MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Devil Z

2010-11-05T07:19:20Z

125.237.202.203: /* Super-God Masterforce cartoon */

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Devil Z is a super-energy being from the [[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Deril Z.gif|right|320px|thumb|It's the Magic Cyst of Devil Z!]]
The origins of the self-styled "Decepticon God" '''Devil Z''' are shrouded in mystery. Seemingly lacking any corporeal form, he exists purely as a pulsating globe of iridescent energy and is only ever identified as a "super-energy being" hailing from the far reaches of the galaxy.<ref>The true nature of Devil Z is never explained in any broadcast episode of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]''. These few scant details of his origins are revealed in the final chapter of the [[Super-God Masterforce (manga)|''Masterforce'' manga]] and "[[Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!]]".</ref> As the "Führer of Darkness" (闇の総統 ''Yami no Sōtō''), he commands the [[Decepticon]]s on Earth, via his "Ambassador of Destruction", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], and the main Decepticon force in space, through his brainwashed servant, [[Scorponok (G1)|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]].

Devil Z's goal is creation of the ultimate lifeform, the [[Godmaster]], which he sought to accomplish by fusing [[Transformer]]s and [[human]] beings into one, thereby creating a lifeform that could wield all three aspects of [[Chōkon Power]]. To this end, he stole a collection of eight [[Transtector]]s from the [[G Nebula 89|G Nebula]], and spirited them away across time and space to [[Earth]]. With the Transtectors scattered across the planet, Devil Z entered a deep slumber at the bottom of an ocean trench, awakening in the early years of the 21st century to begin his plan. Devil Z quickly built his army by capturing and brainwashing the current Decepticon leader Scorponok (who had just recreated himself as BlackZarak) and liberating the Decepticon [[Pretender]]s from the Earthly prisons their Autobot counterparts had sealed them in epochs beforehand, and then recruited a pair of humans named [[Giga]] and [[Mega]]. Devil Z merged these two humans to the largest of the Transtectors, transforming them into Overlord, the first of the Godmasters, and charged them with locating the remaining Transtectors hidden across Earth.

:''[[Omni Productions]] dub names:'' '''The Great Lord''', '''Zee'''
:''Latin-American dub name:'' '''El Gran Jefe'''

==Fiction==
===''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hidekatsu Shibata]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Devilz on throne.jpg|left|225px|thumb|Oh man, I think the acid just kicked in!]]
While Giga and Mega were busy conducting their search for the Godmaster Transtectors, Devil Z resided in the 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 [[Destroid]]s {{storylink|Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt}} and to drive animals in [[Africa]] into a frenzy {{storylink|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 Junior]]s, Devil Z struck him with a bolt of energy, causing the Pretender to beg his forgiveness. {{storylink|Go, Goshooter - Showdown in the Wasteland}}

After Giga and Mega successfully located and trained the first new Godmasters, [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]], he brought his two sets of troops together in his underwater base. {{storylink|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers}} {{storylink|A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble}} The first major obstruction in Devil Z's plan came not long after, when the Autobots recruited a Godmaster of their own, [[Ginrai]]. {{storylink|A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai}} Devil Z was finally heard to speak when he vowed that no more Godmasters would become Autobots, and ordered Ginrai's destruction. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter}} {{storylink|An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger}} {{storylink|Assemble! The Four Godmaster Gunmen}}

This failure did not sit well with Devil Z, who summoned BlackZarak back to Earth, only to have him forced back into space by Ginrai after a dramatic battle on the moon. {{storylink|God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon}} However, during this 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 M-1", rampaging across the planet until the Autobots stopped them. {{storylink|BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space}}

Having now witnessed the untapped potential for power within human beings, Devil Z formulated "Operation M-2"—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 emperor to wipe out mankind had already planted a seed of doubt within the minds of Giga and Mega. {{storylink|Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction}}

[[Image:Devilz2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|My God...it's full of stars!]]
Not long thereafter, when the Autobots invaded the Decepticon base, 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. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|Autobots! Desperate Attack!!}}

[[Image:Blackzarak scorpion mode.jpg|left|215px|thumb|]]
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 emperor, 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. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}

[[Image:Blackzarak robotmode.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
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.

