Devil Z

Devil Z is a super-energy being from the Super-God Masterforce portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

It's the Magic Cyst of Devil Z!

The origins of the self-styled "Decepticon God" Devil Z (デビルZ Debiru Zetto)^[1] are shrouded in mystery. Seemingly lacking any corporeal form, he exists purely as a pulsating globe of iridescent energy. As the "Supreme Leader of Darkness" (闇の総統 Yami no Sōtō),^[2] he commands the Decepticons on Earth, via his "Ambassador of Destruction", Overlord, and the main Decepticon force in space, through his brainwashed servant, BlackZarak. Although he almost always acts through his pawns, rarely dirtying his own hands (er, metaphorically speaking), he is terrifyingly powerful in his own right, able to generate enough energy to devastate a planet with his Devil Power. His goal is creation of the ultimate lifeform, the Godmaster, which he sought to accomplish by fusing Transformers and human beings into one, thereby creating a lifeform that could wield all three aspects of Chōkon Power.

Fiction

Japanese cartoon continuity

Legends comic (1)

The Matrix of Leadership, invented by Primacron, was designed to be a receptacle for the bearer's wisdom, absorbing it and converting it into energy. When its original bearer, the Oracle, was physically destroyed, he transferred his wisdom to the Matrix and used it to travel to the planet that would later become Cybertron, emptying the Matrix in the process of becoming one with the planet. When the Quintessons sealed the Oracle in Vector Sigma and used his power to create the Transformers, they also acquired the Matrix, which became filled with their wisdom, an evil form of energy. When the Transformers rebelled, they recovered the Matrix and emptied its evil contents, forming a malicious and vengeful entity that sought revenge against the universe for being disposed. Millions of years later, this entity would steal the Powermaster bodies from the factory at G Nebula 89 and took them to Earth so that they could be influenced by the Angolmois Energy and Zodiac found there, becoming Godmasters in the process. The entity himself would also remain on Earth and absorb those energies for thousands of years before revealing himself, becoming known as Devil Zodiac (デビルゾディアック Debiru Zodiakku), or "Devil Z" for short. Bonus Edition Vol. EX

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Voice actor: Hidekatsu Shibata (Japanese), Simon Broad (English, Omni Productions dub), Roberto Colombo (Italian)

Oh man, I think the acid just kicked in!

Devil Z came to Earth with eight transtectors, which he scattered across the planet to absorb the necessary energies for their evolution, while he himself hibernated at the bottom of an ocean trench. Awakening in the early years of the 21st century, Devil Z quickly set about building his army. He recruited a pair of humans named Giga and Mega, merging them with the largest of the Transtectors and turning them into Overlord, the first of the Godmasters, and charged them with locating the remaining Transtectors. A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva He freed the Decepticon Pretenders from the prisons their Autobot counterparts had sealed them in across Earth epochs beforehand. Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt And he captured and brainwashed the current Decepticon leader Scorponok (who had just recreated himself as BlackZarak), thereby placing the Decepticon forces in space under his control as well. Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!

There were differing accounts of exactly where Devil Z and the Transectors had come from. Autobot Headmaster Grand Maximus identified him as a super-energy being that came from "the far reaches of the universe", and claimed he had stolen the Godmaster Transtectors from G Nebula 89. Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets! Conversely, Giga claimed (presumably repeating what Devil Z himself had told him) that the Transtectors were fragments of a god-like alien being, who had come to Earth with Devil Z.^[3]A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva

While Giga and Mega were busy conducting their search for the other Godmaster transtectors, Devil Z resided in the Decepticons' underwater base occupied by the Pretenders, perched atop a tentacled dais from which he silently regarded his subjects. When Blood called upon his power to animate the first wave of Destroids Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt and to drive animals in Africa into a frenzy, Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!! Devil Z complied, but when Gilmer happened to walk past his pillar, muttering to himself about the ineptitude of the Headmaster Juniors, Devil Z struck him with a bolt of energy, causing the Pretender to beg his forgiveness. Go, Goshooter - Showdown in the Wasteland

