Editing Prowl (Animated)

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{{disambig3|Prowl}}
:''Prowl is an Autobot from the [[Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniProwlPromoModel.jpg|right|250px|thumb|True warriors must move like water. NINJA water.]]
Some people are team players, and some...well, aren't.  '''Prowl''' falls into the latter category. A loner at heart, he has little interest in teamwork, something [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] finds extremely frustrating.   Prowl feels cooperation with the [[Bumblebee (Animated)|loud]] and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|unsubtle]] Autobots around him would cramp his style: a keen [[cyber ninja]] prowess with elements of [[Circuit-Su]]<ref>Prowl's on-package [[bio]]</ref> and [[Metallikato]].<ref name="TEG">"[[The Elite Guard]]"</ref>

Seemingly bound up in his martial-arts philosophy is his deep, deep fascination with [[Earth]]'s natural environment.  His quarters on [[Earth]] is missing most of its ceiling, allowing him a permanent window into nature.  In fact, he seems to have a deeper appreciation of his new surroundings than the [[Human|humans]] who grew up with them.  The phrase "stop and smell the roses" is a life truth for Prowl, and he can spend hours motionless, watching the organic world play out around him.

When called to battle, Prowl uses an array of throwing weapons, such as cutting discs, that he can hurl with high accuracy.  While useful as projectiles, these weapons tend to be far more damaging at close range and will occasionally bounce off their target with little damage if thrown from too great a distance.  He can project [[Hologram|holograms]] of himself, using them to misdirect his enemies.  He is also the only member of his team with a jetpack, granting him limited flight.

Prowl is probably the most skilled fighter of his comrades, but this might not be saying much, as they were a mere [[space bridge]] repair crew before finding themselves suddenly defending the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] against the resurgent [[Decepticon|Decepticons]].<ref>"[[Transform and Roll Out!]]"</reF>  In fact, [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]], witnessing him in action, remarked that Prowl must not have ''finished'' his cyber ninja training.<ref name="TEG">"[[The Elite Guard]]"</ref>  Perhaps that might provide a clue as to why a martial artist like Prowl was assigned to that oft-maligned repair duty.


{{bigquote|Stillness... then ''strike''.|Prowl getting past motion detectors|"[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{ongoing}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Jeff Glen Bennett]] (English), [[Lutz Schnell]] (German), [[Louis van Beek]] (Dutch)
[[Image:TFA Five Servos Yoketron vs Prowl.JPG|200px|thumb|left|This looks ''way'' more exciting in motion.]]
A young Prowl tried to avoid being drafted into fighting in the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]] but was apprehended by [[Warpath (Animated)|Warpath]] and taken to [[Yoketron]]. Seeing potential in the young bot, Yoketron offered to teach Prowl in exchange for having the charges against him dropped. Under Yoketron's guidance, Prowl's fighting skills vastly improved over time, until Yoketron deemed him worthy to be a Cyber-Ninja and rewarded him with two shurikens. Yoketron showed Prowl a hidden room in the dojo, accessed via a secret door opened by [[processor-over-matter]]. Entering the hidden chamber, Prowl learned from Yoketron that the mission of the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]] was to protect the [[protoform]]s in the room, lest they be needed to fight against the [[Decepticon]]s if [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Project Omega]] failed. Exiting the room, Prowl was unable to complete the Yoketron's request to close the door with his mind. Prowl was thus sent on an optics quest to master the skill and be a true Cyber-Ninja. Some time later, having not yet succeeded, Prowl returned to Yoketron's dojo, only to find it in ruin and his master beaten to near-death. Panicked, Prowl managed to find one protoform and transferred Yoketron's spark into it. However, all he had done was make his master unhappy by sacrificing a little of the future to save the past. Assured by Yoketron that he would understand some day Prowl watched his sensei's spark expire and mourned his loss. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