[[Image:Blackzarak dakatsu mode.jpg|left|215px|thumb|]]
[[Image:Devilz vs ginrai.jpg|right|225px|thumb|]]

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 aliens' 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. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

===''Super-God Masterforce'' comic===
[[Image:Devilz manga.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Vaginas are scary.]]
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. {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}} 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. {{storylink|Burn, Super Soul! The 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. {{storylink|The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops}}

[[Image:Devilz head on%21.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Devil Z always did want to get ahead in life.]]
Devil Z proceeded to upgrade BlackZarak's powers, {{storylink|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. {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
* BlackZarak would later be resurrected by the supernatural [[Violen Jiger]] for the events of the ''[[Zone (franchise)|Zone]]'' anime and manga. Whether or not he was revived with Devil Z's consciousness or his own original mind was never expounded upon, but it seems unlikely that Violen Jiger would have taken that risk.
* Devil Z's name is pronounced with the Commonwealth "zed", rather than the American "zee". Or if you were feeling particularly weeabooish, you could pronounce it "zetto".
* 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 Hit Song Collection|''Masterforce'' soundtrack]] in 1988, and was recently re-issued 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 [[Scorponok (G1)#Super-God Masterforce|BlackZarak toy]] also doubles as a Devil Z toy. But then, so does a [[wikipedia:Plasma globe|plasma globe]], or even steam from a kettle...

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Masterforce characters]]
[[Category:Zone characters]]

Devil Z

2010-11-05T07:18:36Z

125.237.202.203: /* Super-God Masterforce cartoon */

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Devil Z is a super-energy being from the [[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Deril Z.gif|right|320px|thumb|It's the Magic Cyst of Devil Z!]]
The origins of the self-styled "Decepticon God" '''Devil Z''' are shrouded in mystery. Seemingly lacking any corporeal form, he exists purely as a pulsating globe of iridescent energy and is only ever identified as a "super-energy being" hailing from the far reaches of the galaxy.<ref>The true nature of Devil Z is never explained in any broadcast episode of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]''. These few scant details of his origins are revealed in the final chapter of the [[Super-God Masterforce (manga)|''Masterforce'' manga]] and "[[Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!]]".</ref> As the "Führer of Darkness" (闇の総統 ''Yami no Sōtō''), he commands the [[Decepticon]]s on Earth, via his "Ambassador of Destruction", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], and the main Decepticon force in space, through his brainwashed servant, [[Scorponok (G1)|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]].

Devil Z's goal is creation of the ultimate lifeform, the [[Godmaster]], which he sought to accomplish by fusing [[Transformer]]s and [[human]] beings into one, thereby creating a lifeform that could wield all three aspects of [[Chōkon Power]]. To this end, he stole a collection of eight [[Transtector]]s from the [[G Nebula 89|G Nebula]], and spirited them away across time and space to [[Earth]]. With the Transtectors scattered across the planet, Devil Z entered a deep slumber at the bottom of an ocean trench, awakening in the early years of the 21st century to begin his plan. Devil Z quickly built his army by capturing and brainwashing the current Decepticon leader Scorponok (who had just recreated himself as BlackZarak) and liberating the Decepticon [[Pretender]]s from the Earthly prisons their Autobot counterparts had sealed them in epochs beforehand, and then recruited a pair of humans named [[Giga]] and [[Mega]]. Devil Z merged these two humans to the largest of the Transtectors, transforming them into Overlord, the first of the Godmasters, and charged them with locating the remaining Transtectors hidden across Earth.

:''[[Omni Productions]] dub names:'' '''The Great Lord''', '''Zee'''
:''Latin-American dub name:'' '''El Gran Jefe'''

==Fiction==
===''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hidekatsu Shibata]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Devilz on throne.jpg|left|225px|thumb|Oh man, I think the acid just kicked in!]]
While Giga and Mega were busy conducting their search for the Godmaster Transtectors, Devil Z resided in the 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 [[Destroid]]s {{storylink|Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt}} and to drive animals in [[Africa]] into a frenzy {{storylink|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 Junior]]s, Devil Z struck him with a bolt of energy, causing the Pretender to beg his forgiveness. {{storylink|Go, Goshooter - Showdown in the Wasteland}}

After Giga and Mega successfully located and trained the first new Godmasters, [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]], he brought his two sets of troops together in his underwater base. {{storylink|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers}} {{storylink|A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble}} The first major obstruction in Devil Z's plan came not long after, when the Autobots recruited a Godmaster of their own, [[Ginrai]]. {{storylink|A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai}} Devil Z was finally heard to speak when he vowed that no more Godmasters would become Autobots, and ordered Ginrai's destruction. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter}} {{storylink|An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger}} {{storylink|Assemble! The Four Godmaster Gunmen}}