After Giga and Mega successfully located and trained the first new Godmasters, Hydra and Buster, he brought his two sets of troops together in his underwater base. The first major obstruction in Devil Z's plan came not long after, when the Autobots recruited a Godmaster of their own, Ginrai. A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai Devil Z remained silent during the Decepticons' following gatherings, A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva but was finally heard to speak when he vowed that no more Godmasters would become Autobots, and ordered Ginrai's destruction. Eliminate the Godmaster Ginrai Unfortunately for Devil Z, what he had failed to realize was that all the remaining transtectors he had stolen had been intended for Autobot use, and consequently, the human beings who merged with them all allied with the Autobots, thwarting his attempt to increase his army. An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger

This failure did not sit well with Devil Z, who summoned Decepticons fighting off-planet for assistance. Life? Death? The Desperate Lightfoot While waiting for his powerful soldier, Devil Z informed his Earth-based troops that the Autobots had figured out their plans and began the Bomber Project to counteract it. The entity ordered his Godmasters to stop it at all costs. Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!? As his powerful minion—BlackZarak—neared Earth, Devil Z ordered Giga and Mega to rendezvous with BlackZarak on the Moon Will the Bomber Project Be Destroyed!? When Buster and Hydra failed to destroy the Bomber Project, it was revealed to be the dron Godbomber, and it merged with Super Ginrai to form the mighty God Ginrai. With his new capabilities, God Ginrai blasted off to the Moon, a feat observed by Devil Z, who warned Giga and Mega of those developments. God Ginrai - Into the Sky!! After a dramatic battle on the Moon, God Ginrai was able defeat Overlord and force BlackZarak back into space, despite Overlord admonishing BlackZarak not coming to Earth as per Devil Z's wishes. God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon Devil Z silently watched as Giga and Mega fumed over their defeat and their planning to destroy Ginrai. Overlord - Terror of the Chōkon Tornado

During his prolonged stay in space, BlackZarak mastered localised gravity manipulation, allowing him to create black holes which he used to teleport himself directly to Earth. Once there, he and the other Decepticons enacted Devil Z's "Operation M1", rampaging across the planet until the Autobots stopped them. BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space Having now witnessed the untapped potential for power within human beings, Devil Z formulated "Operation M2"—the complete destruction of humankind through use of the atmosphere-destroying "Death Para-Machine". The Autobots yet again foiled his plan and destroyed the Death Para-Machine, but the willingness of their leader to wipe out mankind had already planted a seed of doubt within the minds of Giga, Mega, Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction and the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors. The Decepticons would soon attack locales all over Earth. When BlackZarak in China was surrounded by Autobots, Devil Z ordered Overlord to leave Europe to assist, and made another order to retreat when the battle turned sour for the Decepticons. God Ginrai - Save Cancer!?

My God...it's full of stars!

When Giga proposed a trap inside their own base, Devil Z rectuantly approved, but warned he would not tolerate failure. God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base As the battle between the two factions spiraled out of control, an outraged Devil Z played his trump card. Declaring that he would now reveal his true form to the assembled Autobots and Decepticons, Devil Z exploded with light, transforming first into a bizarre embryonic creature, and then into a sinister crimson mist that flowed into BlackZarak. Now in control of the powerful Decepticon's body and mind, Devil Z promptly collapsed the Decepticon base in a failed attempt to destroy the Autobots. The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform Subsequently, the Decepticons relocated to the Amazon, where the hybrid Devil Z/BlackZarak entity announced his intention to revisit his plan to wipe out mankind. Again, Giga voiced his concern over the drastic nature of the plan, but again, Devil Z ignored him, driving the wedge between the alien and his servant even further. As it turned out, Devil Z's contempt for flesh was even shared by Hydra and Buster, who petitioned Devil Z to purge them of their humanity and merge them completely with their transtectors so that they could become purely robotic lifeforms. Devil Z complied, and the newly-robotic Hydra and Buster were sent to battle Ginrai while Devil Z unleashed his Devil Power on a devastating attack on North America. Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings Reborn When the Autobots arrived to stop him, Devil Z responded by turning his Devil Power on the four former Decepticons who had since joined up with the Autobots—Wilder, Bullhorn, Cancer and Clouder—separating them from their transtectors and bringing the robotic bodies to life as true super-robot lifeforms. Autobots! Desperate Attack!!

