Doryu (G1)

This article is about the evil Decepticon. For his possibly heroic mirror universe counterpart, see Doryu (SG).

Doryu is a Decepticon from the Victory portion of Generation 1 continuity family.

Oddly enough when considering his English dub name, he always seems to be smiling.

Doryu (ドリュウ Doryū) is the guy in Dinoforce that everyone likes. He's a hard worker, he's always ready to put himself on the front lines and in harm's way, does favors for the others, and just generally keeps the sense of comraderie among the team. Unfortunately, all that enthusiasm and drive has a nasty tendency to blow up in his face, and in the faces of his fellow Decepticons. It's not just that he's not terribly smart (not that anyone in the Dinoforce is), sometimes he's just plain unlucky. But with every failure he picks himself up and has another go at it. Usually to the same disastrous result, but he's trying, dangit.

Were he smarter, he could definitely make better use of his talents. He's capable of projecting three-dimensional images made up of "phorogram rays" to serve as decoys and lures, which can actually explode with force once an enemy gets close. When merged with his semi-autonomous Stegosaurus shell, he can emit toxic gasses and slime to make anyone attempting close-range combat really regret that decision. He can combine that with a devastating tail-swipe, a move he calls the "Do-Stego Cutter".

Naturally, every one of these moves can and will backfire on him on a semi-regular basis. Doryu can combine with his teammates to form Dinoking, who isn't much smarter than Doryu.

Fiction

Victory cartoon

Voice actor: Masashi Hironaka (Japanese), Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese, episode 31)

Victory comic

Doryu and the Dinoforce rode their shells into battle, ransacking the planet Earth. They attempted to escalate the devastation by forming Dinoking, but were stopped cold by the power of Landcross. So Cool! Our Ally, Star Saber!

Doryu stood watch as Kakuryu went through his daily fitness routine. Star Saber, Warrior of Love!

As the Autobots infiltrated the Decepticon Space Stronghold, their sudden appearance scattered Doryu and the Dinoforce. The fighting soon ceased as the Decepticons revealed they only sought energy for their families, including the adorable Dinobabies. The Grand Victory War

2005 IDW continuity

Doryu was part of Deathsaurus's contingent of Decepticons stationed in their Warworld. In agreement with Tarn, Deathsaurus and his forces joined with the Decepticon Justice Division to continue the Decepticon dream and eliminate Megatron. The Permanent Revolution

Doryu made it to the Necroworld, where he ended up being punched by a superpowered Rodimus. Rage, Rage

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

Doryu okay with this heavy recoil twin-barreled gun.

• Doryu (Dinoforce, 1989)

• ID number: D-325
• Accessories: Stegosaurus shell, shell back, "Stego Gun", Dinoking footplate
• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

A redeco of the Pretender Monster Scowl, Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers Doryu transforms into a bipedal sorta-wolf-monster-thing. He can also form either legs to the team's combined mode Dinoking, though his nominal placement is as the right leg.

He comes with a rubbery, cyborg Stegosaurus shell he hides inside. The back of the shell can also store his rifle and the Dinoking foot-plate. This shell, like all the Dinoforce shells, has a pair of QC flaws that appear nearly universal: the shell has a nasty tendency to "sweat" an oily residue, plus the metallic paints age poorly, with the gold famously developing a green patina, and the silver turning uneven and grody-looking. While some water and a little bit of hand-soap should take care of the slime, there's not much to be done about the paint issues.

Doryu's inner robot monster mode head is very fragile and is pretty easy to snap off its hinge when trying to transform between modes.

• More information on Doryu at TFU.info

Hold on, Doryu supposed to sign up for the Operation Meteor thingy.

• Dinoking (Dinoforce giftset, 1989)

• ID number: D-328
• Accessories: Stegosaurus shell, shell back, "Stego Gun", Dinoking footplate
• Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy)

All six members of the Dinoforce were available both in individual boxes, and in a complete six-piece giftset. While there are no differences in the toys themselves, the giftset lacks any bio or Tech Spec cards for the individual components, only having cards for the combined mode.

• More information on Dinoking at TFU.info

Legacy

Rippersnapper's lost brother

• Dinoking (Gift set, 2024)

• TakaraTomy name: Decepticon Dinoking (ディセプティコンダイノキング)
• TakaraTomy ID number: TL-89
• TakaraTomy release date: March 29, 2025
• Accessories: Sword, back panel, scythe
• Known designers: Evan Brooks (Hasbro), Shuhei Umezu and Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy), Amy Bence (packaging)

Finally achieving the form this mold was clearly meant to be from the beginning, Legacy: United Doryu is a redeco and new-head retooling of Legacy: Evolution Core Class Snarl, transforming into a robotic Stegosaurus. While he still has the sword that came with the original version of the mold, he also comes with an all-new scythe weapon; while neither one is the melee weapon he had in the anime (Rairyu had the sword and Yokuryu had the scythe), the spirit is there.

Doryu also forms the right leg to Dinoking; part of his back comes off and reattaches to cover up his arms while in leg mode. In this form, a new pair of large (non-firing) missile racks that come with his teammate Rairyu form footplates for that little extra bit of height and stability. His scythe becomes the main shaft for Dinoking's huge axe.

He was only available in a Hasbro Pulse Con 2024 box set of six Dinoforce members, along with Gairyu, Goryu, Kakuryu, Rairyu, and Yokuryu. This set was later released in Japan through TakaraTomy's T-SPARK line.

Doryu's scythe was reused for Generations Selects Scowl for the Age of the Primes toyline.

Notes

• Doryū corresponds with 土竜, meaning "Soil Dinosaur" or "Earth Dinosaur", although that word is usually read as mogura, referring to the Talpidae.
• Doryu's box art and dino-mode character model depict him with Gairyu's gun accessory, and vice versa, a swap carried over from Scowl and Bristleback's box art.
• The Victory anime depicted the Dinoforce members as carrying melee weapons, rather than the blasters the toys actually came with. Doryu carries a trident, though he can shoot energy from the main tip like it was a gun, so.

Foreign names

• English: Scowl (Omni Productions dub)
• Mandarin: Ăijiǎoguài (China, 矮脚怪, "Short-legged Monster")
• Russian: Khmuryy (Хмурый, "Overcast")