This failure did not sit well with Devil Z, who summoned BlackZarak back to Earth, only to have him forced back into space by Ginrai after a dramatic battle on the moon. {{storylink|God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon}} However, during this 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 M-1", rampaging across the planet until the Autobots stopped them. {{storylink|BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space}}

Having now witnessed the untapped potential for power within human beings, Devil Z formulated "Operation M-2"—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 emperor to wipe out mankind had already planted a seed of doubt within the minds of Giga and Mega. {{storylink|Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction}}

[[Image:Devilz2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|My God...it's full of stars!]]
Not long thereafter, when the Autobots invaded the Decepticon base, 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. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|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. {{storylink|Autobots! Desperate Attack!!}}

[[Image:Blackzarak scorpion mode.jpg|left|215px|thumb|]]
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 emperor, 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. {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}

[[Image:Blackzarak robotmode.jpg|right|250px|thumb|]]
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.

[[Image:Blackzarak dakatsu mode.jpg|right|215px|thumb|]]
[[Image:Devilz vs ginrai.jpg|left|225px|thumb|]]

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 aliens' 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. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

===''Super-God Masterforce'' comic===
[[Image:Devilz manga.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Vaginas are scary.]]
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. {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}} 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. {{storylink|Burn, Super Soul! The 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. {{storylink|The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops}}

[[Image:Devilz head on%21.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Devil Z always did want to get ahead in life.]]
Devil Z proceeded to upgrade BlackZarak's powers, {{storylink|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. {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
* BlackZarak would later be resurrected by the supernatural [[Violen Jiger]] for the events of the ''[[Zone (franchise)|Zone]]'' anime and manga. Whether or not he was revived with Devil Z's consciousness or his own original mind was never expounded upon, but it seems unlikely that Violen Jiger would have taken that risk.
* Devil Z's name is pronounced with the Commonwealth "zed", rather than the American "zee". Or if you were feeling particularly weeabooish, you could pronounce it "zetto".
* 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 Hit Song Collection|''Masterforce'' soundtrack]] in 1988, and was recently re-issued 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 [[Scorponok (G1)#Super-God Masterforce|BlackZarak toy]] also doubles as a Devil Z toy. But then, so does a [[wikipedia:Plasma globe|plasma globe]], or even steam from a kettle...

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Masterforce characters]]
[[Category:Zone characters]]

Gears (G1)

2010-11-05T07:14:13Z

125.237.202.203: /* The Transformers cartoon */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{picsneeded|Fictional appearances}}
{{disambig2|the Generation 1 Autobot|the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Autobot|Gears (ROTF)}}
:''Gears is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:Gearsg1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Gears, ironically, hates [[Neon|bright colors]].]]
'''Gears''' hates [[Earth]], a lush, green planet practically as unlike his cozy, gray, metallic [[Cybertron (planet)|homeworld]] as possible. He grumbles and complains about being shipwrecked on it—complains and grumbles to a ridiculous extent, until he becomes a source of amusement, rather than negativity. This is usually his intent—unlike his fellow [[Mini Vehicle]] [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], Gears has a desire to help his fellow Autobots see good in a bad situation. Still, he does get depressed from time to time.

Gears is strong and tough, not so much in lifting but in endurance, and carrying heavy loads with little effort, be they energon cubes, disabled Autobots, or potatoes for the farmers' market. He is fitted with infrared vision sensors.

In robot mode, Gears can release controlled bursts of compressed air from his feet, launching himself to altitudes over 100,000 feet, and floating back down. In doing so, he must be careful not to lose air pressure before coming close enough to the ground for a safe landing.

