Pointblank

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Pointblank is an Autobot Targetmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.
A bot of brief speech and briefer forearms.

Pointblank would say that war is hell, if he wasn't a bot of very few words. Words make arguments, and arguments make wars, and he wants no more of those. That isn't to say he's a poor fighter. He just wants a quiet place to sit down with a good datatrack and a glass of frosty energon, without a Decepticon missile spoiling everything, and if he should find himself pounding the ever-loving lock washers out of the shooter of that missile, it isn't because he bears grudges or even out of regret for the waste of a good drink. No, it's just on general principle. Every battle won brings him closer to retirement, which of course is never going to happen in a million years. No hard feelings, though.

Peacemaker keeps trying to cheer up his Autobot partner, which doesn't make sense, since he's not really upset. He just wants to retire, perhaps to a cozy little polished-titanium cottage with Morphobots twining up the walls, and maybe a cozy nuclear fire blazing on the lead-lined hearth—or for whatever rest an old Autobot soldier yearns. Just because he's pretty sure this won't happen and he'll end up a flattened, burned casualty of a never-ending war, doesn't mean he's depressed, does it?

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.
Quail Man!

During the war on Cybertron, the city where Pointblank lived came under attack by Scorponok's crew of Decepticons and was destroyed. Pointblank and numerous other captives were being marched to the smelting pools when Fortress Maximus's band of Autobots attacked, driving off their Decepticon captors.

Pointblank joined Maximus's group and was one of the first Autobots to volunteer to join Maximus when he declared his intent to leave the war-torn Cybertron behind and try to live in peace. However, the native creatures of their newfound home, Nebulos, were suspicious of his warlike race. While Fortress Maximus and a few others surrendered their heads to achieve peace, Pointblank and the rest of the Autobots surrendered their weapons as a sign of goodwill. Ring of Hate!

Those who still had their heads started constructing a headquarters in a nearby forest clearing. As Pointblank oversaw the installation of a thermoelectric wall module, the Autobots were visited by a committee from the Council of Peers, who were interested in learning more about their alien visitors. Unknown to them, however, was that this visit allowed the politician Zarak to contact their rival Decepticons on Cybertron. As a result of Zarak's subterfuge, the Decepticons soon followed the Autobots to Nebulos, and war broke out. Broken Glass!

Targetmasters! Line up in alphabetical order!

As the war dragged on, both battle and propaganda began to swing in Zarak's favor. Fortress Maximus himself was captured. With Maximus out of the picture, Pointblank assumed an authority role within the Autobot ranks, possibly acting as group commander. Those Nebulans who supported Fortress Maximus's Nebulon parter, Galen, were considered criminals by the government. A few who dared to defy this edict underwent the binary bonding process, took on code names, and became Targetmasters. Pointblank was soon paired up with Peacemaker.

Pointblank led his fellow Targetmasters on their first assignment to protect The Nursery from Decepticon interference. He and his team fared well against Scorponok and the Terrorcons, but when the Autobots realized their presence was causing the Nursery to be destroyed, Pointblank ordered his troops into retreat. The Autobots soon extrapolated this experience to the larger picture; realizing they were doing more harm than good, they left Nebulos. Brothers in Armor!!

I'm sensing a slight flaw here...

Sometime before they left Nebulos Pointblank, Sureshot and Crosshairs were captured by Scorponok, apparently because he couldn't perfect the Targetmaster process. The Autobot Headmasters attempted to rescue them from the Fortress of Despair but discovered too late that the Targetmasters were bait in a trap and that it was the Headmaster process The Decepticons were having trouble with. When their restraints were blasted by Hardhead, the Autobot Targetmasters soon freed their partners Peacemaker, Pinpointer and Spoilsport and set about the Decepticons. Worlds Apart!

