Transformers Super God Masterforce

Transform! God On!

Transformers: Super-God Masterforce is the third or fourth (depending on how the third series of G1 is viewed) incarnation of Transformers produced. Divisive even by Transformers standards, it tells the story of a battle between Transformers who become humans, and humans who become Transformers.

Millennia ago, a group of Transformers gained the ability to disguise themselves as organic beings. Calling themselves Pretenders, they came to live on Earth, where the Autobots disguised themselves as humans. The Decepticons disguised themselves as demons and terrorised humanity until they were sealed away in the Egyptian pyramids, Atlantis, and the Nazca Lines of Peru. Much later, the Decepticon Pretenders reawaken and, led by the mysterious Devil Z, begin an assault on humanity.

A short time into the show, both factions recruited the Headmaster Juniors. These were a group of human children bonded to inanimate Transformer bodies known as Transtectors, of which they became the heads. They thus represented a medium between the American and Japanese incarnations of the Headmaster toys, while also being closest thing Transformers has had to Humongous Mecha. The Autobot Headmaster Juniors transformed into emergency vehicles, while their Decepticon counterparts transformed into animals.

Later, the Godmasters (whose toys were known as Powermasters in English-speaking territories) were introduced. Godmasters were similar to Headmaster Juniors, but instead of forming their Transtectors' heads, they formed the engines. They added jinchokon, the Life Energy of humanity, to the tenchokon (heavenly energy) and chichokon (Earth energy) of the Transformers, thus forming the ultimate lifeform - the Super-Gods of the title.

In terms of Continuity, Masterforce is canonically set after Headmasters; however, while Headmasters was clearly set Twenty Minutes Into the Future, Masterforce used contemporary technology and fashions. However, aside from a few brief instances, Masterforce is pretty much self-contained, and so knowledge of Headmasters is (fortunately) not necessary to follow or understand it.

Masterforce was the first Transformers series to have an ongoing plot and Character Development. The theme of personal transformation, rather clumsily attempted in Headmasters, is skilfully shown here as the human characters are shown to initially be quite naive and to gradually evolve into powerful warriors and protectors. The final result is a rather sad but satisfying ending.

The toyline was largely the same as the American G1 toyline for 1989, but with a few additions, such as the Ginrai toy (Optimus Prime in Hasbro territories) coming with the Godbomber; this would not be released outside Japan until 2003 with the 15th anniversary reissue of Powermaster Optimus Prime, where it was known as Apex Armour.

The Pretenders were rather simple toys with basic transformations and forgettable altmodes, which came with human- or demon-shaped posable outer shells. The Headmaster Junior toys were the same as the regular Headmaster toys - a large robot whose head transforms into a smaller robot and whose body becomes a vehicle or animal. The Godmasters also had two components; one was a small human in Powered Armour that transforms into an engine which plugs into a slot in the larger vehicle. The vehicle cannot transform into robot mode unless the engine is plugged in.

The cartoon received the same hilariously bad dub treatment as Transformers Headmasters. The dub was first broadcast in Malaysia on RTM-1 in 1988, and later in Singapore on StarTV. DVDs containing both the dub and subtitled Japanese episodes were released in the UK in 2006 (sub only) and Australia in 2008; both were also shown in the UK on Anime Central in 2007.

Followed by Transformers Victory

Tropes used in Transformers Super God Masterforce include:

• Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Sixknight, also Cancer is literally one.
• A Mech by Any Other Name: Though part of the Transformers meta-family, Masterforce also makes use of lifeless mech bodies called 'Transtectors' that a human being can merge with, effectively becoming a giant robot as opposed to merely piloting one.
• As You Know: Blood has an unusually appropriate reaction to this trope being used on him: "Shut up! I don't need you to tell me that!"
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Ginrai, Shuta and Cab are the Brooding Boys, they are violent, prone to anger and quick to use their fists and the violence. Minerva is the Gentle Girl, she is sensitive and cheerful and she always try to use the words, the compassion and the reason. Minerva is also the Gentle Girl of her western counterpart the Brooding Boy Nightbeat, who unlike her, is very determined to use violence and intimidation to carry out his detective work.
• Blithe Spirit: Minerva, with her sensitivity, pacifism, empathy and attachment to the life she manages to make ruthless and cruel guys like Ginrai or Shuta less ruthless and more empathetic and awakens the morality and sense of good and evil in sadistic and evil villains like Cancer and Clouder.
• Banjo Ginga: Black Zarak.
• Battle Couple: Mega and Giga.
• Big Bad: The series has you convinced that Overlord is the greatest threat for the longest time. Turns out its Devil Z.
• Bishonen: Buster and Hydra.
  • Buster's decidedly feminine apperance is a leftover from the character's original conception as a girl.
• Blood Knight: Sixknight
• Bow Ties Are Cool: Minerva's default outfit.
• Brainwashed: Black Zarak is the Headmasters villain Mega Zarak/Scorponok in a new body. Prior to the start of the Masterforce series Devil Z made him his mind-controlled bitch.
• But Not Too Foreign: Minerva is half-Japanese
• By the Power of Greyskull: Lots of variations: "Suit On!", "Pretender!!", "Masterforce!", "Head On!" and "God On!".
  • The Hydra brothers also yell "Wing Cross!" when combining, while Ginrai gets "Double On!" and "Chojin Gattai!" for his increasingly more powerful transformations.
• Calling Your Attacks: Anything more flashy than your standard gunshot gets a fancy name. Even if it's just a whip.
• Character Development: In a Transformers show. Fancy that.
• Character-Magnetic Team: The Autobot ranks swell over the course of the series, while the Decepticons never get any new permenant additions outside of Hydra and Buster.
• Complete Monster: Devil Z. Even Overlord starts to loathe his brutality.
• Crowning Moment of Awesome: Quite a few. Usually involving Ginrai.
• Cultural Cross-Reference: One episode makes a direct reference to Superman.
• Daisuke Gouri: Dauros
• Defeat Means Friendship: Sixknight bows to this.
• Delinquents: The Decepticon Pretender Jrs., especially Bullhorn and Wilder. also Shuta pilot of the transtector Goshooter (the japanese continuity counterpart of Siren), throughout the show there are many hints about Shuta being a delinquent.
• Distressed Damsel: Minerva, on occasion.
• Elite Mook: King Poseidon, essentially
  • The Sparkdash grunts may also qualify. They seem to function as Devil Z's equivalent to the Seacons.
• Empathic Weapon: The Godbomber upgrade for Ginrai. It can't talk, but it does communicate.
• Energy Being: Devil Z. Though any further information on his motivations/origins are not divulged.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Most of the Decepticons who still have human components turn against Devil Z at the end, wthout much success.
• Expy: Ginrai's Transtector looks essentially identical to Optimus Prime, because the toy has been designed as a new version of the character, Powermaster Optimus Prime. Ironically Ginrai himself has far more similarities to Megatron in terms of personality than to Optimus Prime. like Megatron, Ginrai is cheerful and boisterous, but also harsh and violent, capable of being a rather severe, strict, and ferocious leader to his subordinates. however, he cares for his subordinates despite everything unlike Megatron who has no problem attempting to kill or threatening to kill his subordinates.
• Eyes Always Shut: Ranger.
• Gratuitous English: You are hero!
• Hair-Trigger Temper: There are several examples.
