Editing Devil Z

{{factions|decepticon}}
:''Devil Z is a super-energy being from the [[Super-God Masterforce (franchise)|Super-God Masterforce]] portion of the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Deril Z.gif|right|320px|thumb|It's the Magic Cyst of Devil Z!]]
The origins of the self-styled "Decepticon God" '''Devil Z''' are shrouded in mystery. Seemingly lacking any corporeal form, he exists purely as a pulsating globe of iridescent energy and is only ever identified as a "super-energy being" hailing from the far reaches of the galaxy.<ref>The true nature of Devil Z is never explained in any broadcast episode of ''[[Super-God Masterforce (cartoon)|Super-God Masterforce]]''. These few scant details of his origins are revealed in the final chapter of the [[Super-God Masterforce (manga)|''Masterforce'' manga]] and "[[Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!]]".</ref>  As the "Führer of Darkness" (闇の総統 ''Yami no Sōtō''), he commands the [[Decepticon]]s on Earth, via his "Ambassador of Destruction", [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], and the main Decepticon force in space, through his brainwashed servant, [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]]. Although he almost always acts through his pawns, rarely dirtying his own hands (er, metaphorically speaking), he is terrifyingly powerful in his own right, able to generate enough energy to devastate a planet with his [[Devil Power]].

Devil Z's goal is creation of the ultimate lifeform, the [[Godmaster]], which he sought to accomplish by fusing [[Transformer]]s and [[human]] beings into one, thereby creating a lifeform that could wield all three aspects of [[Chōkon Power]]. To this end, he stole a collection of eight [[Transtector]]s from the [[G Nebula 89|G Nebula]], and spirited them away across time and space to [[Earth]]. With the Transtectors scattered across the planet, Devil Z entered a deep slumber at the bottom of an ocean trench, awakening in the early years of the 21st century to begin his plan. Devil Z quickly built his army by capturing and brainwashing the current Decepticon leader Scorponok (who had just recreated himself as BlackZarak) and liberating the Decepticon [[Pretender]]s from the Earthly prisons their Autobot counterparts had sealed them in epochs beforehand, and then recruited a pair of humans named [[Giga]] and [[Mega]]. Devil Z merged these two humans to the largest of the Transtectors, transforming them into Overlord, the first of the Godmasters, and charged them with locating the remaining Transtectors hidden across Earth.

:''[[Omni Productions]] dub names:'' '''The Great Lord''', '''Zee'''
:''Latin-American dub name:'' '''El Gran Jefe'''

==Fiction==
===''Super-God Masterforce'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hidekatsu Shibata]] (Japanese)

[[Image:Devilz on throne.jpg|left|225px|thumb|Oh man, I think the acid just kicked in!]]
While Giga and Mega were busy conducting their search for the Godmaster Transtectors, Devil Z resided in the underwater base occupied by the Pretenders, perched atop a tentacled dais from which he silently regarded his subjects. When [[Blood]] called upon his power to animate the first wave of [[Destroid]]s  {{storylink|Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt}} and to drive animals in [[Africa]] into a frenzy  {{storylink|Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!!}}, Devil Z complied, but when [[Gilmer]] happened to walk past his pillar, muttering to himself about the ineptitude of the [[Headmaster Junior]]s, Devil Z struck him with a bolt of energy, causing the Pretender to beg his forgiveness.  {{storylink|Go, Goshooter - Showdown in the Wasteland}}

After Giga and Mega successfully located and trained the first new Godmasters, [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]] and [[Buster (Masterforce)|Buster]], he brought his two sets of troops together in his underwater base.  {{storylink|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers|Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers}}  {{storylink|A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble}}  The first major obstruction in Devil Z's plan came not long after, when the Autobots recruited a Godmaster of their own, [[Ginrai]].  {{storylink|A Hero Is Chosen - His Name Is Ginrai}}  Devil Z was finally heard to speak when he vowed that no more Godmasters would become Autobots, and ordered Ginrai's destruction.  {{storylink|Eliminate the Godmaster Ginrai}}  Unfortunately for Devil Z, what he had failed to realize was that all the remaining Transtectors he had stolen had been intended for Autobot use, and consequently, the human beings who merged with them all allied with the Autobots, thwarting his attempt to increase his army.  {{storylink|Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter}}  {{storylink|An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger}}  {{storylink|Assemble! The Four Godmaster Gunmen}}

This failure did not sit well with Devil Z, who summoned BlackZarak back to Earth, only to have him forced back into space by Ginrai after a dramatic battle on the moon.  {{storylink|God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon}}  However, during this prolonged stay in space, BlackZarak mastered localised gravity manipulation, allowing him to create black holes which he used to teleport himself directly to Earth. Once there,  he and the other Decepticons enacted Devil Z's "Operation M-1", rampaging across the planet until the Autobots stopped them.  {{storylink|BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space}}

Having now witnessed the untapped potential for power within human beings, Devil Z formulated "Operation M-2"—the complete destruction of humankind through use of the atmosphere-destroying "[[Death Para-Machine]]". The Autobots yet again foiled his plan and destroyed the Death Para-Machine, but the willingness of their emperor to wipe out mankind had already planted a seed of doubt within the minds of Giga and Mega.  {{storylink|Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction}}

