MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Brave (franchise)

2010-10-12T08:34:32Z

58.164.223.136: /* Relationship to Transformers */

{{disambig2|the franchise that uses designs from ''Transformers''|the ''Car Robots'' character|Emissary}}
[[Image:Fighbird groupshot.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Like Transformers, except every robot has a face plate, something long sticking out of its head, and a gold chest. And they [[Wikipedia:Kunio Okawara|look like]] [[Wikipedia:Gundam|Gundam]].]]

'''Yūsha''' (勇者, also known as the '''[[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave]]''') is a [[franchise]] that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] and [[wikipedia:Sunrise_(company)|Sunrise]] created after the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] anime ran its course in Japan. The Brave Series consists of eight individual series that were released one after the other from 1990 to 1998 with corresponding TV shows in Japan. The last show in the series received a follow-up OVA beginning in 2000.
Although none of the series storylines are connected to one another<ref>Although the storylines are not interconnected, there are some small connections between the series. For example, the reason Fighbird joined the Space Guards is that he admires Exkaiser. (This connection is stated in the ''Encyclopedia of Fighbird'', published by Keibunsha.) Also, there are some small cameos of human characters between shows, and some [[Character model]]s, such as Draias and Guard Diver, are reused in subsequent series. Lastly, the ''Brave Saga'' video games [[retcon]] the storylines of the shows so that they link up.</ref> the basic format of each series is similar. Usually a kid befriends/creates/becomes a sentient robot, and together they fight a great evil threatening the Earth. The main robots combine with other vehicles and robots to become larger robots, and additional teams of sentient robots combine amongst themselves to form larger robots as well. (This structure is the same as the one used by the Autobots from [[Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]].) The Brave Series has been described as a cross between Transformers and the [[wikipedia:Super_Robot|Super Robot]] genre of the late '70s and early '80s.

The Brave series consisted of:

* 1990: [[wikipedia:Brave_Exkaiser|Brave Exkaiser]]
* 1991: [[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Fighter of the Sun: Fighbird]]
* 1992: [[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Fighter of Legend: Da-Garn]]
* 1993: [[wikipedia:The_Brave_Express_Might_Gaine|The Brave Express: Might Gaine]]
* 1994: [[wikipedia:Brave_Police_J-Decker|Brave Police: J-Decker]]
* 1995: [[wikipedia:The_Brave_of_Gold_Goldran|Brave of Gold: Goldran]]
* 1996: [[wikipedia:Brave_Command_Dagwon|Brave Command: Dagwon]]
**1997: [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8B%87%E8%80%85%E6%8C%87%E4%BB%A4%E3%83%80%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3 Brave Command Dagwon - The Boy with Crystal Eyes]
* 1997: [[wikipedia:The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar|The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar]]
** 2000: [[wikipedia:The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar_FINAL|The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar FINAL]]

Toys for these robots were created in two sizes: DX ("deluxe") versions that contained more gimmicks and more complicated transformations, and STD ("standard") versions that contained fewer [[gimmick]]s and more limited transformations (often resorting to partsforming), but often also higher [[Show-accuracy|accuracy]] in reproducing the look of the robot from the anime series. Generally, the transformation of the robots was created by Takara, while the look of the robots was created by [[wikipedia:Kunio_Okawara|Kunio Okawara]], a legendary Sunrise mecha designer.

==Relationship to ''Transformers''==
The initial concept designs for ''Brave Exkaiser'', the first Brave Series, were intended to be Transformers designs. While the Brave robot Ultra Raker was very far along at this stage, the Max team and King Exkaiser bore little resemblance to their final designs.

The Brave toys also have design elements similar to ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' Transformers, which were released around the same time as the Brave toys. For example, many of the ''Brave of Legend'' toys have [[Light-piping|light-piped]] eyes thanks to transparent pieces of plastic in their heads, a design element which many ''Generation 2'' Transformers share. The ''Goldran'' DX toyline contains many projectile launchers, something Generation 2 shared as well. In particular, the ''Goldran'' toy "Advenger" contains a rotor-launching gimmick identical to that of [[Rotor Force]] from ''Generation 2'', and the "Captain Shark" figure has a Gatling-gun style launcher, the same as ''Generation 2'' [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]]. Lastly, the elbows of Leon from DX Leonkyzer contain ball joints, a design element that gained much broader use during ''Generation 2'' and even more so during the ''Beast Wars'' toyline.

