Transformers Character Card

"I put my Planeswalker in attack position!"

When longtime TakaraTomy partner e-HOBBY returned to the Transformers brand sans action figures in 2022, the crown jewel of its extensive line of ancillary Transformers merchandise was Transformers Character Card (トランスフォーマーキャラクターカード), a series of trading cards providing bios and tech specs for characters from across the brand. The series unsurprisingly leans towards characters from e-HOBBY's own exclusive Transformers fiction, with additional focus placed on Generation 1 characters never before seen in Japanese markets such as the Action Masters and late-wave Pretenders. While these bios are largely summaries of existing fiction, they occasionally provide supplemental story tidbits in the interests of fleshing out more obscure characters.

Merchandise

Wave 1 (January 25, 2022) Convoy and Megatron Set Convobat and Megaligator[sic] Set		Wave 2 (March 14, 2022) Rodimus Convoy and Galvatron Set Broadcast and Soundwave Set Bludgeon and Stranglehold Set Battle Convoy and Megatron Set		Wave 3 (April 14, 2022) Magna Convoy and Straxus Set Convoy (Beast Wars) and Megatron (Beast Wars) Set Longtooth and Octopunch Set Meister and Banzai-Tron Set		Wave 4 (August 29, 2022) Drift and Deadlock Set Crossblades and Thunderwing Set Grand Scourge and Lockdown Set Lambor and Ultra Magnus Set	Legends Convobat and Megalligator
Wave 5 (November 1, 2022) Convobat and Megaligator[sic] Set (Beast Wars version) King Grimlock and Starscream Set Metroflex and Dinosaurer Set Carnivac and Starscream Set Transformers Card Binder (with Convoy Black Version and Megatron Black Version)		Wave 6 (February 6, 2023) Superion and Menasor Set Broadside and Astrotrain Set Jhiaxus and Convoy Missile Trailer Set Bruticus and Iguanus Set		Wave 7 (April 22, 2023) Prowl and Laserwave Set Pincher and Vroom Set Convoy and Alpha Trin Set Thunder Clash and Skyquake Set		Wave 8 (August 2023) Magnificus and Eagle Eye Set Omega Supreme and Devastor Set Thundercracker and Skywarp Set Orion Pax and Hot Rodimus Set

Notes

• About half the real estate of each character profile is allotted to schematics strongly reminiscent of Generation 1 Power Plans, though they are not referred to as such.
• While we cannot definitely credit each card's art, there seem to be patterns: Shin Sasaki does the Precursor World-related characters; Hayato Sakamoto does most of the well-known Generation 1 characters; and Makoto Wakabayashi does Cloud characters. Other identified artists include Hidetsugu Yoshioka and Shōji Imaki.

References

• Complete archive of Transformers Character Card bios
• Transformers Character Card at the e-HOBBY website