Transformers: Cybertron

Transformers: Cybertron, known as Transformers: Galaxy Force in Japan and Asia, is an anime series which debuted on January 8, 2005. It is set in the Transformers universe. Produced by TV Aichi, Weve, Tokyu Agency and animated by Gonzo, the series is directed by Hiroyuki Kakudō and Manabu Ono, with Hiro Masaki handling series composition, Takashi Kumazen designing the characters, Mitsuru Ōwa serving as the mechanical and prop designer and Megumi Ōhashi composing the music. A corresponding toy line was released with the series.
The series was conceived by Hasbro as the final installment of a trilogy formed with the previous two series, Transformers: Armada and Transformers: Energon. However, the Japanese production did not follow through on this intent, scripting the series as an independent story unconnected to the preceding shows. The English dub partially modified the series to establish links back to Armada and Energon, including changes to dialogue and small portions of new animation. Trevor Devall voiced Megatron in early episodes the English dub before previous voice actor David Kaye returned, reprising the role from the show's predecessors. Other voice actors include Garry Chalk reprising the role of Optimus Prime, Brian Drummond as the voices of Jolt and Jetfire, Kirby Morrow as the voice of Hot Shot, Paul Dobson as the Voices of Overhaul and Landmine, Scott McNeil as the voices of Snarl and Backstop, Brian Dobson reprising the role of Red Alert, Richard Newman as the voice of Vector Prime, Michael Dobson returning as Starscream, Ted Cole as the voice of Sideways, Peter Kelamis as the voice of Wing Saber, and Lisa Ann Beley as the voice of Override.
In the anime, all of the Transformers are computer-generated, while the humans and backgrounds are rendered in traditional cel animation. Telecom Animation Film Company helped with the backgrounds. It was the last series in the Transformers franchise to be produced in Japan until the release of Transformers Go! in 2013.

Plot

When the destruction of Unicron results in the formation of a massive black hole, the planet Cybertron, home world of the Transformers, is threatened, and its population is evacuated to Earth, taking the forms of local vehicles and machinery to hide from humanity. As this occurs, Optimus Prime's elite team of Autobot warriors are approached by the ancient Transformer Vector Prime, who has emerged from his resting place in the void outside of time to inform them of the legendary Cyber Planet Keys, ancient artifacts of power which can stop the black hole and save the universe. Lost due to an accident during an attempt to create a cross-universal space bridge network, the Cyber Planet Keys now reside on four worlds somewhere in the universe – unfortunately, Vector Prime's map showing their location is stolen by the Decepticon leader Megatron, and both forces relocate to Earth as the race to find them begins.
On Earth, the Autobots befriend three human children named Coby, Bud and Lori who aid them in locating the Omega Lock, the focusing device for the Cyber Planet Key's power. With new "Cyber Key Powers" awakened in them, the Transformers battle on many fronts, searching for the Lock on Earth while Hot Shot and Red Alert head for Velocitron, the Speed Planet which is the resting place of the first key and most of its inhabitants have racing vehicles modes. It is here that Megatron recruits known troublemakers Ransack and Crumplezone into the Decepticons. As Hot Shot competes in the planet's grand racing championship to win the key from the planet's leader Override, the Lock is located on Earth in the bulk of the crashed Transformer's spaceship the Atlantis. Overhaul heads for Animatros the Jungle Planet which is the home of the Transformers who have beast modes. The power of Animatros' Cyber Planet Key reformats Overhaul into Leobreaker. Megatron ingratiates himself with Jungle Planet's own dictator Scourge while his scheming lieutenant Starscream teams up with the mysterious Sideways, working towards his own goals.
Ultimately, the Autobots succeed in acquiring the Keys of both Velocitron and Jungle Planet, at which point the existence of Earth's own Cyber Planet Key is revealed. Starscream makes his power play and overthrows Megatron, stealing the Omega Lock and all three keys from the Autobots and using them to grow in size and power. With their forces bolstered by the ancient Autobots from Earth and the arrival of Wing Saber, who combines with Optimus Prime, the Autobots fight their way through a vengeful Megatron and defeat Starscream – but the battle is not without casualties, as Hot Shot, Red Alert and Scattershot are gravely wounded and rebuilt into the even more powerful "Cybertron Defense Team".
Upon returning to Cybertron, the Autobots use the Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys, which awakens the spirit of Primus, the deity who is creator of the Transformers, and Cybertron itself actually transforms into the god's body. After a battle in which Starscream taps the power of Primus and grows to planetary size – only to be defeated by Primus himself – the location of the fourth and final key is determined as Gigantion the Giant Planet which is the homeworld of the Minicons and the Transformers who are larger than normal while having construction vehicle modes. Gigantion, however, exists in another dimension, having fallen through a rift in space/time, and except for the kids and the Minicons, the others can't enter without having their minds separated from their bodies. Luckily, Red Alert has created a vaccine program to help but it is revealed that Jetfire has Trypanophobia and while the Autobots are able to reach the planet, the Decepticons are led there by the enigmatic Soundwave. Bested by the planet's leader Metroplex, Megatron taps the key's power to become Galvatron, and Sideways and Soundwave reveal themselves to be inhabitants of Planet X, a world destroyed by the Gigantions, upon whom they seek revenge. Galvatron blasts them and Starscream into another dimension and acquires the Lock and Keys for himself, intending to use their power to accelerate the universal degeneration caused by the black hole and remake the cosmos in his own image. Vector Prime sacrifices his life to allow the Autobots to return to their home universe, and the five planet leaders confront Galvatron within the black hole and defeat him. With all the Cyber Planet Keys now in his possession, Primus uses their power to finally seal the black hole, ending its threat.
As the planet's various civilizations attempt to return to life as normal, Galvatron attacks the Autobots for one final time. Without any troops to call his own, Galvatron engages Optimus Prime in a one-on-one duel, and is finally destroyed for good. As Galvatron is dying, he places his fist on Optimus' chest and says his final words. In the Japanese dub, he says "Galaxy Convoy..." which is Optimus' name in the Japanese version of the show. His last words in the American dub, however, are "I still function. You haven't won. Not while my spark still burns..." As he starts chuckling evilly, Optimus says "You fought well. Goodbye, Galvatron." As Galvatron disintegrates to space dust, Optimus kneels in front of Vector Prime's sword that Optimus used to slay Galvatron, still injured. As Jetfire and the others run over to Optimus to check on him, Optimus says "Don't worry. You won't get rid of me that easily." Galvatron is later seen in the credits of the last episode engaging Vector Prime in battle in the hereafter. With this final victory, Optimus Prime begins a new space bridge initiative, and the Transformers set sail for the four corners of the universe, and new adventures.