Pointblank then traveled to Earth with Fortress Maximus and the rest of Steelhaven's crew. Trial by Fire! After Buster Witwicky was kidnapped, the Targetmasters attacked Shockwave's Decepticon island/spaceship under Maximus's leadership, but Pointblank and his comrades were held at bay by the island's defenses and could not join Fortress Maximus when he pursued the ship into space. The Desert Island of Space! He was later introduced to Grimlock as "Targetmaster Leader" when Maximus joined his forces to the former's. Grimlock wound up challenging Maximus to a duel to maintain control of the Autobots, though Blaster fought in Maximus's stead. Pointblank and the rest of the Autobots acted as audience to the duel on Earth's moon, but the proceedings were interrupted by a Decepticon attack. Blaster and Grimlock were forced to momentarily put their differences aside to rally the Autobots, and force the attackers into a retreat. Totaled!

He was only seen in background roles later on. It is assumed that he survived the Underbase-empowered Starscream's assault like all Transformers with organic components, but while Crosshairs and Sureshot resurfaced, Pointblank was never seen again.


The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Neil Ross (English) Kenichi Sakaguchi (Japanese){{#if: Hans-Rainer Müller (German, The Rebirth, Part 1), Thomas Rau (German, The Rebirth, Part 3)|, Hans-Rainer Müller (German, The Rebirth, Part 1), Thomas Rau (German, The Rebirth, Part 3)}}

Pointblank was hanging out on Cybertron when Brainstorm used a race between Hot Rod and Blurr as an experiment to demonstrate the Autobots could improve their capabilities with secondary human partners or operators. The discussion was interrupted by Optimus Prime, who warned the crew on Cybertron that the Decepticons had just raided Autobot City on Earth, and were now headed for the Plasma Energy Chamber, 12 levels below Generator C on Cybertron. Pointblank and the other available Autobots loaded into a shuttle and took the largest ventilation shaft in existence deep under Cybertron's surface. They found Scourge attempting to open the chamber, but stole the key back from him just before a bolt of plasma energy launched their shuttle into deep space. They eventually crashed on the planet Nebulos, but luckily Kup suggested they "think good thoughts", and everyone walked away from the planetfall without a scratch. After some...miscommunication with the natives, the Autobots were confronted by a pursuing Decepticon ship. Pointblank and Hot Rod were blasted in the following battle as they drove through the Decepticon lines, and were captured as the 'Cons retreated with several others. The Rebirth, Part 1

In their absence, the remaining Autobots bio-mechanically engineered themselves into Headmasters by joining with the native Nebulans. Their new skill enabled them to rescue Pointblank and the others from Scourge and Cyclonus's crew. After the Decepticons improved on the idea with the evil Hive to create Targetmasters, Pointblank and the remaining Autobots duplicated the new process to become Targetmasters themselves. He binary-bonded with a Nebulan sharpshooter named Peacemaker. The Rebirth, Part 2 The Targetmasters returned to Cybertron to prevent Galvatron from opening the Plasma Energy Chamber, then came back to Nebulos to restore it to peace and prosperity. The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Yūji Mikimoto (Japanese){{#if: John Culkin (English, Omni Productions dub)|, John Culkin (English, Omni Productions dub)}}

In his early years during the Great Wars on Cybertron, Pointblank was a brash, hot-headed warrior ruled by his heart—and often his pride. At one point Optimus Prime was forced to expel him from the Autobots when he refused a direct order not to pursue a battlefield vendetta. Duel on the Asteroid

Pointblank later would become a legendary veteran soldier rumored to have defeated hundreds of Decepticons. According to Pointblank himself, his small team of Crosshairs, Sureshot, and himself have speed and power unlike any other Transformer. He also did not like it that Wheelie considered him a friend. (Can we blame him?)

Pointblank, along with Crosshairs and Sureshot, was desperate to get into the heat of battle alongside the Autobots. He made short work of Sixshot but soon after was caught in an explosion of plasma energy when the refugees of Master tried to dispose of Decepticon mine bombs. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)

After the explosion settled, the damaged and unconscious Pointblank, along with Crosshairs and Sureshot, was brought back to Battleship Maximus for repairs. Brainstorm noticed new bizarre weaponry merged with their right hands. When healed, Pointblank told Chromedome how he'd now become one with a small Master robot in both body and mind and how it could transform into a powerful weapon attachment for his arm. Fortress named them the "Targetmasters". Chromedome was not too keen on the Targetmasters' arrogance and claims of power and experience. Later on, Chromedome learned to respect and understand Pointblank and his team for who they are, and likewise for Pointblank. Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)

Pointblank questioned Fortress Maximus's ideas of war when he refused to sacrifice Wheelie to keep the Master Sword's secret out of Decepticon hands. He later helped with the assault on the Decepticons to rescue Wheelie but was unable to hold the front line defense against the Duocons, who in the end stole the Master Sword plans. The Master Sword Is in Danger!!

