Ben 10

''This article is about the show. If you were looking for the character, see Ben Tennyson.''

Ben 10 is an American animated series created by the group Man of Action and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The pilot episode And Then There Were 10, aired on December 27, 2005, as part of a sneak peek of Cartoon Network's Saturday morning lineup.

This series was followed-up by three sequel series called Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and Ben 10: Omniverse.

Plot
Ten-year-old Ben Tennyson, his ten-year-old paternal first-cousin Gwen, and their paternal Grandpa Max start their summer camping trip. Ben goes stomping off into the woods after another fight with Gwen, whom he is not happy to have along on the trip, and finds an alien pod on the ground. When he examines it, he finds a mysterious, watch-like device, called the Omnitrix. The device attaches permanently to his wrist and gives him the ability to transform into a numerous variety of alien life-forms, each with their own unique powers and abilities. Although Ben realizes that he has a responsibility to help and save others with these new abilities at his disposal, he is not above a little ten-year-old super-powered mischief now and then. Along with Gwen and Max, Ben embarks on an adventure to fight evil, both extraterrestrial and earthly. Ben has faced lots of villains including villains fighting together in a team or a partner once Vilgax and Kevin 11 fought Ben.

Episodes
Ben 10 lasted for 4 seasons with a total of 49 episodes. 3 movies and 9 shorts were also aired.

For more information see Ben 10/Episodes

Characters

 * See also: /Cast/

Main Characters

 * Ben Tennyson
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Max Tennyson

Supporting Characters

 * Tetrax Shard
 * Plumbers
 * Lieutenant Steel
 * Technorg
 * Eddie GrandSmith
 * Xylene
 * Ben 10,000
 * Wes Green
 * Kai Green
 * Gluto
 * Myaxx
 * Azmuth

Original

 * Diamondhead
 * Four Arms
 * Ghostfreak (escaped but later regained)
 * Grey Matter
 * Heatblast
 * Ripjaws
 * Stinkfly
 * Upgrade
 * Wildmutt
 * XLR8

Additional

 * Blitzwolfer
 * Cannonbolt
 * Ditto
 * Eye Guy
 * Frankenstrike
 * Snare-oh
 * Upchuck
 * Way Big
 * Wildvine

Escaped Aliens

 * Ghostfreak (Zs'Skayr)

Regained Aliens

 * Ghostfreak

Future Aliens

 * Arctiguana
 * Buzzshock
 * Spitter

Mentioned Future Aliens

 * Atomix
 * Sandbox
 * Shellhead
 * Snakepit
 * Toepick

Fusions

 * Diamond Matter
 * Heat Jaws
 * Stink Arms

Villains

 * Vilgax
 * Dr. Animo
 * Sixsix
 * Kevin 11
 * Rojo
 * Zombozo
 * Acid Breath
 * Frightwig
 * Thumbskull
 * Hex
 * Enoch
 * Forever Knights
 * Clancy
 * Charmcaster
 * Zs'Skayr
 * Yenaldooshi
 * Mummy
 * Dr. Viktor
 * Sublimino
 * Driscoll

Video Games

 * Ben 10: Protector of Earth

Movies

 * Ben 10: Race Against Time
 * Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix
 * Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens

Theme Song
The theme song of Ben 10 was sung by Moxy and written by Andy Sturmer. In the first and second seasons, Ghostfreak was the ninth alien in the theme song. Cannonbolt replaced Ghostfreak as the ninth alien in the third and fourth seasons.

Lyrics
It started when an alien device did what it did, And stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid, Now he's got super powers, he's no ordinary kid, He's Ben 10!.... (Ben 10! Ben 10!)

So if you see him, you might be in for a big surprise, He'll turn into an alien before your very eyes, He's slimy, creepy, fast and strong, he's every shape and size, He's Ben 10!.... (Ben 10!)

Armed with power, he's on the case, Fighting off evil from Earth or space, He'll never stop till he makes them pay, 'Cause he's the baddest kid to ever save the day! Ben 10! (Ben 10! Ben 10! Ben 10! Ben 10! Ben 10! Ben 10!)

Trivia

 * Steven E. Gordon worked on a very early version of the show; his concept work reveals that Ben Tennyson was originally going to be a red headed young boy. Gordon also has early designs of the Omnitrix which look more like a watch than the final version, as well different designs and names for the alien transformations.
 * Recurring lines in the series are: "Oh man!" and "It's hero time!".
 * Ghostfreak was replaced by Cannonbolt in the theme song from season 3 onwards, due to his escape, although, Ghostfreak could be seen in the Season 3 intro at the very end, when all the aliens get sucked into the watch before the logo comes up.
 * A remixed version of the theme was played in Ben 10: Race Against Time.
 * The episodes from the series were produced for widescreen and 16:9 format but only the 4:3 video format versions were aired due to Cartoon Network's broadcasting restrictions. Widescreen episodes of the original series can be currently viewed only certain foreign markets like in Asia, and on several online websites or certain YouTube channels of Cartoon Network. The widescreen versions of the season 1 and 2 episodes can also be purchased on iTunes.
 * In Norway, Sweden and Denmark, episode 22 and 23, 24 and 25, and 27 and 28 switched places.
 * In the latest reruns, the theme song has been shortened (except, for some reason, in the episodes The Negative 10: Part 1 and 2). The current airings on Boomerang have now gone back to the original theme song's length.
 * In Poland, episodes 52, 51 and 50 were switched in airing.
 * In Heroes United, Rex makes his own theme song similar to the Ben 10 theme song.
 * On iTunes the icons of each season include the following aliens: Season 1 - Ben (with Four Arms icon), Season 2 - Cannonbolt, Season 3 - Blitzwolfer, Season 4 - Perk Upchuck (varies to Ditto on DVD)