Banzai-Tron

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Banzai-Tron is the name of three fictional characters from the Transformers series. All incarnations of this character are martial artists. Due to copyright reasons, he is also called Decepticon Banzaitron.

Transformers: Generation 1

Transformers character
Banzaitron-dreamwave.jpg
Banzai-Tron with Razor-Sharp in Dreamwave comics
Name Banzai-Tron
Decepticon
Series Transformers: Generation 1
Transformers: Timelines
Information
Alternate modes None, Gunboat
Function Martial Arts Warrior, Mercenary
Gender Male
Motto "To the victor go the profits."
"Victory is the most profitable business."
Partner Razor-Sharp, Skyquake
Sub-group Action Masters, convention exclusives, Voyagers

Banzai-Tron, produced in 1990, was included in the final subline of Generation One Transformers — the Action Masters. Action Masters did not transform, but included accessories or weapons which did. Banzai-Tron was one of the Action Masters based on new characters, rather than pre-existing characters.

Banzai-Tron's biography lists him as a master of Crystallocution, the Cybertronic martial art of defeating an opponent by attacking his metal fracture points. He uses this to reduce an enemy to spare parts, which he sells for a profit. Banzai-Tron's partner, Razor-Sharp is a mechanical crab that can tear through almost any kind of metal obstacle. It can transform into a semi-automatic rifle that shoots plasma energy projectiles that explode on contact.

It is unknown what Banzai-Tron's alternate mode might be, but he appears to vaguely resemble a samurai warrior. When released later in the Timelines toy line he turned into a Cybertronian gunboat.

Comics

Dreamwave Productions

Though Banzai-Tron was not feature in any of Dreamwave Productions' titles, he did get a profile in their More Than Meets the Eye series. It basically expanded on his tech-spec information.

Fun Publications

Rhetoricverse

In the Renegade Rhetoric stories Banzaitron's spark was used in the creation of the Renegade Puzzler combiner Pocket.

Wings of Honor

Banzai-Tron among the Decepticons in the Transformers: Timelines story "Wings of Honor." He commanded Skyquake, Gaihawk, Hooligan, Hellbat and Leozack. The Decepticons follow the Autobot ship Eight Track to the planet Beta-Nine, where they hope to beat them to the cargo that had crashed there aboard the Autobot ship Van De Graaff.

IDW Publishing

Banzai-Tron's first fictional appearance would be Spotlight: Hot Rod. It was revealed at the end of the story that he was behind Dealer's actions to steal an artifact called the "Magnificence" from Hot Rod.[1]

He reappeared in Spotlight: Arcee where, acting on info from Doubledealer, he had the Combaticons attack the Autobot penal facility on Garrus-9, abducting the Monstructor components for his secret service. He is the head of the Decepticon Secret Service which appears to be fairly high up in the chain of command.

In Spotlight: Hardhead he was found by Arcee and made a deal with her.

In Spotlight: Sideswipe Banzai-Tron and his group hunted Monstructor.

Toys

  • Generation 1 Action Master Banzai-Tron (1990)
A new mold. Came with his partner Razor-Sharp.
  • Timelines Voyager Banzai-Tron (2009)
A BotCon 2009 redeco of Energon Mirage. He came packaged with Skyquake.


Transformers: Cybertron

Banzai-Tron received an extremely unusual reference in the Cyber Key info (found on Hasbro's website) for the Transformers: Cybertron character Backstop. The info indicated that Bludgeon and Banzai-Tron had been the ones to teach Backstop the art of being a martial warrior.

"Ask Vector Prime" later expanded on this information, revealing that Banzai-Tron was a nonviolent practitioner of martial arts who departed Cybertron during the Great War. Departing his home of Kalis, he made his way to the capital city of the planet Azure, where he and many like-minded beings of various races founded a dojo to teach their craft to others. He later came across Bludgeon, a former native of the planet Combatron who had gone from a respected soldier to an Energon drunkard, and chose to rehabilitate him in favor of kicking him off planet. The two became close colleagues, with Bludgeon succeeding Banzai-Tron as a martial arts sensei, though Banzai-Tron would continue to teach up until his death, with Backstop being his final student on the planet Klo. [2]

Transformers

Transformers character
Banzaitron-movietoy.jpg
2010 Banzaitron toy.
Name Banzaitron
Decepticon
Series Transformers
Information
Alternate modes Modified Type 90 Tank
Gender Male
Sub-group Voyager Vehicles

Banzaitron is a Decepticon that transforms into a Type 90 tank. His robot mode sports a Samurai-themed armor and is armed with a Nodachi and a Wakizashi. According to his bio, Banzaitron is a master of at least seven different martial arts, which allow him to defeat and dismantle his opponents. Afterwards, he sells the pieces of his opponents to the highest bidder. His most sought-after prize is Optimus Prime.[3]

Toys

  • Transformers Voyager Decepticon Banzaitron (2010)
A gray/green redeco of Voyager Decepticon Bludgeon.[4]


References

External links