With the solo Bumblebee movie coming soon to theaters, and the Transformers: Cyberverse animated series premiering on TV sometime next week, and having recently been going through Shout Factory's The Transformers: The Japanese Collection DVD set, I decided to whip up a small Transformers-themed piece.
First bit of context:
Transformers has been one of the most beloved, iconic franchises in popular culture, spurring many imaginations with the simple phrases "robots in disguise" and "more than meets the eye". The original cartoon series, airing from 1984 to 1987 for three (some will say four) seasons, is one of the most fondly-remembered cartoons to air during the period, and one that continues to influence subsequent TV shows and films to this day. Like most good things, it had to come to an end. The year 1987 saw the final three episodes of the series--the 3-part story "The Rebirth"--air on TV. The episodes introduced a number of newer characters gracing toy store shelves at the time, most prominently the Headmasters and Targetmasters: Autobots and Decepticons who partnered with smaller humanoid Nebulans that transformed into either the head or weapon of the larger robot. The series, in terms of newer episodes, was done after that, as was Sunbow Productions, the makers of the cartoon (and of G.I. Joe, whose own TV show also ended that year). Aside from a 'fifth' season made up of the 'best of' collection of 15 episodes and a 5-episode split of the 1986 movie--with each introduced by a human boy named Tommy Kennedy and a stop-motion machine prop of Optimus Prime-- U.S. audiences would have to turn to Marvel's comic book series (and their own imaginations) for the further Cybertronian adventures. Not so in the country where the toys that became Transformers originated: Japan.
Japan would not get The Transformers: The Movie until 1989 , and even before then, Toei Animation had tinkered briefly with original stories with the 1986 OVA Scramble City, spotlighting the 1986 Combiner Teams and the city-bots Metroplex and Trypticon. (The Movie's events would be recapped in a 1986 TV magazine.) In 1987, instead of airing "The Rebirth", Toei opted to continue the story begun in the American TV seasons with a TV show titled Transformers: The Headmasters.
Here the Japanese take on the mythos became more evident: instead of Autobots and Decepticons partnering with Nebulans, the Headmasters were now smaller Transformers who left Cybertron during the war to settle on the planet Master, where to survive the harsh environments, they built larger transforming bodies (or Transtectors) to get around more easily. The series offered different takes on a number of fan-favorite characters (a big example being the Decepticon hexa-changer Sixshot) and also saw the animation debuts of characters like the Monsterbots, the Japanese-exclusive Trainbots combiner team, and characters from another Takara-made toyline imported by Hasbro, the Battle Beasts. The show lasted 35 episodes before ending in 1988, paving the way for one of the most wildly divergent takes on the Transformers franchise: Transformers: Super-God Masterforce.
From the Wiki entry: "Although nominally occurring in the same continuity as the previous Transformers series, there was a very obvious effort on head writer Masumi Kaneda's part to make Masterforce a "fresh start" as a mecha story, introducing an entirely new cast of characters from scratch, rather than using any of the previous ones. [Though the Autobot Headmaster Chromedome did cameo in an early episode.] To this end, although the toys are mostly the same in both Japan and the West (barring some different color schemes), the characters which they represent are vastly different."
Masterforce featured the animation debuts of a number of characters and subteams introduced in the American toyline in 1988, most of which featured in the Marvel comic book. These included:
1. The Pretenders--Autobots and Decepticons with the ability to don outer armored shells that allow them to pass for organic beings; Autobot shells resembled humans in diving or space suits, while Decepticons shells looked like monsters and demons. In Japan, the Pretenders would shout the phrase "Pretender" to shed their shells to go robotic. For the Autobots, they would shed their human guises by shouting "Suit on" to don their outer shell's armor before shouting "Pretender".
2. The Powermasters--Autobots and Decepticons partnered with Nebulans that turned into engine blocks that unlocked the robot's transformation. In Japan, they were called the Godmasters and were humans that, when clanging their Master Bracers together, would don mechanical exo-armor that allowed them to bond with their Transtectors and transform into robots. Basically, picture something along the lines of Rick Jones and Mar-Vell:
3. The 1988 Headmasters, where in the Japanese version humans also used Master Bracers to don exo-suits that let them turn into the heads of lifeless Transtectors and essentially become the robots.
4. The Seacons--a Decepticon combiner team based on sea creatures, with the added bonus of the sixth member transforming into the gestalt robot's weapon.
Second bit of context:
The period of the 1970's to the 1980's saw American TV producers starting to bring over more Japanese anime to stateside audiences, albeit with a lot of changes to the content of said shows, be they something simple as character names or even key parts of a story. This is most evident in shows such as Gatchaman [aka Battle of the Planets, or G-Force], Star Blazers, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs, and probably the biggest example of an anime with the heaviest amount of alteration, the three shows that make up Robotech. Even the fan-favorite Captain Harlock underwent this sort of treatment, with the result being Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years--fittingly, a treatment done by the same folks who gave us Robotech, Harmony Gold USA.
