Reinforcement

« Transformers: Armada ep 20 »
"Reinforcement" 援軍 (あらて) (Arate) "Reinforcement: Newcomer"
Production code	TF: A-20
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	January 23, 2003 (English) 23 May 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Shōji Tonoike
Director	Shigeki Hatakeyama
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

Scavenger introduces the Autobots to Blurr, the Autobot who nobody really gets along with.

Synopsis

Let the guy with gun-fingers hold onto the valuable item? Brilliant!

It's another day at the office where the Autobots battle the Decepticons for a Mini-Con. The kids watch the Autobots' base (with Billy and Fred also there this time). While Megatron holds off the Autobots, Demolishor digs up the Mini-Con. In a rare moment of competence, Cyclonus blasts away Red Alert's attempt to snipe Demolishor. But just as the Decepticons teleport home, the Mini-Con is blasted from Demolishor's hands by a new Autobot, who Scavenger introduces as Blurr. Blurr activates the Mini-Con panel, which turns out to be Incinerator.

The kids greet the Autobots returning home from victory and show interest in their new friend Blurr, who barely acknowledges the kids.

Later, Incinerator makes beepy conversation with the Street Action Mini-Cons. The five kids try to start a discussion with Blurr but get sidetracked by the topic of Fred's fat stomach. When Hot Shot arrives, Blurr icily departs, so Carlos, Billy, and Fred give chase. Blurr almost mistakes them for the enemy when they jump out and surprise him, so he tells them off. Hot Shot tries to break through Blurr's tough-guy persona, and Blurr explains that he doesn't need to have a personality.

The Decepticons detect the activation of a new Mini-Con and head out. Demolishor takes extra caution not to lose the Mini-Con at the last minute like last time. And Megatron barely registers that the two captured panels containing the components of the Skyboom Shield have begun resonating.

The Decepticons arrive at the general location where the Mini-Con Downshift has already activated and begun to run laps around a human-made racetrack. The Autobots arrive soon after and try to intercept Downshift. Hot Shot and Blurr pursue while the rest of the Autobots and Decepticons get into a standing firefight.

Yoink!

On the track, Hot Shot and Blurr have conflicting directions and impact each other a few times. Blurr, however, is unresponsive. Smokescreen uses his Mini-Con Liftor to blast away Starscream, Sideways, and Cyclonus. Blurr and Hot Shot have to stop and combine with their Mini-Cons to overcome the chasm interrupting the racetrack.

On the other side of the track, Blurr, in car mode, begins to rotate rapidly, blowing away Cyclonus and blowing Downshift into the empty stands. Blurr opens up fire on the Mini-Con, causing it to fall beneath the stands where Hot Shot catches it to Blurr's confusion. Cyclonus yanks the Mini-Con away, and the Decepticons retreat.

Robo-terrorist fist jab!

At the Autobot base, the kids scold Hot Shot for not getting along with Blurr. Hot Shot heads to apologize to Blurr, who appreciates the sentiment and concedes that he was unaware that the Mini-Cons were more than just tools, and that he doesn't interact with others very smoothly. Hot Shot and Blurr fistbump each other in respect, and everybody is happy they made a new special friend.

On the moon, Megatron returns with Downshift to discover that Dirt Boss and Mirage have awakened on their own, and they combine to form the Skyboom Shield.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Mini-Cons
Scavenger (1) Optimus Prime (2) Red Alert (3) Smokescreen (4) Hot Shot (5) Laserbeak (11) Blurr (17)	Sideways (6) Megatron (7) Starscream (8) Cyclonus (9) Demolishor (10)	Alexis (12) Carlos Lopez (13) Rad White (14) Fred (15) Billy (16)	Incinerator (18) Grindor (19) High Wire (20) Sureshock (21) Downshift (22) Sideways's rider (23) Blackout (24) Swindle (25) Liftor (26) Jolt (27) Dirt Boss (28) Mirage (29)

Quotes

"I hate when she's right, but this is one of those times."

