Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2000 TV series)

Transformers: Robots in Disguise, originally known as Transformers: Car Robots (トランスフォーマー カーロボット, Toransufōmā Kā Robotto), is a Japanese anime television series based on the Transformers franchise. The series was produced by Nihon Ad Systems and Studio Gallop, in cooperation with Korean company Dongwoo Animation, aired in Japan in 2000.

Transformers: Car Robots Transformers: Robots in Disguise
United Kingdom ultimate collection DVD cover
トランスフォーマー カーロボット (Toransufōmā: Kā Robotto)
Genre	Action, superhero
Anime television series
Directed by	Osamu Sekita
Produced by	Hisashi Katou Juuroh Sugimura Makiko Iwata Shigero Sugimura
Written by	Junki Takegami
Studio	Studio Gallop Nihon Ad Systems
Licensed by	NA: Saban Entertainment (2001–2002) The Walt Disney Company (2002-present)
Original network	TV Tokyo (2000)
English network	CA: YTV IN: Cartoon Network UK: Fox Kids US: Fox Kids (2001-2002)
Original run	April 5, 2000 – December 27, 2000
Episodes	39

Conceived as a reboot to the franchise, with a self-contained continuity separate from any previous incarnation,^[1][2] A localized English adaptation aired as part of the Fox Kids programming block in the United States from September 8, 2001 to March 30, 2002.^[3]

Plot

While attempting to stop the Predacons from stealing Earth's energy, the Autobots ally themselves with Koji Onishi after Predacon leader Megatron captures the boy's father, Dr. Kenneth Onishi. Amidst their battles, the Autobots and Predacons discover the location of a crashed spaceship from their home planet, Cybertron, containing six Autobot protoforms. Megatron reaches it first and reprograms the protoforms into the evil Decepticons. In light of this, Predacon sub-commander Sky-Byte attempts to prove his worth to Megatron by stealing the Autobots' O-Parts. Meanwhile, Ultra Magnus, the bitter brother of Autobot leader Optimus Prime, arrives on Earth to claim the latter's Matrix for his own, only for the brothers to gain the ability to merge into Omega Prime.

The Autobots and Predacons eventually discover Fortress Maximus, a giant Transformer hidden on Earth to protect it. While they race to claim its power, Sky-Byte accidentally frees Dr. Onishi, who joins the Autobots to help them locate all of the O-Parts necessary to find the Orb of Sigma. While Megatron finds it and uses its power to become Galvatron, the Orb leads the Autobots to Cerebros, Fortress Maximus' power key. A final battle soon ensues between Galvatron and Omega Prime, who eventually prevails and brings the Decepticons and most of the Predacons back to Cybertron to face justice while Sky-Byte stealthily escapes into Earth's oceans.

Episodes

The three clip shows of Robots in Disguise differ between the English and Japanese versions. Both are listed at the appropriate numbers.