My Point:
So Transformers had its TV heyday and the end of its run during a time where anime began to gain more exposure to U.S. audiences. It and G.I. Joe's animation licenses would be dropped by Sunbow Productions afterwards, leading to (aside from reruns) both franchises becoming dormant (in terms of new episode content) on TV--though not too long for G.I. Joe, when DIC started their own cartoon (a loose continuation of the Sunbow cartoon) in 1989. In real life, Transformers had a longer lull, even with older episodes repackaged in 1988 and later in 1993 during the run of the Generation 2 toyline, until Beast Wars premiered in 1996.
BUT, allow me to ask that most classic of Marvel Comics questions....
What if...Hasbro, after passing on the Transformers animation rights to a new group, brought over Super-God Masterforce, dubbed and with some names and backstories changed or lightly altered, to air as the actual fifth season of The Transformers cartoon in 1988?
Here I'll presenting my idea of what such a dub's cast and alterations might look like, thus giving Transformers a little more life on the air and, in the process, negating the existence of the horrendous dub by Omni Productions (who gave The Headmasters and the 1989 continuation Victory the same treatment) that would air in Malaysia and Singapore in the early 1990's. Any of these voice actors seem unfamiliar to you? The links will bring you to their profiles, giving you an idea of which cartoons you may have heard them in. I went with a crop of voiceover talent greatly involved with anime dubs during the 80's, with notable shows and films being Robotech (where due to it being a non-union project, a number of them used aliases), Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds, and the legendary cyberpunk classic Akira. Further notes:
1. Anything italicized represents my 'tweaking' of the Masterforce characters for U.S. audiences, either utilizing the names of their U.S. figures or giving the Japanese-exclusive characters Westernized names (as if they had been released in U.S. toy stores). My approach comes from how Omni Productions--and later, Shout Factory--handled these. Also, here instead of one voice actor voicing both the human and robot selves of a Headmaster or Powermaster, we'd have two separate voice actors--I mean hey, if it were kept unchanged, it'd be like the equivalent of the same person voicing both Billy Batson and Captain Marvel. (Though it does seem to work in the case of Sean Astin on Justice League Action.) There are a few exceptions to this.
2. Hypothetically, I would place the continuity of the show as occuring several years after the events of Sunbow's "Rebirth" episodes, where the Decepticons have retreated to the further reaches of the galaxy, Cybertron had been reborn and revitalized, and the pacifistic Autobot Headmaster Cerebros (and Fortress Maximus) had been assigned by Optimus Prime to be guardian of the planet Nebulos. Since that time, Decepticon activity had largely been relegated to the outer reaches of the universe, causing Optimus Prime to set up the Autobot Universal Guard, a volunteer peacekeeping force. Additionally, the Master Bracers would be reworked as being an advanced technology developed by a combination of Cybertronian and Nebulan science and engineering.
Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's rev up and roll out!
#Autobots
+Pretenders
An Autobot covert unit assigned to Earth by Optimus Prime as a contingency plan, should the Decepticons ever target the planet again. Each member of the team has taken on a human alter-ego to monitor the planet unnoticed by the populace at large, save for a certain number of people.
1. Metalhawk/'Matthew Hawke': Gregory Snegoff (aka 'Greg Snow')
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Gregory-Snegoff/
Field commander of the Autobot Pretenders, Metalhawk takes on the guise of astrophysicist Matthew Hawke, working at the observatory of Professor Haruma Gō, becoming good friends with him and his son Shūta. He was also tasked by Optimus Prime with guardianship over a group of Transformers that fell into stasis at one point during the war, seeking out anyone who could binary-bond with them to help their sparks recover from their long dormant period. Alternate mode: fighter jet.
Snegoff's Scott Bernard from the "New Generation" saga of Robotech would fit the bill for the heroic Pretender leader.
2. Cloudburst/'Burt McCloud': Steve Kramer (aka 'Drew Thomas')
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Steve-Kramer/
If there's one thing that distinguishes Cloudburst from his fellow Autobots, it's the fact that he never gets to really do much of anything. As the team's communications officer, he is well suited to the job he has in his human guise—that of a telecommunications engineer at a German airstrip—but as the only Autobot based in Europe, simple geography often makes him the odd 'bot out when his teammates are busy battling the Decepticons across Japan and America. Alternate mode: starfighter.
*In Japan, Cloudburst's name was Phoenix.*
3. Landmine/'Mike Lander': Daniel Woren (aka 'Don Warner')
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Daniel-Woren/
While his comrades found themselves touched by the beauty of Earth's natural environment, or the extent and complexity of mankind's emotion, Landmine--under the human guise of Mike Lander--was particularly taken by one thing: humankind's great capacity for pleasure. In the present day, he lives in New York City, and fills his off-hours with the finer things in life—he collects wine, attends concerts, and loves, above all else...the ladies. Despite his man-about-town lifestyle, Landmine would never shirk his Autobot duties in favour of the fairer sex, but when he is called upon for a mission, it's a very rare thing to find him not in the company of one of his many lady-friends. Landmine is physically the strongest of the Autobot Pretenders, although he's not the most proficient soldier amongst the group, with combat skills that could only be described as "competent". His talents lie in both the mechanical and natural worlds—he is a five-star engineer, and an expert geologist. Alternate mode: all-terrain vehicle.