—Rad, about Alexis

"I found my very own Mini-Con! Megatron will love me for this!"

—Demolishor, head of the Megatron/Demolishor slash club

"Sorry to break up the party."

—Red Alert, about to take a shot on Demolishor

"Arrogance and pride, a tragic combination, they cause a bot to make mistakes—like this."

—Blurr, also about to take a shot on Demolishor

"Hey, do you happen to have a website I could check out?"

—Fred, on meeting Blurr

"You might find such foolishness amusing, but remember; these are serious times. There's no room for childish pranks in an era of combat. Take my advice and act your age."

—Blurr tells the kids to grow up

"Fry, Autobots, fryyy! HahaHAHAHA!"

—Just Cyclonus being Cyclonus.

Notes

Differences with Legends of the Microns

• The first line of dialogue heard in Legends of the Microns is when Megatron charges at Optimus with the Star Saber. Later, instead of offering to be "diplomatic" in choosing who to dismantle first, Megatron says he doesn't care either way.
• Armada extends Carlos's line about the Decepticons, possibly grabbing another Mini-Con to cover the silence in the Japanese dub. During the shot of Red Alert running in the background behind Cyclonus, Rad's line about it being an ambush is exclusive to the English dub.
• Then, Rad's opening narration in Armada is about how, despite the Decepticons' long winning streak, the kids and Autobots are more determined than ever to save the Mini-Cons. Legends of the Microns changes it slightly to have Rad say the 'Cons are holding a massive advantage in battle, but everyone believes the Autobots will rescue the Mini-Con from today's fight.
• Rad, Alexis, and Carlos's lines after Cyclonus shoots Red Alert fittingly sound more distressed and annoyed than the English version.
• Blurr's first line in Armada is about pride and arrogance (quoted above). In Legends of the Microns, it's about the goddess of victory smiling upon him.
• Rad's monologue introducing Blurr is shortened a bit in Legends of the Microns to end just before the scene cuts to the close-up of Blurr holding the Mini-Con panel.
• Optimus doesn't understand Incinerator, so he doesn't refer to him by name.
• Hot Shot's line of asking if Blurr was on their side is cut in Legends of the Microns.
• After seeing Blurr on the launch gate, Billy's off-screen lines are exclusive to the English dub. Also, unlike Armada, Carlos, Billy, and Fred tell Blurr their names when the kids introduce themselves.
• Instead of threatening that Demolishor will never step foot in the base again, Megatron threatens to sever Demolishor's hand.
• In Armada, Fred comments on how he needs to work out, and Billy and Carlos ridicule and scold Fred for his stupidity and overeating. In Legends of the Microns, Fred says his body isn't hard like Blurr's before Billy and Carlos say that's obvious since all the Transformers' bodies are hard. When Billy fights with Fred over his bag of chips, Billy tells Fred to share them in Armada but to hand them over in Legends of the Microns.
• When Hot Shot arrives, his line of wondering if he said something wrong is an Armada addition. Instead of telling Blurr to do better in trying to give him a complex, Hot Shot asks Blurr if he is listening.
• When Carlos and Billy surprise Blurr, Carlos's line ends when Blurr jumps into the air. In Armada, Carlos has two separate lines in the scene: the first, where he says Blurr wasn't expecting them; the second is Carlos regretting sneaking up on Blurr. In Legends of the Microns, he has the one line where he sheepishly tells Blurr that he and the others want to hang out.
• In Armada, Blurr scolds the boys (as quoted above). Legends of the Microns changes it to Blurr not sounding as harsh, saying the Autobots are still on the front lines despite being in the base, and the boys should remember that messing around on the battlefield results in dire repercussions.
• Carlos and Alexis's lines heard in the next shot before Rad speaks are only in Armada. In Legends of the Microns, Carlos sounds more hurt by Blurr's scolding as he says they don't seem to be the type that Blurr likes. Then Alexis says, "No way..." in disbelief. The rest of the scene is silent except for Hot Shot's frustrated grunt at the end.
• When confronting Blurr, Hot Shot doesn't speak until entering the frame, and instead of accusing Blurr of being anti-social, he asks if Blurr heard his question. Blurr says it has nothing to do with Hot Shot. Hot Shot accuses Blurr of not caring about his comrades. Then Blurr says there's no time for that and that he can only rely on himself in battle.
• Smokescreen's line about Blurr "getting to know the staff" is replaced by him thinking that Blurr and Hot Shot are forming a rivalry, and instead of asking Red Alert about Blurr, Smokescreen takes Hot Shot's response as proof of his theory.
• Rad tells Optimus about two Mini-Cons heading toward the Autobots in Armada; he only says one Mini-Con in Legends of the Microns. The English dub is correct in this case as Rad is talking about Downshift and Swindle.
• Armada adds Hot Shot's internal monologue about being stuck with Blurr.
• Red Alert tells Blurr off for throwing Swindle to him so hard. When Starscream calls for Swindle, he also tells Swindle to Powerlinx with him before repeating it.
• While driving after Downshift, Hot Shot only tells Blurr to stay out of his way. The English dub added his extra lines.
• Instead of Billy's "bot testosterone thing" line, he says Blurr and Hot Shot must think they're in a race, and later, he doesn't say that it's cool. Later, Smokescreen says he can't aim at Cyclonus because he's moving all over the place.
• After Blurr blows Hot Shot and Downshift into the stands, he says the Mini-Con won't "die" from it after Hot Shot asks if he was trying to "kill" the Mini-Con.
• Hot Shot sounds more aggravated when Blurr says they must capture the Mini-Con in Legends of the Microns.
• When Blurr starts shooting at the bleachers, even after Hot Shot tells him it's supposed to be a rescue, the latter calls the former a psycho in Armada, whereas he just says no way in Legends of the Microns.
• Armada extends Blurr's dialogue in the scene of him asking Hot Shot why he saved Downshift.
• When Megatron announces that the Skyboom Shield is now complete, Scavenger simply replies in shock while repeating the weapon's name Legends of the Microns, whereas Armada changes this to have him hope he heard what Megatron said wrong.
• In the scene of the kids scolding Hot Shot, he says he has no excuse for his actions, and Rad says Hot Shot doesn't need to trust Blurr like he does Optimus and Scavenger.
• In the ending talk between Hot Shot and Blurr, Armada adds some extra lines, including internal monologues for Hot Shot, and extends them to cover the moments of silence from the Japanese dub. In Legends of the Microns, after Blurr recognizes Incinerator as his partner, he says the same about the kids, and the battle taught him that.
• Rad's closing narration in Armada is more touchy-feely as he says making a new friend and having more people on their side makes up for losing another Mini-Con. In Legends of the Microns, Rad says instead of the team being discouraged about losing the Mini-Con, Blurr joining them gave them hope.

