Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 TV series)
- This article is on the 2001 TV series, as opposed to Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 TV series).
| Transformers: Robots in Disguise | |
 United Kingdom ultimate collection DVD cover | |
| トランスフォーマー カーロボット (Toransufōmā: Kā Robotto) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha, Action |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Osamu Sekita |
| Produced by |
Hisashi Kato Juro Sugimura Makiko Iwata Shigerou Sugimura |
| Studio |
Studio Gallop Nihon Ad Systems |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | TV Tokyo (2000) |
| English network | |
| Original run | April 5, 2000 – December 27, 2000 |
| Episodes | 39 |
Transformers: Robots in Disguise, first broadcast in Japan as Transformers: Car Robots (トランスフォーマー カーロボット Toransufōmā Kārobotto), is a Japanese anime television series created by Japanese companies Nihon Ad Systems and Studio Gallop in cooperation with Korean company Dongwoo Animation. It serves as a self-contained universe separate from any of the other existing Transformers universes.[1] The series was imported to the West as a "filler" line while production on the next series, Transformers: Armada began in 2002, to begin the Unicron Trilogy. The series episodes last 27 minutes each. The series was licensed in the United States by Saban Entertainment & it was one of Saban's last English dubbed anime projects, before the company had been sold to Disney in 2002.
Plot
Megatron captures Dr. Onishi, and the Autobots ally themselves with his son, Koji, vowing to safely recover him from Megatron's clutches. An assortment of plans by Megatron to steal the Earth's energy ensue, led by his subordinate, Sky-Byte, but are stopped by the Autobots, including the newly introduced teams, Team Bullet Train and the Spy Changers. Probing Doctor Onishi's mind, Megatron discovers the significance of an ancient cave system, in which the Autobots discover a coded microchip belonging to the Doctor. After scuffles involving the new Autobot troops Skid-Z and Tow-Line, the microchip leads the Autobots to the Cave of the Dragon, where they discover a mysterious artifact of Cybertronian origin.
Further information decoded from Dr. Onishi's microchip leads the Autobots to the site of a crashed Cybertronian spaceship containing six protoform Autobots. But Megatron has also learned of the ship through his mind-probes and attacks, capturing the Autobots and taking them to a nearby military base, where he scans vehicle modes for each of them and infuses them with his own Spark energy, creating the evil Decepticons. The final Autobot scans Optimus Prime in addition to the tanker truck that will be his alternate mode, creating Scourge, a twisted "evil twin" of Optimus. Several battles with the Decepticons ensue, as Sky-Byte grows steadily jealous of the attention Megatron heaps on his new warriors. Amidst battles between the Decepticons and the newly promoted Autobot subgroup, the Build Team, Sky-Byte attempts to prove his worth by holding a tower of humans hostage in exchange for the Autobots' O-Parts, one of which is the artifact from the Cave of the Dragon. The plan meets with failure, but when Sky-Byte saves his hostages' lives, Koji begins to think he might not be all bad. Subsequently, Ultra Magnus, the bitter brother of Optimus Prime, arrives on Earth to claim the Matrix in Prime's possession, leading to an injured Optimus Prime facing certain doom against the Decepticons on a desert island. Magnus offers him the hand of friendship, but it is a ruse to allow Magnus to take the power of the Matrix, with an unexpected side-effect – the two brothers merge into Omega Prime and defeat their foes.
The Predacons and Decepticons attempt to turn Ultra Magnus to their side, but he refuses and channeling the power of the Matrix he and Prime now share, he supercharges the Autobot Brothers, giving them new powered-up forms. The discovery of a mysterious energy field radiating from beneath the Earth's surface leads both sides to the discovery of Fortress Maximus, a colossal Transformer city hidden on the planet to protect it. In the ensuing battles to claim its power, Dr. Onishi is accidentally set free by Sky-Byte. Now with Dr. Onishi advising them, the Autobots begin to put all the pieces together and, under his guidance, quickly locate all the O-Parts, which are combined to form a map that leads to the Orb of Sigma. In a failed attempt to acquire the orb, Megatron is buried in the ruins of a mysterious pyramid, but is resurrected by its energy as Galvatron. The Orb of Sigma soon leads the Autobots to Cerebros, the power key of Fortress Maximus, but he is stolen by the Decepticons and used by Scourge to activate Fortress Maximus, who rampages through the city until Koji calls out to him, and he stops. Experimentation soon makes it obvious that Maximus responds to human bio-signatures, leading the Decepticons to attempt to capture Koji (but accidentally snatching his friend Carl instead). With Maximus active, Scourge makes his power play, attempting to use him to destroy Galvatron, but when the scheme fails, all the Decepticons have their brains wiped. Galvatron proceeds to drain Fortruss Maximus's energy, boosting his already-formidable strength and then releases a swarm of cyber-bats across the Earth, using them to hold the children of the world to ransom to stay Optimus Prime's hand. Believing he has destroyed the Autobots in a lava flow, Galvatron then recalls his bats, but finds that his foes are still alive, leading to a final confrontation with Omega Prime at the Earth's core. The children of the world re-energize Fortress Maximus, who transmits his energy to Optimus Prime, forming the gigantic Matrix Blade, with which Prime finally defeats Galvatron. At the end, the Predacons and Decepticons—all but Sky-Byte—are imprisoned aboard Fortress Maximus and escorted by Ultra Magnus to Cybertronian space, and the remaining Autobots prepare to leave Earth for good after some rest and relaxation.