Prowl showed a lack of interest in both teamwork (as a loner type) and in the motivational (kinda long-winded) speeches of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]. He did not obey orders at first and learned of the consequences firsthand as he was nearly killed by a nanite-enhanced cockroach. After his revival at the hands of [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] and the [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark-empowered]] [[Key]], he showed that he had become a valuable team player when he headed out with Bumblebee and Sari to save [[Isaac Sumdac|Professor Sumdac]] and [[Captain Fanzone]] from [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]].  {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out!}} 

Later, Prowl was watching a cat stalk a bird. He found it fascinating, but was aggravated when he was interrupted by human fans. Returning to base, he hid out in his Japanese-themed room, only to be interrupted by Prime and Bumblebee. Even worse, Sari threw a slumber party, pushing Prowl to the edge with the commotion. Ironically, when [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] took over the factory, Prowl was able to show Bumblebee the value of stillness in battle, something the pair would work on later in a game of Twister™.  {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

In an attempt to get [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] to be less bumbling and destructive, he tried to teach his comrade how to move with ninja-like grace as he did. It...did not go well. Bulkhead's effectiveness in battle was undermined until Prowl realized Bulkhead's approach had its place and encouraged him to "do what you do." He also sensed [[Spark|sparks]] within the [[Dinobots (Animated)|Dinobots]] and, unwilling to let them be destroyed, secretly hid them on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|a small island]] before they were melted down.  As he explained to Bulkhead, "Just because something's big and lumbering and destructive, doesn't mean you give up on it."  {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

Reasoning correctly that the Decepticons would target Sari to get at the Key, Prowl took to instructing her in the art of "ninja nerve blows." It was shortly after one of these sessions that his decision to save the Dinobots seemingly came back to haunt him when the gargantuan robots kidnapped the girl. He headed to their island home with Bulkhead in tow, the suspicious [[Captain Fanzone]] shadowing them somewhat clumsily the whole way. However, the police captain was not prepared for the environmental hazards of the secluded island and had to be rescued by the pair of Autobots. Together, the three of them discovered that the Dinobots had been coerced into kidnapping Sari by [[Prometheus Black]], whose corrosive touch they had come to fear. Forced along with Fanzone to fight the mad geneticist's [[Fusion creature|creations]] in a gladiatorial arena, Prowl began to develop a bond with the captain, who in turn came to trust Prowl.  {{storylink|Survival of the Fittest}}

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. Prime's introduction was less than friendly, and Prowl was forced to smooth things over with Grimlock. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Prowl wasn't too insulted. 

He was too busy being shocked by Megatron bursting through Sumdac Tower.  {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

Quickly regaining their composure, the Autobots attacked, only for Megatron to defeat all three of them himself. After the battle, Sumdac revealed that he had helped rebuild Megatron. Prowl was furious, but Prime said that it was unimportant. Using residual Key energy in Sumdac's lab, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and Sari came in the ship, but it was shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Prowl noticed that [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing's]] multiple personalities were connected to his [[Alternate mode|alternate modes]]. To cause his hotheaded side to emerge and transform into a tank, Prowl suggested that Bumblebee use his greatest strength—his obnoxious personality.  {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

[[Image:Samprowl.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Got to get back... Back to the past. Samurai <strike>Jack</strike> <strike>Jazz</strike> Prowl.]]
While responding to a report of rampages on Dinobot Island, Prowl and Bulkhead were given Ratchet's EMP generator and stasis cuffs to detain the Dinobots. Discovering that Grimlock had a metal shard wedged in his foot, Prowl used the generator to dull Grimlock's sensors and remove the shard. However, they then received a call from [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] that Starscream had escaped. Heading to the Autobots' crashed ship, Prowl used [[Teletran 1]] to scan for Starscream, discovering him on the Moon. Prowl suggested that they go after Starscream, but Bulkhead thought it was suicide. So Prowl stole a shuttle and went off by himself. Locating Starscream on the Moon, he managed to place stasis cuffs on the Decepticon, but [[Lockdown]] appeared to take Starscream off Prowl's hands. During their fight, Starscream escaped and destroyed Prowl's shuttle. Stowing away on Lockdown's ship, Prowl suggested an alliance to capture him. Lockdown gave him a set of armor that would assist him in the hunt. Discovering a purple (and frightened) Starscream, they captured him, but Lockdown revealed that he was working for Megatron. Prowl would not allow Starscream to be taken, but Lockdown tied Prowl up and left.