Doubting that Scorponok and the Decepticons had fled Master Planet, Pointblank made a request to Fortress to go down to the planet to investigate. When talking to Fortress, Pointblank sensed someone else in the command room. Abruptly, the spy fled Maximus, revealing that the Decepticons were in fact on Master mining G-Metal. Landing on the planet, Pointblank and his Targetmaster team were ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters. During a quick skirmish, they were accidentally caught in a flash flood created by a stray laser blast and assumed dead by their evil counterparts. After recovering from the loss, Pointblank insisted on restoring the honor that the loss had cost him. The group continued their search 'till they found a group of Decepticons returning to what could be their secret base. Pointblank reported this to Fortress and was told to continue his investigation. Later, Pointblank found Transformer footprints leading to a large cave entrance, which, after deeper inspection, revealed the Decepticon base, in which something important was being built. Peacemaker and the other two Autobot Targetmaster partners volunteered to go investigate. The Autobot Headmasters arrived on the scene and were also ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters, but were quickly saved by Pointblank and company. Slugslinger was shocked to see the Autobot Targetmasters were still alive. A shootout began, but Zarak, fearing for the new Zarak Shield's safety, called a retreat. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide

To calm the worries of Fortress and Chromedome about the new Zarak Shield, Pointblank and the Autobot Targetmasters reminded their commander that the shield was used as a defensive weapon, rather than an offensive one for a major attack. Pointblank suggested if they split up the Decepticons and destroyed them in small numbers, they would leave Scorponok with a super defensive shield but no warriors to dish out the offensive attacks for him. Fortress approved of the plan, but Chromedome objected. Pointblank assured that the Decepticons wouldn't escape destruction, and his group took their leave to the hidden Decepticon base.

During their attempt to sneak up on the Decepticons, Pointblank and the Autobot Targetmasters were spotted by the Decepticon Targetmaster partner Caliburst, who informed the others of the surprise attack. Pointblank sensed something was wrong with the Decepticons' retreat formation, and his fears proved sound when the Decepticon Targetmasters made their presence known and rained lasers on them. Though outnumbered 3 to 7 by the Decepticon Headmasters, Targetmasters and Sixshot, Pointblank's team held a strong front and found an opening when a Planet Master reconnaissance jet distracted the Decepticons. The Autobots left the battle, hoping to cause their enemies to follow, but Sixshot, feeling the Targetmasters' movements were suspicious, ordered his group not to pursue.

Instead of the entire Decepticon team being led to their death in a large Planet Master ambush, Soundblaster alone followed discreetly and learned of the small base. Pointblank didn't expect this much firepower from the youth of Planet Master and wondered who could have made them take this action. He returned to Fortress to report that he felt Chromedome was logically behind the growth of offense from the small band of warriors.

Pointblank arrived at a large battle between the natives of Master, led by Chromedome, and the Decepticons, but high casualties among the Autobot ranks left Pointblank with little confidence in Chromedome's victory.

Hey Fortress, trouble is a-brewin'...

After Fortress was downed in a small skirmish between himself and Scorponok, the Decepticons all left Planet Master for Earth. Chromedome, being hotheaded, attempted to follow, but Pointblank held him back, as enough people had died that day. When Chromedome objected, Pointblank punched the Headmaster right in the face to straighten him out Chromedome objected again, and Pointblank throttled him, saying he didn't understand the big picture and that the dead hadn't died with peace or with honor. Pointblank was then shocked to see Kirk was still alive. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons

When Daniel went missing, Pointblank and the Targetmasters opted to follow Scorponok to Earth while Fortress and the rest of the Autobots found him. After Daniel was found, Pointblank expressed relief, but also reported that Scorponok had just entered the Sol System. He vowed to continue his watch over Scorponok's movements until Battleship Maximus arrived. My Friend Sixshot!