:''Nicknames:'' '''Ox''', '''Sourball'''<ref>Nicknames found in early ''[[Transformers Universe (Marvel comic)|Universe]]''-style profiles published in [[The Transformers Comic Magazine]]</ref>
:''Portuguese name (Brazil comics):'' '''Engrenagem'''
:''Hungarian name:'' '''Fuvaros''' (meaning Hauler)
:''Portuguese name (Portugal comics):'' '''Mecano'''
:''Italian name:'' '''Mulo'''
:''South American name:'' '''Pick-Up'''
:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Rollo'''
:''Russian name'': '''Привод''' ("Drive")

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Gearsg1firstappearance.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Wish we saw more of the design on the right. Yikes!]]
{{quote|The only thing '''Gears''' wants to learn about this planet is how to get off it. I hate this place already. I just know you're going to use me as a mobile transport unit again, once we have to set up. Nuts. Let's go home.|The worst words out of his mouth.}}

Gears was one of Cybertron's great warriors, and was chosen to join the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] mission to save Cybertron from an asteroid belt—a mission that saw him stranded on [[Earth]] for four million years. Once he woke up in 1984 and was rebuilt as an Earth truck, he immediately began complaining. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

[[Image:Spider-man.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Spider-Man's amazing friend.]]
Shortly after arriving on Earth, Gears teamed up with [[Spider-Man]], using his ability to launch himself upward using compressed air and fly alongside the superhero in an attempt to reach the mountaintop [[Decepticon]] fortress. When Gears ran low on power, he began to fall before Spidey caught him in webbing. Although Spider-Man's webbing is extremely strong, the Autobot's weight threatened to break it, and Spider-Man completed Gears' ascent using the webbing for assistance. After a fight with the Decepticons, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] caused Gears (and human [[Sparkplug Witwicky]]) to fall through a hole in the fortress. Although Spidey was able to rescue Sparkplug, and attempted to catch Gears as he had done before, the added momentum of the fall proved too much strain on the webbing, and Gears crashed to the ground. Gears was quickly patched up enough to tell the Autobots that Megatron had gotten what he wanted (a fuel conversion process) from Sparkplug. His complete restoration was seemingly interrupted when, following recriminations, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] needed to drive Sparkplug to the hospital to treat his sudden heart attack. {{storylink|Prisoner of War!}}

[[Image:Buzzsawyikes2.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Ow ow ow.]]
When the Autobots overheard Shockwave's plans to drop the captured head of their leader, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], in a nearby swamp, Gears was among the Autobots who traveled to the swamp with Prime's body. However, the head was actually a decoy head, which, when attached to the body, caused it to go on a murderous rampage. [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] shot Gears right in the face! {{storylink|Prime Time!}}

''Gears was eventually restored, however, and joined [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] in searching for [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] during the Dinobot Hunt. Their mission was suddenly cut short by the arrival of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the Decepticons, who shot the Minibots in the back and took them prisoner. [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] soon rescued his disabled comrades from the Decepticon cruiser, but they were too badly injured and remained inactive for some time thereafter. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt!}}''

[[Image:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Barely snuck into the margins during his own death scene.]]
Gears was repaired in time to witness a battle between [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] for Autobot leadership on [[Earth]]'s [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. While Autobots around him cheered vehemently for either combatant, Gears seemingly didn't really care, choosing to watch in stoic silence. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

Gears was among the Autobots who answered [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]]'s distress call from just outside the Decepticons' [[Club Con|headquarters]] in the Arctic. Shortly thereafter, when an [[Underbase]]-powered Starscream announced that he would "destroy the cities of [[New York City|New York]], [[Tokyo]], and [[Buenos Aires]]", Gears was among the allied Autobot/Decepticon teams sent ahead to New York City. As Starscream approached, [[Goldbug (G1)|Goldbug]] led a team of Autobots which included Gears, and the entire team was destroyed with a "single wave of <strike>[[To sell toys|a market executive's]]</strike> Starscream's hand"! Oops. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}

Gears's torso, head, and right arm were shown in the midst of attempted repairs while Optimus Prime explained the bleak condition of their fallen to [[Cloudburst]] and [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]]. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Don Messick]] (English), [[Toshio Ishii]] (Japanese)
[[Image:Hufferg1animated.jpg|left|240px|thumb|A competition of who complains the most!]]

