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Training planet Hobo 13

Hobo 13 is an episode of the television series Invader Zim. Originally produced as episode 15A, "Hobo 13" aired as episode 20A on July 12, 2002 and aired with episode 20B on September 28, 2002.

When Zim constantly keeps petitioning the Almighty Tallest for equipment, they remind him that he is not a battle soldier, and that he doesn't have the training. So they send Zim to Hobo 13, a training camp for the best of soldiers. Zim thinks he will prove himself to the Tallest; they just hope he'll die once and for all. But when he becomes the leader of his squad in training, he is shown to survive all the challenges in the obstacle course, albeit through needlessly sacrificing teammates.

Meanwhile, Bob, a servant of the Tallest, was forced into betting on Zim, when other Irkens bet large sums of "monies" (apparently, planet's currency) that Zim would be killed in various brutal fashions. At the very end when Zim survives and completes the test (and even bests Sgt. Hobo.), Bob defies the Tallest and throws his servant gear (a table with a brace like a helmet) on the ground and says "You can serve yourselves from now on!".

He is later seen at the end in Zim's newly granted ship strapped to the back seat with duct tape so he can't talk and is trying to warn Zim as they are headed toward the sun with locked controls.

• On the trip to Hobo 13, Zim is (attempting) humming the Opening Theme to the show.

• Upon recording Zim's humming of the theme song, Jhonen finds out that Richard didn't know anything about the theme song, let alone some of the episodes

• R. Lee Ermey voices his typical acting role as Hobo 678. [1]

• Nickelodeon did not like this episode, because they believed it had nothing to do with Zim's mission, although the only reason Zim went through training was so he could receive super weapons from the Tallest.

• In this episode, Invader Skoodge is not wearing his PAK, when Irkens can live only ten minutes with their PAK off, Zim on the other hand has his covered up with his power suit.

• This episode has Invader Skoodge playing the largest role of any episode he is in, though it's still a minor one. If the series hadn't been cancelled, Jhonen Vasquez had planned to have him move in with Zim, as confirmed by the DVD commentary for this episode.