Woren's Roy Fokker from the "Macross Saga" of Robotech would fit the bill for the Pretenders' ladies' man geologist. *Landmine's Japanese name is Lander.*
4. Waverider/'Warren Ryder': Michael McConnohie (aka 'Jeffrey Platt')
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Michael-McConnohie/
As an aquatic combat expert, Waverider found himself particularly struck by the beauty of Earth's oceans, and dedicated himself to preserving them. He has adopted the role of Warren Ryder, an oceanographer and marine biologist who runs the Ocean Research Institute of California. He is a true seaman—dedicated, able-bodied, jolly and a friend to all, be they human, Transformer, or a denizen of the ocean's depths, but also a great lover of relaxation, particularly sunbathing. Alternate mode: combat submersible.
Fittingly, McConnohie is a veteran of the Sunbow cartoon, having voiced the Autobots Tracks and Cosmos. At the same time, he's been involved with anime dubs for decades, beginning with the 80's. *Waverider's Japanese name is Diver.*
+Headmasters
Three of the stasis-locked Transformers under Metalhawk's care, Metalhawk recruits three humans to binary-bond with them to help spur their recovery, utilizing a pair of Master Bracers in order to don cybernetic exo-suits that allow them to form the heads of the robots and essentially pilot them, while also subconciously drawing upon their skills when needed. The three are assigned to handle rescue operations during battles with the Decepticons.
-Shootout/Shūta Gō: Tony Oliver (Shootout)/Lara Cody, aka 'Deanna Morris' (Shūta)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Tony-Oliver/
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Lara-Cody/
The son of Professor Haruma Gō, Shūta is always eager for new challenges and willing to jump into dangerous situations without hesitation...or thought, really. He means well, but he tends to leap before he looks, and his brain-mouth filter could use some work. A skilled soccer player, Shūta is close friends (and friendly rivals) with fellow Headmaster Cabu, and they both have a slight crush on their teammate Minerva. Shūta bonds with the Autobot crowd control specialist Shootout--alternate mode: police car.
The voice of Robotech's Rick Hunter is a perfect fit for this eager young Autobot warrior, while the casting of Cody follows in the long voiceover tradition of casting women to handle the voices of kids, boy or girl, with the anime dub aspect of it dating back (as far as I know) to Corrine Orr, the voice of both Speed Racer's girlfriend Trixie and his younger brother Spridle. *In Japan, Shuta's transtector was named Goshooter, and was a repaint of the Autobot Siren.*
-Hosehead/Cabu: Larry Abraham (aka Andre Cornell)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0008951/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t20
Cabu is the crown prince of the Kingdom of Karin in the South Seas, but if he could have his way, he'd really rather not be. Cab has availed himself of the tropical nature of the Karin Islands to escape his responsibilities in the most extreme way possible, spending his days playing "wild boy" in the island jungle. Exposure to the evil of the Decepticons and a burgeoning friendship with Shuta Go prompted Cab to join up with the Autobots and enter civilization, but like the saying goes: you can take the boy out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of the boy. Brave to the point of stupidity, insufferably brash, and desperately caught up in a desire to appear mature while avoiding any of the actual responsibilities maturity entails, Cabu doesn't tend to "play well" with others. Cabu bonds with the Autobot emergency rescue trooper Hosehead--alternate mode: fire engine.
*In Japan, both Hosehead and the human were named Cab.*
-Medivac/Minerva: Wendee Lee, aka 'Wendee Swan' (Medivac)/Rebecca Forsdadt, aka 'Reba West' (Minerva)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Wendee-Lee/
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Rebecca-Forstadt/
Minerva is the daughter of Mont Porte's ambassador to Japan, half-French on her mother's side, and a happy, charming, friendly, talented girl brimming with idealism and care for her fellow man. But Minerva's idealism is a naive kind: petitioning to join the Autobots out of a desire to "fight evil", she quickly found that the reality of war was a lot more than she was prepared for. Already very uncomfortable with violence and now thrown into the heart of a war in which children, of all beings, are so casually made a part of the conflict, Minerva is left struggling to rationalize her role as a warrior, even one on the side of good. As such, she usually refrains from entering battle herself unless circumstances absolutely demand it, instead operating as a battlefield medic and tending to the human victims of the Transformers' battles. Minerva bonds with the Autobot first responder Medivac, who is revealed to be the younger sister of the Autobots' detective Nightbeat, mentioned to be off in a different corner of the galaxy with the rest of the Autobot Universal Guard. Alternate mode: custom first responder vehicle.
For the human half of the equation, the voice of Robotech's Linn Minmei (with a light French accent) was a perfect fit for the idealist of the Autobots' human allies. *In Japan, Minerva was a repaint of Nightbeat and is generally regarded as the first officially-released female Transformer figure.*
+Powermasters
Four of a group of eight stasis-locked Transformers scattered across the world, they are recovered by the Autobots, who recruit four humans to act as their pilots as their sparks begin a long journey from dormancy.