Animation and technical errors

• The Autobot and Decepticon insignias disappear regularly in some shots.
• After Blurr first transforms and during the Autobot pan, Smokescreen is missing his antenna/horn.
• Incinerator, relative to Blurr, shrinks visibly between his first appearance and the epilogue.
• In his first scene with Incinerator, Blurr is missing the shadow around his eyes.
• In some scenes, there is a black spot on either one or both of Hot Shot's arms.
• Hot Shot's mouth doesn't move when he asks if Blurr is on their side because the line is an Armada addition.
• As he tries to keep up with Billy and Carlos when they try to sneak up on Blurr, Fred's dialogue crosses over into the next shot of Blurr walking toward the screen.
• The background of the shot of Blurr reaching for his blaster before Carlos and Billy surprise him looks like it's from the control room instead of the corridor.
• When Demolishor says the new Mini-Con is nearby, it's as though he is talking to Blackout. The Japanese dub fixes this mistake so that Demolishor refers to Megatron instead.
• When the Decepticons jump the track's cliff, and the camera adjusts to a different angle, Swindle is visible as the first one to jump when it should be Downshift.
• As Blurr lowers his hands to grab Swindle, his hands already show Swindle on them even before he gets a hold of him. The same applies to Hot Shot when he grabs Downshift, and Downshift is miscolored red like Swindle in Hot Shot's hands.
• After Megatron and Demolishor jump off the cliff, the top of Optimus's mouthplate is miscolored blue.
• In one shot of Blurr and Hot Shot chasing Downshift in vehicle mode, Blurr's right side is orange instead of white.
• In the shot of the kids discussing Hot Shot and Blurr going at each other, Carlos's jacket is closed instead of open.
• Once Powerlixed with Liftor, Smokescreen calls him Longarm. This mistake never occurs in the Japanese dub.
• When Hot Shot catches Downshift and says, "Got ya," his mouth doesn't move. He doesn't say anything in the Japanese dub.

