Nezha: Transformers (franchise)

Cyberverse « Nezha: Transformers Cartoon Toyline

Nezha: Transformers (哪吒与变形金刚 Nézhā yǔ Biànxíng Jīngāng) is a franchise for the Chinese market, a joint effort between Hasbro and China Central Television (CCTV). The series combines the Transformers with the story and characters of the 2003 cartoon Legend of Nezha, a previous CCTV production. The title character Nezha is a Chinese deity who, among other things, is a protector of commercial vehicle drivers.

Announced in 2017, but finally coming to fruition in 2020 (sort of, see below), the franchise consists of:

• A televised cartoon
• A toyline

Nezha: Transformers follows the design and package styling of the Cyberverse series, including the character models for major Transformers characters, though it is yet unclear what this means for the fiction.

While intended for release in China, according to Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, broadcast stations around the globe have expressed interest in taking on the show. So far, nothing has come from this.

Scarcity of information

Information about this line is incredibly sparse. While a trailer for the cartoon was released in December 2019, the actual series has been seemingly delayed, and currently we do not know when or if it will air. There have been only two toys announced/revealed that aren't building-block-based toys or pre-existing Cyberverse characters, and only one of those seems to have been released.

While the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic doubtlessly plays a major role in the state of the line, that so little of the line exists while so much of the rest of Transformers continues to chug along does bring into question the original scope of the Nezha franchise to begin with.