Lio Junior (BW)
- Lio Junior is a Maximal from the Beast Wars II portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Lio Junior (ライオジュニア Raio Junia) is a child and acts his age expertly. When he's reprimanded, he pouts. When he's denied a request, he pitches a fit. And when he messes up, he passes the blame. So naïve and immature, Lio Junior makes Tasmania Kid look like a 4-star general.
But it's not entirely his fault. Lio Junior was literally born yesterday; created in a fluke accident by the influence of pure Angolmois energy upon Lio Convoy’s Energon Matrix. Though Lio Convoy won't entertain the subject, Lio Junior considers him his father and desperately craves paternal approval. And though Junior may be a child, he's not helpless. He swings his "Lio Byūto"[1] weapon with devastating effect, can launch balls of Angolmois energy from twin projectors in his mane, and is even capable of short-range flight in robot mode.
But all that unpolished potential resides in a very rash, inexperienced Maximal who was conscripted into the Beast Wars out of necessity, not merit. Skywarp and Santon act as his guardians and impromptu trainers and together the three of them can form the mighty Magnaboss.
Fiction
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Beast Wars II cartoon
- Voice actor: Yumiko Kobayashi (Japanese)
When Convoy first crashed on the planet Gaea, his energy levels were very low. In and out of consciousness, he was rescued by a white lion who brought him to a cave filled with Angolmois energy. Convoy recovered and became Lio Convoy as he scanned his lion savior as a beast mode. Lio Convoy rejoined his crew in the battle against Galvatron, unaware of the second effect of the Angolmois energy: duplicating his Energon Matrix to create a new robotic lifeform. Emerging in beast mode as a lion cub, this new Transformer was initially raised by the white lion, but soon learned he was different from his "parent", who could not transform like him.
The Maximals eventually detected the Angolmois energy signature of the cub, and had several brief encounters with him. Tasmania Kid and Diver were the first to get the cub to stop and talk with them, by revealing their secondary modes. As the cub explained his origins, Tasmania Kid jokingly said this meant Lio Convoy was his father, and nicknamed the cub "Lio Junior". Lio Junior took Kid's words to heart, and angrily confronted Lio Convoy about leaving him. Lio Convoy initially refused to accept the connection between him and the cub, which only angered Lio Junior further. Their "bonding time" was interrupted by an attack from Galvatron, who also sensed the Angolmois power within Lio Junior.
Two journeying Maximals named Santon and Skywarp arrived on Gaea, having sensed Lio Junior's birth from afar. They took responsibility for his training, and instituted a forced fusion, merging the three of them into a combined form as Magnaboss. Under the guidance of his mentors, Lio Junior controlled the Magnaboss combination in battle with Galvatron. Enter Lio Junior
In the battle against Galvatron, Lio Convoy assisted Magnaboss in delivering a critical blow, driving the Predacon commander away. Lio Junior was thrilled at his "papa's" apparent acceptance, but Lio Convoy told him afterwards not to refer to him as his father. Even after comparing their two Energon Matrix, Convoy still did not seem accepting of Junior. Feeling rejected, Lio Junior ran off on his own. He nearly died when Gigastorm emerged from the Angolmois pits, causing tremors that devastated the cliffside. As he clung to the side of the rock wall, Lio Junior was saved by Lio Convoy. Convoy called Lio Junior his son that one time, and explained his distance was necessary in times of battle. He had to act as commander of the Maximals first, and not as a loving father so long as they were at war. Lio Junior accepted Lio Convoy's explanation, and began calling him "commander" instead of "papa". The two fought side-by-side until Skywarp and Santon arrived to provide the Magnaboss combination. Magnaboss and Lio Convoy then destroyed the weakened cliff under Gigastorm's feet, sending him back into the Angolmois flow. Megastorm Reborn
Gigastorm remained a powerful foe, however, so Lio Junior and his team joined the Maximals in a new operation to eliminate him. They lured Gigastorm into an unstable area and intended to bury him in a collapsed mountain pass. Gigastorm survived their best efforts, though. The New Weapon, Tako Tank
Galvatron recalled his encounter with Lio Junior and Magnaboss when reviewing recent events. The Artificial Planet Nemesis
Gigastorm's Treachery The End of Starscream The Lio Convoy Assassination Plot Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger! The Great Angolmois Freezing Tactic Knock Out Nemesis Lio Junior's Revolt!? Emissary of the Fourth Planet The Crisis of Planet Gaea Fly Out! Planet Gaea Assemble, Thirty-Nine Warriors Revenge of the Space Pirates Breaking into Nemesis Legend! The Green Warrior Farewell! Lio Convoy
Beast Wars Neo cartoon
After the defeat of Unicron, Lio Junior returned to Cybertron. There and as part of Magnaboss, he was witness to one of Big Convoy and Magmatron's tussles. Graduation Ceremony!!
Beast Wars II manga
IDW Beast Wars comics
Lio Junior was created in the fusion of a mysterious protoform and Lio Convoy's Matrix energy. The unique spark that resulted allowed Lio Junior to fuse with Skywarp and Santon to form Magnaboss. His spark also has the ability to remove the evil taint of Angolmois. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2
Beast Wars: Uprising
Lio Junior was part of a council which judged Trans-Mutate guilty of her crimes and sentenced her to imprisonment at Garrus-16. Perception
Transformers Legends comic
Together with Build Boy and Minor, Lio Junior was excited when they saw Gelshark dressed up as Optimus Prime and wanted to play with him. Bonus Edition Vol. 6 The three kids were saddened when Gelshark was leaving the Legends Universe and pleaded with him not to go, but he did. Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Black Convoy)
Toys
Beast Wars
- Lio Junior (Basic, 1998)
- Japanese ID number: C-26
- Accessories: "Lio Byūto" tail-weapon
- Lio Junior uses the same mold and base plastic colors as Beast Wars Prowl, only with a great number of paint applications, making him a rare example of a genuine repaint. He transforms into an organic lion. His beast mode flanks and tail separate to become a hand-held claw-weapon in robot mode. He also forms the center chest and head of the combined robot Magnaboss; the Lio Byūto forms the handle and hilt of the super robot's sword.
- Lio Junior (Puzzle pack-in, 1998)
- Accessories: "Lio Byūto" tail-weapon
- Lio Junior was completely redecoed in two different schemes, each one available packed in with a different jigsaw puzzle. One version cast the young lion in black plastic with a red mane, the other in a Lio Convoy-inspired white and yellow deco.
- Magnaboss (Ultra, 1998)
- Japanese ID number: X-4
- Accessories: "Lio Byūto" tail-weapon
- Lio Junior was also available in an Ultra-level 3-pack with his combiner-mates Santon and Skywarp. All three toys are identical to their individual releases, though the set did not come with the individuals' bio cards, only a single card for the combined Magnaboss mode.
Notes
Foreign names
- Korean: Lion Junior (라이온쥬니어 Raion Jyunieo)
References
- ↑ "Byūto" (ビュート) is a word apparently popularized by Himitsu Sentai Goranger and used in Japanese fiction for whip weapons.
