Ganoh

Ganoh is an Autobot Swordbot from the Go! portion of the Aligned continuity family.

His post-Violent Femmes work has a strong Japanese influence.

Ganoh (ガンオウ Gan'ō) is everybody's little brother. The youngest member of the Swordbot Samurai Team, he nonetheless has incredible strength and a surprising facility with his double-headed drill staff. Although his exuberance often leads Kenzan and Jinbu to scold him more harshly than they probably intend, the three share a genuine bond of affection, and Ganoh in particular is more often than not the group's moral compass.

He can combine with Kenzan and Jinbu in various configurations. With Ganoh as the top, the combined form is GoGanoh (ゴウガンオウ Gōgan'ō). His Mini-Con partner is Gan.

Fiction

Go! cartoon

Voice actor: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese)

The Swordbot Samurai Team were woken from their slumber by Isami Tatewaki when Budora and Gaidora tried to obtain the Legendisc he was protecting. Confronted by the Jaki which the two Predacons summoned, the team switched through their various combinations includeing GoGanoh, culminating in them using their GoKenzan form to finish off Goradora. On striking the two Predacons, the Autobots and Isami found themselves briefly transported back in time where they saw two armies carrying Legendiscs. On their return to present day, Kenzan invited Isami to help them fight the Decepticons, and they discovered that Isami's friend Tobio Fūma had also encountered the Swordbot Shinobi Team. Triple Combination! Swordbot - Samurai! Triple Combination! Swordbot - Ninja!

The Swordbots built an underground base beneath Isami's dojo, in which Optimus Prime briefed the team and their friend on what was known about the Legendiscs. Sometime later, history started changing, and Isami's Legendisc transported the team back in time again. In the past they encountered Musashi Miyamoto whose Legendisc had been stolen by the Predacons, and the Swordbots helped him get it back by fighting the Jaki in their GoJinbu form. Isami and the Swordbots were returned to present day, though without the disc. Pursue! The Legendiscs! Discover! The Legendiscs!

On another occasion Isami and the Autobot team went back in time and encountered Ryōma Sakamoto. On that occasion, they battled the Jaki in their GoGanoh form, however they again returned to the future emptyhanded. The Invincible Swordsman - Ryōma Sakamoto!? Isami was discouraged, but Kenzan gave him a pep talk to try and bolster his spirits. They again headed to the past, this time helping Musashibō Benkei fight off the Predacons in their GoKenzan form, and again returned to present day without the Legendisc. Showdown! Musashibō Benkei!

On their next jaunt into the past, Isami managed to obtain the Legendisc, only to be confronted by Gaidora, Judora, and the awakened Dragotron on their return to present day. Though they were no match for Dragotron, even in their GoKenzan form, the team was soon joined by Optimus Exprime. Depart! Optimus Exprime! The Predacons abducted Isami, and the Samurai Team merged into GoJinbu to give chase. They arrived at Mount Fuji to find the Shinobi Team was also there as Tobio had also been kidnapped. Imbued with the power of all five Legendiscs, Dragotron proved impossible to beat, however Tobio and Isami managed to demerge from him. The two boys had duplicated the power of the Legendiscs, and used it to allow Optimus and the two teams to merge into DaiKenzan. This provided them with enough power to defeat Dragotron and seal the Predacons away once more. Final Battle! Link-Up Triple Combination DaiKenzan!

BeCool shorts

Ganoh was part of the crew of a film that was interrupted by a fire brigade who thought the pyrotechnics were a real fire. The Story of the Fire Brigade Dispatch!

Toys

Go!

The less-evil, more-Japanese Sentinel Prime

• Ganoh (Swordbot, 2013)

• ID number: G03
• Release date: June 22, 2013
• Accessories: "Drill Ladder" weapon, kabuto helmet/weapon
• Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy), Junichi Akutsu (concept artist)

Part of the second wave of TakaraTomy Go! toys, Ganoh is a roughly Voyager-sized toy that transforms from a boxy crash-style firetruck into a robot resembling a sōhei or warrior monk. His primary weapon is a large, rubbery, folding drill-tipped staff which he can wield (via 5mm post) in a number of ways, none of which really convey "wielding a staff". It forms his vehicle mode's ladder and foam sprayer. Ganoh is notable for having by far the most convincing torso of his team.

He can also form the top, middle or bottom of the Swordbot Samurai Team's three combined robot forms. His kabuto helmet is worn in GoGanoh form to form the super-robot's head. It can also attach to the front of his truck mode, or be used by the robot as either a backpack or an incredibly terrible-looking double-barreled hand-held... thing.

In GoGanoh form, Ganoh's kabuto activates phrases from his voice actor in Kenzan's electronics, and switches the multi-colored LED display to red. The combined robot mode is armed with a giant melee weapon formed from all of their individual melee weapons, as well as an aesthetically-questionable blaster/cannon made of the unused kabuto helmets. In GoGanoh's case, he can't actually hold the combined cannon due to neither of the available pegs on the cannon being able to reach his sunken combined-mode fists. Fortunately, his combined-mode forearms have peg-holes on the sides to accommodate the cannon.

Upon his initial release, Ganoh included his Arms Micron partner Gan when purchased from a large number of retailers (including Toys"R"Us Japan, AEON, Yodabashi Camera, and Amazon Japan).

• More information on Ganoh at TFU.info

• Samurai Team BeCool Set (Multi-pack, 2013)

• ID number: G24
• Release date: October 26, 2013

Part of the sixth wave of Go! toys, BeCool Ganoh is a redeco of Bot Shots Series 1 Sentinel Prime with Brawl's chest and head. He transforms into a tiny, super deformed firetruck with a spring-loaded automatic transformation to robot mode triggered when his front bumper is pressed. He has a "spinner" in his chest that depicts various symbols of the expression of his face, his spear, and the Japanese character 巌 (gan).

He comes in a three-pack with equally small, super deformed versions of Kenzan and Jinbu.

Merchandise

Transformers Gum

• Ganoh (2014)
  • Accessories: Weapon, kabuto helmet/weapon

Released in the seventh wave of the revived Transformers Gum series, this transforming model kit of Ganoh is made from red, blue and yellow plastic and decorated with a large number of stickers for details. Like his larger toy, he can be combined with the Kenzan and Jinbu sets into any of their three combined forms. He came with gum.

Notes

• The gan in the name "Ganoh" may be derived from "rock" (巌). "Oh" (ō) could come from "to merge" (合う) or "king" (王).