Jazz (G1)
| The name or term "Jazz" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Jazz (disambiguation). |
This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.
- Jazz is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Jazz is Optimus Prime's right-hand man. Unlike Prowl, Prime's military strategist, Jazz responds well to change and improvisation. Whatever surprises the Decepticons spring, Jazz can deal with it. His position as Special Operations head calls for all the skills he possesses, yet he still has time to add some style to everything he does. Jazz's upbeat and outgoing personality make him one of the most popular Autobots among the Ark's crew.
An admirer of Earth music of every kind, Jazz loves culture. More than most other Autobots, he has his finger on the pulse of Earth trends and lingo, effortlessly incorporating human slang into his vocabulary. Chances are, Jazz could tell you the status of almost any reality television show and each week's Top 40 list.
He is also known as Meister.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Marvel The Transformers comics
Before Optimus became leader, Jazz was part of the self-styled Magnificent Six, a team of Autobot warriors who were tortured and humiliated by the sadistic Megadeath. The Magnificent Six!
Jazz was one of the Autobots aboard the Ark who crashed on Earth four million years ago, waking up in 1984. Jazz showed an affinity with human pop culture almost immediately, responding to Prowl's non sequitur assertion that his "logic center dictates the most advantageous course of action in any situation" with "Well, that is neat-o, Prowl." The Transformers
Jazz's first foray into action came when the Decepticons attacked him and his fellow Autobots at Witwicky Auto Repairs, resulting in the kidnapping of Sparkplug Witwicky. Power Play! Later, when Sparkplug was rescued and it was learned that the auto repairman had devised a way for the Decepticons to convert Earth fuel into a usable resource, the Autobots were enraged. Jazz shot a stream of fire to prevent Sparkplug's escape, causing the human to suffer a heart attack. The Last Stand
It was discovered that after the Autobots crash-landed on Earth, a rescue ship was sent after them which was buried somewhere in England. The Man of Iron, one of its crew, had awakened a number of times in England's history and had become a local legend. Jazz, along with Trailbreaker, Mirage, and Bluestreak, was dispatched to England under Optimus Prime's supervision. Jazz befriended (and kidnapped) a young boy, Sammy Harker, whose dad worked at the castle where the Autobot rescue ship had been partially unearthed. After questioning the boy, it became apparent that the rescue ship had to be destroyed. At the climax of a battle with the Decepticons over the buried ship, Jazz fired his weaponry down into it, and it was pulverized. Man of Iron
Jazz and a handful of other Autobots were beginning repairs on their crashed spaceship when an electrical accident altered Brawn's personality in a very bad way. Brawn became violent and paranoid, and Jazz was unable to keep the tiny but mighty Autobot restrained. At the end of Brawn's subsequent adventure, Jazz was relieved to see that he had survived and was back to his old self. The Enemy Within!
At some point, the Autobots met the Decepticons in battle at Sherman Dam. When the dam's structural integrity was compromised, Optimus Prime ordered Jazz and some others to get the neighboring humans to safety before imminent flooding destroyed the area. Jazz and Sideswipe raced each other as they carried some younger humans away from the nearby town. Decepticon Dam-Busters!
After Shockwave, upon his sudden return from being snared in a tar pit for the past 4 million years, destroyed the Autobots with one blast, the Decepticons moved into the Ark, and Jazz's lifeless body was hung with the other Autobots' from the ceiling. The New Order Ratchet, the only surviving Autobot, heard of the fate of his peers and snuck into the Ark to investigate. Sadly, Jazz and the others were still being kept in this sad state. Warrior School!
After Ratchet reclaimed the Ark from the Decepticons, Jazz and the other Autobots were rebuilt and repaired. Ratchet briefly worried about Jazz during a diagnostics run when the Autobot didn't transform like the others. Jazz explained that he stayed transformed because he was listening to a Madonna song, and it would be rude to interrupt it. After the Autobots returned home, it was Jazz who had a solution to their fuel problems: telling G.B. Blackrock that with the Decepticons around, owning an oil company was dangerous work, and it'd be a shame if something happened, when for just a bit of fuel, the Autobots could ensure he had "protection". Jazz was given authorization to present Blackrock with this deal, which he did after kidnapping the poor industrialist and driving off a cliff. Despite this rocky beginning, Blackrock knew a good deal when he saw one, and he agreed.
Soon after, Jazz and Wheeljack hid behind the stage in their alternate modes while Blackrock unveiled his Anti-Robot Photonic Multi-Cannon to the press. Unfortunately, not only was the cannon sabotaged by the demented and powerful human villain Circuit Breaker, but Starscream and Frenzy were there as well to destroy it. The violent efforts of both Circuit Breaker and Starscream put Jazz out of the fight. DIS-Integrated Circuits!
Blackrock was invited to tour the Ark and was disconcerted by the sight of the Jazz's arm being repaired and reattached while he was still conscious. Jazz assured him this was normal. The Next Best Thing to Being There! Meanwhile, the head of Optimus Prime had been held captive by the Decepticons all this time, but surveillance by Prowl revealed that the Decepticons were planning to ditch the head in a swamp. Prowl led Jazz and the other Autobots to that swamp to retrieve it, but there was a slight problem: When they returned the head to Prime's body, they quickly learned that this was an impostor head controlled by Shockwave. Jazz and the other Autobots were torn down by both the impostor Optimus Prime and a group of Decepticons led by Soundwave. Their lives were spared at the end of this battle once Prime's real head was retrieved. Prime Time!
Jazz later was Christmas shopping with Buster Witwicky when he was again attacked by Circuit Breaker. However, Buster's pleas (and the spirit of Christmas) prevented her from killing him. Christmas Breaker! After this, Jazz took the side against building Autobot super-warriors in a heated debate Crisis of Command! and was part of the team retrieving Slag in the Dinobot Hunt. Dinobot Hunt!
Sans a leg, Jazz was seen once again in Ratchet's repair bay with several others. Because of these drastic losses to the Autobot ranks, Optimus Prime began building additional warriors. Rock and Roll-Out!
Later, Jazz took part in a mission in England to find a power source that reversed Transformers' personalities. Jazz eventually ended up destroying the core of PARD during a battle with Starscream. To a Power Unknown!
Jazz spent three weeks in a shipping container in order to get to Skagway, Alaska unnoticed by the Constructicons. Hoist then became stuck while scouting the local base, and Jazz suffered brain damage while coming to his aid. Hoist was forced to drag the uncooperative, bewildered Jazz through hostile territory to safety. The damage was repairable. The Mission
When Galvatron time-jumped to 1986, Jazz was sent to scout out Decepticon territory and was captured. He was then tortured and used as bait to draw the Autobots into an ambush and was told of Galvatron's origin before his brain was operated on to turn him into a murderous zombie-soldier. He was used against his fellow Autobots and needed severe repairs afterward. Target: 2006 By Christmas 1986, he was sufficiently recovered to accompany Jetfire in collecting a shipment of fuel from Blackrock's chemical plant near Portland, but after a surprise attack by Thrust Jazz was quickly rendered inactive when Bombshell shot him in the back. The Gift
Jazz was among the dozens of Autobots who gathered on the Moon to watch Blaster and Grimlock battle for Autobot leadership, and subsequently came under Decepticon attack. Totaled!
When an Underbase-powered Starscream attacked New York City, Jazz was part of the team sent to ambush him. Although most of the team was easily defeated, Jazz managed to hit him with a photon blast from behind, and while Starscream retaliated with a fatal blow, Jazz's attack was still enough to throw him off the Brooklyn Bridge and into the jaws of the Seacons. Dark Star
Later, exhausted from the workload of fixing all the Autobots Starscream damaged, Ratchet began having nightmares of being attacked by his deactivated comrades. The Decepticon Sports Car Patrol took advantage of this mental breakdown and took control of Jazz and others' circuits to "zombify" them and torment him. When this failed, the Sports Car Patrol passed themselves off as Autobots and convinced Ratchet to come with them to Cybertron to get medical supplies. Ratchet took Jazz, along with Goldbug and Grimlock, with him, only to find Megatron waiting for him! Back from the Dead While Ratchet was forced by Megatron to revive Starscream using Pretender technology, he had an idea of what to do with three discarded Pretender shells... The Resurrection Gambit! which turned out to be repairing Jazz, Grimlock and Goldbug Bumblebee! All the Familiar Faces!
While the others dealt with Megatron, Jazz had more than his hands full fighting off the Sports Car Patrol, who were definitely tougher than they appeared. Finding out from Ratchet that he could remotely control his shell, Jazz managed to turn the tide against his smaller opponents, but Megatron realized two heads weren't necessarily better than one when he bashed Jazz's head against his shell's and tossed them out of his base, where Jazz was safe from the explosives Ratchet teleported back from the Ark. Skin Deep After the explosion, Jazz searched the detritus for their bodies, but with no success. Ratchet and Megatron were assumed to have been atomized. Eye of the Storm
Along with Bumblebee and Grimlock, he remained on Cybertron for a while, and would be sent to investigate a brutal group-killing Demons! that saw him and several Decepticons battle the ferocious Demons. Dawn of Darkness
The Classics emboldened the Autobot resistance, leading eight successful raids on Decepticon fuel and ammunition depots before getting reassigned to Earth. However, the Mayhem Attack Squad attacked the Autobase and accelerated the dimensional interface, sending Jazz, Bumblebee, Grimlock and the Rescue Patrol to the heart of Cybertron and face to face with their creator, Primus! Yesterday's Heroes! Despite the objections of Grimlock, Jazz and the others prostrated themselves before their creator and listened to the Keeper's story of how Cybertron came to be. Interrupted by an assault from the Mayhem Attack Squad, Jazz quickly traded blows with Bludgeon but was overmatched. Thankfully, he was rescued by Bumblebee before Bludgeon could deliver the killing blow. After recovering, he cleverly introduced Stranglehold to a very hard wall. Unfortunately, a stray shot from Octopunch awakened Primus, just as the dimensional interface was repaired. Emirate Xaaron ordered Jazz and company sent to Earth. The Primal Scream
Along with his Pretender mates, Jazz was part of the team sent to VsQs to retrieve the Creation Matrix during the Matrix Quest. Unfortunately, all they found on VsQs was a creepy, abandoned science station with a closet full of dead scientists. Despite being "scared oil-less," Jazz implored his team to not give up on finding the Matrix, as the fate of their race hung in the balance. They weren't the only mechs looking for the Matrix, however, and Jazz and the others soon found themselves surrounded by Thunderwing and his Decepticons. Thunderwing proved too powerful even for all three Autobots put together, but thankfully(?), the battle was interrupted by the Matrixspawn, the frightening creature responsible for the death of the science team. The three Autobots escaped, and when Jazz fell through the floor, the Autobots luckily found the Matrix hidden under there, presumably where the Matrixspawn had stashed it. The fuel-challenged Autobots grabbed the Matrix and ran for it. Dark Creation
It was not Jazz and the others who returned to the Ark with the Matrix, however. It was Thunderwing, who had managed to best the Matrixspawn, defeat the weary Autobots, and secure the Matrix for himself. All Fall Down After Thunderwing and the Matrix were defeated and shot into space, Optimus Prime sent the Powermasters back to VsQs to retrieve Jazz and the others. Jazz and Bumblebee were worse off than Grimlock by then, and had to be carried away on hoverbeds. Eye of the Storm
Eventually, Jazz fought in the battle against Unicron and was briefly rear-ended on his sky-sled by a speeding Siren. On the Edge of Extinction!