[[Image:DeathsaurusAndRedGeist.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And to think, Red Geist's toy doesn't even have any remolding.]]The Brave Series also reused character designs and toys from previous ''Transformers'' series. It was not uncommon for the recycled designs to appear in a Brave TV show, but not in toy form. These designs were often significantly augmented to distinguish them from their Transformer counterparts. For example, the four Geister henchmen in ''Exkaiser'' have all-new faces, body detail, and color schemes. Of the designs that did appear in toy form, some of them were remolded to reflect these changes, whereas others were simple recolors. (A complete listing of the reuses follows in the section below).

Similarly, subsequent ''Transformers'' lines have also been influenced by the Brave Series. The Japanese [[Mini-Con]] [[Kingbolt]]'s coloration and characterization are [[homage]]s to the Brave series ''Exkaiser''. Also, the [[Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured many homages to the Brave series ''King Of Braves GaoGaiGar'', most notably the way [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] combines with [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Wing Saber]], which is similar to the way GaoGaiGar combines with Goldymarg and Stealth Gao respectively.Hot shot (Cybertron) is pretty much identical to "The King Of Braves GaoGaiGar"s Volfogg in terms of appearance and transformation sequence. The cinematography for ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Optimus Prime's stock-footage combination sequence with his [[Prime Force]] limbs is also very reminiscent of Brave series stock footage. The [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] characters [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] are similar to Enryū and Hyōryū from ''GaoGaiGar'', both with respect to their elemental motifs and method of combination. ''Animated'' also has a brief cameo appearance by ''Dagwon'''s [[Dug Base|Dag Base]]. ''[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Esmeral (SG)|Esmeral]]'s color scheme is based on Red Geist, a redeco of [[Esmeral (Victory)|her ''Victory'' counterpart]]'s [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|husband]].

Despite the Brave Series' reuse of many Transformers molds and character designs, Brave toys have never been reused in a Transformers toy line. This is likely because the characters that the toys represent are owned by Sunrise. That said, a Brave mold was finally reused in 2008, when Might Kaiser's trailer was modified and included in Takaratomy's Tomica Hero Rescue Force as part of the toy Zero Fire.

One striking difference between the Brave Series and ''Transformers'' toy lines is that very few villain robots were released in the Brave Series. This is in sharp contrast to most of the ''Transformers'' series, in which heroes and villains are released in relatively equal numbers (with the exception of ''[[Zone (toyline)|Zone]]'' and ''[[Return of Convoy (toyline)|Return of Convoy]]''). Generally speaking, the lack of villain toys is more the norm for such toylines in Japan, with the various ''Transformers'' lines (save for aforementioned two) being the exception.

==Toys and character designs recycled from ''Transformers''==
'''Note:''' ''Italicized names'' are non-toy characters.

===''Exkaiser''===
* ''Armor Geist'' — [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
* ''Horn Geist'' — [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
* ''Ptera Geist'' — [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
* ''Thunder Geist'' — [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]

===''Da Garn''===
* Red Geist with Red Breaster — [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Tigerbreast]] (no [[Eaglebreast]])

===''Might Gaine''===
* ''Atlas Epsilon'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Atlas Mk.II'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* Gōryū with Oowashi — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Speeder]]
* Hiryū with Hayabusa — [[Sonic Bomber]] and [[Sonic]]
* ''Mega Sonic 8823'' — [[Sonic Bomber]]

[[Image:BraveShadowmaruKagerouModels.jpg|thumb|250px|One ninja is deadly. A bunch of ninjas are cannonfodder. Two ninjas are... um...]]
===''J-Decker''===
* Duke Fire — [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]]
* ''Kagerō'' (literally ''Mirage'') — [[Sixshot]]
* Shadowmaru — [[Sixshot]] (featured significant remolding to incorporate a ninja motif)
* The Micromaster Stations [[Hot House|1]][[Ironworks|2]][[Greasepit (G1)|3]][[Airwave|4]] (sans Micromasters and including non-transformable Brave Police figures; never appeared in the show)

