Predaking (Prime)

The name or term "Predaking" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Predaking (disambiguation).

Predaking is the Predacon commander from the Aligned continuity family.

My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail is a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!

Predaking is a Decepticon-created beast cloned from Predacon fossils and brought to life by Shockwave's science. Originally, Megatron had expected this supposedly simple-minded dragon to follow his orders without question, but Predaking has shown that he is far more than meets the optic sensor. Since revealing his possession of a robot mode, Predaking has made it plain that he is as intelligent as any of Megatron's forces, with a sense of warrior's pride and no shortage of ambition. While he has repeatedly professed his loyalty to his lord and master, Megatron has taken note of his ambition to lead a resurrected Predacon race, not to mention his lofty self-imbued title. While the Decepticon ranks have held many an ambitious up-and-comer with an eye for mastery, Predaking may be the first one Megatron has legitimately feared. The last surviving member of his kind may be the most powerful being on planet Earth.

Fiction

Tales of the Beast Hunters

Predaking's presence was so frightening that the Autobots began hunting for ways to combat him. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 1 With the news that a couple of Autobots were heading for a derelict starship in the asteroid belt, Megatron and Predaking set out to intercept them. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 2 They successfully found the derelict and interrupted Bumblebee and Wheeljack looting it for gear. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 4 Though the two villains initially had the upper hand, Optimus Prime arrived Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 5 and managed to hold off Predaking long enough for the other two Autobots to escape. As the ship exploded, Predaking saw Megatron plunge through the floor. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 6 He returned to the Nemesis and reported their leader's apparent demise to the other Decepticons, who immediately blamed Starscream. Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 7

Prime cartoon

Voice actor: Peter Mensah (English)

Having recovered Predacon CNA, Shockwave successfully cloned one of the great beasts, storing it in his lab. He brought the creature online and took it to Earth to hunt Autobots. Scattered After Shockwave gave it a whiff of Wheeljack's energon, it was dispatched and soon found its quarry near an energon mine. Wheeljack and Bulkhead fought the creature, first trying to blow it up with a grenade, then luring it into an explosive-laden mine in an attempt to destroy it. The beast emerged triumphant, only for Ultra Magnus to arrive in his ship and fire at it. It continued to dog the starship, clinging to the top of it until Magnus managed to knock it off by flying through a canyon. The Predacon returned to Megatron's citadel, where Starscream reflected it was a pity it couldn't tell them why it failed. The Predacon responded by growling, rather quietly and angrily. Prey When Darkmount came under attack, the Predacon was unleashed to attack the Autobots. It began chasing Ultra Magnus's ship, but was tricked into flying through a GroundBridge to the Arctic, where it swiftly froze. Rebellion

Some time later, the temperature in the Arctic rose to a sufficient level to allow the Predacon to free itself. It swiftly tracked down the Nemesis, and Megatron decided to assign it to Starscream while Shockwave continued work on cloning more Predacons. After several hilarious attempts to make the beast compliant, Starscream was ordered to deploy it against the Autobots currently attacking one of the dig sites. The Predacon attacked Ultra Magnus, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack, eventually causing a cave-in after swatting away Wheeljack's grenade. The cave-in unearthed a Predacon optic, the sight of which awakened a memory in the beast. It brought the eye to Starscream, then engaged Miko Nakadai, who had acquired the Apex Armor. Overhearing Megatron's demand that the bone fragment be brought to him, the Predacon complied and left the rest to Starscream. Chain of Command

Back at the Nemesis, the Predacon responded to Starscream's continued orders with a swipe of his tail that missed the Decepticon but demolished the ship's communications array. Starscream frantically tried to fix it, eventually attempting to reboot the network by entering an override access code into a computer console. The Predacon watched him and later, when alone, it entered Starscream's access code into the computer and began to call up information on the origins and existence of Predacons. Plus One

His rage passes description - the sort of rage that is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy suddenly lose something that they have long had but have never before used or wanted.

During a tour of Shockwave's off-site laboratory, the Predacon revealed his intelligence and ability to transform to his fellow Cybertronians. He offered to lead the Predacons on Megatron's behalf as "Predaking", but Megatron was wary of giving control of an army more powerful than his own to someone else. On Starscream's advice, he arranged for the termination of the clones using the Autobots discovering the lab as a pretense. Predaking fell for the ruse, engaging Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack after they destroyed the clones. He disabled both and destroyed the Forge of Solus Prime, but was stopped from delivering the final blow by Optimus Prime. Evolution

Plot details for Minus One follow. Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag

Predaking continued to believe that once Cybertron was restored, Megatron would resurrect the rest of the Predacon race. As the Decepticons worked to repair the Omega Lock, Predaking was dispatched to Antarctica to battle the Autobots. He battled with Optimus Prime at length, and though he was almost buried under a glacier at one point, he eventually got the better of the Autobot leader and sent Prime crashing into the ground. Minus One

Go! cartoon

At some point, the Demon Emperor Predaking was buried in a Japanese volcano, where he remained till a stray rock thrown by a child lead to a chain reaction that unearthed Predaking's head. After seemingly awakening, he signaled his Predacon servants, Bakudora, Budora, Gaidora, and Judora to emerge from their sleep. Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai!

