Beast Wars II
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Beast Wars Second: Chō Seimeitai Transformers (ビーストウォーズⅡ 超生命体トランスフォーマー Bīsuto Wōzu Sekondo: Chō Seimeitai Toransufōmā?, lit. "Beast Wars II: Super Life-form Transformers") is the 1998 Japanese Transformers television animated series, movie and toyline. Both animated series were created to fill time in order to dub Beast Wars seasons 2 and 3 into Japanese. While its position in Transformers continuity has previously been unknown, the IDW comic book miniseries Beast Wars: The Gathering and comments from Transformers writer Simon Furman have shown it is part of the Beast Wars continuity.[citation needed] The series was followed by Beast Wars Neo.
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[edit] Plot
The series has a much lighter tone and is aimed more towards children, where as the more accessible Beast Wars was intended for a wider age range. The series also uses conventional animation rather than CGI. With the exceptions of the faction leaders, all of the characters within the series are either re-molds or re-colors of earlier Beast Wars figures or Generation 2/Machine Wars figures.
Beast Wars II tells the story of a battle waging between Lio Convoy's team of Cybertrons (Maximals) and Galvatrons army of Destrons (Predacon) on the planet Gaia. As LioConvoy and Galvatron fight over the mysterious energy source known as Angolmois energy, many strange occurrences and mysterious properties of Angolmois begin to arise.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Maximals
The young Maximal crew of the Star Voyager find themselves on a post-apocalyptic Earth called Gaia with the mysterious Angolmois energy. They must defend Gaia from the forces of Galvatron and his Predacons – or be destroyed in the wake of their ambition!
Lio Convoy is honest, with a strong sense of right and wrong, and at times his seriousness appears humorous. He has a harsh, career-military side to him, but also has a human's gentleness. There are times when he behaves as if he knows something about the secrets of the planet where the battle is taking place. His beast mode is that of a white lion.
Apache is a cool, composed authority figure; he has also shown his sightly eccentric side when he began transforming into a mandrill, snarling when upset. Recently, he and, the suddenly cautious, Lio Convoy have locked horns over the execution of operations. His entire body is a mass of weapons and his "Mode 3" fortress mode fusillades are powerful indeed. He also enjoys heavy metal music.
Charges in headlong; hates to show his back to the enemy. Because of this, there are times when he plays into the enemy's hands. He also happens to have a gentle, nature loving side; however, he particularly dislikes red flowers. Has a Buffalo Missile weapon with his tail as the trigger. He has his friends handle the trigger timing (by having them pull his tail) so he can concentrate on taking aim, thus raising his accuracy rating. He has a habit of stamping his feet. He transforms into a bison and many around him have a habit of calling him a bull to which he will instantly retort "I'm a buffalo!"
A squid mode Transformer and thereby fastest in the water of the Maximals, Scuba grasps his enemies in his tentacles, drains their energy with his suckers, then delivers the final blow with his sharp fangs. A shy type, given the choice, he prefers to be alone, and he is quick to see the down side of things. Somehow, he is gifted with great penmanship, and is asked to write love letters, battle challenges and so on. "I said I wouldn't do it, so forget it!" he usually responds. Often makes squid-related puns.
The idol and prankster figure of the Maximals, Kid nonetheless desires more than anyone else to be recognized as a full-fledged warrior. The actions that result from his ambitions often end up making a situation worse. He loves adventure and will often stay out overnight without permission, getting his fill of nature - and getting Lio Convoy mad at him as well. He has sharp teeth known as "Tasmania Fangs" and specializes in biting attacks. Originally he intended to become a cheetah or a falcon like Cheetor and Airazor before him, but as he was scanning an eagle, a Tasmanian Devil jumped onto his face and forced him to adopt that as his beast mode.
A guard stationed at the Niagara base, Diver's jumping power is the greatest of the Maximals. Prudent and timid, yet also rather careless, he usually avoids dangerous work by saying, "It was my grandfather's dying wish...." On the other hand, moved by friendship, he has often met danger side on. In frog mode, Diver appears unarmed, but can catch enemies by surprise with a tongue-punch. His specialty is singing, and he sings rap songs to himself. When he's surprised in robot mode, Diver's neck pops out to its full length. Speaks in Kansai dialect.
Born Ikard Octoba Barks, he and Scuba are cousins and friends since childhood. Ikard is like a big brother to Scuba, and taught him the Surumerang attack that is Scuba's specialty. Normally, he is a cool sort roaming about through space, playing a big role in cooperation with the Cybertron forces. On the other hand, he also has a gentle side, and is always worried for his cousin Scuba, fighting away on planet Gaia. Ikard is quite erudite, and is also known as a historian. Speaks in Kansai dialect.
