Sea Iron

Sea Iron is a Beastformer from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Sea Iron (シーアイアン Shī Aian) isn't much for land-based combat. He's incredibly strong, but about as mobile as the non-anthro variety of walrus. No, the water is where he thrives, where his powerful limbs can push him through the water at remarkable speed, clearing upwards of fifty meters with a single stroke. His massive tusks are capable of punching holes in even hard metal, making him an expert at sinking enemy ships. And with his Sea Sabel (シーサーベル Shī Sāberu) MVP Weapon providing a protective barrier against water pressure, he can dive deep to strike where few in White Leo's army can reach. With his old friend Big Serow giving him targets, Sea Iron is a valuable part of Leo's forces.

Born in the Name River of his homeland Chibara, he quickly became a championship swimmer and aquatic sports enthusiast. It was in Chibara's varied sports scene that he met fellow student Jungaroo, becoming long-time friends. The two would eventually co-lead the country, with Sea Iron as its Emperor. Like Jungaroo, Sea Iron is a casual, friendly sort, though he has far greater control over his temper than his high-hopping friend. He's always ready to power through a challenge, and to help out others who might be faltering in theirs.

Toys

Transformers: Beastformers

• Sea Iron (Beastformer, 1987)
  • Beast ID number: 37
  • Accessories: Harpoon

Part of the second series of Takara's Beastformers toys, Sea Iron is an anthopomorphic walrus in yellow robotic armor. His left arm ends in a flipper. The rubsign on his chest reveals one of three symbols; Fire, Water or Wood.

In the Hasbro Battle Beast line, this toy could also come with unpainted tusks, with the formerly-white eyes and armor details now in seafoam green. It is uncertain if this variation also exists in Beastformers.

He came in a green-grid generic "Cybertron Beastformer" box, with a bio card with a painted character image on a jungle backdrop. Re-released in Series 3, the 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 both Series, 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.

Beastformers

• Sea Iron (Beastformer, 1988)
  • Beast ID number: 37
  • Accessories: "Sea Sabel" MVP Weapon

Re-released in the Transformers-less Beastformers sequel series, Sea Iron 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 "Sea Sabel".

He was sold in two similar-but-different styles of boxes. One wholly-generic version, sold in large display boxes like the Transformers releases, advertised the chance for the included bio card to instead be a rare holofoil card of White Leo with a "Burstsun" rubsign in a baggie taped to the back, so you could apply it to the Beastformer of your choice. The more common version has a slightly different box with a peg-hole in the top flap, and has a sticker on the bottom with his name and role on it.

Late 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.)

Notes

• Sea Iron's 1987 painted character art shows him with seafoam-green waist details, which are from the variation of the toy that probably wasn't sold in Japan. Funky.
• His later "Series 3" comic-like checklist-poster art shows him with a weird double-tusked scythe-thing weapon rather than his actual harpoon-like weapon. The 1988-series rework of this art corrects this mistake.
• His 1988 bio card art gives him the nickname "Sei" (セイ Sei), which is a shortening of "seiuchi" (セイウチ seiuchi), the Japanese word for "walrus".

Foreign names

• English: Wolfgang Walrus