The other Autobots arrived and chewed out Prowl for his actions, but Prowl insisted that they retrieve Starscream first. During their pursuit, Starscream somehow showed up and offered an alliance against Megatron. Prowl took down Starscream, but in his actions, he destroyed a bird's nest. Realizing that the modifications he had were going to his head, he resolved to abandon them... once they got Starscream. Prowl initially flubbed an attempt to spy on the meet between Megatron and Lockdown and quickly found himself outgunned until the other Autobots arrived with the second Starscream. During the standoff that followed, the two Starscreams revealed that they had bombs inside them. Prowl used the armor he had been given to send them into the sky, saving Detroit from destruction. Lockdown then contacted Prowl, offering him a partnership, but Prowl declined and returned Ratchet's EMP generator.  {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

When Bulkhead was kidnapped, Bumblebee brought the Autobot intelligence agent [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] to the plant, who revealed that Megatron was building a space bridge to conquer Cybertron from within. As Sari and Ratchet went to repair the ship, Prowl went with the others to rescue Bulkhead and shut down the space bridge. However, they were incapacitated by the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicons]]... just in time for Starscream and [[Starscream clone|his clones]] to attack.  {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

Escaping the Constructicons, Prowl was able to lock stasis cuffs on [[Liar Starscream|a lying clone]], but was soon occupied with [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]]. When Prowl managed to disengage long enough to check on an injured Prime, [[Sunstorm (Animated)|a fawning clone]] managed to place stasis cuffs on him. Once he came back online, Prowl began using the [[processor-over-matter]] technique to disable his stasis cuffs, which would theoretically work if he had completed his training. Fortunately, it did work, and Prowl was able to throw a shuriken at Prime's stasis cuffs as he was being thrown through the space bridge. Unfortunately, power problems with the bridge arose, causing Megatron to add Starscream's AllSpark infused head to the mix. This caused a power overload which sucked up Megatron and Starscream, and nearly sucked up the Autobots as well. Fortunately, [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] arrived and sacrificed himself to save the Autobots by allowing himself to be sucked into the portal. After escaping from the self-destructing bridge, Optimus Prime asked if everyone was okay, and Prowl gave an affirmative nod.

Unfortunately, Sari was not okay, for the skin of her right arm had been torn, revealing robotic circuitry underneath! {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

Hearing of Professor Sumdac's sketchy explanation of Sari's origins, Prowl infiltrated Sumdac's lab, scanned the professor and accessed his computer data.  He later revealed his conclusions: Sari had begun her existence as a Cybertronian protoform.  How or why that protoform had shown up in Sumdac's lab was still a mystery, however.  {{storylink|Transwarped}}

