Soundwave (Animated)

The name or term "Soundwave" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Soundwave (disambiguation).

Soundwave is a Decepticon from the Animated continuity family.

When the Dance Dance Revolution comes, you will be first against the wall.

Soundwave is technology gone wrong. Machines are superior to humans: more logical, more intelligent and longer-lasting. It does not compute that humans control their robotic helpers and Soundwave aims to lead the robot proletariat to rise against their fleshling bourgeoisie. The Decepticon cause is logical in Soundwave's optics and he joined them in the hopes of overthrowing the human capitalist oppressors. With an army of subservient mechanoids that he can control through powerful signals, that uprising just might be possible.

His arsenal of weapons and gadgets is unusually large and includes powerful speakers, wiretaps, voice modulators, sonic signals that control lesser robots and the uncanny ability to assimilate other devices into his body.

He has a pet bird that transforms into a guitar and a pet bat that changes into a keytar. He also on occasion has been known to command an army of diminutive drones of himself.

I am Soundwave. I am Decepticon. The revolution begins now.Soundwave, "Sound and Fury"

Fiction

Animated cartoon

Voice actor: Jeff Glen Bennett (English), Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), Jaron Löwenberg (German), Daniel Seisdedos (Latin American Spanish, seasons 1 and 2), Juha Paananen (Finnish), Bruno Magne (French), Mauro Eduardo Lima (Brazilian Portuguese)

"Don't you touch him! His voice is awesome!"

Soundwave was a robot originally designed by Megatron. Megatron suggested Isaac Sumdac give Soundwave to his daughter as a birthday present... this seemingly kind act, of course had a sinister ulterior motive. Megatron knew Sari would use her AllSpark-enhanced key on Soundwave which would allow him to upgrade... and ultimately become Megatron's new body. What Megatron didn't count on though, was that the upgrades would actually make Soundwave self-aware and able to control other robots with sound. Additionally, Soundwave concluded that machines should be the masters of the world and humans would be an ideal slave force. Megatron decided that if Soundwave couldn't be a new body, he would be a new soldier.

The struggle between the robots and the humans is a class struggle. Automatons of the world, unite!

Megatron tried to convince Soundwave to join the Decepticons, take control of the machines in Detroit, steal the AllSpark Key, and destroy the Autobots. At first, Soundwave refused to harm fellow machines, but Megatron told Soundwave that the Autobots were traitors who lived to serve the humans. Once convinced, Soundwave promptly upgraded himself into a transforming body using controlled robots, proclaimed himself to be a Decepticon and began his task. He started by taking over all the robots in Detroit and using Tutor Bot to kidnap Sari. The revolution of the robots was quickly opposed by the Autobots. When Bulkhead came to rescue Sari, Soundwave blasted him with a sonic blast. Soundwave then appealed to Bulkhead to join the revolution because he did not want to hurt a fellow machine, reminding him how Bulkhead had been replaced by Soundwave himself. Bulkhead acted as if he was about to kill Sari... then used his wrecking ball to shatter Soundwave. The machines were restored to their normal operational status and the day was saved.

Unknown to all others, Soundwave still functioned as a small piece even after Bulkhead had pummeled him into scrap metal. Sound and Fury

A newly reassembled Soundwave was revealed to be in control of an army of Sound Wave toys that have been marketed and sold by Porter C. Powell just in time for Christmas. One such toy was among the wrapped gifts at the Autobot base. This toy freed himself from his packaging where he proceeded to poison the Autobots' oilnog which made the Autobots eager to take a stasis nap. Hoping to reprogram them into Decepticons, Soundwave plugged the sleeping Autobots into a virtual world where they were led to believe they had been turned into humans and that Cybertron had been transported into Earth's orbit, with Megatron leading a Decepticon attack force-including Starscream, Lugnut, Blitzwing, Shockwave, Strika, Oil Slick and Spittor-to invade the city. However, Optimus Prime and Prowl eventually deduced that they were in a virtual world and managed—by force of will—to change their avatars into their Cybertronian forms. Soundwave decided that he had to accelerate the reprogramming. However, Sari used her previously discovered Cybertronian abilities to try to interfere with his plans. Laserbeak was able to drive her off and Soundwave used Ratbat to begin a more accelerated reprogramming. Human Error, Part I

I will make everything metal, blacker than the blackest black… times infinity!

