Deathsaurus (G1)
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The name or term "Deathsaurus" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Deathsaurus (disambiguation). |
- Deathsaurus is a Decepticon from the Victory portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Deathsaurus (デスザラス Desuzarasu)[1] began terrorizing the universe long before ascending to the position of Decepticon Emperor of Destruction. For thousands of years, this savage and cruel dictator has spread terror throughout the universe, and has now set his sights upon the Earth as a source of energy to power his terrifying superweapon, the Planet-Destroying Fortress. And if Star Saber should get in his way, so much the better: Deathsaurus bears the Autobot Supreme Commander a bitter grudge, and relishes any opportunity to destroy him that presents itself.
Deathsaurus is a Breastforce warrior, partnered with two transforming chestplates that become the Breast Animals Tigerbreast and Eaglebreast. He wields a deadly spiked flail, and the Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon, which erodes the living metallic cells of super-robot lifeforms. The bladed wings of his creature mode absorb sunlight, converting it into dark energy, and he can then launch these energized blades at his opponents in an attack known as his "Death Wing". Despite all of these terrifying powers, however, Deathsaurus is a surprisingly "hands off" leader, who is perfectly happy to allow his subordinates to formulate their own plans and schemes to gather energy for him—but if they should fail, he'll always be there to berate and brutalize them. Even when the plans are his own, Deathsaurus is content to watch and command from a distance, rather than dirty his own hands—but he'll rarely waste a chance to engage Star Saber on the battlefield, and if that occurs, woe betide anyone who gets in Deathsaurus's way.
Not without a soft side, Deathsaurus permits himself one distinctive, unusual foible: although he despises most humans, he has a surprising soft spot for children. He is also husband to Esmeral, who resides in the Planet-Destroying Fortress.
“ | I will not forgive this, Star Saber! I swear! I swear I will crush you with my bare hands! I swear, you worm! With my bare hands! | ” |
—Deathsaurus, "Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress" |
Contents
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Fiction
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Super-God Masterforce cartoon
Clips of Deathsaurus were seen when Shūta and Grand Maximus were talking about the new Supreme Commander Star Saber. Shūta and Grand's Masterforce Super-Secrets!
Victory cartoon
- Voice actor: Takeshi Aono (Japanese), Rik Thomas (English, Omni Productions dub), Víctor Mares (Latin American Spanish)
500,000 years ago, striving to become the Decepticons' new Emperor of Destruction, Deathsaurus created a gigantic battle fortress capable of destroying planets, but an attack by the young Autobot commander Star Saber saw the fortress de-powered and trapped in a gravity cell at the heart of the region of space known as Dark Nebula. This began the enmity between Star Saber and Deathsaurus, and as both combatants rose through the ranks of their respective armies, Deathsaurus vowed to eventually liberate his fortress and use it to destroy Star Saber. Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress
Some years prior to 2025, after the conclusion of the Masterforce War on Earth, Deathsaurus succeeded Overlord as Decepticon leader and achieved his dream of becoming Emperor of Destruction. Deathsaurus's Victory toy bio Under his command, the Decepticons began seeking a planet that they could call their own and invaded worlds all across the universe. To counteract Deathsaurus's campaign of terror, the Autobots—now with Star Saber serving as their Supreme Commander—and many other sentient races formed the Universal Peace Alliance, and struck back at the Decepticons with their Universal Defense Force. As time passed and this conflict continued, Deathsaurus began focusing his attacks on "Sector One" of the universe, containing the planet Earth, until 2025, when the severity and frequency of the attacks forced Star Saber to take command of the Defense Force unit in that area himself. The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber
When Deathsaurus's Dinoforce attacked the Lunar Base on Earth's moon, Star Saber raced to aid his fellow Brainmasters in battle there, only to find his way barred by Deathsaurus. Hoping to distract Star Saber long enough for the Dinoforce to finish their job, Deathsaurus engaged his old foe in battle, but Star Saber broke off the fight as quickly as he could and headed on toward the moon with Deathsaurus hot on his heels. After Star Saber defeated the Dinoforce, Deathsaurus caught up to him and unleashed his Breast Animals upon the Autobot in both beast and weapon forms. Star Saber eventually won out, defeating both the creatures and besting Deathsaurus in a swordfight, forcing the Decepticon leader to summon up his craft, the Thunder Arrow, and flee aboard it. The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber
Recognizing the Earth as a rich source of energy that he could use to power up his Planet-Destroying Fortress, Deathsaurus centered most of his subsequent attacks on the planet, summoning the Breastforce to aid in the campaign. Sneak Attack! Dinoking Attack! Leozack Unite!! Multiforce Deathsaurus was entirely aware of the fact that the Breastforce's leader Leozack had designs on leadership of the Decepticons for himself, Move Out! Rescue Team but he was amused enough by it to let him slide by, allowing Leozack to believe that he was oblivious to his schemes. Residing on the Thunder Arrow as it hopscotched around the planet and solar system, Deathsaurus was content to watch as his troops staged numerous attacks on Earth. Infiltration... The Uranium Mine Explosion!! The Energy Base
Deathsaurus finally decided to join his troops on a mission when the Decepticon began draining electrical energy from an American subway system. While the Breastforce snuck through the subway tunnels, Deathsaurus himself targeted the power distribution center, where he was confronted by Star Saber. The true cunning of Deathsaurus's scheme was revealed when he let loose his Breast Animals, and Star Saber proved no match for the creatures in the small confines of the underground complex. Unfortunately for Deathsaurus, he had overlooked the fact that with both Breast Animals deployed, his own chest was left unprotected, leaving it open to an attack from Star Saber's Saber Blade. Wounded, Deathsaurus recalled his Breast Animals and fled, but not without successfully taking the energy he had managed to steal beforehand. Big City - Underground Terror
When the Breastforce were joined by Hellbat, the newcomer also adopted designs on the Decepticon throne. The New Warrior - Hellbat Deathsaurus was even less concerned with Hellbat's ambitions than he was with Leozack's, though, since the two would-be traitors were always too busy fighting with each other to pose a serious threat to him. In their constant games of one-upmanship, Leozack and Hellbat crafted numerous failed schemes of their own, eventually forcing Deathsaurus to step in and give his minions a mission of his own devising. Deathsaurus had the Decepticons hide in the asteroid belt and capture human shuttlecraft in order to use drain their energy and use them to create an energy alloy. Star Saber soon got wise to the villains' evildoings and arrived to put a stop to them, but again, Deathsaurus successfully escaped with his amassed energy. A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid
While the Breastforce were busy on planet Micro, Deathsaurus and the Dinoforce took the Thunder Arrow into the Dark Nebula, where Deathsaurus emptied his stockpile of energy into his inactive fortress. The giant structure briefly flared back to life, but soon shut down once more; Deathsaurus was unfazed, having only sought to confirm whether or not the fortress could even be reactivated. On the trip back to Earth, the Decepticons crossed paths with Star Saber and the Rescue Patrol Team, and Deathsaurus engaged Star Saber in battle with his Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon. Although Deathsaurus was actually able to pull the trigger on what would have been a fatal blast, he discovered that he had expended too much of his energy supply reactivating his fortress, and his weapons systems shut down before he could end Star Saber's life, necessitating his tactical withdrawal. Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress
Deathsaurus next clashed with Star Saber in Antarctica, only stepping onto the battlefield after the Breastforce, combined as Liokaiser, had severely weakened Star Saber. Deathsaurus took over the fight, intent on being the one to deliver the final blow, but Star Saber was able to turn the battle around, and forced Deathsaurus into retreat. Fight to the Death!! Antarctic Battle In a later battle atop the Thunder Arrow, deep in the desert, Star Saber again humbled Deathsaurus, this time with the aid of Greatshot, but the fight left both the Supreme Commander and Blacker badly wounded. Crisis! Ambush in the Desert Capitalizing on the Autobots' reduced manpower, Deathsaurus stepped up the Decepticons' attacks across the planet, and removed another annoyance by finally calling Leozack out on his treachery. Easily besting the traitorous Breastforcer in combat, Deathsaurus forced him to swear total loyalty to him, or face death. Leozack made the logical choice, and then, combined with his fellow Breastforcers as Liokaiser, joined with his leader in staging an ambush for Star Saber in a subterranean cave in Asia. Disguising himself as a Terracotta Army-esque statue, Deathsaurus was able to get the drop on Star Saber when Liokaiser lured him into the cave, and again unleashed the Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon on his enemy. Once more, Deathsaurus stood poised to kill Star Saber with the weapon, until the last-minute arrival of God Ginrai, who took the fatal shot. Liokaiser had to persuade the incensed Deathsaurus to retreat as more Autobots arrived, A Deadly Battle but the Decepticon leader soon clashed with Star Saber once more in a later battle at a solar power station. Deathsaurus emerged victorious in that fight when Star Saber was forced to flee upon receiving news of Ginrai's deteriorating condition. Ginrai Dies!! Ginrai's life was saved, however, when he was rebuilt into the powerful new warror, Victory Leo. Fight!! Victory Leo
Next, Deathsaurus began bombarding the Earth with missiles from an orbital weapons platform, as a means of staying the Autobots' hands while his forces gathered energy across the planet. Star Saber and Victory Leo were able to thwart his plan by combining into the mighty Victory Saber; Deathsaurus's missile launch system had been programmed based on Star Saber's speed, but with the added power of Victory Leo, the Autobot hero was able to outrace the missiles, destroy the launcher and defeat Deathsaurus in an outer space battle. The Tide Is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification
Following an attempt to destroy the Autobots with the metal-eating Doriya insects, The Death-Bringing Space Insects!! Deathsaurus was informed by Hellbat that he had discovered the location of the sunken continent of Atlantis, which could provide the raw energy to reactivate his fortress. Deathsaurus risked all or nothing to obtain Atlantis's energy, using up the Thunder Arrow's entire energy stockpile to raise the continent, but the plan proved a success, as the Autobots were too busy dealing with the devastating tidal waves caused by the rise of Atlantis to stop him from absconding with enough energy to bring his fortress back online. The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves Having no further use for the bumbling Dinoforce, Deathsaurus abandoned them on Earth and headed back to the Dark Nebula with the Breastforce, where he successfully re-energized his fortress and began moving it towards Earth. The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress!
Intent on learning from the failures of all past Decepticon leaders, Deathsaurus chose not to conquer Earth, but to utterly destroy the planet, eradicting from Decepticon history the humiliating stain of defeat the planet represented. As the fortress rained destruction down upon Earth with meteor bombs, even Victory Saber could not stand up to its power. Soon, however, a resentful Dinoforce supplied information on the fortress's weak spot to Star Saber's adopted human son, Jan, who then used his own personal mech to enter the fortress and strike at this vulnerability. As he did so, Deathsaurus and Star Saber engaged in a vicious final battle, during which Deathsaurus lost an eye, and was eventually stopped when Star Saber broke his sword off in the villain's chest. Gushing fuel and fluid, Deathsaurus vowed to have the last laugh as he set the crippled fortress on a collision course with Earth and blew himself out an airlock, vowing to return again and again. But, as his body drifted off into space, no sign of life was visible from the conquered emperor. Victory Saber was able to subsequently destroy the fortress before it collided with Earth, but Deathsaurus was not heard from again. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
Zone catalog
Through means unknown, Deathsaurus was resurrected as the "Dark Emperor" and once again lead the Decepticons in an attack on the Autobots. This time, it was a full-on assault on planet Zone in an attempt to seize the Micro Zone's Energon Z. The Micromasters repelled his attack and sent Deathsaurus into retreat. Zone Project Story
Victory comic
Deathsaurus and Star Saber's rivalry began 500,000 years ago when they were both children, and according to Star Saber, "argued all the time". Star of Friendship, Jan and Star Saber! In his "adult" years, Deathsaurus took Esmeral as his wife, and in order to keep both her and the families of his fellow Decepticons safe aboard his "Space Stronghold", Deathsaurus began attacking Earth, in order to obtain the planet's energy and use it to keep the stronghold fully powered-up. The Grand Victory War
During one of his early attacks on Earth, Deathsaurus took pity on an infant human named Solon Kitakaze, whose parents had died in the assault. Deathsaurus "adopted" Solon and turned him into a cyborg, raising him as his own son, just as Star Saber did with the human child Jan Minakaze. As Star Saber and Deathsaurus had been rivals in their youth, so too would Solon and Jan become rivals when, in 2025, Deathsaurus's campaign against Earth intensified.
Deathsaurus and Star Saber's first major battle in this campaign was a brief one, with Deathsaurus being felled by a single swipe of Star Saber's Saber Blade, So Cool! Our Ally, Star Saber! but the Emperor of Destruction had a better showing in their next clash, during which he absorbed enough energy from a forest fire to best Star Saber, Road Caesar and Landcross all together. Deathsaurus's unusual compassion for children proved to be his downfall in this battle when he was distracted by the sight of Solon, gripping Jan in a hold that threatened the boy's life. While Deathsaurus's attention was occupied with striking Solon as punishment, Star Saber blindsided and defeated him with a Super Saber Meteor Spin. Great Reversal! Star Saber
Deathsaurus later sent Solon to study in school on Earth, in order to learn more about humans, thereby making it easier to conquer them. Leozack's Rampage! While Solon was on Earth, he and Jan were approached by former Autobot human allies Shūta Gō and Cab, Star Saber, Warrior of Love! and with Jan, they formed the "Autobot Boy Team" known as the Victories. Seeking to counter this group with a team of his own, Deathsaurus had Yokuryu capture Jan and bring him to the Thunder Arrow, where he attempted to bribe the boy into joining the Decepticons' group with toys, a Famicom, candy and cash. When an enraged Star Saber soon came tearing into the Thunder Arrow, Deathsaurus crossed swords with the Autobot leader, but was then distracted by Jan distracting who exploited the Decepticon's bizarre fear of caterpillars by dangling one in his face. The cowering Deathsaurus was promptly bested in dramatically explosive fashion by Star Saber's "Planetary Impulse Sword" technique, and realised with hindsight that Solon was the only kid he needed. Danger, Jan! Hurry, Star Saber! Deathsaurus was apparently left so badly injured by this clash that he couldn't participate in the next battle, given that he was only seen lying in bed, coughing, with Solon resting a giant ice-pack on his head. Star of Friendship, Jan and Star Saber!