He informed Fortress of Scorponok's propulsion failure and continued his pursuit. Later while communicating with Fortress he was ambushed by the Decepticon Targetmasters only to be saved by the Autobot Headmasters. When Chromedome arranged a one on one duel with Sixshot, Pointblank gave some words of advice to the young Headmaster. When the battle turned bad, he came to the rescue of Chromedome and Daniel and took them back to Battleship Maximus, where they all had a big laugh about it. Duel on the Asteroid

As the Battleship Maximus returned to Earth, the Autobots learned of a series of mysterious Death Towers rising around the globe. In Santiago, Chile, Pointblank and the Targetmasters followed up on an investigation by the Throttlebots and the Autobot Clones. While Sureshot was taking energy readings on the tower, Predaking leapt out of hiding and presented himself for battle. Pointblank said, "Not now, we're busy" and shot him down with one blast. Elsewhere on Earth, Superion and Defensor hung their heads in shame. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)

Pointblank and the Targetmasters joined the whole Autobot army in storming the Decepticon position at the North Pole. The two Targetmaster teams fought once more over the icey sheet. When Fortress Maximus was trapped in an energy circuit atop the crysmagnetal platform, Pointblank and the Targetmasters lent their personal energies to the Headmasters' Head Formation. With the combined strength of all the Autobots channeled into Fortress Maximus, he wsas able to free himself from the circuit and undo Scorponok's plan. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Legends comic

Newly stationed on Earth in the late 1980s, Pointblank rushed into action during the battle over the Transform Super Cog, against the orders of Optimus Prime. His rashness left him open to being shot in the back by Slugslinger, leaving him cursing the Decepticon for his cowardly tactics. Slugslinger's Ambition

During a battle with Scorponok in 2021, Pointblank and the Targetmasters battled their Decepticon counterparts, who managed to take away their gun partners as part of a plan to forcibly bond with them during another plasma energy detonation. Instead, the explosion caused all the Targetmaster partners to disappear and infected everyone else with "blackballs", small black holes that were shrinking their bodies until they would ultimately collapse in on themselves. Having no other choice, Pointblank and the other non-Headmasters agreed to have their heads removed and converted into Headmasters so they could leave their bodies behind. Headmaster Chapter Prologue Targetmaster Chapter Prologue While one account saw Pointblank accompanying the other Autobots to the Legends World in search of new bodies, Bonus Edition Vol. 21 he and the other Targetmasters actually remained in their home universe to search for their lost partners. Targetmaster Chapter Prologue They eventually found them floating in space, only to find they had been supercharged with plasma energy and were emitting deadly doses of it. Before the trio could succumb to the energy, the Targetmaster partners suddenly vanished, whisked away to the Legends World by Alpha Trion. Mutant Targetmaster Birth Chapter

Pointblank and the others followed their partners to the Legends World, where they acquired transtector bodies from Kup's shop. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One Learning that the Targetmaster partners had been modified by Scorponok into plasma energy bombs, they joined forces with their Decepticon counterparts and executed a plan to expel the energy before it could be detonated. The plan succeeded at the cost of destroying the Legends World, and the Targetmasters all fled back to their own dimension. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two

IDW Generation 1 continuity

First appearance: Stormbringer #2

Pointblank was a crewman aboard the Ark-27 when Optimus Prime came to investigate the disappearance of Jetfire's survey team and the possible reappearance of Thunderwing. Stormbringer #2 When Thunderwing returned to Cybertron, Pointblank took part in the subsequent battle against the ultra-energized monster. He was apparently a bit leadfooted in his attack and paid for it. He survived, however and was aboard the Ark-27 again as it transported Optimus Prime to Earth. Stormbringer #4

Pointblank and the crew of the Ark-27 recovered the severely damaged Omega Supreme from a comet in the Muta-Gaath Nebula after the giant Autobot and Optimus Prime were attacked by a group of strange "gestalt" Transformers. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