For Devil Z's final attack on Earth, he moved the Decepticons to the peak of the Matterhorn in the Alps and unleashed his Devil Power over Europe. The Autobots again gave chase, and Ginrai once again bested Hydra and Buster in combat, leading the enraged Devil Z to take out his frustrations on the two brothers. As he lashed them with his spear and blasted them with energy beams, Overlord finally spoke out against his superior, but his concern for his subordinate was met only with contempt. Able to bear no more, Overlord attempted to strike Devil Z, but was cut down by the giant Decepticon, and would have been destroyed had Ginrai not arrived in time to save him. Devil Z was kept busy by Sixknight while Ginrai got Overlord to safety, and by the time he had destroyed the Six Changer, Ginrai had returned to the mountain peak to face off against him. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z Uninterested in fighting Ginrai, Devil Z transformed BlackZarak to scorpion mode and attempted to depart, intending to head for Antarctica, where he had already planted an amplifier for his Devil Power that would allow him to eliminate mankind with ease. Ginrai, of course, did not let him leave without a fight, dragging him back down to the mountain and prompting Devil Z to inflict the ultimate punishment: he unleashed his Devil Power on Ginrai, intent on transforming him into a true robot as he had done with Hydra and Buster, removing from him the humanity he so coveted. Thankfully, Ginrai was rescued by Grand Maximus, and his revenge was swift, as he punched BlackZarak's head clean off his shoulders.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Pull my devil trigger!

The Autobots' believed that Devil Z was down, but the loss of his host's head did little to impede the alien's evil, and he simply transformed BlackZarak's body into a new serpentine form to continue the fight. At that point, Overlord appeared and opened fire on his leader, and Devil Z responded by killing Giga and Mega and bringing the Overlord transtector to life as a true robot. Furious at the unrepentant evil of Devil Z, Ginrai merged his powers with those of the Autobot Headmaster Juniors, and unleashed a super-charged version of his God Fire Guts attack upon the villain, reducing BlackZarak's body to ashes. Without a host to contain it, the energy orb of Devil Z coalesced in front of Ginrai once more, growing to enormous size and raging impotently that the Godmasters were tools that would never be able to defeat their maker. Defiantly, Ginrai and the Juniors summoned up every ounce of their energy for the "Final Fire Guts" attack, and Ginrai dove like a flaming spear into the heart of Devil Z, who screamed and exploded in a coruscating wave of light and darkness.

At the sight of Devil Z's death, the surviving Decepticons immediately turned tail and fled into space. The alien's death also severed the bond he had forged between the humans and their transtectors, and the Autobots found themselves separated from their robot bodies. The Autobot transtectors were brought to life, and they pursued the surviving Decepticons back into space. A Battle... and Then...

Generations Selects Special Comic

While battling Star Convoy in the Precursor World, Turtler remembered how Devil Z and the other Decepticons showed their lack of respect for him. Seacons comic 5

Legends comic (2)

Devil Z was resurrected into the Legends World through dark magic rituals enacted by Mindwipe, who wanted the entity to grant him a transtector. He did as asked, providing Mindwipe with new a body and a Servant partner drone that allowed the Decepticon to hypnotize everyone around him into his loyal subjects... in exchange for the life force of those subjects, which he needed to restore his true strength. When Mindwipe refused, Devil Z had Servant remove his head and took the transtector for himself, setting out to feast on his subjects regardless. He was defeated when Mindwipe teamed up with Megatron and attacked him with a spell that would send him back to whatever plane he was resurrected from. Bonus Edition Vol. 34

