Ace

Template:Band Member Info

“	Please will you get out of my way.	„
	~ Ace after being greeted by 2-D

Ace is a character from Cartoon Network's 1998 animated series, The Powerpuff Girls. He is the leader of the Gangreen Gang, a group of hoodlums based out of Townsville.

He is the bassist for the Gorillaz' sixth studio album The Now Now, and served as the temporary replacement bassist while the band's usual bassist Murdoc Niccals was imprisoned.

For More Information

Check out Ace on the Powerpuff Girls Wiki.

Gorillaz Phase 5: 2018

Noodle and Ace spotted at the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

On May 5, 2018, Noodle was seen at the Kentucky Derby with Ace. It was then quickly revealed that he was the temporary new bass player for the band on their sixth studio album The Now Now while their usual bass player Murdoc was incarcerated at HM Wormwood Scrubs.

Following Murdoc's release from prison, he stated in the final of the FreeMurdoc chats that Ace had gone back home and that "Last I heard, he was taking time out to write his memoirs".

Background

In an interview, Damon Albarn explained Ace becoming a member of Gorillaz and confirmed that Cartoon Network had given permission for Gorillaz to use the character. According to Albarn, Ace was chosen as Murdoc's replacement because he and Jamie believed had a certain spiritual connection with Murdoc, especially Jamie. He also mentions that they were both "massive fans" of The Powerpuff Girls when it came out and they always thought the energy of the show was "really cool", and that they're friends with the show's creator, Craig McCracken. "It all came about organically, is my point" Albarn says.

In another interview, Jamie Hewlett mentions that his children were also huge fans of The Powerpuff Girls growing up and that the show was huge back then, and says that he's always been interested in the idea of cartoons crossing over, but that he's never seen a cartoon character entering another cartoon world, aside from Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam. Hewlett also said that "Cartoon Network was great about it, but they did say no alcohol or prostitutes!".

Ace was unable to speak as a member of Gorillaz since the process of getting approval from Cartoon Network for dialogue from the character was very costly and went over the band's budget. The music video for "Tranz" was originally going to have an introduction scene where Ace would've had a conversation with 2-D; however, the process of getting Cartoon Network to approve the script would have been so costly that in the end, they would not have the budget required to get his voice actor (Jeff Bennett) to play the role of the character, so the scene was scrapped. However, on an episode of Butch Hartman's Speech Bubble podcast with Jeff Bennett as a special guest on June 21st, 2018, they discussed Ace becoming a member of Gorillaz, and Bennett read lines from Gorillaz songs as Ace. Jamie has stated that he still has plans for Ace to be used in the future.

Appearance

In Gorillaz, Ace's design is much more detailed and has more realistic proportions, with less exaggerated features than in The Powerpuff Girls. One example is his chin, being less curvy and shorter, but still maintaining its sharp end. Ace’s ears are also sometimes visible and more rounded than they usually are, and his nose is slightly pointier and longer. He is also visibly older in Gorillaz, having slight wrinkles and a receding hairline. Ace’s wardrobe in Gorillaz is also more varied, as Ace is shown in a different outfit in each picture and music video, as opposed to his signature blue & orange vest jacket and bell-bottom pants and wristbands. Ace is often depicted wearing a jacket on top of a shirt with a pair of jeans and a belt, usually wearing a hat as well. Ace is often seen wearing an actual ace playing card as an accessory, with the symbol for the card sometimes being on his clothing. Gorillaz' character design for Ace is also loosely based off the actor John Cazale’s character Sal from the 1975 crime drama film Dog Day Afternoon. In the 'Tranz' music video, Ace's movement and mannerisms are loosely based off of the movement and mannerisms of the band's live bassist Seye Adelekan. Ace's clothing in the Tranz music video is loosely based on Paul Simonon, The Clash's bassist and the live bassist for Gorillaz during the Plastic Beach era. Ace's shirt worn in the music video for Humility was later made available as a part of the G Foot clothing line.

Personality

Ace (Jeff Bennett) Reads Gorillaz Lyrics-2

A clip of Ace reading Gorillaz lyrics from an episode of the podcast Speech Bubble with Jeff Bennett, Ace's voice actor as a special guest.