Release
Episodes
The three clip shows of Robots in Disguise differ between the English and Japanese versions. Both are listed at the appropriate numbers.
| # | Title | Japanese title | Writer | Director | US airdate | Japanese Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ""Battle Protocol!"" | 初出動! ファイヤーコンボイ First Deployment! Fire Convoy | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui, Akira Katō | September 8, 2001 | April 5, 2000 |
| Predacons have come! The Autobots must defeat a gigantic hand! | ||||||
| 2 | ""An Explosive Situation"" | 高速バトル! ゲルシャーク High Speed Battle! Gelshark | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui, Akira Katō | September 10, 2001 | April 12, 2000 |
| 3 | ""Bullet Train to the Rescue"" | 合体せよ! 新幹線ロボ Unite! Bullet Train Robo | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Steve Kramer (US) | Akira Katō | September 12, 2001 | April 19, 2000 |
| 4 | ""Spychangers to the Rescue"" | 忍者ロボ! スパイチェンジャー参上 Ninja Robo! Enter the Spychangers | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 13, 2001 | April 26, 2000 |
| 5 | ""The Hunt for Black Pyramid"" | 決死のジャンプ! マッハアラート Resolute Jump! Mach Alert | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Marc Handler (US) | Akira Katō | September 14, 2001 | May 3, 2000 |
| 6 | ""The Secret of the Ruins"" | ギガトロンの襲撃! Gigatron's Raid! | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | October 11, 2001 | May 10, 2000 |
| 7 | ""Sideburn's Obsession"" | スピードブレイカーの危機! Speedbreaker's Crisis! | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Akira Katō | September 15, 2001 | May 17, 2000 |
| 8 | ""Secret Weapon: D-5"" | 謎の兵器! D5 Mysterious Weapon! D5 | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Marc Handler (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 17, 2001 | May 24, 2000 |
| 9 | ""Mirage's Betrayal"" | カウンターアローの裏切り!? Counterarrow's Betrayal!? | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Akira Katō | September 18, 2001 | May 31, 2000 |
| 10 | ""Skid Z's Choice"" | 爆走! インディーヒート!! Out of Control! Indy Heat!! | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 19, 2001 | June 7, 2000 |
| 11 | ""Tow-Line Goes Haywire"" | 駐車違反だ! レッカーフック Parking Violation! Wrecker Hook | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US) | Akira Katō | September 20, 2001 | June 14, 2000 |
| 12 | ""The Ultimate Robot Warrior"" | 究極! 大仏トランスフォーマー The Ultimate Extreme! The Large Buddha Statue Transformer | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 21, 2001 | June 21, 2000 |
| 13 | ""Hope for the Future"" | ギガトロンの野望を暴け! Gigatron's Ambitions Revealed! | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Osamu Sekita | October 26, 2001 | June 28, 2000 |
| 14 | ""The Decepticons"" | 敵? 味方!? ブラックコンボイ Friend? Foe!? Black Convoy | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Akira Katō | September 22, 2001 | July 5, 2000 |
| 15 | ""Commandos"" | 5体合体! バルディガス Quintuple Merge! Baldigus | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Marc Handler (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 24, 2001 | July 12, 2000 |
| 16 | ""Volcano"" | 対決! ふたりのコンボイ! En Garde! Two Convoys! | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Akira Katō | September 25, 2001 | July 19, 2000 |
| 17 | ""Attack from Outer Space"" | 宇宙から狙え! シャトラー!! Aiming from Space! Shuttler!! | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | January 12, 2002 | July 26, 2000 |
| 18 | ""The Test"" | 正義に目覚めよ! ブラックコンボイ Awaken to Righteousness! Black Convoy | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Akira Katō | September 26, 2001 | August 2, 2000 |
| 19 | ""The Fish Test"" | 秘密作戦! ゲルシャーク Secret Strategy! Gelshark | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Marc Handler (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 27, 2001 | August 9, 2000 |
