Apelinq (ROTB)

The name or term "Apelinq" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Apelinq (disambiguation).

Apelinq is a Maximal from the Rise of the Beasts portion of the Movie continuity family.

"Apes, together....strong."

Apelinq was the Maximal leader before Optimus Primal. A just, reasonable leader, Apelinq was more than aware of the "needs of the many", perfectly willing to lay down his life—and even that of his own planet—if it meant helping the many. Just because he was willing to lose the battle for the sake of the war, however, didn't mean he wouldn't or couldn't wage the war: he was still a big gorilla who wielded arm blades in battle, having earned a reputation as the legendary defender of his planet known across the cosmos. He had long eyed Primal as his potential successor, and the arrival of Unicron proved to be the impetus for the younger Maximal to embrace his destiny...and continue his journey without his former leader.

“	We'd rather die than let him reach other planets!	”
—Apelinq, Rise of the Beasts

Fiction

Rise of the Beasts film

Voice actor: David Sobolov (English), Akio Ōtsuka (Japanese), Kőrösi András (Hungarian), Féodor Atkine (European French), Dario Oppido (Italian), Oliver Stritzel (German), Vanderlan Mendes (Brazilian Portuguese), Héctor Estrada (Latin American Spanish), Domènec Farell (Spain Spanish), Szymon Kuśmider (Polish)

One Nation under Grodd!

Apelinq was the leader of the Maximals on their homeworld—until Unicron showed up. In addition to wanting to consume their planet, Unicron also wanted the Transwarp Key that the Maximals had been guarding. After a close encounter with two Predacon Scorponok drones, Apelinq entrusted it to Optimus Primal to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Terrorcons and named him the new leader of the Maximals. Apelinq instructed Primal to flee with the Transwarp Key and remained behind to stall Scourge. The Terrorcon leader offered Apelinq the chance for Unicron to spare his planet if he surrendered the key, but Apelinq refused to allow Unicron the chance to continue on his rampage. Scourge made quick work of him, stabbing him and blasting a hole through his torso, but Apelinq taunted his killer with his last breaths that Unicron would never get the Transwarp Key and would be trapped in their galaxy forever. His body was presumably consumed when the Maximal homeworld was subsequently devoured by Unicron. As the fleeing Maximals watched their homeworld be destroyed, Airazor affirmed to her comrades that Apelinq's sacrifice would become their oath - that they would protect the key he gave his life for, no matter the cost. Rise of the Beasts

Toys

Studio Series

"George, are you ok buddy?"

• Apelinq (Leader Class, 2025)

• Movie: Rise of the Beasts
• Hasbro ID number: 116 / 118
• TakaraTomy ID number: SS-146
• Accessories: 2 arm blades, 2 chain pieces, 2-part Transwarp Key, "Jungle Planet Fight" backdrop
• Known designers: Evan Brooks (TakaraTomy), Shuhei Umezu (TakaraTomy)

Part of the seventeenth wave of Studio Series Leader Class toys, Apelinq is a retool of Optimus Primal from the same line, transforming into a mechanical gorilla in 34 steps. He comes with new faces for both modes, biceps, shoulder armor, forearm armor, and two curved arm blades, replacing Primal's scimitars and axe. His robot mode face is based on Primal's faceplate'd head from the film. Apelinq is well-articulated, including toe bends in robot mode, butterfly joints (backwards in robot mode, forwards in beast mode), opening pairs of fingers for both beast and robot mode hands, and an opening jaw in beast mode. His gorilla mode is capable of assuming both quadrupedal and bipedal stances, though his gorilla leg articulation is limited. Sadly, he lacks a 3 mm post on his tuchus in either mode for flight stands.

Apelinq's newly molded right beast mode shoulder adds a piece of circular detail, something that was already present on his (and Primal's) torso, creating an inaccruracy.

The arm blades can attach onto his arms, store on his back, or be held in his hands, all in either mode. They can also store on his thighs or attach to the chain accessories at either end (forming a Kusarigama), using the 3 mm post on the tip of the handles. The chains can combine to form a longer chain, and store on the 3 mm post on Apelinq's back in beast mode. The 3 mm compatibility also means the chains can be given to Studio Series Battletrap, the only character to actually use chains in the movie. The Transwarp Key appears to be molded differently than Primal’s, having a smaller peg connecting the two halves. It is also painted in orange, representing how it appears in the opening scene... but is still sculpted based on how it looks later in the movie. As with other Studio Series toys, he includes a backdrop display, with his depicting the fight on the Jungle Planet.

Hasbro (left) and TakaraTomy stock photography depict the toy with Optimus Primal's head in Apelinq's colors.

Like other toys in his wave, his instructions and box do not match for ID numbers; the former has 116 and the latter has 118. 118 marks the final ID number, before their removal from Studio Series.

Merchandise

Yolopark

"It was beauty that killed the beast..."

• Apelinq (2024)

• Accessories: Display base

Part of Yolopark's AMK Pro X line, this figure of Apelinq depicts him in his robot mode, which was not seen in the Rise of the Beasts film. It is based on a customized Yolopark AMK Series Optimus Primal made in summer 2023 by Weibo user G-GrayStudio

Notes

• Apelinq was confirmed to be in the film by accident; about a month before the film was released, the Hungarian voice cast was announced, and it included Apelinq. A few days before release, his English voice actor David Sobolov confirmed on Instagram that he was voicing Apelinq in the film.
• Much like his original counterpart, Apelinq's body is a recolored and modified version of Optimus Primal's. In addition to the aforementioned arm blades, the model features several details meant to resemble an albino gorilla, including a different snout, orange optics, and some fur on the top of his head.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Apelinq (エイプリンク Eipurinku)
• Mandarin: Shèng Yuán (圣猿, "Holy Ape")