- Magnaboss Squad: Appearing in the second half of the series, these three can combine into MagnaBoss. A fusion of Lio Junior's courage, Skywarp's intelligence and Santon's kindness, he is a symbol of hope for the Maximals. From his Magnablade, a combo-sword made from the union of three component robot's weapons, Magnaboss fires laser shockwaves that mow down approaching enemies. He can also shoot off tremendous Angolmois Balls from his horns and fire Sky Missiles from his body.
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- Lio Junior: Leader of the Magnaboss squad.
Lio Junior was created by the influence of the good Angolmois energy upon the Matrix in Lio Convoy's chest. He possesses an innocent, free and wild personality. His tail becomes a Lion Vute Whip, while twin horns extend from his mane to fire Angolmois Ball light spheres. His mane can also become Lion Wings, which he can fly for short distances.
Skywarp is an aerial combat instructor dispatched from Seibertron as reinforcements for Lio Convoy's troops. While strict, he has more consideration than anyone else for young Cybertron warriors. Part of his wings becomes Wing Caliber Swords and he has super-oscillation generators in his wing tips. Combining these with his sonic booms, he clears the ground around him. And if that's not enough, he can fold over his wings and fire his Sky Missiles. He converts to an eagle.
Seibertron's best medical doctor, Santon was dispatched along with Skywarp as reinforcements for Lio Convoy's troops. Santon is a philanthropist who highly values the sanctity of life. In Beast Mode, he has Ki-Shot cannons behind his ears, though these have no capacity to kill or wound. He can stomp his feet and shake the ground for his Santon Quake, a terrific ability that leaves his enemies unable to stand. He can also project his Santon Shield barrier from his tusks. He transforms into an elephant, a rarity among transformers.
[edit] Insectrons (Insecticons)
Formerly mercenaries, the Insectrons ended up on the Antarctica region of Gaia where they live peacefully. Starscream tricked them into fighting the Maximals until the ruse was ruined by Galvatron's fits. They later allied themselves with the Maximals. They had encountered their sworn rivals the AutoRollers. The toys for the Insectrons are recolors of several Beast Wars Predacons with insect forms and are meant to be different characters altogether.
- Bigmos
Bigmos is the leader of the insect force known as the Insectrons. However, as each of them pretty much does as he pleases, they lack cooperative spirit. Before coming to planet Gaea, they were soldiers running about the universe, and were even familiar with the Autorollers. Bigmos can transform into a "Mode 3" ant-lion form. He has a weakness for tomato juice. The Needle Missiles he fires from his mouth can even pierce through steel.
- Powerhug
The Insectrons' Judo Master, Powerhug is covered with an incredibly durable shell. Straightforward of character, for some reason he speaks with a Kyushu dialect. Long ago, he apparently had a nasty experience with the Autorollers, and is hoping to settle the score. His special skill is the Hug Hell Wheel, in which he rolls into a ball and delivers a body blow. In beast mode, his fangs and tail become alloy cutters. His crushing Power Hug pinions his enemies.
- Tonbot
The Insectrons' requisite spy, Tonbot is a flashy type who enjoys dressing up. His specialty is strewing his conversation with English. His tail contains powerful Botshot homing missiles, and he can blast a solvent liquid or mist from his mouth, literally enveloping pursuing enemies in smoke. His flight speed is the fastest of the Insectrons, and he can make his way as high as the stratosphere under his own power. He also enjoys sunset skies.
- Mantis (Transformers)
The Insectrons often take independent action, but even among them, Mantis is an especially cool samurai. He is strongly territorial, and won't tolerate anyone disturbing his sleep. The sickle blades on his arms are incredibly sharp, and his Full-Moon Slice confuses his enemies' sight, and then delivers the final blow. He can freely guide his saucer shurikens via telepathy. Autolauncher's disks provide a good challenge.
- Drillnuts
The self-styled "Greatest Inventor of the Insectrons", Drillnuts is forever building "highly useless" items. He is also an expert in bombs and gunpowder. Rather sarcastic in personality, he is also uncommonly tenacious. Using his arm drill, he can travel freely about underground, carrying out sneak attacks from beneath his enemies' feet. His favorite food is persimmon seeds.
- Scissorboy
Talkative and quick-witted, Scissorboy seems to have hit it off with Tasmania Kid and is good friends with him. Before finding his way to planet Gaia, he was also familiar with the Autorollers, but not friendly with them. The pincers on his tail (Mighty Scissors) can be equipped in either his chest or his hand when he's in robot mode. He's also a bit fussy about money.