-Ginrai Prime/Jin Reiden: Paul St. Peter (robot)/Kerrigan Mahan (Jin)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Paul-St-Peter/
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Kerrigan-Mahan/
A Nagano, Japan native, Jin Reiden found the atmosphere of his home country unbearably stifling, and left for the United States at the young age of seventeen to "find himself". The very definition of a free spirit and a lone wolf, he took a job as a long-haul truck driver for Union Transportation which offered him the freedom and solitude of the open road. Despite his desire for isolation and self-exploration, however, he is hugely popular amongst his "brothers" in the trucker fraternity, as his easygoing personality allows him to get along with people like a house on fire. His life was turned upside-down when he discovered that the latest rig he was driving was actually an Autobot--specifically, a chassis meant to be an upgrade for the legendary Autobot leader Optimus Prime, based on the resemblance. Jin has found his entire worldview changed by the evil of the Decepticons, a force he painfully realizes is too great for him to overlook. It would not, Jin figures, be a good thing for the Decepticons to rule the world. After all, he lives there. He then joins up with the Autobots, and later, in addition to gaining a trailer that combines with the cab to create a super mode, gains the ability to further combine with a specialized drone called the Apex Bomber for a greater power boost. Alternate mode: tractor-trailer truck.
For many of you fans of the DC Animated Universe, you'll recognize Mahan as the voice of Static Shock villain Edwin Alva Sr. *In Japan, the Powermaster Optimus Prime toy was named Ginrai, who when combined with his trailer became Super Ginrai and, when further combined with the drone Godbomber--which wouldn't see a U.S. release till 2003 in a reissue set as 'Apex Bomber'--allowed him to become the super-powerful God Ginrai.*
-Getaway/Remy Lightfoot: Michael Sorich (robot)/David Millbern (Remy)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Michael-Sorich/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0587778/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t30
Remy Lightfoot was born in England and raised in Canada, and at seventeen years old, is heir to the prestigious British Motors automotive company founded by his father, Cedric Lightfoot. Although positively rolling in money and prestige, Lightfoot has been raised to never forget his humble beginnings, and has grown up to be a gentle, polite, well-spoken man who only ever puts his position to use if it will help one of his friends. His desire to protect his fellow man makes him a natural Autobot, but there are times when he's entirely too willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of someone else. Remy bonds with the Autobot escape artist Getaway, whose form had been uncovered by engineers at British Motors and was used as the model for their first best-selling car--alternate mode: concept sports car.
*The name for his human component is based on both Getaway's Japanese name Lightfoot and Rev, the Nebulan the U.S. Getaway came with.*
-Joyride/Hobart Wylie: Eddie Frierson
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Eddie-Frierson/
Hobart Wylie approaches life on Earth with the sort of fascination that one would normally reserve for a visitor from Cybertron. He absolutely adores the natural world (except for insects, especially cockroaches), having developed a harmonious rapport with nature that allows him to take pleasure in the simple things that many of us would either take for granted, like the sunset or the way snow falls on a mountain peak, or in the secrets of nature that most never get the chance to experience at all. As an extension of his love of nature, he withdrew from noisy city life and began working as a Mountie in the Canadian Rockies, living in a simple log cabin in the woods that he built himself and expressing himself by whittling and painting. And you can't even begrudge his eccentricities, because Ranger is a polite, warm, open-hearted guy who makes friends easily and is always ready to lend a hand to a complete stranger. While this simple lifestyle and emotional openness might cause you to mistakenly perceive him as naïve or pacifistic, he's actually quite willing to fight when the situation demands it. He's hot-blooded when those he loves are hurt, and is handy with a firearm, but he's also very well-educated, particularly in geography and history. Hobart bonds with the Autobot ground defense warrior Joyride--alternate mode: all-terrain buggy.
*In Japan, Joyride was named Ranger and released in a color scheme different than his U.S. figure (as seen above). His human component is named after the U.S. version's Nebulan partner Hotwire.*
-Slapdash/Ludwig King: Richard Epcar (robot)/Frank Catalano, aka 'Anthony Wayne' (Ludwig)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Richard-Epcar/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0145817/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t3
Ludwing King, as a world F-1 racing champion, is nothing if not well-named. Known in racing circles as "The British Wolf", Ludwig can be a bit of stereotypical "big city" celebrity, with a loud, boisterous personality and an eye for the ladies, which can sometimes rub his quiet, nature-loving teammate Hobart the wrong way. The pair have a strong friendship, though, and any arguments they might get into always end with a joke. Ludwig bonds with the Autobot interceptor Slapdash--alternate mode: F-1 race car.
*Slapdash's human component is named for his Japanese counterpart Road King and his U.S. figure's Nebulan partner Lube.*
+Other Autobots
-Quickswitch: Cam Clarke (aka 'Jimmy Flinders')
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Cam-Clarke/
Quickswitch is dedicated to being the best. A member of the enigmatic group of Transformers able to change into six modes, he has voyaged across the universe increasing his strength and skill, mastering the elusive art of six-changing. The problem with this boastful warrior, though, is that he really needs people to know how good he is, and if there's someone out there who claims to be more powerful, then there's no other course of action for Quickswitch than to take them on and show them who's boss. Quickswitch really only understands force, believing that one's own power is all that matters—the subtleties of fighting for something or someone are lost upon him. As a hexa-changer, however, he is a mercurial, impressionable sort, and the nobility of the Autobots intrigues this wandering warrior...Quickswitch's alternate modes include 1) a laser pistol, 2) a jet fighter, 3) a puma, 4) a hydrofoil, and 5) a drill tank.
