Buzz Lightyear

**Buzz Lightyear** is the deuteragonist of the Toy Story franchise and the titular protagonist of the 2022 film Lightyear.

## Background

Buzz is a toy from a science fiction franchise of the same name. In his fictional backstory, Buzz is a universal space ranger from the Intergalactic Alliance and the captain of the Alliance's team. Buzz is trained in several forms of martial arts and is a highly skilled warrior in hand to hand combat. Being in peak physical condition, Buzz makes a perfect space ranger and is an example to many.

### Personality

Buzz, like many characters in Toy Story, is a complicated one, who feels genuine emotions such as pride, anger, depression, and sadness, much like a regular human. These are traits that he shares with his best friend, Woody, however, one could say that Buzz is better at keeping his emotions in check than the cowboy. Buzz is known for his bravery and courage with a by the book mindset, believing the way people should live their life by following the rules. Though there are rare moments when he will bend the rules or tell a cover story if needed to when he knows it is the right thing to do. Though possessing great leadership qualities, one of Buzz's biggest character flaws at times is that he can be rather unemotional.

Like Woody, Buzz also goes through an evolution throughout the series. In Toy Story, he was incredibly deluded and actually believed that he himself was the real Buzz Lightyear and would not listen when told that he's really a toy modelled off of the character. Because of this, Buzz believed he could do everything that a real space ranger was able to do such as fly and that his "laser" was a deadly weapon when it was actually just a light bulb. Since seeing the truth of his delusion, Buzz has shown a degree of embarrassment of it. In Toy Story 2, while being attacked by another Buzz Lightyear action figure who also thought he was the real Buzz Lightyear, Buzz remarked in a self-conscious and annoyed tone: "tell me I wasn't this deluded."

Buzz can come off as being charismatic and charming, most of Andy's toys completely adored him just after he was unwrapped. Even Andy, whose favourite toy was Sheriff Woody and was completely obsessed with cowboys since kindergarten, went head over heels for Buzz who instantly became his other favourite toy. Buzz also possessed something of a vengeful side, such as attacking Woody when he tried to "terminate" him which was justified by saying "revenge is not something we enforce on my planet. But we're not on my planet, are we?" He is a little bit irrational at times such as attempting to save another toy from being blown up by the neighbourhood juvenile delinquent Sid, despite not realizing that he would be destroyed as well but it also shows that he is quite brave as he was willing to rescue a defenceless person even if the odds were stacked against him.

However, his personality changed completely, especially after discovering the truth about himself. At first, he went into a state of manic depression, thinking that he himself was nothing more than "a stupid, plain, insignificant toy", and also developed a bit of a suicidal side. Such moments were when Sid's "cannibal" toys were amassing around him he didn't even look fazed by this. Even when being strapped to an explosive rocket, he didn't seem to remotely care that he might die as he was that depressed. But after being given a motivational speech by a captive Woody, he begins to understand his role as a toy; to bring happiness and joy to their owner. After this, Buzz learns a lot more about honour, friendship, bravery, and selflessness. He is usually seen without his helmet as of Toy Story 2 because he knows he's not a real space ranger and toys do not need space helmets.

By Toy Story 2, Buzz has completely accepted himself as a toy, especially during his encounter with Ultra Buzz makes him realize how deluded he was back in the first film. Woody is one of his closest friends and understands him better than anyone other than the latter's girlfriend, Bo Peep.

Buzz is also slightly clueless to human cultures, such as the case while he was trying to calm Woody down about cowboy camp and accidentally pronounces s'mores as "schmoes," which is corrected by the latter. This was also shown during the first one while looking at Sid, he mistook his pet dog Scud for him.

Buzz notoriously has a massive crush on Jessie. While Buzz is normally awkward around her in Play mode whilst in Demo mode, he refers to her as a temptress and immune to her "bewitching good looks", but when turned to Spanish mode he becomes passionate, confident, and romantic, openly expressing his love for the cowgirl with romantic poetry and admiration. He showed something of a jealous and showy side when Woody returned and Jessie was only happy to see him alive, Buzz replied "el vaquero/the cowboy" in a jealous tone. While trying to escape Sunnyside instead of helping Woody up, he athletically opens a hatch by himself as a means of impressing his crush. After the events of Toy Story 3, the two have seemingly started a legitimate relationship.