[[Image:Devilz2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|My God...it's full of stars!]]
Not long thereafter, when the Autobots invaded the Decepticon base, an outraged Devil Z played his trump card. Declaring that he would now reveal his true form to the assembled Autobots and Decepticons, Devil Z exploded with light, transforming first into a bizarre embryonic creature, and then into a sinister crimson mist that flowed into BlackZarak. Now in control of the powerful Decepticon's body and mind, Devil Z promptly collapsed the Decepticon base in a failed attempt to destroy the Autobots.  {{storylink|The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform}}  Subsequently, the Decepticons relocated to the Amazon, where the hybrid Devil Z/BlackZarak entity announced his intention to revisit his plan to wipe out mankind. Again, Giga voiced his concern over the drastic nature of the plan, but again, Devil Z ignored him, driving the wedge between the alien and his servant even further. As it turned out, Devil Z's contempt for flesh was even shared by Hydra and Buster, who petitioned Devil Z to purge them of their humanity and merge them completely with their Transtectors so that they could become purely robotic lifeforms. Devil Z complied, and the newly-robotic Hydra and Buster were sent to battle Ginrai while Devil Z unleashed his Devil Power on a devastating attack on North America.  {{storylink|Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings Reborn}}  When the Autobots arrived to stop him, Devil Z responded by turning his Devil Power on the four former Decepticons who had since joined up with the Autobots—[[Wilder]], [[Bullhorn]], [[Cancer]] and [[Clouder]]—separating them from their Transtectors and bringing the robotic bodies to life as true super-robot lifeforms.  {{storylink|Autobots! Desperate Attack!!}}

[[Image:Blackzarak robotmode.jpg|left|250px|thumb|]]
For Devil Z's final attack on Earth, he moved the Decepticons to the peak of the Matterhorn in the Alps and unleashed his Devil Power over Europe. The Autobots again gave chase, and Ginrai once again bested Hydra and Buster in combat, leading the enraged Devil Z to take out his frustrations on the two brothers. As he lashed them with his spear and blasted them with energy beams, Overlord finally spoke out against his emperor, but his concern for his subordinate was met only with contempt. Able to bear no more, Overlord attempted to strike Devil Z, but was cut down by the giant Decepticon, and would have been destroyed had Ginrai not arrived in time to save him. Devil Z was kept busy by [[Sixknight]] while Ginrai got Overlord to safety, and by the time he had destroyed the Six Changer, Ginrai had returned to the mountain peak to face off against him.  {{storylink|Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z}}  Uninterested in fighting Ginrai, Devil Z transformed BlackZarak to scorpion mode and attempted to depart, intending to head for Antarctica, where he had already planted an amplifier for his Devil Power that would allow him to eliminate mankind with ease. Ginrai, of course, did not let him leave without a fight, dragging him back down to the mountain and prompting Devil Z to inflict the ultimate punishment: he unleashed his Devil Power on Ginrai, intent on transforming him into a true robot as he had done with Hydra and Buster, removing from him the humanity he so coveted. Thankfully, Ginrai was rescued by [[Grand Maximus]], and his revenge was swift, as he punched BlackZarak's head clean off his shoulders.

[[Image:Devilz vs ginrai.jpg|right|225px|thumb|]]
The Autobots' believed that Devil Z was down, but the loss of his host's head did little to impede the alien's evil, and he simply transformed BlackZarak's body into a new serpentine form to continue the fight. At that point, Overlord appeared and opened fire on his leader, and Devil Z responded by killing Giga and Mega and bringing the Overlord Transtector to life as a true robot. Furious at the unrepentant evil of Devil Z, Ginrai merged his powers with those of the Autobot Headmaster Juniors, and unleashed a super-charged version of his God Fire Guts attack upon the villain, reducing BlackZarak's body to ashes. Without a host to contain it, the energy orb of Devil Z coalesced in front of Ginrai once more, growing to enormous size and raging impotently that the Godmasters were tools that would never be able to defeat their maker. Defiantly, Ginrai and the Juniors summoned up every ounce of their energy for the "Final Fire Guts" attack, and Ginrai dove like a flaming spear into the heart of Devil Z, who screamed and exploded in a coruscating wave of light and darkness.

At the sight of Devil Z's death, the surviving Decepticons immediately turned tail and fled into space. The aliens' death also severed the bond he had forged between the humans and their Transtectors, and the Autobots found themselves separated from their robot bodies. The Autobot Transtectors were brought to life, and they pursued the surviving Decepticons back into space.  {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

===''Super-God Masterforce'' comic===
[[Image:Devilz manga.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Vaginas are scary.]]
Devil Z came into contact with Giga and Mega when the couple drowned at sea, and he elected to use his powers to resurrect them as his emissaries and servants.  {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}}  At first, he left most of the work up to them, clinging to the shadows, handing down commands without ever being seen, and being spoken of only rarely by his subordinates. Exactly where he was based was never revealed; he does not appear to have remained on Earth after awakening.

