Ballmastrz: 9009

Ballmastrz: 9009
Genre	Adult animation Science fiction comedy
Created by	Christy Karacas
Directed by	Christy Karacas
Voices of	Natasha Lyonne Jessica DiCicco Dana Snyder Eric Bauza Dave Willis Christy Karacas
Composers	Didier Leplae Joe Wong
Country of origin	United States Japan
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	16 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Christy Karacas Chris Prynoski Shannon Prynoski Keith Crofford Walter Newman
Producer	Ollie Green
Editors	Simon Barreto Stephen Mlinarcik
Running time	11 minutes
Production companies	Titmouse, Inc. Williams Street
Original release
Network	Adult Swim
Release	April 9, 2018 (2018-04-09) – present

Ballmastrz: 9009 is an American-Japanese 2D-animated adult comedy television series, created by Christy Karacas, that premiered on April 9, 2018 on Adult Swim. The series stars Natasha Lyonne as the voice of Gaz Digzy, an athletic superstar in a dystopian future where humanity is satiated by a violent sport simply called "The Game". The show is characterized by anime-style iconography and adult humor.

In July 2019, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 24, 2020.

Premise

Set in the post-apocalyptic world after the a string of devastated wars called the Rad Wars ravaged the world, a godlike entity called Crayzar created a bloodsport called The Game. The Game involves players in two teams to kill each other using a ball. The series follows Gaz Digzy,the former captain of the best team in the Game, The Boom Boom Boys, who is demoted to The Leptons, the worst team in The Game. Her only way back to the top is to somehow lead these pathetic misfits and 'ultimate losers' to victory."

Cast and characters

Main

• Natasha Lyonne as Gaz Digzy, a Queens-accented star member and former captain of the Boom Boom Boys who wrecked her own career due to sheer boredom and subsequently found herself teamless, out of shape and maligned by various diseases. She is a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking has-been whose only hope is to join the Leptons and reclaim her glory. Even though Ace looks up to her, she usually ridicules him, though she slowly begins to appreciate his appraisal of her. Despite constantly being drunk, she is shown to be very knowledgeable in playing the Game and does occasionally show some competence in her teamwork skills. By the end of Season 1, she warms up to the Leptons and decides to stay as their new captain.
• Jessica DiCicco as Ace Ambling, a young, 12-year-old orphan and the lead player of the Leptons. He is bright, cheerful, and optimistic, but will lose his patience when things don't go as planned. He looks up to Gaz, and though he seems oblivious to her indifference to him, he eventually realizes her flaws and tries to bring out the best in her. Despite his cheery demeanor, he does feel sad when he feels neglected or looked down upon by the team. Ace is revealed to be descended from the Ballmasters who fought in the Rad Wars; he can become one by fusing with Babyball and can change forms while doing so.
  • DiCicco also plays Duleena "Dee Dee" Duneeda, a bipolar anime-esque girl on the team. She is usually softspoken and cares for her teammates, but will occasionally explode in a rage when provoked. She is also shown to have a crush on Leto Otel and gets angered when he tries to downplay it.
• Dana Snyder as Babyball, the crass and cynical ball member for the Leptons. Similar to Gaz Digzy, he looks down on his own team and wishes for better players. However, he can access a special ability when paired with Ace, whom he dislikes due to his cheeriness; he does begin to warm up to Ace and even calls him his friend. Despite this, Babyball is selfish, boastful and will continuously mock his teammates regardless. He is voiced by Dana Snyder who voices Master Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
  • Snyder also voices Stinkfinger, a living severed finger that reeks and is part of the rival team, the Murderous Misfits.
• Eric Bauza as Flip Champion, a body stump with a "sensory deprivation" helmet. A true warrior, Flip must rely on his navel to perform certain tasks. Despite claiming to have amazing abilities, which he arguably does, he still seems rather useless, and is usually brushed aside with ease by other players. He was apparently once a great defender of the innocent, but through a series of training regimes he chose to simplify himself and put all his energy in his power Umbilicus, a large umbilical cord that extends from his navel.
• Dave Willis as Leto Otel, a very lethargic and pessimistic member of the Leptons. He lacks the motivation and prowess to actually be effective and does not seem interested to the point that he is not phased about having mortal injuries. He quotes poetry and seems intelligent at times. While Dee Dee openly shows affection for him, Leto tries to downplay it and would rather take things slow. Leto has shown to become sad, or rather sadder than usual, when Dee Dee briefly leaves.
• Christy Karacas as Crayzar, the ruler of the new world who created the Game to please humanity. He has lived for thousands of years and lacks any sort of genitalia, as he is implied to be some type of artificial lifeform. He has lived through the Rad Wars and gave life to all the game balls, which were originally used as weapons in the Rad Wars. He seemingly admires the Leptons, but after Ace and Babyball's fusion, might have ulterior motives.
  • Karacas also plays Aboo Buvu, a game ball who reports the news and acts as a moderator for The Game.
• Christopher McCulloch as various characters

