Transformers: Superlink References I Noticed
Most Trans-fans watch Transformers: Armada and Energon and see them as a completely different universe with little to no G1 references (and some Star Trek, Star Wars, and Pokémon references peppered into the trilogy), besides seeing them as some of the worst Transformers media; I saw Transformers: Micron Legend and Superlink that have a lot of G1 references, as well as being some of the most underrated and underappreciated Transformers media.
Superlink, especially, have many references from The Transformers: The Movie (1986) as well as parts of the original series, including Season 3, and a few callbacks from its predecessor, Micron Legend (Superlink is its sequel, after all).
The following G1 movie references I saw from Superlink include:
- The show brought back original characters from Micron Legend (including Ironhide, Sandstorm, and Shockwave), and then killed them off before even half-way into the series
- Megatron comes back as Galvatron; with not only a new body (which is a huge callout from the 1986 movie), but a different voice actor/seiyuu, as well
- Some of the original characters (especially Sandstorm, Ironhide, and Shockwave) were reformatted via Unicron’s power into completely different characters that are not as memorable
- Rodimus Prime (called Rodimus Convoy) makes an appearance, even though this Rodimus was not originally Hot Rod
- Springer (called Sprung in Superlink; which means the same thing) also makes an appearance
- A few scenes featuring Rodimus and Galvatron fighting each other is quite a big reference to the final battle in the 1986 film
- My least favorite Transformer: A Quintesson (Alpha Q)
- The animation is different than it was in Micron Legend; much like how the animation for The Transformers (1984-1987) was animated by Toei Animation, while the 1986 movie was animated by AKOM (and its style is a little different, as well)
- A completely different soundtrack specifically for the anime is used without reusing the Micron Legend soundtrack
- While songs like “The Touch,” “Dare,” and “Instruments Of Destruction” played at least once in The Transformers: The Movie, the intro and outro songs (“Taiyo no Transform” and “Calling You,” respectively) featured during certain episodes, especially in epic moments featuring fight scenes
- Not only is Kicker Jones a reference to Daniel Witwicky (a young tagalong human who is friends with the Autobots), he is also a composite character with G1 Hot Rod by behavior/attitude (he is quite impulsive, and wants his friends to not give up and fight for what is right)
- The female Transformer, Ariel, is a reference to G1 Arcee, since there was already an Arcee in Micron Legend
- There is a really fast Autobot; for Generation One, it is Blurr, and not only does he go fast, he even talks fast, as well; for Superlink, it is Wing Saber, who is quite an energetic Transformer to begin with (Episodes 26, 28, and the TV special are some well-known examples displaying his speed)
- Unicron looks a little more like his G1 counterpart than he did in Micron Legend
- Both the 1986 film and Superlink have their dark and silly moments, including beloved characters being killed off and Unicron causing destruction, and some slapstick moments regarding the Transformers
There are also some references from the original G1 TV show, as well:
- In both the G1 show and Superlink, an Autobot was killed off, and was reformatted into another, yet very similar, Autobot that is more well-known to many Trans-fans; respectively, they are Orion Pax (now Optimus Prime) and Wing Dagger (now Wing Saber); coincidently, both of their voice actors also voiced Ironhide (both Optimus Prime and Ironhide were voice by Peter Cullen in Generation One; Wing Saber and Ironhide were voiced by Koji Yusa in the original Unicron Trilogy)
- The G1 transformation sound effect is in the show!
- Many Transformers are based on their G1 counterparts, including Inferno, Wheeljack, Skyfire (almost), Omega Supreme, and Lazerwave (his G1 counterpart is called Shockwave, but since there is already a Shockwave in the Unicron Trilogy, the Decepticon’s name is Lazerwave, much like his Japanese version)
- Although they are not the same character, Superlink’s Red Alert and G1 Mirage share a very similar alt-mode, which is a blue Formula One race car
- The Shadowhawk Terrocons almost resemble G1 Lazerbeak; the Command Jaguar Terrocons resemble G1 Ravage; and the therapod Terrocons are called Dinobots (although, some may say they are a reference to Beast Wars’ Dinobot)
- The combiners made appearances in the show, including Buildron (a reference to G1 Devastator, but since there was already a Devastator in Micron Legend, the Decepticon combiner is called Buildron), Bruticus (whose individual combiners even kept their G1 names), and Superion (an Autobot combiner); there are also a few moments with Superion and Omega Supreme, as well, much like in Generation One
- One word: Energon (except, in G1, it is Energon Cubes; Superlink has Energon Stars)
However, being a Mecha anime show, Superlink also has references to other Mecha shows, including Voltron (as well as Beast King Golion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, due to the Grand Force (Prime Force) serving as Optimus Prime’s (or Grand Convoy) arms and legs), Gundam, and even the Brave Saga (including Brave Police J-Decker, in which I am also watching). The Brave Saga, in particular, are referenced in Superlink, including the following:
- Once the Transformers Superlinked (combined) with one another, we see close-ups of their combining sequence, they call out their forms, strike a pose, and then the battle begins; special mention goes to Optimus Prime/Grand Convoy, with his Super Mode/Hyper Mode (with the Grand Force), Wing Convoy mode (with Wing Saber), and Omega Convoy mode (with Omega Supreme)
- While the Transformers shout, “TRANSFORM!” the Brave robots shout, “CHANGE!” once they transform into their vehicle mode or robot mode
- Both the Transformers and the Brave robots are emotive, and have had many humanized moments, as well
- Since the Transformers and the Brave robots are sentient and can talk, they also have different personalities that makes them what they are as characters
- Both Transformers and the Brave robots have a human companion who fights alongside them
- Both franchises have their awesome, funny, heartwarming, terrifying, and heartbreaking moments that makes their target audiences attached to their works
I could list more references and callbacks that I noticed in Transformers: Superlink, but I will leave it at that, and maybe you can also find references in the show, as well.
Also, as I have mentioned, I am currently watching Brave Police J-Decker, and I have completed 12 episodes, so far; the robots are very similar to Transformers, it has their awesome, funny and heartbreaking moments that motivate me even more to continue the series until the grand finale, and I already got a favorite character since Episode 1, Deckerd, the main Brave Police robot, and the main human character’s companion; and a really cool vehicle mode (also, I discovered another really underrated seiyuu, Toru Furusawa; he also made a brief appearance in Transformers, but he is mostly well-known in the Brave Saga; in fact, he is so underrated that DeviantArt does not have a single stamp or fan art based on him (at least not yet); so, for any anime and seiyuu fans, I would suggest giving this voice actor more recognition, as well).
That is all I will be saying for now. Stay tuned for more posts.
This is FirebirdTransAm68 signing out.