While in America we got Transformers, Japan experienced "Fight! Super Robot Life Transformers!" and "Transformers 2010" the Japanese dub of Generation One seasons one through three. However, when the American Transformers cartoon ended the story continued in Japan with several original animated shows. Below is a small guide to the Japanese series which I hope everyone will find helpful.

Fight! Super Robot Life Transformers (1985-1986, 65 Episodes)
Basically the Japanese dub of seasons one and two of Transformers Generation One. Some episodes were aired unmodified from their original American productions, while other episodes consisted of scenes from different shows mixed and matched into new stories. Convoy (Optimus Prime) leads the Cybertrons (Autobots) against Megatron and the Destrons (Decepticons), both on Earth and on Seibertron (Cybertron).

Scramble City (1986, 1 Episode)
Scramble City is a half-hour OAV (original animated video) that bridged the transition from the from Fight! Super Robot Life Transformers to the year 2006 A.D. It was made by combining original animated footage with existing American cartoon clips. The large combiners (Superion, Menasor, Bruticus, Devastator, and Defensor) played leading roles, while Dinosaurer (Trypticon), Ultra Magnus, and Metroplex make brief appearances. the OAV ends on a cliffhanger, the Cybertrons watch Dinosaurer rises out of the ocean. A resolution to this story was never released. A second Scramble City episode was eventually made, but using stop-motion animation of the toys themselves instead of cel animation. This Scramble City OAV served to show Rodimus Convoy (Rodimus Prime) and Galvatron becoming the leaders of the Cybertrons and Destrons.

Transformers: 2010 (1986 - 1987, 30 Episodes)
This is Season 3 of the American cartoons. As with Fight! Super Robot Life Transformers, some of the shows were simply redubbed with Japanese voices, while others were formed by mixing footage from several shows into new stories. It is now Rodimus Convoy who leads the Cybertrons against Galvatron and the Destrons.








Transformers: Headmasters (1987 - 1988, 35 Episodes)
Transformers: Headmasters is the start of Japan's original cartoons. Taking place in the year 2011, after Transformers: 2010. Headmasters starts with Galvatron leading a new batch of Destrons to wage war on Seibertron, the Destron Headmasters. The Cybertrons are rescued by the arrival of the Cybertron Headmasters, led by Fortress (Cerebros, the head of Fortress Maximus). It is revealed that Fortress left Seibertron millions of years ago in search of energy, and have finally managed to come home. He explains that the Headmasters are from a planet called Master; the human-sized robots who live there built themselves Transformers-sized bodies. They can then transform themselves into the heads of the robots, and have now joined the Cybertron-Destron war.
(Important note: in the Japanese cartoon continuity, the American "Rebirth" series does not occur. While Headmasters and Targetmasters show up, Nebulans do not.)

Transformers: Super God Masterforce (1988 - 1989, 43 Episodes)
The main characters in Masterforce are humans. The humans are given a pair of bracelets; by snapping them together, an exo-suit appears. The human then transforms into a head or an engine, combine with his transtector (Transformer body), then transform into a robot.
The Destrons have been driven off Earth, however a small team of Cybertron Pretenders have remained behind, just in case. Led by Metalhawk ("Hawk" in his human identity), the Pretenders live among the humans, using their Pretender shells to assume human size and appearance. Soon, Destron Pretenders appear, led by a mysterious force called Devil Z. The Cybertrons and Destrons soon build up their forces, recruiting humans to become Junior Headmasters and Godmasters (Powermasters).

Transformers: Victory (1989 - 1989, 44 Episodes)
Set in 2025 A.D., Victory introduces us to Star Saber, the mightiest Cybertron warrior and the greatest swordsman in the galaxy. The Destrons are continuing to invade planets throughout the universe, so the Cybertrons have joined with the humans to form the Space Defense Force, with Star Saber as its leader. Leading the Destrons is Deathsaurus, who has targeted Earth as the next planet to plunder...

Matrix Forever: Transformers the Movie (1990)
Extremely late, Matrix Forever was the Japanese release of Transformers: The Movie. It was the same as the American version, but with three differences:
1. The opening title included a Star Wars-style scrolling text prologue, setting the background for the story.
2. Few extra seconds were added as Unicron destroys Lithone and the transformation of Autobot City.
3. The first appearance of each character had his/her name listed in katakana at the bottom of the screen.

Transformers: Zone (1990-1991, 1 Episode)
a three-faced nebulous being called Violenjiger has resurrected the "Nine Great Destron Generals" (Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, Abominus, Dinosaurer, Predaking, Overlord, Black Zarak, and King Poseidon) and is leading them. Volenjiger is after several gems containing something called "Zodiac Power." The first scene of the first episode features the Destrons completely destroying a planet to get one of those gems -- that's how determined they are. Victory Saber (from Victory) is severely wounded in the first attack, so the Cybertrons are led by Dai Atlas, a Micromaster base.