The Leptons also include two other characters who do not have voice actors, but are prominent. Lulu, a giant, green, bestial creature who, despite her intimidating appearance, is afraid of everything; and Bob, a grey alien, who appears to be totally useless and typically gets beaten the worst.

Guest

• Norman Reedus as Bacchus LaBrute, the Greaser-style leader of a notorious biker gang called the Middle Fingers who live out in the wastelands.
• Stephanie Sheh as Luna, the leader of the Sailor Moon-esque team the Ashigari Princesses and an old rival of Gaz who wants to steal the secret of the Ballmaster formation.
• Mike O’Gorman as Buddy Marinara, the Leptons' two-faced manager who is always looking for a way to exploit his team's newfound fame.
  • O'Gorman also plays as a shopkeeper of an Animal Shelter that Ace volunteers at.
• Jo Firestone as Ace's Robot Mother, a fake robot mother that Gaz and Babyball make to cheer him up.
• Rachel Dratch as The Blab, a small talking head that grows out of Gaz's stomach.
• Cree Summer as Obah Wexley, a famous talk show host. Her name is a play on Oprah Winfrey.
• Tom Kenny
• Grey Griffin
• Richard Steven Horvitz
• Betsy Sodaro
• Frank Welker
• Ed Asner
• Doc Hammer
• Dan Castellaneta

