Sharkticon (species)
| The name or term "Sharkticon" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Sharkticon (disambiguation). |
- Sharkticons are Quintesson mass-produced enforcers from the cartoon portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Sharkticons are big, dumb, plentiful and voracious—in short, perfect soldiers for the Quintessons. It's not unusual for the Quintessons to throw their captives into a big tank full of the feisty nippers after a mock trial just for chuckles. Though individual Sharkticons are not especially durable, like piranha, they swarm in en masse and can devour a full-sized robot in a few seconds with their razor-sharp teeth and claws.
One notable Sharkticon is Gnaw, friend to the young Autobot Wheelie.
A series of upgraded Sharkticons includes Air Sharks, Land Sharks, and Sea Sharks.
| “ | I am a swarm member. I don't like being alone. | ” |
—A Sharkticon's description of his race, The Transformers | ||
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Normally indeterminate growls by multiple actors, rare speaking lines by Bud Davis (English, "The Quintesson Journal") and Frank Welker (English, "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1"); Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese, Movie), Minoru Inaba (Japanese, Movie), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese, Movie), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese, 2010), Masashi Ebara (Japanese, 2010), Reinhard Brock (German, "The Quintesson Journal"), Hans-Rainer Müller (German, "The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1")
When Hot Rod and Kup found themselves stranded on the planet Quintessa, they were captured by Allicons and brought to a group of Quintessons to be put on trial. The Autobots witnessed two other prisoners be judged "innocent" and dropped in a large pit of Sharkticons, but when it was their turn, they managed to get out of the pit and fought back.
Soon enough, the Dinobots arrived and started thrashing the Sharkticons until they backed down. Grimlock then ordered them to turn against their Quintesson masters, and apparently choosing to follow the strongest one, the Sharkticons complied. The Transformers: The Movie
A squad of Sharkticons were used to abduct Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike Witwicky from the Galactic Olympics. Under cover of a smoke bomb, they entered the game grounds and successfully snatched the trio to be taken back to Quintessa for trial. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 The trio were found guilty and thrown into the Sharkticon pit. A battle ensued until Rodimus Prime arrived with Springer, Arcee and Grimlock as reinforcements. Many of the Sharkticons were still on Quintessa when the Quintessons blew it up with a core bomb. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2
During the brief Quintesson-Decepticon alliance which besieged Cybertron, a commando team of Sharkticons were deployed to the deeper levels of the Transformer homeworld in order to find the master switch which would shut down all Transformers as part of the Quintesson master plan. Fortunately, the commando team was intercepted by Rodimus Prime and Blitzwing, who prevented the trio from succeeding in their goal. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
Sharkticons were used to defend Inquirata's Time Window. They didn't do a particularly good job, and the experiment fell into Autobot hands. With the Universe in peril, the Quintessons sent the Sharkticons to assault the base, which again resulted in failure, though they were later able to persuade Rodimus to shut the Time Window down. Forever Is a Long Time Coming A few Sharkticons attempted to retrieve a Quintesson Journal from Junk, however as soon as they laid their claw on it, the Junkion drove them off and they had to leave without the journal. The Big Broadcast of 2006 Outback managed to trick one particularly stupid Sharkticon into opening the cell which he and his pals were imprisoned in. The Quintesson Journal
When the Quintessons double-crossed Dirk Manus, they sent a squad of Sharkticons to make sure Manus didn't survive the crash of his ship. Fortunately the Technobots were able to drive them off. Money Is Everything Two were used for a mission to Zamojin to retrieve Perceptor, however local blacksmith Katsu Don was easily able to damage them thanks to everything on the planet being ultra-dense. The Face of the Nijika
A large group of Sharkticons were later infected with the Hate Plague, and was chasing a lone Quintesson on an unknown planet when Sky Lynx saved him. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 The infected Sharkticons somehow made it to Earth and continued wreaking havoc, at least until they were cured by the Matrix of Leadership. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers
A Sharkticon joined Galvatron and the Decepticons in their bid to steal spaceships with a giant spaceship that ate other spaceships. The scheme failed miserably.The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1
Controverse
In an attempt to skip out on his own trial, Primacron used a whistle that controlled Primitives to enthrall numerous Sharkticons to his will. They fought off the Autobots and Quintessons attempting to recapture Primacron, but were ultimately defeated. Controverse
The Headmasters manga
The Sharkticons joined their fellow Predacons in a second bid by Galvatron to conquer planet Beast. They flanked Predaking in battle, but were ultimately driven away by a joint attack from the Autobots and their Beastformer allies. Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!
