Irken Armada



"The Irkens have a very special armada that serves for the Irken Empire Armed Forces. Just in case, there were a lot of Spittle Runners and Shuvvers that can escort the Massive, and when they're done, they'll get the Organic Sweep ready, then they could kill or enslave most of planet's inhabitants as well, then the Almighty Tallest could change a planet into a usually singular purpose."

--Su Ji-Hoon, Coming in Peace

The Irken Armada is a vast fleet of Irken vessels, seeming to consist mostly of Spittle Runners and Shuvvers, escorting the Massive, the flagship and vessel of choice for the Almighty Tallest. Whenever an Irken Invader discovers a planet's weakness, they call in the Armada to perform the Organic Sweep. When the planet's inhabitants are killed or enslaved, the Almighty Tallest give the planet a purpose (usually singular), such as an intergalactic food court or a parking structure planet.

The Armada has been responsible for the successful subjugation of numerous species throughout the universe, and stands as a physical display of the might of the Irken military machine. When asked for schematics of the Massive, Prisoner 777 of planet Vort expressed distinct fear at the idea of infuriating the Armada ("Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars"). Despite this, it has experienced setbacks - Operation Impending Doom I, accidentally stopped by Zim, saw the utter annihilation of the first wave of Invaders and postponement of Irken galactic conquest ("The Nightmare Begins"). Following the conquest and planetary conversion of Blorch, a sizable portion of the Armada was wiped out by the planet Mars, which had been converted into a vehicle by its extinct native inhabitants, and left running through the universe by Zim ("Battle of the Planets"). The Armada was later caught off-guard when Zim used a remote-command chair to hack into the Massive's power core and steer it towards Earth, leaving the Armada to catch up only when the Tallest had ordered the Massive's power core to be beamed out of the ship ("Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars").

The Armada has been at the forefront of Irken galactic conquest since the beginning of Operation Impending Doom II, and in most episodes when it appears, its vastness typically extends beyond the bounds of the screen. It has been seen a few times in action, notably during Dib's dreamed future-life where it was defeated by Earth's defense forces ("Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom"), and during the mentioned Invader Zim episode "Battle of the Planets," where an Organic Sweep is being performed on Blorch. It has also been the victim of a few freak incidents, such as over an unknown planet during an Invader Zim episode "The Girl Who Cried Gnome," when a Girly Ranger stuck in a hole screeches so loudly that Irken ships begin to explode.

However, in When the Cold Breeze Blows Away, the Irken Armada would intendedly assist the Coalition of the Red Star airships and naval craft for their invasion after the Treaty of Ningbo is signed.