===''Goldran''===
* Death Garry Gun with Missile Gear — [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Shotbomber]] (cannibalized trailer launchers)
* ''Revibaron'' — [[Sonic Bomber]] with parts from [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Zazorigun'' — [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]

===''Dagwon''===
* Dag Base — [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] (significant remolding, cannot combine with Star Convoy)
* Thunder Dagwon — [[Galaxy Shuttle]] (significant remolding, including an additional motorcycle/robot that combines for the shuttle's robot mode)

==Note==
<references />

==External links==
*[[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Series at Wikipedia]]

*[http://www.yusha.net/ Official Sunrise Brave Series website]

*[http://gaogaigar.wikia.com/wiki/GaoGaiGar-Betterman_Wiki The GaoGaiGar-Betterman Wiki].

*[http://mamao2.cside.com/ MAOMAO2's Room (Japanese)]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=98174 The TFW2005 forum Brave thread]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Franchises]]

Brave (franchise)

2010-10-12T08:33:04Z

58.164.223.136: /* Relationship to Transformers */

{{disambig2|the franchise that uses designs from ''Transformers''|the ''Car Robots'' character|Emissary}}
[[Image:Fighbird groupshot.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Like Transformers, except every robot has a face plate, something long sticking out of its head, and a gold chest. And they [[Wikipedia:Kunio Okawara|look like]] [[Wikipedia:Gundam|Gundam]].]]

'''Yūsha''' (勇者, also known as the '''[[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave]]''') is a [[franchise]] that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] and [[wikipedia:Sunrise_(company)|Sunrise]] created after the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] anime ran its course in Japan. The Brave Series consists of eight individual series that were released one after the other from 1990 to 1998 with corresponding TV shows in Japan. The last show in the series received a follow-up OVA beginning in 2000.
Although none of the series storylines are connected to one another<ref>Although the storylines are not interconnected, there are some small connections between the series. For example, the reason Fighbird joined the Space Guards is that he admires Exkaiser. (This connection is stated in the ''Encyclopedia of Fighbird'', published by Keibunsha.) Also, there are some small cameos of human characters between shows, and some [[Character model]]s, such as Draias and Guard Diver, are reused in subsequent series. Lastly, the ''Brave Saga'' video games [[retcon]] the storylines of the shows so that they link up.</ref> the basic format of each series is similar. Usually a kid befriends/creates/becomes a sentient robot, and together they fight a great evil threatening the Earth. The main robots combine with other vehicles and robots to become larger robots, and additional teams of sentient robots combine amongst themselves to form larger robots as well. (This structure is the same as the one used by the Autobots from [[Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]].) The Brave Series has been described as a cross between Transformers and the [[wikipedia:Super_Robot|Super Robot]] genre of the late '70s and early '80s.

The Brave series consisted of:

* 1990: [[wikipedia:Brave_Exkaiser|Brave Exkaiser]]
* 1991: [[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Fighter of the Sun: Fighbird]]
* 1992: [[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Fighter of Legend: Da-Garn]]
* 1993: [[wikipedia:The_Brave_Express_Might_Gaine|The Brave Express: Might Gaine]]
* 1994: [[wikipedia:Brave_Police_J-Decker|Brave Police: J-Decker]]
* 1995: [[wikipedia:The_Brave_of_Gold_Goldran|Brave of Gold: Goldran]]
* 1996: [[wikipedia:Brave_Command_Dagwon|Brave Command: Dagwon]]
**1997: [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8B%87%E8%80%85%E6%8C%87%E4%BB%A4%E3%83%80%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3 Brave Command Dagwon - The Boy with Crystal Eyes]
* 1997: [[wikipedia:The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar|The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar]]
** 2000: [[wikipedia:The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar_FINAL|The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar FINAL]]

Toys for these robots were created in two sizes: DX ("deluxe") versions that contained more gimmicks and more complicated transformations, and STD ("standard") versions that contained fewer [[gimmick]]s and more limited transformations (often resorting to partsforming), but often also higher [[Show-accuracy|accuracy]] in reproducing the look of the robot from the anime series. Generally, the transformation of the robots was created by Takara, while the look of the robots was created by [[wikipedia:Kunio_Okawara|Kunio Okawara]], a legendary Sunrise mecha designer.