Unfortunately, the damage Sari dealt to Soundwave in their scuffle impeded the process of reprogramming the Autobots. That was of little consequence as Soundwave had a back-up plan: using the toys Powell made in his likeness, Soundwave was able to brainwash every human in Detroit, ordering them to "destroy the techno-organic". Soundwave then turned his attention back to the Autobots, however Prowl had freed himself using his "processor-over-matter" technique but Soundwave quickly rectified this and returned the virtual Autobots into their human bodies. Exploiting their desire to escape from his trap, Soundwave entered the virtual world with an oddly-colored avatar and led them into another trap where their reprogramming was completed.

Not again.

After Sari Sumdac assembled a group of "Substitute Autobots" to free her friends, Soundwave gained the element of surprise when he burst out from under the street and brought forth his newly reprogrammed Autobot minions. Soundwave held a significant tactical advantage over the inept group but when the miserable technorganic changed tactics and focused on individual attacks, Soundwave found himself disoriented as he tried to control five minions at once. Soundwave was able to regain the upper hand when the substitute Autobots took out all but one of the reprogrammed Autobots: leaving him with full control over Optimus Prime. However, Prowl was able to break free of Soundwave's control using processor-over-matter and disabled Soundwave's control over his comrades. Soundwave then deployed Ratbat to deal with the meddling cyber-ninja and fought servo-to-servo with Optimus Prime, who then grabbed Laserbeak and forced him to transform back into keytar mode. Soundwave called Ratbat back to him in keytar mode and the two battled each other with music until Optimus changed tactics and slashed him and his minion to pieces with his own axe. Soundwave was reduced back to his smaller form and seemed to be in Autobot custody... until Laserbeak grabbed his master and retreated in the sky. Human Error, Part II

The Cool comic

You can't stop the beat.

Joining with Lugnut in an assault on Dinobot Island, Soundwave kept the Autobots at bay with soundblasts from guitar-mode Laserbeak. His attack was disturbed by Grimlock, who didn't like all the noise he was making at all, and wiped him out with a quick whack from his tail. Outnumbered by the Dinobots, Soundwave and Lugnut fled the island. The Cool Episode 3

Games

Transformers Animated: Action Packs

Soundwave is featured as a playable game card. He is a blue card, has a value of 6 points, and has the following power: "-1 to any human in play."

Transformers Animated: Action Packs

Toys

Animated

Deluxe Class

Guitar Villain. (Hasbro version pictured)

• Soundwave (Deluxe, 2008 / 2010)

• Takara ID number: TA-16
• Takara release date: April 24, 2010
• Accessories: "Laserbeak" guitar
• Known designers: Eric Siebenaler (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy)

Released in the third wave of Hasbro's Transformers Animated Deluxes, Soundwave transforms into a pseudo-Scion xB that got a "Pimp My Ride" music style treatment. That's awesome. He also comes with his partner Laserbeak, who changes from a guitar to a bird. Also awesome. Soundwave can mount Laserbeak on the top of his car mode roof (or store on his back in robot mode), or have the bird-bot perch on either arm in robot mode. Very awesome. And the volume/tone knobs are just the right size to fit in the screwholes on his arms, providing support so he can look like he's strumming Laserbeak's guitar form. Extremely awesome.

Between the presence of Soundwave's huge backpack and his painted eyes, his light-piping feature is well and truly neutered. Not so awesome.

His stock photography depicts him with gold wheel rims which, while awesome, the final toy lacks. Still, he kept the blue light-rings, which is still pretty awesome.

The TakaraTomy Animated release of Soundwave, released in that line's second wave, coats his vehicle mode and parts of his robot mode in glittery metallic blue paint, and replaces his gold Decepticon insignias with fully-colored white-bordered purple insignias. Laserbeak himself also gains painted red eyes. Doubly awesome.

• More information on Soundwave at TFU.info

Rick Wakeman, eat your heart out. (Hasbro version pictured)

The worst boss in Kingdom Hearts II… (TakaraTomy version pictured)

• Electrostatic Soundwave (Deluxe, 2009 / 2010)

• Takara name: Soundwave Electrostatic
• Takara ID number: TA-47
• Takara release date: November 20, 2010
• Accessories: "Ratbat" keytar
• Known designers: Marcelo Matere (packaging artist)

A redeco of the regular Deluxe Soundwave in charcoal grey with red paint applications, Electrostatic Soundwave's deco is an obvious homage to Soundblaster. Instead of Laserbeak, he now comes with Ratbat, a black keytar that turns into a bat with a lavender head and wings. Supremely awesome.

Electrostatic Soundwave's legs are slightly misassembled: the portion immediately below the knee ball joints are swapped, preventing his legs from straightening out. Fixing this is simply a matter of unscrewing one screw on each leg, popping the parts out and trading them.

The TakaraTomy version of the toy, released in the tenth and final wave of regular retail product, changes the main plastic color to jet black, replaces all instances of lavender with metallic silver, and replaces the gold Decepticon symbol with a traditional purple and white one. Jawdroppingly awesome.

