Shadow Panther
- Shadow Panther is a Predacon from the Beast Wars portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Shadow Panther (シャドーパンサー Shadō Pansā) is the Predacons' undercover agent, taking his role seriously to the point of remodelling himself to look like the Maximal Cheetor so that he can easily lure in unsuspecting Maximal prey and kill them from within the cover of darkness. To aid him in his deception is the stealth effect from his black body that renders him invisible to radar, allowing him an easier time to fire his sense-dampening Shadow Mist or his powerful laser shotgun, the Panther Shot. Augmenting his peerless skills as a spy is his blazing speed as a black panther, granting him the nickname of "Black Bullet", and this speed extends to his effortless ability to assume a shooting position right from his transformation into robot mode.
Some may consider his methods cowardly, but that doesn't alleviate the fact that his terrifying qualities all combine to make Shadow Panther a truly fearsome Predacon warrior.
Fiction
IDW Beast Wars comics
While Shadow Panther's fellow Predacons saw only pain and failure in their history, Shadow Panther saw a golden age. He had spent years studying the records of his Decepticon ancestors, and idolized Megatron's inner circle of loyalists as the very best of their kind. He held a special fascination for Ravage, with whom he felt some kind of spiritual connection.
This eccentricity didn't affect his effectiveness as a spy, however. Cloaking himself in shadows and in illusions created by his holographic emitter, he executed his missions with grace and precision. On the rare occasions when he encountered opposition, he used a neuro-weapon to paralyze his foes. His sole weakness, which he shared with his idol, was his optic sensors' inability to adjust to bright light. Beast Wars Sourcebook #3
Beast Wars: Uprising
Shadow Panther was the head of the Predacon Secret Police, although rumors swirled about his origins and true allegiance. After the Grand Uprising, he became a part of the second Tripredacus Alliance and a representative of the Independent Predacus States at the Cybertronian Parliament. Derailment
Toys
Beast Wars
- Shadow Panther (Deluxe, October 1997)
- ID number: D-7
- Accessories: Tail rifle, water gun
- Part of the second wave of —and exclusive to— Takara's Beast Wars toyline, Shadow Panther is a redeco of the original Cheetor toy in black, silver, and yellow, transforming into a generic big feline. His tail/flanks separate to form a non-firing blaster, while his underbelly forms a water-shooting "gut gun" that can be used in either mode, though using it in robot mode is kind of unsettling. His robot-mode head can also flip down to reveal a bestial "mutant head".
- Much later, in early 2000, this toy was offered through Hasbro's online collector service, HasbroCollectors.com. Initially, it was sold under toy's original name and identity,[1] but months later, the site relisted it under the name of "Tripredacus Agent", repurposing the toy as the same character as Ravage (then called "Tripredacus Agent" due to trademark issues). Though the toy's online bio (a translation of the Japanese "Shadow Panther" bio) remained unchanged for the "Tripredacus Agent" listing, it was worded vaguely enough to enable it to also be used for the toy's repurposed identity.[2] The bio for the Walmart exclusive Transmetals 2 Tripredacus Agent would mention how the "former saboteur" had taken on "several aliases while involved the Beast Wars," in an apparent attempt to further harmonize Shadow Panther with Ravage/Tripredacus Agent.
- This mold was also used to make Tigatron, and was planned to be used for the canceled Universe toy Nightprowler.
- Wilderness Showdown: Rhinox VS Shadow Panther (Vs pack, October 1997)
- ID number: VS-7
- Accessories: Tail rifle, water gun
- Shadow Panther was available both as an individual and in a "Wilderness Showdown" (荒野の対決, kōya no taiketsu) two-pack with Rhinox. Both toys are identical to their individual releases, and both variants of Rhinox were available in this set as well.
- This set was also available in 2000 in its original Takara box via Hasbro's now-defunct HasbroCollectors.com site to American fans. A few stickers were added to the box for hazard/safety notices.
Masterpiece
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- Shadow Panther (Beast Wars) (August 25, 2018)
- ID number: MP-34S
- Accessories: Three cheetah heads, three cheetah eyes, three robot faces, Panther Eye mutant head, Shadow Mist gut-gun, Panther Shot tail-gun, comlink (beast mode), comlink (robot mode)
- Masterpiece Shadow Panther is a redeco of Masterpiece Cheetus. Shadow Panther transforms from a black
cheetahpanther to a robot based on Cheetor's show model, albeit taking a few shortcuts (such as using a faux cheetah head for the robot mode torso). He comes with two different guns: his traditional "gut gun" and his secondary "rump gun". Additionally, he sports three different robot faces (serious, angry and smiling), three different cheetah heads (neutral, angry and shocked) and three different pairs of cheetah eyes (looking straight, looking to his left and one with no pupils). Both weapons can stow on his backside. His hands are completely removable at the wrist, which makes it much easier for you to put his "rump gun" in his hand. This release also includes a new "Panther Eye" head (an imitation of the original toy's mutant head gimmick) and two communications devices from the episode "The Web". In an unprecedented call-back, the art on Shadow Panther's collector card uses the original CG render from the original Beast Wars toy rather than artwork designed specifically for the Masterpiece figure[3].
- Shadow Panther was released in Japan via TakaraTomy Mall, and was also scheduled for release in Australia as an online Toys"R"Us exclusive. Unfortunately, Shadow Panther never saw release there due to the close-down of the entire Australian Toys"R"Us chain. When purchased from a seller supplied by Hasbro Asia, Shadow Panther includes a collector coin mounted on a card shaped like a panther head. Strangely, despite being aligned with the Predacons, Shadow Panther's coin and the card it is mounted on have Maximal insignias.[3]