Rested and healthy again, Deathsaurus joined with Dinoking and Liokaiser in going up against Star Saber together, and perhaps not entirely surprisingly, the badly outnumbered Autobot was defeated by the three Decepticons. Before they could deliver the killing stroke, however, Star Saber was saved by the sudden arrival of Victory Leo, with whom he combined to form Victory Saber. The merged pair defeated the trio of Decepticons in one blast of their "Flash Victory" attack. The Strongest Pair, the Combination of Victory! Deathsaurus immediately sought out away to combat Star Saber's new power, and developed a Transformer-sized mech for Solon named "King Solon," with which he could combine to form "Kingsaurus". In this new form, Deathsaurus battled Victory Saber on the planet Guard, with neither combatant getting the upper hand in over three hours of fighting. When Patty Minakaze's mentioned the word "mother", however, something of Solon's past was stirred in the boy's mind, and he was distracted long enough for Victory Saber to destroy the King Solon mech components with his Victory. The burning Solon tumbled to the ground, where Patty tended his wounds despite his protestations. Perhaps wary of Solon's confused emotional state, Deathsaurus reminded him that while he was a human child, he was a Decepticon's son by fate. Victory Saber Is Strong!
As it turned out, Deathsaurus was right to be wary—in the midst of a later battle with Star Saber and Road Caesar, Solon turned against Deathsaurus and sided with the Victories, opening fire on his "father" and declaring that he would fight to protect the Earth, instead of destroy it. Now with Solon on their side, the Victories were able to channel their power into the Autobots, and the Decepticons were sent fleeing by the "Five Stars of Victory" attack. Shine, Five Stars of Victory Deathsaurus led the Decepticons back to the Space Stronghold and began bombarding the Earth with meteor bombs, prompting the Autobots to attack it. Deathsaurus left the Breastforce to man the fortress while he engaged Star Saber in a final battle in the void of space, but had not reckoned with the treachery of Leozack, who fired on his emperor with the fortress's main cannon. To save himself, Deathsaurus was forced to return fire on the fortress, and Star Saber followed suite, smashing into the fortress's control chamber and taking Leozack down. As Leozack begged the Autobots not to destroy the fortress, the wounded Deathsaurus arrived and revealed to the Autobots the presence of the Decepticons' families aboard the vessel. After his wife, Esmeral, explained to the Autobots that the Decepticons had only done what they had in the name of their families' safety, Star Saber decided that it was time for the two leaders to follow the example set by their sons and lay down their arms. Deathsaurus and Star Saber shook hands, and the Victory War came to an end, bringing peace to everyone—the truest victory of all! The Grand Victory War
PDTF Comic
Out of ammo, the Autobots started throwing things at Deathsaurus, including a black ball! Gloating, Deathsaurus began to plan his conquest of the universe, only to become so annoyed at the rocks bouncing off his head that in frustration he threw the Blackball at the Autobots. Good Job! Deathsaurus!! Right when Star Saber was ready to finish him, Deathsaurus brought in Liokaiser. The two Decepticons were soon hunting for their enemy as he frantically tried to contact Victory Leo. Don't Lose! Star Saber!!
Deathsaurus and Megatron were pounced on by Victory Leo until Megatron was able to distract the lion with a huge ball of yarn, allowing the Decepticons to escape. Tough as Nails! Victory Leo! After a lengthy mid-air battle with Star Saber, Deathsaurus fell from the sky and ended up with Grimlock chewing on his head. Me Strongest! Me Grimlock!
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Deathsaurus was an ancient Transformer from Cybertron's lost past. While searching for clues about the planet's history, Megatron stumbled across a hidden chamber beneath the planet's surface containing two massive statues of Deathsaurus and Dai Atlas, holding a golden disk between them. This chamber apparently told of a vast Cybertronian Empire that ended prior to recorded history. The Route of All Evil
Timelines
Deathsaurus once held the fearsome title of "Emperor of Destruction". BotCon 2005 Deathsaurus toy bio Towards the end of the Great War, the Predacon Cryotek worked under Deathsaurus as a supply manager. When the final defeat of the Decepticons at last came, Cryotek led his fellow Predacon workers in a rebellion against Decepticon overcaste, and used the materials he stole from his depot to begin his own criminal empire. Cryotek's "Theft of the Golden Disk" profile Deathsaurus, meanwhile, met his end at the hands of the Autobot Star Saber.
Centuries later, Deathsaurus was resurrected to serve as a general in a Decepticon army working alongside the Predacons in a Decepticon/Predacon Alliance. However, despite Deathsaurus leading several successful campaigns, the more united Autobot/Maximal forces eventually overwhelmed the Decepticon/Predacon Alliance, leaving Deathsaurus a frustrated ex-general. BotCon 2005 Deathsaurus toy bio
Some years later, using a clone lab on Ceti Alpha Seven, Deathsaurus wished to revive the long-gone Decepticon Empire with a vast Insecticon army. After the first batch of clones was completed, his operation was interrupted by a team of Autobot commandos under the command of Ironhide. Deathsaurus overpowered and captured the first wave himself, and soon faced Ironhide one-on-one, while Ratchet attempted to rescue the fallen Autobots. Due to the assistance of Tripredacus Agent Flamewar, these two were defeated and captured as well.
