Transformers: Masterforce was the second Generation 1 anime, and its stronger focus on characters and plotting made it G1's highest point.
Even after they had rolled out of the Western market, the Transformers were still making waves in their country of origin: Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun saw three full-length Transformers anime released in the late 1980s, all of which took the franchise in vastly different directions than what sputtered out of America as Generation 1 ended there. Easily the strangest of the trio was a show that made humans more vital to the Autobot/Decepticon war than ever.
Transformers: Masterforce took the idea of the Pretenders and "transformed" it beyond what Hasbro had. Making everyday people into Transformers, the series continued the trend of its predecessor for stronger plotting and characterization. It also provided some of the franchise's coolest designs and toys yet, making Masterforce an overlooked but integral part of Transformers history.
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Though it was a sequel to the preceding anime Transformers: The Headmasters, Masterforce mostly cut ties with what had come before it to tell a more standalone story. Having already taken the elements introduced in 1986's The Transformers: The Movie to their logical fruition, it was time for a fresh start and all-new faces. This meant the Autobot and Decepticon Pretenders were entirely new characters, with only a brief appearance by Chromedome from the previous show establishing a continuity connection.
Speaking of which, the Autobot Pretenders actually shrank down to human size and imitated human beings through Pretender shells, making Masterforce into a sort of combination of tokusatsu and mecha tropes. On the other hand, their Decepticon counterparts would mostly stay in their monstrous Pretender Shells.
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These true Cybertronians were later joined by the Junior Headmasters: youths who, through Headmaster bracelets, were able to wear armor that turned them into Transformers. Combining with transforming vehicles or animals called Transtectors, they became their heads in robot mode. Both sides would have Junior Headmasters and Godmasters, the latter of which turned into engines that allowed their Transtectors to transform. The most notable of these was the Japanese truck driver Ginrai -- whose Transtector was based on none other than former Autobot leader Optimus Prime himself.
Leading the Decepticons was not Megatron, Galvatron, but instead an amorphous energy being named Devil Z. His enforcers would be Overlord, a lifeless Transtector controlled by the human husband-and-wife duo Giga and Mega, and BlackZarak, a new version of the titanic Headmaster Scorponok. This drastically different cast led to Masterforce playing out much differently than previous Transformers shows.
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Though a good early chunk of the show is episodic, Transformers: Masterforce continued the ongoing storytelling first utilized in The Headmasters but to an even greater degree. Characters would develop and question their loyalties throughout the series, namely Decepticon Cancer and Autobot Sixknight. As mentioned, numerous elements were introduced that made the series more like an anime than Transformers had ever been. These included the human characters uniting with/piloting giant robots to battle alien forces, as well as the Chokon Power energy source, which sounds right out of any shonen action anime series.
These all came together to make what was probably the best Generation 1 cartoon in terms of quality. Sure, it was still ultimately a kid-oriented series meant to sell toys, but the writing as a whole was a lot stronger than the franchise's earliest days. Sadly, many of the concepts it introduced into the franchise -- namely humans becoming Transformers -- have yet to be revisited, though some of the toys have finally been remixed as modern figures. Transformers: Masterforce can be purchased on DVD through Amazon.
Timothy Blake Donohoo is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he majored in Communication and minored in Creative Writing. A professional freelance writer and marketing expert, he’s written marketing copy and retail listings for companies such as Viatek. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing video games, watching documentaries and catching up on the latest Vaporwave and Electro-Swing musical releases.
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