Nightbird (G1)

This article is about the human-made ninja robot. For the Autobot cargo ship from the IDW comics, see Nightbird (ship).

Nightbird is a Human-built robot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Dude? A giant robot ninja?" "No dude, a giant robot ninja chick!" "Duuuude!"

Nightbird is a giant female ninja robot built to "benefit mankind".

Yeah, those nunchucks are really gonna be 'benefitting' their way through society.

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon

Nightbird was a robotic ninja warrior created by Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist, ostensibly to show how advanced Human technology had become. The Decepticons stole Nightbird, and Bombshell implanted her with an enhanced brain chip which turned the drone-like Nightbird into a true ass-kicking machine. Nightbird broke into the Ark and stole the Autobots' World Energy Chip, which contained the locations of a variety of energy sources, energy sources that the Decepticons would most assuredly use for conquest!

The Autobots were, at first, hampered by their promise to Doctor Fujiyama not to damage or destroy the ninja robot, and found themselves flustered in botched attempts to capture her. Eventually, however, they used an Energy Net which drained Nightbird's power reserves and allowed the Autobots to capture her without serious damage.

Doctor Fujiyama placed Nightbird into cold storage, but apparently didn't see fit to fully deactivate her, as she seems aware of her plight and gives an angry glare as she's stored away. Not that we've ever seen her again, which kind of renders the not damaging or destroying her part a bit pointless, really. Enter the Nightbird

Universe: The Wreckers

In 2025 or so, Fujiyama, apparently having learned nothing, built an entire army of Nightbird drones to benefit humanity. Daniel Witwicky detonated an explosive to destroy them, killing himself and Wheelie in the process. This event caused Arcee to enter a deep depression, setting the stage for her personality change as she became a Wrecker.

Presumably, the Nightbird drones were all destroyed, since they are never seen or mentioned again. Departure

Dreamwave Generation 1 comics

A science fiction movie, Enter the Nightbird, featured Nightbird kicking shiny metal robo-ass. Infestation

Trivia

• Nightbird's gadgets to benefit humanity include: nunchucks (unused), a pair of sai daggers (also unused), a wrist-mounted grappeling hook, magnetic feet (they also work on rocks!), fist-replacing sawblades, some kind of spin/make bright light/disappear gimmick, an endless supply of hip-stored energized throwing stars, a lightsaber, another unused weapon whose hilt is stored on her "backpack", a glowing magnetic tractor beam, and stereo speaker-nullifying metal donuts. Additionally, she vanishes after jumping over a cliff edge, leading Mirage to wonder if she has the power of invisibility.

• The Nightbirds in the Wreckers comic have four different accent colors, the same colors as the bandanas of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

• The Chiba Institute of Technology actually built a ninja robot in 2003. Martial arts is used as a benchmark of physical dexterity in robotics. Thankfully, this ninja robot is only 30 centimeters tall.

• Nightbird was featured among the Decepticon forces on the Dreamwave 20th Anniversary Lithograph.