In an alternate future of 2009, Jazz was one of the last seven Autobots left alive in the universe. After the destruction of Cybertron and the death of Rodimus Prime, North America was left completely under the control of Galvatron and the Decepticons. With the rest of the world united as a European Crisis Coalition, Jazz and the human leader, Spike Witwicky, were left with a 24-hour deadline to show the world America was still fighting. If they didn't, the remaining human governments were going to unleash nuclear armageddon in a last-ditch effort to eliminate the Decepticons. With little time to spare, the few Autobots left staged an assault on the Decepticon powerbase. Getaway, Chainclaw and Guzzle made a suicidal play to keep the most powerful Decepticons, Scourge and Cyclonus, occupied, while Crossblades sacrificed his life to let Jazz and the others in through the base's force field. Forced to fight Galvatron himself single-handedly, Jazz held out long enough for Spike to scale the base's tower and unfurl an American flag, showing the world outside that there was still fight left in the U.S. of A. As if to punctuate that point further, the heralds of Unicron known as Hook, Line, and Sinker suddenly arrived from cross- and down-time, disabling Galvatron in moments and then vanishing with him in a flash of light. Shocked by his sudden good fortune, Jazz led his two remaining comrades, Prowl and Inferno, in a renewed effort to save the human race. Rhythms of Darkness!
Earthforce
When Optimus Prime took the Ark out into space and named Grimlock as Autobot Commander of Earth, Jazz chose to remain on Earth under his Dino-buddy's leadership as part of Earthforce. Break-Away! His first mission was to recover the poison gas Megatron had planned to seed in Earth's atmosphere by rocket. He and Sunstreaker raced to the site where Prowl had forced the rocket to crash, hoping to beat the two Decepticon factions to it before they could recover the poison. They failed, as both the Battlechargers and the Stunticons got there ahead of them. Jazz was ready to risk fighting through the 'Cons, but Prowl showed up and pulled him aside. It seemed Prowl had already had plenty of time to render the rocket harmless, and now the Decepticons were fighting over a useless contraption! Life in the Slow Lane
On another occasion, Jazz joined Sunstreaker, Ironhide and Bumblebee in infiltrating the Decepticon Enclave. They arranged a fake assassination attempt against Megatron and framed Shockwave's men for it. The feuding that followed carried the Decepticons out of the cave where they were holding their détente, and so Jazz and the others took the opportunity to listen to their music and eat their munchies. Partee! The Bad Guy's Ball! Later, he also joined Earthforce and the Survivors in bringing down the Mayhem Attack Squad. He scored an impressive hit against Bludgeon, paying him back for past indignities that probably did not or would not happen in this timeline. Where Wolf?
When Wheeljack unveiled his new defense system for the Autobot Earthbase, he forgot to keep track of the little details, like how it wasn't a good idea to bring everyone outside for a demonstration when the defense grid could only be turned off from inside the base. As Prowl ran the gauntlet to reach the shutdown control center, Jazz and Bumblebee ran interference for him, drawing the fire from some of the defensive cannons to clear his path. The House that Wheeljack Built! Soon after, Jazz helped repel a Decepticon attack on the Earthbase, while their defenses were still down from the earlier incident. Divide and Conquer!
As time passed, one Decepticon named Octane began making even more trouble among the humans than his fellow soldiers. A bully by nature, Octane enjoyed "playing" with humans, scaring them on the highways before ultimately driving them off the roads. Fed up with the Decepticon's antics, Jazz posed as a human vehicle and presented himself as bait. By eluding Octane's attempts to run him down, Jazz enraged the Decepticon to the point where he chased his "prey" without paying attention to where they were going, and so Octane ended up stranded in the middle of a military testing ground, chock-full of inflammable fuel and running the risk of exploding at any second. As Jazz watched from a nearby hilltop, the icing on the cake came when Octane radioed his fellow Triple Changers for help, and instead they abandoned him after hearing how he got himself into the mess. Manoeuvres!
After training in the Combat Room with Ironhide, Jazz was called into action when the Stunticons kidnapped the Autobots' reporter friend, Irwin Spoon, and he joined his fellow cars in chasing down Motormaster. Jazz managed to get close enough to transform and shoot out the Stunticon leader's rear tires, but this gave Breakdown a chance to ram Jazz's legs out from under him as well. Still, Bumblebee and Tracks managed to catch up to the slowed Motormaster and recover Spoon. End of the Road!
Jazz, along with Silverbolt and the remaining Magnificent Six, was sent in 1990 to recover any traces of the Underbase in Yuss, where they'd run afoul of Megadeath. They re-encountered their old enemy and were tortured by their memories, and it was up to Silverbolt to convince them to fight on. Jazz helped beat Megadeath to death, exorcising his demons. The Magnificent Six!
Marvel UK future timelines
Jazz was present in 1995 at the California football stadium where Optimus Prime unveiled Arcee to a group of human feminists as the "first female Autobot". Observing Prime's misguided efforts to placate the interest group, Jazz tried to explain to Hot Rod the difference between human men and women, but only ended up offending one of the women while describing her "upper chassis". Prime's Rib!
In 2007, after the defeat of Unicron, the Autobots were trying hard to defend their territory from Shockwave's Decepticons. Jazz was seen working with Ultra Magnus, ambushing a team of Decepticon flyers when they made an assassination attempt on Rodimus Prime. Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!
Transformers Comic-Magazin
Template:TransformersComicMagazin The Autobot Classic Pretenders were part of Crossblades's squad of Pretenders who helped to rescue an oil tanker captured by the Decepticons. Transformers in the Battle for Peace: A Big Day for Powermaster Optimus Prime
When the Decepticons stole three nuclear missiles from the United State Federation to hold the world to ransom, Optimus Prime ordered that Jazz, Bumblebee and Grimlock be given the power and abilities of Pretenders and sent to defeat the Decepticons. They arrived outside the Decepticon base, but were attacked by Pretender Starscream! Jazz didn't do too well, and needed his electronic self-preservation system in his shell to reactivate him. He then battled Dreadwind and Darkwing inside the Decepticon base, leaving Bumblebee to take on Megatron. Transformers in Action: Megatron's Ultimatum
Marvel Generation 2 comic
Before the Autobots broke off into micro-units after Klo, they had another encounter with Bludgeon's Decepticons on a long abandoned world. Jazz was part of that unit alongside Prime and the others. He separated from the rest of the Autobots for a time but, when Optimus Prime and Grimlock discovered the threat of the Cybertronians, they called in Autobots scattered across the galaxy, including Jazz. He was first seen as part of the rescue squad Grimlock assembled to pull Prime out of Decepticon clutches on Earth. The Gathering Darkness Jazz remained involved, if peripherally, in the conflicts with the Cybertronians on Ethos Escalation! and Earth over the coming days. Total War! When Autobots and Decepticons alike joined forces to defend against the coming Swarm, Jazz worked with Rotor Force member Powerdive to assemble the shield generators that would protect their position. A Rage in Heaven!
Fleetway Generation 2 comics
When Bludgeon began his assault on Earth, Optimus Prime was summoned back to the planet by Grimlock and brought Jazz, Skram, and Sideswipe with him. While Prime confronted Bludgeon directly, Jazz and his operatives engaged another detachment of Decepticons. Despite their small numbers, Jazz's team defeated their more plentiful opponents thanks to the fact that the 'Cons were operating on reduced power levels. Too much prolonged death and destruction takes its toll. War Without End They then joined up with Optimus and the Dinobots to drive off the returning Megatron as well. War Zone
Classics
Jazz was stationed at the Iron Works when it was invaded by Ultra Magnus and the evil Autobots of the negative polarity universe. Jazz tried to defend the Autobot station from attack, but he was cut down by Magnus's Terminus Blade. Invasion
After the heroic Autobots' Earth passed through into the negative universe, however, Jazz was eventually rebuilt with a new body. Solar Requiem
Regeneration One
Template:Noterg1 During the attack of Bludgeon's Warworld upon Cybertron, Jazz oversaw the re-arming of Highbrow, Brainstorm and Hardhead who had previously been under the influence of Scorponok's Gene Key. Destiny, Part Four He later held the line alongside Ultra Magnus, Blurr, Crosshairs and Prowl against the advancing Decepticons and Blitz Engines. Destiny, Part Five
During Rodimus Prime's assault on Jhiaxus's Hub Network, Jazz served on board the Lancer Two alongside Beachcomber, Sky High and Skids under Getaway. Though their part of the mission was carried out successfully, Jhiaxus had anticipated the Autobots' strategy and they were quickly overwhelmed by his reinforcements and forced to crash land on a nearby planet. The War to End All Wars, Part 3
Upon their return to Cybertron, Jazz was amongst the Autobots that secured the Star Chamber against the Dark Matrix creature's shadow-leeches. He travelled to Earth via the space bridge network as part of Prowl's unit where they came under attack by Linda Chang's human resistance forces in the Glass Mountains. After Roadbuster negotiated a ceasefire, the two groups united and journeyed to Nebulos where they took down the Matrix-corrupted Fortress Maximus and rescued Spike Witwicky. The War to End All Wars, Part 5
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Marvel coloring books
Jazz was one of the many Autobots who stopped the Decepticons from harming Sparkplug and Buster Witwicky. Later, he helped the Autobots in protecting Hoover Dam from the evil robots. The Deadly Fuel Shortage
Jazz discovered that fuel was vanishing from gas tanks all around the world. Quikcly deducing that the Decepticons were behind the thefts, Jazz joined that convoy that followed Optimus Prime into combat. En route to the Decepticons' stronghold, the convoy encountered a squad of flying Decepticons. Jazz saved Sunstreaker from an attack when he saw Laserbeak sneak up on the Autobot, and blasted the Decepticon with his flamethrower. As the Autobots were beginning to run low on fuel after this battle, Ironhide donated some of his fuel to the more fuel-efficient Jazz so that he could continue fighitng. Together with Optimus, Mirage, Hound and Bumblebee, Jazz infiltrated the Decepticons' stronghold and fought the guards guarding the Decepticons' molecular transfer device. Bumblebee managed to turn the device on the Decepticons, and Jazz and Prowl hoisted Bumblebee up on their shoulders in celebration. He then helped return the stolen fuel to its rightful owners after the Decepticons had been sent fleeing into the wilderness. Summertime Coloring Book
Jazz was on a vacation trip with the other Autobots when they encountered the Decepticons tearing up the place. The Autobots overpowered the Decepticons then restored the forest back to normal. Forest Rescue Mission
Jazz was part of a small strike team of Autobots assembled by Ultra Magnus to help the Dinobots, who were currently engaged in battle against the Decepticons just outside of Autobot City. After they defeated the Decepticons, Jazz and the others were cheered on by the nearby oil rig workers as they drove back to Autobot City. Battle at Oil Valley
Big Looker storybooks continuity
When the Cybertronian civil war had yet to leave the planet, Optimus asked his Autobots to join him in leaving their home world behind and travel out into space. When Bumblebee volunteered to join Optimus, Jazz and the rest of the Autobots jumped in as well. After crash-landing on Earth and being offline for about 65 millions years, Jazz and the rest of the Autobots met Sparkplug and his son Spike. With the Decepticons still not in the know of what forms the Autobots had taken, Jazz was one of the troops that Optimus led into the desert in order to ambush their enemies. Though they successfully took by surprise a squadron of Decepticons, the Autobots had not anticipated a second group flying in from the opposite direction. Thanks to a warning from Spike and Sparkplug, the Autobots managed to fend off the Decepticons, and came to accept Earth as their new home. Battle for Cybertron
Jazz was among the Autobots who welcomed Grapple back to the fold after he shook off the Insecticons' cerebro-shell. Insecticon Attack!