#	Title	Japanese title	Writer	Director	US airdate	Japanese Airdate
1	""Battle Protocol!""	初出動! ファイヤーコンボイ First Deployment! Fire Convoy	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui, Akira Katō	September 8, 2001 (2001-09-08)	April 5, 2000
Predacons have come! The Autobots must defeat a gigantic hand!
2	""An Explosive Situation""	高速バトル! ゲルシャーク High-Speed Battle! Gelshark	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui, Akira Katō	September 10, 2001 (2001-09-10)	April 12, 2000
3	""Bullet Train to the Rescue""	合体せよ! 新幹線ロボ Combine! Bullet Train Robo	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Steve Kramer (US)	Akira Katō	September 12, 2001 (2001-09-12)	April 19, 2000
4	""Spychangers to the Rescue""	忍者ロボ! スパイチェンジャー参上 Ninja Robo! The Spychangers Enter	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 13, 2001 (2001-09-13)	April 26, 2000
5	""The Hunt for Black Pyramid""	決死のジャンプ! マッハアラート Resolute Jump! Mach Alert	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Marc Handler (US)	Akira Katō	September 14, 2001 (2001-09-14)	May 3, 2000
6	""The Secret of the Ruins""	ギガトロンの襲撃! Gigatron's Raid!	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	October 11, 2001 (2001-10-11)	May 10, 2000
7	""Sideburn's Obsession""	スピードブレイカーの危機! Speedbreaker's Crisis!	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Akira Katō	September 15, 2001 (2001-09-15)	May 17, 2000
8	""Secret Weapon: D-5""	謎の兵器! D5 Mysterious Weapon! D5	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Marc Handler (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 17, 2001 (2001-09-17)	May 24, 2000
9	""Mirage's Betrayal""	カウンターアローの裏切り!? Counterarrow's Betrayal!?	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Akira Katō	September 18, 2001 (2001-09-18)	May 31, 2000
10	""Skid Z's Choice""	爆走! インディーヒート!! Out of Control! Indy Heat!!	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 19, 2001 (2001-09-19)	June 7, 2000
11	""Tow-Line Goes Haywire""	駐車違反だ! レッカーフック Parking Violation! Wrecker Hook	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US)	Akira Katō	September 20, 2001 (2001-09-20)	June 14, 2000
12	""The Ultimate Robot Warrior""	究極! 大仏トランスフォーマー The Ultimate Extreme! The Large Buddha Statue Transformer	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 21, 2001 (2001-09-21)	June 21, 2000
13	""Hope for the Future""	ギガトロンの野望を暴け! Gigatron's Ambitions Revealed!	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Osamu Sekita	October 26, 2001 (2001-10-26)	June 28, 2000
14	""The Decepticons""	敵? 味方!? ブラックコンボイ Friend? Foe!? Black Convoy	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Akira Katō	September 22, 2001 (2001-09-22)	July 5, 2000
15	""Commandos""	5体合体! バルディガス 5-Body Combination! Baldigus	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Marc Handler (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 24, 2001 (2001-09-24)	July 12, 2000
16	""Volcano""	対決! ふたりのコンボイ! En Garde! Two Convoys!	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Akira Katō	September 25, 2001 (2001-09-25)	July 19, 2000
17	""Attack from Outer Space""	宇宙から狙え! シャトラー!! Aiming from Space! Shuttler!!	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	January 12, 2002 (2002-01-12)	July 26, 2000
18	""The Test""	正義に目覚めよ! ブラックコンボイ Awaken to Righteousness! Black Convoy	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Akira Katō	September 26, 2001 (2001-09-26)	August 2, 2000
19	""The Fish Test""	秘密作戦! ゲルシャーク Secret Strategy! Gelshark	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Marc Handler (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 27, 2001 (2001-09-27)	August 9, 2000
20	""Wedge's Short Fuse""	熱血戦士! ビルドマスター Hot-Blooded Warriors! Buildmasters	Junki Takegami (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Akira Katō	September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28)	August 16, 2000
21	""Landfill""	四体合体! ビルドキング Four-Body Combination! Build King	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	June 22, 2002 (2002-06-22)	August 23, 2000
22	""Sky-Byte Saves the Day""	正義の味方? ゲルシャーク Friend of Righteousness? Gelshark	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US)	Akira Katō	June 23, 2002 (2002-06-23)	August 30, 2000
23	""A Test of Metal""	狙われたビルドマスター Targeted Buildmasters	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	September 29, 2001 (2001-09-29)	September 6, 2000
24	""Ultra Magnus""	登場! ゴッドマグナス Enter! God Magnus	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Akira Katō	October 6, 2001 (2001-10-06)	September 13, 2000
25	""Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!""	強制合体! ゴッドファイヤーコンボイ Forced Combination! God Fire Convoy	Junki Takegami (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	October 13, 2001 (2001-10-13)	September 20, 2000
26	""Lessons of the Past""	集結せよ! 新戦士たち Assemble! New Warriors	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Osamu Sekita	December 14, 2001 (2001-12-14)	September 27, 2000
27	""The Two Faces of Ultra Magnus""	絶体絶命! カーロボ3兄弟 Stalemate! 3 Car Robo Brothers	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Michael McConnohie (US)	Akira Katō	October 20, 2001 (2001-10-20)	October 4, 2000