When the Decepticons' attempt to defeat the Autobots with holograms of legendary Decepticons from years past failed, Buster inquired if there were any ''real'' troops they could call on, and Giga announced that they would have to wait for Devil Z's order.  {{storylink|Burn, Super Soul! The New Commander Super Ginrai!}}  The order came soon, as he instructed the Decepticons on Earth to join forces with the space-based Decepticon forces and attack the Autobots on [[Athenia]]. During the ensuing battle, Devil Z's existence was revealed to the Autobots when the Decepticons boasted that they had all been united under his rule.  {{storylink|The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops}}

[[Image:Devilz head on%21.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Devil Z always did want to get ahead in life.]]
Devil Z proceeded to upgrade BlackZarak's powers,  {{storylink|Decepticons' Great Counterattack!}} and brought the giant Decepticon back to Earth. After several further failures on the Decepticons' part, Devil Z took matters into his own hands, transforming Buster and Hydra into true robots, and possessing BlackZarak's body, positioning his glowing orb between the Decepticon's shoulders in place of his actual head. In this form, Devil Z appeared during a battle between Ginrai and the other Decepticons, and transformed BlackZarak's body into a new serpentine mode as everyone looked on in shock. Devil Z then turned on the other Decepticons, and attempted to drain theirs and Ginrai's Jinchōkon, intending to absorb it and thereby transform ''himself'' into the ultimate lifeform. His absorption beam was blocked by the sudden arrival of the wholly-robotic Autobot Pretenders, saving Ginrai and the Decepticons from a nasty fate, and the Decepticons all decided to join with the Autobots to defeat their treacherous former master. Climbing aboard Grand Maximus, all the Transformers united their energies in the "Perfect Transform Attack", and the super-charged Grand Maximus charged into Devil Z, destroying him and BlackZarak for good in a blinding explosion of pure Chōkon Power.

The death of Devil Z resulted in the bond he had forged between the humans and their Transtectors being severed, causing the humans to be separated from their robot bodies, and the Transtectors to come to life as true super-robot lifeforms. Additionally, his destruction caused the energies sustaining Giga and Mega to cease, and they died along with him. The now-living Autobot and Decepticon Transtectors resolved to take their war back into space, where they would rejoin their respective factions and continue their conflict.  {{storylink|The Birth of the Super Lifeforms}}
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=====''Zone'' cartoon=====
:''Voice actor:'' [[Hirohiko Kakegawa]] (Japanese)

Several years after the conclusion of the [[Masterforce War]], when the supernatural entity [[Violen Jiger]] seized control of the Decepticons, one of his first actions was to recruit "[[Nine Great Demon Generals]]" from Decepticon history. Using his mysterious powers, Violen Jiger resurrected BlackZarak to serve as his "Evil Spirit General," and outfitted him with new armor and weapons to make him more deadly that ever before. It was never explicitly stated if he possessed the consciousness of Scorponok or Devil Z.

BlackZarak was part of the team of generals who attacked planet [[Micro|Zone]] in order to steal its precious [[Energon Z]] for Violen Jiger's schemes, but BlackZarak refrained from participating in the assault, hanging back on the fringes of the planet's atmosphere to cover his allies' rear. As his fellow generals made good their escape with the Energon Z in hand, BlackZarak barred the way of the [[Super Car Patrol Team]] and [[Battle Patrol]] as they attempted to pursue in the [[Rocket Base|Galaxy Rocket]]. The Demon General managed to trap the rocket in a crackling field of electricity, and then departed to rejoin his fellow Decepticons. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
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==Notes==
* BlackZarak would later be resurrected by the supernatural [[Violen Jiger]] for the events of the ''[[Zone (franchise)|Zone]]'' anime and manga. Whether or not he was revived with Devil Z's consciousness or his own original mind was never expounded upon, but it seems unlikely that Violen Jiger would have taken that risk. Or maybe not. Guess we will never know.
* Devil Z's name is pronounced with the Commonwealth "zed", rather than the American "zee". Or if you were feeling particularly weeabooish, you could pronounce it "zetto".
* Devil Z holds the…''unique'' honor of being the only Decepticon big bad to have a ''song'' dedicated to him: "[[Uchū no Shihaisha - Devil Z]]" (宇宙の支配者・デビルZ "Ruler of the Universe — Devil Z"). This "image song" was originally sold on a [[Masterforce Hit Song Collection|''Masterforce'' soundtrack]] in 1988, and was recently re-issued on both the ''[[History of Music: 1984-1990]]'' and  ''[[Song Universe]]'' 5-disc sets. The song was performed by [[Toshiya Igarashi]], who also performed the intro and ending songs for ''Masterforce''. Just in case you weren't clear on how evil he was, the song opens with a screaming refrain of "BAD BAD BAD!" Because…y'know, he's ''bad''.
* Due to the events of ''Masterforce'', the [[Scorponok (G1)#Super-God Masterforce|BlackZarak toy]] also doubles as a Devil Z toy. But then, so does  a [[wikipedia:Plasma globe|plasma globe]], or even steam from a kettle...

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Super-God Masterforce Decepticons]]
[[Category:Zone Decepticons]]