Drift (G1)

This article is about the Generation 1 character. For the Armada episode, see Drift (episode).

Drift is an Autobot in the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Oh Drift-chan, you smell awesome, and not at all like feet!"

Drift (ドリフト Dorifuto) was not always an Autobot. In fact, he slaughtered quite a few when he was known as the Decepticon Deadlock. But Deadlock's eyes were opened to what the Transformers' war had become when he stumbled across a lost faction of neutral Transformers long since forgotten. He discarded his ruthless ways, abandoned his guns for swords, and changed his name and appearance. When Drift returned to the Transformer war to make right what he put wrong, he was a bot of few words and disciplined action.

These days, Drift is a member of a ragtag team of rebels under the command of Kup, working alongside many members of the disbanded Wreckers. Because of his brutal past, Drift isn't well-liked by a few of the Autobots. He's seen as a late-comer to their side of the conflict, especially since in his past life he had killed quite a few of them! The rest don't seem to care, or are genuinely impressed by his incredible skills, so long as they're used against the other side!

We're going about this the wrong way, all of us! After countless centuries of fighting ... the Autobots are a step away from what we were when all this started. And us—the Decepticons have become something worse than any of us could have imagined.Drift explains his new perception of the war to his former commander, "Spotlight: Drift"

Fiction

IDW comics

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

He's your horrible fancharacter.

While he was known as Deadlock, Drift used to be the second-in-command of the Decepticon Turmoil. During this time, he earned a reputation by slaughtering his Autobot opponents. At some point, Deadlock disappeared and was thought to be dead. Turmoil's only wish was that he had killed the traitor himself.

Some time later, after receiving a new body, fighting style and totally sugoi super-long sword that he can only use in the totally direst of times (and to pose for comic covers) from his mysterious benefactors, Drift set off to make a difference. His chance came in an attempt to free a group of Autobots held captive on the ship he previously served aboard. Upon entering Turmoil's ship, his attempt at stealth was successful until the Wreckers arrived and blasted their way aboard. Jumping into the battle to assist them, he piqued the interest of a few Autobots. Perceptor was injured as Turmoil entered the battle and, recognizing Drift's voice as his former lieutenant, attempted to destroy him. However, his attack only resulted in knocking Drift and Kup to another room. The two quickly worked together to program the ship to overload. In his final confrontation with Turmoil, Drift stated his intention was to help, not kill, and left to rescue Perceptor before the ship blew up.

After his arrival on the Autobot ship, Kup invited Drift to join his new unit as an Autobot. Spotlight: Drift

Seriously, you made this guy up when you were eight.

Drift was among the crew of the spacecraft Trion when it was baited into a Decepticon ambush over Cybertron. Its command codes were hacked due to their being sold to the Decepticons by an Autobot traitor, and, left defenseless, it was forced to crash-land on the desolate landscape of the planet. Eventually, the crew were found by Optimus Prime's unit, who unfortunately proved to be also stranded. When Mirage was revealed by Jazz to have been standing invisibly among them, Drift was the only one who didn't appear surprised. All Hail Megatron #5

When an advance scout of the Insecticon Swarm discovered the Autobots' base camp, Drift was dispatched to take care of it. Drift stood stock-still as the creature walked up to him, greeting it with a simple "hello" and smirking as the monstrous beast snarled in his face. Finally, he beheaded the beast with a single wave of his sword. A second creature tried to attack Drift from behind, but the smirking Autobot merely tilted his head slightly, allowing Perceptor to kill the beast with some precision sniping. Cliffjumper thought the incident was the coolest thing ever. All Hail Megatron #6

After Sunstreaker revealed to Ironhide that he was the traitor, an army of the Swarm came after them. Drift saved Ironhide while Sunstreaker blew up a bridge, killing himself and the Swarm army. Later, Drift visited Ironhide and claimed that the Decepticons had access to the Autobots' systems in a way that Sunstreaker couldn't possibly have. Ironhide asked if this meant there was a second traitor, but Drift replied that there was simply more to the situation than they knew. All Hail Megatron #8

When Mirage was showing some doubt in the Autobot cause, it was Drift who said that, now more than ever, the Autobots should continue being who they are. Bumblebee insinuated that Drift had no right to say something like that, which started an argument that was only stopped by the return of Optimus Prime. All Hail Megatron #9

Drift took part in the battle against the Swarm, and joined the others in escaping Cybertron in Omega Supreme. All Hail Megatron #10. On Earth, he battled the Decepticons, and when Thundercracker volunteered to divert the human's nuclear bomb, Drift attempted to congratulate his former comrade on seeing the light. Thundercracker was having none of it, slapping the traitor's hand away and claiming he was merely following the Decepticons true ideal.All Hail Megatron #12

Robot Heroes

Further information in this article is coming soon as it pertains to information that may not yet have been officially released. See Help:Coming soon for policy on the matter, and do not add further information unless the relevant material has been officially released. To the person who added this tag: Please give a "fair game" date with |when=

I Am Optimus Prime

Notes

• Commenting on what inspired him to create Drift, writer/creator Shane McCarthy said that "I wanted a character in AHM that had a particular element to him that I didn’t see readily available elsewhere and secondly because, frankly, I thought it would be a great idea for Hasbro to have an Autobot Drift racer." He later said he wanted to show what'd happen if a former Decepticon became an Autobot.

• Which character the fandom thinks McCarthy totally should have used instead changes day-to-day as new elements about Drift are revealed.

• According McCarthy, Drift's Japanese overtones are meant to be a tip of the hat "to the country that gave birth to [Transformers]." It is possible that he meant Diaclone and Micro Change, as the Transformers franchise was developed between Hasbro, Griffin Bacal and Marvel Entertainment, three American companies.

• IDW Publishing claimed that Drift had been solicited by Hasbro to receive a toy in the Universe line. After months of no word whatsoever on the subject from Hasbro or a single hint that such a thing would happen from the usual sources (read: leaks and stolen toys), Hasbro's Australian branch eventually answered the claim with a rather unequivocal "No, there is no character named Autobot Drift or any toy designed after the comic character coming out in our 25th Anniversary or any other Transformers line." in an online Q&A session. However, IDW editor Chris Ryall maintained at New York Comic-Con 2009 that Drift was still on track to receive a toy, but no release date had been set. In a March 2009 online Q&A session, Hasbro confirmed that no Drift toy was currently planned at all, although they "would love to make a toy after IDW's Drift and will do our best to fit him into the line at the right time." At BotCon 2009, early design sketches were unveiled for Drift's toy, suggesting that he is at least on his way towards getting one. Shane McCarthy, when asked, believes they're making one for 2010.

• Drift's name is derived from the Japanese driving technique of "drifting", rendered in Japanese as ドリフト走行 (dorifuto sōkō). This is also the source of the Japanese Katakana writing on his car mode doors and in Chris Ryall's announcement; it is a transliteration of his English name and is not from Japanese fiction.

• Drift's vehicle mode design is similar to the Mega-Bloks Magna Former Magscinder, from the drifting body kit, to the rising sun deco right down to having "DRIFT" written in katakana on its car doors.

• It is as-of-yet unknown if Drift's home planet will suddenly need him, and he will die on his way there.