Jazz was also present at Autobot City when Hot Rod warned Ultra Magnus about the Decepticon raid on the Coliseum. Car Show Blow Up
The Battle for Planet Earth
- Voice actor: Peter Marinker (English)
Jazz liked humans and their culture so much, the other Autobots suspected he'd probably stay on Earth when the time came to return to Cybertron. Bumblebee to the Rescue He was part of a mission to South America to look for energy sources. While they were examining Mount Sheelah, Jazz spotted the Decepticons incoming, giving the Autobots time to defend their position. Thanks to their human friends, they avoided being caught in the volcano's eruption. Terror of Mount Sheelah When the Decepticons started kidnapping humans as slaves, Jazz despaired at how they would deal with the problem. Bumblebee to the Rescue
The Decepticon conquest of Stanley Lake dam did not go unnoticed by the Autobots. When they encountered the dam's senior engineer by the lake, Jazz accompanied him back into the control room after the Autobots lured the Decepticons out, and they flooded the valley below the dam, washing away the Decepticons. When Ravage tried to corner them, Jazz used his sound and light show to dazzle the Decepticon until the other Autobots got back. Menace at the Dam When Starscream attempted to defect, Jazz thought the Decepticon wasn't his style at all. The defection was a trick, but the Autobots were too wily to fall for it and while they had Starscream send the other Decepticons on a wild goose chase, Jazz and the others leveled the Decepticon fortress. Espionage!!!!!
The Autobots subsequently returned to Cybertron aboard a refueled and repaired Ark with the defeated Decepticons, taking the Decepticons on Cybertron unawares and quickly capturing control Cybertron. Peace reigned for a time until a series of natural disasters began, the source of which was determined to be the planet Moebius in a parallel universe, designated the 22nd Strata. The Autobots assembled a team to travel to this alternate universe and stop the threat at its source; Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Hoist, Jazz, Prowl, and Silverstreak comprised the team; they dubbed themselves Spy Changers because they aimed to achieve their goal with stealth and diplomacy. The team modified their bodies to match the 22nd Strata's native cyborgs using data acquired from the Sky Spy and traveled to the 22nd Strata but were soon attacked by the local Guardians, who mistakenly presumed them to be Renegades. The Spy Changers were then rescued by the real Renegades, who presumed them to be potential allies and took them back to their flagship, the Rogue Star. Renegade leader Cy-Kill attempted to court the Spy Changers as allies, but Optimus saw through Cy-Kill's deception. Optimus sent Jazz to discover the truth of the situation, and the Renegade alliance with Gog of Moebius came to light. Eventually, the Autobots formed a secret alliance with the Guardians as well as discovered the cause of Cybertron's troubles: Renegade bases on Moebius were draining the planet's energy. The planet's geometry had turned it into a crude Dimensional Interfacer, and Moebius was tapping into Cybertron to sustain itself. Hoist was able to end the crisis by triggering the bases' remote detonation sequence. Cy-Kill was furious, but in the ensuing battle, the Autobot-Guardian alliance triumphed over the Renegades. Optimus Prime and Leader-1 shook hands as a symbol of the transdimensional friendship, and the Spy Changers returned to their home reality, secure in the knowledge that they had allies in places as distant as alternate realities.
Ladybird Books continuity
- Voice actor: Blain Fairman (English)
Jazz's "cool" was broken when he misunderstood his first lightning storm and rushed out to defend against Decepticon attackers. Autobots' Lightning Strike
Realizing the Decepticons had a secret construction project somewhere in an undeveloped area, the Autobots needed a way to search the terrain without alerting the Cons to their presence. Spike found a flyer for a car rally through the area, and he and Jazz volunteered to scout the terrain as part of the rally. They found some old abandoned mining tunnels where the Decepticons were constructing their ion drive. The Autobot cavalry got into a shoot out with the Decepticons until Spike had an idea using the old mining carts. After the brakes were disabled, Jazz shoved the carts at full force through the mineshafts, bowling over the Decepticons and destroying the ion drive. Autobots Fight Back
Listen 'n Play audiobooks continuity
- Voice actor: ? (English)
Out patrolling Arizona for Decepticon bases, Jazz stumbled on Steve Guymo lying by the side of the road, and took the delirious human back to base. The Autobots learned from Steve that the Decepticons were behind the recent abduction of humans from airports across the nation. They were able to locate and free the hostages, before defeating Starscream's squad. Sun Raid (Listen 'n Play)
Deadly Paradise storybook
Since Jazz is Autobot second-in-command, Optimus Prime needed him at base while Sideswipe was acccused of destroying the Nova Suspension Bridge. Optimus therefore had Prowl lead the mission to Carob Island instead. Deadly Paradise
The Transformers Adventure Game Books
Peril from the Stars
You met with Jazz while vacationing with your Uncle Jack and Aunt Sue at the Los Palmos observatory. Together, you set out to stop a plot devised by Starscream and Bombshell to acquire ancient Cybertronian weaponry orbiting the Sun. Jazz's fate, and your own, was up to you! Peril from the Stars
Find Your Fate Junior
Dinobots Strike Back
In one outcome, Jazz was part of the Autobots' attack on Mount Lomas, where the Decepticons were on the verge of converting the black coral in nearby Dolphin's Bay into a superfuel that would triple their war-making capacity. Jazz made it into the lab and sealed the Autobots' victory by using his flamethrower on the conversion equipment, starting a fire which gutted the entire mountain base and turned Operation Black Coral into Operation Black Ashes. (It's unknown if that joke was Jazz's idea) Dinobots Strike Back
Battle Drive
Jazz was amongst the Autobots that came to Bumblebee's rescue in certain versions of the events that came about when Sparkplug discovered a fatal flaw in the Decepticons' circuitry.
If events played out differently, Jazz was one of the many Autobots shocked by Bumblebee's report on the Decepticons' latest plot: they were planning to destroy acres of farmland in order to starve humanity into submission! He subsequently volunteered for the squad Optimus deployed to halt the Decepticons' efforts.
Although Jazz noticed the message you attempted to deliver to the Autobots about the Decepticons' plan being false information, he was unable to convince Optimus of this fact, and was destroyed along the rest of the other Autobots in one possible sequence of events.
In another possible path, Jazz and Optimus came to each other's rescue when they became wise to the Decepticons' plot to lure them into open farmland to ambush the Autobots, and made it safely back to Autobot headquarters following a mad rush to safety. Battle Drive
Attack of the Insecticons
Jazz was present, yet mostly uninvolved, in a number of possible adventures revolving around the Sun-Pak, a device invented by Sparkplug that would end the Autobots' energy woes. Attack of the Insecticons
Decepticon Poison
Jazz was amongst the Autobots about to be topped up with their latest batch of fuel when Red Alert burst into Autobot headquarters, warning everyone about Ramjet being spotted nearby. Red Alert’s warning came in just in time, as the Autobots’ fuel had been poisoned, and Jazz would have been left unable to transform had he ingested any of it.
In one possible scenario that ensued, Jazz was part of the Autobots’ back-up squadron, as they attempted to defend the Autobot base against the Decepticons. In one version of the ensuing events, the Autobots were able to beat back the Decepticons, though not without receiving some grievous injuries themselves.
In another possible scenario, where Optimus followed a plan courtesy of Prowl, the Autobot leader instructed his troops to transform into vehicle mode and play dead. The Decepticons, believing the Autobots’ ruse, disarmed themselves in order to carry out the Autobots’ “carcasses.” Now with the element of surprise against unarmed opponent, the Autobots Transformed and were able to easily defeat the evil robots.
In another possible turn of events, Perceptor gave out too much of his antidote to cure each poisoned Autobot. The Autobots who received the antidote soon found themselves falling apart, leaving Jazz and the rest outmatched against the greater number of Decepticons.
In yet another possible scenario, Optimus opted to use the tainted fuel as a weapon against an encroaching Decepticon squadron. Jazz was tasked with lighting the fuel aflame once the Decepticons were near enough, creating a toxic smog that would poison the Decepticons. Igniting the pit at the last possible moment, Jazz and Optimus then retreated within the Autobot base while the approaching Decepticons got caught in the ensuing cloud of smoke. The plan went off without a hitch, and the Autobots celebrated another victory over the Decepticons.
In a completely different sequence of events, Optimus opted to go for a more aggressive angle after the Autobots had been poisoned, and led a small team of Autobots to retrieve the antidote from the Deceptions through force. Upon his return with the cure, Optimus informed his troops of the Decepticons’ newest plot. The evil robots planned to poison the humans’ nearby water supply.
If Optimus led his troops back to the Decepticons’ poison lab, Jazz was amongst the Autobot convoy that drove into action.