Gears was one of the original crew of Autobots on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] spaceship when it crash-landed on Earth millions of years ago. When he awoke in 1984, he was reformatted by [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]] so that his alt-mode was an Earth-based pickup truck. Not a true combatant by nature, he didn't participate in many of the Autobots' more famous battles against the Decepticons, but he did his part despite his complaints. Gears first saw action on Earth at an off-shore oil rig, fighting one of the Seekers with his partner, [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Gears' infrared sensors were useful in capturing [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] when the Decepticon was caught trespassing at the Autobot headquarters. By modifying his searchlight wavelength, Gears could illuminate Ravage's heat traces and neutralize the jaguar's ability to hide in shadows. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}} When Prime was injured in an explosion outside the [[Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma]], Gears discarded the complaining facade he often wore, in order to encourage Optimus to push himself into returning to robot mode. He later donned a lab coat to help sell [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s holographic rocket base idea, although it didn't do much good. In the final battle to stop the launch of the Decepticon space cruiser, Gears and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] were engaged in battling [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] until Megatron called for a retreat. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

Gears assembled for battle when the Decepticons returned to attack a solar power plant, and chastised [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] for missing roll call. At the plant, Gears and [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] attempted to stop the Seekers from taking off with the energon cubes, but [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] knocked them aside with a concussion blast. Later, after Bumblebee led the Autobots to the supposed site of the new [[Space Bridge]], only to find a deserted cave, Gears offered to electrocute the 'Bee in order to juice up his memory circuits. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}} When Optimus Prime was heavily damaged in battle, Gears returned from patrol with [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and Windcharger to check on his condition. None of them, however, was sharp-eyed enough to spot [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] swoop down and land on Brawn's shoulder as they entered the base. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

[[Image:FireintheSky Gears crashes through ice.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
After it started snowing, in July, in the middle of the desert, Optimus Prime got suspicious and consulted Teletraan I for a weather report. Gears, who was performing reconnaissance scans on the now-frozen tropical region of the planet, concurred with Teletraan I's conclusions, that Megatron and the Decepticons must somehow be draining heat energy right out of the Earth's core. In the Arctic, as the Autobots prepared to enter the Decepticons' cavernous base of operations, Gears stalled outside the entrance on the sneaking suspicion the Autobots were falling into a trap. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy—by lingering too long on the ice, the combined weight of Gears, Hound, [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] caused the tunnel to collapse beneath them. Gears and his buddies were briefly captured by the Decepticons, but escaped thanks to Hound's holograms. {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}}

[[Image:SOSDinobots Soundwave shoots Gears.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Hey! Being shot in the face plays havoc with my sinuses."]]
Gears attended the unveiling of [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s latest science project, the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s, and managed to stay out of the way after they ran amok. He joined Optimus Prime and the other Autobots on a mission to the [[Great Falls]]. Being one of the few Autobots who can fly (usually), Gears took to the air to fight [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] face-to-face, but was quickly shot down by the more experienced Decepticon. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} On one mission, Gears travelled to Peru to help the Autobots remove the [[Crystal of Power]] from Megatron's control. {{storylink|Fire on the Mountain}} He was also involved in the dino-design project that created [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

Following a Decepticon attack on the Ark, Gears was briefly seen cleaning up the deadly fire extinguisher foam which drove them away. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} In the aftermath of Cybertron's orbit around Earth, Gears worked on the massive repairs necessary to rebuild human society. He also participated in the raid on [[Doctor Arkeville]]'s laboratory. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}}

[[Image:ChangingGears Gears Bee acrobatics.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Bumblebee and Gears - [[Powerlinx]]!!]]
During an Autobot Alert(!!!), the Ark's crew all leapt into action at high speed...well, except for Gears. The alarm interrupted his plan to "lube his cables", making the cranky Gears slow to respond to the call of duty. He might have trudged even slower if he knew the entire alert was a ruse by Megatron, designed solely for the purpose of capturing Gears. It seemed that Megatron's newest toy, the [[Solar Needle]], required a specific circuit board in order to be properly completed, and Gears contained just such a circuit board in his chest. A curious side effect of removing the circuit board was that it negated Gears' inclination towards squawking and complaining. He was now a compulsively good-natured people-pleaser, unable to refuse requests by anyone, even Megatron. With the solar needle activated, the Decepticons put Gears to work harvesting energon cubes, filled by the sun's mighty power.