They woke up bound inside Deathsaurus's clone lab. The Emperor of Destruction appeared on a television screen, declaring that his use for the lab was completed and was prepared to detonate it remotely with the Autobots inside. Unfortunately for Deathsaurus, the Autobot espionage agent Ricochet not only freed the Autobots before the explosion occurred, but also seeded the remaining clones with a virus, leaving Deathsaurus with nothing to show for his work. Descent into Evil Some time afterward, Flamewar was seemingly captured by two Maximals and an Autobot, who tried to intimidate her into assassinating Deathsaurus. But despite her dislike of Deathsaurus, Flamewar refused. This all turned out to be a ruse anyway, with Flamewar's captors revealed to be three disguised Predacons merely testing her loyalty. Intimidation Game
Wings Universe
Deathsaurus's origins are unknown, but he quickly rose within the ranks of the Decepticons after the uprisings began. He established himself as one of the fourteen leading Warlords in the Decepticon cause and gathered a small inner circle of followers including Falcon, Vanquish, and Lyzack. Deathsaurus's profile in Club magazine #34 He had managed to recruit the latter as his personal servant by promising to aid Lyzack in liberating her brother from the Autobots. Lyzack's profile in Club magazine #40 Deathsaurus preferred to lead from his throne room, directing others to carry out his strategies from a distance. He accumulated a great deal of ill-gotten wealth from his forces' assaults on high-ranking generals and aristocrats in the Autobot hierarchy, while carrying on his own experiments into the areas of multiple alternate modes and combination technology. Deathsaurus's profile in Club magazine #34
Following a raid against the Autobot general Traachon, Deathsaurus sat in his throne room enjoying the fruit of his labors, and the finest oil reserves from the good general's private stash. He updated himself on Rage's final fate at Median thanks to his deep cover source, Flip Sides. Reviewing the details of the conflict with the Elite Guard, a plan began to form in his diabolical processor regarding the reported victors, the Combaticons. Flames of Yesterday
Seeing the possibility of swaying the Combaticons to his cause, Deathsaurus had Onslaught and his men captured and brought to his headquarters. In his throne room Deathsaurus wove a complicated web of deceit, half-truths, and temptations to bring the Elite Guardsmen under his control. Swindle and Vortex were easy, as their respective greed and love of fine oil was easy to satisfy. To earn their trust, Deathsaurus offered to fix up the Combaticons' armor due to the "mistaken" injuries they suffered at the hands of his soldiers, and he also offered to upgrade them in the process. The lonely Blast Off was quick to jump at the idea of having both land and space modes, letting him remain active and useful on the ground. Brawl's anger could not be easily cooled, so Deathsaurus merely redirected it, suggesting the Combaticons could not fight properly without the Elite Guard backing them up. After that comment, Brawl was more than willing to fight the Elite Guard to prove he was tougher.
Onslaught was the most difficult to manipulate, and so Deathsaurus appealed to his pride, intimating that Onslaught's strategic skill had waned since his days at the top of Omnihelix Academy. Instead, Deathsaurus posited that Onslaught could reach his full potential once freed from the shackles of the Elite Guard. By defeating the Guard, the Combaticons could prove they were better than Autobot and Decepticon alike, and become a new symbol of power on post-war Cybertron. Unwilling to appear weak, and lured by the notion of personal power and recognition, Onslaught relented. At this point, the Combaticons were all suitably mollified, ready to follow Deathsaurus's commands while still believing it was their decision to do so. Deathsaurus sealed the deal with his newly completed combiner technology blueprints, and left Onslaught to plan his attack. The Coming Storm: Part 4
As the Combaticons prepared for an attack against their former allies, Deathsaurus turned his attention to other matters. Although he had a seat on the Decepticon War Council, Deathsaurus rarely if ever chose to attend the meetings. Instead, he sent his spokesman, Falcon in his place. With the Council in disarray after the capture of Gutcruncher and the merger of the Constructicons and Photons with Megatron's forces, Deathsaurus decided it was time to act. He sent the unwitting Falcon to the council meeting with a bomb and detonated it, killing his faithful lieutenant and five of the remaining Warlords. With one well-timed explosion, Deathsaurus ensured that only he and Megatron remained as Decepticon Warlords and rivals for power. Deathsaurus then turned to continue planning with Falcon's replacement, his newly appointed lieutenant and head of the Skyraider-Seeker Brigade.
His name was Starscream. A Team Effort
Starscream was happy to report to Deathsaurus that the Combaticons, in their new combined form of Bruticus, had successfully vanquished the Elite Guard, and that the turncoats were on their way back to Deathsaurus's lair. Despite their victory, Starscream chafed at his commander's plan to welcome them into the Decepticons proper. Starscream feared that the Combaticons were not true Decepticons, but instead using their new allegiance to further their own quest for power. Deathsaurus countered that was what made them the perfect Decepticons, and reminded his new lieutenant that ambition is what separates the Decepticons from the stagnation and complacency of the Autobots. Starscream acquiesced and was ordered by Deathsaurus to help Lyzack prepare the medical bay for the arriving Combaticons. Battle Lines, Part 1
Deathsaurus observed as the Combaticons were repaired, and ordered Constructicons to concentrate on repairing them to the point that they could form Bruticus at Deathsaurus's will. After Bruticus proved to wild to control and was shut down, Starscream admired Deathsaurus's forethought in adding an override to the Combiner. He also warned the Warlord of an Elite Guard squad approaching their base. Deathsaurus ordered Starscream to call the troops to arms. Battle Lines, Part 2 He himself took part in the fight, exchanging blows with Magnum and informing the Autobot that he had done nothing to the Combaticons' minds other than convince them they would be better served by the Decepticon cause. Outraged, Magnum renewed his attack on the self-proclaimed emperor. Battle Lines, Part 3
The Warlord pointed out mockingly that Magnum's backup appeared to be falling flat, at which point the Autobot blasted him in the chest. Magnum took a battering from Lyzack, and Deathsaurus picked himself up to find Magnum and Thunderclash right where he could finish them off. Unfortunately that was when Sprocket jumped on him, demanding a zap-pony ride, and then shot him in his already damaged chest. Deathsaurus ordered a retreat, however the greatest indignity was still to come, as when he got home, he found his throne had been claimed by Megatron. Battle Lines, Part 4
Deathsaurus was chained and led into the gladiatorial arena to face Megatron in a ritual contest to decide leadership of the Decepticons. Deathsaurus bitterly observed that if Megatron wanted this to be a fair fight, he would allow him to first repair the injuries that were dealt by Magnum and Sprocket—but Megatron laughed off the notion that he could ever want a fair fight. Megatron defeated Deathsaurus in melee combat, clawed his face off, then blasted him with his fusion cannon at point-blank range for good measure—emerging as the unquestioned leader of the Decepticons. As the troops rallied around their new leader, Lyzack approached her fallen emperor and found that, despite his tremendous damage, he still functioned. The humbled Deathsaurus said he had no choice but to go into exile, and Lyzack agreed to accompany him. Battle Lines, Part 5
Kre-O online comic
Deathsaurus was part of a massive Decepticon invasion force intended to ruin the Autobots' picnic. However, Optimus Prime plowed through them with his truck and left them scattered... and then left. Returning to the scene after.. ahem, taking care of some pressing business, Optimus gathered up the still-wiped-out Kreons, bound them up on a flatbed trailer, and took them to the picnic. Emergency! Hurry to the Base, Optimus!
2005 IDW continuity
- First appearance: More than Meets the Eye #39
Deathsaurus was born a Decepticon during the Great War. He enjoyed a successful career cyberforming planets, but grew tired of Megatron's seeming apathy towards the well-being of his troops. Eventually, Deathsaurus broke away from his command and, using a stolen Warworld, led a contingent of his own troops to ravage worlds. Deathsaurus's betrayal placed him on the Decepticon Justice Division's List.
