The BEST episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian

Every episode of Thundarr the Barbarian ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Thundarr the Barbarian!

Thundarr the Barbarian was a half-hour Saturday morning cartoon show. The show takes place 2,000 years after the Earth was nearly destroyed by a runaway planet. The Earth is now populated by mutant monsters and is ruled by the 7 Citadels of Sorcery, a group of evil sorcerors who use a combination of magic and highly advanced technology to rule over the hapless populace. The stories revolve around the trio of Thundarr, Ariel and Ookla, as they make their way through this world, defeating evil wherever they may find it, their motivation being that they themselves recently escaped the clutches of the vile sorcerer Sabien, Ariel's evil stepfather. This world of the future is littered with half-destroyed 20th century relics, and many of the episodes take place in recognizable locales such as New York City or Mount Rushmore that have been changed in violent ways. Much of the show's humor revolves around the characters' relative lack of knowledge of our time period.

Last Updated: 1/1/2024Network: ABC (US)Status: Ended
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Stalker from the Stars
star
8.24
17 votes

#1 - Stalker from the Stars

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/6/1980

A spaceship containing an alien vampire lands on Earth. The alien captures Princess Ariel and some villagers in an amusement park's ruins as a source of food.

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Challenge of the Wizards
star
8.21
19 votes

#2 - Challenge of the Wizards

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/22/1980

Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla are caught up in a battle between the wizards Showlow and contestants Basim, Skorpos and Chom who seek the Helmet of Power. Thundarr ends up having to side with the wizard Sholow when he threatens a group of villagers.

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Last Train to Doomsday
star
8.18
17 votes

#3 - Last Train to Doomsday

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/10/1981

Thundarr, Ookla, and Ariel are in pursuit of Janus after he and a race of hawk mutants attack villages and the train route of Tye (the former swamp urchin from "Harvest of Doom"). The group is in for a surprise when it turns out Janus is actually Gemini (the two-faced wizard from "Secret of the Black Pearl") in disguise seeking revenge on Thundarr. Tye, from "Harvest of Doom", returns as a train driving "businesswoman".

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Attack of the Amazon Women
star
8.11
18 votes

#4 - Attack of the Amazon Women

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/8/1980

Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla come to the aid of a race of amphibious Amazons whose queen has been usurped by Stryia, an evil witch who plans to conquer both the land and seas with her shark legion army.

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The Brotherhood of Night
star
8.00
13 votes

#5 - The Brotherhood of Night

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/15/1980

Zevon is the leader of the Brotherhood of Night, a tribe of werewolves that can add anyone to their ranks by touching them and is also targeting the evil wizard Infernus hoping to make the pack completely invincible.

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City of Evil
star
7.93
14 votes

#6 - City of Evil

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/3/1981

After being defeated by Thundarr, the evil wizard Sarott finds a research lab that holds the miniaturized City of Thieves. Its ruler Vortak promises Sarott a free rein to use the city's advanced army to enslave humans and other wizards if he can restore it to normal size. To do so, he'll need the Gauntlet of Power which can boost his magic to enlarge the city.

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Treasure of the Moks
star
7.88
17 votes

#7 - Treasure of the Moks

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/1/1980

Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla come to the aid of the Mok Chieftain Oblach against Captain Kordon, Queen of the River Pirates, who is after the Moks' hidden treasure and intends to use the "fire lances of the ancients" to get it. Thundarr learns that these "fire lances" are actually 20th century torpedoes and rallies the Moks to defend the ruins of a U.S. Navy base against being captured by the River Pirates.

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Island of the Body Snatchers
star
7.86
14 votes

#8 - Island of the Body Snatchers

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/26/1981

The trio investigate a sector called the Mystery Zone where several ships get wrecked on an island. They learn the evil witch Circe is responsible as she needs a young sorceress to overcome a curse in which she will turn to stone if she leaves the island. When Ariel arrives with Thundarr and Ookla, Circe gets her opportunity as she switches bodies with her and becomes a threat to the others as she tries to leave the island.

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Raiders of the Abyss
star
7.84
19 votes

#9 - Raiders of the Abyss

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/25/1980

The evil wizard Morag and his raiders attack a cruise ship village to kidnap its inhabitants and steal their life essence.

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Mindok the Mind Menace
star
7.81
26 votes

#10 - Mindok the Mind Menace

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/18/1980

The evil wizard Mindok lost his body in the Great Cataclysm 2000 years earlier, although his brain survived. He, General Zoa, and Zoa's minions seek out cryogenically frozen 20th-century scientists called "Ice People" in a plot to build Mindok a new body for his brain.