Happening upon Decepticons hauling drums of poison out of their base, the Autobots had to devise a plan to stop them. One such plan involved Windcharger using his magnetic powers to levitate the barrels above the Decepticons, and for Prowl to riddle them with holes with some quick shooting. Then came Jazz’s part; using his flamethrower, Jazz ignited the poison, forcing the Decepticon to retreat into their base. Warpath finished off the job with his sonic boom, and the Autobots drove back to base victoriously. Decepticon Poison
Autobot Alert!
Jazz was in Metroplex city when an Autobot Alert sounded.
In one possible scenario, Jazz was selected alongside Mirage, Swoop, Powerglide and Prowl, to join Ultra Magnus on an orbital mission to both rescue Cosmos and halt a Decepticon plot to take over Earth’s broadcast satellites. After donning special space gear for solar protection, the team took off and headed towards Cosmos’s last coordinates. Jazz acted as the shuttle’s pilot. Though they soon found Cosmos, so did they spot Galvatron’s ship, Cyclonus, looming nearby. On Ultra Magnus’s orders, Jazz maneuvered the shuttle to retrieve Cosmos quickly, before they could be spotted by the enemy. Ultra Magnus then ordered his troops to train all of their available weapons on Cyclonus for a full-frontal assault.
If the Autobots went along with Ultra Magnus’s plan, Jazz was ordered to open fire onto Cyclonus as they came into range. He and the rest of the Autobots were horrorstruck when Galvatron himself emerged from Cyclonus, followed by an army of multiwing jet fighters. Jazz and the others were left drifting helplessly into space as the Decepticons tore their shuttle apart.
If instead Powerglide and Swoop went about their own way of defeating the Decepticons, Cyclonus’s transmission device was successfully destroyed and the entire crew of the Autobot shuttle presumably returned to base safely. Autobot Alert!
Project Brain Drain
In one possible scenario, Jazz was out on patrol with Kup and Hot Rod when the three of them heard nearby commotion and went to investigate. Finding Wreck-Gar and Sparkplug being attacked by Thrust and Laserbeak, the Autobots moved in to rescue them and fended off the Decepticons. Jazz, Hot Rod and Kup were informed of the situation as it were; the Decepticons were going to drain the minds of hundreds of thousands of concert-goers with their Brain Drain device. The Autobots then decided whether they would launch a counter-attack on the Decepticons’ lab, or if they would send Hot Rod for reinforcements while the rest of them headed directly to the concert.
If the Autobots decided to storm the laboratory, the group attacked with such ferocity and suddenness that they scared off most of the Decepticons guarding the place. Finding their only opposition left being a small group of Decepticons, Jazz and the others successfully beat them back, until Soundwave attempted to escape with the Brain Drain device in hand.
If Hot Rod attempted to stop Soundwave, Laserbeak managed to grab hold of the device and flew off to meet Galvatron. The Autobots being too low on power to pursue meant that the Decepticons would ultimately be victorious.
If Jazz attempted to stop Soundwave, the Autobot used all of the sound equipment within his body to send a powerful sonic wave towards the fleeing Decepticon. Overwhelmed by the blast, Soundwave exploded, crushing the Brain Drain device in the process.
Alternatively, if Wreck-Gar, Sprakplug, Kup and Jazz headed towards the concert while Hot Rod headed back to Metroplex for reinforcements, the small group found themselves wondering how they could defend the huge sea of people by themselves upon their arrival. Hearing the Decepticons approaching, but uncertain from which direction they were coming from, the Autobots had to decide whether they would station themselves on the west side of the concert, or at its south.
If the Autobots decided to head for the west side of the concert, Jazz and the others positioned themselves just in time to see a whole squadron of Decepticons coming into view. Catching the Decepticons by surprise with a first volley, the Autobots managed to buy themselves a few minutes as the Decepticons regrouped before circling around for another pass. During the Decepticons’ second pass, Jazz was hit in the legs by a proton bomb. Despite his injury, he continued fighting. The Autobots were successful in driving away the Decepticons, thanks in no small part to Jazz and the others exhausting their forces, leaving their foes underpowered to deal with the new arrivals.
Alternatively, if the Autobots headed for the south side of the concert, they were unable to see the Decepticons coming from the other direction, and were destroyed in a surprise Decepticon attack. Project Brain Drain
The Invisibility Factor
In one possible scenario, the Autobots were informed by Kup and Hot Rod that the Decepticons had taken possession of an Invisibility Device, created by the human Sarah Sanders, and taken it into space to study it. Ultra Magnus put together a team of Autobots and took off in one of their shuttles to pursue them. Jazz was amongst the Autobots chosen. Once in space, however, the Autobots had difficulty pinpointing the Decepticons’ location. The ship’s crew had to decided where to look next for the Decepticons.
If the Autobots decided to investigate the dark side of the moon, they found themselves unable to see anything on the satellite’s shadowy surface. When Hot Rod suggested they fire down a shot to see if the Decepticons would fire back, Jazz chimed in that he thought the plan was too risky, and claimed he had a better plan in mind.
If Ultra Magnus decided to go through with Hot Rod’s anyways, the Autobots succeeded only in making themselves an easy target for their enemies. The Decepticons blasted their shuttle to bits. Jazz and his friends were reduced to space junk.
If Ultra Magnus listened to Jazz’s plan, he ordered his Autobots to remain silent, and to shut off all of the shuttle’s lights and mechanisms. Launching a probe as a decoy, the Autobots successfully tricked the Decepticons into revealing their position when they mistook the probe as their shuttle and opened fire upon it. Firing back, the Autobots began crippling the Decepticons’ ship, until a lucky shot rocked their own shuttle. Though the Decepticons attempted to escape while the Autobots were off-balance, the Autobots were able to deliver the finishing blow, ending the Decepticons’ menace as the evil robots' ship exploded.
In an alternate scenario wherein the Autobots listened to Prowl’s suggested and searched the Asteroid Belt beyond Mars, they soon found themselves struggling to get through the maze of floating rocks. Jazz was in favour of retreating from the asteroid field when it proved increasingly difficult to navigate it.
If the Autobots pushed on their search in the Asteroid Belt, they soon found themselves on a collision course with two enormous asteroids. If they only managed to blast one of asteroids, the Autobots were forced to retreat back to Earth after their shuttle took substantial damage. If the Autobots managed to blast neither of the Asteroids, they were all crushed between the giant pieces of space debris.
If they managed to blast away both asteroids, they reached a vast, empty expanse of space within the asteroid belt. Hot Rod confessed that he still felt uneasy, and Jazz agreed with his sentiment; it felt as though they were being watched. Their suspicions were confirmed when the Decepticons, now invisible, began opening fire onto the Autobots’ shuttle. Jazz suggested the Autobots retreat, as they could not fight an invisible opponent. The Autobots considered retreating, but Kup reminded them that Sarah Sanders had not perfected her device yet, and the Decepticons’ invisibility may yet wear off.
If the Autobots attempted to flee from the Decepticons’ attack, they found themselves at too much of a disadvantage to successfully make it out of the Asteroid Belt. They were blown into space junk before they could reach Earth.
If the Autobots held their ground, they were instructed by Ultra Magnus not to open fire upon the Decepticons until ordered to do so. Though things were tense as the Autobots were hit over and over again by their invisible opponents, soon the enemy ship came into view, just as Kup had predicted. The Autobots opened fire on the flimsier vessel, blowing it and the Decepticons within to smithereens.
If the Autobots did retreat out of the Asteroid Belt, they convinced one another that the Decepticons most likely perished within it. Then, a few days later, when the invisible Decepticons attacked Metroplex city, Jazz and the rest of the Autobots were reduced to scrap metal, unable to fight the unseen enemy.
In a completely different possible scenario, Springer was sent out with Jazz, Sunstreaker and Prowl to accompany Kup and Hot Rod when the latter two reported having seen the mysterious ship land in the middle of the desert.
If the Autobots gave up searching for the ship, Ultra Magnus and the rest of the Autobots within Metroplex were caught by surprise by a fleet of identical ships swooping down upon them. The Autobots were all destroyed as Galvatron gloated of his victory.
If Hot Rod and Kup convinced the other Autobots to keep on looking, Hot Rod eventually found trail marks, indicating that a heavy object the size of their spacecraft had indeed landed and had been dragged away. Jazz and the others followed the trail to a more rocky terrain, where tracking the ship would become more difficult. The trail seemingly lost, the Autobots then heard someone incoming, and took cover. From their hiding places, they saw the Decepticons Scavenger, a human captive within the grasp of his steam-shovel.
If the Autobots decided to rescue Sarah immediately, Scavenger dropped the woman, and cried for help while attempting to flee.
If the Autobots pursued Scavenger, they found him rejoining a whole squadron of Decepticons. Fighting the Decepticons immediately would cost them their lives. Otherwise, if the Autobots decided on a retreat when faced by the whole squadron of Decepticons, they managed to do so by blinding their enemies by their high beams and then splitting off into different direction. They later regrouped and found Sarah Sanders wandering in the desert.
If the Autobots asked Sarah to build them their own Invisibility Device, Sarah refused, stating she would not build weapons for war. Running away from the group Sarah was almost killed when Dirge passed overhead and dropped a missile on her position. After rescuing her from the Decepticon attack, Jazz and the others brought Sarah to safety within Metroplex. Grateful for the rescue, Sarah showed the Autobots how to create an Invisibility Scrambler to counteract the Decepticons’ Invisibility Device. Anticipating the Decepticons’ attack, the Autobots successfully defeated the evil robots when they came.
If instead of asking Sarah to build them an Invisibility Device, Jazz and the others attempted once more to retrieve her ship, the whole group snuck over to where the Decepticons were stationed. Once there, Hot Rod and Prowl argued over which plan of action would be the smartest to undertake next.
If the Autobots agreed with Hot Rod to try and take the Decepticons by surprise with a head-on attack, the Autobots manage to stun the Decepticons by dazzling them with their headlights. Jazz provided Hot Rod some cover fire while the young Autobot raced down and snatched the Invisibility Device from the Decepticons. The Autobots then successfully peeled back, congratulating one another on a job well done.
If the Autobots agreed with Prowl to take a moment to come up with a more detailed plan, Prowl instructed Hot Rod to taunt the Decepticons into following him. The plan worked, and the bulk of the Decepticons took off after the young Autobot. With only Scavenger, Shockwave and Galvatron left behind, Jazz and the others easily defeated the Decepticons still guarding the spaceship, and forced Galvatron to retreat. In one possible scenario that followed, Jazz helped destroy a hidden Decepticon base that Hot Rod found while the Decepticons gave him chase. In another, Jazz watched on as Sarah left in her spaceship in order to destroy it, vowing it would never be used to bring destruction.