Beast Wars: Super Lifeform Transformers (1997 - 1998, 26 Episodes)
With the success of the Beast Wars toy line and cartoon in America, in the fall of 1997, Takara began airing Japanese-dubbed episodes of the Beast Wars computer-animated cartoon in Japan. The stories were mostly identical to the American version, aside from some differences in names, and a more comical/jovial slant to the dialog.
Megatron and a team of Destron (Predacon) criminals have stolen a Golden Disc, and plan to use its information to conquer their home planet of Seibertron (Cybertron). They are intercepted by Convoy (Optimus Primal) and a team of Cybertron (Maximal) explorers, pursued through a space/time vortex, and become stranded on a mysterious planet; Energois (Earth). While the two sides battle, they assume beast forms to protect themselves from the planet's dangerously overabundant energon fields.

Transformers: Beast Wars Second (1998 - 1999, 43 Episodes)
After the end of the first season of Beast Wars in Japan, Takara had a problem: the second season of the American Beast Wars show was not yet available for dubbing into Japanese. Even worse, the second season was only thirteen episodes long, considered too short for a weekly series. In response, Takara developed Transformers: Beast Wars Second, a traditional cel-animated cartoon series that is serving as a "filler" series in Japan. Once more episodes of the American Beast Wars show are available, then Takara will return to the use of dubbed computer-animated episodes.
Beast Wars Second occurs in parallel with Beast Wars, with sidelong references to that show. The series takes place on the planet Gaea, a world with a natural supply of Angorumoa energy. The Destrons want to conquer the planet and turn it into a stronghold, but are challenged by the Cybertrons, led by LioConvoy, who are determined to protect the world. On the way to Gaea, the Cybertrons' ship is shot down; they eject and land safely, but discover that the planet's environment is potentially lethal, and must fuse with the DNA of local life forms.

Beast Wars Movie Super Lifeform Transformers (1998)
Takara released in December 1998 a Beast Wars "movie special." This was not a "movie" in the traditional sense of the term -- instead of a feature-length production, the special consisted of three parts: A recap of the current Beast Wars Second television show story,
An original half-hour animated story, "Beast Wars II: Lioconvoy Kiki Ippatsu!", (anyone who knows the English translation e-mail me) and
A Japanese-dubbed version of the Beast Wars episode, "Bad Spark." The movie features a team-up between Lioconvoy and Convoy (Optimus Primal).

Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (1999 - 1999, ? Episodes)
February 1999 Takara premiered Beast Wars Neo, a direct sequel to Beast Wars Second. Although Lioconvoy managed to stop Galvatron's plans for exploiting the powerful Angorumoa energy, the Destrons refused to be deterred. Rallied by their new leader, Magmatron, the Destrons are attacking entire galactic quadrants in a hunt for the scattered capsules of Angorumoa. In response, the Cybertron elders appoint a powerful leader, Big Convoy, to gather a team of heroes and stop the Destrons' plans.

Transformers: Beast Wars Metals (1999 - 2000, 26 Episodes)
Takara premiered Beast Wars Metals in October 1999. This show is a direct continuation of the Japanese Beast Wars series, and (once again) utilized dubbed-and-edited episodes of Beast Wars seasons two and three. Beast Wars Metals closely follow the Western series' plots and ideas, aside from some story simplification and minor changes (Optimus Primal and Megatron are now called Metals Lord Convoy and Metals Lord Megatron, for example).

Transformers: Car Robots (2000, 39 Episodes)
Takara decided against showing Beast Machines in Japan and developed this series instead. The series was dub into English as Transformers: Robots in Disguise to act as a filler while Armada was being developed.
It is the year 2001, and the all seems peaceful until a new threat arrives from parts unknown. Led by the powerful Gigatron (Megatron), the dreaded Destrongers (Predacons) have come to Earth to conquer and destroy! When all seems hopeless, the heroic Cybertrons (Autobots), led by Fire Convoy (Optimus Prime), a tactical group of highly trained warriors enters the fray!

Transformers: Micron Legend(2002 - 2003, 52 Episodes
Japan's dub of Armada, The Cybertrons (Autobots) and Destrons (Decepticon) battle for control on their home planet Seibertron (Cybertron) until a signal reaches them from another world, revealing the existence of the Micron (Mini-Con) robots. This lost race of Transformer robots have awakened after centuries of hibernation on the planet Earth. The Cybertrons and Destrons follow the signal to Earth, each one hoping to be the first to find the legendary Micron robots - for whoever partners with them gains powerful new abilities! The fate of the Earth and the universe depends on who controls these small machines! Will it be the heroic Convoy (Optimus Prime) or the evil Megatron? But what sinister origins do these tiny Transformers hold within...?

Transformers: Super Link (2003 - 2004, 52 Episodes)
This is the Japanese dub of Energon. It is ten years after Micron Legend, humans and the Autobots have built a peaceful society on Earth. Just then, a very powerful source of energy called 'Energon' was discovered. Wanting to have this power for its own, a mysterious army under the lead of Alpha Q launched an attack on Earth. Can Grand Convoy (Optimus Prime) protect Earth from this onslaught? A new battle begins... with a new age of Transformers!

Transformers: Galaxy Force (2004 - ?, ? Episodes)
This is the Japanese dub of Cybertron.







(Information provided by Ben's World of Transformers and Rob's Japanese Transformer Cartoon Guide.)