### Physical Appearance

Buzz Lightyear is a brawny electronic spaceman action figure. He has fair skin, blue eyes, an outline of a swirl on his chin (which gives Buzz a cleft chin), a purple head cap and collar, a clear plastic space helmet with purple buttons on both sides that open or close it. His green torso consists of a light blue sticker that has the words "SPACE RANGER" and the Star Command symbol, purple straps connected to it, three oval talk buttons - one blue, one green, and one red, a yellow name tag that says "LIGHTYEAR" above a red button that pops out purple plastic glider wings with red and white candy cane lining on the top of each, and green ends with red and green flashing lights. On his back, he has a white jetpack with a purple valve and green triangular accents and two black and yellow stickers - one says, "DANGER", and the other says "JET EXHAUST". His white arms have grey circular elbows and matching spheres on the end of his upper arms with black rings on it. His gloves have purple lines on his knuckles and fingertips and green squares on the back of each. His right arm has a red button on his upper arm with a yellow and black striped sticker that reads "LASER" and a red light on his right wrist. His left arm has a Space Ranger symbol sticker on his upper arm and a communicator sticker in his wrist communicator (the latter of which is later peeled off) and "MADE IN TAIWAN" engraved inside on his lid of the wrist communicator. A black bending with a thin green waist. His white spaceman pants have matching collars at the bottom and grey spheres behind his knees and hold his white shoes with green toe accents, purple soles, and black handwriting reading "ANDY" on his right shoe sole.

## Film Appearances

### Toy Story

In the original Toy Story, Buzz is a birthday present to Andy from his mother, Mrs. Davis. As Woody introduces Buzz to Andy's room and the other toys, the cowboy quickly learns that Buzz believes himself to be an actual "space ranger". This doesn't stop Buzz from becoming the most popular toy in the bedroom, as well as with Andy, who ditches his western aesthetics for that of astronauts and space. That, coupled with Buzz's delusions, sparks a bitter rivalry between Buzz and Woody.

One day, as Andy is about to leave for Pizza Planet, Woody tries to hide Buzz to prevent him from going but he instead, accidentally knocks him out the window. As planned, regardless, Woody is taken instead of Buzz, but only because Andy cannot find him. Buzz sneaks into the back of the family's car anyway. During a gas stop, Buzz confronts Woody for his actions, but their bickering results in the two being left behind. They catch a ride to Pizza Planet but are taken by a cruel child named Sid Phillips before they can reunite with Andy. At Sid's house, Buzz spots a commercial on television advertising the Buzz Lightyear action figure which reveals that the action figures are not made for flight, proving Woody's claim that he's only a toy and not a real space ranger. Buzz tries to prove his legitimacy by trying to fly out of the house through the upstairs window, but ends up falling down the stairs and breaking his arm instead. He falls into a state of depression, which inadvertently foils all of Woody's plans to get home.

Eventually, Sid plots to have Buzz blown up with a new firework he ordered. As Buzz accepts his fate, Woody confesses his insecurities, revealing he felt inadequate compared to a toy as amazing as Buzz. This gives Buzz his confidence back (after Woody says that he can't go back home, because Andy and his toys wouldn't love him anymore), but Sid takes him before the two can escape. Woody gathers the rest of Sid's toys to foil their owner's scheme, successfully saving Buzz. The two then try to return to Andy, but he and his family have already packed up and began to move to their new home. Woody and Buzz use the rocket to catch up, which eventually blasts the two into the air. Instead of plummeting to their doom, Buzz uses his wing feature to "fall with style" (gliding) safely into Mrs. Davis's car, reuniting the two with Andy.

### Toy Story 2

In Toy Story 2, after Woody is stolen by Al McWhiggin, owner of Al's Toy Barn, Buzz plans a rescue mission consisting of himself, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, and Hamm. At Al's Toy Barn, while separated from the group, Buzz meets another figure of himself. Unfortunately, he believes he is a real space ranger and seals Buzz away in a box to keep him from "going rogue". Buzz manages to escape and follows his friends (and the fake Lightyear) to Al's apartment, where they reunite with Woody, but there is still confusion about who the real Buzz Lightyear is. Buzz proves his legitimacy by removing the helmet of the fake Lightyear's and showing Andy's name on the bottom of his boot. He tries to convince Woody to return home before Al can sell him off to Japan.