In an alternate scenario where the Autobots silently trailed Scavenger while the Decepticon held Sarah Sanders captive, Jazz and the others followed him all the way to the Decepticons’ secret desert base. Inside, they spied upon Galvatron telling Sarah Sanders that the Decepticons would use Cerebro-Shells to control her mind, so that she would reveal to them to secret of invisibility. At this point, the Autobots decided to step in. A direct attack would only end in the Autobots’ defeat. In order to rescue Sarah, the Autobots would need to employ trickery. Using Jazz’s special abilities, the Autobots could do just that. In this scenario, the Autobots grabbed Sarah while the Decepticons were too dazzled by the illusions that Jazz projected. Sarah directed the Autobots towards where the Decepticons had stored her ship. Upon following her directions, Jazz and the others came upon two doors, unable to tell behind which one they would find their means of escape. If the Autobots happened upon Sarah’s ship as they were, they would be destroyed by the droids guarding it. However, if the Autobots first opened the door which lead to a closet filled with Decepticon spare parts, they found a pile of spare Decepticon emblems. Donning them, Jazz and the rest of his team were able to fool the Decepticon Droids guarding Sarah’s ship. Escaping in the ship, despite the Decepticons best efforts to stop them, the Autobots returned to Metroplex. Sarah then gave the Autobots the secret to her Invisibility Device, ensuring the Autobots their victory in their war against the Decepticons. The Invisibility Factor
Frito-Lay posters
Jazz participated in a battle to defend Boulder Dam against the Decepticons. He and Trailbreaker worked in conjunction to back up Optimus Prime in his duel against Megatron. Ultimately, the Autobots were successful in defending the dam. Battle in the Desert Valley
The Official Transformers: Generation 2 Annual
Jazz served as Optimus Prime's second-in-command on Cybertron. He was instrumental in the defence of Iacon and saved his leader's life after a surprise attack rendered Prime non-functional. Jazz's The Official Transformers: Generation 2 Annual profile
Jazz, along with the rest of the Ark crew, crash-landed on Earth and awoke millions of years later to find that the war continued there. As part of a plan devised by Optimus Prime's new second-in-command Prowl, Jazz and the other Autobots were stationed at Table Mountain in Africa to defend a newly discovered spaceship with the power to return them to Cybertron. When the Decepticons arrived to take the ship by force, Jazz was easily swatted aside by Megatron, and the Autobots retreated to let the victors claim their prize. The doors of the ship slammed shut, and it began to hurtle uncontrollably away from the planet, leaving the Decepticons to realise they had walked into a trap and leaving Jazz back on Earth to ponder: If they'd conned the Decepticons, did that make them Deceptibots? Day of the Decepticons
Jazz was on duty at the Ark when one of its automatic sensors picked up a Transformer power emission emanating from Brazil, and he, Optimus Prime and Blaze drove there to investigate. Upon arrival in Brazil, Jazz was immediately knocked offline by Snarl and played no further part in the proceedings. The Dinobots!
Beast Wars cartoon
Four million years ago, Jazz, Ratchet, Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ironhide were on the bridge of the Ark when it was suddenly attacked by the Nemesis. It crashed in a dormant volcano for untold years until it was disturbed by the Predacon Megatron, who had traveled from the far future. Jazz's body was sprawled across a section of the navigation controls. Frozen in stasis lock as he was, Jazz was unable to stop the Predacon from assassinating the equally comatose Optimus Prime. The Agenda (Part III) This act would have rewritten history from that moment forward, but the ensuing time storm was stopped by Blackarachnia and some time-traveling Maximals. Optimal Situation
The Beast Within
Jazz was incapacitated early during a savage battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, receiving a dehabilitating shoulder wound. Ratchet was able to get to him, and began repairs even as The Beast began rampaging across the battlefield, killing Autobots and Decepticons alike.The Beast Within
Jazz’s unconscious body was later carried by Ratchet into Optimus Prime’s trailer, as the Autobots attempted to outrun The Beast. Thankfully, Jetfire showed up just in time to rescue Prime’s passengers, save Skids, who was crushed moments before Jetfire’s arrival.The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
8.2 million years ago, Jazz and Prowl met Grimlock in the remains of Praxus's Helix Gardens to discuss the worthiness of Optronix to lead the Autobots. Jazz later attended the Matrix-transfer ceremony at the Chamber of the Ancients. He attempted to save Optronix—now Optimus Prime—when Prime was attacked by Decepticons, but was restrained by Grimlock. When Prime defeated the assassins, Jazz was convinced of his worth. The War Within #1
Soon afterward, Jazz questioned Prowl's decision to allow Prime to explore the depths of the planet alone, but was prevented from pressing the issue any further when Shockwave attacked Iacon with an army of Decepticons. The War Within #2 Jazz helped direct the battle from the Decagon, but the defenders were soon overwhelmed. The War Within #3 Jazz was forced to begin evacuating important artifacts and hardware from the city, but was unable to finish before the Decepticons overran the Decagon. The War Within #4 He and a handful of Autobots made a desperate last stand, The War Within #5 but were saved from extinction when Starscream activated the planetary engines, devastating the city and forcing Shockwave's army to retreat. The War Within #6
7.4 million years ago, Jazz witnessed the space bridge explosion that seemingly killed Prime and Megatron. After the subsequent fragmentation of the Autobot faction, Jazz remained with the Prowl-led Autobots, though he longed for the days when the Autobots were a united force. Fragmentation He accompanied a group of Autobots to investigate a new mobile battle base at the Praetorus Wharf, only to learn that the base was fully operational. Devastation Despite the arrival of reinforcements, the titan was too much for Jazz and his cohorts; only when Shockwave recalled Trypticon to the Neutral Territories were they saved from certain doom. Revelation
Battered, Jazz and the others limped back to Iacon, only to be forced to repel an attack on Autobase by The Fallen. Although Jazz, Mirage, and Sunstreaker fought valiantly, the mysterious entity defeated them and achieved his objective: freeing Blitzwing from captivity. Confrontation
Jazz was among the crew of the Ark when it crashed on Earth, and he awoke in 1984 to battle the Decepticons. After years of fighting, Jazz and the other Autobots took part in Operation Liberation in 1998, a joint human/Autobot operation that defeated and captured the Earth-bound Decepticons. However, the Ark II, which was meant to convey the Autobots, the captured Decepticons, and a number of humans back to Cybertron, was sabotaged by General Robert Hallo, sending Jazz and his comrades to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. Prime Directive #1
A few years later, Optimus Prime awoke Jazz and a number of other Autobots to combat the sinister Lazarus. Prime Directive #2 He aided in the cleanup of Lazarus's latest target, the SmitCo oil refinery, and then moved on to Lazarus's base, which had been taken over by a revived Megatron and his deadly "metal virus". Jazz and the others briefly battled the Decepticons, but were stopped in their tracks when Hallo dropped a nuclear bomb on them. Prime Directive #3 The virus absorbed most of the blast, leaving the Transformers unharmed, but continued to expand across the countryside. Jazz remained behind with a team to combat the virus, while Optimus Prime took a contingent of warriors to combat Megatron in San Francisco. Prime Directive #4 Armed with Wheeljack-designed blasters to combat the virus, Jazz and his squad fought bravely, despite the blasters draining their energy and the well-meaning interference of the Canadian Army. Prime Directive #5 But soon the virus overwhelmed them, forcing Wheeljack to sacrifice himself to destroy it. Jazz mourned over Wheeljack's fallen form. Prime Directive #6
Some time later, Jazz participated in a battle in Alaska over possession of an escape pod containing Scourge, only to be forced to flee with the other Autobots when Shockwave arrived from Cybertron, proclaiming a new era of peace. As the other Autobots bickered over what to do, Jazz told them to shut up, as they were making his head hurt. New World Order Jazz couldn't believe Ultra Magnus working as Shockwave's lieutenant, and almost got into a fight with Grimlock over the matter. Though he wasn't confident about his abilities, Jazz was left behind on Earth to command a small team of Autobots while Optimus and the rest of the Autobots surrendered to Magnus. Brothers' Burden After Magnus and Prime had departed, Jazz, Brawn, and Windcharger returned to the battlefield, but found no trace of the pod or Scourge. Cold War
When Starscream returned to Earth with a small unit of Decepticons, Jazz and his team fought back against them and managed to capture most of the invaders. Starscream's enforcer Bruticus, however, proved to be too much for them to handle, and Jazz was deactivated and left to rust at the bottom of a lake by the mighty super-robot. Night of the Combaticons He was eventually fished out by Warpath and Bumper (who had arrived from Cybertron with Bumblebee with supplies), but they were waylaid by Earth Defense Command. The Omega Effect The EDC completed the repairs on Jazz, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe themselves, and asked a favor in return: for the Autobots to accompany their agents in investigating a small town which had mysteriously gone off the grid a few days before. With Marissa Faireborn and some EDC soldiers, they explored the deserted town, only to find the cause of the problem — a swarm of techno-organic Insecticlones which rose out of the ground and surrounded them. Infestation Jazz and Marissa escaped the swarm and found the hatching facility beneath a theater. Jazz torched the eggs, only to confronted by Shrapnel and Kickback, who were mighty annoyed that he'd destroyed the Insecticons' work. Back on the streets, the Autobots were confronted by the towns people, rendered zombies by Bombshell's cerebro-shells, and the Autobots were unwilling to fight against human foes. Bumper was able to use a spare shell to disable Bombshell's control, saving them all. Extermination
Afterward, Jazz farewelled Marissa at the EDC base in Nevada, as the Autobot forces departed for Alaska in the Orion. Lost and Found In Alaska, they found Prowl's forces constructing Autobot City. The Route of All Evil
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers continuity
Jazz was aboard the Ark when it crashed on Earth several million years in the past. The vessel was eventually discovered by the human terrorist organization Cobra, who decided to use its deactivated occupants for their own needs. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1 Jazz was reprogrammed to serve Cobra and rebuilt to transform into a three-wheeled Cobra Stun vehicle. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2
When the reprogramming was undone by Wheeljack, Jazz joined Ironhide, Mirage and Ratchet and continued the battle against the Decepticons, who had also been freed. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4 Jazz warned a damaged Optimus Prime about attacking Megatron head-on, but was rebuffed, as there was no other option. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 The Decepticons on Earth were eventually defeated with help from G.I. Joe, and the Autobots returned to Cybertron aboard a new Ark. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
Unfortunately, Shockwave had all but conquered the planet in their absence, and the Autobots became little more than a team of resistance fighters. After a successful mission to steal energon cubes from the Decepticons, Jazz was suddenly sent to 1970's Earth when a malfunctioning Teletran 3 cracked the timestream. As complicated issues with time travel threatened to destroy Earth, a number of G.I. Joe and Cobra members followed Jazz into the past in order to retrieve him. Finding Jazz trapped in the form of a car owned by a local pimp: a 1970s Cadillac Eldorado, Snake-Eyes planted a disruption unit on the Autobot, allowing him to reboot and help them find other trapped Transformers. Together the group located Bumblebee, Hot Rod and Blitzwing before returning to present-day Cybertron. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1