Later, the Sharkticons were dispatched alongside all the other Decepticons with aquatic or amphibious alternate modes to take part in a scheme under the sea. The idea was to steal energy from the Earth's core at a break in the crust. The Sharkticons attempted to protect their operation from an attack by the Trainbots, but even with the help of a giant robot squid, they were ultimately defeated. The Headmasters #3
Kiss Players
When the time-traveling Kiss Players Marissa Faireborn, Shaoshao Li, and Atari Hitotonari found themselves on a mysterious planet in the year 2011, their ship was captured and they were surrounded by Sharkticons. Shaoshao attempted to placate them with the universal greeting she had learned from Hot Rod in 2006, but the Sharkticons swarmed over them while Shao cursed the Autobot as a liar.
Put on trial by the Quintessons, they were found "not guilty" and dropped into a pit full of even more hungry Sharkticons. Only a last-minute rescue by Optimus Prime and Goldbug saved them from being devoured. Pity. Tokyo Toy Festival live performance
Wings Universe
The Quintessons built improved versions of the Sharkticons for Clench's Decepticon Syndicate. Their leader was Sky-Byte. The Sharkticons fought alongside the Decepticons against the Autobots at the Large Hadron Collider on Earth but the villainous forces were ultimately routed. Generation 2: Redux After Clench and Sky-Byte teamed up with Jhiaxus, the Sharkticons came with their commander to Qre. Jhiaxus set them on a team of Autobots who came snooping around. A Flash Forward, Part 4 Sideswipe disguised himself as one while moving around Jhiaxus's base. A Flash Forward, Part 5 A couple of them attempted to help Jhiaxus after the prisoners got free, only to be blasted by Blaze. A Flash Forward, Part 6
Captain Cannonball thought that Tornado and Ferak grinned like hungry Sharkticons when they looked over a list of items they would need to build in order to join the Star Seekers. Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur
Prevenge
As part of an elaborate (but ineffective) death trap, the Skuxxoid unleashed a horde of Sharkticons upon a group of Cybertronians it had abducted from throughout the multiverse. And by a "horde," he meant a single sickly and rusted Sharkticon. Embarrassed by the lack of a threat his Sharkticon presented, the Skuxxoid ordered his prisoners to fight one another to the death instead of bothering with it. Prevenge
Deviations
A group of Sharkticons investigated Optimus Prime's shuttle when the Autobot leader touched down on Quintessa. Kup tried the universal greeting on the creatures, but they responeded unfavorably. Optimus was forced to sic the Dinobots on their attackers, who easily dispatched the aquatic warmongerers. Deviations
Marvel The Transformers comics
When sharing war stories, Landmine claimed to have faced off against 50 Sharkticons. Recipe for Disaster!
Marvek UK future timelines
In an alternate timeline, Hot Rod, Grimlock, and Kup were taken prisoner by the Sharkticons on planet Quintesson. After being brought before a kangaroo court, the Autobots were promptly sentenced to death and dunked in a pit of Sharkticons. Swoop, Sludge, Slag, and Wheelie came to their rescue, and Grimlock intimidated the Sharkticons into turning on their cruel masters. As the Autobots watched the Sharkticons swarming the Quintessons, Kup mused that the planet's "problems" would be solved in short order. Judgment Day!
After being taken prisoner on the planet Quintesson by the Quintessons, Wreck-Gar attempted to escape by cutting through a body of water. Not too smart, as he was immediately beset upon by a school of Sharkticons. He managed to stave them off, expending much of his energy reserves but managing to stay alive until he was rescued by Wheelie. Space Pirates!