Episodes

Season 1 (2018)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
1	1	"A Shooting Star Named Gaz Digzy Falls Fast & Hard!"	Christy Karacas	Christy Karacas	April 9, 2018 (2018-04-09)	0.812
In the far future after the Rad Wars, the great one, Crayzar, creates a new sport called "The Game" so that the world can live in peace. A notorious team known as the Leptons are the worst, yet its youngest member, an orphan named Ace, tries to remain optimistic about winning. Meanwhile, Gaz Digzy, a famous member of the Boom Boom Boys, has grown bored of her fame and decides to party hard resulting in her arrest, rehab, getting kicked off the team and earning a severe muffin-top. Crayzar has her join the Leptons and promises her to give her team back if she can win one game with them, much to her chagrin.
2	2	"With the Burning Spirit of Teamwork in Her Heart!"	Christy Karacas	Adam Modiano	April 9, 2018 (2018-04-09)	0.773
Ace is overjoyed at Gaz joining the Leptons as he is a fan of hers, but she berates and looks down on them for their poor skills. Babyball, the team's ball member, presents Gaz with the prospect of working together to leave the team. As the Leptons battle the Murderous Misfits, Gaz and Babyball intentionally harm their team angering and upsetting Ace who insults Gaz. Angered at being insulted, she in turn tosses Babyball so hard that he and Ace fuse and take out the opposing team, but accidentally score in the other goal. Nevertheless, the audience is enthralled by this development and Ace hugs an annoyed Gaz.
3	3	"Very Special Balls!"	Christy Karacas	Scotty Landes, Adam Modiano, Andrew Reuland and Christy Karacas	April 16, 2018 (2018-04-16)	0.702
After the successful fusion, dubbed Ballmaster, Buddy Marinara, the Leptons' manager, has Ace and Babyball challenge Xythryll, a mutated chinchilla that resides at an abandoned factory. Gaz once again belittles the two for not knowing how to fuse so they decide to go and meet Crayzar. Crayzar reveals that years ago, Ballmasters would battle during the Rad Wars. When the war ended, Crayzar collected the leftover balls and gave life to them as game balls believing that the time of the Ballmasters was over. He tells them that Ace and Babyball need to synchronize their personalities. They successfully do so, but accidentally release Xythryll angering the audience.
4	4	"To Catch a Princess"	Christy Karacas	Ben Coccio	April 16, 2018 (2018-04-16)	0.638
Ace is addicted to playing the video game To Catch a Princess. During a playthrough, he meets Luna who offers to meet with Ace in real life at the Rad Wars Memorial Park. He takes Babyball along, as his avatar looks like the two combined, but Luna turns out to be the leader of the rival team the Ashigari Princesses who threaten the two into revealing their secret to becoming Ballmaster. Gaz herself gets addicted to the game and forgets Ace and Babyball until Leto informs her. The Leptons arrive and rescue Ace and Babyball who fuse and defeat Luna and her team. After celebrating their victory, Ace sadly "releases" Luna from his game.
5	5	"Breathe Deep to Win! Teamwork Cuts Through the Foul Odor of Obsession!"	Christy Karacas	Scotty Landes	April 23, 2018 (2018-04-23)	0.729
The Leptons are hit with a stink bomb that ruins their night. Gaz reveals that the bomb came from a fan of hers named Dieter who became so obsessed with her that the Boom Boom Boys tossed him into a power plant turning him into a stink being. After being hit with more stink bombs, Gaz hires Stinkfinger of the Murderous Misfits to help them acclimate to the stench. They eventually face off against the Pups, use their stink immunity to their advantage and take out Dieter who was watching. While the Leptons manage to make a point, the game gets canceled due to too much stinkness. Crayzar watches the outcome with intrigue and the Leptons all give each other a bath.
6	6	"Honor! Money! Swords! Dongs! Ultimate Gaz Boom Boom Rookie Card Battle Begin! Fight!"	Christy Karacas	Ben Coccio	April 23, 2018 (2018-04-23)	0.651
On Holo-Card Day, the Leptons get new Holo-Cards including a hungover Gaz. When Ace reveals that he owns a rare Gaz Boom Boom Rookie Card, that notoriously looks like she is about to give a blowjob, Gaz reveals that she bought up all remaining cards and left them with her ex, criminal Jojo Cracko. Due to their worth, Gaz, Ace and Babyball all head to his estate and battle the security head, Yukioi, and several robots. Jojo is revealed to live in fear of Gaz, having put a restraining order on her, and gives the Holo-Cards back with Gaz actually complimenting Ace for once. However, Gaz learns on the news that her new card is just as embarrassing as the old one.
7	7	"Leather Passions! 2 Hearts, 2 Wheelz, Infinite Roadz. Ride Now!"	Christy Karacas	Andrew Reuland	April 30, 2018 (2018-04-30)	0.697
While traveling through the desert, the Leptons stop to refuel and accidentally disturb a biker gang called the Middle Fingers. The group get into a fight and Dee Dee displays violent behavior that impresses their leader Bacchus LaBrute. When Leto denies that Dee Dee is his girlfriend, she angrily "dumps" him and decides to stay with the Middle Fingers. Leto admits that he feels empty without Dee Dee and the Leptons have him confront Bacchus, who challenges Leto to a bike race. Ace and Babyball fuse into a motorcycle, Leto races Bacchus and defeats him. When he tries to kill Leto, Dee Dee comes to his aid and rejoins the Leptons with Leto wanting to take things slow.
8	8	"Hunger Cramps on the Playing Field of Friendship"	Christy Karacas	Adam Modiano	April 30, 2018 (2018-04-30)	0.633
After losing against the Choo Choo Chums, the Leptons quickly ditch Ace after he suggests volunteering at the animal shelter. Ace sneaks in some B.E.H.O. for the animals, but hides it in his mouth, accidentally eating it. He ends up liking it and gets hooked on binge eating B.E.H.O.'s nonstop especially after Gaz ditches him again. Ace quickly takes his frustrations out on the Choo Choo Chums and the Leptons learn about Ace's addiction. Ace begins transforming into a hideous monster and swallows his team. While inside, Gaz admits to Ace that they are his friends and promises to go to the animal shelter with him. Ace returns to normal and the Leptons, reluctantly, concede.
9	9	"Chaste Wing of the Cold Turkey vs. Flaming Fist of Indulgence!"	Christy Karacas	Andrew Reuland	May 7, 2018 (2018-05-07)	N/A
Gaz decides to finally lose her beer belly, so Babyball makes a bet with her, if Gaz wins, he sews his mouth shut, but if he wins, Gaz must streak naked. Gaz has Flip train her so that she can reacquire her abs. During her training, Babyball gets a sponsorship with Offal Ale to throw off Gaz resulting in her making a side bet, she will go sober until game day and Babyball will be her servant for a month. Gaz cheats on her training and studies Flip's scrolls. While this seems to work at first, she loses her abs and decides to save face by streaking naked. The Leptons lose, but Gaz was sober so Babyball lost the side bet and ends up being her servant, losing the sponsorship in the process.
10	10	"Strength Through Song; Brotherhood Through Blood; Redemption Through Rage. Sing, Fallen Angel!"	Christy Karacas	Christy Karacas, Adam Modiano and Scotty Landes	May 7, 2018 (2018-05-07)	N/A
The Leptons record a rap song for their final game against Gaz's former team, the Boom Boom Boys. Feeling humiliated, Gaz takes their recording and drowns her sorrows at a bar. She runs into her former teammates and leaves in frustration, dropping the recording in the process. When the Boom Boom Boys hear it, they decide to "help" her by playing it for them at their game. Gaz returns to the Leptons with the team preparing for defeat. However, when the Leptons hear their song, they think that Gaz was actually getting help from them and they suddenly gain a boost in confidence that makes them finally win their first game by one point. Crayzar offers Gaz a new team, but she asks for a beer instead.