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Master of the Stolen Sunsword
star
7.79
14 votes

#11 - Master of the Stolen Sunsword

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/17/1981

During a battle with Yando (a supposed wizard with unusual magic), Thundarr is struck by red negative lightning which significantly diminishes the power of his Sunsword. The weapon can be restored at the nearby Pool of Power, but it is stolen by Yando who seeks to have the Sunsword's power for himself.

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Den of the Sleeping Demon
star
7.75
20 votes

#12 - Den of the Sleeping Demon

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/27/1980

Judag is a bitter, escaped former slave of an evil wizard who plans to awaken a sleeping demon that allegedly can grant whoever wakes it the powers of 1,000 wizards. It is up to Thundarr to prevent Judag from accomplishing this mission.

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Harvest of Doom
star
7.74
27 votes

#13 - Harvest of Doom

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/11/1980

Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla encounter a train carrying Death Flowers (whose pollen can hypnotise both humans and Moks) being transported by the Carocs (a race of crocodile people) to a wizard that they work for. The episode introduces Tye, a swamp-urchin, who agrees to aid Thundarr on the basis that he capture the train and give it to her. Tye would reappear in Season 2's "Last Train to Doomsday".[10]

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Fortress of Fear
star
7.73
15 votes

#14 - Fortress of Fear

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/19/1981

When coming to the aid of an escaped slave, Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla are captured by robots working for the multi-eyed wizard Lord Argoth who wants Ariel as his bride.

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Battle of the Barbarians
star
7.71
14 votes

#15 - Battle of the Barbarians

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/20/1980

The evil wizard Kublai seeks the Golden Scepter of the Yantzee (the only item which can strip him of his magic) and terrorizes the villagers of San Francisco's Chinatown in the process. When Thundarr thwarts his initial attempts, the wizard recruits another barbarian named Zogar to engage him in battle while Kublai tries again to find the scepter.

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Portal into Time
star
7.56
16 votes

#16 - Portal into Time

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/13/1980

The evil wizard Crom threatens a tribe of humans at the Alamo. They can protect themselves by using a sophisticated Guardian machine that utilizes flying robot drones that can disable the wizard's laser tanks. However, it blows a circuit and cannot be replaced as circuits are no longer produced. Their only hope is to infiltrate Crom's lair in order to use his moon dial, which sends them to Old Earth. In the 20th century, Thundarr, Ookla and Ariel are aided by a little girl named Samantha, who helps them obtain a fresh circuit. The trio return to New Earth and prepare for battle with Crom, but are glad they had a chance to see the preapocalyptic world.

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Trial by Terror
star
7.54
13 votes

#17 - Trial by Terror

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/24/1981

Thundarr's friend Thorac is accused of stealing a village's fuel and is about to receive a death sentence (by being boiled alive over a geyser) when the barbarian rescues him. Thorac is granted a reprieve when Thundarr and the group investigate the crime, eventually learning the town's sheriff Korb is in league with the evil wizard Artemus. Artemus had stolen the fuel to power his Death Ship and gain the approval of the Council of Wizards.

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Valley of the Man-Apes
star
7.50
12 votes

#18 - Valley of the Man-Apes

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/29/1980

Simius and his fellow Man Apes assemble salvaged parts of a movie studio's giant robotic gorilla in a plot to terrorize the local villagers.

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Prophecy of Peril
star
7.50
14 votes

#19 - Prophecy of Peril

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/31/1981

Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla battle the evil wizard Vashtarr when he steals the Crystal of Prophecy that can give the details of his downfall. When it shatters in his efforts to retrieve it, the prophecy is foretold as they learn three women will unite to defeat him. One is Maya, an element-shifter buried in the ruins of the old city of Endorr. Another is Cinda, a hermitic barbarian living in the Canyon of Death whose staff grants her great strength. The last is Valerie Storm, a fashion model from Old Earth who is abducted and taken prisoner by Vashtarr himself.

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Wizard Wars
star
6.71
49 votes

#20 - Wizard Wars

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/12/1981

The wizard Skullus and his soldiers are enslaving villagers living in a ruined oil refinery and using them to attack the fortress of his enemy, the equally evil wizard Octagon.

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Secret of the Black Pearl
star
5.70
82 votes

#21 - Secret of the Black Pearl

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/4/1980

Thundarr, Princess Ariel, and Ookla escort a man who is carrying a magical black pearl that can defend against the two-faced wizard Gemini and his Groundlings (a race of mutated rat people). The man needs the pearl to protect the inhabitants of the village of "Manhat", which is actually the ruins of Manhattan.

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