==Relationship to ''Transformers''==
The initial concept designs for ''Brave Exkaiser'', the first Brave Series, were intended to be Transformers designs. While the Brave robot Ultra Raker was very far along at this stage, the Max team and King Exkaiser bore little resemblance to their final designs.

The Brave toys also have design elements similar to ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' Transformers, which were released around the same time as the Brave toys. For example, many of the ''Brave of Legend'' toys have [[Light-piping|light-piped]] eyes thanks to transparent pieces of plastic in their heads, a design element which many ''Generation 2'' Transformers share. The ''Goldran'' DX toyline contains many projectile launchers, something Generation 2 shared as well. In particular, the ''Goldran'' toy "Advenger" contains a rotor-launching gimmick identical to that of [[Rotor Force]] from ''Generation 2'', and the "Captain Shark" figure has a Gatling-gun style launcher, the same as ''Generation 2'' [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]]. Lastly, the elbows of Leon from DX Leonkyzer contain ball joints, a design element that gained much broader use during ''Generation 2'' and even more so during the ''Beast Wars'' toyline.

[[Image:DeathsaurusAndRedGeist.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And to think, Red Geist's toy doesn't even have any remolding.]]The Brave Series also reused character designs and toys from previous ''Transformers'' series. It was not uncommon for the recycled designs to appear in a Brave TV show, but not in toy form. These designs were often significantly augmented to distinguish them from their Transformer counterparts. For example, the four Geister henchmen in ''Exkaiser'' have all-new faces, body detail, and color schemes. Of the designs that did appear in toy form, some of them were remolded to reflect these changes, whereas others were simple recolors. (A complete listing of the reuses follows in the section below).

Similarly, subsequent ''Transformers'' lines have also been influenced by the Brave Series. The Japanese [[Mini-Con]] [[Kingbolt]]'s coloration and characterization are [[homage]]s to the Brave series ''Exkaiser''. Also, the [[Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured many homages to the Brave series ''King Of Braves GaoGaiGar'', most notably the way [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] combines with [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Wing Saber]], which is similar to the way GaoGaiGar combines with Goldymarg and Stealth Gao respectively.Hot shot (Cybertron) is pretty much identical to "The King Of Braves GaoGaiGar"'s Volfogg in terms of appearance and transformation sequence. The cinematography for ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Optimus Prime's stock-footage combination sequence with his [[Prime Force]] limbs is also very reminiscent of Brave series stock footage. The [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] characters [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] are similar to Enryū and Hyōryū from ''GaoGaiGar'', both with respect to their elemental motifs and method of combination. ''Animated'' also has a brief cameo appearance by ''Dagwon'''s [[Dug Base|Dag Base]]. ''[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Esmeral (SG)|Esmeral]]'s color scheme is based on Red Geist, a redeco of [[Esmeral (Victory)|her ''Victory'' counterpart]]'s [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|husband]].

Despite the Brave Series' reuse of many Transformers molds and character designs, Brave toys have never been reused in a Transformers toy line. This is likely because the characters that the toys represent are owned by Sunrise. That said, a Brave mold was finally reused in 2008, when Might Kaiser's trailer was modified and included in Takaratomy's Tomica Hero Rescue Force as part of the toy Zero Fire.

One striking difference between the Brave Series and ''Transformers'' toy lines is that very few villain robots were released in the Brave Series. This is in sharp contrast to most of the ''Transformers'' series, in which heroes and villains are released in relatively equal numbers (with the exception of ''[[Zone (toyline)|Zone]]'' and ''[[Return of Convoy (toyline)|Return of Convoy]]''). Generally speaking, the lack of villain toys is more the norm for such toylines in Japan, with the various ''Transformers'' lines (save for aforementioned two) being the exception.

==Toys and character designs recycled from ''Transformers''==
'''Note:''' ''Italicized names'' are non-toy characters.