According to the FreeMurdoc chats, Ace is a close personal friend of the band who has known them for a long time. In an interview with NME, Murdoc spoke of Ace in high regard and referred to him as a "lovely, genuine fella" and "an underrated actor in his day", and said that "As a TV villain he's up there with Mumm-Ra, in my opinion". In another FreeMurdoc chat, Noodle described Ace as "A bit clingy, but he's got a good heart". In another NME interview, 2D said of Ace 'he's cool and really respects me'. 2-D says that one day when he greeted Ace and said 'Yo yo yo! S’up Ace?', Ace responded with 'Please can you get out of my way'. In an interview with Billboard Argentina, 2-D has also said that "Ace is great" and that "he made a career in showbiz by taking balls from kids and stealing their lunch money". 2-D also said that Ace once stole a toaster from him and sold it to Russel for $5, who then sold it back to 2-D for $10. In the music video for Humility, Ace takes a ball from two basketball players and deflates it with a switchblade, just like in he took dodgeballs from kids in The Powerpuff Girls. In a DJ Magazine interview with Noodle, she says that initially, the rest of the band did not trust Ace due to him being friends with Murdoc, however, they quickly grew to become good friends and they enjoyed having him around. On an episode of Speech Bubble from June 21st, 2018, Ace's voice actor Jeff Bennett was informed of Gorillaz making Ace the bassist for The Now Now and was asked to read Gorillaz lyrics as Ace. 

Quotes

• "Please will you get out of my way" (After being greeted by 2-D)
• "That's right! We're gonna get you, Powerpuff Girls!" (In Jeff Bennett's episode of the Speech Bubble podcast)
• "Hi, guys! How ya doin? I'm gonna do some Gorilla lyrics later, or somethin'. I don't even know what I'm talkin' about. Hahahahahahahahahaha." (Introduction to a clip from Jeff Bennett's episode of the Speech Bubble podcast)
• "That's what he saw in the Joe Pesci guy!"' (Jeff Bennett's Speech Bubble podcast episode)
• "Bada Bing!" (Jeff Bennett's Speech Bubble Podcast episode)
• "Will it spin? Will it soar? My little dream, working the machine." (Reciting lyrics to Empire Ants)
• "Bounce, Wiggle. Bounce, wiggle...shakin' all them bangs out." (Reciting lyrics to All Alone)
• "Sha...Shabada...Shabada-- FEEL GOOD!" (Reciting lyrics to Feel Good Inc.)
• "Ey! 2-D!" (Part of the scrapped introduction of the Tranz music video)
• "I ain't gonna dig the hole! I ain't diggin' the hole this time!" (Jeff Bennett's Speech Bubble podcast episode)

Trivia

Gorillaz in the Powerpuff Girls Universe

• In the Powerpuff Girls Movie, an ad for Gorillaz LIVE was briefly seen in a newspaper and a lookalike of 2D (with a mohawk) could briefly be seen in the crowd, and on a scene of news report about the girls; sparking the theory that the Gorillaz and the Powerpuff Girls share the same universe.

• • Another connection between Gorillaz and The Powerpuff Girls is a picture with 2-D wearing a shirt of Mojo Jojo.
  • Also, in The Powerpuff Girls 2003 episode "Shotgun Wedding", the opening scene shows a picture of the Gang Green Gang spraying graffiti in the style of the Gorillaz logo.
  • On Gorillaz' old Kong Studios website in phase one, Noodle had The Powerpuff Girls game section of Cartoon Network's official website as an internet bookmark on her computer.
  • During a BBC Webchat with Gorillaz from 2002, Bubbles asked Noodle who her favorite Powerpuff Girls character was, and her answer was Mojo Jojo. 
  • In phase one, The Powerpuff Girls was one of Noodle's favorite cartoons. In Noodle's official phase one biography, Noodle lists The Powerpuff Girls as one of her likes and interests.
  • Gorillaz was asked by The Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken to make a song for The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002, but due to conflicting schedules, the song was never made
  • Craig McCracken's other Cartoon Network series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends also paid homage to Jamie's comic, Tank Girl in the episode, "Nightmare on Wilson Way", in a scene that briefly shows Frankie Foster dressed up as Tank Girl for Halloween.
• Ironically, Murdoc was temporarily replaced by a known felon.
• Coincidentally, Ace and Murdoc both have green skin, have criminal backgrounds, and are leaders of their respective groups.
• In March 2018, Jamie posted a clip of Ace hitting a Kindergartner with a dodgeball from the Powerpuff Girls episode, "Schoolhouse Rocked" to his Instagram. This was the earliest known hinting of Ace's involvement with the band.
• On May 31, 2018, Damon Albarn explained in an interview with BBC Radio 6 the reason behind adding Ace as Murdoc's temporary replacement; stating that Cartoon Network gave Gorillaz permission to use Ace as a character.
• Cartoon Network Latin America posted a promo on their official Facebook Page about Ace becoming a member of Gorillaz, with Ace as show in Humility's video followed by an angry reaction from Mojo Jojo, with captions that say "Some people enjoy their fame" and "Others just can't stand it".
• Ace's design in Gorillaz was also loosely based on John Cazale's character Sal from the 1975 crime drama film Dog Day Afternoon.

Gallery

The full image gallery for Ace may be viewed at Ace/Gallery.