Nightbird (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 robot. For the Generation 1 starship, see Nightbird (ship). |
- Nightbird is a human-built robot and sometimes a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
"No dude, a giant robot ninja chick!"
"Duuuude!"
Nightbird is a giant female ninja robot built to "benefit mankind".
Yeah, those nunchucks are really gonna be benefiting their way through society.
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
Nightbird was a robotic ninja warrior created by Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist, ostensibly to show how advanced Human technology had become. The Decepticons stole Nightbird, and Bombshell implanted her with an enhanced brain chip which turned the drone-like Nightbird into a true butt-kicking machine. Nightbird broke into the Ark and stole the Autobots' World Energy Chip, which contained the locations of a variety of energy sources, energy sources that the Decepticons would most assuredly use for conquest!
The Autobots were, at first, hampered by their promise to Doctor Fujiyama not to damage or destroy the ninja robot, and found themselves flustered in botched attempts to capture her. Eventually, however, they used an electro mesh prison which drained Nightbird's power reserves and allowed the Autobots to capture her without serious damage.
Doctor Fujiyama placed Nightbird into cold storage, but apparently did not see fit to fully deactivate her, as she seemed aware of her plight and gave an angry glare as she was stored away. Not that we've ever seen her again. Enter the Nightbird
Transformers Legends comic
Nightbird, having somehow escaped storage, went to the Six Clan's planet to learn the art of transformation, picking up a "swan mode". She would later acquire a car mode elsewhere. She later found two disciples, Road Pig and Road Rocket, both who would eventually develop a rivalry with a dispute over their master. LG-15 Nightbird Shadow Sequel
In one of the Legends Universe's Tigatron's dreams, Nightbird was among the evil female Transformers (and related robots, evidently) who sought to kidnap him and fought the heroic female Transformers guarding him. Arcee was in Nightbird's line of sight shortly before the dream ended due to Tigatron waking up. Bonus Edition Vol. 11 Alpha Trion later saw Nightbird, Blackarachnia, and Slipstream in a vision of things to come. Bonus Edition Vol. 14
Having gotten his mitts on Nightbird again, Megatron brought her with him to the Legends Universe, where he presented her to the public as a Tera-Kura Co. ninja maid robot under the name Nightbird Shadow. To prevent her from causing any problems, he equipped her a clumsiness function that customers found adorable, leading to Tera-Kura mass-producing and selling Nightbird clones for profit. The clones then immediately went out of control and started rampaging through Tokyo, something Megatron credited to their inherently evil Decepticon souls, but were stopped in their tracks by their own clumsiness. The local Megatron prepared for a mass recall, but the customers of the Nightbirds protested that the clones' little "mischievous streak" was just charming, and they remained on the market. Bonus Edition Vol. 15
During Halloween, Megatron had Nightbird Shadow go trick-or-treating for energy alongside Blackarachnia and Slipstream. Dressed up as a ghost, she and the others knocked on Tigatron's door before getting accosted by Arcee, Chromia, and Windblade, who were defeated by Blackarachnia. Bonus Edition Vol. 17 Later, when quizzed by Rattrap about her backstory, Nightbird explained her history with the Six Clan and her students, which Rattrap found hard to believe.
At Tera-Kura, employees became enchanted with Nightbird's cuteness when she took off her mask, prompting the company to begin producing the absurdly popular "Nightbird Maskless Version". LG-15 Nightbird Shadow Sequel Nightbird later swooned over the foreign Springer with the other female Tera-Kura employees, LG19 Sprung Prologue driving Tigatron to envy. Bonus Edition Vol. 19 The three later came with Megatron on a hot springs trip, and were thus absent when Tera-Kura Co. was briefly taken over by Waspinator. Bonus Edition Vol. EX Nightbird Shadow and Slipstream were targeted by Skids in his quest to send all the Legends Universe's interdimensional visitors back to their own universes, prompting Megatron to intervene and seemingly lose his life saving his soldiers. As they crowded around his body, however, they found that Megatron persisted in a tiny new body that Nightbird found cute. Bonus Edition Vol. 20
Tarantulas, leader of Tera-Kura Co.'s science department and the one in charge of the Nightbird clone production, allied with the Decepticon Headmasters near one of the production lines. Headmasters Chapter Prologue On a chart showing the employees of the newly formed Decepticon Tera-Kura Co. and their titles, Nightbird Shadow was included as one of the "three office ladies". Bonus Edition Vol. 22 When Megatron turned into Galvatron and went on a rampage in the city, Nightbird Shadow and the other two tried to talk (well, sign language) him out of it, but their calling him "Megatron" only angered Galvatron further and he opened fire on them. Bonus Edition Vol. 23 Nightbird was later present for Scourge's failed attempt at usurping Megatron. Bonus Edition Vol. 26