• Shuta is very violent and quick to anger and this starts to be seen in the episode 3 where during a flight on an airplane he and Cab decide to fight a zombie Decepticon stewardess to protect Minerva and a scientist that the Decepticons wanted, and during the fight Shuta insults and strangles the zombie stewardess, although, given the situation they were in, the only option was the violence but still that doesn't change the fact that strangling someone was a bit too far. throughout the show he also has other moments were he demostrates his violent nature like in the episode 5 when an irritated Minerva tells him that he's an animal, his response is to get into a fighting stance to possibly attack her, or later in the same episode when he impulsively goes to the battlefield, not without first getting angry with Minerva, giving her a Death Glare for trying to stop him, because they first need Diver permission to go or in the episode 37 where he gives Clouder a beating despite Clouder saying that it wasn't his intention to set him in a trap and that the trap was the Decepticons idea not his. also in is constant bickering with Cab, Shuta is usually the aggressor.
• Ginrai just like Shuta, is also very violent and quick to anger as is demonstrated in the episode 11 where he violently interrogates one of the men of the bar, apparently first strangling him and then grabbing him by the collar of his shirt after that man said that Ginrai friend Billy was the fifth victim killed in a traffic accident and in the episode 12 while he is roughly and violently interrogating Cancer, Minerva shouts him to stop doing that, and Ginrai response is to tell her to shut her mouth and give her a constant Death Glare, miraculously nothing worse happens because Minerva stops herself at the last moment from confronting him out of fear. another proof of his bad temper is in the episode 29 when he punches and scolds Lightfoot because Lightfoot was trying to sacrifice himself.
• Cab is also violent and wrathful in the episode 2, he gets angry with Shuta because Shuta is surprised that he doesn't know about soccer, and basically the whole episode is he being super grumpy with the Autobots, thinking that they came to attack his tribe and in fact, throughout the entire show Cab is quite grumpy and in the manga his bad temper is even more evident, given that when Shuta tries to stop Cab from confronting the decepticons, Cab punches him in the face. and literally at the beginning of the episode 3 he threatens Shuta with his knife because Shuta made fun of him although Cab immediately tried to pass this off as a joke. in the episode 5 just like Shuta, when an irritated Minerva tells him that he is an animal, he also gets into a fighting stance to possibly attack her.
• Cancer of the Decepticons Headmasters Jrs is very violent and bad tempered literally in the episode 12 after being kidnapped and imprisoned by the Autobots when Minerva in an act of pity offers him juice, Cancer, angry, distrustful, and believing that the glass is poisoned, kicks it, breaking it in her hand and injuring her. this reaction from him is not particularly surprising because at that point of the story he is still a sadistic and psychotic villain.
• Another examples of quick to anger guys are the rest of the Decepticons Headmasters Jrs Bullhorn and Wilder and Overlord, Sixknight, Metalhawk and Diver.
• Handsome Lech: Lander, who apparently is struck with a critical case of Mars Needs Women.
• Heel Face Turn: Sixknight, Clouder, eventually many human Decepticons.
• Henshin Hero: Masterforce is unique among Transformers series in that human beings play very active roles as both the central protagonists and the main antagonists.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Sixknight. Overlord also has a try, but doesn't fare too well.
  • Lightfoot's also a bit too eager to give up his life for the sake of the mission.
• Honour Before Reason: Sixknight may be an arrogant jerk whose secure in his superiority, but he'll beat you fair and square to show you his superiority.
  • Later in the series, Overlord insists on fighting the incredibly powerful God Ginrai without using any of his weapons in order to showcase 'the power of flesh' to his nutjob boss. He's willing to die in the process, if need by.
• Hot-Blooded: Ginrai, Shuta and Cab. The Decepticons Headmasters Jrs, the Pretenders Decepticons and Overlord and Sixknight also count. also Diver and Metalhawk have shades of this.
• Human-Focused Adaptation: Oh very much so. The main characters are most emphatically the humans who become Transformers rather than the natives of Cybertron.
• Humans Are Special: Jinchokon (meaning "The Power of Man" essentially) is unique to humans. It allows the Godmasters to attain their full power by combining the three primal energies of life: the other two on their own are nowhere near as potent without Jinchokon.
• Humongous Mecha Real ones too.
• I Am Your Opponent: Practically Ginrai's Catch Phrase.
• The Idiot From Osaka: Browning.
• Image Song: "Don't Cry".
• Jumped At the Call: The Autobot Headmaster Jrs. Lightfoot, Ranger and Road King all seem pretty fine with having to fight evil alien robots, too.
• Kaneto Shiozawa: Road King.
• Kick the Dog: Wilder literally kicked and killed a little girl's puppy simply because it was annoying him. As if he hadn't been shown to be an utter sociopath already...