The Big Broadcast of 2006
In a strange alternate future, the Sharkticons were sent by the Quintessons to the surface of Junkion to retrieve a lost data canister. Their clumsiness alerted Wreck-Gar to their presence and they were driven off by the Junkions. In the melee, the canister was lost deeper in the junk pile where its finder-alarm was disabled. The Big Broadcast of 2006
Toy pack-in material
A Sharkticon was present during a battle against the Autobots on a moon base. He fought alongside the likes of Cyclonus and Trypticon. Decipher the Decepticon
A couple of Sharkticons were posted around the Creation Matrix in order to guard it from the Autobots after the Decepticons had stolen it. They were defeated by a small group of Autobots that infiltrated the Decepticon base, and fled with the relic afterwards. Start Your Own Decoy Collection
3H comics
Upon the Mutants' arrival on New Quintessa, Derodomontatus found the beasts guilty of contempt in his court and sentenced them to death... by Sharkticons! Alongside some Allicons, the Sharkticons leaped out of a nearby pool and began to maul their prey. Betrayal
Primal Prime's team of Wreckers also ran afoul of Sharkticons, though they fared better against their aggressors; after agreeing to take Al-Badur off of his icy prison-world, a school of Sharkticons surrounded the group, and pounced forth in attack. The better-armed group tore the Sharkticon to shreds in response. Disclosure
The Quintessons brought legions of Sharkticons to Cybertron in an effort to reclaim it as their own. The Wreckers: Finale Part 1 What ensued was a planet-wide battle, with Maximals and Predacons fighting alongside one another against the Sharkticon hordes. Ultimately, on every other battlefront, the Sharkticons failed to overpower the residents of Cybertron. Though they seemed to possess the advantage at first, ore and more Sharkticons joined the scrap heap as the technorganics began using Cybertron's reformatted terrain to their advantage. They didn't yield much better results when facing the fully-technological Decepticons inhabiting an non-reformatted city. On another battlefront, Cryotek used his Primus-derived powers to reformat several Sharkticons into facsimiles of Megatron and other villainous Cybertronians in order to do battle against Sentinel Maximus. Even more Sharkticons fell offline as Al-Badur overrode their systems to prove to the Maximals that he had truly allied himself with them. A platoon was melted to slag at the site of Darkmount, another under Cyclonus command was met by the Wreckers, and yet another group was dealt with by the Dinobots.
The Sharkticons left behind on the Quintessons' homefront were not spared either, as the two Mutants they had failed to slay, Icebird and Poison Bite, channeled Primus's power to slaughter the drones alongside their Quintesson masters. The Quintessons were ultimately forced to abandon their conquest of Cybertron outright, abandoning the Sharkticons as they fled to their ships, or using their corpses as cover from Cybertronian fire. But a small group of Sharkticons were spared by the Mutants on New Quintessa. Taking pity on them, Snowbird endowed them with the ability to feel hope and joy as he began to reformat the planet into a new technorganic paradise. Wreckers: Finale Part II
Big Looker storybooks
A group of Sharkticons were awaiting being fed a young robot, only for him to escape the Quintessons’ clutches. Darn.
Later, The Quintessons led a group of Sharkticons to apprehend the crew of an Autobot shuttle that had crashed down on their planet. They were easily defeated by the Dinobots and their friends.
Wheelie also had a necklace that appeared to be made out of Sharkticon teeth. The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Wild and deadly, with a voracious appetite for energon, the Sharkticons were slaves from a Quintesson colony world, used by their masters as soldiers and guards. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide They could be seen guarding their masters on the planet Quintessa as the aliens plotted against the Cybertronians. Generation 1 #0
Packs of Sharkticons were prowled Cybertron after the Age of Internment. One such pack attacked Shockwave shortly after he was reawakened, and only the intervention of Herald of Unicron Scourge saved his life. As thanks, Shockwave blasted his savior and used him as the basis for his twisted experiments. Gee. Cold War
Around the same time, a lone Sharkticon identifying itself as "Gnaw" was befriended by the Autobot survivalist Wheelie, and when its young companion joined the Autobot resistance movement led by Hot Rod, so did it. Passive Aggression
Timelines
Jackpot remarked that he had seen more trust in a Sharkticon's smile when he questioned Cryotek on whether the bar owner could be trusted to not sell out the wanted fugitives Jackpot and Hubcap. Gone Too Far
IDW Generation 1 continuity
