Editing Spychangers to the Rescue

{{episode|
|series=RiD
|ep=4
|title="Spychangers to the Rescue"
|japanese=忍者ロボ! スパイチェンジャー参上
|romaji=Ninja Robo! Spychanger Sanjō
|translation=Ninja Robo! Enter the Spychangers
|image=Spychangers_Rescue_Spychangers_Hit.jpg
|caption=OK, who had the chili?
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Tokyo]], NAS, Studio Gallop
|writer=[[Kazuhiko Gōdo]] (Japanese)<br>[[Richard Epcar]] (English)
|director=[[Yoshiaki Tsutsui]]
|animation studio=Studio Gallop
|airdate=[[April 26]], [[2000]] (Japanese)<br>[[September 13]], [[2001]] (English)
|continuity=
}}

'''Hot Shot, Crosswise, W.A.R.S.,'''<br>
'''Race Exertion Vehicle''',<br>
'''Ironhide, Mirage'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Spychangers Rescue Koji and Carl morning.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Remember....You....are my number one....guy!]]
Under the cover of darkness, the [[Predacon (RID)|Predacon]] trio try to steal the [[Plutonium Energy Generator]], but [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] and the [[Autobot Brothers|Autobot brothers]] are there to stop them. During the battle, Optimus admonishes [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] for his reckless behaviour—if the generator is damaged, it may leak deadly [[zirconium gas]]. Fortunately at this point the Predacons retreat. (Don't worry, there's more to the episode than just that.)

[[Koji Onishi|Koji]] wakes up to the sound of a honking horn. He rushes outside and greets his friend [[Carl (RID)|Carl]] and his father. The three leave for a biking trip.

[[File:Spychangers Rescue Generator.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|We'll try to kill him with a forklift...]]
The plutonium energy generator is loaded onto a truck and transported across the city. The Autobot brothers follow closely behind the generator. Side Burn develops a mild fear of the elements inside the generator that would be harmful to Transformers, but [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] keeps his brother in line. Traffic slows down due to [[Slapper (RID)|Slapper]]'s hacking the systems used to control the highways. The [[Autobot]]s suspect something is afoot, but stay in position.

Koji and company are also stuck in traffic, as is [[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]].

The Predacons leap through traffic, approaching the truck carrying the precious generator and chasing off the driver. The Predacons steal the energy generator off of the truck while the present Autobots are busy transforming. Because the traffic prevents the Autobots from firing, [[T-AI]] deploys three of the [[Spy Changer|Spychangers]]. [[Hot Shot (RID)|Hot Shot]], [[R.E.V.]] and [[Crosswise (RID)|Crosswise]] reveal themselves to the Predacons, who decide to retreat with the generator rather than to stay and fight. Naturally, the Spychangers give chase.

[[File:Spychangers Rescue Skybytegenerator.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|da dun da dun...]]
The Predacons leap off the highway and into the water, and the three Spychangers follow and transform on the beach. The Predacons knock the three down using their lasers, but help comes to the three Autobots in the form of [[W.A.R.S.]], [[Ironhide (RID)|Ironhide]], and [[Mirage (RID)|Mirage]]. The six soldiers dizzy the Predacons by literally running circles around them. But in the fight, the generator is dropped and rolls out of the sea into the grasp of [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]. Slapper and [[Gas Skunk]] retreat with the generator, but the battle escalates further with the arrival of Prime and the Autobot brothers. However, Prime decides to let the Spychangers handle the Predacons on their own.

[[File:Spychangers Rescue Statue.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|Nyeh!]]
On the verge of being beaten, Sky-Byte decides that he can at least prevent the Autobots from getting the generator—by destroying it. The Spychangers leap to block his [[Tsunami Blaster]]. With all six Spychangers harmed by the blast, the Predacons grab the generator and get away. As the four regular Autobots regret the loss, the Spychangers laugh and reveal that in the confusion, they replaced the generator with a decoy, disguising the real one as a rock by draping a cloth over it.

In the Predacon base, [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] is pleased. But his pleasure turns sour when he tries to activate the decoy generator and it bursts open to reveal a mocking statue.