===''Exkaiser''===
* ''Armor Geist'' — [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
* ''Horn Geist'' — [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
* ''Ptera Geist'' — [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
* ''Thunder Geist'' — [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]

===''Da Garn''===
* Red Geist with Red Breaster — [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Tigerbreast]] (no [[Eaglebreast]])

===''Might Gaine''===
* ''Atlas Epsilon'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Atlas Mk.II'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* Gōryū with Oowashi — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Speeder]]
* Hiryū with Hayabusa — [[Sonic Bomber]] and [[Sonic]]
* ''Mega Sonic 8823'' — [[Sonic Bomber]]

[[Image:BraveShadowmaruKagerouModels.jpg|thumb|250px|One ninja is deadly. A bunch of ninjas are cannonfodder. Two ninjas are... um...]]
===''J-Decker''===
* Duke Fire — [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]]
* ''Kagerō'' (literally ''Mirage'') — [[Sixshot]]
* Shadowmaru — [[Sixshot]] (featured significant remolding to incorporate a ninja motif)
* The Micromaster Stations [[Hot House|1]][[Ironworks|2]][[Greasepit (G1)|3]][[Airwave|4]] (sans Micromasters and including non-transformable Brave Police figures; never appeared in the show)

===''Goldran''===
* Death Garry Gun with Missile Gear — [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Shotbomber]] (cannibalized trailer launchers)
* ''Revibaron'' — [[Sonic Bomber]] with parts from [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Zazorigun'' — [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]

===''Dagwon''===
* Dag Base — [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] (significant remolding, cannot combine with Star Convoy)
* Thunder Dagwon — [[Galaxy Shuttle]] (significant remolding, including an additional motorcycle/robot that combines for the shuttle's robot mode)

==Note==
<references />

==External links==
*[[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Series at Wikipedia]]

*[http://www.yusha.net/ Official Sunrise Brave Series website]

*[http://gaogaigar.wikia.com/wiki/GaoGaiGar-Betterman_Wiki The GaoGaiGar-Betterman Wiki].

*[http://mamao2.cside.com/ MAOMAO2's Room (Japanese)]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=98174 The TFW2005 forum Brave thread]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Franchises]]

Brave (franchise)

2010-10-12T08:31:38Z

58.164.223.136: /* Relationship to Transformers */

{{disambig2|the franchise that uses designs from ''Transformers''|the ''Car Robots'' character|Emissary}}
[[Image:Fighbird groupshot.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Like Transformers, except every robot has a face plate, something long sticking out of its head, and a gold chest. And they [[Wikipedia:Kunio Okawara|look like]] [[Wikipedia:Gundam|Gundam]].]]

'''Yūsha''' (勇者, also known as the '''[[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave]]''') is a [[franchise]] that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] and [[wikipedia:Sunrise_(company)|Sunrise]] created after the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] anime ran its course in Japan. The Brave Series consists of eight individual series that were released one after the other from 1990 to 1998 with corresponding TV shows in Japan. The last show in the series received a follow-up OVA beginning in 2000.
Although none of the series storylines are connected to one another<ref>Although the storylines are not interconnected, there are some small connections between the series. For example, the reason Fighbird joined the Space Guards is that he admires Exkaiser. (This connection is stated in the ''Encyclopedia of Fighbird'', published by Keibunsha.) Also, there are some small cameos of human characters between shows, and some [[Character model]]s, such as Draias and Guard Diver, are reused in subsequent series. Lastly, the ''Brave Saga'' video games [[retcon]] the storylines of the shows so that they link up.</ref> the basic format of each series is similar. Usually a kid befriends/creates/becomes a sentient robot, and together they fight a great evil threatening the Earth. The main robots combine with other vehicles and robots to become larger robots, and additional teams of sentient robots combine amongst themselves to form larger robots as well. (This structure is the same as the one used by the Autobots from [[Victory (franchise)|Transformers: Victory]].) The Brave Series has been described as a cross between Transformers and the [[wikipedia:Super_Robot|Super Robot]] genre of the late '70s and early '80s.

