Black Shadow (G1)

2011-12-16T13:29:46Z

85.221.166.176: /* TransTech */

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{featured}}
:''Black Shadow is a [[Decepticon]] [[Crossformer]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[Image:G1 BlackShadow boxart.jpg|right|325px|thumb|Some people call me the Space Gangster/Some call me the Cowboy of Love...]]
Hailing from somewhere beyond the Milky Way [[galaxy]], '''Black Shadow''' (ブラックシャドー ''Burakku Shadō'') is a vile gangster whose skills in robbery, extortion and murder are available to anyone who can meet his price. He is loyal only to the highest bidder; even the Decepticons are loath to work with him that often, as they can never be sure he won't betray them in mid-job if he gets a better offer. In jet mode, he can devastate buildings around him with powerful sonic shockwaves by breaking the sound barrier while flying at low altitudes, a technique he calls his "Sonic Boomer Attack".

His partner in crime is [[Blue Bacchus]], a gunman with a similar personality and moral fiber who looks up to him. The pair's partnership has made them infamous throughout space, and there is a massive bounty on their heads, but Black Shadow would actually kill Blue Bacchus without remorse if the situation demanded it.

He is also known as '''Sky Shadow'''.

==Fiction==
===''Victory'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor'': [[Yūji Mikimoto]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Black_shadow_cartoon.jpg|left|thumb|250px|I'm a spaaaaace gangster. Bet you weren't ready for that!]]

Black Shadow and his partner, [[Blue Bacchus]], were hired by [[Hellbat (Victory)|Hellbat]] of the [[Breastforce]] to help him loot Planet [[Micro]] of all its energon. While the Crossformers caused massive panic and destruction, Hellbat got a clear run at the energy reserves. The incredible size and power of the Crossformers, especially on a world full of [[Micromaster]]s, made their mission relatively easy, until Governor [[Riker]] called in [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] to help. When the Autobot commander arrived to stop the villains during their attack on the [[plasma energy]] plant that provided Micro with a third of all its energy, Black Shadow informed Hellbat that he would need to triple their pay for them to risk their hides in battle with the legendary Star Saber. [[Image:PlanetMicro menacing Crossformers.jpg|right|thumb|250px|He's space gangstering you with his space gun, making you a space offer you can't space refuse!]] Hellbat grudgingly agreed, but before the two Crossformers could attack Star Saber, they themselves were attacked by Saber's ally, their former partner in crime, [[Greatshot]], who had reformed and joined the Autobots. At first, the pair seemed to have the six-changer on the ropes, until he used his "Disappearing Dust" technique to get the drop on them and destroy their guns. The pair proved to be no match for Greatshot with their bladed weapons, and he destroyed their outer shells, forcing them to retreat in their small vehicle modes, vowing revenge. Hellbat joined them in retreat, without any energy to show for his trouble, but the Crossformers insisted that he would still be paying them. {{storylink|Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior}}

The Breastforce weren't very happy that Hellbat hired them. {{storylink|Rescue! Guyhawk}}

{{--}}

===''TransTech''===
[[Image:BlackShadowHubcap_GoneTooFar.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Right here, his inner robot has already appeared as often as [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s.]]
Black Shadow was a resident of [[Axiom Nexus]], performing manual labor for [[Cryotek (TransTech)|Cryotek]] at [[The Blue Deployer]] and... other work as came up from time to time. When [[Gutcruncher (G1)|Gutcruncher]] started stirring up the Offworlder population for a revolt against the [[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTechs]], Black Shadow was hired to eliminate the rabble-rouser. At Gutcruncher's rally, Black Shadow assassinated the mech with a photon charge through the central cortex, killing him instantly. Also, thanks to his stealth field and deliberate positioning, he was able to frame two newly arrived Autobots named [[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] and [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] for the murder.

