Larva (also known as Larvae) is a South Korean animated series made by TUBAn in Seoul, South Korea.[2] Its main characters are two larvae that never speak, although they do make expressive sounds. The cartoon exists in their small world where miniature adventures occur.
Characters
Main
Yellow - a dimwitted, hungry, good-natured and happy-go-lucky yellow caterpillar with one antenna. He has a contentious friendship with Red. Although usually he obeys Red, he loses his mind in front of food. He changes color from yellow to brown and he grows dark green shades around his mouth when feeling extreme emotions.
Red – a hot-tempered, selfish and greedy red caterpillar. Red has tried to steal Yellow's love interest, Pink, but he always ends up alone. He shrieks, shouts and screams when in anger, fear, frustration and in a horrible panic. He is always showing off and abusing Yellow, but he often ends up hurting himself instead.[3]
Recurring
Violet – An oversized light purple ghost slug. He has an exposed inner body and roar, showing his sharp teeth.
Brown – A brown and red dung beetle that gathers dung. To him, dung is a treasure, though it makes his breath stink. He hates it when other insects touch his dungball. He has a long strand of hair on his right cheek.
Black – A horned atlas beetle that has great strength and is usually punching a cocoon (which he uses as punching bag). He's aggressive and will beat up whoever he thinks is messing with him. In the episode "Black's Back" he turns out to be a slug wearing beetle armor.
Rainbow – A dark tan snail with a red and green shell. When in his shell, he moves slowly, but under that, he has a muscular human-like body and can function as humans do.
Pink – A pink caterpillar with two antennae. She loves Yellow and Yellow loves her as well, but her presence often causes conflict between him and Red, who has a one-sided crush on her. She hides a great strength behind her cute, beautiful face.
Ivory - A stick bug with brown skin, Ivory has a very thin body with brown skin color. He has black eyes and darker colored areas by his eyelids. He is often seen flying from a gust of wind due to his light weight. He has 2 antennae and little pink studs on. His girlfriend is Cocoa.
Minor
Blue – A housefly that has numerous smells. Nobody can get close to him because of his repugnant smell. He often feels gloomy and lonely because nobody can approach him.
Mosquito – A Mosquito who likes the taste of blood. He uses his fangs to take all of the blood from other characters. He is often hungry, but also lonely due to his hunger.
Navy – A deep-sea fish appears when the sewerage is sunk. He appeared as a goldfish. When Red and Yellow threw him into a sardine can full of warm water, he changed into a deep-sea fish which is often seen whenever the sewer floods. He has a good enough appetite to eat up the caterpillars and other insects.
Venus flytrap – A venus flytrap who eats up anything on the ground. In season 1, he is an enemy to all insects because he tries to swallow the other insects when he encounters them. But he is weaker than Violet. He appears to have a menacing set of teeth.
Green (also known as Frog) – A green frog which often appears in the sewer, is sensitive, and tries to monopolize all power by eating insects and larvae. He is several times bigger than other normal frogs. He escaped from the sewer and went into the house where Red and Yellow lived in season 2. In season 3, he lives on the streets along with Grey & the Silvers.
Bee – A honey bee who collects honey. She stings when someone touches the honey that she collected or makes her angry.
Maroon – A brown and cream dachshund who wears a blue and yellow sweater who only appeared in season 2. He attacks when he sees moving things. He buries his valued bones in the ground and is quite temperamental. In the episode "Whistle", he does certain things when he hears certain whistling.
Prussian – A hyacinth macaw which only appeared in season 2. He observes other friends and gives a sardonic laugh before attacking. He is also a predator to the caterpillars. The episode "Nanta" revealed that he used to live in the Amazon rainforest as a hatchling.
Prism – A chameleon which appears intermittently in various areas of season 2, such as the living room, bathroom, rooftop, and even bedroom; he suddenly appears and attacks Red and Yellow without reason.[3]
Ephemera – A mayfly who appears in the titular episode. Red has a crush on her, but she dies quickly due to the lifespan of an average mayfly.
Bomber bug – A bombardier beetle which bombed Yellow, Red, and Brown in the episode "Bomb Bug" in Season 2. He has the ability to bomb a place with acid which comes out from his bottom. He usually does that when he's angry, sad, or feeling disgusted.
