Description: A dark, nocturnal atmosphere for a calmness that's comparable to that of the freezing cold. Winter has fallen permanently on this Sector, however it never snows. It always covers the ground in a fine layer, the ground being constituted only of eternal ice! (We notice that in season 1, small brown specks can sometimes be seen beneath the ice on the virtual ground. The evolution of the design after season 1 erased this anomaly).
It's evident that the ice makes the ground slippery, for the heroes as well as the monsters. The latter more or less handle this element (although Kankrelats sometimes have trouble). The heroes roam the Sector carefree without slipping, unless they're in someone else's body rather than their own (like Odd and Yumi in episode 42 "A Fine Mess").
Such is the Ice Sector: large plateaux of ice linked by long paths, just as frozen. Mountains of ice are common, less so than in the Mountain Sector as there aren't any floating in mid-air, however icebergs can be found all over the Ice Sector's frozen plateaux and with them, they bring other surprises: sumptuous ice caverns, waterfalls, rivers and tunnels!
The Ice Sector is easily the Sector in which we find the most water!
Topological characteristics
Numerous characteristics make the Ice an original Sector, and one that's pleasant to visit. Some fights that bring our heroes here are simply unique.
Though the grounds of the Desert, Mountain and Forest are very durable, the ground of the Ice Sector is of no exception, but with a difference: it's breakable and easy to crack. Odd and Ulrich therefore take advantage of this rather unusual attribute in episode 38 "Temptation" when they break the floe they're standing on into little pieces of floating ice that are hard to balance on. Half a dozen Tarantulas get submerged in the water as a result!
In episode 31 "Mister Pück", four Bloks hide under the ice in order to make a noteworthy entrance.
Let's come back to the decorative elements that aren't overly common on the frozen platforms.
First of all, caves. They often create a number of worries for the heroes. Not because it's freezing inside, but because the towers in them are often hidden from view like in episodes 9 "Satellite" and 41 "Ultimatum". When the entrance is behind a waterfall guarded by Tarantulas, the task becomes even more complex.
Let's stop on the word "waterfall", as it's interesting in itself. Water plays a key role in the Ice Sector! Indeed, it's present in the form of small lakes and waterfalls. Yet in the virtual world, it's impossible for a Lyoko Warrior to drown as they know how to swim. This is why Odd, in episode 44 "Vertigo", takes a little dip in order to avoid the Hornets guarding the entrance to a cave and saves Aelita, who was in the Schyphozoa's grasp!
Water is more beneficial to the Lyoko Warriors as the monsters cannot swim. If they fall in water, as we see in XANA Awakens, they sink and become prisoners of the deep water...
We shouldn't confuse the vast lakes found in the Ice Sector with the Digital Sea. Differentiating them is simple: the Digital Sea has a much lower gravitation than the ice floes in the Sector. The lake water reaches the icy paths.
In the Ice Replika, another large lake is seen with a water level higher than that of the paths, and when Jeremy launches the multi-agent program, freezing the water to imprison the Kolossus within the lake, the ice connects together temporarily, bridging the platforms episode 92 "Cold Sweat").
In the following episode (93 "Down to Earth"), we clearly see that the sea level is very low down when the damaged Skid falls from the platform.
Finally, we come to one of the Ice Sector's funniest elements: its tunnels! Often used to link one platform to another, these are long paths that cross the icebergs which are perfectly suited for a sled!
We find them all over the Ice Sector and they always make for appealing chase scenes (Aelita chased by a Hornet, which in turn is being chased by Yumi and Ulrich in episode 26 "False Start")!
Only Kankrelats and Hornets can creep into these passages, as they are too narrow for other monsters. The virtual cockroaches however have trouble keeping their trajectory. The heroes often go through them on vehicles because this method is more practical. When they're unable to do this, they only have two options: slide down either like an ice skater, or on their buttocks!
We should also note that the tunnel exits often lead to cliff faces, and so the heroes need to await a good fall, also a great way to destroy a Kankrelat!
That's also one of the reasons why these tunnels give us a good laugh.
The Replika shows no other difference with its Lyoko model. It is similar to the original.
Monsters and the Ice Sector
A monster that's happy in the Ice Sector is the Hornet. Indeed, in season 1, each time the heroes go to the Ice Sector, they nearly always meet squadrons of these monsters, sending down a rain of laser fire onto the Sector's icy floes. Consequently, Mantas also feel comfortable in this Sector. It's where we most often see them outside of Carthage. They traverse the sky very quickly, sending out lasers, explosive mines and desolation on the mortals...
On the other hand, Megatanks hardly ever appear here; the ground must be too slippery for them to safely roll at high speed.
To counteract this frightfully unstable ground, XANA also sends monsters with legs that can easily grip, in other words Krabs and Bloks! The little Kankrelats go "live" on the permanently frozen ground!
Tarantulas are present, like in any other Sector, but they lack anything that allows them to grip the ground. The heroes take advantage of his fault in episode 38 "Temptation" when Odd and Ulrich alternate pushing Tarantulas into the water by cracking the ice into multiple floating, unstable islets!
Like in the Mountain Sector, the huge plateaux seem to play to William's advantage, who launches hard frontal offensives, backing the heroes up against icebergs (episode 84 "Guided Missile"), using his Supersmoke a lot (episode 93 "Down to Earth").
The Ice Sector and its Replikas are the only places where we see the heroes fight the Kolossus. The monster can easily move around the icy plateaux. The heroes can't barricade themselves in caves because the Kolossus's arm is strong enough to break an iceberg, even if it has to strike several times (episode 94 "Fight to the Finish").
Appearances in episodes
Season 4:
#94 Fight to the Finish
#93 Down to Earth (Réplika)
#92 Cold Sweat (Réplika)
#84 Guided Missile
#82 Distant Memory
#80 Dog Day Afternoon
#76 The Lake
Season 3:
#61 Sabotage
#60 Temporary Insanity
#59 The Secret
#56 False Lead
Season 2:
#50 Contact
#48 Is Anybody Out There?
#45 Cold War
#44 Vertigo
#42 A Fine Mess
#41 Ultimatum
#38 Temptation
#37 Common Interest
#32 Saint Valentine's Day
#31 Mister Pück
#27 New order
Season 1:
#26 False Start
#24 Ghost Channel
#19 Frontier
#17 Amnesia
#09 Satellite
#08 End of Take
#07 Image Problem
Prequel:
XANA Awakens (parts 1&2)
Important events
- In XANA Awakens, Aelita enters a Tower, types the Code Lyoko for the first time and remembers her name. It is also the location of Yumi's first virtualisation.
- Yumi, prisoner of Guardian in episode 7 "Image Problem".
- XANA creates a virtual bubble in episode 24 "Ghost Channel".
- Destruction of the Sector in episode 61 "Sabotage".
- Rebirth of the Sector in episode 67 "Double Take".
- William struggles against XANA's control in episode 76 "The Lake".
- New virtual bubble created by XANA and appearance of Franz Hopper in episode 82 "Distant Memory" to save Aelita.
- Appearance of the Kolossus on a Replika and salvaging of the William's codes stolen by XANA in episode 92 "Cold Sweat".
- Destruction of the Skidbladnir by the Kolossus and return of William to Earth in episode 93 "Down to Earth".
- Appearance of Franz Hopper to help the heroes finalise the anti-XANA program in episode 94 "Fight to the Finish". New appearance of the Kolossus and the monster's death.
