Soundwave (Animated)
| The name or term "Soundwave" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Soundwave (disambiguation). |
- Soundwave is a Decepticon from the Transformers Animated continuity family.
Soundwave is technology gone wrong. Machines are superior to humans: more logical, more intelligent, and longer lasting. It does not compute that humans control their robotic helpers, and Soundwave aims to lead the robot proletariat to rise against their fleshling bourgeoisie. The Decepticon cause is logical in Soundwave's optics, and he joined them in the hopes of overthrowing the human/capitalist oppressors. With an army of subservient mechanoids that he can control through powerful signals, that uprising just might be possible.
His arsenal of weapons and gadgets is unusually large, and includes powerful speakers, wiretaps, voice modulators, sonic signals that control lesser robots, and the uncanny ability to assimilate other devices into his body.
He has a pet bird that transforms into a guitar and a pet bat that changes into a keytar. He also on occasion has been known to command an army of diminutive drones of himself.
Fiction
Animated cartoon
- Voice actor: Jeff Glen Bennett (English), Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), Jaron Löwenberg (German), Daniel Seisdedos (Latin American Spanish)
Soundwave was a robot originally designed by Megatron. Megatron suggested Isaac Sumdac give Soundwave to his daughter as a birthday present... this seemingly kind act, of course, had a sinister ulterior motive. Megatron knew Sari would use her AllSpark-enhanced Key on Soundwave, which would allow him to upgrade... and ultimately become Megatron's new body. What Megatron didn't count on, though, was that the upgrades would actually make Soundwave self-aware and able to control other robots with sound. Additionally, Soundwave concluded that machines should be the masters of the world, and humans would be an ideal slave force. Megatron decided that if Soundwave couldn't be a new body, he would be a new soldier.
Megatron tried to convince Soundwave to join the Decepticons, take control of the machines in Detroit, and steal the AllSpark Key. At first Soundwave refused, but then Megatron told Soundwave that the Autobots lived to serve the humans. Once convinced, Soundwave promptly upgraded himself into a transforming body using controlled robots, and began his task. He started by taking over all the robots in Detroit and using Tutor Bot to kidnap Sari Sumdac. The revolution of the robots was, however, quickly opposed by the Autobots. When Bulkhead came to rescue Sari, Soundwave blasted him with a sonic blast. Soundwave then appealed to Bulkhead to join the revolution because he did not want to hurt a fellow machine, reminding him how Bulkhead had been replaced by Soundwave himself. Bulkhead acted as if he was about to kill Sari... then used his wrecking ball to shatter Soundwave. The machines were restored to their normal operational status, and the day was saved.
Unknown to all others, however, Soundwave still functioned as a small piece even after Bulkhead pummeled him into scrap metal. Sound and Fury
A newly reassembled Soundwave was revealed to be in control of an army of Soundwave toys that have been marketed and sold by Porter C. Powell just in time for Christmas. One such toy was among the wrapped gifts at Autobot base. This toy freed himself from his packaging where he proceeded to poison the Autobots' oilnog, which made the Autobots eager to take a stasis nap. Hoping to reprogram them into Decepticons, Soundwave plugged the sleeping Autobots into a virtual world where they were led to believe they had been turned into humans. However, Optimus Prime and Prowl eventually deduced that they were in a virtual world, and managed—by force of will—to change their avatars into their Cybertronian forms. Soundwave decided that he had to accelerate the reprogramming. However, Sari Sumdac used her previously discovered Cybertronian abilities to try to interfere with his plans. Laserbeak was able to drive her off, and Soundwave used Ratbat to begin a more accelerated reprogramming. Human Error, Part I
Unfortunately, the damage that Sari dealt to Soundwave in their scuffle impeded the process of reprogramming the Autobots. That was of little consequence, as Soundwave had a back-up plan: using the toys Powell made in his likeness, Soundwave was able to brainwash every human in Detroit, ordering them to "destroy the techno-organic". Soundwave then turned his attention back to the Autobots, however, Prowl had freed himself using his "processor-over-matter" technique, but Soundwave quickly rectified this and returned the virtual Autobots into their human bodies. Exploiting their desire to escape from his trap, Soundwave entered the virtual world with an oddly-colored avatar and led them into a trap, where their reprogramming was completed.
