Irken Biology Part 6: Strengths and Weaknesses

Irken skin can kill parasites such as lice, possibly by secreting some sort of protective substance. However, while safe from such pests, their skin cannot tolerate Earth meat, water, or beans, the former burning them terribly and even fusing to their skin. Almighty Tallest Purple claims that Zim almost went blind when meat fused to his eyeballs. They also have negative reactions when exposed to Earth liquids (namely water), though. As confirmed by Jhonen in the commentary for The Wettening, it is the pollutants in Earth water that causes the burns rather than the water itself. Paste suffices to completely nullify the effects of tainted Earth liquids. It seems that there is nothing that can protect them from meat, however. They sweat similarly to humans and can get zits when the skin is scrubbed by an oily substance (such as cheese or bacon). However, unlike human zits, they can grow to enormous size (as big as a classroom when fully swollen), and are translucent and filled with a vast amount of pus. Irken zits also have hypnotic powers when shaken. It may be just an allergic reaction to certain chemicals, such as a combination of cheese, bacon, and Acne Blast. Most Earth foods will make an Irken sick, although foods such as waffles, rich in sugar and carbohydrates, seem to be fine if eaten in moderation. It is seen in certain episodes that an appendage can fall off or be removed and that it has no real influence, as seen in Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom and Planet Jackers. They can heal at incredibly fast rates, which is why Zim said to Dib in Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom, "As soon as my skeleton stops being broken, I will destroy you!". Zim's eyes have been seen falling out of their sockets before, although they can simply be popped in without any irritation or injury. His arm also snaps off on one occasion, and he seems more bewildered than concerned about the loss of his limb. Irkens do not sleep, as confirmed in Roboparents Gone Wild, and their PAKs may just keep recharging even when functioning so that they don't have to. Despite their decades of military training, few Irkens show much prowess in the way of physical strength; although he is only a child, Dib has been shown to be more than capable of pinning Zim down. Therefore, with this in mind, it's possible that Irkens rely on their wits, technology, and sheer number when it comes to battling, rather than any actual physical prowess. However, Zim has, on occasion, shown feats of uncanny strength, an example of which being when he bodyslams a human in Attack of the Saucer Morons. In spite of their apparent weaknesses, however, Irkens appear to have extremely long life spans compared to normal humans, Zim himself being around 160 in Earth years (equivalent to just under 16 years on Irk).

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