''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'', originally known as , is a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
anime television series based on the ''
Transformers
''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms ...
'' franchise. The series was produced by
Nihon Ad Systems
, NAS for short, is a Japanese anime production and character merchandising company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the advertising agency Asatsu-DK. The "Ad" in its title is an abbreviation for "Animation Development". Along with animation studios ...
and
Studio Gallop, in cooperation with Korean company
Dongwoo Animation
DongWoo Animation Co. Ltd (also known as DongWoo A&E Co. Ltd; ko, 동우에이엔이) is an animation studio located in Seoul, South Korea. It has produced many animated series and films created and produced in the United States, Canada, South K ...
, aired in Japan in 2000.
Conceived as a
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
to the franchise, with a self-contained continuity separate from any previous incarnation, A
localized English adaptation aired as part of the
Fox Kids programming block in the United States from September 8, 2001 to March 30, 2002.
Plot
While attempting to stop the Predacons from stealing Earth's energy, the
Autobot
The Autobots are the main protagonists in the fictional continuities of the Transformers multimedia franchise, and are depicted in a collection of various toys, cartoons, films, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The ...
s ally themselves with Koji Onishi after Predacon leader Megatron captures the boy's father, Dr. Kenneth Onishi. Amidst their battles, the Autobots and Predacons discover the location of a crashed spaceship from their home planet, Cybertron, containing six Autobot protoforms. Megatron reaches it first and reprograms the protoforms into the evil
Decepticons
The Decepticons are the main antagonists in the fictional continuities of the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. They are depicted as a faction of sentient robotic lifeforms led by Megatron, identified by a purple face-like insignia. Capa ...
. In light of this, Predacon sub-commander Sky-Byte attempts to prove his worth to Megatron by stealing the Autobots'
O-Parts. Meanwhile,
Ultra Magnus
Ultra Magnus is a fictional character from the various ''Transformers'' storylines in the Transformers franchise, generally appearing as a chief lieutenant of Optimus Prime.
Transformers: Generation 1
Despite his incredible fighting skills, ...
, the bitter brother of Autobot leader
Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime, , is a fictional character in the ''Transformers'' franchise. The Transformers characters were developed for an American market after Hasbro representatives visited the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show. The characters were modified and the ...
, arrives on Earth to claim the latter's Matrix for his own, only for the brothers to gain the ability to merge into Omega Prime.
The Autobots and Predacons eventually discover Fortress Maximus, a giant Transformer hidden on Earth to protect it. While they race to claim its power, Sky-Byte accidentally frees Dr. Onishi, who joins the Autobots to help them locate all of the O-Parts necessary to find the Orb of Sigma. While Megatron finds it and uses its power to become Galvatron, the Orb leads the Autobots to Cerebros, Fortress Maximus' power key. A final battle soon ensues between Galvatron and Omega Prime, who eventually prevails and brings the Decepticons and most of the Predacons back to Cybertron to face justice while Sky-Byte stealthily escapes into Earth's oceans.
Release
Episodes
The three clip shows of ''Robots in Disguise'' differ between the English and Japanese versions. Both are listed at the appropriate numbers.
Reception
References
External links
Official NAS website
{{Portal bar, Japan, United States, Anime and manga
2000 anime television series debuts
2000 Japanese television series debuts
2000 Japanese television series endings
Gallop (studio)
Japanese children's animated action television series
Japanese children's animated adventure television series
Japanese children's animated science fantasy television series
Japanese children's animated superhero television series
TV Tokyo original programming
Super robot anime and manga
Robots in Disguise
Television series by Saban Entertainment