Blacker
From Transformers Wiki
- Blacker is an Autobot Brainmaster from the Victory portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Blacker (ブラッカー Burakkā) is the commanding officer of the Brainmasters car trio and second in rank to Star Saber among the Earth Autobots. Blacker is possibly the most experienced warrior among the Autobots on Earth, making him one of the most respected Autobots around, and Blacker takes this reputation very seriously. He is constantly trying to set a proper example for his fellow warriors, but as he's not really a people person, he does so in the bluntest, curtest manner imaginable. This failure to pull any metaphorical punches leaves him coming off very patronizing, particularly in the eyes of Wingwaver and the Multiforce, but most Autobots take this in stride and tell them to do the same. Regardless, Blacker really couldn't care less what others think of him, and he doesn't let their opinions impede him in his duties—in fact, he is more than willing to put himself at risk for the sake of others and has been crippled several times doing so.
As a Brainmaster, Blacker possesses incredible skill, strength, intelligence and courage. Among the group, Blacker exemplifies strength in particular; his smallest robot form is the Brain of Strength (力のブレイン Chikara no Brain), which combines with a Transtector that transforms into a dune buggy. In this mode, Blacker can expand his tires and fire their needle-like studs at his enemies in a technique known as the "Needle Wheel Attack". Blacker combines with his fellow Brainmasters Braver and Laster into Road Caesar, forming both the torso and arms of the super robot.
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Fiction
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Legends comic
In the year 2022, Blacker and the Brainmasters fought the human-run terrorist group known as the Concurrence, and their legion of Viper drones. They were saved from a particularly heinous battle by Greatshot. Star Saber explained to the Brainmasters that Greatshot was the former Six Clan ninja Sixshot, now reformed, and he helped them destroy the Concurrence's space station base. Bonus Edition Greatshot
Victory cartoon
- Voice actor: Kōji Totani (Japanese), Simon Broad (English, Omni Productions dub)
In the run-up to the year 2025, Blacker was the commander of the "Sector One" contingent of the Universal Defense Force, protecting Earth and other planets in his sector from the renewed threat of the Decepticons and their emperor, Deathsaurus. When Deathsaurus began focusing his attacks on Sector One, Autobot Supreme Commander Star Saber decided to take command of Blacker's forces himself, with Blacker operating under him as his Lieutenant Commander. As they were old friends, this didn't bother Blacker in the slightest. The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber
On the day that Star Saber was due to arrive to take command, Blacker was seeing visiting Second Army commander God Ginrai off when Holi and Star Saber's human son Jan informed him that the Decepticons' Dinoforce had attacked the human Lunar Base on Earth's moon. Blacker, Braver and Laster immediately headed to the Moon and engaged the bumbling villains in combat, during which Braver was knocked into a chasm, leaving the team unable to combine into Road Caesar. Luckily, Star Saber arrived to save the day. The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber The Brainmasters subsequently battled Dinoking in space while the staff of the lunar base were transported back to Earth aboard the Autobots' Shuttle Base. Sneak Attack! Dinoking
With the Shuttle Base now established as their Earth-based headquarters, the Autobots set about scanning the planet for Decepticon activity. The first attack came on Jan's first day at school, when the Dinoforce and Leozack pursued Star Saber to the school and attacked. Blacker and the other Brainmasters arrived on the scene to aid their commander and merged into Road Caesar, defeating Dinoking while Star Saber dealt with the Breastforcer. Attack! Leozack The trio later battled the Breastforce at a desert energy plant, Unite!! Multiforce and again combined into Road Caesar to battle Dinoking once more at the Ocean Exhibition amusement park. Move Out! Rescue Team
When Wingwaver volunteered to join Laster and Braver on a mission to rescue humans trapped in the Neo Uranium mines, Blacker cautioned the over-eager "kid" that he might lose his life in the process. Wingwaver was adamant on going, grumbling to Laster and Braver about Blacker's patronizing attitude all the way, but when the mission resulted in success, Blacker was first to congratulate Wingwaver on a job well done. Infiltration... The Uranium Mine That didn't really do much to improve their relationship, however; Blacker still doubted Wingwaver's judgment and later insisted that he be allowed to lead the Multiforce on a mission into the Amazon to locate a Decepticon energy base. Infuriated by Blacker's consistently condescending commands, Wingwaver wound up striking a tree in his anger, startling a flock of birds and inadvertently giving away the Autobots' position to the Decepticons. In the ensuing attack, Blacker risked life and limb hauling Dashtacker out of a river when he got stuck in its muddy bed, and then broke off from the Multiforce to lead the pursuing Dinoforce away from them. Guilty over his mistake, Wingwaver followed Blacker and aided him in holding off the Dinoforce. With the two Autobots keeping the Dinoforce busy, Star Saber was able to destroy the Decepticons' energy base. Blacker wrote off the shambles the mission had descended into on his own carelessness. Star Saber could clearly see that he was attempting to cover for Wingwaver, but said nothing, merely requesting that Blacker stop referring to Wingwaver as a "kid". Explosion!! The Energy Base
