Editing Brave (franchise)

{{disambig2|the franchise that uses designs from ''Transformers''|the ''Car Robots'' character|Emissary (RID)}}
[[Image:Braveseries.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 [[Kunio Okawara|look like]] {{w|Gundam}}.]]

'''''Brave''''' (勇者 ''Yūsha'') is a non-''Transformers'' [[franchise]] that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] and {{w|Sunrise (company)|Sunrise}} created after the [[The Transformers (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>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 had been established in ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (franchise)|Victory]]'' and would be reproduced almost beat-for-beat in every Brave series. The Brave franchise has been described as a cross between ''Transformers'' and the {{w|Super Robot}} genre of the late '70s and early '80s.

The Brave series consisted of:

* 1990: ''{{w|Brave Exkaiser}}''
* 1991: ''{{w|The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird}}''
* 1992: ''{{w|The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn}}''
* 1993: ''{{w|The Brave Express Might Gaine}}''
* 1994: ''{{w|Brave Police J-Decker}}''
* 1995: ''{{w|The Brave of Gold Goldran}}''
* 1996: ''{{w|Brave Command Dagwon}}''
**1997: ''{{w|lang=ja|勇者指令ダグオン 水晶の瞳の少年|Brave Command Dagwon - The Boy with Crystal Eyes}}''
* 1997: ''{{w|The King of Braves GaoGaiGar}}''
** 1999: ''{{w|The King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL}}''
* ''The Saint Of The Braves Baan Gaan'' (cancelled, later made into {{w|Brave_series#Brave_Saga_and_Brave_Saga_2|a video game}}.)

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 [[Partformer|partsforming]]), but often also higher [[Show-accuracy|accuracy]] in reproducing the look of the robot from the anime series. Generally, the toys were created by Takara's [[Takashi Kunihiro]] and Sunrise's [[Kunio Okawara]], doing engineering and design work respectively. The duo had already collaborated in the creation of [[Star Saber]], who shares similarities to the leading robots of the Brave series in their combination schemes, and is considered to be their progenitor. The few toys not engineered by Kunihiro are believed to be engineered by [[Hisashi Yuki]].

==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 ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (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 the [[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 ''Transformers'' counterparts. For example, the four Geister henchmen in ''Exkaiser'' use character models of four of the five [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] (minus Grimlock), but with all-new faces, body detail and color schemes. Of the designs that did appear in toy form, some of them were retooled to reflect these changes, whereas others were simple recolors. (A complete listing of the reuses follows in the section below.)

One striking difference between the ''Brave'' 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 ''[[Transformers: Zone (toyline)|Zone]]'' and ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: 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 the aforementioned two) being the exception.

Although Hasbro never released ''Brave'' toys in the West, they apparently did receive samples from Takara on [[Media:Dxgoldran.jpg|at least one occasion]].

==Influence on ''Transformers''==
[[Image:Cybprime exkaiser.jpg|right|300px|thumb|]]
Similar to ''Brave'' being influenced by ''Transformers'', subsequent ''Transformers'' lines have also been influenced by the ''Brave'' Series. The Japanese [[Mini-Con]] [[Kingbolt (MD)|Kingbolt]]'s coloration and characterization are [[homage]]s to the Brave series ''Exkaiser''. The [[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|''Cybertron'' cartoon]] featured many homages to the Brave series, most notably the way [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] combines with [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]], which is similar to the way GaoGaiGar combines with Goldymarg and Stealth Gao respectively. As well, [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]'s transformation scheme is almost identical to various car robots from the ''Brave'' series, those being Dran, Dag Fire, and Volfogg.  [[Unfinished#Real-world references|The battle between Optimus Prime and Galvatron]] contains several visual references to the final showdown between Great Exkaiser and Dinogeist from the anime series Brave Exkaiser. The ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|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''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Dug Base|Dag Base]]. ''[[Transformers: 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's 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 ''{{w|Tomica Hero: Rescue Force}}'' as part of the toy Zero Fire.

