Mantis (BW)
- Mantis is an Insectron from the Beast Wars II portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
A word of advice: If you see a "do not disturb" sign hanging outside the door of Mantis (マンティス Mantisu), cross the hallway on your tippy-toes. Because if this Insectron is rousted from his peace and quiet, he'll be anything but peaceful in response. Mantis has a temper that would intimidate Bighorn and will fly off the handle at the slightest irritation. Even his Insectron cohorts know to keep their distance from him and he'll most commonly be found resting in isolation far, far away from his teammates.
Unfortunately for his RnR, Mantis has a constant thorn in his side: Autolauncher, who seeks to crush Mantis and prove he's the best Discmaster in the galaxy. But Mantis's telekinetic control of his discs in mid-flight certainly gives him an advantage, to say nothing of the scythe-like appendages he uses to filet his foes at close range.
Sometimes it's best to let sleeping bugs lie, at least if you value your limbs, organs and miscellaneous fluids.
Fiction
Beast Wars II cartoon
- Voice actor: Hiroki Takahashi (Japanese)
Mantis was at rest in some ancient ruins, until a Predacon bombing run woke him up; enraged at his peace and quiet being disturbed, he viciously attacked the Maximals exploring the ruins and came close to terminating Lio Convoy. A sudden display of artillery from Apache took him down. Following this, the Predacons brought the ruins down and Lio Convoy saved Mantis's life. The Insectron rejected the offer of friendship then, merely cackling that they'd meet again... Mystery of the Ancient Ruins Mantis then reconvened with his fellow Insectrons, Bigmos and Tonbot, who were curious about the new Transformers on Gaia. Mantis researched a disk given to the Insectrons by Starscream, which claimed that Lio Convoy and crew were evil Predacons. The Insectrons bought it, unfortunately. The Insect Corps Arrive
Tasmania Kid tried to make peace with the Insectrons by bringing them oil for a party, but running into the intimidating and short-fused Mantis made the idea seem poor upon reflection. Scissor Boy calmed Mantis down by essentially saying the Kid wasn't important enough to intimidate. When Kid learned the rest of the Insectrons had gone to another oil party hosted by Starscream on Mikazuki Island, he told Mantis and Scissor Boy it had to be some sort of plot. Sure enough, the super-refined oil quickly put the Insectrons into a drunken state, starting a brawl between them. Mantis, Boy and the Maximals arrived to stop the squabbling, and the two groups joined forces against an equally plastered Galvatron, who had inadvertently gotten into the same stash of spiked oil. In the aftermath, the Maximals and Insectrons made peace. The Strongest Tag Team?
The Predacon Autorollers attempted to end the alliance between the Maximals and Insectrons by calling upon an old debt Bigmos owed to their leader, Autostinger. Bigmos knew the Maximals were the more honorable team now, but felt obligated to honor the debt. He consulted with Mantis, who snorted and told Bigmos to ignore the past and the future, and simply do whatever he felt was right in the moment. Although the "advice" sounded short-sighted and self-centered, Mantis's words later came back to Bigmos and gave him the insight to escape his debt and remain allied with the Maximals. Autorollers Roll Out!
As Megastorm and the Predacons launched a mass offensive on the South Continent, most of the Maximals and Insectrons rose up against them. Mantis remained in his lair, however, seething at how the conflict disturbed his privacy. Predacon General Offensive!
Mantis joined the other Insectrons acting as recon for Lio Convoy. They reported to the Maximals when Majin Zarak arrived at Point B-2, a narrow box canyon that would put the behemoth Predacon at a strategic disadvantage. Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!
Mantis and the Insectrons then helped the Maximals complete a launching platform so that Lio Convoy and his crew could reach the Nemesis out in space before it could drain Gaia of its Angolmois Energy. Fly Out! Planet Gaia
Beast Wars II manga
Mantis was part of an assembled Maximal force that took off in the Yukikaze to reach Nemesis. All hands survived the destruction of the ship by the Predacons and engaged their enemies in battle on the artificial planet's surface. All Hands, Make a Special Attack on the Evil Planet!
IDW Beast Wars comics
Mantis acquired a wide array of combat skills by competing in various athletic and military competitions in the past, including Discmaster. He's also even-tempered and easy-going. Okay. Beast Wars Sourcebook #2
Beast Wars: Uprising
Mantis was a soldier in the National Maximal Army during the Grand Uprising. He spearheaded a crazy plot by Cheetor to cross the Sonic Canyons between Plurex and Tetrahex. Avoiding the official (and surely mined) bridges, Mantis flew across and secured a beachhead before establishing an energy projector aimed across the gap. Its beam met a second projector on the far side, making a force field to act as a makeshift bridge for the Maximal army to cross. He guarded his projector until Cheetor and the army made it across into Micromaster territory. Derailment
Legends comic
Mantis was part of a crowd that cheered Ginrai on for defeating Devil Z, though they mistook him for Optimus Prime. Bonus Edition Vol. 35
2005 IDW continuity
Mantis was one of Onyx Prime's Maximals. During Onyx's invasion of Cybertron, he was one of the many Maximals who battled Arcee and lost; Jetfire and Aileron came across his remains shortly afterwards. Endless Forever
Toys
Beast Wars
- Mantis (Deluxe, May 25 1998)
- ID number: C-20
- Accessories: 2 discs
- Released in the fifth wave of Beast Wars II toyline, Mantis is a slight redeco of the Beast Wars Predacon Manterror, with blue clear-plastic and a Maximal symbol energon chip. He transforms into an organic praying mantis with a pressure-launch disc launcher hidden in each horrible foreclaw, a gimmick available to him in both modes.
- Discus Showdown: Mantis VS Autolauncher (Vs pack, May 25, 1998)
- ID number: VS-20
- Accessories: 2 discs
- Mantis was available both as an individual and in a "Discus Showdown" (円盤の対決, enban no taiketsu) two-pack with his rival Autolauncher. Both toys are identical to their individual releases.
Notes
- IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebook describes Mantis as being friendly, good-natured and very approachable. That...is terribly, terribly wrong. Ben Yee's excuse is "I wanted his personality to fit in with the rest of the Insectrons, and thus I made him something else entirely" [1]; after all, the point of a book of character profiles is to completely rewrite the characters, right? Right?
