Raikuru

Raikuru is an Autobot Micromaster from the Victory cartoon portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Kirk or Ikard....? I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with Archer."

Raikuru (ライクル, aka Riker and Reichl; see below) is the branch chief overseeing Micro, a technologically advanced Transformer colony planet. Like much of the population, he is a Micromaster. Raikuru commands no military forces of his own, and must liaise with the Autobot commander of his sector, God Ginrai (and later Greatshot) for concerns.

Raikuru is helpful, pragmatic, humble, concerned for his people, and non-obtrusive. He does his job quietly and well, unimpeded by ego or bureaucratic in-fighting. Raikuru is, objectively, awesome at what he does, though perhaps a bit too fond of public address systems.

The Autobot Clipper is an operator for his office, handling various aspects of administrating a planetary government.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Victory cartoon

Voice actor: Osamu Saka (Japanese)

"I see you have shaven your beard, Commander."
"Smooth as an android's bottom."

When Hellbat hired Decepticon mercenaries Blue Bacchus and Black Shadow to raid planet Micro's energy sources, Branch Chief Raikuru asked for help, first from God Ginrai (under whose military jurisdiction Micro nominally fell,) then from Star Saber when Ginrai's forces proved too stressed to come to their aid. Raikuru met the Autobot leader personally, briefing him on the problem and accompanying him on a tour of the destruction as they discussed eyewitness accounts and possible motives behind the attacks.

Raikuru arranged for his operator Clipper to host the Autobot party while he oversaw a late-night command post watching for Decepticon activity. Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior

Some time later, Raikuru again conferenced with Star Saber, who was searching for the Breastforce, whom he believed to be still on Micro. Raikuru was pensive in light of the recent destruction of the Planet Micro Satellite Penitentiary that some misfortune would again befall his planet. When fighting again broke out in the mountainous regions outside the main city, Raikuru again alerted Star Saber to the details using the public address system. Unite! Liokaiser

Legends comic

Prior to 2015, Raikuru was present at an experiment in Plasma energy that went wild, altering the bodies of Phaser and Groundshaker. LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One

In 2038, Raikuru was still operational on Micro, rechristened Zone after it began housing the Zone Base. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 2

Beast Wars: Uprising

"Is this story of a bug and a bird arguing over a table fact...or fiction? YOU decide."

Riker was on the Builder Assembly. Eject thought unfavorably of him and his fellow assemblymen. Broken Windshields However, some might consider him a symbol of progress, albeit at a glacial pace. A few decades before the Uprising, Assemblybot Halogen thought it distasteful to even consider Cyberdroids or Micromasters as potential members of the Builder Assembly, yet Riker achieved the position in spite of such opposition. Identity Politics

When the Grand Uprising passed from civil disobedience and domestic terrorism into outright civil war, Riker became the Assembly's official contact with the Micromasters that made up the armed forces. He defended Hot Rod's decisions in the field and firmly voted against rescinding General Order 66 for the Vehicons. After Hot Rod and the Micromaster 001st refused to engage in street fighting with the Resistance in Iacon (which would threaten civilian lives), Riker abandoned his increasingly irate fellows at the High Pavilion to join up with Hot Rod and Eject. When the Vehicons turned against the Builders and assimilated the Assembly, Riker helped negotiate an alliance with Lio Convoy and the Resistance. He provided access codes to open the lines of communication to the dedicated Maximal and Predacon armies as well.

Because of his efforts on behalf of the greater good, Riker was allowed to attend the summit after the Vehicon Apocalypse ended. He and Hot Rod ultimately took the two seats on the Cybertronian Parliament allocated to the Builders faction. Derailment Following Unity Day, Riker helped disseminate resources from the Iacon Communication Service to the proto-former information services. The Inexorable March

Notes

• The role of Raikuru was a sudden offer to Osamu Saka. He enjoyed that the character had a mustache and found the brown color striking.

Name

The etymology of Raikuru's name is unclear. Raikuru (ライクル) does not align with a common English word or name. A popular proposed etymology is that it is a reference to William Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the kana does not match, as Riker's name in Japanese is Raikā (ライカー). Also, the chances of a 1989 Japanese cartoon making a reference to the bearded Riker who first appeared as such on American television in late 1988 are very low. Nevertheless, this "Riker" name is used in the Ark II and Beast Wars: Uprising. This etymology, along with another speculated etymology referencing Raible (ライブル) of Beast King GoLion, has been explicitly denied. Other renditions used in official media are the straight transliteration "Raikuru" in Metrodome releases of the Victory cartoon and the German surname "Reichl" in Transformers: The Manga.

Foreign names

• Russian: Usatik (Усатик, "Moustached")