Editing Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)

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'''''Transformers: Robots in Disguise''''' is a Transformers [[Franchises|franchise]] that launched in the year [[2001]]. It was an American port of the [[2000]] Japanese Transformers series '''''Transformers: Car Robots''''' (トランスフォーマー カーロボット). The franchise was the first full-on [[Continuity|reboot]] series in ''Transformers'' history on both sides of the globe, which caused a heck of a ruckus among the [[fandom]] when it was new. Since then, however, it has faded into relative obscurity.

Taking place on [[Earth]] at the turn of the century, the series follows [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] (or "Fire Convoy") and his Autobots (or "Cybertrons") protecting the planet and its long-lost Cybertronian artifacts from the ambitions of the evil [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] (or "Gigatron") and his [[Predacon (RID)|Predacon]]s (or "Destrongers").

In-universe, the ''Robots in Disguise'' continuity is referred to as "[[Viron]]" in the [[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTechs]]' [[universal stream]] designators... but ''Car Robots'' is not. We'll explain that below.

The ''Robots in Disguise'' franchise featured the following primary components:

*[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|A toyline]]
*[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|A cartoon series]]
*[[Ultra Magnus...to the Rescue?|A single American comic book story]] by [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] (produced after the series ended production) set in the same continuity as the cartoon series.

Due to [[retcon]]s by the Facebook edition of [[Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime]], the franchise is also tied to:
*[[Transformers: Dinobots|Another toyline which is composed of Dinobots]]<ref>[[Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#May 29, 2015|Ask Vector Prime, 29/05/2015]]</ref>
*[[Shell Game|Another American comic book story]]<ref>[[Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#July 29, 2015|Ask Vector Prime, 29/07/2015]]</ref>

==History==
[[File:Car Robots logo.jpg|left|300px]]
The series's original incarnation, ''Car Robots'', was created in response to the continually-declining sales of [[TakaraTomy|Takara's]] ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars (Japanese toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' toyline. As [[Hasbro]] moved into ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]]'', Takara opted instead to start anew—and tap into nostalgia as well—by bringing back the traditional modern Earth vehicle heroes with the classic [[Autobot]] big red face [[insignia|faction symbol]]. However, the villains of the series did not follow suit; while "Destronger" leader "Gigatron" was an all-new toy mold, his lackeys were all [[redeco]]ed [[Transmetal 2]] molds that had been developed for ''Beast Wars'', and the team was given the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] symbol as had the villains from the prior shows. Further villain reinforcements, the [[Decepticon#2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon|Combatrons]], were even older molds based on modern Earth vehicles, but got a black, upside-down ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' Autobot symbol... apparently due to Takara's unwillingness to [[retool]] one of the toys to remove the faction symbol from it.

A year later in America, Hasbro decided it was time to end the [[Beast Era]] (which was also flagging in sales). Hasbro and Takara began work to co-develop the next series intended for both markets, ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', but Hasbro refused to not have ''Transformers'' toys on the shelves despite ''Beast Machines'' under-performing. Thus, they quickly ported over ''Car Robots'', re-branding it as ''Robots in Disguise'', as a low-cost, low-work "filler" line. While the animalistic bad guys retained the Predacon logo (and faction name), all of the bad guys who turned into Earth vehicles got the traditional Decepticon emblem. Hasbro even expanded the product offerings with more redecos and minor retools of older molds, including a few previously-canceled ones. (Takara, meanwhile, apparently had no qualms about letting almost two years pass with no kid-aimed ''Transformers'' toys on the shelves.)

Where ''Car Robots'' sputtered in Japan, ''Robots in Disguise'' took off with a roar in America, thanks in no small part to the cartoon airing on the popular [[Fox Kids]] programming block.

===The continuity kerfuffle===
To put it bluntly, the continuity placement of the original ''Car Robots'' version of the series has been point of contention within the fandom, particularly in the West. 