The Brave series consisted of:

* 1990: [[wikipedia:Brave_Exkaiser|Brave Exkaiser]]
* 1991: [[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Fighter of the Sun: Fighbird]]
* 1992: [[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Fighter of Legend: Da-Garn]]
* 1993: [[wikipedia:The_Brave_Express_Might_Gaine|The Brave Express: Might Gaine]]
* 1994: [[wikipedia:Brave_Police_J-Decker|Brave Police: J-Decker]]
* 1995: [[wikipedia:The_Brave_of_Gold_Goldran|Brave of Gold: Goldran]]
* 1996: [[wikipedia:Brave_Command_Dagwon|Brave Command: Dagwon]]
**1997: [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8B%87%E8%80%85%E6%8C%87%E4%BB%A4%E3%83%80%E3%82%B0%E3%82%AA%E3%83%B3 Brave Command Dagwon - The Boy with Crystal Eyes]
* 1997: [[wikipedia:The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar|The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar]]
** 2000: [[wikipedia:The_King_of_Braves_GaoGaiGar_FINAL|The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar FINAL]]

Toys for these robots were created in two sizes: DX ("deluxe") versions that contained more gimmicks and more complicated transformations, and STD ("standard") versions that contained fewer [[gimmick]]s and more limited transformations (often resorting to partsforming), but often also higher [[Show-accuracy|accuracy]] in reproducing the look of the robot from the anime series. Generally, the transformation of the robots was created by Takara, while the look of the robots was created by [[wikipedia:Kunio_Okawara|Kunio Okawara]], a legendary Sunrise mecha designer.

==Relationship to ''Transformers''==
The initial concept designs for ''Brave Exkaiser'', the first Brave Series, were intended to be Transformers designs. While the Brave robot Ultra Raker was very far along at this stage, the Max team and King Exkaiser bore little resemblance to their final designs.

The Brave toys also have design elements similar to ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' Transformers, which were released around the same time as the Brave toys. For example, many of the ''Brave of Legend'' toys have [[Light-piping|light-piped]] eyes thanks to transparent pieces of plastic in their heads, a design element which many ''Generation 2'' Transformers share. The ''Goldran'' DX toyline contains many projectile launchers, something Generation 2 shared as well. In particular, the ''Goldran'' toy "Advenger" contains a rotor-launching gimmick identical to that of [[Rotor Force]] from ''Generation 2'', and the "Captain Shark" figure has a Gatling-gun style launcher, the same as ''Generation 2'' [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]]. Lastly, the elbows of Leon from DX Leonkyzer contain ball joints, a design element that gained much broader use during ''Generation 2'' and even more so during the ''Beast Wars'' toyline.

[[Image:DeathsaurusAndRedGeist.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And to think, Red Geist's toy doesn't even have any remolding.]]The Brave Series also reused character designs and toys from previous ''Transformers'' series. It was not uncommon for the recycled designs to appear in a Brave TV show, but not in toy form. These designs were often significantly augmented to distinguish them from their Transformer counterparts. For example, the four Geister henchmen in ''Exkaiser'' have all-new faces, body detail, and color schemes. Of the designs that did appear in toy form, some of them were remolded to reflect these changes, whereas others were simple recolors. (A complete listing of the reuses follows in the section below).

Similarly, subsequent ''Transformers'' lines have also been influenced by the Brave Series. The Japanese [[Mini-Con]] [[Kingbolt]]'s coloration and characterization are [[homage]]s to the Brave series ''Exkaiser''. Also, the [[Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured many homages to the Brave series ''King Of Braves GaoGaiGar'', most notably the way [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] combines with [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Wing Saber]], which is similar to the way GaoGaiGar combines with Goldymarg and Stealth Gao respectively.Hotshot (Cybertron) is identical to "The King Of Braves GaoGaiGar"'s Volfogg in terms of appearance and transformation sequence. The cinematography for ''[[Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'' Optimus Prime's stock-footage combination sequence with his [[Prime Force]] limbs is also very reminiscent of Brave series stock footage. The [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] characters [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] are similar to Enryū and Hyōryū from ''GaoGaiGar'', both with respect to their elemental motifs and method of combination. ''Animated'' also has a brief cameo appearance by ''Dagwon'''s [[Dug Base|Dag Base]]. ''[[Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' [[Esmeral (SG)|Esmeral]]'s color scheme is based on Red Geist, a redeco of [[Esmeral (Victory)|her ''Victory'' counterpart]]'s [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|husband]].

