Editing Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

{{episode|
|otherseries=''Transformers: Zone'' ep 1
|prev=Echo Across the Galaxy! Bell of Love!!
|title="Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!"
|japanese=新総司令官ダイアトラス登場!
|romaji=Shin Sōshireikan Dai Atlas Tōjō!
|translation=
|image=ZonePoster1.jpg
|caption=Zone is the Enders
|production code=
|production company=[[TakaraTomy|Takara]], [[Columbia Music Entertainment|Nihon Columbia]]
|writer=[[Toyohiro Ando]]
|director=[[Hiromichi Matano]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|airdate=[[July 21|21 July]] 1990
|continuity=[[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''When nine of the most powerful Decepticons are gathered together under the rule of Violen Jiger, Autobot Powered Master Dai Atlas must step forward to prevent them from acquiring the power of the mystical Zodiac.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Victorysaber feminia destruction.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|If only he's a [[Star Saber (Victory)#2005 IDW continuity|hideous zealot]] in this clip.]] 

Seeking to conquer the universe, the mysterious, demonic [[Violen Jiger]] gathers together the [[Decepticon]]s [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]], [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]], [[King Poseidon]], [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], and [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]] as his [[Nine Great Demon Generals]]. To remove the threat the [[Autobot]]s pose to his goal, he has the generals devastate the planet [[Feminia]], drawing the attention of Autobot [[Supreme Commander]] [[Star Saber (Victory)|Victory Saber]] and his troops, who arrive to save the planet's populace. Victory Saber saves the life of a young boy named [[Cain]], but is unable to escape the planet's destruction himself and is left missing in action when Feminia explodes.

[[File:EnergonZ.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|"Ha ha, I have stolen the prop from {{w|My Science Project}}!"]]

With the Autobots in disarray following the loss of Victory Saber, Violen Jiger charges his generals with obtaining the Autobots' new energy source [[Energon Z]], and the [[Zodiac]], the enigmatic energy force responsible for the creation of the universe, which he intends to fuse together to create the super-energy that will fuel his dreams of conquest.

Meanwhile, Cain and his pet [[Emusa]] are brought to [[Micro|Planet Zone]], the fortified defence base of the Autobot [[Micromaster]]s, where [[Moonradar (Zone)|Moonradar]] and [[Rabbicrater]] give him the lowdown on its history. Zone was created by the [[Powered Master]]s, early Transformer pioneers of space, and the [[Zone Base]] is powered by [[Energon Z]]—which makes the planet the next target for the Demon Generals. Overlord, Menasor, Bruticus, and Abominus attack the planet and steal the Energon Z, escaping into space as Moonradar leads the [[Super Car Patrol Team]] and the [[Battle Patrol Team]] in pursuit. Their way is barred by BlackZarak, who impedes their progress with an energy net. The [[Jet Patrol Team]] free their companions, and [[Sunrunner (Zone)|Sunrunner]] tracks the Generals with his radar, discovering that the capsule of Energon Z has been handed off to the other half of the group, who are on their way to Earth.

[[File:CainAkiraPetals.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|And as the cherry blossoms lowered, so did our expectations.]]

Back on Zone, as the [[Rescue Patrol Team]] cleans up, the Powered Masters [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Sonic Bomber]] return from their search for Victory Saber, bringing the wounded commander back safely. The two Powered Masters briefly watch over Victory Saber in the infirmary, then set out for Earth, where Devastator, King Poseidon, Trypticon, and Predaking are already wreaking havoc. The Micromasters, meanwhile, have already arrived on the planet, just in time to save a young boy named [[Akira Serikawa|Akira]], who... ''befriends''... Cain as the Micromasters do the best they can to hold off the Generals. In the nick of time, Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber arrive, and the battle goes underground as Devastator and Dai Atlas race to find the Zodiac, buried in a cavern beneath the Earth's surface. As Devastator is dispatched by a river of lava, King Poseidon attempts to escape with the Zodiac, but is stopped by Sonic Bomber, and tosses it to his fellow Generals. Dai Atlas is able to snatch it from their grasp, but the enraged Trypticon then unleashes a beam of Energon Z from the capsule directly at him. Sonic Bomber valiantly takes the hit for Dai Atlas and is nearly killed by the beam, but Trypticon simply fires off another shot. In desperation, Dai Atlas holds aloft the Zodiac and petitions it for help, and as the Energon Z washes over it, its power is unleashed. Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber are transformed into "Zone Modes", heavily-armed base forms that dispense with King Poseidon and Trypticon. Attempting to flee, Predaking is cleaved in two by Dai Atlas's Zone Sword Cutter attack, and the Zodiac is retrieved.