[edit] Jointron Brothers
A trio of brothers from Planet Trias, able to bombine to form Tripledacus, who is taller than even Galvatron and practically a match for Lio Convoy in abilities despite lacking in mobility. Tripledacus' right hand is the Triple Blaster, an all-purpose gun formed from the union of the three Jointrons' weapons. It can slice a tank into thirds, or fire its Seven-Year Sword missiles to sink a battleship 4 km away. His left hand comprises Motorarm's Magma Horns, which melt whatever they touch. The Jointron Brothers are Hispanic in personality and tend to dress up as a Mexican mariachi band.
- DJ
Eldest of the three Jointron brothers, DJ has a habit of wetting himself whenever he's had too much oil to drink. Hidden in his wings are two Seven-Year Swords. If he uses them in a normal, straightforward way, he can chop even large trees in two at a single stroke, but he seems to prefer playing music with them by snapping them together. DJ also creates special sound waves that can be heard 10,000 km away.
- Motorarm
Middle member of the three Tripledacus brothers, Motorarm is a sumo wrestler who belongs to the Trias Room of Universal Sumo Association. He is currently undergoing warrior training with his brothers in order to cure his ever-excitable nature. With his fearsome strength, he can even lift up Megastorm bare-handed. The source of his power is energon chanko-nabe [a filling stew that is a standard of sumo wrestler's diets]. In his shell he holds a steel blade called the Utchari (Pullback) Claw while objects struck by the light and heat of Magma Horn on his head are melted into soup.
Youngest of the three Jointron brothers Latino-style-lovin' Tripledacus brothers, Gimlet is a real dancin' fool, cheerful no matter what the state of battle. His buttagiri (Cruncher) claws have a vise-like power to crush and grind, enough even to turn coal into diamond instantly. He also has powerful Lobslicer cutters inside those claws, but doesn't use them often as weapons, ratting them like maracas instead.
[edit] Predacons
The legacy of the ancient Decepticon Empire, the Predacons seek to reclaim Seibertron and the universe. But, to do it, they need to claim the powerful and mysterious Angolmois energon on Gaia. They have only to overcome Lio Convoy and his motley crew of Maximal youths to begin their conquest of the galaxy!
Despite many of the Predacons having a vehicle alternate mode instead of a beast mode, they were still considered Predacons, as the faction name does not imply a beast mode. Also, it should be noted that, though several Predacons (besides Megastorm and BB) have classic Decepticon names, they are not the same characters.
An evil emperor who plots to rule the universe, Galvatron is ambitious, yet shows unexpected affection for his underlings. He is often put to sleep by the Cybertrons' activities or Megastorm's schemes, but when he wakes, he is the mightiest being of all. Of his three forms, his dragon mode's power far surpasses that of Lio Convoy. He has a habit of talking in his sleep.
Transforms into a tank, in which form his attacks have the highest class of destructive force of any in the story. However, the trouble is he takes too long before he fires. His brother Galvatron is more idealistic and fastidious...while Megastorm has that much more of a realistic atmosphere than his elder sibling about him. Having learned of the "Lord of Angolmois," the fearsome secret of the planet that is the stage for their battles, his brother has become cautious, which has led Megastorm to be disloyal and mistrustful at times. Upon Magmaboss' debut, Megastorm dived in the Angolmois, evolved under its influence into Gigastorm. He transforms in three stages, from destroying dinosaur to monolithic base to attack fortress. His audacious offensives, making use of his tremendous power, force the Maximals into tight spots again and again. He is on the verge of no longer considering Galvatron his older brother, and the danger of a split in the camp now always looms large. The Gigahorn on his head is harder than diamond, and can pierce through all manner of things.
Small of body but great of pride, Starscream is the hulking BB's superior officer. A robot of unparalleled ambition, more even than Galvatron, he dreams of becoming leader himself. His special abilities are the Formation Scream and his two Screamwinder missiles. He enjoys Wagner, and has even psyched himself up the composer's pieces when starting an attack. After being blasted into the Angolmois energy by Gigastorm, Starscream's hatred reacted with the evil Angolmois energy and changed him into Hellscream. Now he is even more savage and cruel than before, attacking his opponents colorfully with such weapons as his shark-winders and Terror-storm. In fact, he is biding his time for a chance to force Gigastorm from power.
