Browning

Browning is a Decepticon from the Super-God Masterforce portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

He's the bravest of all Decepticons—you think Megs or Screamer would be able to live with being called "adorable"?

Browning (ブローニング Burōningu) is a tiny Transformer given to Cancer by Mega. Although often described as being a "pet", he is a fully sentient Transformer, so the appellation doesn't really seem to fit: he's actually more like a little best friend for Cancer, who he absolutely adores and would do anything for. Although he's an atypical Decepticon, to be sure, he's still a Decepticon, and has no great love for the Autobots—although like his "boss" Cancer, he does have a soft spot for Minerva.

Given his diminutive stature, Browning is able to transform, without changing size, into a human-scaled handgun. In this mode, he is unable to fire himself, requiring a wielder, but he is able to draw on the energies of that person to supercharge his blasts. He rarely shoots anything lethal, however, preferring instead to discharge a wide variety of projectiles and liquids, including smoke capsules, confetti, water, flags and... er... doves.^[1]

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Voice actor: Kyōko Yamada (Japanese)

"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!"

Growing ever more depressed over his uncertainty in the Decepticon cause and his feelings for the Autobot Headmaster Junior Minerva, Cancer's unhappiness soon became apparent to Mega during a feast at Decepticon Base. After the meal, she invited Cancer to her quarters and presented him with Browning, who cheered Cancer up immensely. Despite the high spirits of their first meeting, Cancer quickly had to learn that spinning Browning gunslinger-style wasn't a pleasant experience for the little guy.

Galvanized into action by the arrival of this new friend, Cancer determined to prove to Wilder and Bullhorn that Minerva meant nothing to him, and so he and Browning took them aboard a helicopter to Japan with the intent of staging an attack and drawing the Autobots out. Wilder and Bullhorn teased Cancer on the flight over, but were terrified into silence by a deafening shout from Browning.

95% head by volume.

Unfortunately, Browning soon proved that he couldn't drive as well as he could shout, when Cancer unthinkingly left him to pilot the chopper while the Juniors disembarked in mid-air, and he promptly crashed it. With this rocky start behind them, the Juniors set about their attack on a nearby city, but instead of drawing the attention of the Autobots, they wound up attracting the violent Sixknight instead. Sixknight would have killed the three boys if not for Browning, who transformed into pistol mode and allowed Minerva to fire him, blanketing the battlefield with smoke capsules that covered the Decepticons' escape. The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?!

Browning later joined in the Decepticons' all-out attack on the Autobot base, Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes and then accompanied Cancer to his hometown in China when the boy discovered that BlackZarak was intending to level it. Cancer was unable to convince the populace to flee before the assault came, and matters only got worse when he visited his old dojo and discovered his sensei had died. While hearing the whole terrible story from his friend Chang, Cancer was attacked by two students who blamed him for everything, but Browning leapt to his boss's rescue and floored the two boys with swift kicks to the head. Realizing that there were nothing more they could do, Browning and Cancer prepared to leave, but just then, BlackZarak's attack came, and Cancer found himself thrust into the role of hero when he had to save Chang from a burning building. The building proceeded to collapse on Cancer, however, and Browning had no choice but to petition the Autobots for their aid. Following Minerva's lead, the Autobot Juniors dug Cancer out while Ginrai and Road King dispatched BlackZarak, and Cancer and Browning were allowed to leave peacefully. God Ginrai - Save Cancer!?

BANG.

This act of kindness from the Autobots only served to make Cancer even more unsure about his role as a Decepticon. When Browning commented to his glum boss that it was like he had lost his Decepticon spirit, Cancer demanded to know what the meaning of such a thing even was. Subsequently, during a particularly one-sided battle in the Decepticon base, Cancer could finally stomach the evil of the Decepticons no longer, and sided with the Autobots. As he escaped the base alongside his new allies, Browning swam along behind him, happy to desert his faction before he would desert Cancer. God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base

Some people have angels and devils on their shoulders, Cancer has a gun.

A little later, at the Autobot base, Browning emerged from within Cancer's armor just in time to get cried on when Wilder and Bullhorn refused to join the Autobots along with him. Browning later joined Cancer, Godbomber and the Autobot Juniors in battling the Sparkdash, but he couldn't handle the heat of the creatures' flame breath, and took to fanning himself in the middle of the firefight. Luckily, Wilder and Bullhorn had a change of heart and arrived to help the Autobots win the battle. Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings Reborn Then, when the former Decepticons got together in preparation for the next battle, Browning hopped out of Cancer's armor again with the intention of helping, only to wind up getting stuck in a small crack in the rocky ground. Autobots! Desperate Attack!!

Cancer, Wilder, Bullhorn, and Clouder were all subsequently stripped of their transtectors by Decepticon emperor Devil Z, but Browning stayed with his boss no matter what. After the boys helped to save several people from the devastation caused by Devil Z's Devil Power bombardment of Europe, Browning huddled with them in an underground refugee shelter, where he worriedly remarked that humanity was facing extinction if Devil Z was not stopped. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z Thankfully, Ginrai did indeed succeed in stopping Devil Z, and although Browning was not seen again, it seems highly unlikely that he departed the planet with the other Transformers to rejoin the Autobots and Decepticons in space. Presumably, he continued to live with Cancer after he returned to his normal life. A Battle... and Then...