Grey – A hideous gray-colored rat that appears in season 3 and 5. He is an enemy to all larvae and other insects.
Silvers – A pigeon duo using food scraps (a banana peel and a carved-out half watermelon) to protect their super reflective heads from the sun, they are enemies of the larvae. Each pigeon communicates with one word, "Yah" for the pigeon wearing the banana peel, and "Huh" for the pigeon wearing the carved out watermelon. These pigeons only appear in Season 3.
Cocoa - A brown cricket. She is Ivory's girlfriend.
Mite - A baby light-green mite who Yellow initially adopts, but turns out to parasitically prey on Yellow and the others. Then Yellow leaves it in a zoo.
Mudskippers - A pair of fish. They live underground under the sands and can slap each other with their fins.
Booby - A Blue-footed booby bird. He met the larvae when they landed on his island.
Mango - A orange-yellow caterpillar Red has fallen in love with. When she first meets Red, she couples with him. When Red and Yellow escaped the island, she knew she had to leave her home to find her boyfriend.
Chuck (voiced by Eddy Lee) - A human. He is the first character who can speak properly, although previously other characters occasionally spoke on occasion if it fits the scene.
Clara - A seal that Red and Yellow befriended. She is playful and charming and has the same name as Chuck's girlfriend.
Whale - A whale who appears in season 4.
Crabsformer - A crab who accidentally ate an alien spaceship that turned him into a robotic crab. He has a crush on a lady crab; however, she and the other crabs are scared of his powers. This character appears in season 4 and 5.
Malt - A dark grey tabby cat & the assistant of the bald bug capturing scientist who plans to use the captured bugs for his invention that uses bugs to create a hair-growth solution to restore his hair. He first debuts in Larva Pendant.
Magenta - A young magenta caterpillar who was born in season 5 from Yellow who accidentally ate a pink egg, She would find care with Yellow and Red, who grew to care for the newborn. Eventually, she would metamorphose into a wasp.
Big Brown - A easygoing pig-nosed turtle who is often seen meditating. He appears in season 5. He rarely gets upset and is a very good sensei, but he will stand up for his friends, should the need arise.
Grizzly - A moth, that is as sneaky as he is greedy, can be invisible, and blind others with his smoke should his cover be blown. Despite this greed, he can protect others should push come to shove, and he has fallen in love with one of the bees that work in the hive. He appears in season 5.
Mauve - An owl who is very protective of her little one, Tan. She may be fierce should anyone hurt her little one, but she means well, and while they got off on a rocky start she starts to think of Yellow, Red, and Magenta as friends. She would appear in season 5.
Tan - Mauve's hatchling who became friends with Magenta, and like her, he would grow as well he would appear in season 5.
Production