Cyber Planet Keys

Cyber Planet Keys are four mystical items that form the crux of Transformers: Cybertron's plot; in order to stop the black hole that is threatening the universe, the Autobots must gather all four. Also seeking to attain them are the Decepticons, who want to use their power for their own ends.
The Cyber Planet Keys are formed from the spark of Primus and were used eons ago in the Space Bridge project that was meant to link all populated planets together. They were carried to various planets by four Cybertronian spacecraft, the Atlantis, the Ogygia, the Hyperborea, and the Lemuria. All four are controlled by a device called the Omega Lock, and when they are all inserted, they awaken Primus's power.
Unfortunately, the effort failed and the four Cyber Planet Keys were lost. They would remain that way for eons, until the black hole threatened Cybertron. At that point, Vector Prime emerged and told the story of the Keys to the Autobots. Eventually, they agreed to attempt Vector Prime's plan. Unfortunately, Megatron also learned of the scheme and began his own effort to gain the Planet Keys.
The Cyber Planet Keys were each marked with a symbol and colored gold. The four Cyber Planet Keys were found on Earth, Velocitron, Jungle Planet, and Gigantion.

On Velocitron, the Key was disguised as a racing trophy.
On Jungle Planet, it was disguised as a dragon statue in Scourge's lair.
The Earth Key was possessed and hidden by Evac in ice.
The Giant Planet Key lay at the very center of planet in the spaceship Lemuria.

Finally, the Autobots found the Cyber Planet Keys and the Omega Lock, and awoke Primus, who shut down the black hole, saving Cybertron and the universe. The four planets started a new space bridge project, and, finally, peace was restored.