• Kill All Humans: After bearing witness to the feats of the Godmasters throughout the series, Devil Z panics at the power of human potential and decides it'd be a wise move to exterminate the lot of them.
• Koji Totani: Blood.
• Lensman Arms Race: Both factions race to locate the leftover Godmasters. When that comes to a close they focus on giving their respective commanders powerful upgrades.
• Made of Explodium: The Seacons.
• Mechanical Lifeform: The Transformers themselves.
• The Medic: Minerva. Her transtector turns into an ambulance, after all.
  • All three of the Autobot Headmaster Jrs are primarily assigned to rescue duties before engaging in combat.
• Merchandise-Driven: 'natch.
• Mid-Season Upgrade: Super Ginrai becomes God Ginrai.
• Multinational Team:
• Omnicidal Maniac: Devil Z.
• "On the Next Episode of..." Catchphrase: "Now, you too use the Masterforce to transform!"
• Pet the Dog
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: Sixknight, of the Six Tribe.
• Put on a Bus: The Autobots Pretenders are quickly pushed out of the limelight to make way for the super-cool Godmasters.
  • Phoenix is put on a bus almost immediately, getting virtually no screentime.
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: The Decepticon Pretenders probably count.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Ginrai, Shuta and Cab are the harsh and violent Red Oni, Minerva is the more rational and pacifist Blue Oni.
• Refusal of the Call: Ginrai resists becoming a permenant member of the Autobot crew for a while, eventually deciding to join when the Decepticons show they won't stop making his life hell even when he's not on the battlefield.
• Sentai
• Shonen Upgrade
• Show Hayami: Sixknight.
• Sibling Team: Hydra & Buster.
• Speaks Fluent Animal: Cab can converse with animals. He even keeps a bird and armadillo.
• Story Arc: While Masterforce does have quite a few standalone episodes, its best appreciated in a back-to-back format. Certainly executed much better than Headmasters and Victory.
• Redemption Equals Death: Overlord and Sixknight get this.
• Rocket Punch: Ginrai's Godbomber upgrade allows him to do this. Fortunately, his fists return on their own.
• Takeshi Kusao: Double Clouder.
• Talking Is a Free Action: One instance has Ginrai explaining the finer points to transforming and being a Godmaster to new guy Ranger while the pair of them are falling off a cliff.
• Team Mom: Mega is a rare villainous version.
• Minerva also counts with her compassion and empathy for others, she is basically often this for the rest of the Autobots. and in fact, in the manga, Shuta and Cab literally call her the mother of the Autobots.
• Team Pet: Cab's parrot and armadillo, as well as Browning.
• The Call Knows Where You Live: Hydra and Buster attack Ginrai during his day job on a few occassions. They also take the oppurtunity to murder some of his friends.
• Theme Music Power-Up: Several themes of Masterforce are good indicators that you're about to get the snot beaten out of you.
  • Ironically, one such song that was specifically about Ginrai was played while the suped-up Hydra brothers were badly beating him.
• This Is Unforgivable!
• Three Amigos: Shuta, Cab, and Minerva.
• Transforming Mecha
• True Companions: Both good and evil.
• Unwanted Harem (Gender-flipped and G-rated)
• Villain Decay: The poor Decepticon Pretenders suffer from this. They go from being monstrously ruthless foes to the threat level of your average He-Man villain.
  • King Poseidon also stops being quite as threatening when Ginrai beats seven bells out of him every other day.
• Villainous Rescue: Towards the end of the series, the Autobot Headmaster Juniors and a reformed Cancer were in a pinch fighting the seacons and just when they were about to be overwhelmed, the disgruntled Decepticon Headmaster Juniors came in and helped turn the tide of the battle.
• You Have Failed Me: As one might expect, big boss Devil Z starts to get mighty peeved at the constant failures of his underlings. So much so he almost batters Buster and Hydra to death in a fit of rage.
• Yumi Touma: Go Shuta.
• Walking the Earth: Sixknight after his humbling defeat by Ginrai.
• We Have Reserves: The Seacons are droves of mindless drones who show up, fire a few lasers and then explode.
  • The Sparkdashers don't fare much better.
• Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him: One episode had Hydra pretty much refuse to use his guns at the proper moment: He has Ginrai cornered and outgunned, he walks menacingly towards him, smirks and...flips his guns over and uses them as clubs. Later on his brother has Ginrai in a chokehold, so Hydra once again moves to shoot the hero, only to discard his gun at the last moment and punch Ginrai in the gut. JUST SHOOT HIM ALREADY.
• Word Salad Title