Larva was launched by TUBA Entertainment in 2011, with adult viewers in mind. The producers aimed to create a cartoon that could appeal to an audience of a wide age scale. It debuted on the national channel, KBS and on cable television with short, 90-second episodes. The series quickly became popular, and as of September 2015 was sold to more than 40 countries, including Canal Plus in France, as well as merchandising contracts taking place in Taiwan, Germany, Turkey and Chile, among others. The creators earned 1 million won in royalties in the first three months of launching related merchandise, including toys and stationery products.[2][4] In 2018, Netflix acquired rights to the franchise and announced they would continue the then-cancelled series with Larva Island.[5][6] On February 2019, it was announced that Larva Island was renewed for a second and final season.[7][8] In 2023, it was announced that TUBAn and Astro-Nomical are set to produce a feature-length Larva film with a script written by Erica Rivinoja.[9]
21 May 2015 (1-2), 28 May 2015 (3-4), 4 June 2015 (5-6), 11 June 2015 (7)
Larva Rangers (1-7)
Byoung-wook Ahn, Tae-wook Koh, and Seung-hun Kim
70
226
11 June 2015
Feelers
Seung-hun Kim
71
227
18 June 2015
Fashion Show
Mi-seon An and Jee-hyun Kim
72
228
Red, a Budding Comedian
Mi-seon An
73–75
229-231
25 June 2015 (1-2), 2 July 2015 (3)
Insect Killer (1–3)
Ji-yeon Kim; Seung-hun Kim (Part 3 only)
76
232
2 July 2015
Glove
Mi-seon An
77
233
9 July 2015
Troublemaker
Tae-wook Koh
78
234
Sea Battle
Jee-hyun Kim
79
235
16 July 2015
Rubber Ball
Ye-ri Kim and Jee-hyun Kim
80
236
Dizziness
Mi-seon An and Jee-hyun Kim
81
237
23 July 2015
Pitapat 1
Jee-hyun Kim
82
238
Pitapat 2
83
239
30 July 2015
Marathon
Ji-yeon Kim
84
240
Tea
Tae-wook Koh
85
241
6 August 2015
Flood
Min-seong Kang
86–89
242-245
6 August 2015 (1), 13 August 2015 (2-3), 20 August 2015 (4)
New Friend (1–4)
Jee-hyun Kim
90
246
20 August 2015
Umbrella
Beop-seo Koo and Seung-hun Kim
91
247
27 August 2015
Cheese
Min-seong Kang
92
248
Distress 1
Jee-hyun Kim
93
249
3 August 2015
Distress 2
94
250
An Out-of-Body Experience
Seung-Hun Kim
95
251
10 August 2015
Minicar
Hyo-bin Kang and Jee-hyun Kim
96
252
One-sided Love 1
Taek-woo Koh
97
253
17 August 2015
One-sided Love 2
98
254
Roll a Dung!
Mi-seon An
99
255
24 August 2015
Larvarta
Seung-hun Kim
100
256
Bobsleigh
Jee-hyun Kim, Seung-hun Kim, and Tae-wook Koh
101
257
31 August 2015
Christmas
Joo-gong Maeng and Min-seong Kang
102
258
As Time Goes By
Seung-hun Kim
103
259
7 September 2015
Goodbye New York 1
Byoung-wook Ahn
104
260
Goodbye New York 2
Season 4 – Larva Island (2018–19)
Season 1 (2018)
No. in series
No. in season
No. Overall
Original air date
Title
Storyboarded by
1
1
261
19 October
Mango
Kim Jee-hyun
2
2
262
Mango 2
Kim Jee-hyun
3
3
263
Larva Island
Ahn Byoung-wook / Kim Seung-hun Lee Sang-seon
4
4
264
Chuck
Kang Min-seong / Lee Sang-seon
5
5
265
Clara
Kim Seung-hun
6
6
266
Crabsformer
Kim Seung-hun / Kim Jee-hyun
7
7
267
Fishing
Kim Jee-hyun / Kim Seung-hun
8
8
268
Pendant
Kim Jee-hyun
9
9
269
Lala Island
Kim Jee-hyun
10
10
270
Master Chef
Koh Tae-wook
11
11
271
Farming
Kim Seung-hun
12
12
272
Pirate
Kim Seung-hun / Jeong Mi-rin Kim Jee-hyun
13
13
273
Change
Jeong Mi-rin / Koh Tae-wook
Season 2 (2019)
No. in series
No. in season
No. Overall
Original air date
Title
Storyboarded by
14
1
274
1 March
Maze
Kim Seung-hun
15
2
275
Fire
Kim Seung-hun / Jeong Mi-rin Koh Tae-wook / Lee Sang-seon
16
3
276
Beach Volleyball
Kim Pil-sung
17-18
4-5
277-278
1 March (Both)
Larva Rangers (1&2)
Koh Tae-wook
19
6
279
1 March
A Lucky Day
Kim Pil-sung, Koh Tae-wook
20
7
280
Crabsformer 2
Koh Tae-wook, Jeong Mi-rin
21
8
281
Booby's Love
Kim Pil-sung
22
9
282
Mango's Parents
Koh Tae-wook
23
10
283
Iceberg
