Sharkticon (species)
| The name or term "Sharkticon" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Sharkticon (disambiguation). |
- Sharkticons are Quintesson mass-produced enforcers from the cartoon portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Sharkticons are big, dumb, plentiful and voracious—in short, perfect soldiers for the Quintessons. It's not unusual for the Quintessons to throw their captives into a big tank full of the feisty nippers after a mock trial just for chuckles. Though individual Sharkticons are not especially durable, like piranha, they swarm in en masse and can devour a full-sized robot in a few seconds with their razor-sharp teeth and claws.
One notable Sharkticon is Gnaw, friend to the young Autobot Wheelie.
A series of upgraded Sharkticons includes Air Sharks, Land Sharks, and Sea Sharks.
| “ | I am a swarm member. I don't like being alone. | ” |
—A Sharkticon's description of his race, The Transformers | ||
Fiction
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
- Voice actor: Frank Welker (English), Roger C. Carmel (English, Movie), Bud Davis (English, The Quintesson Journal), Jim Cummings (English, Money is Everything), Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese, Movie), Minoru Inaba (Japanese, Movie), Keiichi Nanba (Japanese, Movie), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese, 2010), Masashi Ebara (Japanese, 2010), Reinhard Brock (German, The Quintesson Journal), Hans-Rainer Müller (German, The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1)
When Hot Rod and Kup found themselves stranded on the planet Quintessa, they were captured by Allicons and brought to a group of Quintessons to be put on trial. The Autobots witnessed two other prisoners be judged "innocent" and dropped in a large pit of Sharkticons, but when it was their turn, they managed to get out of the pit and fought back.
Soon enough, the Dinobots arrived and started thrashing the Sharkticons until they backed down. Grimlock then ordered them to turn against their Quintesson masters, and apparently choosing to follow the strongest one, the Sharkticons complied. The Transformers: The Movie
A squad of Sharkticons were used to abduct Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike Witwicky from the Galactic Olympics. Under cover of a smoke bomb, they entered the game grounds and successfully snatched the trio to be taken back to Quintessa for trial. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 The trio were found guilty and thrown into the Sharkticon pit. A battle ensued until Rodimus Prime arrived with Springer, Arcee and Grimlock as reinforcements. Many of the Sharkticons were still on Quintessa when the Quintessons blew it up with a core bomb. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2
During the brief Quintesson-Decepticon alliance which besieged Cybertron, a commando team of Sharkticons were deployed to the deeper levels of the Transformer homeworld in order to find the master switch which would shut down all Transformers as part of the Quintesson master plan. Fortunately, the commando team was intercepted by Rodimus Prime and Blitzwing, who prevented the trio from succeeding in their goal. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5
Sharkticons were used to defend Inquirata's Time Window. They didn't do a particularly good job, and the experiment fell into Autobot hands. With the Universe in peril, the Quintessons sent the Sharkticons to assault the base, which again resulted in failure, though they were later able to persuade Rodimus to shut the Time Window down. Forever Is a Long Time Coming A few Sharkticons attempted to retrieve a Quintesson Journal from Junk, however as soon as they laid their claw on it, the Junkion drove them off and they had to leave without the journal. The Big Broadcast of 2006 Outback managed to trick one particularly stupid Sharkticon into opening the cell which he and his pals were imprisoned in. The Quintesson Journal
When the Quintessons double-crossed Dirk Manus, they sent a squad of Sharkticons to make sure Manus didn't survive the crash of his ship. Fortunately the Technobots were able to drive them off. Money Is Everything Two were used for a mission to Zamojin to retrieve Perceptor, however local blacksmith Katsu Don was easily able to damage them thanks to everything on the planet being ultra-dense. The Face of the Nijika
A large group of Sharkticons were later infected with the Hate Plague, and was chasing a lone Quintesson on an unknown planet when Sky Lynx saved him. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1
Kiss Players
When the time-traveling Kiss Players Marissa Faireborn, Shaoshao Li and Atari Hitotonari found themselves on a mysterious planet in the year 2011, their ship was captured and they were surrounded by Sharkticons. Shaoshao attempted to placate them with the universal greeting she had learned from Hot Rod in 2006, but the Sharkticons swarmed over them while Shao cursed the Autobot as a liar.
