"Xerxes first appears in the pilot episode of "Niko," though not as big.
Like the aeroglyder, Monster Xerxes had a dozen initial design concepts before creatives landed on the one made of complete darkness.
The statues in the Hall of Champions were previous champions who've defended Carondolet.
A challenge directors faced on "Niko" was remaining conscious of balancing the 3D and 2D elements of each episode. Everything had to be framed very deliberately, because they had to know how the parts would move ahead of time. A lot of forethought had to be made for each and every shot.
Paul Mazzotta served as the key animatics editor on "Niko." Some of the challenges he enjoyed were encountering continuity problems and fixing moments of logic, as well as connecting ideas to give each episode more cohesion. "What I love about editing is that it's a form of sleight of hand, but for storytellers!"