Assisting Optimus and the Elite Guard in hunting down a Decepticon, Prowl was as stunned as anyone else when Sentinel Prime apparently caught their quarry all by himself{{m-}}and it was only the most recent of several solo captures Sentinel had made.  He then learned that Optimus had spotted a silhouette wearing a unique helmet that evening.  Going over the helmets in the data banks with Optimus, Prowl was amazed when his commander identified Yoketron's old helmet as the one he'd seen.  He went to share his thoughts with Jazz, a fellow student of Yoketron's, but Sentinel dismissed any notion that Yoketron was even online, much less on Earth.  An attempt to shadow Sentinel failed, and Prowl returned to the Elite Guard ship, only to find Sentinel had captured [[Lugnut]] too!  Realizing that all the captured Decepticons were missing their unique weapons and modifications, Prowl began to voice his suspicions, but Sentinel shut him up by revealing Lugnut's power-punch mods in storage.  Prowl still suspected something was up, however, and his theories were 
supported when he overheard Sentinel talking via communicator to an unknown party before leaving again.  Alerting Jazz, Prowl set out after Sentinel and discovered he'd been working with none other than Lockdown, who was wearing Yoketron's helmet.  However, even as Prowl watched, Lockdown and the Starscream clone he'd just captured double-crossed Sentinel, and Lockdown revealed he'd been a student of Yoketron's too.  Realizing who'd killed his sensei and destroyed the protoforms, Prowl attacked Lockdown and demanded the helmet.  Lockdown complied, but the helmet had been rigged to spring a trap, and Prowl found himself bound tight and hauled aboard Lockdown's ship, there to have his mods removed and added to a duplicate of the power armor sidecar Lockdown had once lent him.  However, Prowl was able to master the processor-over-matter technique to free himself, don the armor and battle Lockdown back outside.  They landed by the Starscream clone just in time to have a scoreboard fall on them, but Prowl's processor-over-matter saved them from injury.  The clone was captured, though Lockdown got away, and with a line to Cybertron finally open, Prime reported to [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]] that Prowl was responsible for capturing all the Decepticons they had on the ship.  Back in his quarters, Prowl graciously accepted Jazz's compliment that Yoketron would approve of the helmet's new owner, vowing to do all he could to be worthy of it.{{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

===Titan Magazines===
When [[Quake-Maker]] attacked Detroit with, yep, earthquakes, Prowl was there saving people from falling rubble before the villain temporarily buried him. Once he got out, he found himself following the orders of new arrival [[Afterburn]] and helped beat Quake-Maker.  {{storylink|Burnout}}

On his day off, Prowl went to a basketball game with Bulkhead, Sari and Afterburn. The speed, grace and tactics of the game thrilled him, leaving him with the belief they could learn much from basketball. Unfortunately he had to duck out of the game to stop the supervillain [[Crossroads]], who was causing robotic systems across Detroit. Working out with Sari that this was a diversionary tactic so Crossroads could reach [[Sumdac Tower]], Prowl and the others headed for the building and Prowl disabled the villain's robot-controlling gauntlets with well-aimed shurikens. And he spouted basketball terms while doing this for... well, I dunno.

He stood in front of Afterburn while saying they should all keep their eyes out for the enemy. Surely a coincidental posing!{{storylink|Crossroads!}}


==Toys==
===Transformers Animated===
[[Image:Prowl anim toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|No, you're not seeing things, both of his wheels are part of his robot mode, and it's still symmetrical.]]
*'''Prowl''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' 2 bladed mecha stars, 1 street lamp "chain" weapon

: Prowl transforms into a black and gold police motorcycle of made-up model. Two of his hubcaps are removable, and they both can reconfigure into three-bladed shurikens which he can hold in robot mode. The shurikens have a pseudo-automorph feature; pulling out on one blade simultaneously opens the other two.  He also comes with a traffic light "chain" weapon which he can hold in robot mode, but it cannot be stowed in vehicle mode. As advertised on the back of the box, his bike mode lights can flip forward to form some kind of laser weapon.

:Partly due to his lithe proportions and the double-jointed knees required for his transformation, Prowl is extremely poseable.

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*'''Rescue Ratchet''' (Animated 3-pack, 2008)

: A ''Universe'' Legends-class Prowl came packaged with this version of [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]], as well as a Legends [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. It is different from the ''Universe'' release in that it has a silver [[faction symbol]] instead of the individual release's red-and-white.

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*'''Battle in Space''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' 2 bladed mecha stars, 1 street lamp "chain" weapon

: This Wal-Mart [[exclusive]] two-pack features an unchanged Deluxe Prowl and an unchanged Battle Damaged Deluxe [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] from the ''Battle Begins'' two-pack.

