Kakuryu (G1)
- Kakuryū is a Decepticon Dinoforce member from the Victory portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
While none of the Decepticon Dinoforce are particularly smart, Kakuryū (カクリュウ) is easily the dumbest member of the team. Stooge-like and innocent in nature, he's very much the "Curly" to commander Gōryū's "Moe"; taking blow after angry blow from his leader but handling it all in a care-free stride. Why Kakuryū is a Decepticon is anybody's guess. He likes to dance and play and has a soft spot for cute little flesh creatures, especially bugs, which he thinks are cuddly-wuddly adorable.
| “ | I'm sorry! | ” |
—Kakuryū's catchphrase | ||
Fiction
Victory cartoon
- Voice actor: Masato Hirano (Japanese)
Kakuryū and the Dinoforce were responsible for the attack that claimed the life of Jean Minakaze's parents. Attack! Leozack Several years later, in 2025, when Deathsaurus targeted the planet Earth, the Dinoforce served as the vanguard of his invasion. The ever-hapless Kakuryū lagged behind his teammates when they made their first strike against humanity by attacking Earth's Lunar Base, but fared well in battle against the Autobot Brainmasters, even if his choice of weapon—a puny six-shooter—left something to be desired. When Star Saber arrived to join the fight, Kakuryū "generously" offered his commander Gōryū the chance to engage the Autobot leader in battle first, but was shouted down, and didn't last long against the galaxy's greatest swordsman. The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber The base's human crew was relocated to the Autobots' Galaxy Base, and a little later, Kakuryū sent his Pretender shell to join the other Dinoforce shells in attacking the station while he and the rest of the team ambushed Wingwaver. Over-eager, Kakuryū kept crashing into Gōryū throughout the fight until the team combined into Dinoking, and were then defeated by Star Saber. Sneak Attack! Dinoking
Following the Autobots down to Earth's surface, the Decepticons' vessel, the Thunder Arrow, concealed itself within a lake, causing Kakuryū to become very flustered when he was ordered to depart on a mission, as he couldn't swim. Gōryū supplied him with an inner tube and goggles, enabling Kakuryū to join in the team's attack on Star Saber at the Schwimmbad School. Attack! Leozack Later, Kakuryū joined in the Dinforce's effort to capture a human energy plant, but during the attack, he wound up doused in oil and accidentally set on fire by Gōryū's fire breath. Unite!! Multiforce Retiring to a desert island to train with his team, Kakuryū used a palm tree for a punching bag, but only wound up klonking himself on the head with coconuts and collapsing the tree on top of himself. He wound up in similar straits during the Dinoforce's subsequent attack on the Ocean Exhibition amusement park when he accidentally collapsed some support columns onto himself while playing with the park's displays. Move Out! Rescue Team
Kakuryū's clumsiness made the Decepticon attack on the Neo Uranium Mine a particularly trying experience for Gōryū, as he trod on his shell's tail, dropped a stack of uranium canisters on him, and clobbered him with his axe. Gōryū returned the favor with his club. Infiltration... The Uranium Mine Kakuryū went on to help load and defend the Decepticons' energy base in the Amazon jungle with no major screw-ups (although he was pretty dejected when he had to be told not to fire his weapons around the energy). Explosion!! The Energy Base He kept out of sight for a while afterwards, popping up only to fetch Leozack on Deathsaurus's orders. Attack the Shuttle Base!!