Blacker later accompanied Star Saber and the other Brainmasters on a mission into the tunnels of an American subway system, where he battled Leozack and Killbison in the confined quarters. Big City - Underground Terror When the Breastforce were joined by Hellbat, Blacker and the Brainmasters ambushed the sneaky new warrior, only to fall victim to the full force of his hypnotic wave power. Never one to allow risks to his health to deter him, Blacker stabbed himself in the freaking leg with his own damn sword to keep the waves from making him drowsy, but was then attacked by Hellbat's Kōmoribreast. Braver saved him by redirecting a blast from Killbison's cannons, and then used his recently invented brainwave scanner to scramble the Decepticons' brains and force them to flee. The New Warrior - Hellbat
After escorting an oil tanker safely into port, Attack the Shuttle Base!! Blacker discovered that oil tankers seemed to be the order of the day, as he soon found himself attempting to thwart a Decepticon plot to steal fuel from the tanker Big Baron. Grappling with the cowardly Dinoforcer Kakuryu, Blacker forced him to reveal that the Breastforce were planning to destroy Marine City with a neutron bomb if the tanker was not delivered to them. Heading out to sea and clinging to the side of the tanker, Blacker was able to spy on the villains and learn the hidden location of the bomb. With this information, the Autobots were able to find and defuse the bomb and rout the Decepticons once again. Tanker Hijack Operation Later, oil tankers were still all the rage, as Blacker and the Brainmasters again stopped the Breastforce from purloining fuel from a fleet of them. Rescue Jan!!
When Star Saber ventured into the asteroid belt to expose a hidden Decepticon kidnapping operation, he soon called in Blacker and the Brainmasters to help rescue the captive humans while he battled the Decepticons. A Fierce Battle!! The Asteroid The Brainmasters and Multiforce were subsequently left to protect Earth alone while Star Saber headed off to planet Micro, but the Breastforce had also left the planet, meaning they only had the Dinoforce to deal with. Not exactly a challenge. Rescue! Guyhawk Upon the return of both groups from space, Blacker and the Brainmasters found themselves merging into Road Caesar to go up against the Breastforce's combined form of Liokaiser. Battle Up of Wrath!!
Lured into the desert by the Breastforce, Blacker suddenly found himself fighting alone when Laster and Braver's heavy vehicle modes caused them to sink beneath the shifting sands, just as the villains had planned. As a dune buggy, Blacker was able to manoeuvre just fine, but found himself badly outnumbered and at the mercy of the Breastforce until the wandering samurai Autobot Greatshot arrived to help him. When Greatshot was nearly overwhelmed, Blacker leapt to his aid, but had his arm blown off by Decepticon fire. Fortunately, Star Saber arrived to pluck Braver and Laster out of the sand so that they could get Blacker to safety while he dispatched the Decepticons. Crisis! Ambush in the Desert
With both Blacker and Star Saber injured, the Decepticons increased the frequency of their attacks, until Star Saber was left with no choice but to go into battle despite his wounds. He instructed Braver and Laster to keep this fact from the invalid Blacker, but Blacker easily wrung the truth from his subordinates and promptly pulled rank on them, ordering them to join Star Saber in battle while he looked after the Shuttle Base alone. A Deadly Battle A little later, his wounds healed somewhat, Blacker decided it was time to get back into action and joined the Multiforce and Rescue Patrol Team in battling the Dinoforce in Cheyenne. His transformation systems were still a little rough, though, as he found out when he attempted to transform in mid-air and failed. Ever proud, Blacker refused first aid from Pīpō and got on with the fighting, but ultimately, the Autobots were stretched too thin and were defeated. Ginrai Dies!! Even though this had proven he was not entirely over his injuries, Blacker was all set to go into battle with the Decepticons on "Energy Road" in America, but Star Saber stopped him and sent Victory Leo instead. Fight!! Victory Leo
Blacker was finally healed by the time Deathsaurus unleashed his newest weapon: super smart-missiles launched from an orbital weapons platform that could strike anywhere on Earth faster than the Autobots could react. Forced to stay their hands and allow the Decepticons to carry out energy thefts for fear of explosive reprisal, Blacker and the Brainmasters had to speed to Pakistan to inform Victory Leo of the situation before he attacked the Dinoforce. Unable to do anything but watch the Dinoforce steal right in front of them, the Brainmasters were pushed to the breaking point, until Star Saber and Victory Leo revealed their new power: They combined into Victory Saber and outraced Deathsaurus's missile launch system, successfully destroying it and freeing up the Brainmasters to make short work of the Decepticons. The Tide Is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification
While Star Saber was off-planet attending a Universal Peace Alliance conference, Leozack exploited his absence by donning an exo-skeleton that allowed him to pose as the Autobot leader and infiltrate the Shuttle Base. Victory Leo could tell that something was not right, but Blacker and the Brainmasters would not hear his allegations. They were nearly duped into attacking Victory Leo by the faux Star Saber, but the return of the real deal and the exposure of Leozack's plot left them eating crow. A Mystery?! The Deception of the Base Bombs Later, the Brainmasters came to Star Saber's rescue when the Decepticons attacked him with the metal-eating Doriya insects, and they suffered the pain of the bugs' bite themselves before it was discovered that intense cold stopped the little critters. The Death-Bringing Space Insects!!