Jerong Mi-rin / Koh Tae-wook Kim Seung-hun
24
11
284
Storm
Kim Pil-sung
25
12
285
Escape
Kim Seung-hun
26
13
286
Drift
Jeong Mi-rin
Season 5 – Family (2023)
No. in season
No. Overall
Original air date
Title
Storyboarded by
1
287
4 May
The Baby
Lee Ji-Yeon
2
288
Fart
Jo In-taek, Oh Yeong-jun
3
289
Magneta
Sung yu-jin, Oh Yeong-jun
4
290
Buddy
Sung yu-jin
5
291
Wild Life
Yeo Sang-eun, Sung Yu-jin
6
292
Royal Jelly
Hong Gi-suk
7
293
Firefly
Jung Yun-ji / Lee Ji-Yeon Sung Yu-jin / Oh Yeong-jun
8
294
Training
Jung Yun-ji / Hong Gi-suk Kim Hack-geon
9
295
Union
Jo In-taek
10
296
Smartphone
Hong Gi-suk / Sung yu-jin Jo in-taek
11
297
Trial
Lee Ji-Yeon
12
298
Magic Clock
Oh Yeong-jun
13
299
Crazy Love
Kim Hack-geon
14
300
Island
Sung Yu-jin, Oh Yeong-jun
15
301
Ping-Pong
Lee Ji-Yeon
16
302
Larva Ranger 1
Ko Dong-Woo, Jung Yun-Ji
17
303
Larva Ranger 2
Ko Dong-Woo, Kim Hack-geon
18
304
Pupa 1
Jung Yun-Ji
19
305
Pupa 2
Jung Yun-Ji
20
306
Air Racing
Ko Dong-Woo
21
307
Date
Oh young-jun, Lee Gyu-ri
22
308
Puberty
Kim Hack-geon / Lee Gyu-ri Sung yu-jin / Hong Gi-suk
23
309
Christmas
Lee Gyu-ri, Lee Hyan-hee
24
310
Guest
Kim Ji-yeon / Jung Yun-ji Sung Yu-jin / Lee Gyu-ri
25
311
Attack
Hong Gi-suk, Oh young-jun
26
312
The Family
Oh young-jun
Season 6 – Larva in Mars (2024)
No. in season
No. Overall
Original air date
Title
Storyboarded by
1
313
13 January 2024
Larva in Mars
TBA
2
314
Gravity
TBA
3
315
Nice to Meet You
TBA
4
316
20 January 2024
Who Are You?
TBA
5
317
Secret Space
TBA
6
318
Paparazzi
TBA
7
319
27 January 2024
Audition
TBA
8
320
Fart Baby 1
TBA
9
321
Customer
TBA
10
322
Magic Carpet
TBA
11
323
Hairstyle 1
TBA
12
324
Hairstyle 2
TBA
13
325
3 February 2024
Live
TBA
14
326
Music Therapy
TBA
15
327
Spice
TBA
16
328
Escape
TBA
17
329
10 February 2024
Slurp Slurp
TBA
18
330
Free Seed 1
TBA
19
331
Free Seed 2
TBA
20
332
Blind Date
TBA
Netflix films
The Larva Island Movie
The Larva Island Movie is an animated Netflix film that serves as the canonical finale to Larva Island. The film focuses on Chuck, who has returned to civilization long after the events of "Drift", telling the events of the final season to a reporter named Grace. The film was released on 23 July 2020.
Larva Pendant
Larva Pendant is 2022 animated 33-minute special that is set after the events of Larva Island and The Larva Island Movie. The film is about Red and Yellow discovering a city but must stop an evil man who is using bugs to help him grow hair. The short film was released on 25 May 2022.
Feature film
Larva the Movie
Larva the Movie is an upcoming film that takes place either between the events of Larva Family and Larva in Mars or after Larva in Mars.[9]
Reception
Emily Ashby from the organization Common Sense Media rated Larva three stars. She praised the show for showing the perspective of Red and Yellow, stating "because the characters are the size of worms, everything around them is larger than life, and that perspective is always fun to see in action."[11] Issac Butler of Slate described Larva as "the most terrifying show on Netflix" and mocked its excessive toilet humor in a tongue-in-cheek article.[12] Ivan Lin of Asia First Media recognized the characters' innovative contributions in educational videos.[13]
^Jin-gu, Jang. "투바앤, 화성으로 떠난 라바의 흥미진진 탈출기 <라바 인 마스>" [Tuban and Larva’s exciting escape to Mars <Larva in Mars>]. I Love Character (in Korean). Retrieved 15 December 2023.