Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)

Japanese Generation 1 continuity « Super-God Masterforce » Toyline Cartoon Commercials Manga Story Pages

Before Time Force, Wild Force, Mystic Force, Megaforce and Super Megaforce...

Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (トランスフォーマー 超神マスターフォース Transformers Chōjin Masterforce) is a Japanese animated series that ran throughout 1988 into the early months of 1989 for 43 broadcast episodes, in support of the toyline of the same name. "Chōjin Masterforce no Theme" plays as its opening theme and "Moero! Transformer" for its ending.

Overview

With the conclusion of the first Japanese-exclusive season of The Transformers, The Headmasters, head writer Masumi Kaneda felt that he had brought the story concepts introduced in The Transformers: The Movie to a conclusion, and sought to make a "fresh start" with Super-God Masterforce. Whereas The Headmasters had featured the existing cast of the American animated series, and gradually introduced new characters as it progressed, Super-God Masterforce was, on the surface, almost entirely divorced from what had gone before, featuring only a cast of entirely new characters in a new scenario. Although links between Masterforce and the events and characters of The Headmasters were expanded upon in various other media and articles, the series itself is remarkably self-contained, to the point of frustration, with many important background aspects not fully divulged in the course of the broadcast series.

There is a very human-centric focus in Masterforce, with the basic theme of the series being that "with the Masterforce, you too can transform" — that human beings are to be responsible for the defence of their own planet. This resulted in the very different approach the series takes, which sees the figures released that year by Hasbro as Headmasters and Powermasters reimagined as "Headmaster Juniors" and "Godmasters"—human beings who connect to lifeless transtector bodies and actually become Transformers themselves. In a similar thematic move, the Autobot Pretenders do not don exterior shells and pass themselves off as "giant humans," as in American fiction, but instead perform an ill-defined holistic transformation that actually alters them at a cellular level, shrinking them down into human forms.

For some inexplicable reason, this was the first Transformers cartoon to be shown in Russia, followed by the other Japanese cartoons (in the wrong order), which left many Russian children very confused as far as continuity goes.

Storyline

After the events of The Headmasters, the Earth has been free of Transformers for several years, until the emergence of the Decepticon Pretenders in 2020.^[1] This group of villains were pursued to Earth during the Stone Age by a group of Autobots led by Metalhawk, and when both teams crash-landed on the planet, they used their special "Pretender" powers to adopt new disguises. Metalhawk and his Autobots took on the forms of human beings and began to live among the burgeoning humanity, guiding the evolution of their culture and society, while the Decepticons became monstrous creatures and tormented early man as "demons." Eventually, the Autobot Pretenders defeated the Decepticons and sealed them away, but as the series begins, they have been liberated from their prisons by the evil alien energy-being, Devil Z, to play a role in his schemes.

With the return of the Decepticons, the Autobot Pretenders are forced to drop their disguises and take up arms once again, gaining allies in three young human children (Shūta Gō, Cab, and Minerva) who are imbued with the power of the "Masterforce" and bond with three transtectors sent to Earth from the planet Master by Chromedome. The Decepticons recruit their own Headmasters Juniors as well, and as the battles on Earth progress, the true objective of Devil Z's plan comes to light. The arrival of Mega, Giga, Buster, and Hydra heralds the quest for the "Godmasters"—super-powerful lifeforms that are the perfect fusion of human and Transformer, able to manipulate Chōkon Power. With these four warriors on the side of the Decepticons, the Autobots must find Godmasters of their own, and succeed when they are joined by a young trucker named Ginrai, who soon recruits three more Autobot Godmasters.

Incensed by this failure, Devil Z ups his plans by summoning BlackZarak (the newest incarnation of Decepticon leader Scorponok, who is busy leading the Decepticons against the Autobots out in space) to Earth. Discovering his plan, Grand Maximus races to Earth to inform the Autobots of BlackZarak's approach. Our heroes create Godbomber, a drone that serves as an upgrade for Ginrai, enabling him to transform into "God Ginrai" and fight in space, allowing him to beat BlackZarak back.

The Autobot suffer a grave loss when the final Godmaster, Doubleclouder, is discovered and sides with the Decepticons, using his ability to adopt two robot forms to infiltrate the Autobots and destroy their headquarters. Without a base of operations, the Autobots are at a disadvantage when BlackZarak returns and merges with Devil Z to bring about the destruction of Mankind. As characters lose their humanity, change their alliances, and engage in final battles, everything comes down to a climactic duel between God Ginrai and BlackZarak atop the Matterhorn, where the Autobot hero must beat his opponent, or all life on Earth will be forfeit.

Episodes

Main article: List of Super-God Masterforce episodes

† Clip show

Cast

Home video releases

Australian DVD release

Japan

VHS

Main article: VAP

• Transformers: Super-God Masterforce — 1 (1988)
• Transformers: Super-God Masterforce — 2 (1988)
• Transformers: Super-God Masterforce — 3 (1988)

DVD

Main article: Geneon Universal Entertainment

• Transformers: Super-God Masterforce — DVD Box 01 (2003)
• Transformers: Super-God Masterforce — DVD Box 02 (June 25, 2003)

United Kingdom

Main article: Metrodome

• The Takara Collection Vol 2 — Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (2006)
• Transformers — The Complete Takara Collection (2007)

Australia

Main article: Madman Entertainment

• The Transformers: Super God Masterforce (2008)
• The Transformers: Japan Generation 1 — Complete Collection (2009)

United States

Main article: Shout! Factory

• The Japanese Collection — Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (2012)
• Transformers — The Japanese Collection (includes Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory) (2012)

Notes

Foreign names

• Italian: Transformers: Pretenders
• Mandarin: Biànxíng Jīngāng: Yǐnzhé Zhànshì (变形金刚：隐者战士, "Transformers: Pretenders")

References

External links

• Transformers: Super-God Masterforce at the Japanese Wikipedia