28	""Power to Burn!""	発動! ダブルマトリクス Invoke! Double Matrix	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	October 19, 2001 (2001-10-19)	October 11, 2000
29	""Fortress Maximus""	浮上! サイバトロンシティ Arise! Cybertron City	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Akira Katō	October 27, 2001 (2001-10-27)	October 18, 2000
30	""Koji Gets His Wish""	JRX 対 バルディガス JRX versus Baldigus	Junki Takegami (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	November 3, 2001 (2001-11-03)	October 25, 2000
With Fortress Maximus discovered, the Autobots move to ensure the Predacons and Decepticons don't acquire it before looking for Cerebros, the Headmaster of the huge Autobot. At the same time, Sky-Byte may just ensure that Koji gets a great gift for Dr. Onishi's birthday without even knowing it.
31	""A Friendly Contest""	ゲルシャークの罠 Gelshark's Trap	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Matthew V. Lewis (US)	Akira Katō	November 10, 2001 (2001-11-10)	November 1, 2000
32	""Peril from the Past""	最後の鍵? さよならアイ The Final Key? Farewell, Ai	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Michael McConnohie (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	November 17, 2001 (2001-11-17)	November 8, 2000
With the O-Parts in their possession, the Autobots head to the Sahara Desert to locate the Orb of Sigma, but Megatron decides to personally get involved, and Koji may prove to be of vital aid to the Autobots to ensure they don't lose T-AI to the combined O-Parts/Orb of Sigma, while the Decepticons begin to show signs of treason against Megatron.
33	""Maximus Emerges""	奪われたプラズマ Stolen Plasma	Kazuhiko Gōdo (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Akira Katō	February 16, 2002 (2002-02-16)	November 15, 2000
Despite the Autobots having acquired the O-Parts and Orb of Sigma to lead them to Cerebros, Scourge and the Decepticons get to the Headmaster of Fortress Maximus first, but it is clear no one understands how Cerebros and Fortress Maximus work once combined and its power is unleashed.
34	""The Human Element""	ブレイブマキシマスの謎 The Mystery of Brave Maximus	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	February 23, 2002 (2002-02-23)	November 22, 2000
Realizing that when he was created, he inherited Kelly's human bio-signatures into his format, Scourge prepares to use Fortress Maximus himself now that he realized that Cerebros functions via human control.
35	""The Mystery of Ultra Magnus" (Note: This episode is English-titled in an unresolved error as "Mstery of the Ultra Magnus")"	ゲルシャークの憂鬱 Gelshark's Blues	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Osamu Sekita	March 30, 2002 (2002-03-30)	November 29, 2000
36	""Mistaken Identity""	ブラックコンボイの野望 Black Convoy's Ambition	Yukiyoshi Ōhashi (JP) Michael McConnohie (US)	Akira Katō	March 2, 2002 (2002-03-02)	December 6, 2000
An attempt by Scourge to finally usurp Galvatron as leader results in Koji's friend Carl becoming the pilot to Fortress Maximus, but while things don't work out as Scourge hoped, it only gets worse when Cerebros finally lands safely in the hands of the Autobots.
37	""Surprise Attack!""	ブレイブマキシマスの起動! Brave Maximus's Rise!	Tadashi Hayakawa (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	March 9, 2002 (2002-03-09)	December 13, 2000
With Cerebros now safely in the Autobots' possession, Galvatron puts the Decepticons firmly back under his control and places them under Sky-Byte's command to hunt down Koji, resulting in them finding and attacking the Autobot HQ, but Optimus is ready and lures the Predacons and Decepticons to where the final battle to determine Earth's fate begins as Galvatron calls in the Megastar to face off with Fortress Maximus when Wedge's courage enables Cerebros to bring the giant Transformer into the fight to protect the planet.
38	""Galvatron's Revenge""	逆襲! デビルギガトロン! Counterattack! Devil Gigatron!	Junki Takegami (JP) Richard Epcar (US)	Akira Katō	March 16, 2002 (2002-03-16)	December 20, 2000
Despite losing his ship, Galvatron is far from finished as he prepares to use the planet's children as leverage to get the Autobots to back off, and possibly be destroyed, leaving Earth ripe for the picking.
39	""The Final Battle""	最後の戦い! ファイヤーコンボイ Final Battle! Fire Convoy	Junki Takegami (JP) Tom Wyner (US)	Yoshiaki Tsutsui	March 23, 2002 (2002-03-23)	December 27, 2000
As Galvatron and Omega Prime have their final confrontation in the Earth's core, Koji works to get the children of Earth to provide Fortress Maximus the energy needed to aid Omega Prime in defeating the Predacon/Decepticon leader once and for all.

Reception

References

1. TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE Returns! Hasbro Launches Product Line Based on Original '80s Theme; Fox Kids Series to Debut September 8th. Business Wire September 5, 2001
2. "5 Of The Best Transformers TV Shows (& 5 Of The Worst)". CBR. 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
3. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 2003. McFarland & Co. p. 872. ISBN 07864-2255-6.

External links

• (in Japanese)