Despite the alterations to his personality, Gears tried to remain true to himself. Even while helping Megatron's energy pilfering, he still managed to toss an insult or two at the Decepticon leader. In a good-natured way, of course. And, after the Autobots arrived to destroy the solar needle and drew the Decepticons' attention, Gears made a break for the control panel to retrieve his circuit board and restore his real personality. He was interrupted by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], who had been looking for an excuse to blast Gears all day, but Bumblebee knocked the Seeker aside before he could eliminate the tiny Autobot. Also, when Megatron hurled Prime out of control into the solar needle's incinerating energy grid, Gears used the holdout blaster in his sleeve to disrupt the grid and save Optimus. Still, once Megatron got the drop on the Autobots, he was able to exploit Gears' new personality glitch to make him repair the solar needle while the Decepticons held his teammates at gunpoint. Megatron gloated too much about the nature of Gears' problem, though, allowing Optimus Prime to circumvent his control over Gears. Tricking Megatron into agreeing to honor his last request "as a condemned mechanism", Prime turned the tables on Megatron by asking Gears for a favor of his own. Gears was all too happy to oblige...and destroy the solar needle for Optimus.

[[Image:ChangingGears got a bang out of that.jpg|thumb|left|280px]]
With the fight back on, Gears happily got in on the action and tossed Starscream for a loop. The Decepticons abandoned the field of battle, leaving the Autobots behind to clean up the mess caused by their solar needle. As the needle was being dismantled, Prime was ready to return Gears' circuit board to him when [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] stepped in. Seems the Autobots took a vote, and they would rather not restore Gears' talent for complaining, and whining, and hypochondria, and...well. After a quick joke, though, they did return the circuit board, and Gears showed his gratitude by going "whine, whine, whine" all the way home. {{storylink|Changing Gears}}

Gears was seen awaiting his turn at the [[recharging chamber]]s, but did not appear later on rampaging with the other Autobots afflicted by the [[personality destabilizer device]]. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots}} He attended Wheeljack's demonstration of the [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]]. When the Decepticons got their metal mitts on the device, Gears was trapped in mid-transformation by the device's rays. He was restored to normal after [[Carly]] fiddled with the controls to reverse its effects. {{storylink|The Immobilizer}}

[[Image:AutobotRun Gears lifts ground.jpg|thumb|right|230px]]
Like most of the Autobots, Gears was temporarily trapped in vehicle mode after Megatron unleashed his [[Transfixatron]] on them during a car rally for charity. Wheeljack came up with an [[anti-transfixation grenade]] to reverse the process (even his cures explode!), but that only revived the Autobots in time to deal with Plan B: [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. While he isn't in Brawn or Prime's class, Gears is still one strong little Autobot, and demonstrated his strength by ripping out huge chunks of rock to hurl at the massive Decepticon. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} Sometime later, Gears helped install [[detection plate]]s around the Ark as an early warning system against any intruders. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}} He was also briefly seen gawking at the two Optimus Primes who showed up in the dirt. After a sharpshooting contest and car race failed to uncover the imposter, the Autobots rode into battle anyway with both Primes at their side. Gears didn't have much fun in the following melee: first he got sent face-first into the dirt by one of the opening salvos, and was later overmatched in single combat against [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]. He was saved only by the continuation of Megatron and Starscream's cockeyed, overly-elaborate scheme of clones killing clones. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}}

Gears was on patrol with the team when they suddenly came across an empty riverbed. After a quick mud massage from Jazz's spinning tires, Gears and the others decided to follow the river's trail to see where it had been diverted. What they found was trouble: [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s. The Autobots barely escaped battle with Devastator to report on Megatron's activities to Prime. {{storylink|The Core}}

[[Image:MMP2 Seaspray and Gears shooting.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
Gears attended Wheeljack's demonstration of how he had taught Grimlock "finesse". The resulting chaos and destruction was predictable, but memorable. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} Despite not being seen in the battle at all, Gears was injured fighting Megatron and the [[Heart of Cybertron]] in South America. All the repairs and none of the glory. Boy, he must have been ''craaaanky''...{{storylink|Microbots}}

Gears and many of his fellow Autobots showed up in [[Central City (G1)|Central City]] for the Autobot Day parade and celebration. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} The city soon turned on the Autobots, thanks to Megatron's machinations, but they returned to help drive the Decepticons away once the humans were temporarily enslaved. Gears was seen among the horde of Autobots that overwhelmed the Decepticon slave-drivers. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}} He was also one of the Autobots cheering for the Dinobots when they returned from Cybertron with a fresh supply of [[cybertonium]]. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} Gears was part of the third wave of Autobots to confront the invulnerable Decepticons, but fared no better than his predecessors against their [[electrum]] coating. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon}} Gears stood by as [[Chip Chase]] and Teletraan I tried to locate the Autobots lost aboard the Space Bridge. {{storylink|Child's Play (episode)|Child's Play}} He was also seen applying [[Corrostop]] to the Statue of Liberty. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[Image:BOT wet Gears.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
When Megatron and the Decepticons attacked the Ark looking for the [[Combaticon (G1)|renegade Decepticons]], Gears joined Optimus Prime in fending off their assault. Megatron soon retreated once he realized Prime had no slaggin' idea what he was talking about. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

