Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (cartoon)
| The name or term "Victory" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Victory (disambiguation). |
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Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (戦え!超ロボット生命体 トランスフォーマーV Tatakae! Chō Robot Seimeitai Transformers Victory) ran from March 14, 1989 to December 19, 1989 in Japan for 38 broadcast episodes, in support of the toyline of the same name. "Transformer V" is the opening theme and "Cybertron Banzai" is its ending theme, both written by legendary composer Chūmei Watanabe.
Development
After the conclusion of the daring, unusual Super-God Masterforce, Victory took the continuing animated saga of the Transformers back to a much more basic approach, restoring an unmoving status quo of small groups of Autobots and Decepticons battling over energy on Earth. Like Masterforce before it, the series takes a fresh-start approach, focusing on a cast of entirely new characters, although the connections between the previous series are a lot more clearly drawn than they were between Masterforce and The Headmasters, with repeated appearances by members of its cast.
Early planning for Victory was done by Masumi Kaneda, who had also been responsible for The Headmasters and Super-God Masterforce. His earliest treatment for the series—written in September 1988 and illustrated by Ban Magami, as seen at right—included prototypical versions of the characters who would become Star Saber and Deathsaurus—with Brainmaster and Breastforce gimmicks already in place—as well the Brainmaster trio, the Multiforce, a non-bestial Victory Leo and a four-man iteration of the Breastforce. Perhaps most interestingly, characters based on Thunderwing, Crossblades and Vroom all appear in prominent positions among the Decepticons, and the treatment obviously called for the return of all six Headmaster Juniors from Masterforce to fill out the series human cast alongside Star Saber's human son, Jan Minakaze. For whatever reason, though, Kaneda was less involved with the actual production of the finished series, with Hiroyuki Hoshiyama credited as the head writer. Kaneda did, however, script the Victory manga, with the massive storytelling gulf between it and the anime illustrating how few of Kaneda's ideas for the series actually made it into the show.
For an unknown reason—be it a rushed schedule, a diminishing budget (perhaps caused by Victory's uncommonly well-done animation) or something else—Victory's 38-episode run features a full six clip shows, containing no new footage or story at all. As if that wasn't enough, a further six were released directly to video after the end of the series, bringing the total up to 44.
Storyline
In the year 2025, following the defeat of the Decepticons on Earth in the Masterforce War, the villains have begun aggressively attacking other planets in the universe. To counter this threat, the Autobots join with many other civilizations and lifeforms (including Humanity) to form the Universal Peace Alliance, which strikes back against the Decepticons with its military, the Universal Defense Force. Recently appointed Supreme Commander of the Autobots, Star Saber heads up the Sector One Defense Force, backed up by the Brainmasters and Multiforce, while God Ginrai takes charge of Sector Two.
Seeking the energy necessary to free his massive Planet-Destroying Fortress from imprisonment in the Dark Nebula where Star Saber sealed it years ago, the Decepticons' new Emperor of Destruction, Deathsaurus, attacks Earth with his Dinoforce, prompting Star Saber and his team to set up residence on the planet. Accompanying them is Jan Minakaze, Star Saber's adopted human son, whose parents died in a Decepticon attack when he was just a baby, and Holi, head of the Micromaster Rescue Team, who soon arrive on Earth to be with their leader. The Decepticons, meanwhile, are progressively joined by more and more members of the elite Breastforce squad, including their scheming leader Leozack, who seeks to take leadership of the Decepticons from Deathsaurus, and the sneaky Hellbat, who's only looking out for himself.
After a series of energy-raiding adventures on Earth, the Breastforce target the Micromasters' homeworld of planet Micro, where they liberate their teammate, Guyhawk, enabling the team to combine into the mighty Liokaiser and finally defeat Star Saber in battle for the first time. Despite the addition of the six-changing samurai Greatshot to their ranks, the Autobots are weakened by this turn of events, and when God Ginrai arrives on Earth to aid them, he is fatally wounded by Deathsaurus and recreated as Victory Leo. When Deathsaurus finally reactivates his fortress and turns it upon the Earth, Star Saber and Victory Leo combine together into Victory Saber to end the threat of Deathsaurus once and for all.
Episodes
- The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber
- Sneak Attack! Dinoking
- Attack! Leozack
- Unite!! Multiforce
- Move Out! Rescue Team
- Infiltration... The Uranium Mine
- Explosion!! The Energy Base
- Big City - Underground Terror
- Clash!! Two Great Heroes†
- The New Warrior - Hellbat
- Attack the Shuttle Base!!
- Tanker Hijack Operation
- Move Out!! Breastforce†
- Rescue Jan!!
- Mach and Tackle
- A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid
- Planet Micro - The Mysterious Warrior
- Rescue! Guyhawk
- Unite! Liokaiser
- Assemble! Combiner Warriors†
- Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress
- Battle Up of Wrath!!
- Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle
- Crisis! Ambush in the Desert
- A Deadly Battle
- Ginrai Dies!!
- Fight!! Victory Leo
- Ultimate Crisis!! Autobots†
- Awaken! Victory Leo
- The Tide Is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification
- Jan - Defend the Campus!!
- A Mystery?! The Deception of the Base Bombs
- The Death-Bringing Space Insects!!
- The Strongest! Victory Saber†
- The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves
- The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!
- Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
- Autobots Forever†
- Radiant! Victorious Planet†
- The Emperor of Destruction Wins!†
- SOS! Global Defense Directive†
- Micromasters!†
- Victory Attack of Friendship!†
- Echo Across the Galaxy! Bell of Love!!†
Main cast
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans |
|---|---|---|
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Home video releases
Japan
- Transformers: Victory — DVD Box 01 (2003)
- Transformers: Victory — DVD Box 02 (2003)
United Kingdom
- The Takara Collection Vol 3 — Transformers: Victory (2006)
- Transformers — The Complete Takara Collection (2007)
Australia
- The Transformers: Victory (2008)
- The Transformers: Japan Generation 1 — Complete Collection (2009)
United States
- The Japanese Collection — Transformers: Victory (2012)
- Transformers — The Japanese Collection (includes Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory) (2012)