When the DJD eventually came, albeit to offer a deal, a disbelieving Deathsaurus tried to preemptively blow up Tarn. Deathsaurus switched off his audio receptors to avoid Tarn's weaponized conversation—but Tarn tapped into the Warworld's inter-Decepticon radio and bought enough time to offer Deathsaurus a deal: join the DJD in preserving the Decepticon dream and eliminating the then-Autobot Megatron, in exchange for removing his and his soldiers' names from the List. As a condition, Deathsaurus told Tarn to slay the other members of the DJD as payback for all their past victims, and Tarn refused... which was all Deathsaurus needed to see. Satisfied that his test had proven that Tarn was not so callous about his soldiers' lives as Megatron had been, Deathsaurus agreed to join forces. The Permanent Revolution
Months later, the Decepticons ambushed Megatron and his Auto-chums at the Necrobot's planet How Bright Their Frail Deeds but, under Tarn's command, they backed off to return at sunset. While being shown Tarn's collection of literary miner corpses (and professing ignorance of early rebel Terminus), Deathsaurus expressed his troops' frustration that they hadn't just killed the enemy already. Tarn told him this was an act of psychological torture. Later, he joined the Division in discussing how best to make the final assault. The Sun in Flight When Tarn appeared with Overlord in tow, Deathsaurus was more than surprised. Overlord immediately started trying to put him off, until he was shut down by Kaon's death. Your Fierce Tears
Along with the rest of the army, Deathsaurus amassed outside the Necrobot's fortress in which the Autobots had holed-up. At Close of Day In the following battle, Deathsaurus noticed the vigor the Autobots were fighting with and when Megatron arrived, he commented on the fact that Megatron found his fire. Despite the fact that Megatron was decimating his men, Deathsaurus reluctantly followed Tarn's order to send all his troops at Megatron. After losing his new fusion cannon, Megatron fell to his knees as Tarn and Overlord stood over him and opened fire. Rage, Rage Megatron activated a panic bubble, deflecting their blasts and forcing a temporary stalemate. Shortly thereafter, a psychic attack transmitted from the Necrobot's fortress gave Deathsaurus a moment of conscience, making him reflect on the many troops he had lost following Tarn's commands. Nickel shared his regrets and the two ordered a retreat of the survivors, leaving the D.J.D. to deal with Megatron and the Autobots on their own. Do Not Go Gentle
Deathsaurus continued to cyberform worlds in his exile. However, when his resource suppliers were slowly taken over by someone operating from the Benzene Cluster, he made plans to investigate. This brought him to the planet Frayus, where, leading forces alongside Commander Nickel, he joined a battle between the Galactic Council and the Black Block Consortia. He did so in defiance of Nickel's instructions to wait until the other two sides had worn each other down a little, and so, not long afterwards, found himself and his troops being stormed by unexpected Consortia reinforcements. Journey's End
Power of the Primes marketing material
An unknown evil was a potential bearer of the Matrix of Leadership. As a force for chaos, this shadowy warlord planned to rebirth Cybertron in his own image, even if it meant sending the universe spiralling towards a grim fate. Instead, the Matrix went to Optimus Primal. Power of the Primes fan poll
2019 IDW continuity
- First appearance: Galaxies #5
Deathsaurus was Cybertron's ambassador to planet Probat, responsible for collecting their energon tributes. Aware of the Probats' worship of Bumblebee and that their echolocation-based vision made them blind to colors, the ambassador brought Cliffjumper along with him to serve as a distraction that would allow Deathsaurus to skip out on all the gross inferior creepy-crawly-fleshy parts of his job. When the Probat chief Natalus showed him the pitiful haul of energon, a suspicious Deathsaurus sniffed around and found a secret stash that Natalus was hoarding. Livid at being lied to, Deathsaurus killed Natalus on the spot just as Cliffjumper ran in, bringing the news that super-heating the Probats' waste created hyper-refined energon crystals. Helping himself to the sample, Deathsaurus decided to raze the planet, rewarding Cliffjumper's initiative with a one-time offer to help himself to a portion of the energon. Wannabee, Part 1
When Cliffjumper made clear that he would not take part in a genocide, Deathsaurus decided that the sanitation engineer could serve as a distraction, shoving him inside a wall and framing him for the murder of Natalus to the Probats while exposing him as a "False Bee". With everyone occupied, Deathsaurus went to work on the spires, once again offering Cliffjumper a chance to join him, noting he would leave enough Probats alive so he could come back and repeat the process in a few megacycles. Disgusted, Cliffjumper charged up a spire and rammed into Deathsaurus, sending the draconic ambassador falling onto a spire and impaling him on the energon. Damaged but alive, Deathsaurus was brought back to Cybertron in a comatose state while Cliffjumper lied that the ambassador had been caught in an accidental explosion when the two had scuttled the energon facility, so there was certainly no longer a reason for any Cybertronian to visit that planet. Wannabee, Part 2
After being repaired, Deathsaurus sought out Swindle and indefinitely assigned his energon rations to the con artist in exchange for a multiworld immersion couch. Once inside the simulation, Deathsaurus spent kilocycles endlessly killing Cliffjumper. Hunt He was still there over forty cycles later, Swindle's II and shortly thereafter Exarchon opened his immersion couch and took over his spark. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Three
Exarchon used Deathsaurus's form as his primary avatar, battling the Autobots and Decepticons as he continued his plan to take over Cybertron. War's End Part One War's End Part Two War's End Part Three Deathsaurus's frame was eventually abandoned when Exarchon was compelled to vacate it by Mindwipe's hypnotic stare. War's End Part Four
Transformers '84
After Straxus had become the de facto Decepticon leader, Star Saber was facing off against Deathsaurus's Decepticons only to eventually be surrounded. When the Decepticon commander finally showed himself, Star Saber insulted his cowardice and flew off in his V-Star just as Deathsaurus gave the order to exterminate the Autobot, to the Decepticon's rage. Secrets & Lies #3
Games
Transformers Ultimate Allstars
Transformers: Earth Wars
A tyrant and despot - more than often a rogue one - who can rival Megatron, Deathsaurus wields a deadly spiked flail, a destructive energon sword, and a Living-Metal Destroying cannon. Despite his power and abilities, he's perfectly content to hang back and let others do the fighting; after all, he's secure enough in his faith in his strength that he doesn't feel the need to prove himself to anyone. Deathsaurus Bio
Deathsaurus was on en-route to conquer and oppress when Star Saber engaged him in a duel. He ended up trapped and frozen in his own Planet-Destroying Fortress, much to his amusement. Deathsaurus Research
When the Decepticons were attempting to breach the inner sanctum of a Decepticon Fortress in the Arctic, they found Deathsaurus guarding it. He declared that "the universe is an arena, and Autobots and Decepticons alike are merely contestants." His appearance scared away Brawl and Starscream. To Starscream's retreat he replied, "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once!" before returning back into the fortress's halls. Arctic Saga - What Lies Beneath
The Decepticons soon re-approached him, this time with Megatron and the Constructicons. Megatron attempted to order Deathsaurus to activate the fortress, intending for them to conquer Earth together. But Deathsaurus replied that Megatron overvalued his contribution and worth, and walked away. He then overloaded the energy levels of his fortress, initiating its self-destruction. He then started laughing maniacally, while the rest of the Decepticons and Autobots in the fortress evacuated. Arctic Saga - The Monster Within
After Deathsaurus arrived at the Decepticon Base, Starscream confrontationally demanded to know who he was. Deathsaurus was not impressed, citing that he had faced off against the likes of Megatron and Galvatron, and the former achievement piqued Starscream's interest. Deathsaurus subsequently ordered Starscream to help him find his Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon and his spiked flail, explaining that he had lost it in space somewhere over the Arctic Circle. After failing to get Deathsaurus to agree to quid pro quo help, Starscream groaned that it was going to be a long night.