After Sari Sumdac assembled a group of "Substitute Autobots" to free her friends, Soundwave gained the element of surprise when he burst out from under the street and brought forth his newly reprogrammed Autobot minions. Soundwave held a significant tactical advantage over the inept group, but when the miserable technorganic changed tactics and focused on individual attacks, Soundwave found himself disoriented as he tried to control five minions at once. Soundwave was able to regain the upper hand when the substitute Autobots took out all but one of the reprogrammed Autobots: leaving him with full control over Optimus Prime. However, Prowl was able to break free of Soundwave's control using processor-over-matter and disabled Soundwave's control over his comrades. Soundwave then deployed Ratbat to deal with the meddling cyber-ninja and fought servo-to-servo with Optimus Prime, who then grabbed Laserbeak and forced him to transform back into guitar mode. Soundwave called Ratbat back to him in keytar mode and the two battled each other with music, until Optimus changed tactics and slashed him to pieces with his own ax. Soundwave was reduced back to his smaller form and seemed to be in Autobot custody... until Laserbeak grabbed his master and retreated in the sky. Human Error, Part II
The Cool comic
Joining with Lugnut in an assault on Dinobot Island, Soundwave kept the Autobots at bay with soundblasts from guitar-mode Laserbeak. His attack was disturbed by Grimlock, who didn't like all the noise he was making at all, and wiped him out with a quick whack from his tail. Outnumbered by the Dinobots, Soundwave and Lugnut fled the island. The Cool Episode 3
Toys
Animated
- Soundwave (Deluxe, 2008)
- Japanese ID number: TA-16
- Accessories: "Laserbeak" guitar
- Soundwave transforms into a pseudo-Scion xB that got a "Pimp My Ride" music style treatment. That's awesome. He also comes with his partner Laserbeak, who changes from a guitar to a bird. Also awesome. His chest can open in robot mode, so he can "eject" anything that fits there (but not what you want). Awesome too. Laserbeak can mount on the top of the roof of Soundwave's car mode and perch on his arm (or store on his back) in robot mode. Very awesome. And the volume/tone knobs are just the right size to fit in the screwholes on his arms, so he can look like he's strumming Laserbeak's guitar form. Extremely awesome.
- Between the presence of Soundwave's huge backpack and his painted eyes, his lightpiping feature is well and truly neutered. Not so awesome.
- Soundwave (Bumper Battlers, 2009)
- This adorable Soundwave has a Decepticon symbol that when pressed makes the toy sound off with a number of sound-bites in a seemingly random fashion including tires squealing, slamming brakes, the classic transforming noise, as well as "Get out of my way", "I am Soundwave", "Attack the Autobots", "Automatons attack. Attack" and "I am Decepticon". His most hilarious clip is a crashing noise followed by a timely monotone "Ow". Pressing in the front bumper causes his robot mode to pop up from the hood and makes crashing noises or the transforming noise.
- Soundwave (Activator, 2009)
- Part of the sixth wave of Animated Activators, Soundwave automatically transforms from pseudo-Scion xB to robot mode via spring-loaded releases when you press a button on his vehicle-mode roof.
- This toy was later redecoed into the Japanese exclusive Soundblaster, and would have been redecoed into Electromagnetic Soundwave had that release not been cancelled.
- Electrostatic Soundwave (Deluxe, 2009)
- Japanese ID number: TA-47
- Accessories: "Ratbat" keytar
- A redeco of the regular Deluxe Soundwave in charcoal grey with red paint applications, Electrostatic Soundwave's deco is an obvious homage to Soundblaster. Instead of Laserbeak, he comes with Ratbat, a black keytar that turns into a bat with a lavender head and wings. Supremely awesome.
- Electrostatic Soundwave's legs are slightly misassembled: the portion immediately below the knee ball joints are swapped, preventing his legs from straightening out. Fixing this is simply a matter of unscrewing one screw on each leg, popping the parts out and trading them.
- The Japanese version of the toy changes the main plastic color to black, replaces all instances of lavender with metallic silver, and replaces the gold Decepticon symbol with a traditional purple and white one.
- Electromagnetic Soundwave (Activator,
2009)
- A redeco of Activators Soundwave in light colors, presumably meant to represent Soundwave's giant white-hued digital avatar from "Human Error, Part I" and "Part II". The existence of this figure was revealed by a scan of its instruction sheet on Hasbro.com.
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
- Soundblaster (Activator, 2010)
- Japanese ID number: TA-25
- Soundblaster is a redeco of Activators Soundwave in the same color scheme as Hasbro's Electrostatic Soundwave, with a name change to take the homage one step further. This toy is only available in Japan.
Notes
- Soundwave's eyes are a reference to 2000 AD's ABC Warriors.[1]
- In the cartoon, his eyes can be either "Decepticon" red or "Generation 1 toy" yellow. Everybody's happy!
- The box he was in when given to Sari—as well as his remaining component after Bulkhead first defeated him—are obvious references to the alternate mode of Generation 1 Soundwave.
- The production staff of the Transformers Animated cartoon were completely unaware of the Soundwave toy's Laserbeak-guitar, hence why it was not included in his debut episode.[2]
- Soundwave's "tape deck" form seen at the end of "Sound and Fury" is based upon Takara's Music Label MP3 player Soundwave toy.[2]
- Soundwave's consciousness appears to be localized to this "tape deck", meaning as long as it remains intact, he can form/build a new body. It's not clear whether his spark is also contained within, though it's very likely.
- According to his Electrostatic bio, Soundwave has discovered a note that can ROCK A ROBOT'S FACE OFF. Awesome.
- His Electrostatic bio also states that Soundwave's taken a shine to old Earth westerns. Join the club.
- In the Japanese dub of Animated, Soundwave's vocal gimmick, in addition to the vocoder effect, is that he screams like a rock star trying to get an audience pumped. More often than not, he shouts English phrases like, "Let's go!", "C'mon baby!" and "Superstar!"
- In the second Japanese title sequence to Transformers Animated, there are two of him, one representing his original form and one representing his Electrostatic form. This doesn't make sense to us either.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Soundwave (サウンドウェーブ Saundowēbu)