When the first [https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm16590450 television promo] for ''Car Robots'' aired immediately after the [[Remix: I Lost the Banana!|final episode]] of ''Beast Wars Metals'', said promo featured [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Fire Convoy]] thanking the [[Maximal]] Beast Warriors for preserving [[Earth]]'s history and promising to keep the modern day safe from the Destrongers.<ref>Though, this information was largely lost on larger English-speaking world due to a lack of widespread knowledge that this obscure promo had even existed, let alone what was said in its Japanese dialogue.</ref> Preliminary information found on [https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/carobot/index.html TVTokyo's website] described ''Car Robots'' as "The next great entry in the ''[[Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers|Super Lifeforms Transformers: Beast Wars]]'' series" and even referred to the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] of previous series by name. Said site and the [https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/150486-car-robots-robots-in-disguise-2001-general-discussion/page-3#entry3747453 first toy catalog] also claimed the Destrongers had come to the 21st century through a dimensional rift, with Fire Convoy's team being a "[[Dimensional Patrol]]" sent to oppose them. The catalog even described the series premise as "[[Diaclone#Car Robots|Car Robots]] versus [[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]". Coupled with the [[Battle Protocol!|first episode]] featuring a celebration for the new millennium, setting it in the year [[2000]], all this led to initial speculation that the series would be set in the [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|existing Japanese ''Transformers'' continuity]], during the at-the-time unexplored gap between the second season of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] and [[The Transformers: The Movie|its movie]], with the ''Car Robots'' cast having time-traveled from the future à la ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''.

As the series continued, however, it began to feel more like a fresh start, presenting itself as a self-contained story isolated from everything that had come before it.<ref>Granted, the [[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars II'' cartoon]] was similarly isolated and self-contained, but the appearance of [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] in both its first toy catalog and [[Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!|its movie]] made it easier for fans to accept it as part of the existing timeline.</ref> There were no obvious ties or references to the Generation 1 cartoon that it apparently was set within contemporaneously,<ref>Though, the [[Cybertron Base (RID)|Autobots' base]] and [[Global Space Bridge|underground transit system]] were strikingly similar to ones first introduced in [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Issue #4]] of the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (manga)|''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga]]; a series that not many Westerners were familiar with at the time.</ref> no guest appearances from any Generation 1 characters (who, logically, ought to have noticed the globally Earth-based conflict of Fire Convoy and Gigatron's forces),<ref>Even the similarly self-contained [[Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon]] had a brief guest cameo appearance from [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] in its [[Birth! Headmaster Jrs|third episode]].</ref> and Fire Convoy's team took a more covert role in their relationship with humanity, using their vehicle modes to hide themselves when not in battle, unlike the G1 Autobots who regularly interacted with humans in their robot modes. What's more, none of the early information about the characters being time travelers was ever brought up in the show (save for one brief moment in [[The Ultimate Robot Warrior|episode 12]] where Fire Convoy vaguely hinted at having come from another time), with virtually no indication of the cast being anything but native to the year 2000.

Thus, fans began to reconsider the series' original continuity placement and wondered if it might instead be an alternate universe—a sort of continuity reboot—dismissing the early time-traveling info as mere rumors or dropped concepts (or simply never knowing about it in the first place). But, as this thinking persisted, ''Car Robots'' entered its second half and had ''finally'' begun to do some actual world-building by introducing [[Energon Matrix|concepts]] and [[Vector Sigma#Japanese cartoon continuity|lore]] originally from ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars II]]'' and ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'', two Japanese series that the greater Western fandom had only sparse knowledge of at the time. Those who did catch these new references (and ''hadn't'' fully dismissed the original continuity speculation) theorized if maybe the cast of ''Car Robots'' had come from a future set after ''Beast Wars Neo''. But, the more vocal fandom [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#JBWchronology|(mis)belief]] of ''Beast Wars II'' and ''Neo'' taking place chronologically before ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' challenged and attempted to [http://web.archive.org/web/20121116084945/http://tfarchive.com/creative/showentry.php?s=490 quell] this theory.