However, this mostly meant that Jazz had to sit tight inside a force field surrounded by the entire Decepticon army. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2 The Autobots were captured when the force field went down, but were soon saved by the Dinobots. The following day, Jazz joined Bumblebee and Optimus Prime in saying goodbye to the Joes and Cobras. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Jazz was among the Autobots that lay dormant and buried somewhere on the Fera Islands for three million years until 1939, when G.I. Joe accidentally awakened them. After getting reformatted into a military jeep, Jazz voiced his gratitude to the humans for bringing him and his friends back online. Transformed
Though not clearly seen again during the following conflict with Cobra and the Decepticons, Jazz was presumably deactivated with all the other Transformers when Snake-Eyes shattered the Matrix. The Iron Fist
Transformers Legends anthology
When a badly-damaged Starscream was brought to the Ark, Jazz was firmly of the opinion that it was a trap. He later spoke up in favor of fiddling with the helpless Decepticon's logic centers. Though the amnesiac Starscream seemed to side with the Autobots for a while, once he regained his memory, he promptly rejoined the Decepticons, which Jazz decided proved his earlier theory. Redemption Center
Universe cartoon
Jazz was one of the many oppressed Cybertronians who sought freedom when their planet’s halls of power grew dark with corruption, greed and malice. After the war had raged for some time, he was one of the few Autobots privileged with seeing Optimus insert the Matrix of Leadership into his chest for the first time. Action Blast 1
Q-Robo Transformer
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Millions of years ago, Jazz was a member of the Kaon Security Services prior to the Decepticon uprising and the subsequent civil war. He spent many an hour being bored to death by Prowl. How little things change. Megatron Origin #2
During the war, Jazz was part of a team taking part in a rescue mission. He managed to find the blinded lone survivor, Tracks, but before the two could be extracted, their transport was destroyed by the Predacons. Though Tracks was rightfully frightened to face Megatron's most elite troops, Jazz convinced him to not give up hope. Jazz's first attempt to ambush the Predacons met with some success, but Jazz was heavily damaged as a result. The two fled, but they wouldn't escape the Predacons for long. Finally, after Jazz dressed down Tracks for giving up hope, they were surrounded. Jazz fought the Predacon leader, Razorclaw, in a one-on-one battle that would have ended badly for Jazz if a second extraction team hadn't found them. Tracks and Jazz were lifted away and sent off for repairs. Tracks never did learn Jazz's identity, but he did learn a strong lesson from his mysterious helper. Spotlight: Jazz
Four million years ago, Jazz was present at a victory celebration after the Autobots halted a major Decepticon energon convoy. The Iron Age
Shortly after Thunderwing's rampage across Cybertron, Jazz was holed up in a bunker with Smokescreen and Landfill while they awaited a rousing, morale-boosting broadcast from Blaster, a transmission that was never made. Shortly thereafter, their position, along with every other Autobot position on the planet, was hit by the Decepticons. Spotlight: Blaster
In modern times, Jazz was the first Autobot to be stationed on Earth. Police Action #1 His detachment of Autobots operated covertly on the planet for at least four years, attempting to foil a Decepticon insurgency. He was present when Prowl gave Ratchet a dressing down for risking their secrecy by saving Verity Carlo, Hunter O'Nion and Jimmy Pink from the Decepticon infiltration team. Infiltration #3 When Ratchet and Bumblebee's unauthorised sojourn to the abandoned Decepticon bunker in Nebraska uncovered Starscream's plans for Ore-13 and Megatron's arrival on Earth, Jazz and the rest of the Autobots moved out to the Decepticon Siege Armature in Oregon in the hopes of containing the confrontation between the Decepticon leaders. Fortunately for all concerned, Megatron downgraded the Infiltration status of the mission and left the Autobots alone. Infiltration #6
Jazz went with the Autobots to investigate Decepticon activity in the country of Latveria. There they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base. Man and Machine, Part One They skirmished with the humans that were assembled outside who were under the influence of the Decepticons' mind-altering Psycho-Prism. Bumblebee used his holomatter avatar in a "damsel in distress" ruse. While Wolverine was distracted trying to tell Luke Cage that the projection had no scent, Jazz was able to run him over, pinning him to the ground. Jazz got his tire slashed with adamantium claws for his trouble. Ratchet was able to attach an inhibitor device to Captain America which nullified the effects of the Psycho-Prism. He gave Captain America enough devices for everyone on his team. Now calmed down, the two groups teamed up to destroy the Psycho-Prism. They began attacking the array's defenses which caused the Decepticons to attack. Man and Machine, Part Two
As they fought, Ratchet, Prowl, and Luke Cage were able to slip into the array. Outside, Bumblebee, Jazz, and Optimus Prime gave a power-boost to Iron Man in his Transformer-sized armor. After the battle quieted down, Megatron communicated via hologram from inside the array with his new ally Doctor Doom. They showed their captives, Ratchet, Prowl, Luke Cage, and Spider-Man. Megatron ordered their surrender or the captives would die. Optimus Prime ordered the quick destruction of the array. After a brief discussion, they all attacked the array. Megatron turned on Doctor Doom for being incorrect about them surrendering. Megatron didn't go through with his threat to kill his captives, instead he went outside to face his opponents and carrying Luke Cage. Man and Machine, Part Three
While Megatron was attacking, Bumblebee, Jazz, and Wolverine orbital bounced into the array. They found that Doctor Doom switched sides and freed Spider-Man, so they went to find the Psycho-Prism. They found it guarded by Ramjet, who wasn't in the mood to fight for Megatron's cause and left. Wolverine destroyed the Prism. Man and Machine, Part Four
Shortly after the arrival of Optimus Prime on Earth, Jazz received a crash course on Earth culture by Hunter, Verity and Jimmy, and was surprised to find the emotionless, dead-eyed fixed smile on his holomatter avatar creeped people out. However, the humans were forced to leave the Ark-19, ostensibly for their own safety. Jazz observed how unhappily the humans took their eviction, so he later thanked them for their help. Escalation #1 After Ironhide and Sunstreaker were ambushed (and the latter thought to have been destroyed) by a highly skilled and organized human group, Jazz and Wheeljack were attacked by the clandestine organization's agents when trying to locate Sunstreaker's remains, but fortunately survived. Escalation #2 He was later deployed to Brasnya with the other Autobots to investigate Megatron's meddling in the fragile region's politics. He remarked that orbital bounces scrambled his circuits, to which Prowl told him to shut up. Prowl is a jerk. Escalation #3 He was forced to engage the Decepticons when they tried to stop the Autobots from capturing the Georgi Koska facsimile construct. Escalation #4 Escalation #5 After Optimus Prime was seemingly killed by Megatron, Jazz didn't think even their best efforts could stop the Decepticon leader. Fortunately, Optimus Prime returned from the brink of death and Megatron was forced to retreat. Escalation #6
After it was decided to move the Ark-19 due to the Machination's knowledge of their whereabouts, Jazz brushed off Verity and Jimmy when they pointed out that the Autobots were doing very little to find out about Sunstreaker and Hunter's disappearance. Jazz was tasked with monitoring the engines when the Ark-19 lifted off from Lake Michigan and subsequently shot down by the Decepticon "living weapon" Sixshot. Devastation #1 Devastation #2 He fought Sixshot alongside the other Autobots, Devastation #3 but was seriously injured when the Decepticon tore off his right arm with apparent ease. Devastation #4 He was still injured when Optimus Prime ordered the Autobots to leave Earth for Garrus-9 due to the liberation of the prison's newest inmates. Devastation #5 Devastation #6
Jazz was present to hear Ratchet diagnose Sunstreaker after the later's de-Headmasterification. Replay
Jazz soon returned to Earth with the other Autobots, only to be lured into a Decepticon trap due to a traitor among the Autobot ranks. They were summarily defeated by Devastator and thrown in a portal leading to Cybertron, where the Insecticon swarm was waiting for them. All Hail Megatron #8 Everything in Its Right Place With Optimus Prime severely injured, Jazz took command of the Autobots. At one point, Prowl brought him some bad news which left him despondent. All Hail Megatron #1
The Autobots had begun to despair due to their situation, but Tracks told the story of how he was rescued by a mysterious Autobot from the Predacons. His peers' spirits lifted, Jazz thanked Tracks for giving them hope. Spotlight: Jazz
Jazz then had to sort out an argument between Prowl and Ironhide that ended with Ironhide punching Prowl after he told Ironhide that he might be the suspected Autobot traitor that put them in this predicament. Prowl wondered why Ironhide wasn't afraid of him, but was of Jazz, to which Jazz replied "tone", after which they discussed their situation. Later, Jazz and Ironhide talked about the good old days, with Ironhide getting upset that Jazz was hiding something from him and the Autobots. Ironhide also believed that Mirage was the one who'd sold them out, but Jazz told him to leave Mirage alone. All Hail Megatron #4
Not long afterwards, the Trion crashed on Cybertron, and Jazz met with the commander of the vessel, Kup. Kup wasn't too impressed with Jazz's supposed "special ops" skills, but changed his mind after seeing Jazz shove a gun in his face after taking out Springer and Blurr in mere seconds. After Jazz had proved himself to Kup, he showed Optimus's comatose body to the older Autobot. Kup easily figured out what it was Jazz was keeping secret from the other Autobots: Megatron had seized the Matrix of Leadership. All Hail Megatron #5
Jazz and Kup subsequently combined their forces, with Kup offering Jazz the position of his second-in-command. However, Jazz didn't approve of the way Kup's team worked, and was none too happy about becoming "another of Kup's little soldiers". Kup retorted that Jazz's hands weren't exactly clean either—he had read files on the top secret missions Jazz had carried out in the past. While at first speechless, Jazz quickly realized that arguments would get them nowhere, and accepted the position at Kup's side. All Hail Megatron #6 Later, he gave Kup a detailed story about how his team had ended up on the planet. All Hail Megatron #7
After Sunstreaker revealed himself as the traitor, and subsequently killed himself, Jazz told Drift not to confront Ironhide about it. Drift didn't listen. All Hail Megatron #8 When Optimus Prime recovered from his injuries, Jazz stood by his side. All Hail Megatron #9 Shortly afterwards, he asked Prowl what he thought about an incoming swarm attack. When told that there was only seven scenarios out of over 6,000 with an Autobot victory, he suggested that Prowl keep that little calculation to himself. Luckily, Prowl hadn't anticipated that Omega Supreme would appear out of nowhere and save them. All Hail Megatron #10
Omega carried Jazz and the others back to Earth, where they confronted the Decepticons in New York City. All Hail Megatron #11 They won, but were left knowing the Decepticons were dropping a nuclear bomb on the city. Jazz stated the obvious in that they needed someone who could fly in order to take it out. Thankfully, the Decepticon Thundercracker offered to do it, and Jazz and the others celebrated as the nuke was diverted and the Decepticons left Earth. All Hail Megatron #12 When Bumblebee went missing in one of the human disaster areas after the Decepticons evacuated, Jazz was part of an Autobot squad who went in to retrieve him. Hidden
Jazz was still on Earth two years later, hiding in a cave system along with the other Autobots. New Arrivals, Old Encounters After Bumblebee was elected to be their new leader, Jazz listened to his speech about how they would stand up to their treacherous ally, the Skywatch Colonel Gordon Horiuchi. The Impossible Knot
Jazz helped repel an undead Earth that arrived to Earth afterwards. Heart of Darkness #4