Devil Z endured, however, and took control of Decepticon Tera-Kura Co. by using his brainwashing powers to buy up all their stocks. While forcing the Decepticons to work under harsh conditions for his profit, he learned that a trailer reminiscent of Ginrai's transtector had appeared in the Legends Universe and sent the Decepticon Headmasters to destroy it immediately. His fears came to pass when Ginrai showed up and claimed the transtector, which he used to send the Decepticons packing despite Devil Z powering them up with Devil Power. Bonus Edition Vol. 35 Devil Z was outraged when one of his workers, Soundwave, left the company, and didn't take well to Megatron warning him that using fear to control his subordinates was doomed to fail. He wired Megatron into the Galvatron transtector and used it to attack the "traitor", but was driven off after Soundwave and Blaster cut Megatron loose and blasted Devil Z with the harmony. Bonus Edition Vol. 36

Nevertheless, Devil Z recovered using the Legends World's Shinchōkon and resurrected Giga and Mega to assist him in his plans. The two agreed, as long as they'd get their long-overdue duel with Ginrai. Bonus Edition Vol. 60 Having lost his sway over Tera-Kura Co., Devil Z went underground with his underlings and watched as the two former Godmasters applauded Clouder for his actions as a double agent. Bonus Edition Vol. 47 Giga and Mega were able to lure Ginrai into their makeshift restaurant, where they revealed their resurrection thanks to Devil Z and went right into battle after Ginrai finished his meal. When it seemed like "Overlord Tera" had the upper hand, Devil Z's gloating was cut short by Clouder binding the evil lifeform with energon chains, revealing his true loyalty was to Mayor Megatron all along. Overlord was defeated and Devil Z taken into custody. Bonus Edition Vol. 60

In police custody, Devil Z expounded on his true origins, ending his exposition by using Shinchōkon to break his restraints. Free, he summoned and again brainwashed Scorponok from the G1 World, bringing along the Headmaster's new, gigantic, BlackZarak transtector. Forming a the BlackZarak/Devil Z hybrid again, Devil Z was able to repel an attempt from Mindwipe to banish him and swore to kill every living thing in the Legends World so that he would be able to use all of its Shinchōkon to dominate other universes. His plan was quickly opposed by Grand, who arrived with a new transtector that matched BlackZarak in size. With the combined power of all of the Masterforce warriors in the Legends World, Grand Maximus cleaved BlackZarark into pieces, destroying Devil Z but sparing Scorponok. Bonus Edition Vol. EX

Devil Z persisted, absorbing the Legends World's energy once more and reviving himself within Mindwipe's transtector. When Scorponok was defeated during an attempt to destroy the world and take its energies for himself, Devil Z deemed it a good plan and took up where he left off, taking control of Mindwipe's body and using him to place six _targetmasters-turned-plasma energy bombs in a crucial location. Slugslinger caught up and blasted him out of Mindwipe, but the entity informed him he was too late and any attempt to defuse the bombs would only cause them to detonate. After a failed attempt at recruiting Slugslinger to his side, Devil Z departed to observe the Legends World's destruction from somewhere else. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two

Super-God Masterforce comic

Tentacles are very good at preparing cantaloupes.

Devil Z came into contact with Giga and Mega when the couple drowned at sea, and he elected to use his powers to resurrect them as his emissaries and servants. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms At first, he left most of the work up to them, clinging to the shadows, handing down commands without ever being seen, and being spoken of only rarely by his subordinates. Exactly where he was based was never revealed; he does not appear to have remained on Earth after awakening.

When the Decepticons' attempt to defeat the Autobots with holograms of legendary Decepticons from years past failed, Buster inquired if there were any real troops they could call on, and Giga announced that they would have to wait for Devil Z's order. Burn, Chokon! New Commander Super Ginrai! The order came soon, as he instructed the Decepticons on Earth to join forces with the space-based Decepticon forces and attack the Autobots on Athenia. During the ensuing battle, Devil Z's existence was revealed to the Autobots when the Decepticons boasted that they had all been united under his rule. The Battle Begins! The Earth-Space Alliance Army

Devil Z always did want to get ahead in life.