The Autobots, Cain and Akira then discuss the nature of the Zodiac amongst themselves, with Akira revealing that he learned about the existence of Zodiac from [[Professor Serikawa|his father]], but he wants to know more about space and the Transformers. Conversely, Cain and Moonradar want to learn about Earth, and they all agree to teach each other about their respective subjects. Emusa then invites Akira to Zone, and Dai Atlas approves; Akira is ecstatic, but stops to pull something from his backpack—he presents Cain and Emusa with some flowers, and wants to bring plenty along for the trip! 

Returning to Zone, Victory Saber appoints Dai Atlas as the new Supreme Commander of the Autobots. The flying Emusa throws a bouquet into the air that falls apart, and as the petals rain down on the laughing boys and nearby Autobots, the crowd cheers Dai Atlas's name.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{collist|2|
*[[Star Saber (Victory)|Victory Saber]] (6)
*[[Galaxy Shuttle]] (7)
*[[Holi]] (8)
*[[Pīpō]] (9)
*[[Fire]] (10)
*[[Boater]] (11)
*[[Moonradar (Zone)|Moonradar]] (17)
*[[Rabbicrater]] (18)
*[[Star Cloud]] (20)
*[[Windrim]] (21)
*[[Gunlift]] (22)
*[[Whisper (Zone)|Whisper]] (23)
*[[Nightflight (Zone)|Nightflight]] (24)
*[[Sidetrack (Zone)|Sidetrack]] (25)
*[[Powerbomb]] (26)
*[[Gingham]] (27)
*[[Black Heat]] (28)
*[[Sunrunner (Zone)|Sunrunner]] (29)
*[[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] (31)
*[[Sonic Bomber]] (32)
*[[Tailspin]] (33)
*[[Swindler]] (34)
*[[Roadhandler (G1)|Roadhandler]] (35)
*[[Deadhour]] (37)
*[[Road Hugger (Zone)|Road Hugger]] (38)
*[[Road Caesar]] (39)
*[[Grand Maximus]] (40)
*[[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]] (41)
*[[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] (42)
*[[Lander]] (43)
*[[Lightfoot (Masterforce)|Lightfoot]] (44)
*[[Ranger]] (45)
*[[Road King]] (46)}}
|c2=
*[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] (3)
*[[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]] (4)
*[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (5)
*[[Violen Jiger]] (12)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (13)
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (14)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (15)
*[[King Poseidon]] (16)
*[[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] (19)
*[[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]] (30)
|c3=
*[[Akira Serikawa|Akira]] (36)
|c4=
*[[Cain]] (1)
*[[Emusa]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"The Autobots' Supreme Commander, [[Star Saber (Victory)|Victory Saber]], has vanished into space like dust."<br>
"[The Nine Demon Generals cheer]"<br>
"I shall take control over the entire universe to create a Decepticon Zone!"<br>
"[The Nine Demon Generals cheer again]" <br>
"[Changes face] Find the Super Energy that is needed."<br>
"[Changes face again] And retrieve it by any means necessary!"
:—'''Violen Jiger's''' only speaking lines.

==Notes==
*Opening song is "[[Transformer Z no Theme]]" and ending song is "[[Ashita no Kimi e]]".
*The episode was produced by [[Kenji Yokoyama]], who also produced ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Transformers: Headmasters]]''.

===Animation or technical glitches===
*During Star Saber's repair operation, his battle helmet is blue.
*When Devastator goes underground after trying to attack Dai Atlas from behind, the part of his cape on his shoulders is colored green instead of purple.

===Continuity notes===
*During Dai Atlas's coronation, [[Grand Maximus]], the [[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmaster]]s, [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]], [[Lander]], [[Road Caesar]], and [[Landcross (Victory)|Landcross]] can be seen at Star Saber's side.

===Transformers references===
*The Transformers previously visited Planet Feminia in [[The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5|issue #5]] of the 1986 manga, ''[[The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers]]''. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] also mentioned it in "[[Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime]]".
*Planet Zone is an overhauled, upgraded version of [[Micro]], seen previously in the ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)|Victory]]'' animated series.
*The core of the Zone Base, referred to as the "Rocket Base" in the toyline and ''[[TV Magazine]]'' spreads, is identical to the Shuttle Base from ''Victory''. While it is unclear if the Shuttle Base and the Rocket Base were originally intended to be the same structure, ''[[Transformers: The Ark II|The Ark II]]'' has declared them to be so.
*The [[fire station]], [[gas station]], [[airport]], and [[Ironworks (base)|construction station]] Micromaster Bases belonging to [[Hot House]], [[Glasspit]], [[Overair]], and [[Ironworks (Micromaster)|Ironworks]], respectively, all appear as part of the Zone Base, although their Micromaster owners do not.
*Devastator got [[Heavy Metal War|soaked by hot lava once again.]]