Characters

Autobots

Cybertronian Autobots

; Optimus Prime
; Jetfire
; Landmine
; Mudflap
; Wing Saber

Cybertron Defense Team

Cybertron Defense Team is the name Hot Shot, Red Alert and Scattorshot give themselves as their own team after reformatting their bodies with new combat-themed vehicle modes. While each member's Cybertron Defense form's Cyber Key ability is different to each other's own, the entire team can align where they stand on the field into a triangular formation and use their Cyber Key Powers in chorus on a single target in a special Triangle Attack against a single foe such as Galvatron or even Gigantion's resident Menasor. For a time during the events of the first half of Cybertron, their vehicle modes would all not be of a shared theme, but later, after Megatron overpowers them, despite the situation being three Autobots against one Decepticon in their favour as a 3-on-1 scenario, to the extent of their bodies being damaged too severely during their first fight together against him, an incredible and miraculous phenomenon takes place that would see this random selection of vehicle themes by each member be replaced by a single shared theme: the three Autobots, through emotional resolve and a sense of strong willpower which are both symbolized by their refusal to give up at all, begin a calling to the Omega Lock and its power transforms them into new bodies and therefore new vehicle modes - the vehicle modes chosen in this team-shared new form would all bear a combat design and they instantly gained new weapons in this shared form that supplied incredible strength and power; from this visual rebirth of their bodies onwards with these new benefits, they are now equipped for the rest of Cybertron with extra attack power that serves them well overtime as the series crosses its halfway point.
; Hot Shot
; Scattorshot
; Red Alert

Velocitron Autobots

The Cybertronian starship called the Ogygia came to rest on a barren world, which its inhabitants soon dubbed Velocitron, the Speed Planet. The world was decorated with vast race tracks, and the starship's occupants spent their days competing in races until, by the present day, their descendants filled their time with nothing but. The entire culture of Velocitron is built around racing and speed, and its Cyber Planet Key is, naturally, a racing trophy that can only be acquired by defeating the planet's leader.
; Override
; Clocker
; Brakedown
; Dirt Boss

Animatron Autobots

When the Autobot starship Hyperborea landed on the lush, green world of Jungle Planet dotted with jungles, sentient plants, and volcanoes, the ship's occupants adopted animal alternate modes. But as time wore on, they and their descendants took on the characteristics of the beasts they mimicked, becoming segregated and bestial. With parties of violent raiders attacking the weaker inhabitants, a feudal law of "Might makes right" came into effect, making the already untamed wilds of the planet even more dangerous.
; Scourge
; Overhaul/Leobreaker
; Backstop
; Snarl
; Undermine
; Brimstone

Earth Autobots

Eons ago, as part of a program to create a space bridge network linking planets across the universe, four Transformer starships departed for the four corners of the galaxy, each carrying with them a Cyber Planet Key - the starship known as the Atlantis came to Earth, hovering in the skies above the world before a malfunction caused it to crash into the ocean, giving rise to the human legend of the sunken continent of that name. The descendants of the Transformers aboard the Atlantis mostly entered stasis before the present day, though a few of those descendants continued to operate in secret.
; Evac
; Crosswise
; Lugnutz

Gigantion Autobots

The fourth and final Autobot ship, the Lemuria, landed safely on this world, the Giant Planet. Some time into the colonisation of the planet, it fell victim to a tear in reality and slipped through a wormhole into another dimension where it was attacked by the warmongering inhabitants of the vile Planet X. Through the power of their Cyber Planet Key, the planet's inhabitants became gigantic in size and fought back, leaving Planet X with no option but to use their mightiest weapon, only to wind up destroying themselves in the process. Saddened by their planetary level of destruction, the Gigantions dedicated themselves to construction, covering their planet with gargantuan cities which they completed and then abandoned, moving on to the next project. To continue this ongoing task, they built new layers on top of the cities, repeating the process over and over, until the planet itself was colossal. In addition to the giant Transformers, Gigantion is also populated by Mini-Cons, who perform the small, intricate, detailed tasks of construction that the larger robots cannot.
For whatever reason, all the inhabitants of Gigantion speak with Scottish, German and Irish accents.
; Metroplex
; Drillbit
; Quickmix
; Stripmine
; Menasor
; Heavy Load

Ancient Transformers

; Vector Prime
; Safeguard

Recon Mini-Con Team

This trio of Mini-Cons hails from Gigantion but were stranded in space and time when a game of hide and seek went away. Discovered by Vector Prime, they were brought to Earth by him, where they quickly befriended the Autobots' human allies Bud, Coby and Lori due to having minds that function like human children's.
; Jolt
; Six-Speed
; Reverb

Other Autobots

; Cobybot

Decepticons

Cybertron Decepticons

; Megatron/Galvatron
; Thundercracker
; Starscream

Velocitron Decepticons

; Crumplezone/Dark Crumplezone
; Ransack

Jungle Planet Decepticons

; Nemesis Breaker

Earth Decepticons

The Earth Decepticons are the descendants of Transformers who came to Earth on the starship Atlantis. The Ancient Earth Decepticons were sealed away by Crosswise but later freed by Starscream.
; Thunderblast

Planet X Decepticons

Planet X was home to weapon manufacturers/dealers, thieves, murderers and villains of all walks of life who took their planet on a voyage of galactic conquest and destruction - this voyage comes to an end, however, when Planet X encounters Gigantion and destroys itself in the ensuing war. The scattered survivors of Planet X allied themselves with Unicron in hopes of attaining revenge on the Giant Planet in the future, and served his will by acting as enigmatic operatives of misdirection and distrust amongst the Transformers.
; Sideways
; Soundwave
; Laserbeak