Black Shadow monitored the patsies to make sure they didn't implicate him somehow, and he was overjoyed when they "showed" their guilt by escaping from the police. Taking advantage of the situation, Black Shadow planned to execute the duo to cover his tracks and collect on the bounty Gutcruncher's pals had taken out on the "assassins". He gloated openly about his schemes to the two Autobots, until they split up and scampered, hoping he couldn't follow them both. Well, he could—Black Shadow split from his [[Crossformer]] shell and took off after both Autobots. However, Hubcap ultimately outsmarted the Decepticon. The little Autobot used his speakers to draw as much attention as possible to their chase. Then, when Gutcruncher's flunky [[Dirge (Timelines)|Dirge]] and a pack of [[Malignus (G1)|Malignus Revolutionaries]] responded, Hubcap played back a recording of Black Shadow's gloating admission of the crime for all to hear [http://eshop.fincom.pl/ katalog sklepów]. One more fancy bit of wordplay tricked the Crossformer into admitting his photon charges killed Gutcruncher, and the verdict was in. The Malignus Revolutionary Army and their [[Gigantion]] buddy [[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] ended Black Shadow's existence very quickly. At the same time, a mysterious capsule of [[Scraplet]] digestive acid went off in Black Shadow's shell, saving Jackpot's life and preventing any information from being recovered from the shell's CPU. Black Shadow's own head (and therefore his datatrax) also went missing in the melee after his death...almost as if someone were covering their tracks... {{storylink|Gone Too Far}}
{{--}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:LastStandoftheWreckers2-teleconference.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Space mafia? More like space ''cheerleader'', amirite?]]
Long ago, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] called three of his most deadly warriors to him, intent on making them his "[[Infiltration protocol|phase sixers]]". Black Shadow and [[Sixshot]] were the first two, and [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], who teleconferenced holographically while in the middle of a battle on [[Caldoon 4]], was the third. Though Black Shadow and Sixshot were excited to serve the Decepticons in this expanded capacity, Overlord chafed. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Victory===
[[Image:G1BlackShadow toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|He may not be a mafioso, but he'll still cut off your horse's head.]]
* '''Black Shadow''' (Crossformer, 1989)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''D-309'''
**''Accessories'': Crossformer shell, 2 large rifles, small rifle

: Black Shadow is a [[redeco]] of the [[Pretender]] [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]], transforming into a Cybertronic jet. His outer Crossformer shell's chestplate/head piece is [[Retool|retooled]] from Thunderwing's to make it more robotic. However, it still transforms into a larger Cybertronic jet like the original version. The inner vehicle can be attached underneath the nose of the larger vehicle to create a combined starship mode. All three of his guns can be mounted on his shell's vehicle mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Destron/BlackShadow/blackshadow.htm More information on Black Shadow at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://tfbaka.de-blog.jp/1dai/2008/10/post_cf3c.html Gallery of Black Shadow at Transformers Baka Ichidai]''
{{--}}

===Generations===
[[Image:Gen-toy SkyShadow.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Once a retool, always a retool.]]
* '''Sky Shadow''' (Deluxe, 2011)
**''Accessories'': 2 missile launchers, 2 missiles, recon drone

: Part of the final ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' wave in 2011 (alongside [[Junkyard (G1)|Junkheap]]), "Sky Shadow" is a retool of [[Thunderwing (G1)#Generations|Thunderwing]], featuring a new head and chest piece based on the ''Victory'' cartoon's design. He transforms into a fighter jet. The zigzag patterns sculpted on the hull are characteristic of American stealth technology which relies on a lack of right angles in structural design in order to foil radar detection. The nose of the jet can detach and become a separate aerial drone, while the two missile launchers can detach from the wings and become hand-held weapons or clip together into one massive gun. The middle section of the sculpted missiles on the sides of the guns are also compatible with [[C joint]] accessories.

:Sky Shadow was originally "leaked" via Thunderwing's instructions, as they initially depicted him with Sky Shadow's head and chest. A [[Variant|running change]] version of the instructions depicts Thunderwing's own head, but keeps Sky Shadow's chest unchanged.

==Notes==
* In Japanese, Black Shadow's function reads "''Uchū Gyangu''" (宇宙ギャング), which translates to "Space Gangster". The [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers|common misconception]] that he is a member of the "Space Mafia" is due to a mistranslation some years ago in which "gangster" was interpreted as "Mafia". Big difference.
* The Crossformers' ID numbers are actually a huge jump ''backwards'' in the numbering system. The other ''Victory'' Decepticons' numbers start at D-322. However, Shadow and Bacchus' numbers put them right in the middle of the ''[[Super-God Masterforce (toyline)|Super-God Masterforce]]'' Decepticons' numbers, between 1988's [[Browning]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]], even though the Crossformers were released in 1989. What the hell?
* While "Sky Shadow" is the name of the Generations figure on its card and elsewhere, [[Wal-Mart]]'s product database listed the figure as "BLCKSHAD" and printed as such on the receipt.