Kakuryū was part of the Decepticon team that invaded Marine City to plant a neutron bomb, but while he was running around scaring the populous, Kakuryū happened upon a car that looked very familiar. Said car promptly transformed into Blacker, who grabbed Kakuryū and forced him to spill the beans on their bomb plan before he was rescued by Gōryū. Tanker Hijack Operation Kakuryū was also the downfall of the Decepticons' next plan, when the villains captured Jean and Holi, and he was assigned guard duty, only to wind up letting them escape when he was fooled by a drawing Jean placed in front of their cell's security camera. Rescue Jean!! He had no more luck when he and the rest of the Dinoforce helped drain energy from captured human spaceships, struggling to open an access panel on one ship and accidentally bashing Gōryū when he attempt to smash the panel open. A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid
Kakuryū and the Dinoforce accompanied Deathsaurus back to the Dark Nebula where his de-powered Planet-Destroying Fortress lay for a test of the integrity of the fortress's systems. On the return trip, they crossed paths with the Autobot Galaxy Shuttle, and the Dinoforce tried to board the vessel, only to be repelled by the Rescue Patrol Team. In retaliation, the Dinoforce launched a bomb at the shuttle, but the Rescue Team sent it right back at them... but when it impcated, it didn't even explode, since Kakuryū had forgotten to install the ignition plug! Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress Upon their return to Earth, the Decepticons attacked the Schaeffer Energy Plant; during the loading of the captured Schaeffer Energy, Kakuryū tried to snack on some and got bonked by Gōryū for his troubles. Undeterred, when the Autobots attacked, Kakuryū tried to make off with a case-full of Schaeffer Energy for himself but blundered straight into Blacker and got blasted out of the fight. Battle Up of Wrath!!
When the Decepticons attacked an oil field, Kakuryū was given the task of guarding the captured human workers, which he managed to do even while spending most of his time asleep. To save the humans, the Rescue Patrol Team took the direct approach, blasting both robot and shell with fire-retardant foam; Gōryū gave him some brushes and towels to clean off and rejoin the fight. Crisis! Ambush in the Desert Kakuryū also took part in a Decepticon raid on a solar power station, and was the first to spot the Autobots' approach in the installation. Although he dropped a case of energy on his foot in the process, he did successfully raise the alarm, but in firing upon the Autobots, he wound up knocking a satellite dish off a nearby tower and onto Gōryū. Ginrai Dies!!
Kakuryū was part of the failed Decepticon attempt to steal energy from a tanker on the Energy Road. Fight!! Victory Leo The villains had more luck when they threatened the Earth with orbital missile bombardment, preventing the Autobots from acting while they stole energy. Carefree Kakuryū earned himself a scolding from Gōryū when he goofed around carrying more energy than he could manage, and took particular delight in taunting the helpless Autobots, but when Star Saber combined with Victory Leo to gain the power to outrace the missiles, he got on the horn to Deathsaurus to warn him of the Autobot leader's new abilities. The Tide Is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification
Kakuryū and Rairyū were tasked with staking out the Schwimmbad School as part of a plan concocted by Gōryū, but the appearance of Jean's new mecha, the Illumina II, threw a wrench into the works. At Kakuryū's urging, Gōryū decided to table his plan in order to test the mech's abilities, resulting in a fight that ended with the Dinoforce's defeat at the hands of Star Saber. As Gōryū attempted to protect his subordinates by offering his life to Star Saber, Kakuryū lunged forward and grabbed Star Saber's leg, trying to hold him back with the exclamation that he was the unimportant one, and that it was Gōryū who should survive. The rest of the Dinforce followed his lead, and the impressed Star Saber let them be, telling them to heal up for their next encounter. Jean - Defend the Campus!!
The insect-loving Kakuryū was thrilled when Hellbat bred a swarm of Doriya in the Thunder Arrow bio-room, recalling a fun time when he went bug-catching on the planet Dammar. When the insects were presented to Deathsaurus, Kakuryū was the one instructed to open the cannister containing them... at which point, the metal-eating monsters swarmed all over him and began munching their way through his armor! Drillhorn scooped up a fallen piece of Kakuryū's arm and used it to lure the bugs off him, and the injured Kakuryū was taken to the infirmary. The Death-Bringing Space Insects!!