The Quintesson Pentius's memories of the death and destruction spread by his race included Sharkticons being used to attack planets. Primacy #1 Perhaps this is how Sharkticons ended up living in the Acid Sea on the ruined planet Junkion, where they attacked Megatron when he passed by. He was able to kill the first of the creatures, but several others overpowered him and pulled him into the ocean depths. Rage For reasons unknown, possibly related to the presence of Pentius, these Sharkticons ended up releasing their grip and allowed their prey to escape. Fallout
During a brief return to Junkion, Megatron recruited Sharkticons into the Decepticon army. He deployed them during the attack on Iacon, creating a perfect environment for the aquatic beasts by preemptively flooding the battlefield with liquid coolant. Primacy #3
On the world of LV-117, carvings of the Sharkticons and Quintessons adorned an ancient temple. Spotlight: Wheelie
Knights of Unicron
The Sharkticon Pit, located on Planet Quintessa, was the ninth venue for the Knights of Unicron on their 2014 "Till All Are One" tour. Knights of Unicron
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
After the Joes bombed Iacon, Grimlock angrily threw them into a pit of Sharkticons. Arcee took pity on the hapless humans and threw them some explosives to defend themselves with. The Joes fed the explosives to the Sharkticons, which gave them indigestion, allowing the soldiers to escape. Funeral for a Friend
Swindle's Spiel
Swindle, Swindle and Swindle had Sharkticons among their drones for sale. Ask Vector Prime
Commercial appearances
While stranded on Quintessa, Hot Rod and Kup ran afoul of a school of Sharkticons. The Sharkticons swarmed on the Autobots, only for Wheelie to join the fight and help them beat the merciless 'bots back. Sharkticon commercial
Games
The Transformers (PS2)
| “ | Sharkticon, servant of the Quintessons! Terrifying creatures from the future, they have teeth that can snap tungsten rods as if they were animal bone! | ” |
—The Narrator, "The Transformers (PS2)" | ||
- Voice actor: Barry Gjerde (English)
During Shockwave's reign of destruction, the Quintessons provided technology to allow the elite of the surviving Transformers to travel back in time to obtain the Zel Quartz before Shockwave learned of its existence. Some Sharkticons came in secret with Galvatron and the Decepticons to help them.
A swarm of Sharkticons attacked the Autobots while they were exploring the Karzite mine. The leader announced that the Autobots were not allowed to pass and transformed to robot mode. It stated that the Sharkticons were obeying Galvatron due to how strong he was, and warned that if the Autobots got in their way, the Sharkticons would kill them. Rodimus Prime expressed his annoyed grief before announcing to the Autobots that they were going to have to beat the Sharkticons before they could continue their exploration. After a lengthy battle, the Sharkticon leader announced to his swarm that he was wounded and ordered them to retreat. As Rodimus watched the Sharkticons flee, he stated that they were not very tough. Later on, the Autobots had to fight off more Sharkticons while they were trying to navigate through a minefield. The Sharkticons were defeated again.
In the Decepticon story, a destabilization in space-time occurred and when their shuttle crash-landed, all the Decepticons were scattered. One Sharkticon found himself alone, which he disliked. When the Decepticons found the Gem of Mystery, that one Sharkticon managed to catch up with them, expressing relief. It ran up to the Decepticons in its monster form and transformed to robot mode once it got close, explaining how it had came on board the Decepticon's shuttle in secret. The Sharkticon told them that since he was a swarm member, he did not like being alone and announced that he would join them. Galvatron stated that his crew was starting to gain really odd members but concluded that allowing the Sharkticon to join them would definitely help defeat the Autobots.
When Starscream stole the Zel Quartz and went off into space, it caused the future Transformers, including the Sharkticon, to return to their own era. The Transformers
Transformers Legends
The Sharkticons were used by the Quintessons for executions. Unfortunately they were easy for Grimlock to persuade to turn on their own masters. Mockery of Justice
Transformers: Earth Wars
Sharkticons followed Seaspray and Octopunch from Aquatron to Earth. They could be summoned into battle by Gnaw or a "Shark Attack" Battle Boost, which could be collected only during the four-week Sharticon Saga. Be warned that they will explode when killed or re-summoned by Gnaw.
There are three levels of Shark Attack Battle Boosts; using one will deploy three 2-star Sharkticons at level 14, 30, or 40, respectively. Gnaw summons four Sharkticons one star rating lower than Gnaw himself, and their level can be increased by upgrading his "Chomp Chomp Chomp" ability. Transformers: Earth Wars
Toys
Generation 1
- Gnaw (Sharkticon, 1986)
- Accessories: Tail, "Maceration Laser"
- Gnaw transforms into a rotund, squat-limbed, shark-like monster. His beast mode tail becomes a mace weapon for robot mode and is also the most frequently missing piece from many Gnaws on the secondary market. Because of its fictional appearance as mass armies, it is one of the few Generation 1 army builder toys, though it is notably costly to use it for that purpose.
