Raf Esquivel

Raf Esquievel is a human from the Prime continuity family.

Esquivel!

He's quiet, shy, wees himself in the face of trouble, and goes into "the zone" whenever he sees technology. You'd think he'd be constantly getting wedgies from nearby punks and biker kids, but no! Rafael "Raf" Esquivel is, in fact, best mates with Miko Nakadai and Jack Darby! Even more incredible, he's best mates with Bumblebee, a robot car from outer space, and since other Autobots like Ratchet are unfamiliar with human technology, he's called on at Autobot Central Command to use his know-how to save the world!

When you were twelve years old, you wished you were Raf.

(Okay, he's twelve and a quarter. A very big quarter! He's very specific about that.)

Fiction

Prime cartoon

Voice actor: Andy Pessoa (English)

Who needs parental supervision?

Raf was playing with his radio-controlled car in a dry drainage canal when he got a call from his mother, and he promised he'd come home after another five minutes. Playtime was interrupted shortly when Jark Darby executed a motorcycle leap into the canal. Raf was impressed by that, but more so when the motorcycle turned out to be an alien robot in disguise. Arcee fought against two Decepticons and was soon joined by Bumblebee, who accidentally crushed Raf's toy underfoot. Raf wasn't too upset by the loss, and when Bumblebee was subsequently pinned down by the Decepticons, Raf courageously yelled at them to leave Bumblebee alone. He and Jack then fled up a storm drain as the Decepticons came after them, but his distraction helped the Autobots eventually win the battle.

After school the next day, Jack approached Raf and suggested they keep the whole thing to themselves. It wasn't that easy, as Bumblebee picked that moment to drive up to take Raf back to base. Raf was able to understand Bumblebee's buzzing, and he pointed out the nearby Arcee, who had come for Jack. At base, he, Jack and their friend Miko marveled at Ratchet and Bulkhead before Optimus Prime briefed them on the ongoing Autobot/Decepticon war. Darkness Rising, Part 1 When an alarm went off, Raf translated Bumblebee's statement that it was a proximity alert. He, Jack and Miko hid to avoid being seen by Agent Fowler, who was paying a visit to complain to Prime about recent Autobot activities.

A signal sent most of the Autobots rushing off on a mission, leaving the three kids with Ratchet. Raf made himself useful by helping the medical bot get the silo's aging computer system to work. Once the mission was over, Raf realised it was getting late and he was going to be grounded for a month if he didn't get home, so Optimus assigned Bumblebee to take him back and watch over him. Darkness Rising, Part 2

Bumblebee and Raf were delayed getting back to the base because they stopped off to play a video game (which Raf lost). When they finally got there, Optimus promptly left on a mission with Ratchet, and Arcee and Bumblebee further abandoned the kids, leaving them with Bulkhead. Raf attempted to join in Miko's attempt to form a band by offering to play samples on his laptop. Another visit by Fowler resulted in the federal agent being captured by the Decepticons, and Raf used his hacking skills to locate Fowler. After Bulkhead departed to try and deal with it, Jack and Raf realized that Miko had sneaked after the Autobot. They used the ground bridge to join the pair, arriving near the Decepticon ship, where they were spotted by sentries. Darkness Rising, Part 3

Bulkhead rescued the pair while they were under fire and dropped them off behind some cover before heading into the ship. Unfortunately, the pair were spotted by the Decepticons a short time later and found themselves being carried to the brig. Arcee and Bumblebee rescued them both, and the combined group found Bulkhead and Miko. The kids soon discovered that the middle of a battle—especially between giant robots—is not the healthiest place to be. The Autobots cleared out a room for them to hide in, but Jack and Miko began arguing as soon as the 'bots left. Raf became upset, and the other two had to console him, but his fears were soon forgotten when Jack pointed out an important-looking computer display. Raf's flash drive proved useless when he couldn't find a USB port, and they were interrupted by a Decepticon anyway. While Raf was fetching his backpack, the Decepticon spotted him and opened fire. He was only saved by Jack tackling him behind a Decepticon corpse. The kids legged it, and Bulkhead handily picked that moment to turn up and deal with the Decepticon. Back at the Autobot base, Jack decided to opt out of the exciting new life they'd found, and he suggested Raf do likewise, but Raf was content to stay put. Darkness Rising, Part 4

After the Autobots went to try and prevent Megatron from using his space bridge, they discovered that the Decepticon ship no longer had the ability to target the space bridge on Cybertron. Raf suggested that the Decepticons must be using a radio dish array in Texas for targeting. He attempted to hack into the installation's computer, but found that the computers there were too secure. At Jack's suggestion, he, Jack and Miko bridged to the array and accessed it via a computer in a spare room. Raf found he was able to download the space bridge plans, and when the Decepticons diverted the dishes, he could redirect them again. Unfortunately, Soundwave was in the next room, and he sent a tentacle to attack them. Though Raf was determined to keep working, he was knocked aside. Soundwave set the dishes to target Cybertron and disabled the computer. The three kids ran into the room in time to see Soundwave leaving and discover his handiwork. Back at base, Raf supplied Ratchet with the space bridge plans so he could instruct the other Autobots on how to sabotage the bridge. Raf was later present to welcome the Autobots back from their space battle. Darkness Rising, Part 5

Raf decided on building a model volcano as a science project for school, though initial tests resulted in an explosion that rocked the Autobot base. He and Bumblebee continued work on it until Bumblebee had to leave on a mission, and Ratchet decided to "assist". Ratchet ended up building a large metal volcano, which blew a hole in the roof when Raf presented it at school. Presumably it failed to get Raf a favorable grade. Masters & Students

The kids arrived at base one Saturday just as Optimus and Arcee were heading off to the Arctic on a mission. Raf was keen to go as well, having never seen snow, but Optimus told him it would be too dangerous. Disappointed, Raf went to play "being in the Arctic" in a base corridor when he stumbled on a Scraplet. Raf was enchanted by the little creature, and took it back to the control room where it attacked Bumblebee and Raf had to smash it to death with a crowbar. The Autobots realised the base was infected, and Raf teamed up with Bumblebee as they hunted for more Scraplets. They found some, only for Bumblebee to be attacked. Returning to the control room, they were set upon by more Scraplets, and Raf helped Jack and Miko fight them off of the 'bots. With time running out, the three kids repaired an energon fuel line so Ratchet could get the ground bridge working again and send the Scraplets to the Arctic. Afterwards, the kids helped repair the damaged Autobots. Scrapheap

Toys

Prime

Where's my mouth?

• "Entertainment Pack" (5 figure gift set, 2011)

A PVC figurine of Raf comes with figurines of Jack Darby and Miko Nakadai, plus small scale transformable toys of Optimus Prime and Megatron.

External links

• Raf's character page @ Hubworld.com