- BB
Though large of form, he responds only with the single word "Roger" and carries out his duties faithfully. There may be some fateful trauma between the two. A rarity among the, he is a reliable soldier who has restrained his eccentric side. He can launch a barrage of Screamwinder missiles in rapid-fire, which he shares with Starscream, from his BB Launcher. When dropped into the Angolmois energy with Starscream, BB's hatred reacted with the evil Angolmois energy and turned him into Max B. His ferocity increased, he has come to enjoy acts of destruction. His multi-purpose Backstop weapon is equipped on his back, and his tail can become a weapon as well. Truly, he could be called a walking machine of destruction. His loyalty to Hellscream, however, has not changed.
A sonic soldier who glides freely through the skies. In character, he is very much the sharp "straight man" of a comedy duo, spouting forth veritable storms of malicious insults. He can store his weapon (Dirge Gun) in his legs, or change it to a long-barreled form and increase its power. Surprisingly, Dirge is a gourmet, the type who fusses over the quality and cooking methods for energy. He later received a transfusion of Angolmois Energy from Gigastorm, recreating him as Dirgegun, specializing in attacks that drive computers crazy. He wields a Needle Launcher, which injects powerful computer viruses into his enemies. His Needle Shot, with its incredible rate of rapid fire, launches spears that paralyze his enemies. And his "Blast Leader" is a sonic attack that yields tremendous results.
Despite having the personality of a comedy duo's goofy "gag man"; Thrust is actually the shrewdest of the Predacons. He and his buddy Dirge form a well-known combo. Like Dirge, he can store his weapon in his legs or increase its power by converting it to long-barreled form. Thrust hates sea breezes, as they rust him, and so hates Scuba as well. He later received a transfusion of Angolmois Energy from Gigastorm, recreating him as Thustor, wielding attack weapons special only to him. His Dinomissile is a deadly projectile that clamps onto an enemy and then explodes. His Trash-horn can freeze a dissected enemy's body. And his Raptor Shield is a deflective barrier that can rotate at high speed.
[edit] Autorollers
- Autostinger
Leader of the Autorollers, a warrior who once made his name resound throughout all of space as a mercenary, he had fought against and been beaten by the Predacons, but was saved by Galvatron before he was to be executed. Since then, he has placed all his loyalty towards serving directly under Galvatron as captain of his bodyguards. The twin homing missiles on his right arm tenaciously chase down his quarry, while the pincers on his leftarm can be used as a stun gun.
- Autocrusher
A tough sergeant with a body strengthened by bulky armor, he is forever browbeating the younger Predacon members. The shovel on his chest is particularly sturdy, able to deflect all manner of attacks. His motto is, "A soldier doesn't have to think about why he fights. He just needs to win." The buzz-saw on his left arm can fell forest after forest of insect nests, while the missiles on his right arm are homing types, like Autostinger's left arm can be used as a stun gun. [1]
- Autojetter
An aerial guard, Autojetter preserves air supremacy at Galvatron's side when the latter flies in dragon mode. His personality is somewhat problematic, as he has a habit of enjoying war for his own pleasure. In machine mode, he's crashed after getting dragonflies get sucked into his intakes, and since then has had a serious hatred of insects. The triple rockets on his arms are outstandingly powerful, and can be used on both land and sea.
- Autolauncher
An expert with a spear-gun. Quite the glory hog for a bodyguard, he will neglect Galvatron's safety to be the first into the enemy camp, which has gotten him chewed out by his captain, Autostinger. The disc launcher in his chest also has a timer function, launching discs deep into enemy bases and then exploding them. He is a rival with his fellow "discmaster" Mantis.
[edit] Seacon Space Pirates
A rouge Predacon group who had no actual interest on the battle on Gaia. The five are able to combine into God Neptune when they call out "Five-bot Fusion!" Brandishing his gigantic "Neptune Sword", God Neptune smashes all who defy him. The four members besides Halfshell form the limbs, but it's a lot tougher on those who become the legs, which sometimes leads to arguments, so the combination doesn't go very well. In combined form, he is a match even for Galvatron, and is an especially invincible force in the ocean.
Leader of the space pirates known as the Seacons, Halfshell is very highly calculating. He transforms into a mecha sea-turtle. Sees everything in terms of money, but unexpectedly tenderhearted. Big-hearted guy. Merciless against foe, gentle for friends. Armed with Shell Cannon in mecha-beast-mode and Dai Sharin Cutter in robot mode.
- Scylla
Scylla may be the Seacons' only female fighter, but you underestimate her at your peril. She's fond of display, proud woman. She fell love with Scuba at first sight. Name is pronounced "S-Kyu-Leh". Transforms to mecha-squid and is armed with Skelaser in beast mode. Uses Shi no Nage Kiss in beast mode.