*The USA version of Quickswitch uses a color scheme of aqua, red, white, gray and yellow, while the pictured version is the Japanese release, which was given the name Sixknight.*
-Stronghold Maximus and Tactus: Greg Finley, aka 'Guy Garret' (large robot)/Daniel Woren (small robot)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278038/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t22
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Daniel-Woren/
Tactus, the younger brother of the Autobot Cerebros, was given his own commission by Optimus Prime and put in charge of the large transforming battle cruiser known as Stronghold Maximus, built from the specs developed by Cerebros and Autobot human ally Spike Witwicky years ago for Fortress Maximus. Tactus even underwent the Headmaster process to be able to utilize its collossal robot form should the need for heavier firepower be required. He is dispatched by Prime to assist Metalhawk's group when a new Decepticon 'big gun' begins making his way toward Earth. Alternate mode: space-faring battle cruiser and command fortress.
*In Japan, Fortress Maximus was repainted in 1988 as Grand Maximus and was portrayed as the younger brother of the same character. In addition to a new color scheme, he also came with a Pretender shell for the robot that became Grand Maximus's head.*
#Decepticons
+Lord Straxus: Bill Capizzi (aka 'A. Gregory')
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0135131/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t2
During the early years of the Autobot-Decepticon war, Straxus was a warlord who served under Megatron, lording over the Cybertronian city of Polyhex as a ruthless, fearmongering dictator. An accident during a battle with the Autobot communications officer Blaster left him seemingly destroyed, but in truth he became a disembodied spirit, wandering the universe and developing a variety of strange powers. At some point in time [a bit after the events of "The Rebirth"], he came into contact with the Decepticon Pretenders and the rogue Nebulans Gigas Grax and Megara Zarak, and formed an alliance to set out and accomplish what Megatron couldn't--take over or destroy the planet Earth. He is responsible for scattering the eight stasis-locked mechanoids that would become the Powermasters to keep them out of Autobot hands, and bonds Gigas and Megara with the largest of the Decepticon Powermasters. He carries out his plans through his minions exclusively due to his ethereal condition, though his energy powers are a force to be reckoned with.
*For the purposes of my hypothetical scenario, I had to figure out a way to utilize Masterforce's main villain, the malevolent energy being Devil Z, in a dub that tweaked different elements of the show. Then I thought of another hypothetical way to do so--in my what-if, the writers localizing the show look to Marvel's comics, specifically the events of issues #17-18, and take that story's memorable villain, the Decepticon Straxus, and impose him on the visuals of Devil Z to give the story an established villain. It works well considering that in a Marvel UK story arc, Straxus tries to possess Megatron, just as Devil Z (*spoiler alert*) possesses Black Zarak in the last few episodes of Masterforce.*
+Pretenders
A Decepticon covert unit pressed into the service of Lord Straxus, these three set out to cause mayhem and destruction across Earth, frequently butting heads with their Autobot rivals.
-Bomb-Burst: Tom Wyner
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Tom-Wyner/
Bomb-Burst is easily the cruellest of the Decepticon Pretenders, and it is this organized, focused wickedness that makes him their leader. This doesn't sit well with Skullgrin, who constantly tries to undermine Bomb-Burst's authority, although Bomb-Burst always comes out on top in their arguments. Bomb-Burst is a fairly angry guy, prone to fits of rage and always willing to hold a grudge, but he's got the skills to back up his bluster, including a hypnotic ability that allows him to entrance human beings with ease. He's a highly skilled fighter under cover of darkness, but he doesn't do so well in the light, and prefers not to be outside in the daylight for too long, if he can avoid it. Alternate mode: VTOL jet.
Wyner was cast based on his portrayal of another blood-sucker, Dracula himself in a 1980 Toei anime film Harmony Gold dubbed in 1983 called Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned, a loose adaptation of Marvel Comics' Tomb of Dracula comic book. *In Japan, Bomb-Burst was given the name Blood.*
-Skullgrin: Mike Reynolds
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Mike-Reynolds/
Skullgrin's love of the smell of gunpowder led him to become the explosives expert of the Decepticon forces. If there's an unexplained explosion anywhere, odds are Skullgrin had a hand in it. But he's not just good for blowing things up: he's also physically the strongest of the three Decepticon Pretenders, and always up for a fight. Naturally, he thinks that means he ought to be in charge, and as such, he doesn't get along very well with self-appointed leader Bomb-Burst. He is constantly attempting to undermine Bomb-Burst's authority, even though he never has very much luck, since Bomb-Burst rarely takes him seriously. Alternate mode: heavy assault tank.