Other Decepticons

; Scrapmetals

Factionless Transformers

; Primus
; Unicron

Humans

Main humans

; Coby Hansen
; Bud Hansen
; Lori Jiménez
; Colonel Mike Franklin
; Professor Lucy Suzuki

Minor humans

; Tim Hansen
; Stanton
; Robert Hansen
; Mrs. Hansen
; Ernesto
; Gloria
Rad, Carlos, Alexis, and Kicker from Armada and Energon briefly appeared in the finale to strengthen Hasbro's connection of Armada, Energon, and Cybertron.

Other Transformers

In the series, multiple "extra" Transformers have been shown, with most of them serving as the general inhabitants of the various planets.

Civilian Autobots

Autobots living on Earth while Cybertron is threatened by the black hole. Several of them have proven to be recurring characters.

4 ancient ancestor Transformers that are seen in "Balance". They resemble g1 characters.
Longrack - An Autobot who transforms into an excavator, resembles Hoist from Armada.
3 cars resembling Blurr from the toy-line; they come in blue, red, & gold varieties
2 Transformers that transform into submarines; 1 ended up discovering the remains of Atlantis.
An excavator
A truck
A couple Transformers that turn into passenger planes.
An Autobot that was seen transforming into a truck. Seen in the episode "Hidden".
An Autobot that transforms into a taxicab. Seen in episode "Search".
An Autobot that transforms into a phone booth. He is identified as Phreaker on the transformers website.
An Autobot who turns into either a satellite or a space shuttle. Seen in the episode "Ship".
An Autobot that transforms into a traffic light. In the last episode of the series, he transforms, and his name is revealed to be Signal Lancer in the Japanese version. His unusual alternate mode has made him a favorite among fans of the series.
Two Autobots who, apparently, turn into mailboxes.
A submarine in the episode "Hidden".
Speed Planet Transformers

The denizens of Speed Planet. Most appear in the form of cars, or in robot modes that resemble the usual generic models used in the series. There are, however, some notable exceptions.

Buzzsaw - He transforms into a yellow and purple helicopter and could be seen flying overhead during several races on Velocitron. He resembles Cyclonus.
A blue, camera-like 'bot that served as announcer and "eye-in-the-sky" commentator for the big race.
Jungle Planet Transformers

The denizens of Jungle Planet. They all appear in animal form, and have transformations ranging from modern, mythological, and prehistoric creatures, which means they must have visited Earth at some point. They include several that resemble an Apatosaurus, an owl, a deer, a lobster, a giraffe, and a tropical bird.

Ancient Earth Decepticons

Descendants of the original Transformers who came to the planet on the starship Atlantis. They inspired legends of monsters and supernatural creatures among the people of Earth. They were all captured and sealed in stasis pods by Crosswise for a number of years, until they were freed by Starscream. They have the ability to project an image around themselves that resemble cryptids. They can also transform into large "Seeker ships" by merging with one another. The Ancient Earth Decepticons were all defeated and re-sealed, with the exception of Thunderblast and Lugnutz. However, Evac and Crosswise made a deal with Lugnutz, and released them to help in the final battle against Galvatron. Ultimately, a large number of them joined the space bridge project at the end of the series.

Giant Planet Transformers

The people of this planet all transform into construction equipment.

A Transformer who takes the form of a crane. Seen in the episode "Giant".
A Transformer who takes the form of a large dump truck.
Planet X Transformers

In the past, Planet X was populated by "mass production" types similar to Sideways and Soundwave, as well as numerous Mini-Cons fashioned in the same model as Laserbeak.

Episodes

Cast

Adaptations

A manga adaptation of the series, written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Iwamoto, was serialized from the February to October 2005 issues of Kodansha's Comic BomBom magazine. A tankōbon was released on August 5, 2005. Although it has the same idea of searching for Chip Squares and Planet Forces to extinguish the Grand Black Hole as in the anime, the storyline development and characterizations are unique. Due to the manga's cancellation, the final three chapters were never collected into a tankōbon.

Reception

Tim Janson, a reviewer for Mania.com, wrote a positive review:
Michael Drucker at IGN, reviewed the Transformers Cybertron: A New Beginning DVD, criticizing it as "A lackluster update on classic characters with minimal plot". The video quality was criticized for compression artifacts. The DVD was also criticized for its lack of extra features. Overall, the DVD was given a "bad" rating of 3 out of 10.