Season 2 (2020)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
11	1	"Infinite Hugs: Cold Embrace of the Bloodless Progenitors!"	Christy Karacas	Adam Modiano	February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)	N/A
Following their win, the Leptons enter a string of successes and earn numerous fan letters (some of which are dick pics). Ace however, is sad because he does not have any close family to share his wins. To get him out of his depression, Gaz and Babyball create two robots who pretend to be his long-lost parents. The rest of the team reluctantly go along with it as Ace happily spends the day with his "parents" who slowly grow concerned with his easily injurable body. The robo parents take Ace to a maintenance closet and announce their plan to convert him. The rest of the Leptons hear his cries and rush to save him. Despite this, Ace does not want to kill his "parents", but is forced to do so as Ballmaster. He admits that the Leptons are his family now.
12	2	"Shameful Disease of Yackety Yack! Don't Talk Back! Be Silenced Forever!"	Christy Karacas	Christy Karacas and Andrew Reuland	February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24)	N/A
Gaz suddenly grows a small joke spewing head from her belly called the Blab, which is apparently a sexually transmitted disease. She has to appear on Obah Wexley's show the next day and sees a doctor, who turns out to be Crayzar. He tells them that they need to feed the Blab a special root to get rid of it. Ace and Babyball fly off to get it and feed it in time for the show, but the root needs to digest. Gaz puts on a one-piece dress to hide the Blab who still talks. She uses Leto's sock to create a puppet dubbed "Little Gaz" and explains that she is trying to vent her negative emotions. While it seems that things are a disaster, Obah announces that Gaz's guest spot is a success. The Leptons celebrate, but Gaz refuses to disclose who she slept with as the Blab dies.
13	3	"Big Boy Body, Bigger Baby Boy Heart! Can You Endure the Pain of Love? Babyball, Discover It Now!"	Unknown	Unknown	March 2, 2020 (2020-03-02)	N/A
14	4	"Children of the Night Serenade Wet Nurse of Reprisal; Scream, Bloodsucker, Scream!"	Unknown	Unknown	March 2, 2020 (2020-03-02)	N/A
15	5	"When You Wish Upon a Spore"	Unknown	Unknown	March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)	N/A
16	6	"Can't Stand the Heat? Ultimate Kitchen Technique! Finish Them, Warrior Bard!!"	Unknown	Unknown	March 9, 2020 (2020-03-09)	N/A
17	7	"Defective Affection?! Dodge the Wayward Strikes of Cupid's Calamitous Quiver!"	Unknown	Unknown	March 16, 2020 (2020-03-16)	N/A
18	8	"Dance Dance Convolution?! Egos Warped by the Hair Gel of Hubris! Atonement, Now!!"	Unknown	Unknown	March 16, 2020 (2020-03-16)	N/A

Production

Development

On May 7, 2015, it was announced that Adult Swim had given a pilot order to the production, then titled Ballmastrz: 9009, as part of their 2015-16 slate of returning series, pilots and specials. On August 4, 2017, it was announced that Adult Swim had given the production a series order consisting of a first season. The series was created by Christy Karacas and set to be produced by animation company Titmouse, Inc.

Casting

Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Natasha Lyonne was cast in the series' lead role of Gaz Digzy. The main cast was also set to be rounded out by Dana Snyder, Dave Willis, Jessica DiCicco, Eric Bauza, Christopher McCulloch, and Karacas. Guests were set to include Norman Reedus, Stephanie Sheh, and Mike O’Gorman.

Marketing

Alongside the initial series announcement, Adult Swim released the first official trailer for the series.

External links

• Official website
• Ballmastrz: 9009 at IMDb