*In Japan, Skullgrin is named Dauros.*
-Submarauder: Cam Clarke
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Cam-Clarke/
There is the sense that Submarauder is a little bit older and wiser than his fellow Pretenders, Bomb-Burst and Skullgrin, but that he's been outstripped by these younger, more eager hot-heads, and that he's fairly aware of it. He's quite accepting of this state of affairs, though, and he gets along quite well with both of them in different ways: he and Bomb-Burst often scheme together, and he regularly goes on missions alongside Skullgrin, who seems to respect him. However, a fair bit of his time is also spent getting between the two and stopping them from fighting amongst themselves, thanks to Skullgrin's resentment of Bomb-Burst's leadership position. Submarauder transforms into a Cybertronic submarine that can hover over ground just as well as it cuts through water. He is a terrifying force in the water, able to create undersea volcanoes, control sea life and use his "Aqua Saw" sword to bend the flow of the oceans to his will.
In casting Clarke, I looked to one of his most memorable villain characters in Rocksteady (from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) for inspiration. *In Japan, Submarauder is named Gilmer.*
+Headmasters
Straxus, through Gigas and Megara, recruits three delinquint punks to pilot three dormant reserve Decepticon troops in order to aid in their plans of conquest.
-Fangry/Brisco Wilder: Steve Kramer (robot)/Cam Clarke (Brisco)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Steve-Kramer/
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Cam-Clarke/
Once, Brisco Wilder was just a typical juvenile delinquent pretty-boy who expressed his discontent with the world by founding a motorcycle gang with some of his friends. Then one day, while they were having the sort of anti-authority fun 'The Man' didn't like them having, they got beaten up by a rival gang. Having had the one thing he even halfway cared about taken away, Brisco decided that the best thing to do would be to take his frustration out on society by joining up with the Decepticons. And to his "credit", Brisco didn't do it by half—he has flung himself so deeply into the evil world of the Decepticons and embraced it so eagerly, that there may be no coming back. Brisco bonds with the ferocious Decepticon tracker Fangry--alternate mode: bat-winged wolf monster.
*Fangry's human component is named after a combination of his U.S. figure's Nebulan partner Brisko and his Japanese name Wilder.*
-Horri-Bull/Reb Bullock: Richard Epcar
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Richard-Epcar/
Reb Bullock is in it for the money, and there's not an awful lot to say about him beyond that. A former petty thug originally based in Mexico, Reb was a loner who got by in life on the money he made street fighting until the Decepticons made him a better offer. Reb is basically a blunt instrument—he's quite happy to be pointed at something and instructed to cause a bit of chaos, but if he's charged with tasks as low-yield as searching or staking out, he'll quickly start moaning and look for something else to do. He's not really that bad a guy, though; he considers fellow recruits Brisco and Lao-Ko real friends and genuinely looks out for them, and he's not really into the whole "evil" thing, especially to the extremes that the Decepticons want. It's really just business to Reb, and he'd like to have a world to keep doing business on. Reb bonds with the Decepticon ground trooper Horri-Bull--alternate mode: monster bull.
*The human name comes from a combination of the U.S. figure's Nebulan Kreb and Horri-Bull's Japanese name Bullhorn.*
-Squeezeplay/Lao-Ko Kyansha: Robert Axelrod (robot)/Emilie Brown (Lao-Ko)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Robert-Axelrod/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0113518/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t18
Lao-Ko isn't a bad kid—he's just been dealt a bad hand. An orphan raised at a martial arts dojo in his home country of China, Lao-Ko was bullied by the other pupils, but was determined to become as strong as he could in order to put the dojo on the map. Unfortunately, that's when the Decepticons came along, and Lao-Ko saw joining them as an opportunity to achieve this goal. Alas, Lao-Ko got a little lost in the opportunities he was offered to run wild and be the "tough guy" for the first time, and with the husband-and-wife team of Gigas and Megara leading the villains, he has found a sense of family in the Decepticons that he had never enjoyed before. But Lao-Ko doesn't really want to hurt anyone, and the evil of the Decepticons is steadily growing less and less palatable for this troubled youth...He considers his fellow Headmasters Brisco and Reb genuine friends, and is partnered up with the diminutive Blowback, who calls him "boss" and follows his every command. Lao-Ko bonds with the Decepticon saboteur Squeezeplay--alternate mode: crab monster [though personally, I think it's a mutant cobra due to the snake-like head and the outstretched hood].
*Squeezeplay's human component is named for both the character's Japanese name Cancer, and the U.S. figure's Nebulan partner Lokos.*
+Powermasters
-Overlord/Gigas Grax and Megara Zarak: Tony Clay (robot)/Paul St. Peter (Gigas) and Alexandra Kenworthy (Megara)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Tony-Clay/
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Paul-St-Peter/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0448962/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t8
Gigas and his wife Megara lead the Decepticon forces on Earth, serving as the field commanders for the disembodied Decepticon warlord Straxus. Gigas has given himself over entirely to the Decepticon goals of conquest, but at the same time, has not lost touch with his humanity, believing that organics should be the ones to rule their own planet. He realizes that a bloodless takeover is essentially impossible, but Straxus's hate-fuelled willingness to exterminate human beings to achieve his goals often leaves a bad taste in Gigas's mouth. Although cruel, calculating, and a Decepticon through and through, Megara nonetheless dotes upon the Decepticon Headmasters—especially Lao-Ko— as if they were her surrogate sons, and her prowess in battle has been compromised more than once due to her concern for her "children". Gigas and Megara are relatives to two of the 11 Nebulans who ruled Nebulos as tyrants and joined up with the Decepticons during the events of "The Rebirth"--Gigas is the younger brother of Grax (partner of the Headmaster Skullcruncher), while Megara is the niece of the Hive's leader Lord Zarak, who constructed and turns into the head of the Decepticon Scorponok. The pair bonded with the Decepticon Overlord, a towering warrior that is an amalgamation of the deadliest Decepticon weaponry known, armed with laser blasters and grenade launchers in his stomach, and the terrifying ability to prevent the wounds he inflicts upon his opponents from healing. He is even equipped with an internal arms factory. Overlord is formed from two individual vehicles, a tank and a jet, which combine together to form his colossal robot mode, a heavily-armed advance base, or a larger jet capable of space flight.
