Jinbu

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

Jinbu (ジンブ) is the aerial combat specialist of the Swordbot Samurai Team. His relationship with Kenzan is complex; although the younger Swordbot is Jinbu's commander, the two are fierce, but respectful, rivals. Some of this competitiveness is the result of Jinbu overplaying his role as Kenzan's "big brother", sometimes coming off as too harsh while trying to bring out the best in him.

He can combine with Kenzan and Ganoh in various configurations. With Jinbu as the top, the combined form is GoJinbu (ゴウジンブ Gōjinbu). His Mini-Con partner is Jin.

Fiction

Go! cartoon

Voice actor: Kōsuke Toriumi (Japanese)

Go! has no shortage of shots of the underside of Jinbu's jet mode, robot kibble included.

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 including GoJinbu, 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. When history began to change and buildings disappeared, Jinbu picked up Isami and rushed him to a location near Akihabara Station, where 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

Jinbu 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!

I'm a leg man. All leg.

• Jinbu (Swordbot, 2013)

• ID number: G02
• Release date: June 22, 2013
• Accessories: "Mach Katana" sword, kabuto helmet/weapon
• Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy), Junichi Akutsu (concept artist)

Part of the second wave of TakaraTomy Go! toys, Jinbu is a roughly Voyager-sized toy that transforms from a highly questionable swept-wing jet fighter into a samurai-styled robot. His head is designed to resemble a kabuto helmet. He has a large sword with a long handle that, while 5mm in diameter, is too long for anyone without fist-holes going all the way through their hands to wield. It is also extremely difficult to get both of his fists on the long, two-handed handle. Jinbu is conspicuously lacking a torso, with the cockpit on his chest and the upper parts of his combined-form limbs gamely trying to hide the emptiness of his body. He is also the only Swordbot to lack an Autobot symbol.

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 GoJinbu form to form the super-robot's head. It can also be attached to the jet mode as an aerodynamics-destroying cannon, or used by the robot as a backpack or a terrible cannon-shield-thing.

In GoJinbu form, Jinbu's kabuto activates phrases from his voice actor in Kenzan's electronics, and switches the multi-colored LED display to yellow. 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.

The initial release of Jinbu suffers from swapped thighs, preventing him from bending his knees past 90 degrees, and from allowing his legs to be tabbed and secured properly in the "GoKenzan" combined mode.

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

• More information on Jinbu at TFU.info
• More information on GoJinbu 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 Jinbu is a redeco of Bot Shots Series 1 Starscream with Powerglide's chest and head. He transforms into a tiny, super deformed jet with a spring-loaded automatic transformation to robot mode triggered when his nosecone is pressed. He has a "spinner" in his chest that depicts various symbols of the (implied) expression of his face, his sword, and the Japanese character 迅 (jin).

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

Merchandise

Transformers Gum

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

Released in the seventh wave of the revived Transformers Gum series, this transforming model kit of Jinbu is made from yellow and blue plastic and decorated with a large number of stickers for details. Like his larger toy, he can be combined with the Kenzan and Ganoh sets into any of their three combined forms. He came with gum. The gum is beige and approximately the size of a sheet of A10 paper, with a soft, almost powdery texture that suddenly becomes tough after about a minute of chewing. It tastes like if a banana fell asleep in its jeans on a hot night and woke up unpleasantly sweaty.

Notes

• The jin in the name "Jinbu" is probably derived from "swift" (迅). Bu may come from "military" or "bravery" (武).