Woody, however, reveals that he wants to stay, as he has grown fearful that Andy will abandon him upon growing up. Though Buzz and the others start to head home without Woody, the cowboy has a change of heart. Unfortunately, the bitter Stinky Pete stops this, forcing Woody to stay with him and the rest of Al's Woody's Round Up toy set. Buzz and the other toys follow Al to the airport, where Woody is put into the luggage compartments. They manage to find him and fight off Stinky Pete, saving Woody as well as Bullseye and Jessie, who all return home with the rest of Andy's toys. During the epilogue, Buzz shows signs of affection towards Jessie, which she accepts.

### Toy Story 3

In Toy Story 3, Andy has grown up and is preparing to leave for college. Few toys still remain, and all (except Woody) come to agree that the best thing for them to do is donate themselves. Under Buzz's leadership, they are taken to Sunnyside Daycare, home to toys that have been outgrown by their owners. The leader of the daycare, Lotso, promises Andy's toys that they'll live a long and happy life with Sunnyside, solidifying their decision to stay. This angers Woody, who believes they should return home. The other toys reluctantly refuse, and a downhearted Buzz bids Woody farewell.

Later on, after an extremely rough and torturous day of playtime, Buzz sets off to request that he and his friends be moved to a room with older children. He is instead kidnapped by Lotso's gang and turned to "demo mode". In this state, Buzz's memories are blocked, and as a result his space ranger delusions return. He is recruited as one of Lotso's minions and is ordered to imprison his friends for trying to escape the daycare. Buzz is then left in charge to guard them every night, though the toys (under Woody's guidance, who returned to save them) intimate a plan to return Buzz to normal and return to Andy.

Barbie forces Ken to tell her what Lotso did to Buzz and gets the manual from the bookworm. Unfortunately, their tampering only switches Buzz to Spanish mode, making him a romantic and charismatic space ranger with no memories or the ability to speak English. Nevertheless, he is told that Woody and the others are his friends and joins them in escaping Sunnyside. While doing so, he develops romantic feelings for Jessie, though she is more baffled by his Spanish mode than taken. After confronting Lotso and his gang, the toys are accidentally dragged into a garbage truck and hauled to the dump. Along the way, a television falls on Buzz and reverts him back to his normal self.

Inside the garbage factory, Buzz and the others narrowly escape termination and return to Andy's home the next morning. They wash themselves off and place themselves in a box meant for the attic, which Andy had always intended for them to go while he takes Woody to college. Instead, however, they are donated to a little girl named Bonnie, who loves and cares for them just as much as Andy did in the past.

### Toy Story 4

Buzz returns in Toy Story 4. In the flashback, he helps Woody and Bo with rescuing RC. Later, he asks Woody how he is and he is chosen as the towns mailman. He also is the first one to be excited about a road trip. He later meets Forky and mentions how he's a handful the next morning. Later he is told by Woody caring for him is harder than he thought. Later he gets told about an inner voice and notices Forky disappear. He goes with Woody and the gang on a road trip with Bonnie, where the group finds a carnival. He then realizes that Woody was right and decides to find them. He is strapped to a prize shelf at a carnival game, where he meets Ducky and Bunny. He escapes and Ducky and Bunny immediately capture him. Woody and Bo Peep assign Buzz, Ducky, and Bunny to help them rescue Forky.

At the antique store, Buzz gathers everyone to steal a key and find Woody and Bo Peep, who end up meeting Duke Caboom, who joins them and they run into Gabby Gabby and the Bensons and exit the antique store, but not before noticing Bonnie's backpack.

Woody begs everyone to get back in the store, but they leave, and Buzz returns to the RV. Inside the RV, Buzz urges Trixie to act as a hidden GPS and Bonnie's dad is creeped out as if the RV was a monster truck.

After arriving at the carnival, Buzz and the gang find Woody, Bo, Ducky, Bunny, and Duke Caboom. Woody is hesitant to return to Bonnie so Buzz tells him to stay with Bo and the rest of her friends. They watch Woody give his sheriff badge to Jessie, and everyone gives Woody a goodbye hug. As the RV is about to leave, Buzz and Woody utter the words "To infinity and beyond" for the last time. As the RV exits the RV park, Rex asks if Woody will be a lost toy and Buzz replies that he will not.

In a mid-credits scene, Buzz asks how first grade was and about present and explain. Soon he encounters Karen Beverly, a toy knife that Bonnie made in first grade, who Forky falls in love with.