- Though the toy is labeled as "Gnaw", much like the Scrapmetal toy, it can be considered either the individual character or one of the countless others of its type.
Timelines
- Land Shark/Air Shark/Sea Shark (multipack, 2010)
- Accessories: 2 missiles each
- A redeco of Energon Sharkticon, these three Sharkticons transform into a Cybertronic submarine/battleship with dimly animalistic styling. Their small gun turrets are movable, plus their side panels can extend outward to reveal spring-loaded missile launchers. Each of the three Sharkticons came with its own bio card, dubbing them either "Land Shark", "Air Shark", or "Sea Shark". They were sold as a bagged souvenir add-on set at BotCon 2010. Only 1000 sets were produced.
Kre-O
- Sharkticon (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2013)
- Bag number: 31541 58
- Accessories: Stand brick, mace (nunchuks + 2 throwing stars)
- As part of the third wave of blindpacked Micro-Changers, Sharkticon is a Kreon that can be rebuilt into a shark of some description in homage to the Generation 1 Sharkticons.
- He reuses Warpath's helmet, and shares his shark head with Overbite. His tail-mace is made of ninja weapons originally designed for the Kre-O G.I. Joe sets.
Generations
- Gnaw (Legends Class, 2016)
- Accessories: Tail/Mace
- Titans Return Gnaw is a new Legends Class mold who transforms into a squat-limbed, shark-like monster. He comes with a mace accessory, which can be wielded by his 5mm hands, or plug onto his back as a beast mode tail. Any Titan Master can be ridden in his mouth. (Yes, you read that right.)
Merchandise
Robot Heroes
- Snarl vs. Sharkticon (2009)
- Sharkticon came with Snarl, who is actually Slag, who has been renamed in recent years. Due to their small size and price point, the Robot Heroes Sharkticon is prized by those wishing to inexpensively army-build Sharkticons. This made them harder to find in stores and severely overpriced in the secondary market. One can only wonder what became of the Slag/Snarls packaged with those Sharkticons.
Tiny Titans
- Sharkticon (Tiny Titans, 2015)
- Series: 2
- Number: 7/12
Notes
- The Sharkticons had the preliminary name of Sharkons.
- When asked about the Sharkticon design in an interview, Floro Dery's reply was, "Sharkticon is a shark."[1] He's seen some pretty weird-ass sharks.
- In his production notes, Floro Dery delves into this explanation further, writing that he designed it as a fantasy beast that uses qualities and traits of a shark, such as a large toothy mouth and a voracious appetite... which probably also explains why Sharkticons (referred to here consistently as "Sharkons") turn into fat little men.
- One early color model for the "Sharkon" gave it pinkish-red parts.
- In Japan, the Sharkticon is considered an "Animatron", the Japanese name for the Predacons. It was also not available as part of the normal retail assortment, despite its semi-prominent fictional appearance. At first, it was a promotional item as part of a Beastformer giveaway. It was later made available in limited quantities, seemingly in U.S. packaging, as a mail-away during 1988's Super-God Masterforce series.
- The Sharkticons' status as Animatrons may or may not be connected to Gnaw's shipping as the sixth figure in the Predacons' case assortment outside of Japan.
- Timelines Sky-Byte is a Predacon and commands Sharkticons, both groups being Quintesson-affiliated in the Generation 1 cartoon continuity (and therefore the Wings of Honor continuity). This may or may not be a coincidence. "A Common Foe" depicted them teaming up to found the Beast Era Predacons.
- During the Arctic level of the Transformers: Autobots movie video game, Create-A-Bot says, "This bites." Ironhide replies, "Bites?! Are there Sharkticons in here?"
Foreign names
- Japanese: Sharktron (シャークトロン Shākutoron)
- Mandarin: Shā-yǘ Chīng-Kāng (Taiwan, 鯊魚金剛, "Shark Vajra") Shāyú Jīng (China, 鲨鱼精, "Shark Fairy")
- Russian: Zhulikony (Жуликоны, "Swindlecons")
References
External links
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Character stubs missing toys
- BotCon exclusives
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generation 1 drones
- Generation 1 Predacons
- Japanese promotion exclusives
- Kiss Players
- Kre-O Decepticons
- Kreons
- Mail order exclusives
- Mass-produced Transformers
- Quintessons
- Robot Heroes
- Wings Universe species