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

===''Exkaiser''===
* [http://youtu.be/pCoGs3mQcl4 Green Raker and Blue Raker] — Originally designed with [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/toyark/98174-brave-386.html#post5402246 Transformers in mind] but released under the ''Brave'' banner.
* ''[http://youtu.be/54Onss3GyaY Armor Geist]'' — [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/rmPP2kRP5DM Horn Geist]'' — [[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/rRY8gky0PQE Ptera Geist]'' — [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/kuJTrWuy68Y Thunder Geist]'' — [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]

===''Da Garn''===
* [http://youtu.be/_37zYGQow00 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]]
* [http://youtu.be/E89XiJOWzIo Gōryū] with Ōwashi — [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]] and [[Speeder]]
* [http://youtu.be/PBkMnRnv3pw Hiryū] with Hayabusa — [[Sonic Bomber]] and [[Sonic (Zone)|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''===
* [http://youtu.be/xGFHTcC5tlo Duke Fire] — Transformation very likely based upon [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]].
* ''Kagerō'' — [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]]
* [http://youtu.be/ZLYgYX7IxLA Shadowmaru] — [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] (featured a new head, chest, chest fins, beast head, and entirely new set of weaponry to incorporate a ninja motif; also has slightly more articulation since the bar connecting the lower legs to each other was removed)
* The Micromaster Stations <sup>[[Fire station|1]][[Ironworks (facility)|2]][[Gasoline Base|3]][[Airwave (facility)|4]]</sup> (sans Micromasters and including non-transformable Brave Police figures; never appeared in the show)

===''Goldran''===
* [http://youtu.be/xMZgEc78A6Y Death Garry Gun] with Missile Gear — [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]] and [[Shotbomber]] (cannibalized trailer launchers)
* ''[http://youtu.be/z0ObWFgDfls Revibaron]'' — [[Sonic Bomber]] with parts from [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]
* ''[http://youtu.be/uE7caCCFWKc Zazorigun]'' — [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]

===''Dagwon''===
* Dag Base — [[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]] (significant retooling, cannot combine with Star Convoy)
* [http://youtu.be/ei2MgBwc8Iw Thunder Dagwon] — [[Galaxy Shuttle]] (significant retooling, including an additional motorcycle/robot that combines for the shuttle's robot mode)

==Fiction==
===Ask Vector Prime===
[[Vector Prime]] was asked whether or not ''Brave'' was a part of the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]]. Unfortunately, the Prime seemed to have misinterpreted the question. He did, however, express a fondness for the {{w|Brave (2012 film)|adventures of Princess Merida and Queen Elinor}}. 

The events of the ''Brave'' anime were later established to take place in the [[Cymond]] Cluster, which bordered the [[Megaverse]] and only possessed a tangential connection to the goings-on elsewhere in the ''Transformers'' multiverse. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}}

==Notes==
*It was originally assumed that [http://youtu.be/xGFHTcC5tlo Duke Fire] from ''Brave Police J-Decker'' was a homage to [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Notes|New Rodimus]]. However, following a discussion with Duke Fire's designer, this proved to be a coincidence.<ref>https://twitter.com/tfwiki/status/907253686023458817</ref>
*''Brave Police J-Decker'' mecha Duke Fire and Shadowmaru inspired the Autobot drone [[Duke Fire]] and Decepticon [[Greatsix]]. Meanwhile, the human police superintendent Juzo Saejima also inspired the Generation 1 human [[Saejima]].

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*{{w|Brave series}} at Wikipedia
*[http://www.yusha.net/ Official Sunrise Brave Series website]
*[http://bravewiki.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page Brave Wiki]
*[[wikia:gaogaigar: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]

[[Category:Japanese franchises]]
[[Category:Non-Transformers toylines]]
[[Category:Other TakaraTomy properties]]