When Ultra Magnus learned that Hot Rod's splinter faction of Autobots had joined forces with the Decepticons to build an illegal spacecraft, Jazz was one of the Autobots recruited by Magnus to arrest Hot Rod and the others. These Autobots escorted Ultra Magnus to the construction site, where it was discovered that the Decepticons who Hot Rod had taken under his wing had double-crossed him, and in a very bad way. Jazz watched as the Stunticons merged for the first time into Menasor, a recent creation of the treacherous Swindle. Enemies of the System
After the Autobots and Skywatch had unofficially formed an alliance, Jazz was one of several Autobots sent to South Korea when the Combaticons invaded under the command of North Korea. Because the President of the United States had unwittingly declared that nations using Cybertronians as mercenaries would be considered to be using weapons of mass destruction, the Autobots and Skywatch were forced to operate in disguise, fighting in vehicle mode with Skywatch weapons bolted onto their bodies. During the ensuing battle, Jazz fought Brawl, but at a disadvantage in vehicle mode, failed to prevent the Decepticon's escape. Ranks of Bronze After their initial failure to apprehend the Combaticons, the Autobots formulated a new strategy that would allow them to fight in robot mode whilst spy satellites monitoring the situation would be none the wiser. Now, without needing to be stuck in vehicle mode, Jazz helped Prowl fight Brawl by holding his tank turret in place while his comrade blasted at the gap between the turret and hull. Then the Predacons showed up. Hawk Among the Sparrows
Thanks to some aggravating from the Combaticons, a battle broke out between the Autobots and Predacons, but it was cut short when the spy satellite plan failed and the conflict was revealed to the world. Russia immediately attempted to nuke the Transformers, causing the Predacons to flee while the Autobots figured out a plan to stop the incoming warhead. Jazz was hoping that their temporary ally Thundercracker could do his nuke-aversion-trick again, but dismissed the Decepticon as a coward upon hearing that he had already flown off somewhere. All My Sins Remembered
After the day was saved once again, the Autobots began to return home on a Skywatch plane. During the trip, Jazz began feeling like something bad was going to happen, and sure enough, a pilot soon reported that something was approaching them at high speeds. Jazz shouted at the humans to hurry into their crash suits, and moments later, the plane was shot down. The Demolished Man The Autobots and suited-up humans survived their impact with the Pacific Ocean and made it to shore. Woken Furies
As it turned out, Megatron had returned to Earth and defeated the Autobots who didn't go to Korea. Prime's team learned that Megatron had dumped the injured Autobots in the city, and that they were being threatened by civilians with Megatron-guns. Prime sent Jazz to transport Spike Witwicky and Campolongo into the city to take control of the situation. Although Prime incapacitated Soundwave and stopped the signal inciting the humans, a lone cop threatened to shoot the Autobots just the same. While Bumblebee attempted to reason with the officer and began to have some success, Jazz's special ops training kicked in and he leapt into action to save his friends, killing the officer point blank with his photon gun. Burning Chrome
Jazz was later dressed down by Optimus Prime, being relieved of duty until Bumblebee was well enough to deal with him. Enemy Mine Jazz was one of the many Autobots who lined up to look at Megatron, now captured. Chaos Theory #1 He was present when Hot Rod (now "Rodimus") returned to Earth with news that Cybertron was now healed but had come under the control of Galvatron. Most of the Autobots wasted no time in leaving Earth to liberate their home planet. Orphans of the Helix
A few of them, including Jazz, were chosen to remain on Earth under Bumblebee's command. He disapproved of Bumblebee focusing on an investigation of Spike instead of tracking down the Decepticons on the planet, and even offered to do it all by himself, but Bumblebee refused to let him out into the field after his killing of a human. Jazz tried to explain that he was more horrified than anyone over his actions, but his words fell on deaf ears, and he stormed out. Police Action: Part 1
When Ultra Magnus assembled a team to capture Ben Simpson, he too ordered Jazz to remain behind, telling him he was a liability. Once it was revealed that Spike had been lying to the Autobots and purchasing Cybertronian technology for Skywatch's use from Swindle since the beginning, Jazz had had enough of the whole thing. Together with Pennington he traveled to Skywatch's abandoned New Mexico base, where he contacted General Allenby, informed him of Spike's crimes and declared the alliance between the Autobots and humans to be over. He went on to record the conversation for the news media, then erased as much information on Cybertronian tech as he could by setting off an EMP in the base before burning it down. A Second Chance at Eden
The Autobots returned to Cybertron, which had been pacified after the "Chaos War" with Galvatron and D-Void, but so did a lot of neutral Cybertronians who blamed their war for ruining everything. When these "NAILs" started a riot, Jazz tried to pacify them alongside other Autobots and Decepticons. The Death of Optimus Prime He then witnessed the disastrous launch of the Lost Light. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It Later he wandered around in a crowd of NAILs. The Autonomy Lesson Jazz was at the Autobot base when he and the others received word of an arriving Sky-Byte. A Better Tomorrow
Jazz was later performing a musical/poetic duet with Sky-Byte at Maccadam's Old Oil House. He's probably good at the guitar. Interference Patterns When most Decepticons began rioting in the streets in celebration of Megatron's return, Jazz holed up in the bar and prepared to defend his NAIL friends. City on Fire In the face of growing attacks, they were soon forced to abandon the bar The Verge and relocate to Fixit's med-center. Before the Dawn When the building was attacked by Devastator, Jazz urged Sky-Byte to take the injured to safety while he stood strong alongside Autobots, NAILs and disillusioned Decepticons in an attempt to hold the giant back. Plan for Everything After the battle ended with Megatron's defeat, he witnessed Starscream take leadership of the NAILs and banish all Autobots and Decepticons. Heavy Is the Head Unlike most Autobots, Jazz instead chose to abandon his faction and remained in Iacon with the NAILs. Second Exodus
He was on guard at the parapets with Swindle when Shockwave's glowing ores began to shine over the horizon. Dark Dawn Jazz later allowed Starscream time alone with the accused saboteur Scoop in the detention block, but warned his "leader" that the Autobot better not have a scratch on him when he returned. Black Metal
When the Necrotitan sieged New Iacon, Jazz helped move civilians out of the line of fire, transporting them to the Autobot camp outside the city. Finis Temporis As the dust settled after the return of Metroplex and his defeat of the Necrotitan, Jazz and Sky-Byte found themselves at Swerve's bar on board the Lost Light with the united Autobot and Decepticon soldiers. The Becoming After Shockwave's defeat and Megatron's trial, Jazz and Jetfire heard Prowl voice his outrage towards the trial's outcome to Optimus. Detonation Boulevard Jazz would then solemnly rummage through the ruins of Iacon, finding what was left of his guitar, before being approached by Optimus. After apologizing for abandoning the Autobots to stand with Starscream, Jazz was surprised that Optimus still wanted him to come along on a new mission to Earth; seeing how much Prime still believed in him, Jazz accepted. Full Fathom Five
When the Ark-7 came under attack after entering Earth orbit, Jazz was among those Optimus took aboard Sky Lynx to make a stealth landing. Going along with Optimus and Kup to investigate a mysterious signal, Jazz became mighty suspicious when they came upon the source of the signal in a shack and lost contact with Cosmos. His intuition turned out to be correct as the group found not only Thundercracker, but a joint Decepticon-Earth Defense Command force. Hello Cruel World Jazz tried opening fire on Laserbeak, but the Decepticon lured him into almost hitting some humans, causing him to remember how he had killed John Powell and panic—also giving Blitzwing a chance to deck him. Jazz and the others then made a run for it, Arcee and Sideswipe giving them some covering fire, until they were chased right into the town of Poverty Flat. Jazz refused to fight there, but could do little else but watch as Devastator came crashing down onto the Decepticons. Detonation Boulevard Observing how the combiner didn't seem to have much of Prowl's intelligence, Jazz helped the other Autobots in getting the nearby humans clear until the battle ended and Sky Lynx took them all back to the Ark-7, where Jazz told Kup how angry he was that he had almost harmed more humans. The Mind Bomb
After the Autobots had tracked Alpha Trion down to the Marshall Islands, Jazz was sent in alone using Jetfire's new stealth paint to infiltrate the EDC base stationed there. Soon enough, he came across Trion's ship and then, following a distraction created by the other Autobots outside, Trion himself. Before Jazz could unhook Trion from the humans' mind bomb, however, he found a gun pressed up against the back of his head courtesy of Prowl. Full Fathom Five Fortunately, Prowl explained that he only wanted to stop Jazz from disconnecting Trion and subsequently triggering an alarm—not that that made Jazz feel any better about having a gun to his head. After Jazz was convinced by Prowl that the EDC must have had another source of Cybertronian tech than just Alpha Trion, the two went to investigate a giant door, only for Prowl to suddenly collapse from the mind bomb's effects. Jazz then tried dragging Prowl to safety, but found himself held at gunpoint again, this time by Soundwave. Shocked by Soundwave's claim that there was a spy in the Autobots' ranks, Jazz was just as shocked when some nearby tanks and jets suddenly became active and blasted the Decepticon away. Suspecting that it was Prowl's work, Jazz continued to drag the unconscious 'bot outside, where he regained consciousness and the pair was reunited with Optimus and the others. On their way back to the Ark-7, Jazz assisted the injured Kup. I Dream of Wires
Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga
Henkei! Henkei! Transformers -Visualize-
Transformers: All Spark
Cloud
Jazz resided among the Autobots of Metropolis on Cloud World. Uprising
IDW Angry Birds Transformers comic
As part of the bridge crew on the ship carrying the AllSpark, Jazz initiated an emergency quantum jump in order to flee a Decepticon attack on the vessel. Unfortunately the AllSpark had fallen out of the ship at the time, and was sucked into the resulting quantum tunnel. Angry Birds Transformers #1 After a fruitless search by Jazz and the others, the relic suddenly came to them, flying back straight through a windshield together with a strange green pig. Hard Boiled
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
Jazz was among the Autobot and Joe forces defending Metroplex from an attack by the Decepticons and Cobra. Everybody Hates Metroplex
Timelines
In one reality, special operations officer Jazz worked with Sergeant Hound to provide General Optimus Prime with vital intelligence that allowed the newly-reconstituted Firestormers to successfully strike against Megatron's Decepticon Star Empire. Sgt. Hound's profile card
Q-Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Kōji Yusa (Japanese)
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, he could chance upon Jazz to navigate inside the Decepticons' maze-like base. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
The Transformers (1985)
Jazz was among the few remaining Autobots in the wake of the Decepticon creation of ROBO-CLONING technology. With his energy-starved comrades, he desperately sought pieces of the Autobot Energon Cube before the Decepticons could get their hands on them. The Transformers
The Transformers (PS2)
- Voice actor: Alex Easley (English)
In 2003, Jazz accompanied Optimus Prime and Wheeljack to the planet Zel Samine. A spacetime anomaly had recently occurred in the area, and an Autobot research team had lost contact with home base. Optimus and his lieutenants arrived to assess the situation. They soon learned that Megatron and the Decepticons were also on Zel Samine looking for the anomaly, and willing to help themselves to the planet's power supplies in the meantime.