Fueling the fire further was the fact that, when ''Car Robots'' was brought over to the West as ''Robots in Disguise'', the cartoon's English dub was ''absolutely'' treated as a reboot by its production team (though, likely based on the same fandom belief in the first place), with episode scripts written in ways that made the dub completely irreconcilable with [[Marvel Comics continuity|either of the major]] [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hasbro-backed Generation 1 continuities]]. This caused no end of confusion among the fandom since the idea of a total continuity reboot in ''Transformers'' was still new and took some time to settle in... which was ''not'' helped by the English dub adding in numerous references to Generation 1 concepts and characters (which typically made things ''less'' compatible), nor the toy line having two characters from prior series ([[Axer (G1)|Axer]] and [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]) actually cross dimensions into its new continuity. 

Eventually, the fandom got used to the idea of this series (both its English ''and'' Japanese versions) being on its own, helped along when ''Armada'' would similarly reboot the continuity one year after ''Robots in Disguise'' in the West and three whole years after ''Car Robots'' in Japan. This tactic of starting things over every year is common in long-running Japanese franchises, but had not yet been applied to ''Transformers''. Subsequent series would later follow suit, creating more and more non-G1 continuities with each new reboot, making ''Car Robots''/''Robots in Disguise'' less of an anomaly and more acceptable as just the first of many non-G1 cartoons to come about after the Beast Era.

''BUT THEN...''

In [[2004]], the first hints of clarity were found small line called ''[[Robotmasters (franchise)|Robotmasters]]. Created to celebrate the [[Transformers brand|brand]]'s 20th anniversary, ''Robotmasters'' served as a big crossover between characters from Generation 1, ''Beast Wars'', and more, with lots of newcomers time-traveling to the year 2004 of the Japanese G1 cartoon universe via [[Blasty Zone|dimensional rifts]]. One such character, an amnesiac Deception named Wrecker Hook, shared the same toy mold and Japanese name as ''Car Robots'' Wrecker Hook, known in ''Robots in Disguise'' as the Autobot [[Tow-Line (RID)|Tow-Line]]. At the time, it was quite not clear if the Decepticon Wrecker Hook was meant to be the same character as the Autobot Wrecker Hook/Tow-Line, but even if he was, there still lay the possibility of his coming from another dimension, since [[Sideways (RM)|another suspected dimension-hopper]] was also part of the line.<ref>Though, a closer examination of the ''Robotmasters'' toy bios and fiction reveals that the only characters who came through the Blasty Zone were just the time-traveling ones from ''Beast Wars'', ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory|Victory]]'', and ''Beast Wars II''; not Wrecker Hook.</ref>

Also in the ''Robotmasters'' line was a rerelease of the ''Car Robots'' [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Brave Maximus]] toy, offered as a contest prize and renamed "Cybertron Base" (a name not too dissimilar to the name of its city mode in the ''Car Robots'' cartoon, "Cybertron City"). But since Brave Maximus/Cybertron Base did not actually feature in any major ''Robotmasters'' fiction, his inclusion in the line via this contest was largely ignored by the Western fandom. Also in this year, an [[e-HOBBY]]-[[exclusive]] [[G1 GoBots|six-pack]] of [[redeco]]ed G1 [[Mini Vehicles]] made explicit reference to the [[Spy Changer|Spychangers]] of ''Car Robots'' in the set's bio, in a way that tied them directly to their toy mold progenitors, the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bots]]. While the characters in this six-pack would never be used by Japanese media, the Spychanger reference in its bio was but a small glimpse of much bigger things to come.<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/89376-united-ex-translated-stories-and-bios-complete/page-15#entry2198052 Post by Andrew Hall on The Allspark</ref> 