Despite the Brave Series' reuse of many Transformers molds and character designs, Brave toys have never been reused in a Transformers toy line. This is likely because the characters that the toys represent are owned by Sunrise. That said, a Brave mold was finally reused in 2008, when Might Kaiser's trailer was modified and included in Takaratomy's Tomica Hero Rescue Force as part of the toy Zero Fire.

One striking difference between the Brave Series and ''Transformers'' toy lines is that very few villain robots were released in the Brave Series. This is in sharp contrast to most of the ''Transformers'' series, in which heroes and villains are released in relatively equal numbers (with the exception of ''[[Zone (toyline)|Zone]]'' and ''[[Return of Convoy (toyline)|Return of Convoy]]''). Generally speaking, the lack of villain toys is more the norm for such toylines in Japan, with the various ''Transformers'' lines (save for aforementioned two) being the exception.

==Toys and character designs recycled from ''Transformers''==
'''Note:''' ''Italicized names'' are non-toy characters.

===''Exkaiser''===
* ''Armor Geist'' — [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
* ''Horn Geist'' — [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
* ''Ptera Geist'' — [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
* ''Thunder Geist'' — [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]

===''Da Garn''===
* Red Geist with Red Breaster — [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Tigerbreast]] (no [[Eaglebreast]])

===''Might Gaine''===
* ''Atlas Epsilon'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Atlas Mk.II'' — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* Gōryū with Oowashi — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Speeder]]
* Hiryū with Hayabusa — [[Sonic Bomber]] and [[Sonic]]
* ''Mega Sonic 8823'' — [[Sonic Bomber]]

[[Image:BraveShadowmaruKagerouModels.jpg|thumb|250px|One ninja is deadly. A bunch of ninjas are cannonfodder. Two ninjas are... um...]]
===''J-Decker''===
* Duke Fire — [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]]
* ''Kagerō'' (literally ''Mirage'') — [[Sixshot]]
* Shadowmaru — [[Sixshot]] (featured significant remolding to incorporate a ninja motif)
* The Micromaster Stations [[Hot House|1]][[Ironworks|2]][[Greasepit (G1)|3]][[Airwave|4]] (sans Micromasters and including non-transformable Brave Police figures; never appeared in the show)

===''Goldran''===
* Death Garry Gun with Missile Gear — [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Shotbomber]] (cannibalized trailer launchers)
* ''Revibaron'' — [[Sonic Bomber]] with parts from [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''Zazorigun'' — [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]

===''Dagwon''===
* Dag Base — [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] (significant remolding, cannot combine with Star Convoy)
* Thunder Dagwon — [[Galaxy Shuttle]] (significant remolding, including an additional motorcycle/robot that combines for the shuttle's robot mode)

==Note==
<references />

==External links==
*[[wikipedia:Brave_series|Brave Series at Wikipedia]]

*[http://www.yusha.net/ Official Sunrise Brave Series website]

*[http://gaogaigar.wikia.com/wiki/GaoGaiGar-Betterman_Wiki The GaoGaiGar-Betterman Wiki].

*[http://mamao2.cside.com/ MAOMAO2's Room (Japanese)]

*[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=98174 The TFW2005 forum Brave thread]

{{stub}}

[[Category:Franchises]]

Dirge (Animated)

2010-10-12T08:16:10Z

58.164.223.136: /* Toys */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{| style="margin:0 1em; padding:.5em; background:#f7f8ff; border:thin solid #aaa;display:block;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
|''The name or term Dirge refers to more than one character or idea, all of which should be about him him him! For a list of other meanings, see [[Dirge (disambiguation)]].''
|}
:''Dirge strives to be so much more than a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Animateddirgeboxart.jpg|right|250px|thumb|This is my packaging art now, Starscream! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BACK!]]

'''Dirge''' is a [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream clone]], and like the other clones, represents an aspect of the [[Starscream (Animated)|original]]'s personality... in this case, his implacable greed. No altitude is high enough, no amount of fuel is sufficient, and no grab for power will ultimately satisfy him. He lives only for what he doesn't yet have. He and [[Thrust (Animated)|Thrust]] were created by [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] using stolen cloning tech, and they now serve as his bodyguards—though Dirge has by now seen plenty of space swag that he wants a lot more than another shift on guard duty!