*Making Giga and Mega (as they're known in Japan) Nebulans was a key way for me to strengthen the connective tissue between this reworked version of Masterforce and the preceding Sunbow cartoon series. Also, the naming of Mega as Megara Zarak is an unintentional nod on my part to Scorponok's Japanese name of Mega Zarak.*
-Darkwing/Heinrich Draeger: Gregory Snegoff
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Gregory-Snegoff/
Heinrich Draeger was a talented actor in his home country of East Germany, but apparently celluloid stardom wasn't exciting enough for this burgeoning young sociopath. Hydra became involved with the American criminal underworld, using his talent for disguise to become an assassin who was soon regarded as one of the best in the business. Cold, uncaring, and extreme in his methods, Hydra already considered himself above most other people, so when the Decepticons arrived on the scene and offered him even greater power, he happily seized upon the opportunity. Heinrich truly believes that the Decepticons should rule mankind, and is willing even to sacrifice his own humanity to help them accomplish that goal. Heinrich bonds with the Decepticon aerial assault trooper Darkwing--alternate mode: Panavia Tornado GR1 fighter jet.
Snegoff's Khyron from the "Macross Saga" of Robotech was what I was thinking of when casting him as Heinrich. *Darkwing's human component is named for the character's Japanese name Hydra, whose figure substituted the turquoise highlights for red.*
-Dreadwind/Burnard Draeger: Kerrigan Mahan
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Kerrigan-Mahan/
Hailing from East Germany, Burnard was a deejay before he and his older brother, Heinrich were recruited by the Decepticons. He is an enigmatic sort who does not really have much of a personality of his own, instead serving as a (vaguely creepy) extension of his brother's whim, following his lead in combat and turning to him for direction in all things. While Burnard is not nearly as cruel and detached as the sociopathic Heinrich, he remains a fearsome fighter of great power. He bonds with the Decepticon air defense specialist Dreadwind--alternate mode: F-16 Fighting Falcon jet. Dreadwind and Darkwing are able to combine in vehicle mode to form a powerful super-jet.
*The first two letters of Burnard's name come from his and Dreadwind's Japanese name of Buster, which unlike the U.S. figure had red highlights instead of turquoise.*
+Seacons
-Snap Trap/Piranacon: Greg Finley
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278038/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t22
Snap Trap (alternate mode: giant sea turtle) is the only Seacon who possesses sentience, but he hates his monstrous appearance, and often takes out his frustration over it upon the legion of Seacon drones that he commands. That's no great loss to the Decepticons, though, given the infamous expendability of the mindless creatures, which means that there's always a fresh supply of them to combine with Snap Trap to form Piranacon. Snap Trap is still a powerful foe on his own, though, with the ability to generate a sonic shockwave underwater, and a shell so durable that it can withstand the force of a hydrogen bomb. When forming Piranacon, Snap Trap combines with one each of the following Seacon drones: Nautilator (a lobster), Overbite (a shark), Seawing (a manta ray), Skalor (a coelacanth), and Tentakil (a giant squid). While five of the Seacons become limbs for Piranacon, the sixth member transforms into a weapon for the giant to wield.
*In the U.S., there were only six Seacons and each was an individual (and Snap Trap does have a robot mode). In Japan, the Seacons were given the names Turtler (Snap Trap), Gulf (Skalor), Kraken (Seawing), and Lobclaw (Nautilator), with Overbite and Tentakil retaining their names, and their combined form being named King Poseidon.*
+Other Decepticons
-Blowback: Jan Rabson
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jan-Rabson/
Blowback is a tiny Transformer given to Lao-Ko by Megara. Although often described as being a "pet", he is a fully sentient Transformer, so the appellation doesn't really seem to fit: he's actually more like a little best friend for Lao-Ko, who he absolutely adores and would do anything for. Although he's an atypical Decepticon, to be sure, he's still a Decepticon, and has no great love for the Autobots—although like his "boss" Lao-Ko, he does have a soft spot for Minerva. Given his diminutive stature, Blowback is able to transform, without changing size, into a human-scaled handgun. In this mode, he is unable to fire himself, requiring a wielder, but he is able to draw on the energies of that person to supercharge his blasts. He rarely shoots anything lethal, however, preferring instead to discharge a wide variety of projectiles and liquids, including smoke capsules, confetti, water, flags and… er… doves.
