God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base

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Swim. Swim. Swimswimswimswimswim... dang.
"God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base" ゴッドジンライ ・ デストロン基地の決戦 (God Jinrai - Destron Kichi no Kessen) "God Ginrai: Showdown at the Destron Base"
Airdate	24 January 1989
Writer	Hiroyuki Hoshiyama

When Shūta and Clouder are captured while attempting to infiltrate the Decepticon base and used as bait to lure Ginrai into a trap, things look grim for the Autobots... until help comes from a most unexpected source!

• English/Malay dub title: "Battle at the Base"
• Also known as: "Showdown at the Destron Undersea Base"

Synopsis

The Autobots are getting proactive, and have begun a search for the Decepticons' hidden base. Although they have concluded that the villains are headquartered on the ocean floor, that is all they have to go on, and extensive data gathering is underway. Metalhawk assigns Shūta the task of retrieving a sonar probe that he positioned, but while Shūta is going about this mission, he is approached by Clouder. Although Shūta is naturally suspicious of the former Decepticon, Clouder explains that he wants to make amends by showing the Autobots where the Decepticon base is. Clouder tells him to summon Ginrai, but for safety's sake, Shūta tells Clouder to take him to the base first, then he'll call the commander. The pair head into the ocean depths…but unfortunately for them, the spying Hydra has overheard their entire conversation, and radios ahead to the base to alert the Decepticons to their approach. When Clouder and Shūta arrive at the base, they are caught in a trap, immobilized by beams of crackling energy!

At the temporary Autobot headquarters on Matar Island, the Autobots receive a transmission from Overlord, informing them that Shūta is their captive. What the Autobots don't realize, however, is that the Decepticons are poised to divide up into three groups and simultaneously attack various locations on Earth. This divide-and-conquer strategy will ensure that only Ginrai can come to the Decepticon base.

Meanwhile, Cancer is feeling particularly glum, and Browning says it's like he's lost his Decepticon spirit. As Cancer demands to know what that even means, Bullhorn and Wilder come running up to inform him of Shūta's capture. They tell him that Shūta has been thrown into the base's dungeon, where Shūta is presently beating up Clouder, accusing him of treachery. Overlord addresses them over a speaker system, correcting Shūta's misconception, and berating Clouder for his betrayal. When Clouder retorts that he was the one betrayed, left behind to die in the Autobot base fire by Turtler, Overlord apologizes, but all the Decepticon Juniors share a quiet, uneasy look. Later, as Cancer wonders aloud if this claim is true, Wilder dismisses Clouder's word as lies, and Bullhorn asks what's wrong with Cancer. Doesn't he want to be a Decepticon anymore..? Back on Matar Island, Metalhawk triangulates the location of the Decepticon base by tracing the signal from Overlord's message, at least revealing that it is located off the coast of Hawaii. Grand recognizes this as being entirely too easy, and the Autobots are very aware that a trap is being set for them. Just then, Lightfoot radios in that the Decepticons have appeared in West Germany, Geneva and Moscow, and the Autobots are forced to deploy around the world to combat the threat while God Ginrai heads for the Decepticon base.

Before long Ginrai is in the waters off Hawaii, and as he approaches the undersea portal leading into the base, he is attacked by a battalion of Seacons. He blasts out the airlock with his God Cannon, and he and his opponents are sucked inside the base. After dispatching the Seacons, Ginrai comes to a fork in the tunnel and separates from Godbomber, sending the drone down one path while he takes the other. Ginrai finds Overlord, with a giant viewscreen behind him displaying Shūta in the clutches of King Poseidon. With no immediate options, Ginrai gives in to Overlord's demands and throws down his weapons. Shūta screams for Ginrai to fight back, but he does not, and Overlord commends him for his courage even as he smashes him to the ground with his fists. At that point, Godbomber appears in the chamber with Shūtaa and King Poseidon, but Ginrai instructs him to stand down to keep Shūta safe. King Poseidon blasts Godbomber just as the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors arrive to watch, and Bullhorn can't resist kicking Godbomber when he's down. As Cancer looks at the viewscreens and sees Ginrai lying on the ground, then hears Shūta's cries as King Poseidon tightens his grip, he finally snaps and screams for the giant to stop, opening fire and blowing off the Seacon combiner's arm! The shocked Overlord orders Cancer to cease, but Cancer tells him he is done with the Decepticons – all he wanted was to become stronger, not a murderer! While Overlord argues with his subordinate, Ginrai sees that Shūta has been blown free from King Poseidon's grasp, and springs into action, smashing Overlord from behind. He instructs Godbomber to take Shūta and get out of there before breaking off from his battle and escaping himself. King Poseidon, meanwhile, is about to finish off Shūta, but Cancer leaps to his defence, and King Poseidon turns his firepower on Cancer instead, blasting his gun from his hand. Before the killing blow can be delivered, Godbomber blasts King Poseidon to pieces with the God Cannon, then hefts Shūta up and carries him off. The Decepticon Juniors watch as this happens, and when Seacons lunge at the traitorous Cancer, Bullhorn comes to his aid, blasting the creatures to bits and telling Cancer to flee the base! With Seacons hot on their tail, Shūta, Cancer and Godbomber flee into the base's tunnels, liberating the imprisoned Clouder along the way. Shūta then instructs Godbomber to find Ginrai while they hold the Seacons off, and the drone complies, locating and merging with the commander once again as Overlord catches up to him and their battle continues. God Ginrai flattens Overlord and joins the others in escaping, with the tiny Browning furiously swimming along behind them, following his boss all the way. The ragtag group break through the surface of the waves, and take to the air, making good their escape.

Now, with Shūta saved and the location of the Decepticons' base finally known to the Autobots, a reckoning is sure to follow...

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Autobots	Decepticons
Metalhawk (4) Grand Maximus (15) Godbomber (32) Diver (33) Phoenix (34) Lander (35) Human Autobots Ginrai (1) Road King (2) Lightfoot (3) Shūta Gō (5) Clouder (6) Minerva (13) Cab (14) Ranger (16)	Gulf (11) Devil Z (12) BlackZarak (18) Blood (19) Dauros (20) Gilmer (21) Browning (23) Turtler (26) Tentakil (27) Overbite (28) Lobclaw (29) Kraken (30) King Poseidon (31) Human Decepticons Hydra (7) Mega (8) Giga (9) Buster (10) Overlord (17) Cancer (22) Bullhorn (24) Wilder (25)

Other notes

Animation and/or technical glitches

• One or two pieces of animation are re-used during this episode, most notably a shot of a Tentakil rearing up in Ginrai's path. The problem is, it's surrounded by bubbles as if swirling through water, and when the shot gets re-used, it's not actually supposed to be underwater. Whoops!

Transformers references

• Clouder, last seen in "Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes", reappears in this episode. His betrayal by Turtler occurred in that episode.
• After running for over two-dozen episodes, the sub-plot of Cancer's uncertainty in the Decepticon cause at last comes to a close.

Miscellaneous trivia

• This episode features every regular recurring character in the series, except for occasional guest-star Sixknight.

• Germany is called "German reunification in the year 1990.