Koji and Carl, having finally gotten out of traffic, enjoy a bike race together. Optimus watches, glad that Koji is still able to enjoy himself despite the fact that the Predacons still hold his father, and promises again that they'll get [[Kenneth Onishi|Dr. Onishi]] back.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[X-Brawn]] (5)
*[[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] (6)
*[[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] (7)
*[[T-AI]] (15)
*[[Hot Shot (RID)|Hot Shot]] (16)
*[[R.E.V.]] (17)
*[[Crosswise (RID)|Crosswise]] (18)
*[[W.A.R.S.]] (19)
*[[Ironhide (RID)|Ironhide]] (20)
*[[Mirage (RID)|Mirage]] (21)

|h2=[[Predacon (RID)|Predacons]]|c2=
*[[Slapper (RID)|Slapper]] (1)
*[[Gas Skunk]] (2)
*[[Dark Scream]] (3)
*[[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] (12)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (13)

|c3=
*[[Koji Onishi]] (8)
*[[Carl (RID)|Carl]] (9)
*Carl's father (10)
*[[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]] (11)
*Truck driver (14)
}}

==Quotes==
"You know, sometimes that Autobot worries me."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' regarding Side Burn.


'''Side Burn''': Listen, bro, I'm not feeling very well. I have to go see my mechanic.<br>
''(Prowl rear-ends Side Burn)''<br>
'''Prowl''': You'll feel a lot worse if you don't get back in line!<br>
'''Side Burn''': Hey, cut it out! Can I go return a video now? Otherwise they'll charge me a late fee.<br>
'''Prowl''' and '''X-Brawn''': The answer is no!!
:—Side Burn fails miserably at getting out of his assignment.


"They don't pay us enough for this!"
:—A '''truck driver''' reacts to his truck being attacked by giant robotic animals.


"You Autobots oughta be more careful. You just might hurt some innocent bystanders if you keep that up."
:—'''Slapper'''

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Car Robots''===
*In ''Robots in Disguise'', the factory that the Predacons target is constructing a plutonium energy generator. In ''Car Robots'', it is just a vaguely-defined "powerful energy". ''Car Robots'' mentions several times that the Predacons want it to power their base; ''Robots in Disguise'' doesn't say why they want it.
*When Side Burn nearly shoots the factory by accident and Optimus deflects his shot with a Blaze Blaster, ''Robots in Disguise'' adds a shot of Prime actually firing the attack, which in ''Car Robots'' came from off-screen. The shot is created by taking the piece of footage that follows this scene, Prime ''completing'' the attack and standing back upright, and playing it backwards.
*After Side Burn leaves to pursue a red sports car, ''Robots in Disguise'' has Prime and X-Brawn worry about him, while in ''Car Robots'', they are just thinking about assigning escorts for the transport of the generator.
*''Robots in Disguise'' slightly shortens the scene of Koji being woken by Carl and his dad; in ''Car Robots'', the first honk of the horn doesn't wake him, and they have to honk again.
*''Car Robots'' has Carl simply comment on the traffic, where ''Robots in Disguise'' has him request that his dad take them to a construction site to cycle.
[[File:Rid ep4 comparisons.jpg|right|thumb|225px|"Hmm, why ''did'' they add that CGI POV shot...?"]]
*In ''Robots in Disguise'', Koji's flashback to his father's abduction is prompted by Carl's dad specifically inquiring after Doctor Onishi, but in ''Car Robots'', it's merely the kindly actions of Carl's father that cause Koji to remember his own parent. ''Robots in Disguise'' also adds some ripple effects to the beginning and end of the flashback.
*In ''Car Robots'', the Autobot Brothers are unable to pursue the Predacons because the streets are clogged by Slapper's traffic jam. In ''Robots in Disguise'', this specious reason is changed to their being unable to shoot because of the preponderance of innocent bystanders.
*T-AI's computer readouts on the Spy Changers are digitally altered in ''Robots in Disguise'' to replace the characters' Japanese toy ID numbers with their names (pictured). The entire sequence is further altered and reordered to add shots of the characters flashing on T-AI's screens before the scenes showing them rolling into action. In ''Car Robots'', the characters roll out in the order: Hot Shot, Crosswise, R.E.V.; but ''Robots in Disguise'' changes it to: Hot Shot, R.E.V, Crosswise, in accordance with the order they appear on T-AI's screen.
*Despite ''Robots in Disguise'' changing the series' primary location from Tokyo to Metro City, the dub makes up street names with very Japanese-sounding names like "Osaka Boulevard" and "Yutaka Freeway", the latter being the freeway on which most of the episode takes place. In ''Car Robots'', this freeway is the real world Tokyo Gaikan Expressway. 
*In ''Car Robots'', the Predacons want to get away from the Spychangers to keep from leading the Spychangers back to the Predacons base. In ''Robots in Disguise'', they just want to get away from the Spychangers in general.
*''Robots in Disguise'' wildly reorders the frenetic scene of all the Spychangers shooting at the three Predacons. It also adds two CGI POV overlay to shots of Slapper and Darkscream as the Autobots target them (pictured).
[[File:Rid ep4 questionmarks.jpg|right|thumb]]
*When Sky-Byte finds he can't transform with the generator in his mouth, ''Robots in Disguise'' cuts out a shot of three cartoonish question marks appearing above his head (pictured).
*In ''Car Robots'', Prime refers to the Spy Changers' crafty sleight of hand with the generator as the "Art of Replacement", as they're portrayed as ninjas in Japan.
*After the Spy Changers deception is revealed, ''Car Robots'' has Sky-Byte quietly respect the ninjas' skills, while ''Robots in Disguise'' has him blame Slapper and company for the goof.
*Scenes that ''Robots in Disguise'' extends with looped and repeated footage include:
**Optimus telling Side Burn not to pursue the fleeing Predacons
**Prime and the Autobot Brothers' conversation about the danger of the energy generator as they escort it
**X-Brawn warning his brothers to stay alert just before the Predacons attack the truck
**X-Brawn alerting Optimus Prime to the Predacons' theft of the generator
**R.E.V. going into stealth mode
**The Spy Changers getting back up after the Predacons blast them
**Prime telling the Autobot Brothers to leave the battle to the Spy Changers
**Sky-Byte reacting to the generator still being intact
**Prowl lamenting the Predacons' apparent theft of the generator