Pointblank was present at Kimia Facility when Cyclonus and the Sweeps invaded. Lamentations He survived the attack and joined the crew of the Lost Light once the war was over. Hangers On The Chaos of Warm Things Alongside the rest of the crew, Pointblank battled Overlord when he appeared on the ship. Under Cold Blue Stars

Much later, Pointblank was part of the security team and was subjected to shadowplay by Sunder on behalf of Getaway. In addition to wiping his memories of how Rodimus and the command team left, Strafe was also wired to see Getaway's authority as unquestionable, and anyone who did question it as an undercover Decepticon. Filling in the Blanks He and security greeted the returning Protectobots and Mirage. He was with security when they interrupted the Protectobots meeting at Swerve's with Riptide about the mutiny. During the battle that followed, Pointblank was gunned down by the fleeing Protectobots. Full Circle Later on, he was swatted aside by Defensor when the Protectobots made another attempt to run. Journey's End

Kre-O online manga

Upon seeing the frightful appearance of Predaking's combined form, Pointblank started shooting at him along with Optimus Prime and Drench. Behemoth Combination! But They're Cute? The Predacon Unit

Commercial appearances

When the Transformers' war resumed its course on Nebulon, Pointblank could be seen fighting alongside his fellow Autobot Targetmasters against their Decepticon counterparts, while Fortress Maximus and Scorponok grappled in the distance. Headmaster comic book commercial

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Pointblank is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Autobot duplicates in the Decepticon campaign.

The Transformers

Transformers Legends

Although Pointblank was not included in a storyline for the Transformers Legends game, he was featured as a playable character.

Signature Series

Toys

Generation 1

The engine block fills in the Pointblank.
  • Pointblank (Targetmaster, 1987)
    • Japanese ID number: C-106
    • Accessories: "Peacemaker"/"Peaceman" Targetmaster partner/"Sonic Blaster", spoiler/shield
Pointblank transforms into a Cybertronic sports car. As a Targetmaster, he can hold in his hand or mount on his vehicle-mode roof any Targetmaster gun (or any weapon that uses a 5mm peg). He comes with his partner, Peacemaker/Peaceman who transforms into his "Sonic Blaster" gun. His winged engine block can be removed and held as a shield.
Pointblank is the only one of the new-character Targetmasters to have an accessory beyond his partner/rifle (in the U.S., at least).
Like the other Targetmasters, his Japanese release lacks a rubsign.

Notes

  • The head on Pointblank's "Rebirth" character model is rather different from the actual toy's, being based on a very early concept sketch that looks something like the Crosshairs toy's head with a fin stuck on the forehead. His Japanese depictions do not use this model, instead opting for one much closer to the toy with exaggerated antennae off the sides.
  • Unlike his toy or "The Rebirth" depiction, the Japanese Pointblank's Targetmaster partner does not transform into a handheld gun, but rather a gun attachment which affixes onto his hand after his own fist folds and tucks into his forearm. The same applies to the other Japanese Targetmasters.
  • Once again, the Latin American dub gives different names, In the case of Pointblank, on his first appearance, he is called "Brando" by Fortress, but in part 2, he is called "Bonka".
  • Like most other cameo Kreons, Kre-O Pointblank is made up from existing Kre-O pieces: in this case, the Red Alert helmet with a Shockwave wrist-blaster. While clearly attached to the wrist like with Generation 1 Pointblank's Japanese appearances, it is unclear whether the gun is a Kreon counterpart to Peaceman.
  • In the Legends comics, Headmaster Pointblank appears as a "virtual redeco" of the Titans Return Hot Rod mold with Metalhawk's head.

Foreign names

  • Japanese: Blanker (ブランカー Burankā), Pointblank (The Rebirth, ポイントブランク Pointoburanku)
  • French: Bout-Portant (Canada)
  • Italian: Sibilo
  • Mandarin: Blanker (布兰卡 Bùlánkǎ)
  • Russian: Bonko (cartoon, Бонко)
  • Spanish: Brando, Bonka (America)
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