Legends comic

Browning remained by Cancer's side and came with him to the Legends World, where he convinced him to accept Shockwave's offer to become a pop idol, pointing out that it was a great way to advertise the Chōryūken dojo. Bonus Edition Vol. 24

Super-God Masterforce comic

Browning was perched upon Cancer's shoulder when the two observed the torture of Shūta Gō and Cab at the hands of Blood. The Good and Evil Families of Earth

Later, when Giga forbade Cancer from returning to his home town to celebrate New Year, Browning ran away with Cancer to do just that. The cold winter weather didn't agree with Browning, who coughed and huddled inside the annoyed Cancer's scarf, but bigger worries soon arrived in the form of BlackZarak, who began laying waste to the city.

The Autobots arrived to battle BlackZarak, but when the powerful Decepticon spotted Cancer, he seized him and used him as a bargaining chip to stay the Autobots' hands. Giga and Mega soon arrived, merged as Overlord, and furiously attacked BlackZarak, enraged at his mistreatment of Cancer. Brought back to the Decepticon base, Cancer discovered that the only reason Giga hadn't wanted him to return home was because he had intended for the Decepticon to all celebrate together. Upset at himself for not trusting his family, Cancer was consoled by Mega while Browning made a kagami mochi and noted that running away never solves anything. The Great Turnabout of the Autobots

2005 IDW continuity

Browning was part of Deathsaurus's contingent of Decepticons stationed in their Warworld. In agreement with Tarn, Deathsaurus and his forces joined with the Decepticon Justice Division to continue the Decepticon dream and eliminate Megatron. The Permanent Revolution

Games

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Browning was a Decepticon who transformed into a gun. Decepticon Directive

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

Why does a guy that turns into a gun need... so many guns?

• Browning (Destron, 1988)

• ID number: D-308
• Accessories: 2 left fists, 2 right fists, 2 "Sniper Shot" rifles, 5 bullets
• Known designers: Takashi Matsuda (TakaraTomy)

Masterforce Browning transforms into a silver, black, and blue Browning M1910 pistol, and like Megatron before him, was originally part of the "Gun Robo" subset of the Micro Change toyline. In his Micro Change incarnation, he was available in two colorations: silver chrome with red plastic parts, and bronze chrome with blue plastic; for the toy's release in the Masterforce line, the silver chrome was combined with the blue plastic.

In his quite realistic pistol mode, he can fire bullets from his muzzle thanks to a spring-loaded assembly attached to his trigger. This rather weak firing mechanism can also be triggered by pressing the small yellow sight above the muzzle, which is used to activate the gimmick in robot mode, since the muzzle forms his right arm, and also can launch his right fist. His two silver-chromed "Sniper Shot" rifles can be held in his fists, or plugged into holes on his shoulders.

• More information on Browning at TFU.info

Legacy

Almost to proper scale with Titan Black Zarak.

• Prime Universe Cliffjumper VS Beast Wars Universe Tarantulas, G1 Universe Squeezeplay, Cyberverse Universe Tarn (Multi-pack, 2024)

• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy)^[2]

Transformers: Legacy Browning (not identified as such on the packaging, but explicitly called that in Hasbro livestreams) is included as a non-transforming accessory for Legacy United "G1 Universe Squeezeplay". His barrel is compatible with Fire Blast effects.

Despite Squeezeplay being given color details based on Cancer's cartoon model, Browning is painted in toy-based silver rather than cartoon-based bronze.

Browning and Squeezeplay were only available as part of a Target-excusive four-pack, packed in with Prime Universe Cliffjumper, Beast Wars Tarantulas, and Cyberverse Universe Tarn.

• Designer commentary on Legacy Browning from Mark Maher on Instagram

Notes

• Browning's anime character model sports the bronze-and-blue color scheme of his Micro Change progenitor, rather than the colors of his Masterforce toy. But then, he's hardly the only Masterforce character in the cartoon who sports non-toy colors.
• Browning is one of the very few Transformers toys meant to be a (roughly) 1:1-scale representation of the character outside of the Real Gear Robots line.
• Browning speaks in the Kansai dialect (for example, substituting ya for da/desu), strongly associated in Japanese media with rambunctious, fun-loving (and dim-witted) characters due to the wealth of comedians from the region.
• Takara considered either the Gun Robo 44 Magnum or Gun Robo Browning toys from Micro Change for release in Masterforce. It was ultimately decided that Browning made a better companion to Cancer.^[3]

Foreign names

• English: B.M. (Omni Productions dub)
• Italian: Tissy
• Mandarin: Browning (China, 勃朗宁 Bólǎngníng)
• Spanish: Dici (America)

References