During their search, Deathsaurus admitted that he had lost his cannon quite a few times. Starscream then asked if he has something like a car beeper. At first, Deathsaurus was surprised, but then intrigued and wanted to know more.
Soon he encountered Star Saber, who immediately assumed he was after Earth and challenged him to another duel. Upon seeing the Autobots Starscream took off, and Star Saber's companions left him to let them settle their "legendary" battle. Deathsaurus Research
Deathsaurus competed against Megatron and claimed the Dark Star Saber, becoming the new Decepticon leader after Megatron's disappearance. The Last Stand
Deathsaurus and his loyalists, the remnants of the D.J.D. and Flamewar, planned to strike Soundwave's splinter cell, but were confronted by the Combaticons. Past Imperfect Swindle then stole the Dark Star Saber from Deathsaurus. The Dark Ages
- Class: Special
- Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
- Weapons: He uses a sword to chop up and destroy his foes, and a shield to bash them!
- Ability: Blazing Storm: Rush in, spreading electrical fire in a large radius. All targets in the radius are disabled for 6 seconds (even Shock Towers!), and take some damage.
- Cost: 12 ability points + 3 for reuses.
Deathsaurus at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki
Transformers Roleplaying Game
Deathsaurus was a high-ranking member of the Decepticon Conclave. At one point, Deathsaurus spent years defending an ancient fortress on the remote planet of Ceti Alpha VII. When the Alpha Insecticons Dirge and Buzzclaw discovered him, Deathsaurus helped reactivate their cloning abilities and established a facility to assist in the creation of an an army of virulent Insecticon clones. Decepticon Directive
Toys
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
- ID number: D-336
- Accessories: Tail/shield, "Deathtailer" rifle/mace
- Known designers: Kōjin Ōno (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- "Deszaras" transforms into a blue and grey dragon monster. Unusually for late Generation 1 toys, he has die-cast-metal feet in beast mode.
- Deathsaurus comes packaged with his Breast Animal partners, Tigerbreast and Eaglebreast, which transform from creatures into hand-held weapons for Deathsaurus, and a pair of breastplates which lock into a spring-loaded socket on the toy's body to form elaborate torso armor for Deathsaurus's robot mode. Eaglebreast is inserted first, then Tigerbreast fits on top, concealing it; the figures can also be attached while Deathsaurus is in beast mode, which leaves them on his creature mode's back. Deathsaurus also wields a light blue laser rifle with a molded-in flail (which, sadly, cannot be removed) that can be held either by an ordinary handle or by a second peg on its butt that allows it to be brandished like a staff or blade; in dragon mode, the rifle can plug into the legs so no parts are left behind. The dragon's tail unfolds to become the "Death Tailer" shield, which mounts on either of the robot's biceps.
- There is a mold variant related to the spike on top of Deathsaurus's dragon head. On some specimens this spike's rear surface has a scooped, concave appearance; on others, it is filled in.[2]
Timelines
- Descent into Evil (Multi-pack, 2005)
- Accessories: 2 launchers, 2 Energon blade missiles
- Part of the BotCon 2005 "Descent into Evil" boxset, Deathsaurus is a blue and black retool of 2001 Robots in Disguise Megatron/Galvatron. He comes with a pair of swords that can launch their blade-missiles through a pressure-launch mechanism, as well as combine at their bottom ends to form a large double-blade weapon. The blade-missiles are rounded off for safety reasons like the other Hasbro uses of the mold. His head is a new sculpt based on Deathsaurus's appearance in the Victory anime.
- Deathsaurus's mold was originally a ten-changer, though the "gargoyle"/bat mode was neutered for this release due to the dropping of the bat snout piece, required to give his new head enough space inside his chest cavity for other modes. He still retains the other nine modes (robot, dragster, jet, two-headed dragon, hand, mammoth, hydrofoil, one-headed dragon, and winged griffin). His instructions, however, assign him the six modes of the original RID Megatron, including the gargoyle and omitting the boat, griffin, mammoth and flying dragon. His tail-piece was removed for in-box storage, but easily popped back on since it's on a ball-and-socket joint.
- Eleven years later, he was retooled again into BotCon 2016's Combiner Wars Megatron.
Combiner Wars
- Liokaiser (Platinum Edition Collection Pack, 2016)
- Accessories: 2 Sword-rifles
- Generations Combiner Wars "Dezarus" is a redeco/retool of Combiner Wars Voyager Class Sky Lynx, transforming from a winged dinosaur/dragon-thing into a space shuttle with attached (and non-removable) cargo lander. His beast head/shuttle nose has been retooled with new eyes and a new fin, and colored to resembled the original Deathsaurus's beast mode head.
- As a Combiner Wars Voyager Class figure, he is able to combine with any Deluxe Class toys released as part of the same subline but is, of course, intended to be combined with his pack-in Destrons to form Liokaiser. His torso mode's combiner head has also been retooled, now sporting a new Liokaiser face beneath its feline helmet. Since he replaces Leozack and Jallguar as Liokaiser's torso, his deco also heavily features their seafoam-green and black rather than his traditional silver and blue.
- Dezarus was only available as part of a boxed Liokaiser giftset, the only Combiner Wars "Collection Pack" that's co-branded as part of the Platinum Edition range. The set also included Drillhorn, Fellbat, Guyhawk, Ironbison, and Ion Scythe. In the United States, this set was officially exclusive to online retailer Entertainment Earth, but was also stocked by competitor BigBadToyStore, which obtained its stock through Asian vendors. In Hasbro's Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore, it was available at general retail. Additionally, it was also sold at Ripley stores in Chile and at Myer stores in Australia, whereas in Canada, it was available via the Canadian Walmart website, but never sold in stores.
Legacy
- Deathsaurus (2023)
- Series: Victory / Legacy
- TakaraTomy ID number: TL-CF2022
- Accessories: "Death Tailer" shield, shield handle, sword, arrow; "Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon", flail, 6 Fire Blast effects (Tier 1 unlocks); flight stand, throne, adapter part, display base (Tier 2 unlocks)
- Known designers: Brian Jablonksy, Evan Brooks, and John Warden (Hasbro), Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy), Emiliano Santalucia (concept artist)[3], Guido Guidi (packaging artist)
- The third HasLab crowdfunded figure for Transformers, Deathsaurus is an impeccably cartoon-accurate representation of the character in both robot and "griffon-dragon" modes. As a premium crowdfunded figure, Deathsaurus features a vast slew of accessories, and more extensive and intricate articulation compared to a typical Legacy figure, including an ab crunch, forward-articulating butterfly joints in his shoulders, and separate index/middle finger and ring/pinky finger joints.