This article is his and his alone. Stop reading it! You want an article to read? Get your own! On second thought, get your own, and then give it to him anyway.
{{TOCclear}}
==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:Animated Dirge Activators.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Thing is, this week has been absolute heaven for me and I couldn't just stand by and let you take your stuff back. That's why I've taken everything and done a runner."]]
*'''Dirge''' (Activator, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-11'''
:Dirge transforms into a futuristic, forward-swept wing fighter jet based upon the [http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/s37/ Su-47 (S-37) Berkut Experimental Fighter] and the [http://www.new-un-spacy.com/macrossplus/yf-19.htm YF-19 "Alpha One"] from the series ''[[wikipedia:Macross_Plus|Macross Plus]]''. Like all Activators, he has a spring-loaded [[autotransformation]] from vehicle to robot mode. [[Activators]] [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] is a [[redeco]] of him, not the other way around! This mold is Dirge's! Nobody else's!(Except Starscream's mold, only recoloured)

:This mold was also used to make [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]]. How dare he try to take what rightfully is ''not'' his!

: Part of the fifth wave of Activators along with [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]], both bots saw widespread release in European markets well before they made it to US stores in decent numbers, leading to a certain amount of fan-panic over their potential cancellation.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/Dirge/dirge.htm More information on Dirge at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Dirge is one of only two "toy-only characters" in the ''Animated'' franchise, the other being [[Starscream Clone Black Version|another Starscream clone]] released only in Japan. With no in-show portrayals, he was not discussed in ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]'', but was featured in the broader fictional expansions in ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]''.

[[Category:Starscream clones]]

Dirge (Animated)

2010-10-12T08:15:15Z

58.164.223.136: /* Toys */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{| style="margin:0 1em; padding:.5em; background:#f7f8ff; border:thin solid #aaa;display:block;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"
|-
|''The name or term Dirge refers to more than one character or idea, all of which should be about him him him! For a list of other meanings, see [[Dirge (disambiguation)]].''
|}
:''Dirge strives to be so much more than a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Animateddirgeboxart.jpg|right|250px|thumb|This is my packaging art now, Starscream! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BACK!]]

'''Dirge''' is a [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Starscream clone]], and like the other clones, represents an aspect of the [[Starscream (Animated)|original]]'s personality... in this case, his implacable greed. No altitude is high enough, no amount of fuel is sufficient, and no grab for power will ultimately satisfy him. He lives only for what he doesn't yet have. He and [[Thrust (Animated)|Thrust]] were created by [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] using stolen cloning tech, and they now serve as his bodyguards—though Dirge has by now seen plenty of space swag that he wants a lot more than another shift on guard duty!

This article is his and his alone. Stop reading it! You want an article to read? Get your own! On second thought, get your own, and then give it to him anyway.
{{TOCclear}}
==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:Animated Dirge Activators.jpg|right|300px|thumb|"Thing is, this week has been absolute heaven for me and I couldn't just stand by and let you take your stuff back. That's why I've taken everything and done a runner."]]
*'''Dirge''' (Activator, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-11'''
:Dirge transforms into a futuristic, forward-swept wing fighter jet based upon the [http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/s37/ Su-47 (S-37) Berkut Experimental Fighter] and the [http://www.new-un-spacy.com/macrossplus/yf-19.htm YF-19 "Alpha One"] from the series ''[[wikipedia:Macross_Plus|Macross Plus]]''. Like all Activators, he has a spring-loaded [[autotransformation]] from vehicle to robot mode. [[Activators]] [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] is a [[redeco]] of him, not the other way around! This mold is Dirge's! Nobody else's!(Except Starscream's mold, only recoloured

:This mold was also used to make [[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]]. How dare he try to take what rightfully is ''not'' his!

: Part of the fifth wave of Activators along with [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]], both bots saw widespread release in European markets well before they made it to US stores in decent numbers, leading to a certain amount of fan-panic over their potential cancellation.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/Dirge/dirge.htm More information on Dirge at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Dirge is one of only two "toy-only characters" in the ''Animated'' franchise, the other being [[Starscream Clone Black Version|another Starscream clone]] released only in Japan. With no in-show portrayals, he was not discussed in ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]'', but was featured in the broader fictional expansions in ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]''.

[[Category:Starscream clones]]