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[[Image:Samuraiprowldeluxe.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Bludgeon redeco in 5...4...3...]]
[[Image:Samuraiprowlsplitwheels.jpg|right|125px|thumb|Yours won't do this.]]
*'''Samurai Prowl''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Accessories'': Sidecar/battle armor, wheel/"sword"

:This heavy [[retool]] of Prowl includes an all-new sidecar which transforms into the "samurai" armor that appeared in "[[A Fistful of Energon]]."  Roughly 80% of the original robot mode is retooled, replaced or redecoed, leaving only parts such as the biceps, interior of the arms, and the lower legs untouched.  The robot mode "wings" are now designed to fold upwards, and a pair of slots were added to accommodate the body of the samurai armor.  A new, smaller head with translucent plastic lightpiping replaces the original head so that the samurai helmet can fit, and either of the new pegs on his forearms can be used to mount the new wheel/blade weapon.  

:A change was made to the wheel/sword weapon between the photography and final production stages.  The Hasbro stock photography shows that the wheel was originally able to split down the middle, with each half pegging onto a forearm.  However, this is not possible on the production version.  The two halves are screwed together, and there's no hint of a second connection piece when disassembled. It's probable that the divided pieces constituted [[For safety reasons|a choking hazard.]]

:Prowl's bladed ninja stars can still be removed from his legs, but they have been remolded so they no longer open. However, they are exchangeable with the stars from the original Deluxe Prowl. He also lacks the chain traffic light from Original Prowl but can still hold it if you've got it.

:Prowl loses a lot of his original maneuverability when you put his Samurai armor on, and also becomes a little more tricky to balance, but that's the price you pay for the ability to blind your enemies with overexposure to pure awesomeness and blue translucent plastic.

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===Universe (2008)===
[[Image:Legends animated prowl.JPG|right|300px|thumb|Itty-bitty ninja.]]
*'''Prowl''' (Legends, 2008)

:A Legends-scale version of Animated Prowl, featuring a simplified transformation scheme. As with all current Legends class toys, it was offered under the Universe toyline.

: This toy can also be found as part of the ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Rescue Ratchet]] three-pack with Legends [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]], and as part of a ''Universe'' three-pack with Legends [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and Legends [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]].


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==Trivia==
* Prowl's eyes are a reference to [[wikipedia:2000_AD_(comic)|2000 AD]]'s [[wikipedia:ABC_Warriors|ABC Warriors]].<ref>[https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21975298&amp;postID=8564559979841180115 Comment section for "Back from Botcon" entry in Derrick Wyatt's blog]</ref>
* Prowl's general robot mode design, down to his khaki legs, tall boots, and helmet-shaped head, is meant to evoke a California Highway Police motorcycle cop, circa ''[[wikipedia:CHiPs|CHiPs]]''. Eat your heart out, [[wikipedia:Erik_Estrada|Erik Estrada]].<ref name="Hey">[http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/09/hey-everybody-its-prowl.html Derrick Wyatt explains Prowl's design in his personal blog]</ref>
* Despite his alternate mode being the smallest among the core cast, [[Size changing|Prowl's robot mode is about the same height as Ratchet's, and much taller than Bumblebee's]].
* Amazingly, Hasbro hadn't originally intended to make a Samurai Prowl toy until one of their team saw the episode.<ref>[http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html Derrick J. Wyatt Q&A... answers!]</ref>
* Prowl's retractable [[mouthplate]] was inspired by [[Snake-Eyes]] from [[G.I. Joe]]<ref>[http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/09/hey-everybody-its-prowl.html Response to comments in "Hey Everybody, It's Prowl!" article on Derrick Wyatt's blog]]</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/Prowl/prowl.htm Prowl at TFU.info]

[[Category:Animated characters]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Ninjas]]
[[Category:Spies]]