===Foreign names===
*''English:'' '''Thunderwing''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub)

[[Category:Gangsters]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Pretenders]]
[[Category:TransTech Decepticons]]
[[Category:Victory Decepticons]]

Kranix (G1)

2011-12-16T13:24:47Z

85.221.166.176: /* The Transformers cartoon */

{{disambig2|the Lithone who escaped being eaten to... get eaten|the giant Fracas|Krunix (G1)}}
:''Kranix is a [[Lithone (species)|Lithone]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Kranix TFUniverse.jpg|thumb|200px|"The ships! Get to the ships, it's our only... Wait, I'M a ship!"]]
'''Kranix''' is the last survivor of the consumed planet [[Lithone (planet)|Lithone]]. Well-versed in the art of combat, the friar warrior Kranix has an advanced artificial intelligence, possessing a full range of emotion. But unlike his companion [[Arblus]], this emotion does not cripple him with fear. Rather, he's friendly and polite, seeming almost human.

That is, until his present situation, which has carved a faultline in his chivalrous exterior.

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Norman Alden]] (English), [[Toshio Ishii]] (Japanese)
[[Image:TFTMKranixArblus.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Kranix is the one carrying the flasks.]]
On the planet Lithone, Arblus and Kranix were either friends with or the assistants to a scientist. The pair brought the scientist a couple of fluid-filled vials while he worked, although Kranix was the only one to do any carrying (lazy Arblus). Unfortunately, the building shook, sending the chemicals to the floor.

It wasn't seismic activity, however — running to a nearby window, the Lithones saw it was the menace they knew as [[Unicron]]! Kranix compelled his companions to get to the escape ships, but only the one he and Arblus were on managed to escape the pull of Unicron's gravity. After Lithone was destroyed, Kranix and Arblus somehow became prisoners on [[Quintessa]], the home of the dreaded [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] and [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. Arblus was the first to receive his death sentence from the Quintesson judge and [http://eshop.fincom.pl/ katalog sklepów internetowych], leaving Kranix as the last survivor of Lithone (so far as he knew).

Not long afterward, the [[Autobot|Autobots]] [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] were placed in the cell next to Kranix. Kranix told them of the Quintessons and his planet's demise, but would not enjoy their company long, for Quintesson guards soon came to take Kranix to his fate. Over the plank above the Sharkticon pit, Kranix protested the mockery of justice that the Quintessons represented. He was then fed to the Sharkticons and eaten. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie|The Transformers: The Movie}}

{{note|In the [[The Planet Eater!|Marvel Comics adaptation of the movie]], Kranix and Arblus were running from mysterious acid mist that is eclipsing their planet, when Arblus is overtaken and devoured by the mist. Fearing for his life, Kranix transformed into his spaceship mode and fled Lithone as it dissolved.}}

==Toys==
{{--}}
===Transformers (2010)===
*'''Unicron''' (Supreme, 2011)
:Kranix is a redeco of the original [[Dead End (Armada)|Dead End]] figure, coming with [[Unicron]] and coloured in homage of his original form. Kranix transforms into a mechanical "moon" (perhaps making his alternate mode Lithone?) with a cannon, and can fit into a specially-shaped socket on Unicron's planet form to act as a turret.

:This mold was used to make [[Dead End Drone|Bug Drone]] and [[Dead End General|Bug General]].

==Notes==
*In a very early draft of ''The Transformers: The Movie'', Lithone was a planet of living rock creatures, and Kranix was named '''G'''ranix (from "granite", you get it?). Although this was amended for later drafts, one or two instances of this original spelling made it through the spell-check, into a much later version of the script, puzzling fans for over a decade.
*It is never revealed within the film how Kranix ended up on Quintessa after escaping Unicron. A deleted line of dialogue explained that the Quintessons hunted down those who escaped the wrath of Unicron and put them on trial, with the sentence always being the same—'''death!''' In the same draft that had the Lithones as rock creatures, meanwhile, Kranix had actually come to Quintessa on a scientific expedition.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Kranix''' (クラニクス ''Kuranikusu'')

==External links==
* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Kranix Kranix's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

[[Category:Dark of the Moon characters]]
[[Category:Generation 1 aliens]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Mini-Cons]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Black Shadow (G1)

Kranix (G1)