Blacker and the Brainmasters aided in relief efforts for the coastal cities devastated by tidal waves caused by the Decepticons' raising of Atlantis, The Terror of the Giant Tidal Waves and then headed out into space alongside Greatshot to serve as the first line of defence against Deathsaurus's Planet-Destroying Fortress, which had finally been reactivated by the energy stolen from the sunken continent. The Brainmasters combined into Road Caesar, but were no match for the fortress's power, so they were sent back to Earth to recuperate by Victory Saber when he arrived to take up the fight. The Wrath of the Resurrected Giant Fortress! The team's injuries prevented them from aiding their commander in the final battle with the fortress, but in the end, Star Saber emerged victorious and destroyed the planet-killing weapon.
With the threat of Deathsaurus at last ended and Star Saber fulfilling his duties as Supreme Commander, Blacker, Braver and Laster were appointed joint commanders of the Sector One defense force. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
Zone cartoon
When the injured Star Saber appointed Autobot Powered Master Dai Atlas the new Supreme Commander, Blacker, Laster and Braver were all present, standing on stage in their combined form of Road Caesar. Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!
Victory comic
When Deathsaurus began his campaign against the Earth in 2025, Blacker and the Brainmasters didn't roll onto the battlefield right away, being instructed by Star Saber to remain behind on Planet V while he and the Multiforce took on Deathsaurus and the Dinoforce. So Cool! Our Ally, Star Saber! They later got their chance to join the fighting when Deathsaurus started a massive forest fire, but even as Road Caesar, they were thrashed by the Decepticon Emperor thanks to the power boost he gained by absorbing energy from the fire. Great Reversal! Star Saber
Blacker took a bath once. Star Saber, Warrior of Love!
Travelling from Earth to Planet V, Blacker was greeted upon arrival by Shūta Gō and Cab, two old human allies of the Autobots who had befriended Star Saber's son, Jan. Together with Jan, the young lads had formed the "Autobot Boy Team" known as the Victories, donning armor based on the Brainmasters. Eyeing Shūta and Cab's Braver- and Laster-inspired suits, Blacker grinned at the assumption Jan was wearing a suit based on him, only to have his dreams quashed by the revelation that Jan was wearing armor styled after Star Saber. Star of Friendship, Jan and Star Saber!
Combined as Road Caesar, the Brainmasters arrived in time to see the tail end of Star Saber's battle with Deathsaurus, Dinoking and Liokaiser, which was won thanks to the sudden arrival of Victory Leo, with whom Star Saber combined to form Victory Saber. The Strongest Pair, the Combination of Victory! When Deathsaurus tried to counter the power of this combination by creating a mech for his own human cyborg son Solon, Blacker and the Brainmasters delivered an intelligence report to Star Saber informing him of what the villain was up to. In the ensuing battle, Solon was confronted with the truth of his human heritage, Victory Saber Is Strong! and in the midst of a later conflict, Blacker approached the boy on the battlefield in an attempt to convince him further to do the right thing. Solon had always considered himself apart from humans and the Earth because of his cyborg body, but Blacker confronted him with the fact that being human was so much more than simply being organic or mechanical. Leaving Solon with this wisdom and a suit of Victories armor crafted in his own likeness, Blacker sped off to rejoin the battle, but his words were soon revealed to have struck home, as Solon turned on his Decepticon father and joined up with the Victories, choosing to fight to save his homeworld. The united forces of the Autobots and Victories then performed the "Five Stars of Victory" attack, with each of the Victories transferring their power into their Autobot counterpart for a super-charged attack. Solon channelled his strength into Blacker, and together, the power of the attack took out both Deathsaurus and Liokaiser in one blast. Shine, Five Stars of Victory
When Deathsaurus unleashed his "Space Stronghold" upon the Earth, Blacker and the Brainmasters joined in the united Autobot attack against it, but were left dumbfounded when they discovered that the fortress was actually home to the Decepticons' families, and that all along, the Decepticons had been committing their evil deeds in order to keep those families safe. Inspired by the example their two sons had set, Star Saber and Deathsaurus declared a truce, and peace came to the Transformers... the truest victory of all! The Grand Victory War
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
