is a ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the Autobots and the Decepticons, two alien robot factions at war that can transform into other forms, ...

'' anime series and toyline exclusive to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. It features several Autobots teaming up to battle the evil

Predacons This is a list of characters from ''The Transformers'' television series. Autobots The Autobots (also known as Cybertrons in Japan) are the heroes in the '' Transformers toyline'' and related spin-off comics and cartoons. Their main leader is Op ...

seeking to conquer Earth. It is the first animated series in the franchise to be produced in Japan, following a hiatus of 8 years since '' Transformers: Cybertron''.

Summary

The series is set within the same continuity as '' Transformers: Prime'', and takes place in Japan. The main antagonists, the Predacons, aim to collect several energy sources called Legend Disks in order to resurrect their leader, Dragotron (the Japanese name for

Predaking ''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transformer ...

). Groups of Predacons attack locations in Japan where the Legend Disks are located. During these attacks, two cousins, Isami Tatewaki and Tobio Fuma, revive the

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

and

Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21� ...

Autobot teams, respectively. They are then tasked by

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 ...

to retrieve the Legend Disks before the Predacons do, however, complications arise when it is discovered that the Disks are in fact scattered throughout different time periods. The rest of the series follows an episodic format, with either the Samurai or Shinobi teams and their respective child sidekicks traveling to different time periods, trying (and usually failing) to retrieve the disks.

Characters

Autobots

*''

'' - the superheroic leader of the Autobots. He appears later in the series as Optimus ExPrime, a triple changer consisting of a bullet train and dragon alt mode who can combine with other Autobots. *''Samurai Swordbot Team'' - a trio of Samurai Autobots with the ability to merge, with their form being dubbed "Go" in addition to whichever of them is in charge of the combination, i.e. "GoKenzan." **''Kenzan'' - Transforms into a

Police car A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

. While there is no clear

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

among the Samurai Autobots, Kenzan seems to take a leadership role. **''Jinbu'' - Transforms into a

Fighter Jet Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

. Specialises in scouting and aerial combat. **''Ganoh'' - Transforms into a

Fire engine A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to a ...

. Functions as the team's 'muscle'. *''Shinobi Swordbot Team'' - a trio of Ninja Autobots who can combine into various forms. **''Gekisomaru'' - Transforms into a

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

. While there is no clear chain of command among the Shinobi Autobots, Gekisoumaru seems to take a leadership role. **''Hishoumaru'' - Transforms into an

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

. Like Jinbu, he is the team's air support. **''Sensuimaru'' - Transforms into a

Shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

. Specialises in underwater combat. Oddly, he has been seen submerged 'underwater' while on dry land.

Predacons

*'' Dragotron'' - the evil leader of the Predacons who has been imprisoned on Earth for centuries. *''Oni''-a group of four elite generals subservient to Dragotron: **''Budora'' - Second in command of the Predacons. While not openly traitorous, he has stated that he would prefer it that Dragotron never wake up and he remain leader of the Predacons. He is a repaint of the toy exclusive Predacon, Grimwing **''Gaidora'' - A hulking, brutish Predacon who functions as the team's muscle. He is a repaint of the toy exclusive Lazerback **''Bakudora'' - A swift and loyal Predacon who functions as the team's air support. He is a repaint of the toy exclusive Ripclaw **''Judora'' - Another flying Predacon, who acts as second to Budora. He is a repaint of the toy exclusive Skystalker *''Jaki'' - a quintet of lesser Predacons who can combine into the gestalt ''Goradora'': They are all based on the Transformers Prime Abominous set **''Dorara'' **''Barara'' **''Burara'' **''Garara'' **''Jurara''

Toyline

The ''Go!'' toyline consists of several new Autobot figures, while the Predacons and other figures are repaints or Japanese introductions of toys from the ''Transformers: Prime'' toyline.

Autobots

* G11 Hunter Optimus Prime - a redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Optimus Prime * G26 Optimus Prime EX - a new figure with dragon and bullet train alternate modes, capable of combining with other Autobot figures *''Samurai Autobots'' ** G01 Kenzan - transforms into a police car ** G02 Jinbu - transforms into a jet fighter ** G03 Ganoh - transforms into a fire truck *''Shinobi Autobots'' ** G05 Gekisomaru - transforms into a lion ** G10 Hishomaru - transforms into an eagle ** G20 Sensuimaru - transforms into a shark * G06 Hunter Smokescreen - redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Smokescreen * G14 Hunter Bumblebee - redeco of ''Beast Hunters''

Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

* G15 Hunter Bulkhead - redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Bulkhead * G15 Hunter Wheeljack - redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Wheeljack * G19 Hunter Ratchet - redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Ratchet * G25 Go Prime - a redeco of ''Prime'' Thundertron and Leo Prime

Predacons

* G12 Dragotron (ドラゴトロン) - redeco of ''Prime''

* G23 Gurren Dragotron (グレンドラゴトロン) - Dragotron's New form, redeco of Beast Fire Predaking *''Oni Predacons(プレダコン四鬼衆)'' ** G04 Gaidora (ガイドーラ) - redeco/retool of ''Prime'' Lazerback/ Vertebreak ** G07 Bakudora (バクドーラ) - redeco/retool of ''Prime'' Ripclaw/Ser-Ket ** G08 Budora (ブドーラ) - redeco/retool of ''Prime'' Grimwing/ Darksteel ** G21 Judora (ジュドーラ) - redeco/retool of ''Prime''

Skystalker 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 ...

/Sky Lynx/ Backbite *''Jaki Predacons(プレダコン邪鬼軍団) / G09 Gorādora(ゴラードラ)'' ** Dorara (ドララ) - redeco of ''Prime''

Hun-Gurrr ''The Transformers'' is an American animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication based upon Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the '' Transforme ...

** Barara (バララ) - redeco of ''Prime'' Windrazor ** Burara (ブララ) - redeco of ''Prime''

Blight Blight refers to a specific symptom affecting plants in response to infection by a pathogenic organism. Description Blight is a rapid and complete chlorosis, browning, then death of plant tissues such as leaves, branches, twigs, or floral orga ...

** Garara (ガララ) - redeco of ''Prime'' Twinstrike ** Jurara (ジュララ) - redeco of ''Prime'' Rippersnapper

Decepticons

* Hunter Nemesis Prime - a black redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Optimus Prime. * G13 Hunter Shockwave - redeco of ''Beast Hunters''

Shockwave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...

* G17 Hunter Starscream - redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Starscream * G18 Hunter Soundwave - redeco of ''Beast Hunters'' Soundwave *

External links

IMDB's page on the series
{{Tatsunoko Production films Go! 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 Mecha anime and manga Japanese television series based on American television series Television shows set in Japan Superheroes in anime and manga