- Coelagon
An 80,000 years old, knowledgeable coelacanth Transformer. However, his 'knowledge' of treasures is frequently false. He knows the existence of Angolmois Energy so that he guides Seacons to Gaia. He transforms into a mecha-coelacanth and is armed with the Coela Fubuki in beast mode.
- Seaphantom
A shark Transformer. Like a bullet, he's a very warlike guy. He likes to make a surprise attacks with his simple-teleport ability. A great eater that bites everything with his fangs. Transforms into a mechashark. Weapons include Phantom Jaws in beast mode and Phantom Fin, also in beast mode.
- Terrormander
A manta transformer, Terrormandar is the youngest of the Seacons. He's a lazy boy, though once he fights, his destructive power is incredible. Transforms to a manta. Armed with MandarRock in beast mode and MandarBreak in beast mode.
[edit] Other characters
A mysterious robotic woman who watches the events of the Maximals and Predacons on Gaia. Aids the Maximals against Galvatron when she needs to. Carries a large mallet to keep her partner, Moon, in line. Despite siding with the Maximals, she is often torn due to being smitten by the Predacon Starscream and the Maximal Scuba. These ‘crushes’ greatly annoy Moon.
- Moon
Moon is a rabbit Transformer who watches over Gaia with his partner, Artemis. He usually acts as the more calm observer to Artemis’ more flighty side. While supposedly neutral, often sides with the Maximals due to his concerns of the destructive Predacon nature.
- Star Upper
A boxing kangaroo, very proud of his victories, but fears not being good enough to be a real warrior. Very strong in both modes, uses more combo-attacks than any other Maximal. Sometimes gets on other Cybertrons’ nerves with all of his bragging. Star Upper does not appear in the anime, but does appear in the manga and video game.
- Black Lio Convoy
A sinister clone of Lio Convoy made with evil Angolmois energy, Lio Convoy is called to serve Galvatron and defeat the original. Strong, cunning, and as powerful as the Maximal commander. The evil Matrix is still tied to the energies of Gaia.
A super-weapon whose origins are unknown, Majin Zarak is the ultimate threat against the Maximals. Exists only to destroy. Transforms to base-carrier mode equipped with Zarak-Cannon and missiles. Its demonic robot mode is designed to destroy entire armies with powerful weaponry and super thick armor. It has no true personality, but effective at what he does.
[edit] Episodes
- "The New Forces Arrive!"
- "White Lion, Run!"
- "Bighorn's Rage"
- "The Lake Trap"
- "Galvatron Revived"
- "Mystery of the Ancient Ruins"
- "The Insectrons Arrive"
- "Friend or Foe? Insectrons"
- "The Strongest Tag Team?"
- "Galvatron Runs Wild"
- "Danger! Scissor Boy."
- "Autorollers, Roll Out!"
- "Predacon General Offensive!" (Clip Show)
- "Combined Giant Tripledacus"
- "The Cheerful Jointrons"
- "A Terrible Combination Plan?"
- "Who is the Leader?"
- "Black Lio Convoy"
- "Space Pirate Seacons!"
- "Who is the Strongest Warrior?" (Clip Show)
- "Scuba is Cool"
- "Megastorm's Reckoning"
- "Showdown in the Sea"
- "To Face the Setting Sun"
- "The Last Battle"
- "Enter, Lio Junior!"
- "Megastorm Reborn"
- "New Weapon: The Octo Tank"
- "Artificial Planet Nemesis" (Clip Show)
- "Gigastorm's Treachery"
- "The End of Starscream"
- "Lioconvoy Assassination Plan"
- "The Great Angolmois Freezing Operation"
- "Knock out Nemesis!"
- "Lio Junior's Revolt?"
- "Emissary of the Fourth Planet"
- "Crisis of Planet Gaea"
- "Fly Out! Planet Gaea"
- "Assemble, 39 Warriors" (Clip Show)
- "Vengeance of the Space Pirates"
- "Breaking into Nemesis"
- "Legend! The Green Warrior"
- "Farewell!, Lio Convoy"
[edit] Toyline
The series was primarily repaints of non-show Beast Wars figures and repaints of G2 figures, including two unreleased AutoRoller figures and the black Dreadwing/Smokecreen repaint, planned for the cancelled 1996 assortment of figures. Though in both cases the items were recoloured and slightly remoulded.
It did feature new molds for LioConvoy and Galvatron, as well as the TakoTank. G1 Trypticon, and Beast Wars Dinobot, Cybershark, Wolfgang, and Waspinator were remolded as "upgraded" versions of Megastorm, Starscream, BB, Dirge and Thrust. The remolded Cybershark saw release as Overbite in the US as a Target exclusive