Gears, Ironhide and Bumblebee responded to an S.O.S. from [[Benjamin Franklin Pierce High School]] and found themselves chasing [[B.O.T. (robot)|B.O.T.]] around the city. They were beaten to it by [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who needed to get back [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]]'s personality component, and Gears later found himself defending Autobot Headquarters from [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

In 2005, Gears was stationed on [[Moonbase One]] under Optimus Prime's command. It is unknown whether he left for Earth with Prime and the Dinobots to repel Megatron's attack on [[Autobot City]], or if he remained behind. If he did, his chances aren't that good, as only [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and Cliffjumper were seen escaping from [[Unicron]]'s smelting pits. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

However Gears or a robot that looks like him was seen falling into Unicron's acid pool. It's unknown if this is him. But this make sence because he is never seen

=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' comic=====

Gears was amongst the Autobots who defended [[Ark (G1)|Autobot headquarters]] in [[Arizona]] from a Decepticon attack. Although the Autobots won the day, the attack was actually just a distraction so that [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] could go do evil in Japan or something unspecified. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2}}

===Coloring books===
[[Image:G1 GearsPotatoes AutobotSmasher.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Steve Ditko is noted for his superb use of shading, his handling of facial expressions, and his ability to do cosmic vistas of mystery. Here he was asked to do a line drawing of a truck carrying potatoes.]]
Gears was hauling a load of potatoes, with plans to sell them for oil and gas money. (Really.) He was tricked by the Decepticons into taking a detour, which led him to their "[[Autobot Rest Stop]]"—a car crusher disguised with pillows and a set of curtains. Gears rolled into the Rest Stop and was enjoying himself when [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] activated the machine, crushing Gears flat.

Gears was later restored by [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], with no ill effects. {{storylink|The Autobot Smasher!}}

{{note|This coloring book was illustrated by [[Steve Ditko]], co-creator of none other than... the amazing [[Spider-Man]]! Coincidence? Probably.}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
When [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] vanished in a space bridge during the war on Cybertron, their respective factions were split into several smaller groups. Gears remained in the main Autobot faction, now under the command of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]. {{storylink|Fragmentation}} He was part of a team who scouted out [[Nova Cronum]] in search of the Decepticons' new mobile command base. Unfortunately, it was a bit [[Trypticon (G1)|''too'' mobile]] for them to handle. {{storylink|Devastation (Dreamwave)|Devastation}} Even assistance from the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] helped against the giant Decepticon, but in the end, their target just left. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Later, when [[The Fallen]] broke into [[Autobase]], Gears was eager to get out there and do something about it. Prowl opted for trying to contain the villain instead, but he turned out to be unstoppable anyway. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}}

Gears was part of the Ark's original crew, crash-landing on Earth four million years ago and awakening in 1984. Like all the Transformers of Earth, he was believed dead for many years after the mid-air explosion of the ''[[Ark II]]''. In fact, Gears was one of many robots who were salvaged by the mercenary known as [[Lazarus]], who began the time-consuming process of installing remote control programming into his inert Cybertronian captives. Lazarus was doomed to failure, however, for Megatron regained control of his own body shortly after the human reactivated him. With the Decepticons back in action thanks to Megatron, Gears and the other Autobots held captive by Lazarus were left at their mercy. Although a small group of Autobots were free under Optimus Prime's command to combat the Decepticons, most of the 'bots recovered by Lazarus (including Gears) were too badly damaged to be reactivated for that first battle. {{storylink|Prime Directive}}

Gears and the other deactivated Autobots were recovered, though, and were back to full functionality by the time [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] arrived from Cybertron. {{storylink|New World Order}} As the Autobot forces split in two, Gears went with Optimus Prime and his contingent back to Cybertron aboard [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]]. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}} Back on his home planet, Gears participated in the insurrection by Autobot dissidents against the rule of Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

