that first appeared in the episodes "The Last Laserdisc Player, "Format Wars II," and "Meet the Seer."

Appearances
The seven known Guardians of Obsolete Formats include Betamax (whose head resembles a Betamax projection camera), 8-track (whose head resembles an 8-track player), Floppy Disk (whose head resembles a floppy disk drive), Reel-to-Reel (whose head is a reel-to-reel projection camera), Microfiche (whose head resembles a Microfiche reader), Ampex Quadruplex (whose head resembles a Quadruplex videotape player) and Black & White (whose head resembles a black & white TV). They all have muscular bodies and are able to use different kinds of superpowers.

"The Last Laserdisc Player"
In "The Last Laserdisc Player," four of the seven known Guardians were activated once Mordecai, Rigby, Muscle Man and Hi Five Ghost put the formats in the corresponding Guardians. They were meant to serve the holders of the Laserdisc and protect them from any harm. The Guardians soon found themselves fighting the Ancient Order of the VHS and appeared to be winning the fight. However, the Order sent out the VC-Arbitrator and the Guardians quickly lost the upper hand, as the VC-Arbitrator killed 8-track. Fortunately, Archie the Archivist transformed into the Laserdisc Guardian and defeated the remaining members of the Order and destroyed the VC-Arbitrator as well. The Laserdisc Guardian, along with the remaining Guardians of Obsolete Formats then watched 2112 Time Attack Directors Cut on Laserdisc the Discmasters.

"Format Wars II"
In "Format Wars II," All of the Guardians seem to have gone their separate ways, with Betamax as an auto mechanic, Reel-to-Reel as a Cheezer's employee, and Floppy Disk mourning 8-track's death. However, they are united by Archie and the Discmasters and go to Wing Kingdom to discuss the Universal Remote, a golden remote that can control anything. But right then and there, Microfiche bursts into the restaurant, with a mysterious disc stuck on his chest, later on revealed by him to be a DVD. Microfiche dies shortly afterwards, with Betamax saddened and angered by his death in the hands of DVD, and he is "buried" in an e-waste dumpster. The group locates the Universal Remote in Sam's Electronics, and after taking the remote, DVD and his army, along with Internet, are seen waiting. After a brief confrontation, Ampex Quadruplex and an unknown Guardian, along with ENIAC, some scientists and several video store clerks, join the fray. ENIAC is pushed forward by the scientists, but trips and explodes in a massive mushroom cloud. This sets off a massive battle, with Ampex Quadruplex, Betamax, Floppy Disk and Archie dying in the ensuing chaos. By the end of the episode, the only Guardian that remained was Reel-to-Reel. In the end, DVD, having a change of heart watches Full Metal Impact with Reel-to-Reel and the Discmasters, joined by Archie's ghost.

Trivia

 * By the end of season 8, all of the seven known Guardians were killed.
 * In "The Last Laserdisc Player," 8-track was killed by the VC-Arbitrator in the battle against the Ancient Order of the VHS.
 * In "Format Wars II," the only Guardian who survived until the end is Reel-to-Reel since Betamax, Floppy Disk, and Ampex Quadruplex died during the ensuing battle. Microfiche died prior to the battle after being killed by DVD.
 * In "Meet the Seer," Reel-to-Reel and Black & White died after they got killed by Internet, now upgraded into Streaming.
 * Like the Guardians of Eternal Youth, they too have lost members.