*In Japan, the character is named Browning. Like the original Megatron figure, he originated from the "Gun Robo" subset of the Takara Micro Change toyline.*
-Scorponok Umbra: Mike Reynolds
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Mike-Reynolds/
Built from the same specs as the original Scorponok, Scorponok Umbra is summoned to Earth by Straxus at the behest of Megara, knowing that her uncle Lord Zarak had been planning an upgraded form of the powerful Decepticon for some time. Observing the activity of Scorponok Umbra, the Autobot Tactus, in the battle cruiser Stronghold Maximus, raced to Earth ahead of him to warn Metalhawk and the Autobots, as well as pass along plans and data needed to construct Ginrai Prime's power-up drone the Apex Bomber in anticipation of the massive Decepticon's arrival. Scorponok Umbra proved to be a capable general for the Earth-based Decepticons, backed by a legion of Fasstrack drones and an army of firebreathing Decepticons called the Firecons (Cindersaur, Flamefeather, and Sparkstalker). Eventually, Scorponok Umbra would be fully possessed by Straxus in a bid to win the war against the Autobots.
*Like Fortress Maximus, in 1988 Takara repainted the original Scorponok figure as Black Zarak, with the new additions of a head overlay that fit on the Headmaster in robot mode and a new 'Tyrant Spear' weapon.*
+Other Characters
-Professor Gō: Michael Sorich
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Michael-Sorich/
Professor Haruma Gō is an ally of the Autobot Pretenders, and the father of Headmaster Shūta Gō. When Metalhawk and the Autobot Pretenders living on Earth came to suspect that their Decepticon enemies would soon reappear to threaten the planet, they revealed themselves to Professor Gō, seeking the scientist's help in preparing for the fight ahead. Happy to render his services, Gō created a large subterranean complex that would serve as a staging base and headquarters for the Autobots when the battle began. Within this base, he stored three dormant Autobots sent to Earth by Chromedome of the Autobot Headmasters, who were occupied battling the Decepticons in space. Gō kept his alliance with the Autobots a secret from his son Shūta, but Metalhawk, in his human form of "Matthew Hawke," was a regular presence at Gō's observatory research centre and became good friends with Shūta. When the day of the Decepticons' return finally came, Gō and Hawk were attending one of Shūta's school soccer matches. On their way back to Gō's Space Astronomy Research Center, they were contacted by Waverider with news of a Decepticon attack on a cruise ship. Realizing that the day they had long dreaded had arrived, Gō was hesitant to tell Shūta the truth, but Metalhawk convinced him it was the right thing to do, and the boy was told the tale of the Transformers. After several further attacks by the Decepticons and their Destroids, Professor Gō began to feel it was time to bring the three Autobots back online. Gō did not get to realize this goal, however, thanks to a Decepticon attack on his observatory while most of the Autobots were occupied fighting in the Karin Islands. Only Landmine was present to defend him against the Decepticon Bomb-Burst, who collapsed a stone pillar on top of the professor, leaving him trapped as the facility exploded. When the Autobots returned, there was only rubble left to sift through, but the fatally wounded Gō was discovered clinging to life in the wreckage. Asking Metalhawk to take care of Shūta, he handed his son the key to the base he had built for the Autobots, and died.
-Donq: Theodore Lehmann
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0493541/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t24
Donq is the guardian of Prince Cabu of the Karin Islands. He's always ready to dispense some nugget of wizened wisdom, and often pushes Cabu in directions that the prince doesn't want to go, but he really just wants what he thinks is best for his young charge, regardless of whether or not it's the best idea.
-Doubledealer/Clyde D'Angelo: Cam Clarke (Autobot mode/Decepticon bird mode)/Tony Oliver (Clyde)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Cam-Clarke/
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Tony-Oliver/
To say that Clyde D'Angelo is a bit on the mysterious side would be putting it mildly. Nobody really knows who he is, where he comes from, or how he found the remaining dormant Powermaster…but then, that air of the enigmatic is what you want in a double agent, isn't it? About the only thing that is known about Clyde is that he's a complete techno-geek, who is fascinated by military weapons, so it probably wasn't much of a surprise that upon bonding to this Powermaster, he decided to join up with the Decepticons in order to fully exploit the destructive capabilities of his new robot form. When he came to witness their lack of concern for their comrades, however, Clyde realised that the Autobots were a much better fit for him. The Powermaster Clyde bonded to would later be revealed to be a Cybertronian mercenary by the name of Doubledealer, who during the war was known to play both sides of the conflict depending on the highest bidder, evident by his ability to change between an Autobot (his robot mode) and a Decepticon (his monster bird mode), with the only commonality being the missle transport both alter-egos transform into.
*In Japan, Doubledealer was called Doubleclouder and had slight paint differences from his U.S. figure, which came with two different partners: the Nebulan Knok would turn him into his Autobot form, while the robotic bat Skar would turn him into his Decepticon bird mode. Doubledealer's human component is named for both the U.S. and Japanese versions of his short name: Clouder and Dealer.*
Till all are one!