Put on trial by the Quintessons, they were found "not guilty" and dropped into a pit full of even more hungry Sharkticons. Only a last-minute rescue by Optimus Prime and Goldbug saved them from being devoured. Pity.
The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers
The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1
The Headmasters comic
Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast! The Headmasters issue 3
Wings Universe
The Quintessons built improved versions of the Sharkticons for Clench's Decepticon Syndicate. Their leader was Sky-Byte. Generation 2: Redux After Sky-Byte teamed up with Jhiaxus, the Sharkticons came with him. Jhiaxus set them on a team of Autobots who came snooping around. A Flash Forward, Part 4 Sideswipe disguised himself as one while moving around Jhiaxus's base. A Flash Forward, Part 5 A couple of them attempted to help Jhiaxus after the prisoners got free, only to be blasted by Blaze. A Flash Forward, Part 6
Marvel Comics continuity
When sharing war stories, Landmine claimed to have faced off against 50 Sharkticons. Recipe for Disaster!
In a strange alternate future, the Sharkticons were sent by the Quintessons to the surface of Junkion to retrieve a lost data canister. Their clumsiness alerted Wreck-Gar to their presence and they were driven off by the Junkions. In the melee, the canister was lost deeper in the junk pile where the finder-alarm was disabled. The Big Broadcast of 2006 (US)
3H comics
Betrayal Disclosure The Wreckers: Finale Part 1 Wreckers: Finale Part II
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Wild and deadly, with a voracious appetite for energon, the Sharkticons are slaves from a Quintesson colony world, used by their masters as soldiers and guards. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide
Packs of Sharkticons are also known to prowl Cybertron since at least the Great Shutdown, though how they got there is unknown. One such pack attacked Shockwave shortly after he was reawakened, and only the intervention of Herald of Unicron Scourge saved his life. As thanks, Shockwave blasted his savior and used him as the basis for his twisted experiments. Gee. Cold War
Around the same time, a lone Sharkticon identifying itself as "Gnaw" was befriended by the Autobot survivalist Wheelie, and when its young companion joined the Autobot resistance movement led by Hot Rod, so did it. Passive Aggression
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Sharkticons were known to live in the Acid Sea on the planet Junkion and attacked Megatron when he passed by. He was able to kill the first of the creatures, but several others overpowered him and pulled him into the ocean depths. Rage For reasons unknown, these Sharkticons ended up releasing their grip, allowing their prey to escape. Fallout
On the world of LV-117, carvings of the Sharkticons and Quintessons adorned an ancient temple. Spotlight: Wheelie
Knights of Unicron
The Sharkticon Pit, located on Planet Quintessa, was the ninth venue for the Knights of Unicron on their 2014 "Till All Are One" tour.Knights of Unicron
Games
The Transformers (PS2)
| “ | Sharkticon, servant of the Quintessons! Terrifying creatures from the future, they have teeth that can snap tungsten rods as if they were animal bone! | ” |
—The Narrator, "The Transformers (PS2)" | ||
- Voice actor: Barry Gjerde (English)
During Shockwave's reign of destruction, the Quintessons provided technology to allow the elite of the surviving Transformers to travel back in time to obtain the Zel Quartz before Shockwave learned of its existence. Some Sharkticons came in secret with Galvatron and the Decepticons to help them.
A swarm of Sharkticons attacked the Autobots while they were exploring the Karzite mine. The leader announced that the Autobots were not allowed to pass and transformed to robot mode. It stated that the Sharkticons were obeying Galvatron due to how strong he was, and warned that if the Autobots got in their way, the Sharkticons would kill them. Rodimus Prime expressed his annoyed grief before announcing to the Autobots that they were going to have to beat the Sharkticons before they could continue their exploration. After a lengthy battle, the Sharkticon leader announced to his swarm that he was wounded and ordered them to retreat. As Rodimus watched the Sharkticons flee, he stated that they were not very tough. Later on, the Autobots had to fight off more Sharkticons while they were trying to navigate through a minefield. The Sharkticons were defeated again.
