Shimashima no Neko

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How many languages is Robocar Poli on YouTube in?

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From the Robocar Poli official site :: Robocar Poli ::

Robocar Poli is a preschool CG animation made by Korea’s Roi Visual. Think Cars + Transformers + traffic safety. That sounds rough, but the CG is clean, stories are simple, characters are cute—I like it.

In Japan it aired briefly on TV Tokyo (2013–2014), 15-minute episodes slotted around 8–9 a.m., so many never saw it. Yodobashi’s toy floor had the transforming toys, so maybe it had some name recognition.

Huge hit in Korea

Wikipedia says it trails only Pororo the Little Penguin. Pororo is that bird with the flight-helmet goggles; it aired on Japan’s “Ponkikki” around 2006. I had no idea then.

In late Feb 2011, Pororo commemorative stamps launched in Korea and sold 3.2 million by March 2. ポンポン ポロロ - Wikipedia

So every kid there seems to know Pororo—like Anpanman/Doraemon in Japan. Poli fills a similar slot domestically.

Poli is heavily localized

They planned global rollout from the start; the show is in 80+ languages—Doraemon-tier reach. Beyond the polished visuals, the stories feel gentle. Themes are “help each other” and “traffic safety,” universal anywhere. Zero violence: they transform like Transformers, but it’s all rescue.

Likely crafted to avoid religious clashes; unlike Pokemon, no obvious “cut this scene” landmines.

YouTube is full of pirated dubs

Poli’s local versions get uploaded unofficially all over YouTube. My kid was watching “that car show,” and I heard “spasibo!”—Russian!

Sometimes it autoplays the original Korean; sometimes a Southeast Asia language I can’t place. Many uploads are noisy and low-res.

I didn’t see Japanese on YouTube, but Cartoon Network was airing a Japanese dub, which made the story click for my kid.

Japanese voices in Robocar Poli

Poli, Roy, Helly, and operator Jin match the originals and fit their characters.

Only Amber, the rescue-team girl, sounds flat. Why? Her VA is Chiharu Niiyama. You can hear the effort, but there’s little inflection—sad.

Other cast:

  • Poli (Takuya Sato) — Caesar in JoJo. Smooth voice; mostly live-action dubbing.

  • Roy (Takashi Onozuka) — Many side roles like Paz in Ghost in the Shell 2nd GIG; also heavy on live-action dubbing.

  • Helly (Masaki Maki) — Serena in Pokémon XY. Lots of anime/game work.

  • Jin (Noriko Shitaya) — Sakura Matou in Fate. Also voices Bill/Ben in Thomas.

One mom-talent dropped into a veteran cast… gnuh.

In the title call, Poli drives in, spins, transforms, and yells “Huh!” “Ha!” At first I wanted sound effects instead, but Poli’s cool voice makes it addictive.

So, how many languages is Poli on YouTube in?

poli_lang

Typing the title in the search box shows:

  • English
  • Russian
  • Malay

Looks like these three. That mysterious Southeast Asian language was Malay.

Japanese suggestions exist, but only for commercials/events—not full episodes.

Roi Visual actually has official YouTube channels

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr-rCvgg21KqfrnGopaQeGw

The producer, Roi Visual, runs an official channel. Thumbnails marked <code>ENG</code> are the English dub. Maybe they center English to capture overseas fans (and swat pirates?).

There’s a nonstop 5-hour cut of episodes 1–26 (all of season 1).

Season 2 exists too.

Likes/dislikes are split—maybe angry pirate uploaders?

They also post Poli traffic-safety shorts on another channel

Also official: Poli’s theme is traffic safety, so there are short, 5-minute “don’t dart into the street” / “don’t ride your bike into traffic” lessons.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDYDUqazfldSjRr7IfzYb_A

These are short with fewer episodes, so multiple localizations exist:

  • English
  • Korean
  • Taiwanese
  • French
  • Brazilian Portuguese

Pretty good lineup. Still no Japanese… Kids can follow from visuals, but it’s a shame.

There’s even a “don’t dash out from a kindergarten bus’s blind spot” scenario—same risk with big SUVs.

The spiky blond kid (Vegeta hair) is the troublemaker, always getting into danger.

Wrap-up

Robocar Poli is fun—and surprisingly there’s even French. If you know Korean friends, ask “Do you know Robocar Poli?”—they’ll probably have stories.

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