====Second English dub====
[[File:Rid ep4 deletedshots.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.85]]
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this was one of several ''Robots in Disguise'' episodes that were pulled from rotation in order to be redubbed to remove content that was deemed unsuitable at the time. In the case of this episode, all references to the plutonium energy generator exploding if hit were removed, and replaced instead with the generator threatening to crack open, releasing zirconium gas that will corrode the Autobots' circuitry. The redubbed version is the only one included on [[Maximum Entertainment]]'s R2 DVD release of the series, and the original version was lost until it was [https://youtube.com/watch?v=ivwA_lhWTs8 uploaded to YouTube on November 15, 2013.] A transcript of the original broadcast version of the episode is available at [http://www.ridforever.info/episode-transcripts/rid-episode-04-spychangers-to-the-rescue RID Forever]. Additional changes include:
*When Slapper transforms upon attacking the truck, the original broadcast version featured him uttering "Take off!" to the drivers of the truck, and then an incorrect transformation code phrase, "Robot Mode!" The redub erases the "Take off!" line and replaces the incorrect "Robot Mode!" with the correct "Slapper, Terrorize!" and furthermore, splices in his transformation stock footage sequence.
*Two shots of panicked commuters fleeing as the Predacons attack the truck (pictured) are removed, replaced with a close-up of Slapper delivering some new dialogue about Megatron being pleased with them.
*A scene in which Prowl launches one of his flamethrowers (here called a "Jet Claw") after the Predacons, only to have it blasted by Slapper, causing it to crash into a truck and explode, is deleted outright. Slapper's dialogue immediately following this is also changed to reflect the scene's removal.
{{--}}

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Carl's dad's car pulls up, it has a green bicycle on the roof. When Koji emerges from his house, he's pushing a green bicycle, and the bike on the car is now yellow (and they swap colours again for the next shot too).
*The member select for Crosswise erroneously reads "CROSSWIRE", and Hot Shot's name is displayed as one word.
*A shot at the beach has Sky-Byte being drawn with a different mouth [[Bullet Train to the Rescue#Animation or technical errors|again]].

===Trivia===
*The [[Spy Changer|Spychangers]], unlike the other Autobots, don't recognize [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]].
*Before the member select for Hot Shot, R.E.V. and Crosswise comes up, a bunch of strangely irrelevant English text about design management scrolls past. It seems to mention Ikea a lot.
*Among the abilities displayed by the Spychangers are: camouflage (referred to by the dub as "Stealth Mode"); driving on any flat surface, no matter the angle; driving on water; and somehow producing a statue disguised as a plutonium energy generator out of nowhere.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2000 — ''Transformers: Car Robots'' — Vol. 1 ([[Pony Canyon]]) — Japanese audio only.<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Volume One ([[Maximum Entertainment]])<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Three-Disc Box Set: Part 1 of 2 (Maximum Entertainment)<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Evil Intent (Maximum Entertainment)<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Special Edition 2-Disc Set (Maximum Entertainment)<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise / Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation / Action Man'' (Maximum Entertainment)<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Season One (Maximum Entertainment)<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' — Ultimate Collection (Maximum Entertainment)

==External links==
*[http://www.ridforever.info/episode-transcripts/rid-episode-04-spychangers-to-the-rescue "Spychangers to the Rescue" transcript on RiDForever.info]

[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001) episodes]]