Much to his dismay, Gears was soon put in the position of having to return to Earth. With Prime temporarily out of action due to injuries, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] had assumed command of the Ark's crew on Cybertron, and made the decision that a new base of operations needed to be constructed on Earth, to fortify Autobot interests there. Gears reluctantly left his beloved homeworld behind to return to Earth, and begin work on the construction of [[Autobot City]]. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comics===
[[Image:GIJoevsTF4_Gears_Brawn_FlightPods.jpg|thumb|right|200px|]]
Gears was among the dormant Transformers found by the terrorist organization [[Cobra]] and reprogrammed to be under the humans' control. In the process, he and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] were rebuilt to transform into Cobra [[Flight Pod]]s. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}} The two may have participated in an attack on the [[SPS Research Facility]], or it may have just been two regular Flight Pods. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}} When [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] hacked Cobra's computers and undid his comrades' reprogramming, Gears and Brawn hunted down [[Cobra Commander]] and blew up the ship he was going to escape from [[Cobra Island]] with. However, before the Autobots could capture the commander, they were taken out by [[Storm Shadow]]'s [[S.N.A.K.E.]] mech. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

Gears didn't give up so easily, however, as he joined several other Autobots and located Cobra Commander and his S.N.A.K.E. guards again. Storm Shadow fought back and killed [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], sending Gears and the others into a berserker rage as they ripped his S.N.A.K.E. apart. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}}

{{-}}

===IDW ''Generation 1'' comics continuity===
Millions of years ago, Gears was one of several mourners seen at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]], after Megatron killed them. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

In the modern era, Gears was seen reacting to the return of [[Blaster (G1)|"The Voice"]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blaster}}

At some point, Gears made it to Earth, where he was captured by [[Skywatch]], along with [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and later, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}}

===IDW ''Hearts of Steel'' continuity===
Gears and his fellow Autobots battled the Decepticons in Earth's distant past, until an ice age came around and forced them to go underground and wait it out. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1}} They eventually woke up in the mid-19th century, and learned that the Decepticons were up and going as well. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2}} In order to pursue the [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], Gears took on the form of what appeared to be a boxcar and linked up with his friends to form an Autobot train. During the chase, much of the train was trapped when the Decepticons collapsed a tunnel on it, although Gears made it out safe and sound. He was hammered by Decepticon fire as he helped clear away rubble, but survived and went back to sleep underground after the Decepticons were defeated. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 4}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Gears toy.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Grumble... I suppose they want me to supply my own penny..."]]
* '''Gears''' (Mini Vehicle, 1984/1985)

: Part of the first assortment of Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Mini Vehicles]], Gears transforms into a blue and red "penny racer"-proportioned pickup truck of indeterminable model. The Gears toy was originally from [[Takara]]'s ''[[Micro Change|Microchange]]'' line, in the same basic coloration but with a darker blue, as the "Micro Robot 04 4WD Off-Road". This is the source of the "M" on his truck-mode hood.

: For reasons unknown, he was the only Mini Vehicle not made available as part of [[Takara]]'s original retail line in any capacity (while [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] were not available at normal retail, both were offered as mail-away toys).

: There were a few variations of Gears south of the border, where he was known as "Pick-Up". Initial releases had the same plastic colors but retained the sticker designs from his original Micro Change release, while later toys had the plastic colors changed to make him a red truck with orange robot parts (pre-Malignus). In Mexico, and subsequently also found in some European markets, a maroon and white version was released, possibly to bring the character of [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] over without the use of a new mold.

: This mold was used to make the [[Malignus]] [[Pick-Up (Malignus)|Pick-Up]], the Autobot [[Small Foot]] and was [[Retool|retooled]] to make Swerve.

*'''Minibots Team''' (Multi-pack, 2004)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''TFC-12'''

: Gears was ''finally'' put out at Japanese retail in 2004, as part of the [[Transformers Collection]] "Minibot" set, containing Gears, a retooled [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]], Cosmos, [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]], [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and Warpath. This set was later [[Redeco|redecoed]] to make the [[e-Hobby]] [[exclusive]] [[G1 GoBots]] team.

==Notes==
* In his first Marvel Comics appearance, Gears sported a more humanoid [[character model]] that looked less like his toy than his final animation model. He would also use this model in the UK annual story "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]", while ''[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]'' was inexplicably drawn with this model in the earlier UK story "[[The Enemy Within!]]".

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Gears/gears.htm Gears at TFU.info]
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Gears Gears' Universe entry at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Mini Vehicles]]
[[Category:Reconnaissance specialists]]