When Deathsaurus raised Atlantis to raid its energy stockpiles, the Dinoforce loaded the Thunder Arrow with the recovered energy, but were then abandoned by Deathsaurus for their many failures and left to be washed away by a tidal wave when the continent sank back beneath the ocean. The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves
At first, Kakuryū thought this meant they could have a vacation, but Gōryū refused to believe they had been deserted, and kept them busy stealing energy. When they were caught in the meteor bombardment of Earth carried out by Deathsaurus's reactivated fortress, however, they were forced to accept that their emperor had discarded them. Kakuryū begged his injured captain not to die, and allowed the Autobot Rescue Patrol Team to carry out first aid on him. The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress! Reawakening the Autobot base, Gōryū called Kakuryū to his side and had him fetch an Autobot so he could pay Deathsaurus back by giving the Autobots' information on the fortress's weak spot. With this information, the Autobots triumphed and destroyed the Fortress and Deathsaurus with it. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
In the aftermath of Deathsaurus's defeat, while his fellow Dinoforcers went to work in construction, Kakuryū took a job at an amusement park, where he became very popular with children. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
Victory comic
When Deathsaurus launched his attack against the Earth, Kakuryū and the Dinoforce were at the forefront of the assault, riding their Pretender shells into action as they ransacked a city. They attempted to escalate the devastation by forming Dinoking, but were stopped cold by the power of Landcross. Magnificent! Our Friend, Star Saber!
Kakuryū continuously underwent extensive personal training in order to earn the respect of his peers and his emperor—though that training evidently didn't extend to his mind, as he figured the best way to put his new skills to use would be to hide underground on the off-chance that Star Saber would wander by and he could ambush him. It took three days, but Star Saber eventually did happen by, so Kakuryū leapt out to assault the Autobot Supreme Commander. While grappling with his foe from behind, Kakuryū commanded his shell to gore Star Saber's chest with his horns, hoping to penetrate down to his Brainmaster. Star Saber was only momentarily caught off-guard, however, and in seconds he had the upper hand after unleashing his Saber Vacuum Tornado Pacifier attack. Kakuryū bounced across the landscape and nearly fell over a cliff thanks to the awesome maneuver. Hanging from the edge, Kakuryū was defiant to the end and told Star Saber to hurry up and kill him if he was going to do it. Instead, Star Saber pulled his opponent to safety, and congratulated Kakuryū on his effort. Warrior of Love, Star Saber!
Kakuryū and the Dinoforce were stationed aboard the Decepticon Space Stronghold when Deathsaurus turned its power against the Earth, but were scattered by a sudden, forceful Autobot invasion of the vessel. The fighting soon ceased as the Decepticons revealed they only sought energy for their families, including the adorable Dinobabies. Kakuryū's a daddy! Heroic! The Victory War
Toys
Victory
- Kakuryū (Dinoforce, 1989)
- ID number: D-324
- Accessories: Triceratops shell, shell back, "Tricera Gun", "Dino Blaster" Dinoking gun, Dinoking head
- A redeco of the Pretender Monster Slog, Kakuryū transforms into a squat pincher monster. His inner robot is the largest of the Pretender Monsters and unfolds in a comparatively complex fashion to combine with them to form the shoulders and upper torso of Dinoking. His simple transformation to beast mode is similar to that of both Gōryū and Doryū. His robot form fits inside his soft-plastic Pretender shell, an armored Triceratops, which mounts both his smaller "Tricera Gun"—which he wields in robot mode—and his larger "Dino Blaster", Dinoking's weapon. Dinoking's head stores on the rear of the larger weapon.
- The Dinoforce shells are notable for developing a green patina on the painted-gold portions, as well as a slimy texture over their whole surface over time. What causes this is unknown, but ick. Even previously unopened samples will develop this nastiness. While some water and a little bit of hand soap should take care of the slime, there's not much to be done about the green discoloration.
- Dinoking (Multi-pack, 1989)
- ID number: D-328
- Accessories: Triceratops shell, shell back, "Tricera Gun", "Dino Blaster" Dinoking gun, Dinoking head
- All six members of Dinoforce were available both in individual boxes, and in a complete six-piece gift set. While there are no differences in the toys themselves, the gift set lacks any bio or tech spec cards for the individual components, only having cards for the combined mode.
Notes
- Kakuryū corresponds with 角竜, meaning "Horned Dragon". The term is used to refer to the ceratopsia suborder that includes Triceratops.
- The Victory anime depicted the Dinoforce members as carrying melee weapons, rather than the blasters the toys actually came with; Kakuryu carried an axe that could shoot blasts from its blade and handle, in addition to the wimpy, ineffective pistol he was seen with in both "The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber" and "Explosion!! The Energy Base".
Foreign names
- English: Slog (Omni Productions dub)
