Princess Ariel is a major character in Thundarr The Barbarian series.
She is voiced by Nellie Bellflower.
Overview[]
Princess Ariel is a companion of Thundarr the Barbarian. Not much was revealed about Ariel's history before she met Thundarr except that she was the step daughter of an evil wizard named Sabian and that she learned knowledge of magic and the Earth's history from his library. She often remarks about the history of the places and things they encounter, and frequently makes what would have been contemporary (1970's/80's) cultural references as clever asides (almost aimed at the audience), but her efforts fall flat because Thundarr and Ookla usually do not pay attention unless they require on her knowledge to deal with the immediate problem, or they directly ask her about something. Thundarr, for his part, is aware of his lack of knowledge, and depends on Ariel as the brains of the trio.
Ariel has an obvious crush on Thundarr, and sometimes is annoyed that it is not reciprocated. However, it is evident Thundarr values Ariel as a friend just as much as he does Ookla, and will go to great lengths to protect her and act upon her recommendations to deal with adversaries.
Ariel's ethnicity is not mentioned, but strongly suggested to be Asian, as established in the episode "Battle of the Barbarians," which has the trio riding through an ancient Chinatown, and Ariel mentioning that her own ancestors may once have lived in such a community.
Description[]
Ariel is a slender young woman with dark skin, dark eyes, and raven hair. She dresses in a blue one-piece bathing suit, with a golden belt and gold broaches at the hip. She also has a golden tiara (hidden under hair) with yellow teardrop gem, golden armbands, and yellow high-heeled boots.
Magic powers[]
Ariel is actually a rather powerful magic user. Some of the evil wizards that were encountered were beaten by her in duels, such as Abyss Wizard and Striya.
- Energy Blast - She often shoots stunning bolts from her hands.
- Energy Spheres - She uses these as projectile attacks and as a means of short-range transportation
- Disintegration blasts - she has several times used magic power to incinerate objects, usually enemy weapons or Death Flowers.
- Barrier - Force Shield/Field, She can also form it into a bridge that horses could ride over.
- Animation - She has animated a stone gargoyle to do her will. She can also re-animate ancient machinery.
- Teleportation - She is capable of moving herself by surrounded herself in golden sparkles. This may have the limitation of only working on one person at a time.
- Scrying - she can enchant a puddle or other reflective object and use it to view other locations.
- Levitation - She can cause objects or people to float through the air, and move them to her will, as seen in Harvest Of Doom.
- Mind Control - She can hypnotize people and force them to reveal their secrets, as seen in Attack of the Amazon Women.
- Sleep - She can render a person unconscious, as seen in Harvest Of Doom.
- Minor Matter Manipulation powers: to repair an object, or to make it grow.
- Minor Energy Construct Creation: She can use solidified energy to trap an enemy in energy rings or turn it into a bridge that horses could ride over.
Weaknesses[]
Ariel's ability to wield powerful and variable magic with her hands is also her main weakness. She needs to have her hands free in order to work her magic. Therefore binding her hands or preventing them from moving will effectively neutralize her ability to use sorcery. She is also just as vulnerable to other magical spells, artifacts and locations, such as the magic-draining Forbidden Jungle.
Though she won't openly admit it, she can be as headstrong and stubborn as Thundarr at times, thereby overriding her better judgement.