Toys

Beast Hunters

Surely you realize that your success has made you some bitter enemies?

• Predaking (Cyberverse Commander, 2013)
  • Series/Number: 3 / 002
  • Accessories: Cybervenom rocket, launcher/tail

Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Series 3 Cyberverse Commander Class toys, Predaking transforms from a dragon into a robot and back! His tail detaches to become a "Cybervenom Rocket Launcher" that fires a missile via pressure-launch, and can be wielded via 3mm post.

• More information on Cyberverse Predaking at TFU.info

Well, thief? I smell you, I feel your air—and I hear your breath. Come along. Help yourself; there's plenty, and to spare.

• Predaking (Voyager Class, 2013)
  • Series/Number: 2 / 002
  • Accessories: Two Hydrafire Blasters, two missiles, sword/tail

Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Voyager Class toys, this Predaking transforms into a three-headed dragon, and comes with a tail that detaches to become a sword that can be (loosely) held by his hands. His extra dragon heads/"Hydrafire Blasters" are spring-loaded missile launchers that are geared to straighten their necks and launch their missiles when the levers behind them are pulled. They can also combine into a larger weapon, with their gears being connected so that they move and fire in unison. The heads/blasters mount via 5mm post onto his back and forearms.

Cybertronix symbols are detailed into various parts of his body, including the Hydrafire Blaster heads and robot mode legs. Soft plastic is used on various parts of Predaking, including his beast mode head and feet/hands. Due to the soft plastic, quality control is a bit random; some batches of figures may have deformations in-package, or may have difficulty gripping the sword since the slot is only on one half of the hand.

His packaging stock photography depicts several deco differences from the final product, such as black-painted wing membranes and yellow missiles. His instructions include the sixth chapter of the Tales of the Beast Hunters series.

• More information on Voyager Predaking at TFU.info

That's better! But don't let your imagination run away with you.

• Beast Fire Predaking (Ultimate Class, 2013)
  • Accessories: Two launchers, two missiles, tail/Infernum Blade

Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Ultimate Class toys, Beast Fire Predaking is larger than Leader Class toys from previous toylines, and features a 21-inch wingspan, although the wings easily detach from their bases for safety reasons, and to allow easier access to the battery compartment on his back. He comes with two spring-loaded missile launchers, and his tail detaches to become the Infernum Blade, all of which can peg onto his hands, wrists, and wings via 5mm post.

He also has light-up features in his dragon head, as well as his robot head and torso. The dragon head is lit by pulling on a lever on his neck, swinging the head down and opening his mouth in the process. The robot head and torso are lit by pressing the translucent-yellow button on his right shoulder. Batteries are not included.

His rear legs are mis-transformed in package, not having been angled and tabbed into his thighs. His packaging stock photography depicts his sword with orange paint details that were replaced with silver in the final product. His instructions include the eighteenth chapter of the Tales of the Beast Hunters series.

Go!

• Dragotron (04–27–13)
  • Japanese ID number: G12
  • Accessories: Two guns, two missiles, sword/tail

Dragotron is a slight redeco of the Beast Hunters Voyager Predaking toy, released in TakaraTomy's Transformers Go! toyline. The only major difference from the Beast Hunters toy lies in his gray plastic, which is darker.

• Dragotron Saishū Keitai (10–26–13)
  • Japanese ID number: G23
  • Accessories: Two launchers, two missiles, tail/blade

"Dragotron Final Form" is a redeco of Beast Fire Predaking.

Notes

• Predaking was first unveiled at a pre-New York Comic Con 2012 collectors event. We sent Thylacine 2000 and Tonyfitz there, and they brought back photos and information for us.
• Fittingly, Predaking has Preda-jaws.
• Predaking has a wingspan of two football fields.
• Predaking's breath is hotter than the planet Mercury, which has highs of 700 Kelvin (or 427 degrees Celsius/800 degrees Fahrenheit) at daytime. That's pretty hot.
• Predaking seems to suffer from mass displacement. It's been shown multiple times that his beast mode's big enough to toss around Cybertronians like chew-toys, while his robot mode stands only head and shoulders over Megatron.
• Predaking's sense of honor and overall design resemble another fire breathing Decepticon with a dragon for a beast mode. The similarities only go so far however, as Predaking does not get bossed around by a human girl.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Dragotron (ドラゴトロン Doragotoron)