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I have been trying to identify an animated TV show of which I saw a couple episodes as a kid, probably around 2010. It was likely a parody (or at least comedy) of the superhero genre. The main character was superhero or special agent kind of character. I think he had a number of gadgets, but don't remember exactly which. At some point he may have used something like a stink bomb. I am not sure whether he also had any supernatural special powers.

In one of the episodes, there was a humanoid snail character, that I think was the main antagonist of the episode. He was human-sized and had a human face (like older? man), but his body was build like a big land snail (although I think he had hands) and he had a shell on his back. I am not sure why the MC was after him, perhaps he suspected him of something, or was trying to thwart some evil scheme?

There was a rather hilarious "stealthy" pursuit scene, where the main character was driving his car and tailing the snail across the city, but the snail was moving at a typical snail's pace, so the MC had to match his speed. I also think the MC wasn't very subtle, driving his car only few meters behind the snail (perhaps as a parody of such scenes in police procedural shows).

In another scene, the humanoid snail was eating in a posh (French?) restaurant and he ate some food made from snails (e.g. something like this WARNING: gross image of French cuisine linked, do not view while eating). Eventually, the MC followed him to the restaurant and they talked. Then there might have been a fight scene against the antagonist's henchmen. I don't remember much of the rest of the episode. There might have been a twist in the end, like the MC falsely suspecting the snail of crime, or being forced to work with him, but I may be mixing things up with some other show.

I think it was a parody/comedy based on the above. And I also have a feeling there was something funny/lame about the main character, like he had some lame power or silly superhero name. It was set in a contemporary city and I think most of the characters were humans (i.e. humanoid characters like the snail were not common).

I tried to write everything I could remember, but my memory of it is very hazy and it is likely I misremembered some details, so don't get discouraged if you have at least a partial match. The snail pursuit scene is what I am most confident about.

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    Can I click the gross image link while I'm eating snail with garlic butter?
    – Clockwork
    Commented Jun 28, 2022 at 14:30
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    @Clockwork go ahead :D that warning was not aimed at French cuisine enthusiasts. But I know viewing that during lunch would make me lose my appetite.
    – vogrick
    Commented Jun 28, 2022 at 14:38
  • @vogrick I would hesitate to dismiss escargots with garlic butter as gross food. They're actually pretty tasty and make a good first course.
    – Nzall
    Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 13:04
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    @Nzall Oh I was more trying to point out that it may not be visually appealing to everyone. I wrote that remark partly as a joke, I hope I didn't insult anyone - I have nothing against French cuisine (I never ate a snail though). Also the scene was far less "graphic" with the depiction of the food than I remembered.
    – vogrick
    Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 13:19

1 Answer 1

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This is almost definitely episode #12 of Rat-Man, an Italian animated series first aired in 2008 sharing the main characters (but little else) with the Italian comic having the same name.

The whole series is freely available on the site of the Italian public broadcasting company, no registration needed.

I think every detail you remember matches:

  • while the comic, besides being hilarious, also has darker and more serious themes, the animated series is aimed at kids and its tone is mainly comedic / parodic
  • the main character is a "super hero" in name only, as he does not posses any supernatural power, physical fitness or cunning
  • even his name is a caricature of Batman's, just like many gadgets of his and other details like Rat-Man's butler that appears in some episodes

The Snail-Man falling on Rat-Man while he is (not) eating escargot in a French restaurant:

Snail-Man falling on Rat-Man

Rat-Man in his super car slowly following the Snail-Man:

Rat-Man in his super car slowly following the Snail-Man

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    Thanks that was it. As expected my memory of the episode was pretty bad.
    – vogrick
    Commented Jun 28, 2022 at 18:14
  • Also I am pretty sure it had English dubbing, but the only versions I could find were either the original Italian dub or Tamil language dub. I will have to try to find the English dub or at least subtitles, because I don't speak Italian.
    – vogrick
    Commented Jun 28, 2022 at 18:18

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