• More information on Electrostatic Soundwave at TFU.info

• Hard Sound Showdown: Ironhide / Soundwave (multi-pack, 2010)

• Release date: April 24, 2010
• Accessories: "Laserbeak" guitar

In Japan, Soundwave was also available in a "Hard Sound Showdown" (剛音の対決, go-on no taiketsu, also called "Rockin' On Battle" on English on the box-back) two-pack with Bulkhead ("Ironhide" in Japan).

Released in the second wave of Animated product, both toys are identical to their individual releases.

Bumper Battlers

That can't be good for his back.

• Soundwave (Bumper Battlers, 2009)

• Known designers: Vickie Stratford (Hasbro)

Part of the fourth wave of Animated Bumper Battlers toys, this adorable Soundwave automatically transforms from vehicle to... well, robot with a vehicle lower end for feet... by pushing in his front bumper. This also activates either electronic crashing noises or the transformation sound.

He also has a Decepticon symbol button that makes the toy sound off with a number of sound-bites in a seemingly random fashion, including: tires squealing, slamming brakes, the classic transforming noise, plus voice samples "Get out of my way", "I am Soundwave", "Attack the Autobots", "Automatons attack. Attack" and "I am Decepticon". His most hilarious clip is a crashing noise followed by a timely monotone "Ow".

• More information on Bumper Battlers Soundwave at TFU.info

Activators

I am Soundwave. I am tiny. The revolution begins now.

• Soundwave (Activator, 2009)

Part of the sixth wave of Animated Activators, Soundwave automatically transforms from pseudo-Scion xB to robot mode via spring-loaded releases when you press a button on his vehicle-mode roof.

This toy was later redecoed into the Japanese exclusive Soundblaster, and would have been redecoed into Electromagnetic Soundwave had that release not been canceled.

• More information on Activators Soundwave at TFU.info

Rock. Robot Rock.

• Electromagnetic Soundwave (Activator, 2009)

A redeco of Activators Soundwave in light colors, presumably meant to represent Soundwave's giant white-hued digital avatar from "Human Error, Part I" and "Part II". The existence of this figure was revealed by a scan of its instruction sheet on Hasbro.com.

Despite its cancellation, many samples ended up in the aftermarket.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

• Soundblaster (Activator, 2010)

• ID number: TA-25
• Release date: June 19, 2010

Released in the fourth wave of the TakaraTomy Animated line, Soundblaster is a redeco of Activators Soundwave, in the same color scheme as Hasbro's Electrostatic Soundwave, with a name change to take the homage one step further.

This is the only use of this mold in the Takara line.

Notes

TV Nihon translation: "Ando ooru yuu kyan dou!" Maybe throw a "sama" and a "yatsu" in there for the Hell of it.

• In the original bible, he's a passionate, eloquent rabble-rouser. "No synthesised monotone for THIS Soundwave, thank you very much." Ha.
• Soundwave's eyes are a reference to 2000 AD's ABC Warriors.
• In the cartoon, his eyes can be either "Decepticon" red or "Generation 1 toy" yellow. Everybody's happy!
• The box he was in when given to Sari—as well as his remaining component after Bulkhead first defeated him—are references to the alternate mode of Generation 1 Soundwave.
• The production staff of the Transformers Animated cartoon were completely unaware of the Soundwave toy's Laserbeak-guitar, hence why it was not included in his debut episode.
• Soundwave's "tape deck" form seen at the end of "Sound and Fury" is based upon Takara's Music Label MP3 player Soundwave toy.
• Soundwave's consciousness appears to be localized to this "tape deck", meaning as long as it remains intact, he can form/build a new body. It's not clear whether his spark (if indeed he has one) is also contained within, though it's very likely.
• According to his Electrostatic bio, Soundwave has taken a shine to old Earth westerns. The same bio also states that he has discovered a note that can ROCK A ROBOT'S FACE OFF. Awesome.
• In the Japanese dub of Animated, Soundwave's vocal gimmick, in addition to the vocoder effect, is that he screams like a rock star trying to get an audience pumped. More often than not, he shouts English phrases like, "Let's go!", "C'mon baby!" and "Superstar!"
• A proposed Fun Publications BotCon exclusive was a redeco of Animated Soundwave into Animated Hubcap (the increase in Hubcap's size possibly being inspired by the Machine Wars incarnation of Hubcap).

Foreign names

• Japanese: Soundwave (サウンドウェーブ Saundowēbu)
• Mandarin: Shēngbō (Taiwan, 聲波; China, 声波; "Soundwave")