Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 franchise has been a staple of animated sci-fi television since its debut in 2005. Spanning four major series—Ben 10, Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, and Omniverse—plus a handful of movies, the adventures of Ben Tennyson and his transformative alien watch, the Omnitrix, have captivated young audiences for nearly two decades. With Ben 10: The Complete Series, fans were promised a comprehensive, all-in-one collection of every alien-fueled adventure to date. Unfortunately, the reality of this release doesn’t quite live up to the marketing hype.
Let’s start with what works. This is the first time a box set has attempted to consolidate the entire Ben 10 universe into one place. That alone is a big deal for longtime fans and newcomers alike. The set includes 227 episodes across all iterations of the series (according to the packaging) and two full-length movies: Secret of the Omnitrix and Destroy All Aliens. If you’re a fan of the original run or missed out on the earlier seasons, there’s a lot of quality content here. Ben’s journey from a regular kid to a universe-saving hero is still entertaining, action-packed, and often surprisingly heartfelt. Even without nostalgia goggles, you can see why this franchise earned its devoted following.
But here’s the problem: the set doesn’t actually include everything.
Despite the bold claim of being “complete,” the box only contains 35 episodes of Ben 10: Omniverse, out of a total of 80. That’s 45 missing episodes from the final series—and it's not an oversight. What you’re getting are reprinted discs from previous releases, complete with original disc art and even outdated Cartoon Network promos for shows like Regular Show and Adventure Time. In fact, one of the included ads promotes the very Omniverse DVD volume (Aliens at War) that isn’t even fully included in this supposed complete collection. It’s a straight repackaging job, and the misleading episode count (there are closer to 182 episodes here, not 227) only adds to the disappointment.
The audio and subtitle options are basic—English only—and there are no new bonus features or retrospective content to celebrate the show's impact. This is a missed opportunity, especially considering the multigenerational fanbase Ben 10 has built over the years.
As someone who didn’t grow up with the show but can recognize its cultural footprint (the way I feel about Ninja Turtles or Batman: The Animated Series), it’s easy to appreciate Ben 10 as “that show” for a whole generation of fans. But if you’re one of those fans, you deserve better than a box set that over-promises and under-delivers.
Ben 10: The Complete Series is a frustrating release. The shows themselves are still fun, inventive, and worth watching—but this collection doesn’t offer anything new or definitive. If you’re a completist or longtime fan, you’ll likely be let down by the missing content and recycled packaging. If you're new to the series, this might be an okay starting point, but don't expect the "complete" experience.
Jessie Hobson