Big Serow

Big Serow is an Autobot-allied Beastformer from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Bambi II: Judgment Day.

Big Serow (ビッグセロウ Bigguserō), also known by the nickname Sero (セロ), is White Leo's adjutant, a fierce but fair fighter and tactical specialist in the war against the Decepticon conquerors on planet Beast. He is the King of Saitan, the country (one of 38 on planet Beast) of his birth. Presumably this was his occupation before Alligatron's Decepticon-backed uprising sent White Leo's followers into hiding. He is specifically targeted by the evil Killer Fish for retribution over an injury Serow gave him years ago. He remains calm and collected no matter the situation, which greatly inspires the troops under his command to believe in victory, particularly Battle Bear who is at his strongest with Big Serow by his side.

Big Serow's MVP Weapon is the Big Boomerang, which can both cut through stuff and emit ultrasonic waves. Whether or not he has any relation to Little Serow is unknown.

Fiction

The Headmasters cartoon

This deer is loaded for bear.

Voice actor: Yoshitada Ōtsuka (Japanese)

Big Serow was a member of White Leo's rebels, fighting against the Decepticons and their allies, Alligatron and the evil Beasts. He led one attack against their stronghold, only to be overwhelmed and order a retreat. With the injured Beastformers before them, Big Serow advised White Leo to send envoys for reinforcements, but White Leo was not willing to risk more soldiers. Hope soon came in the form of the Autobot Transformers, who aided by fighting the Decepticon Transformers while White Leo led a force, including Big Serow, to save the Beastformers enslaved by the Decepticons. However, they were already saved by a third party, and White Leo's forces met up with them in time to witness the retreat of the Decepticon Transformers from the planet. Big Serow, with the others, saw the Autobot Transformers off. Rebellion on Planet Beast

The Headmasters comic

Big Serow joined Kane in rescuing Chrome and Ros from Reprogamma. When they sneaked on the Decepticon Transformers, Big Serow was unable to stop Kane from rushing in to confront them. The Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!

Beastformers comic

One of the combatants in the great war between the Beastformers' and the Laser Beasts, Big Serow was seen charging into battle alongside Rabbit Kid and Bombsheep on their Hunters. Beastformers VS Laser Beasts

Legends comic

Big Serow took part in the final battle between the Beastformers and the Laser Beasts on Beast in 2023. In the Stag Hunter, he fought against Stronghurricane riding the Red Battler. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1

In 2038, Big Serow attended to Queen Lune when she thanked Platinum Tiger for his help in driving away Galvatron II's Decepticons. Bonus Edition Vol. EX

Toys

Transformers: Beastformers

• Big Serow (Beastformer, 1987)
  • Beast ID number: 2
  • Accessories: Blade-weapon

Part of the first series of Takara's Beastformers toys, Big Serow is an anthropomorphic deer with green robotic armor. His left arm ends in a (non-spinning) drill. The rubsign on his chest reveals one of three symbols; Fire, Water or Wood.

The Hasbro Battle Beasts release of the figure can vary in the tone of the green paint used on its armor, with some samples being a more desaturated and matte olive; it's uncertain if the Takara version has similar (minor) paint variation.

He was re-released in the subesquent second and third series; while the toy proper was not changed, the packaging and packed-in bio card was. The Series 1 release comes in a generic red-grid "Cybertron Beastformer" box, with a red-grid bio card with a painted character image on the front, though there was a random chance of his card being replaced by the rare "Holography Mirror" card. Series 2 came in a green-grid generic "Cybertron Beastformer" box, with the bio card putting the painted image on a jungle backdrop. Series 3's box was unchanged, but the bio card replaced the painted image with a simpler line-art image, first used in Hasbro's Battle Beasts cast poster. In the green-box releases, depending on the "Pack" he came in, there was a chance of his bio card being replaced with a rare "Secret Photo", "Bewitching Serpent Seal", or "VS Holography Mirror" card.

• Big Serow (Gahsapon Beastformer, 1987)
  • Beast ID number: 2
  • Accessories: Blade-weapon

Many of the first-series Beastformers were also sold in gashapon capsule machines, Big Serow included. This version is identical to the regularly-released boxed version, including the randomized rubsign, except the gashapons appear to have randomized weapons (or just crummy quality control).

There is also a rare all-white/cream version of Big Serow; these rare versions can vary in how white they actually are, and it's uncertain if that's how they started or if some have simply yellowed with age. These white versions tend to be very expensive on the secondary market.

Beastformers

• Big Serow (Beastformer, 1988)
  • Beast ID number: 2
  • Accessories: "Big Boomerang" MVP Weapon

Re-released in the Transformers-less Beastformers sequel series, Big Serow was given a straight re-release with new packaging and a new, more filled-out bio card with corrected coloring. This new card also gave his weapon, now branded an "MVP Weapon", the name "Big Boomerang" (ビッグブーメラン Biggu Būmeran).

The initial early releases of this series had the chance for any Beastformer to have the rare Burstsun symbol; we'll probably never know if Big Serow was ever actually one of them. Later in the run, the "mood ring" styled rubsigns were replaced with new rubsigns that revealed full-color Fire/Wood/Water images on black backdrops. (These rubsign variants also happened at the same time in the Hasbro Battle Beast version of the line.)

• Big Serow (Gashapon/candy-toy Beastformer, 1988)
  • Meiji ID number: 21
  • Accessories: "Big Boomerang" weapon

A small, super-deformed, articulation-free version of Big Serow was produced by Meiji, and sold both as a gashapon capsule prize and as a candy toy with "chocoballs". The candy toy version came with a bio/data card with its own role-playing rules, using the old Transformers-era painted character art.

This stumpy lil fellow could be found in red, blue or green plastic, representing the Fire, Water and Wood elements (even though he still had a rubsign). His half-a-Big-Boomerang weapon was molded attached to his left shoulder by a snippable sprue, common for inexpensive toys of that nature.

Notes

• "Big Serow" seems to be a misnomer, as serows (a species of ungulate found in Asia) tend to be more goat-like, with bushier coats and short horns. Eventually the line would include an actual serow, imaginatively named "Little Serow", though no connection between the two was ever established.
• The Hasbro release of "Deer Stalker" was pretty much entirely packed randomly, in 2-packs with another random beast, or with the larger Battle Chariots and Transport Stations.

Foreign names

• English: Deer Stalker