[[File:Japaneseflowchart.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|This has only gotten MORE complicated since its publication.]]
In 2007, Takara surprised the Western fandom by actually providing full clarity on the subject of ''Car Robots''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s continuity. The ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (franchise)|Kiss Players]]'' series had begun a time-jumping story with the series' protagonists traveling aboard Brave Maximus, the very same one from ''Car Robots''. One of their jumps even took them to the first episode of ''Car Robots'' without any dimension-hopping, only time-hopping. The series even ended with Brave Maximus crashing into [[Master (planet)|Planet Master]] before its refugee inhabitants had developed the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster technology]], stating that Brave Maximus's wreckage would provide the catalyst for not just the technology but also the construction of the physically identical [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. Other printed materials and even [[World of the Transformers|a new website]] then produced a long, [[Source:Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|highly detailed timeline]] that mapped out just how the hell this all worked.

Yes, Takara had stuck to the original claims of the preliminary series info by officially declaring ''Car Robots'' to have been part of the massive, sprawling Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity all along,  hand-waving the cartoon's lack of previous-series Transformers appearing on Earth as the result of a [[Transformers: The Battle of the Star Gate|rather obscure Generation 1-based manga]] that both took place in the latter 1990s and abruptly ended ''very conveniently'' with virtually the entire G1 cast getting swept away from Earth in a huge [[space bridge]] accident. With much of the fandom having grown used to thinking of ''Car Robots'' as being a reboot just like ''Robots in Disguise'' was, this revelation was initially met with startled reaction; many fans wrote it off as a nonsensical [[retcon]]. Regardless, [[Transformers Legends (comic)|subsequent]] [[Transformers Unite Warriors|Japanese media]] would adhere to this decision, leaning ''into'' the once-quashed idea of the ''Car Robots'' cast hailing from a future point set around the time of ''Beast Wars Neo''.

''BUT'', with all of ''THAT'' said and sorted out...

Hasbro, on the other side of the pond, had '''NO''' such plans to align the English version with any of this. To this day, the ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon remains its own little separate, distinctly non-G1 thing, and Hasbro has shown little inclination to revive its characters or concepts; most of the callbacks have come from licensees [[Fun Publications]] and [[IDW Publishing]], but a ''few'' characters and ideas have persisted in toy form from Hasbro proper. Thus, ''Car Robots''/''Robots in Disguise'' is in the unique position of being simultaneously part of Generation 1 and completely separate from Generation 1... depending on which side of the globe you're looking at.

In order to keep things simple for readers and cut back on redundancies, '''{{SITENAME SHORT}}''' has opted to roll ''Car Robots'' character and cartoon information into the ''Robots in Disguise'' counterparts' pages. Just know that any ''Robots in Disguise'' character who appears in the "[[:Category: Car Robots characters]]" category has a nigh-identical Generation-1-timeline doppelganger with a different name who did pretty much all the same stuff in the cartoon, only they did it all in a Generation 1 timeline. Though some modern Western fiction has introduced ''distinctly'' Generation 1 versions of ''Robots in Disguise'' characters, such as [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]], and [[Megatron (RID)|Gigatron]]. These versions of the characters are all covered on the same pages as their ''Robots in Disguise'' counterparts since, it turns out, the original ''Car Robots'' versions that started it all were G1 characters anyway.

Head hurt yet? GOOD!

<!--*[[TakaraTomy|Takara]] considers ''Robots in Disguise'' to be the 'same' series as ''Car Robots''.{{fact|August, 2009}} Source like interview in magazines or other materials? Thus, the American release of Sideways for the ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline means that [[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Legends of the Microns]] [[Sideways (RID)|Double Face]] (Sideways's Japanese name) first appeared in ''Car Robots''.-->

==Notes==
*Despite [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers|fan rumors]] to the contrary, ''Car Robots'' was never called and was never ''going'' to be called "Transformers 2000".
*"Car Robots" is also the original name of the [[Autobot Cars]] (including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Ultra Magnus]]) in the ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline.

==External links==
*[http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/table.html Takara's Transformers Continuity Map places ''Car Robots'' in Generation 1.]

==References==
<references/>

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[[Category:Continuity families]]
[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001)| ]]