- Once again he comes with both "Eaglechest" and "Tigerchest", though this time Tigerchest turns into a cartoon-accurate longbow, complete with an arrow (which does not launch or anything, but it looks cool). When Tigerchest is in breastplate mode, his head must be adjusted in order to use Deathsaurus's ab crunch, otherwise the sculpting of Deathsaurus's codpiece will lever Tigerchest out of position.
- All of the grips/handles of Deathsaurus's weapons use Masterpiece-style small posts on grippable handles rather than the more universal 5 mm posts and ports. However, the "Death Tailer" shield does have a 5 mm post to attach it to his right shoulder (and only his right shoulder via flip-out post-hole, another bit of cartoon adherence). He also has a plug-in shield handle to allow Deathsaurus to hold the shield in his hand. The Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon has two distinct sets of posts that allow Deathsaurus to not only wield it in robot mode, but also (rather goofily) use it in griffon-dragon mode, as he did when he first unleashed it in "Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress". Slots, posts, and the hollowed-out beast neck allow Deathsaurus to store his sword, flail, and arrow in robot mode. In an undocumented feature, he can hold his Masterpiece-styled weapons in his kaiju mode via slots in his forearms. His lower wingtips can detach and be held as weapons to simulate his "Death Wing" attack.
- He also includes a throne (based directly on his often-seen throne in the cartoon) and flight stand for both robot and beast mode. Both make use of the display base disc, so the throne must be removed from the base and set aside in order to install the flight stand. The throne can store his accessories on its back, but if it is detached from the base the Living Metal Destroying Cannon will no longer have floor clearance.
- The initial plan had been to release Deathsaurus at retail in the Legacy line, as a partial retool of Leader-class Studio Series Grimlock with the partner beasts each sold separately as Core class figures. However, the strong success of the Victory Saber campaign convinced them to move Deathsaurus to that platform as well. This made possible a bespoke and significantly larger design that, at 11" tall, can stand eye-to-eye with Victory Saber.[4]
- Like Victory Saber, Deathsaurus cost $179.99 USD and required 11,000 "backers" to go into production. The base level produced Deathsaurus himself, his sword, and "Micromaster" Breast Animal partners (though they are more akin to the noticeably larger Core size class). Reaching 14,000 backers unlocked a "weapon pack", which included the spiked flail with articulated chain (the chain being reused from MP-5 Megatron),[5] two sets of triple-stacked Fire Blast effects (to match those that came with Legacy Victory Saber) and his Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon. When the set reached 17,000 backers, this unlocked the display stand, throne and flight stand.
- The crowdfunding began on October 27, 2022, and ran through December 12, with the expected shipping date being the Fall of 2023. Deathsaurus reached sufficient backers to enter production on November 28, 2022. The weaponry tier was unlocked on December 5, 2022, and the final tier with the throne and display stand was unlocked on December 11, 2022, one day before the campaign ended. The final count was 27,442 backers, making Deathsaurus the most successful Transformers HasLab item at the time. A surprise tier was revealed on December 13 to celebrate the occasion—Boater and Pīpō Micromasters recreated with modern engineering to complement the Holi and Fire Micromasters included with Victory Saber, completing the Rescue Patrol Team!
- Deathsaurus began arriving in December 2023, first reported by fans in Taiwan (ironic since their shipment of Victory Saber the previous year had been undelivered due to water damage). In the United Kingdom and Europe (who were able to order directly via HasbroPulse for the first time), the item was delayed a month to January 2024. As with Victory Saber, the Japanese release of Deathsaurus has a different box design with wireframe schematic art.
Siege accessory mold: Jetfire's Fire Blast effects | ||
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Merchandise
Transformers Choco
- Deathsaurus (1989)
- Accessories:
- A snap-together candy toy kit produced by Kabaya, Transformers Choco Deathsaurus is a small transforming figure made entirely out of a single color of plastic. Versions were produced in red, blue, grey, yellow, or green.
Transformers Gum
- Deathsaurus (1989)
- Accessories: Tail/shield, rifle
- Part of the twelfth wave of Kabaya's Transformers Gum series of candy toys, this Deathsaurus figure is a snap-together model kit, larger and more detailed than the Choco kit above, and it shows more visual contrast as it is made from three differently-colored plastic sprues (blue, red, and grey). Although lacking any paint applications, the figure features stickers for detail, and retains most of the accessories and features of the actual Deathsaurus toy, though not his Breast Animal partners. It comes with a stick of something that might be gum.
- Amusingly, this coloration makes him heavily resemble the post-Transformers "Red Geist" redeco of the original Deathsaurus toy (see "Notes" below).
- Deathsaurus (2012)
- Accessories: Tail/shield, rifle, Tigerbreast, Eaglebreast
- Part of the fifth wave of the "modern" revival of the Transformers Gum series, Deathsaurus once again makes an appearance as a snap-together transforming model kit with stickered detail. It is an entirely new mold featuring much better color-matching with the full-scale toy. Uniquely, this version also incorporates his transformable Breast Animal partners - though they are actually sold separately, with Tigerbreast packed in with War for Cybertron Optimus Prime and Eaglebreast included with Hot Spot. The Deathsaurus kit includes a solid outer chestplate piece, so it will still look complete even if owners don't acquire the separate Tigerbreast.
Parody Deformed
- Deathsaurus (1990)
- A small, blue, white and red, non-transforming super deformed model kit of Deathsaurus was available as part of Kabaya's "Parody Deformed" line of candy toys. The fourth figure in the series, he came with a "PDTF Comic" comic about himself, "Good Job! Deathsaurus!!", and more of that alleged "gum".
Super Collection Figure
- Deathsaurus (2002)
- Act: 7
- Accessories: Shield, stand
- A PVC figurine of Deathsaurus was released in the seventh Victory-centric "Act" of Takara's Super Collection Figure line. Deathsaururs was available in both standard full-color version and metallic silver "pewter" versions, one each in a case of twelve. Both of his shoulders have sockets on the outsides to mount his shield accessory, so pick whichever arm you like best.
- The pewter version of the figure has a potential problem with connector peg breakage, due to said pegs often getting a layer of pewter paint before being forced into a socket, leading to sticking and tearing. Care should be used when moving or removing the arms; shaving down the socket interior with a thin hobby knife is usually sufficient to fix the issue.
- The pewter version came packaged with the wings of Victory Saber, one of several extra pieces packed with the various figures from the wave which could combine with the act's Star Saber figure to turn it into Victory Saber. The wings were available in both standard full color (at a rate of eight out of every ten cases) and rare pewter (only two in every ten).