| 20 | ""Wedge's Short Fuse"" | 熱血戦士! ビルドマスター Hot-Blooded Warriors! Buildmasters | Junki Takegami (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Akira Katō | September 28, 2001 | August 16, 2000 |
| 21 | ""Landfill"" | 四体合体! ビルドキング Quadruple Merge! Build King | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | June 22, 2002 | August 23, 2000 |
| 22 | ""Sky-Byte Saves the Day"" | 正義の味方? ゲルシャーク Friend of Righteousness? Gelshark | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US) | Akira Katō | June 23, 2002 | August 30, 2000 |
| 23 | ""A Test of Metal"" | 狙われたビルドマスター Targeted Buildmasters | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | September 29, 2001 | September 6, 2000 |
| 24 | ""Ultra Magnus"" | 登場! ゴッドマグナス Enter! God Magnus | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Akira Katō | October 6, 2001 | September 13, 2000 |
| 25 | ""Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!"" | 強制合体! ゴッドファイヤーコンボイ Forced Fusion! God Fire Convoy | Junki Takegami (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | October 13, 2001 | September 20, 2000 |
| 26 | ""Lessons of the Past"" | 集結せよ! 新戦士たち Assemble! New Troops | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Osamu Sekita | December 14, 2001 | September 27, 2000 |
| 27 | ""The Two Faces of Ultra Magnus"" | 絶体絶命! カーロボ3兄弟 Stalemate! 3 Car Robo Brothers | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Michael McConnohie (US) | Akira Katō | October 20, 2001 | October 4, 2000 |
| 28 | ""Power to Burn!"" | 発動! ダブルマトリクス Invoke! Double Matrix | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | October 19, 2001 | October 11, 2000 |
| 29 | ""Fortress Maximus"" | 浮上! サイバトロンシティ Arise! Cybertron City | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Akira Katō | October 27, 2001 | October 18, 2000 |
| 30 | ""Koji Gets His Wish"" | JRX 対 バルディガス JRX versus Baldigus | Junki Takegami (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | November 3, 2001 | October 25, 2000 |
| 31 | ""A Friendly Contest"" | ゲルシャークの罠 Gelshark's Trap | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US) | Akira Katō | November 10, 2001 | November 1, 2000 |
| 32 | ""Peril from the Past"" | 最後の鍵? さよならアイ The Final Key? Farewell, Ai | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Michael McConnohie (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | November 17, 2001 | November 8, 2000 |
| 33 | ""Maximus Emerges"" | 奪われたプラズマ Stolen Plasma | Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Akira Katō | February 16, 2002 | November 15, 2000 |
| 34 | ""The Human Element"" | ブレイブマキシマスの謎 The Mystery of Brave Maximus | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | February 23, 2002 | November 22, 2000 |
| 35 | ""Mystery of the Ultra Magnus"" | ゲルシャークの憂鬱 Gelshark's Blues | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Osamu Sekita | March 30, 2002 | November 29, 2000 |
| 36 | ""Mistaken Identity"" | ブラックコンボイの野望 Black Convoy's Ambition | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Michael McConnohie (US) | Akira Katō | March 2, 2002 | December 6, 2000 |
| 37 | ""Surprise Attack!"" | ブレイブマキシマスの起動! Brave Maximus's Rise! | Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | March 9, 2002 | December 13, 2000 |
| 38 | ""Galvatron's Revenge"" | 逆襲! デビルギガトロン! Counterattack! Devil Gigatron! | Junki Takegami (JP) Richard Epcar (US) | Akira Katō | March 16, 2002 | December 20, 2000 |
| 39 | ""The Final Battle"" | 最後の戦い! ファイヤーコンボイ Final Battle! Fire Convoy | Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US) | Yoshiaki Tsutsui | March 23, 2002 | December 27, 2000 |
References
- ↑ TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE Returns! Hasbro Launches Product Line Based on Original '80s Theme; Fox Kids Series to Debut September 8th. Business Wire September 5, 2001
External links
- Official NAS website (Japanese)
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