3H comics
In 2025 or so, Fujiyama, apparently having learned nothing, built an entire army of Nightbird drones. When they went on a rampage, Arcee, Daniel Witwicky, and Wheelie came to the doctor's aid. Though they were rather outnumbered, the group held off the drones long enough for Hot Spot to arrive with help and an evacuation shuttle. This was only just too late for Wheelie, who found his back slashed open by a Nightbird drone, disabling him from getting to the shuttle. Loyal to his friend, Daniel stayed with him as the others fled. When he could no longer fight off the drones, he detonated an explosive to destroy them, killing himself and Wheelie in the process. Departure
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
A science fiction movie, Enter the Nightbird, featured Nightbird kicking shiny metal robo-ass. Infestation
Kre-O comic
Nightbird was wanted as one of Earth's five most wanted criminals. Little did the Autobots know that their list was out of date, leading to their shock when Metroplex came under attack from Autobot Spike, Robot Master, Dr Arkeville, Headmaster... and a whole lotta Nightbirds! The villains nearly managed to steal Metroplex's brain, but were thwarted at the last possible moment by Carzap and G.B. Blackrock. In the battle's aftermath, several Nightbirds found themselves strewn about in pieces. The Brick List: Earth's Most Wanted
Games
Transformers Legends
At her unveiling by Doctor Fujiyama, Nightbird was stolen by the Decepticons and reprogrammed by Hardshell to serve them. She was sent on a mission to Autobot HQ, where she stole the World Energy Chip and successfully escaped into the desert, however Jazz and Brawn gave chase, and despite the best efforts of the Decepticons, she was recovered along with the chip. The Autobots returned her to Doctor Fujiyama, who put her in stasis. Enter the Nightbird
Transformers Earth Wars
Programmed with the skills of a mighty ninja, the non-sentient Nightbird developed a full meta-processor brain after being implanted with one of Bombshell's cerebro shells, which merged with her own simulated intelligence.
Nightbird became one of the greatest threats to the Autobots, even more so when - as Bombshell was reformatted - she gained true sentience and freedom of thought. Nightbird character bio
- Class: Warrior
- Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
- Weapons:Nightbird uses her gun on a target, then closes in and kicks and punches it.
- Ability: Holo Decoy - Place a decoy that disables your enemies and soaks up damage. One decoy can be active at a time..
Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki Nightbird Page
Toys
Kre-O
- Earth's Most Wanted
Legends
- Nightbird Shadow (2015-10–24)
- ID number: LG15
- Accessories: Two guns, two swords, two sais
- Legends Nightbird Shadow is a retool of Generations Arcee featuring a new head and chest, and adding a pair of sais to her arsenal. Both the sais and the swords are cast in translucent yellow plastic.
- Her name is a reference to the Japanese title of the G1 episode featuring her: "The Shadow of Nightbird".
Notes
- Nightbird's gadgets to benefit humanity include: nunchaku (unused), a pair of sai daggers (also unused), a wrist-mounted grappling hook, magnetic feet (they also work on rocks!), fist-replacing sawblades, some kind of spin/make bright light/disappear gimmick, an endless supply of hip-stored energized shuriken, a beam saber, another unused weapon the hilt of which is visible on her "backpack", a glowing magnetic tractor beam, and stereo speaker-nullifying metal donuts. Additionally, she vanishes after jumping over a cliff edge, leading Mirage to wonder if she has the power of invisibility.
- The Nightbirds in The Wreckers comic have four different accent colors, the same colors as the bandanas of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Nightbird was featured among the Decepticon forces on the Dreamwave 20th Anniversary Lithograph.
- A screencap of Nightbird was used to represent the Nightracer in the comic story "A Flash Forward, Part 2" since her head was a close fit and the art style matched the images of other Decepticons next to her. According to Pete Sinclair and Jesse Wittenrich, the image wasn't supposed to be recognizable as Nightbird once it was obscured by Sky-Byte, but either Sky-Byte didn't cover her up in a way that would obscure her enough, or maybe we're just that good. She's not intended to be the same character as Nightbird.
- Nightbird as an outright Decepticon is an idea used by the odd fanficcer in the old, old days of fandom, but wouldn't be canonised until Earth Wars in 2016.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Nightbird (ナイトバード Naitobādo)
- Italian: Ninja
- Mandarin: Yèyīng (China, 夜莺, "Nightingale")
- Russian: Golubka (Голубка, "Dove")
- Latin America: Ave Nocturna ("Nightbird")