### Lightyear

Buzz Lightyear, the film character who inspired the toy line in-universe, debuted in the second Toy Story spinoff film, Lightyear. In the film, Buzz is a space ranger who protects and explores the galaxy. But, on a trip to an uncharted planet, Buzz and the crew of the Turnip become stranded on that planet. Their only hope of getting off the planet is to rebuild their ship and begin experimenting hyperspeed propulsion systems powered by crystallic fusion. Buzz is chosen to be the test pilot. But during these flight tests, Buzz quickly learns upon his arrival back he experiences time dilation. Four years pass for him after a four minute flight.

The hyper speed test flights eventually take him eighty-nine years into the future, where he meets a personal companion robot cat named Sox and Izzy Hawthorne, granddaughter of his best friend, Alisha, and her companions Mo Morrison and Darby Steel, who seek his help against an evil robot named Zurg, who leads an army of robot soldiers.

### Short Films

#### Toy Story of Terror!

Buzz is seen on a road trip with Bonnie to her grandmother's house, watching a scary movie with the other toys. When they are forced to stop off at the Sleep Well motel for the night after Woody warns Mr. Potato Head not to wander off because he might get lost, he leaves anyway and disappears and Buzz, Woody, and Jessie go to search for him and eventually come across his arm. A monster (later revealed to be Mr. Jones) is seen snatching up all the toys, and takes the arm, Buzz and Woody, leaving Jessie alone by herself. It is later revealed that Buzz, along with all the other toys, were taken to Ron's office, where he sells the toys on eBay. The toys are all later saved by Jessie when she opens the cabinet, and when they leave to check out, Bonnie and her mother notice the toys in the background and retrieve them. Buzz along with all the other toys continue their road trip.

#### Toy Story That Time Forgot

Buzz first appears in the special when Bonnie takes some of her toys to Mason's house. He walks around the Battlesaur playsets. Later, when it is revealed that the Battlesaurs are not aware that they're toys, Buzz tries to explain to The Cleric what they are, but he is shrugged off. Later, Buzz along with Woody is seen being thrown into the Battlesaurs arena, where they are forced to fight. When they lose, the Cleric orders them to be destroyed. However, once the Cleric reveals he knows he's a toy, he realizes he can't let them reveal his secret to the other Battlesaurs.

Buzz and Woody are forced to a vent fan, where they would be destroyed by it, but the fan is turned off by Trixie before they can be destroyed. Buzz later returns with Bonnie to her house.

## Television Appearances

### Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Buzz Lightyear is the titular protagonist of the Toy Story spinoff, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and is 2D animated. This show features Buzz's adventures as a space ranger, fighting the Evil Emperor Zurg. He is shown to command a small team, including Mira Nova, a Tangean princess with phasing powers, Booster, a former janitor from the planet Jo-Ad, and XR, a robot created by the Little Green Men.

The series was preceded by a direct-to-video film, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, which showed the formation of the team. The film shows that Buzz became isolated after the death of his first partner, Warp Darkmatter. He meets his future teammates while investigating a crime involving missing LGMs.

### Toy Story Toons

Buzz plays a significant role in "Small Fry", where he and Rex are taken with Bonnie to Poultry Palace. There, Buzz is replaced by a Fun Meal Buzz Lightyear, leaving Buzz stranded at the restaurant. Unable to get through the front door, Buzz goes through the vents, only to fall into the basement, where he meets a support group for discarded Fun Meal Toys. Buzz is mistaken for an abandoned Fun Meal Toy is encouraged to join the group. Fortunately, he manages to escape and reunites with his friends before they make their attempt at rescue. Afterward, Buzz takes his diminutive counterpart to the restaurant, where the latter joins the support group with the former as his "sponsor".

## Other Appearances

Buzz makes a cameo as a toy in the Home Improvement episode "Say Goodnight, Gracie".

In Finding Nemo, a Buzz Lightyear toy can be found in a toy box in the dentist's office.

During Super Bowl XLII, which was played on February 3, 2008, a commercial played during the third quarter that showed Buzz and Woody watching the Big Game, as well as a promo for WALL-E, who was playing with a vacuum.

In Ralph Breaks the Internet, Buzz makes an appearance with Baymax meeting their fans at a Tsum Tsum display while saying his catchphrase "To Infinity and Beyond" in Oh My Disney.