Blacker, Braver and Laster were all seen on Cybertron, looking out a window while Electro and Volt sat and talked nearby. Atonement
Wings Universe
Blacker and the Fast Attack Team were on hand to defend Elite Guard headquarters with Sentinel Major when the Combaticons returned leading Deathsaurus's troops. The Coming Storm: Part 5
Toys
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
- Blacker (Brainmaster, 1989)
- ID number: C-320
- Accessories: "Brain of Strength" Brainmaster figure, sword, blaster/Road Caesar head, shield/Road Caesar chestplate
- Released in the Victory portion of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline, Brainmaster Blacker transforms into a racing buggy with oversized studded tires. His transformation is notably simplistic for his size, but is a consequence of the Brainmaster gimmick which dominates his torso. Placing the small "Brain of Strength" figure into the open chest cavity then closing the plate pushes the inner core of the small robot up, forming the larger robot's face. As with the other Brainmasters, the Brain of Strength is designed to look like a miniature version of Blacker's larger robot mode. While Blacker is in vehicle mode, the Brain of Strength rides in his hinged cockpit.
- Blacker is equipped with quite a few weapons, coming with a sword, a double-barrelled blaster, and a shield that mounts on his arm. When Blacker is in vehicle mode, his shield and blaster combine to form an elaborate weapons array that mounts on his roof. Blacker also combines with Laster and Braver (sold separately) to form Road Caesar, and his weapons form integral parts of the super robot; his blaster transforms into Road Caesar's head, his shield becomes his chestplate, and his sword combines with those of his teammates to create a large blade for Road Caesar to wield. The team's combination is rather non-standard, with Blacker forming everything above the knees.
- Reportedly, there is a variation on the Brainmaster figure: Initial releases of the toy gave the large robot face yellow optics, while later releases gave it the cartoon-Autobot medium blue. This may correspond to another variant regarding the hips and knees: Blacker's internal knee mechanism can either have pointed spring-loaded pins that are very hard to move into place, or rounded ones that are much easier, and the hips can either have strong springs that are prone to breaking the hips over time or weak springs that do not. Presumably the pointed pin/strong spring version came first, with the rounded pin/weak spring version being a running change to address breakage problems.
- This mold was later used to make Gripper.
- Road Caesar (Brainmaster gift set, 1989)
- ID number: C-323
- Accessories: "Brain of Strength" Brainmaster figure, sword, blaster/Road Caesar head, shield/Road Caesar chestplate
- Blacker, Braver, and Laster were also available in a complete Road Caesar gift-set. While that toys themselves are identical to their individual releases, this set only came with bio cards for their combined Road Caesar form, lacking the cards for the individuals.
Merchandise
Transformers Gum
- Blacker + Road Blader (2013)
- Accessories: Road Blade, Road Caesar head, chestplate, and leg armor, Brainmaster figure
- Released in the tenth wave of the revived Transformers Gum series, Blacker is a surprisingly intricate snap-together model kit that can transform into a racing buggy. He can be combined with the concurrently released Laster and Braver kits to form Road Caesar. His chest can be opened to put the extremely tiny Brainmaster figurine inside, but it doesn't activate any Brainmaster gimmickry like the larger version. Blacker is packaged with support mecha which is the combiner kibble for Road Caesar which can also be combined into a jet form "Road Blader" when not in use.
Notes
- The Brainmasters, despite it being their central toy gimmick, never use their smaller robot components in the anime outside of stock footage sequences. Because he's the leader of the team and the star of their stock footage sequence, Blacker has the most shots of his brain unit visible in these cut scenes—including the only close-up shot of any kind from the trio's brain units. This shot appears for about one second.
- Blacker's Brainmaster figure was for years incorrectly referred to by fans in the West with the names "Riki" and "Sala", mistakenly derived from Japanese readings of 力 ("strength"). In truth, like all Brainmaster units, it does not have a proper name, but is known simply by the title used in this article, the "Brain of Strength".
- For Shout! Factory's American release of the Victory cartoon on DVD, Blacker's name was changed to that of his Motorvator redeco, Gripper, for the English subtitles.
Foreign names
- English: Roader (Omni Productions dub), Gripper (Shout! Factory sub)
- Mandarin: Rhode (Taiwan, 羅德 Lúodé), Blacker (China, 布力加 Bùlìjiā)
- Russian: Blaster (Бластер)
