Mantis (BW)

Mantis is an Insectron from the Beast Wars II portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

You lot need to calm down and relax, OR I'LL KILL YOU ALL!

A word of advice: If you see a "do not disturb" sign hanging outside the door of Mantis (マンティス Mantisu), cross the hallway on your tippy-toes. Because if this Insectron is rousted from his peace and quiet, he'll be anything but peaceful in response. Mantis has a temper that would intimidate Bighorn and will fly off the handle at the slightest irritation. Even his Insectron cohorts know to keep their distance from him and he'll most commonly be found resting in isolation far, far away from his teammates.

Unfortunately for his RnR, Mantis has a constant thorn in his side: Autolauncher, who seeks to crush Mantis and prove he's the best Discmaster in the galaxy. But Mantis's telekinetic control of his discs in mid-flight certainly gives him an advantage, to say nothing of the scythe-like appendages he uses to filet his foes at close range.

Sometimes it's best to let sleeping bugs lie, at least if you value your limbs, organs and miscellaneous fluids.

Fiction

Beast Wars II cartoon

Voice actor: Hiroki Takahashi (Japanese)

Mantis was at rest in some ancient ruins, until a Predacon bombing run woke him up; enraged at his peace and quiet being disturbed, he viciously attacked the Maximals exploring the ruins and came close to terminating Lio Convoy. A sudden display of artillery from Apache took him down. Following this, the Predacons brought the ruins down and Lio Convoy saved Mantis's life. The Insectron rejected the offer of friendship then, merely cackling that they'd meet again... Mystery of the Ancient Ruins The Insect Corps Arrive

Tasmania Kid tried to make peace with the Insectrons by bringing them oil for a party, but running into the intimidating and short-fused Mantis made the idea seem poor upon reflection. Scissor Boy calmed Mantis down by essentially saying the Kid wasn't important enough to intimidate. When Kid learned the rest of the Insectrons had gone to another oil party hosted by Starscream on Mikazuki Island, he told Mantis and Scissor Boy it had to be some sort of plot. Sure enough, the super-refined oil quickly put the Insectrons into a drunken state, starting a brawl between them. Mantis, Boy and the Maximals arrived to stop the squabbling, and the two groups joined forces against an equally plastered Galvatron, who had inadvertently gotten into the same stash of spiked oil. In the aftermath, the Maximals and Insectrons made peace. The Strongest Tag Team?

The Predacon Autorollers attempted to end the alliance between the Maximals and Insectrons by calling upon an old debt Bigmos owed to their leader, Autostinger. Bigmos knew the Maximals were the more honorable team now, but felt obligated to honor the debt. He consulted with Mantis, who snorted and told Bigmos to ignore the past and the future, and simply do whatever he felt was right in the moment. Although the "advice" sounded short-sighted and self-centered, Mantis's words later came back to Bigmos and gave him the insight to escape his debt and remain allied with the Maximals. Autorollers Roll Out!

As Megastorm and the Predacons launched a mass offensive on the Southern Continent, most of the Maximals and Insectrons rose up against them. Mantis remained in his lair, however, seething at how the conflict disturbed his privacy. Predacon General Offensive!

Who Is the Strongest Warrior!? Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger! Fly Out! Planet Gaea Assemble, Thirty-Nine Warriors

Beast Wars II manga

Mantis was part of an assembled Maximal force that took off in the Yukikaze to reach Nemesis. All hands survived the destruction of the ship by the Predacons and engaged their enemies in battle on the artificial planet's surface. All Hands, Make a Special Attack on the Evil Planet!

IDW Beast Wars comics

Mantis acquired a wide array of combat skills by competing in various athletic and military competitions in the past, including Discmaster. He's also even-tempered and easy-going. Okay. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2

Toys

Beast Wars

• Mantis (Deluxe, 1998)
  • Japanese ID number: C-20

This figure is a redeco of the Predacon Manterror, with the purple changed to blue and the Predacon energon chip changed to a Maximal one. He transforms into a praying mantis, with a pressure-launch disc launcher hidden in each horrible foreclaw.

• More information on Mantis at TFU.info

• Mantis vs Autolauncher (Vs pack, 1998)
  • Japanese ID number: VS-20

Mantis was available both as an individual and in a two-pack with his rival Autolauncher.

Notes

• IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebook describes Mantis as being friendly, good-natured and very approachable. That...is terribly, terribly wrong. Ben Yee's excuse is "I wanted his personality to fit in with the rest of the Insectrons, and thus I made him something else entirely" [1]; after all, the point of a book of character profiles is to completely rewrite the characters, right? Right?