- Deathsaurus (2002)
- Act: 7
- Accessories: Shield, stand
- Also available in the seventh wave was a rare "Secret Figure" version of the Deathsaurus PVC, featuring the character with his inner Breast Animal partner Eaglebreast on display, rather than the normal version's Tigerbreast. That's the only difference. Just the chestplate.
- Exciting.
- This variant was packed in one out of every ten cases... and obviously replacing the normal color Deathsaurus in the case.
Timelines
- Deathsaurus pin (2005)
- The first 100 BotCon 2005 Primus-package preregistrants received an exclusive Deathsaurus pin as part of their registration package.
Robot Heroes
- Victory Saber & Dessaras (Two-pack,
2009)
- Known designers: Bill Rawley (Hasbro), Marcelo Matere (concept artist)
- A surprise entry in the Universe-branded Robot Heroes series, this super deformed figurine of Deathsaurus sports a name variant that hearkens back to his original Japanese moniker, only missing the spelling by one letter. Originally discovered amongst Walmart store computer listings in mid-2008, he would have come packaged with an equally-adorable Victory Saber, but alas, the two-pack failed to materialize before the Universe portion of the Robot Heroes line was canceled.
Transformers Character Card
- Released as part of the tenth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of "Deszaras" (not again!) and Victory Saber along with character profiles and tech specs.
Notes
- While often called a dragon (including on his original box), or a griffin, or a griffon-dragon, or, hilariously, a "bigbird" on his original Japanese bio card, Deathsaurus is most likely styled after traditional Japanese kaijū, such as Godzilla or Rodan.
- The original Deathsaurus mold was redecoed into the non-living "Red Geist" (レッドガイスト Reddo Gaisuto) mech for Takara's Brave of Legend Da Garn toyline, which lacks the Eaglebreast partner. Although the character design in the television show for the line is significantly modified from that of Deathsaurus (see image at right), including reinterpreting Tigerbreast's weapon mode as a jet mode, the Red Geist toy itself is not retooled. More on Red Geist at a Japanese toy photoblog.
- Like all non-toy robot Kreons in the Kre-O manga, Deathsaurus is made from existing Kre-O parts. He uses the Inferno helmet, the Starscream wing-pack, a thick rifle, a 2x4 "wing" plate attached (somehow) to his arm to replicate the tail-shield... and then there's his chestplate. The plate itself is a 1x1 plate with twin bars and a pair of Starscream arm-guns attached... but it's "connected" to a 2x2 harness piece, which can only be done by adding a 1x2 center-peg plate in between them which is kind of unnecessary since there's a 1x1 harness piece that will do the job nicely, no middle-brick required.
- After the HasLab Deathsaurus campaign launched, Hasbro designer Mark Maher commented that the decision to make the new figure was made at the same time as the development of the final renders for the Victory Saber campaign. Since that was in summer 2021, it suggests a reason for the much more prominent role Deathsaurus went on to have in the ongoing IDW comic. Multiple issues released in 2022 used their covers to highlight a toy design that hadn't been sold for over 30 years.
- The Japanese Transformers fandom is fairly consistent on considering the original Deathsaurus toy's rifle to be the "Deathtailer" (デステーラー Desutērā),[6][7] as it is the only weapon mentioned by name in his original bio[8]—meaning his shoulder shield/dragon tail is a nameless accessory. However, the HasLab version of Deathsaurus omits the original toy's rifle and instead considers the "Deathtailer" to be his shield/dragon tail. Deathsaurus's Transformers Character Card refers to his cartoon-original sword as the "Deathtailer Sword" (デステーラーソード Desutērā Sōdo).
- Deathsaurus seems to have his own variant of the Decepticon insignia, (no eyes, differently flared "cheek" guards, and having 3 points on the crest instead of 2). This shows up on his character models, Eaglebreast, Tigerbreast, but didn't appear in the show. However, inside the Thunder Arrow, drapings with this variant insignia exist quite frequently.
Name
Deathsaurus's name is the source of a long-lasting argument. The phonetic Japanese reading of the name is Desuzarasu (デスザラス); this is represented in Latin characters on his toy packaging and tech specs as "Deszaras". English-speaking fans would long debate the "proper" romanization of the name, interpreting it as Deszaras, Deathzaras, Deathsaurus, Death Czarus, Death Czaras, and many others. "Deathsaurus" had a tendency to be the most popular and well-known (on account of it actually meaning something), which led to it being used on the character's first Western toy in 2005, making it his official English-language name.
At BotCon 2015, after decades of such back-and-forth, the designer of the original toy, Kōjin Ōno, confirmed that the name was indeed always supposed to have been "Deathsaurus"... during a panel presentation that rendered the name as "Dethzarasu". It is anyone's guess as to why the original Japanese lettering did not read saurusu (サウルス) or zaurusu (ザウルス)—the standard ways of transliterating the -saurus suffix into Japanese—rather than zarasu (ザラス). As such, in the years before that revelation was made clear, the character's name had continued to be spelled "Deszaras" on the Metrodome and Madman Entertainment DVD boxsets of the Victory cartoon as well as in the Legacy book.
Hasbro product varies on the spelling; first came "Dessaras" for the cancelled 2009 Robot Heroes figure. For Combiner Wars Liokaiser as part of the Platinum Edition line in 2016, they used the spelling "Dezarus". "Deathsaurus" proper would finally be used once the character received his own HasLab campaign for a release in 2023.
Foreign names
- Arabic: Deathsandar (دثساندر Dithsāndar)
- English: Deathsanras (Omni Productions dub)
- Cantonese: Sei2san4 Saat3laai1si1 (死神薩拉斯, "Death God Zaras")[9]
- Korean: Deathsaurus (데스소루스 Deseusoreoseu)
- Mandarin: Shènglā (Taiwan, 盛拉), Dà Kǒnglóng Zaras (China, 大恐龙萨拉斯 Dà Kǒnglóng Sàlāsī, "Great Dinosaur Zaras"), Sàng Shī (China, Combiner Wars, 丧狮, "Mourning Lion")
- Russian: Smertonosets (Смертоносец, "Deathbringer")
- Spanish: Zan Rás (America)
- Ukrainian: Smertelnyi Sanraz (Смертельний Санраз, "Deadly Sanraz")
References
- ↑ Also known as Deszaras, Dezarus, and Dessaras, among others. Listen, it's a whole thing.
- ↑ "The original Takara release of #Deathsaurus had a variant with a reinforced crest. The reinforced crest was carried over to Brave Red Geist."—Randall Spence, Twitter, 2022/10/31
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/ClLfJnsNsGK/
- ↑ Interview with Ben MacCrae and Evan Brooks on the Mr. Alan Supershow
- ↑ [1] EP1 test shot walkthrough with Evan Brooks
- ↑ Deathsaurus on Japanese Wikipedia
- ↑ https://blog.goo.ne.jp/tfbaka8585/e/b0ea7d0d04c49b75a68e4dbc9ff4558f
- ↑ http://tflab.net/japaspe/victory/d336.html
- ↑ Announcement of Deathsaurus's HasLab campaign on the official Hasbro Hong Kong Facepook page.
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