Continuity notes

• Scavenger was the one to call on Blurr to aid the Autobots on Earth. He trained the younger sharpshooter back on Cybertron.
• After the Decepticons recovered the other two Race Team Mini-Cons, Downshift somehow found a way to activate himself, something that hadn't been displayed in the show until now. The Linkage comics would establish in the first issue that this isn't exactly uncommon.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Blurr uses his gun like a sniper's rifle.
  • Downshift can deploy his robot head in vehicle mode.
  • Smokescreen fires lasers from the end of his crane arm in robot mode. He hasn't Powerlinxed with Liftor and the gun isn't flipped out either. Weird.
  • Despite the odd laser blasts he did before, Smokescreen later Powerlinx with Liftor for the first time, activating his "Longarm Cannon".
  • Starscream Powerlinx with Swindle in vehicle mode. This move is only used in this episode as a source of transport for the Mini-Con.
  • Scavenger fires lasers from his fist.
  • Blurr Powerlinx with Incinerator for the first time, activating his vehicle flight mode.
  • Blurr can create hurricanes by doing donuts in vehicle mode.

Continuity errors

• Demolishor says that he found his very own Mini-Con, although he already has one; interestingly, this happened to Demolishor before with another Mini-Con. In the Japanese dub, he says, "I did it! Yours truly is greatest!" instead.

Trivia

• The kanji 援軍 would be pronounced as "engun," while "arate" uses 新手.
• Carlos nicknamed the Decepticons the "D-Cons."

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Un précieux renfort" ("A Valuable Reinforcement")
• Original airdate: December 13, 2003

• This is the last episode released on DVD in French. The French dubs of episodes 21 to 52 are currently considered lost media.

Hungarian

• Title: "Bajtársak" ("Comrades")

Italian

• Title: "Il nuovo alleato" ("The New Ally")

• After Optimus tells the other Autobots that they have to do everything they can to save the Mini-Cons, the others are all supposed to talk at the same time, but in Italian, all the voices outside Blurr's are at a significantly lower volume. As a result, it looks like only Blurr is talking, with... someone else saying something in the background...
• When Scavenger says: "I hope I just heard him wrong!", he's supposed to sound worried, but in Italian he actually sounds like he was almost sarcastic, like if someone just said something stupid and he replied à la "Please, tell me they didn't just said what I think they said...".
• When Blurr says: "Apparently I know a lot about combat, and nothing about what it means to work with others..." and Hot-Shot replies: "Well, I wouldn't exactly say 'nothing'...", the word "nothing" is translated as nulla when Blurr says it, and as niente when Hot-Shot repeats it. Nulla and niente are both correct translations of "nothing", but the fact that Hot-Shot uses a different word while he was in fact supposed to quote Blurr makes little sense.

Korean

• Title: "선볼트의 등장" ("Sunbolt's Appearance")

Polish

• Title: "Wsparcie" ("Reinforcement")

Portuguese

• Title: "Reforço" ("Reinforcement")

Home video releases

All releases listed are in English audio unless otherwise noted.

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 5 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2007 — Transformers: Armada — Le combat recommence... (TFou Vidéo) — French audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)