Jazz and the Autobots thwarted Decepticon efforts to steal energy from the Zel Samine wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power plants. During the conflict, they were joined by Hound, Bumblebee and Highbrow of the research team, who provided them with more information about the UFO that fell to the planet after the spacetime anomaly.
While mulling over the new information, the Autobots received an SOS call from elsewhere on the planet, and raced to answer it. After fighting through the forces of Galvatron, Decepticon of the future, Jazz and his compatriots met up with Kup, Arcee, and the Autobot leader of 2010, Rodimus Prime. Rodimus explained that in their time, the Decepticon military commander Shockwave acquired a source of infinite power called Zel Quartz. It drove him to madness, and he destroyed Cybertron while threatening to lay waste to the rest of the galaxy. Rodimus Prime and the Autobots desperately coordinated with the Quintessons to use a timeslip device and travel back in time, preventing Shockwave from ever getting his hand on Zel Quartz. Unfortunately, Galvatron and the remaining Decepticons learned of the mission, and intercepted the Autobots on the way through the timeslip. Crashing in 2003 on Zel Samine, Rodimus was separated from his full team. Rodimus, Kup and Arcee joined up with Jazz and the present day Autobots to search for the Zel Quartz before the Decepticons could find it.
Wheeljack searched the planet for any records or power signatures that might be Zel Quartz. After three false leads, they finally located Zel Quartz at the Enormous Laser Transmission Array. After fighting through numerous Decepticon lieutenants, and facing the might of Megatron and Galvatron united, Jazz and the Autobots secured the Zel Quartz and ultimately disposed of it so that it could do no further harm. The Transformers
Bot Shots Battle Game!
Jazz participated in numerous one-on-one matches against other Autobots and Decepticons, using his fists, his sword, or his gun to defeat his opponents. Sometimes, he even faced off against himself! Bot Shots Battle Game!
Transformers Legends
Jazz was amongst the Autobots who fought back against the Decepticon Seekers when they went on a world-wide rampage. Robots in the Sky Jazz assembled a handpicked squad of Autobots for a mission to deliver energon to a hidden Autobot base. Unfortunately their plan was foiled by the interference of Rampage, Tantrum and Headstrong. Road to Ruin Jazz was among the Autobots to coat themselves in Electrum after finding a Golden Lagoon. The Golden Lagoon
Jazz was still fighting the good fight when the Aerialbots were sent back in time and helped Orion Pax and Ariel become Optimus Prime and Elita-One respectively. Golden Age After getting a new sound system, Jazz spent a night out with Bumblebee and Sparkplug testing it, only to return to base and find that the other Autobots had been turned evil thanks to Megatron's sabotage of the recharging chamber. While Sparkplug worked on an antidote, Bumblebee and Jazz went to halt the Autobot attack on Rutter Military Base. Attack of the Autobots
When Nightbird was reprogrammed to aid the Decepticons and stole the World Energy Chip from Autobot HQ, Jazz was among the Autobots who pursued her into the desert and successfully retrieved both her and the chip. Enter the Nightbird
Jazz took part in the defense of Autobot City during a Decepticon assault, but was unable to prevent their advance. One Shall Fall...
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Jazz participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! Transformers: Battle Tactics
Transformers: Frontiers
Commercial appearances
Jazz has appeared in numerous television commercials over the years:
- He appears in the first Transformers appearance ever, an animated advertisement for the first issue of the Marvel Comic. The animation features Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp attacking a power plant; Jazz, Prowl, and Sideswipe drive out from their headquarters to counterattack. When Megatron joins the battle, the three Autobots fly away. The cover of Marvel #1 is shown, with a note that it's "Coming Soon". Non-speaking role.
- In an advertisement for the 1985 Autobot cars, Jazz is briefly shown fighting alongside Optimus Prime in Earth's ubiquitous rocky deserts. Non-speaking role.
- Jazz is featured in a 1986 commercial for the Prizes in Disguise contest. When some humans approach an Autobot base, Jazz orders to Cosmos to shine their headlights on them, to reveal their allegiance. Jazz then declares that it's okay, since they humans are wearing Transformers reflective patches! Jazz is voiced by Scatman Crothers, his usual voice actor on the cartoon. One of the contest prizes was a party with "life-size" Transformers! Among the "life-size" Transformers shown were Jazz and Thundercracker. If you actually did party with Jazz and Thundercracker, please let us know.
- Jazz next appears in a 1988 commercial for the Classic Pretenders, emerging from his shell alongside Bumblebee and running up to help Optimus Prime in a darkened city. Prime gives them both a hug. Non-speaking role. This marks a rare use of his Pretender Classics animation model; for his Pretender appearances in the Marvel Comics, his original design was used.
- He appears very briefly in an ad for the Micromaster base; he can be glimpsed alongside Bumblebee as they pull two Micromaster vehicles into an Autobot base.
- Jazz returned a year later in the first Action Master commercial. When Prime challenges a group of Autobots to give up their transforming powers to become "faster stronger more alive", Jazz is the first to volunteer. He's voiced by a sound-alike doing a passable Scatman Crothers imitation.
- Jazz appeared soon afterwards in an ad for the Hot Rod Patrol, telling Optimus Prime to check them out. The same voice actor provides his one line.
- Jazz appeared in one of the first Generation 2 commercials; he was depicted in CGI driving down a ramp in a city and transforming. Victor Caroli noted that he came equipped with a "robot ripping rocket launcher".
Toys
Notes
- Jazz's preliminary name was Jazzz.
- In recent years, toys sporting the name "Jazz" require an additional prefix to make it easier to defend as a trademark. The most common prefix is "Autobot", hence making the toys' official name "Autobot Jazz". Other variants, most of them used for different-universe counterparts of Jazz, include "Final Battle Jazz", "Battle Jazz", "Stealth Ninja Jazz", "Freeway Jazz" and "Special Ops Jazz". For his Alternators toy, meanwhile, Hasbro used his traditional Japanese name, "Meister", which is the German word for "master" (used mostly in the "someone who excels in his field" sense). Ironically, Bob Budiansky's original version of the character's name had it spelled "Jazzz", with three "z"s, which might or might not have made it easier to defend as a trademark in recent years.
- Early in development, Bob Budiansky's original profiles for the Transformers characters also included nicknames by which they were known; Jazz went by "Coolsville". These nicknames were removed from the profiles when they were published as Marvel's Transformers Universe series, but some of them saw publication in The Transformers Comics Magazine.
- An actor in a Jazz costume was among "live" Transformers one could meet at the 1985 Universal Studios Tour.
- Jazz is in the unusual position of appearing a few times in season three of The Transformers without having a toy on the shelves at the time (the only other such characters were the iconic Optimus Prime, and a handful of probable animation errors.) He had no spoken lines, however; fans often claim that he was planned to have a larger role in the season which was cut following the death of his voice actor Scatman Crothers, but no real evidence exists to support this notion. Jazz is given speaking lines and more on-screen time, however, in the Japanese-exclusive Headmasters, a cartoon far less concerned than The Transformers about what toys were on the shelves.
- Scatman Crothers (as Jazz) is often credited as having coined the term "ginormous" (a portmanteau of "gigantic" and "enormous") when using it to describe Unicron in The Transformers: The Movie, a term which was officially added by the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary in 2007;[1] however, the term has actually been around for much longer, being listed in the Oxford English Dictionary as a "British informal" word that has existed since at least the mid-20th century.[2]
- Like a lot of other Generation 1 characters, Jazz's character model was subject to a few re-uses in the Unicron Trilogy, first apppearing as a hapless victim of Unicron who had been absorbed into the chaos-bringer's body in the Armada episode, "Portent". Later, in the Cybertron episode, "Balance", Jazz turned up in a less-generic capacity, as one of the ancients who began the space bridge program—although he seemed a little like the odd 'bot out in the group, given that the others were Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime. Curiously, neither appearance adheres strictly to his original character model—"Portent" gives him individual eyes, rather than a visor, and "Balance" outfits him with toy-accurate shoulder-doors.
- Jazz's original form is the basis for the non-toy character Kawasaki Prime.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Meister (マイスター Maisutā), Jazz (ジャズ Jazu)
- English: Marshall (Omni Productions dub)
- French: Saxo (Canada)
- Hebrew: Jazz (ג'אז, "Jazz")
- Italian: Tigre ("Tiger"), Folgore (Set Commandos four-pack), Bionic (Action Master)
- Mandarin: Jué-shìh (Taiwan, 爵士, "Jazz" or "Sir")
- Portuguese: Lero-Lero (Brazil comics)
- Ukrainian: Dzhaz (Джаз)
References
External links
- Featured articles
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Character stubs missing video games
- Action Masters
- Alternators Autobots
- Autobot leaders
- Beast Wars Autobots
- Classics Autobots
- Cloud Autobots
- Dimension hoppers
- Generation 1 Autobots
- Generation 2 Autobots
- Hall of Fame characters
- Ladybird Books Autobots
- Pretenders
- Regeneration One Autobots
- Robo-Capers characters
- Saboteurs
- Special operations agents
- United Autobots
- Universe Autobots
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