===Trivia===
[[File:ZoneOPCreatures.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|What the hell?]]
*According to an interview featured in ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Comics]]''<!--page 639-->, ''Zone'' was to receive a second episode in the form of a TV special. However, production was cancelled due to unspecified circumstances (likely declining interest in the ''Transformers'' brand, a factor that brought about the end of the American toyline the same year ''Zone'' was released), making "Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!" the only episode of ''Zone'' to be animated.
*Although [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers|rumors]] have always circulated that as many as five could have been completed, only this first episode was released, and serves as the final animated installment of the Japanese ''Generation 1'' cartoon. 
*The episode is an adaptation of the single chapter of ''Zone'' [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (manga)|manga]], or perhaps vice-versa—the manga was released three months before the OVA, although it's not totally clear which media the story was first conceived for. There are some small differences between the anime and the manga: most notably, in the manga, Predaking is blasted by Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber's Zone Modes along with King Poseidon and Trypticon, while the anime sees him make a run for it and wind up getting bisected. [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Story pages]] in ''[[TV Magazine]]'' would later establish that all three generals survived the Zone Mode blast in the manga, whereas they rather definitively died in the anime. As such, the story pages are, in the strictest sense, not in-continuity with the anime, although the official 2007 [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|timeline]] established that their events, in broad strokes, also occurred in animated continuity.
*The ''Zone'' VHS came packaged with the [[exclusive]] figure, [[Rabbicrater]].
*The ''Zone'' [[title sequence]] features Sonic Bomber fighting a strange blue winged creature and Dai Atlas fighting a huge pink bear-esque creature, both of which end up destroyed by the Autobots. Just who or ''what'' these things are is never explained in any contemporary ''Zone'' fiction, but later fiction would call them the "[[new beast warrior]]s" and explain their origin.
*Four complete Micromaster teams appear in this episode: the [[Rescue Patrol Team]], the [[Battle Patrol Team]], the [[Jet Patrol Team]], and the [[Super Car Patrol Team]]. The latter two use the molds from the [[Air Strike Patrol]] and the [[Sports Car Patrol]], who were Decepticons in the West.
*Only three members of the [[Race Car Patrol|Race Car Patrol Team]] appear in this episode—in cameos from behind, nonetheless. The missing member is [[Free Wheeler]], who can briefly be spotted in the opening sequence.
[[File:CainAkiraBlush.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|Cain really looks like he stepped out of ''{{w|Knights of the Zodiac}}'', doesn't he?]]
*So, Cain and Akira are pretty gay. Aside from both being very effeminate in design, there's a scene in the story where, during Predaking and Trypticon's attack on the base-mode Galaxy Rocket, Akira is shaken up and falls back into Cain's arms, and they linger on the pair in close-up as both of them blush. Then, the whole closing sequence is about them running through a field of <span class="plainlinks">[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LoveBubbles shōjo bubbles]</span> and watching the sunrise together. It's a sudden, dramatic moment of inclusivity not seen in Transformers cartoons before or since, even if it's all done through implication.
*Devastator totally knocks down the World Trade Center. That dastardly terrorist.
*As Predaking's freshly sliced halves separate, what appears to be [[:File:PredaBrain1.jpg|an organic brain]] is briefly visible inside. Which is odd.
*Much like the "[[Scramble City: Mobilization|Scramble City]]" OVA, [[Shout! Factory]] was outright denied the distribution license for the ''Zone'' OVA in the United States by co-producers [[Toei]]. Precisely why Toei would not permit the OVA to be released in the United States has never been made public.
*An unofficial fansubbed version of the OVA was included as part of [[Metrodome]]'s "Complete Takara Collection" DVD set, with commentary by [[Chris McFeely]].

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote|jsubs}}
[[File:Columbia Zone DVD.jpg|thumb|upright=0.55]]
;VHS
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 1990 — ''Transformers: Zone'' ([[Columbia Music Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only.
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Transformers: Zone'' (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.<br>
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers'' — The Complete Takara Collection ([[Metrodome]]) — Optional commentary by [[Chris McFeely]].<br>
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2008 — ''The Transformers: Victory'' ([[Madman Entertainment]])<br>
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''The Transformers: Japan Generation 1'' — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)<br>
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2014 — ''[[Transformers Theme Song DVD ~Transformers Music Matrix 30th Anniversary Ver.~]]'' (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.<br>
{{-}}

==External links==
*{{w|lang=ja|トランスフォーマーZ|''Transformers Zone''}} at Japanese Wikipedia

[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon episodes]]
[[Category:Zone media]]