Takashi Kunihiro

pinkies out

Takashi Kunihiro (國弘高史 Kunihiro Takashi) is a veteran designer in TakaraTomy's Transformers product team. He joined Takara in 1984 and joined the Transformers staff during the period when they were designing the toys introduced in the 1986 animated movie and Season 3 of the television series. In addition to Transformers, he was responsible for the main characters of Brave series figures from Exkaiser to GaoGaiGar, which have subsequently influenced the designs of modern Transformers.

Toys that Takashi Kunihiro is known to have had a hand in designing

Generation 1

• Brainstorm
• Chromedome
• Crankcase
• Guzzle
• Hardhead
• Highbrow
• Hot Rod
• Sixshot
• Snapdragon

Victory

• Liokaiser
• Star Saber
• Victory Leo

Return of Convoy

• Star Convoy

Beast Wars II

• Gigastorm
• Tako Tank

Beast Wars Neo

• Magmatron
• Stampy
• Colada
• Saberback
• Bazooka
• Sling
• Retrax/Powerhug remold (unreleased)

Beast Machines

• Night Viper

Car Robots/Robots in Disguise

• Megatron

Energon

• Optimus Prime (Super class)

Cybertron

• Crosswise
• Leobreaker
• Optimus Prime
• Primus
• Vector Prime

Classics

• Astrotrain (with Don Figueroa)
• Jetfire

Transformers (2007)

• Decepticon Brawl (Deluxe class)
• Decepticon Brawl (Leader class)
• Optimus Prime (Leader class)

Universe (2008)

• Cyclonus (with Don Figueroa and Bill Rawley)
• Onslaught (with Bill Rawley)
• Silverbolt (with Bill Rawley)

Revenge of the Fallen

• Megatron (Voyager Class)
• Optimus Prime (Leader class)
• Jetfire (Leader class)

Dark of the Moon

• Jetwing Optimus Prime
• Ultimate Optimus Prime

Prime

• Vehicon (Deluxe Class)
• Optimus Prime (Voyager Class)

Generations

Titans Return

• Titans Return Autobot Apex & Powermaster Optimus Prime

Power of the Primes

• Power of the Primes Evolution Optimus Prime

Studio Series

• Autobot Ratchet
• Megatron
• Decepticon Blackout

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

• BW Megatron

Masterpiece Movie Series

• Barricade

Notes

• Considering his pedigree with creating robots with super modes (From Transformers to the Brave series), he seems to be one Takara's go-to talent when it comes to designing them
• Fellow TakaraTomy designers Shogo Hasui and Hisashi Yuki jokingly commented on Kunihiro's difficulties in designing the Revenge of the Fallen Leader class Optimus Prime and Jetfire toys. Yuki revealed that Kunihiro had problems reserving space for the electronics whilst maintaining on-screen accuracy, while Hasui joked that Kunihiro was "looking paralyzed" when he saw he had to make the two toys combine as well.

External links

• Translated interview from Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 1 on TFW2005.com