In the Decepticon story, a destabilization in space-time occurred and when their shuttle crash-landed, all the Decepticons were scattered. One Sharkticon found himself alone, which he disliked. When the Decepticons found the Gem of Mystery, that one Sharkticon managed to catch up with them, expressing relief. It ran up to the Decepticons in its monster form and transformed to robot mode once it got close, explaining how it had came on board the Decepticon's shuttle in secret. The Sharkticon told them that since he was a swarm member, he did not like being alone and announced that he would join them. Galvatron stated that his crew was starting to gain really odd members but concluded that allowing the Sharkticon to join them would definitely help defeat the Autobots.
When Starscream stole the Zel Quartz and went off into space, it caused the future Transformers, including the Sharkticon, to return to their own era. The Transformers
Transformers Legends
The Sharkticons were used by the Quintessons for executions. Unfortunately they were easy for Grimlock to persuade to turn on their own masters. Mockery of Justice
Toys
Generation 1
- Gnaw (Sharkticon, 1986)
- Accessories: Tail, "Maceration Laser"
- Gnaw transforms into a rotund, squat-limbed, shark-like monster. His beast-mode tail becomes a mace weapon for robot mode and is also the most frequently missing piece from many Gnaws on the secondary market. Because of its fictional appearance as mass armies, it is one of the few Generation 1 army builder toys, though it is notably costly to use it for that purpose.
- Though the toy is labeled as "Gnaw", much like the Scrapmetal toy, it can be considered either the individual character or one of the countless others of its type.
Timelines
- Land Shark/Air Shark/Sea Shark (multipack, 2010)
- Accessories: 2 missiles each
- A redeco of Energon Sharkticon, these three Sharkticons transform into a Cybertronic submarine/battleship with dimly animalistic styling. Their small gun turrets are movable, plus their side panels can extend outward to reveal spring-loaded missile launchers. Each of the three Sharkticons came with its own bio card, dubbing them either "Land Shark", "Air Shark", or "Sea Shark". They were sold as a bagged souvenir add-on set at BotCon 2010. Only 1000 sets were produced.
- This mold was also used to make United Axalon, and was retooled as well into BotCon 2010's Sky-Byte.
Merchandise
Robot Heroes
- Snarl vs. Sharkticon (2009)
- Sharkticon came with Snarl, who is actually Slag, who has been renamed in recent years. Due to their small size and price point, the Robot Heroes Sharkticon is prized by those wishing to inexpensively army-build Sharkticons. This made them harder to find in stores and severely overpriced in the secondary market. One can only wonder what became of the Slag/Snarls packaged with those Sharkticons.
Notes
- The Sharkticons had the preliminary name of Sharkons.
- In Japan, the Sharkticon is considered an "Animatron", the Japanese name for the Predacons. It was also not available as part of the normal retail assortment, despite its semi-prominent fictional appearance. At first, it was a promotional item as part of a Beastformer giveaway. It was later made available in limited quantities, seemingly in US packaging, as a mail-away during 1988's Super-God Masterforce series.
- The Sharkticons' status as Animatrons may or may not be connected to Gnaw's shipping as the sixth figure in the Predacons' case assortment outside of Japan.
- Timelines Sky-Byte is a Predacon and commands Sharkticons, both groups being Quintesson-affiliated in the Generation 1 cartoon continuity (and therefore the Wings of Honor continuity). This may or may not be a coincidence.
- When asked about the Sharkticon design in an interview, Floro Dery's reply was, "Sharkticon is a shark."[1] He's seen some pretty weird-ass sharks.
- In his production notes, Floro Dery delves into this explanation further, writing that he designed it as a fantasy beast that uses qualities and traits of a shark, such as a large toothy mouth and a voracious appetite... which probably also explains why Sharkticons (referred to here consistently as "Sharkons") turn into fat little men.
- During the Arctic level of the Transformers: Autobots movie video game, Create-A-Bot says, "This bites." Ironhide replies, "Bites?! Are there Sharkticons in here?"
Foreign names
- Japanese: Sharktron (シャークトロン Shākutoron)
- Russian: Zhulikony (Жуликоны, Swindlecons)
References
External links
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Pages with broken file links
- BotCon exclusives
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generation 1 drones
- Generation 1 Predacons
- Japanese promotion exclusives
- Kiss Players
- Mail order exclusives
- Mass-produced Transformers
- Quintessons
- Robot Heroes
- Wings Universe species