Devil Z proceeded to upgrade BlackZarak's powers, The Decepticons' Great Counterattack! and brought the giant Decepticon back to Earth. After several further failures on the Decepticons' part, Devil Z took matters into his own hands, transforming Buster and Hydra into true robots, and possessing BlackZarak's body, positioning his glowing orb between the Decepticon's shoulders in place of his actual head. In this form, Devil Z appeared during a battle between Ginrai and the other Decepticons, and transformed BlackZarak's body into a new serpentine mode as everyone looked on in shock. Devil Z then turned on the other Decepticons, and attempted to drain theirs and Ginrai's Jinchōkon, intending to absorb it and thereby transform himself into the ultimate lifeform. His absorption beam was blocked by the sudden arrival of the wholly-robotic Autobot Pretenders, saving Ginrai and the Decepticons from a nasty fate, and the Decepticons all decided to join with the Autobots to defeat their treacherous former master. Climbing aboard Grand Maximus, all the Transformers united their energies in the "Perfect Transform Attack", and the super-charged Grand Maximus charged into Devil Z, destroying him and BlackZarak for good in a blinding explosion of pure Chōkon Power.

The death of Devil Z resulted in the bond he had forged between the humans and their transtectors being severed, causing the humans to be separated from their robot bodies, and the transtectors to come to life as true super-robot lifeforms. Additionally, his destruction caused the energies sustaining Giga and Mega to cease, and they died along with him. The now-living Autobot and Decepticon transtectors resolved to take their war back into space, where they would rejoin their respective factions and continue their conflict. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms

Ask Vector Prime

Godmessenger and their sibling Godmaster were children of a Light God that came to Earth to break the Silence and spread the Word. Though they were infused with the power of Tenchōkon, they were unprepared for the infusion of Chichōkon that hit them as they entered Earth's atmosphere. Godmaster allowed themself to split into eight parts and lose their ego, but Godmessenger resisted, and was corrupted by the experience, losing their corporeal form and becoming the malevolent Devil Z. The evil entity's pursuit of the ultimate lifeform was an attempt to reconstistute their lost sibling's discorporated form, which Devil Z would then take as a new body for himself.

When asked about the two conflicting versions of the Godmasters' origin, and whether the account of Godmaster and Godmessenger had been a falsehood told to Giga by Devil Z, multiversal observer Vector Prime claimed that both were true. After recounting Godmaster and Godmessenger's origins in a little more detail, he explained that the two tellings co-existed within the same timeline as per "the fluid nature of the intersection of myth and reality", as well as quantum disruptions caused by the destruction of that universal stream's Cybertron. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/24

Multiversal saboteur Sideways claimed to know enough about Devil Z to not mess with him. Ask Sideways, 2015/07/07

In one reality, Devil Z resided in the Dark Nebula. After swaying the guards of Garrus-7 to his cause, the incarcerated Predacon warlord Devil Gigatron dispatched Stealth Bomber and Scoutjet to the Dark Nebula to plead for help for their new master. Devil Z apparently agreed as Devil Gigatron was miraculously upgraded into Gigatron Z. Spacewarp's Log (1), 2015/10/27

Notes

• Devil Z holds the...unique honor of being the only Decepticon big bad to have a song dedicated to him: "Uchū no Shihaisha - Devil Z" (宇宙の支配者・デビルZ "Ruler of the Universe — Devil Z"). This "image song" was originally sold on a Masterforce soundtrack in 1988, and was reissued on both the History of Music 1984-1990 and Song Universe 5-disc sets. The song was performed by Toshiya Igarashi, who also performed the intro and ending songs for Masterforce. Just in case you weren't clear on how evil he was, the song opens with a screaming refrain of "BAD BAD BAD!" Because...y'know, he's bad.
• Due to the events of Masterforce, the BlackZarak toy also doubles as a Devil Z toy. But then, so does a plasma globe, or even steam from a kettle...
• In the Grand Maximus Legends comic, Devil Z uses a massive transtector that is a "virtual redeco" of Titans Return Twinferno with the head of Scorponok in the colors of BlackZarak.

Foreign names

• English: The Great Lord (Omni Productions dub), Zee (Omni Productions dub)
• Italian: Overlord
• Russian: Velikiy Povelitel' (Великий Повелитель, "Great Lord")
• Spanish: El Gran Jefe (America, "The Great Leader")

References