, mostly referred to as just is an episode of ''

The Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...

'' released as an OVA (

Original Video Animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

) in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

on April 1, 1986. It was created as a promotional video for the new line of 'Scramble City' toys and the cassettes that were paired with the toy sets. Despite strong belief (such as that voiced on the 20th Anniversary DVD bonus commentary for the episode), it was not meant to introduce Japanese audiences to the new characters from '' The Transformers: The Movie'' (considering Ultra Magnus, Ramhorn, Steeljaw, and Ratbat are the only ones from the film that appear in it). Chronologically, it takes place years before the movie, during the early stages of construction on Autobot City.

Plot

Beginning with a recap of the coming of the Transformers to Earth and the story of Devastator, the OVA then gets its original story underway, as the Autobots are shown to be in the midst of constructing the powerful "Scramble City", overseen by their newest arrival,

Ultra Magnus Ultra Magnus is a fictional character from the ''Transformers'' franchise. Ultra Magnus is based on the Diaclone figure Powered Convoy, which is a modified version of the preexisting Battle Convoy figure. He is usually depicted as a car carrie ...

. When the Decepticons learn of this, their combiner robots are deployed to attack, and a battle between them and their Autobot counterparts ensues, focusing on their "Scramble Power" – the interchangeability of the individual limbs – to the extent that at one point, Wildrider of the Stunticons connects to Superion to damage him. At the OVA's conclusion, Scramble City is activated and assumes its robot mode of Metroplex to rout the Decepticons. However, from the ocean depths, the Decepticons' own city, Trypticon, rises. This cliffhanger was never resolved as no direct sequel was ever produced. An extended commercial, called ''Scramble City Toys'' but often mistakenly identified as ''Scramble City 2'', was released, but rather than wrap up the cliffhanger, it retold the OVA through stop-motion animation of the toys themselves, with one addition: the introduction of

Galvatron Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a villainou ...

, erroneously presented as one of Megatron's troops, rather than the recreated Decepticon leader himself.

Cast

Tesshō Genda (sometimes credited as Tessyou Genda, Tetsuaki Genda, or Tetsusyo Genda) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, as artist name. Because h ...

Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, also known in Japan as is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Transformers'' franchise. Generally depicted as a brave and noble leader, Optimus Prime is the supreme commander of the Autobots in their fight ag ...

Osamu Saka is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is affiliated with Aoni Production. Filmography Anime series ;1960s *'' Gigantor'' (1963) – Gavan *'' Kamui the Ninja'' (1969) – Sukumi ;1970s *'' Andersen Stories'' – King Neptune *''Space Battle ...

as Wheeljack *

Tomomichi Nishimura is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who works for Arts Vision. He is most known for the roles of the Narrator of ''YuYu Hakusho'', Tsuchikage Ohnoki (''Naruto''), Mitsuyoshi Anzai (''Slam Dunk''), Shibaraku Tsurugibe ('' Mashin Hero ...

Silverbolt The Autobots are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. The Autobots are living robots from the planet Cybertron who, like most Transformers, are each imbued with a unique "life force" known as a "s ...

& Superion *

Keiichi Nanba is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator currently affiliated with Fujiga Office Inc. He is married to fellow voice actress Mayumi Shō. Filmography Anime * '' Persia, the Magic Fairy'' (1984) (Gaku Muroi) * '' Alpen Rose'' (1985) (Lundi ...

as Blaster *

Banjō Ginga , sometimes credited as his real name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who was born in Kofu, Yamanashi. Ginga is affiliated with Aoni Production. He is married to voice actress Gara Takashima. Known for his deep baritone voice, ...

Seizō Katō was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who worked for Haikyo (Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society). Kato was born in Tokyo. He was noted for his role as Megatron and Galvatron from the 1st Transformers series until '' Transfor ...

Megatron Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a villaino ...

& Devastator *

Hirotaka Suzuoki was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University. His best known roles include Bright Noa in ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', Kojirou Hyuga in ''Captain Tsubasa'', Dragon Shiryū ...

Starscream Starscream is a character in the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the second-in-command of the Decepticons, a villainous faction of alien robots that s ...

Yū Shimaka was a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Production Baobab, and subsequently with Production Aigumi. He was the Japanese voice of the Disney character Goofy. Filmography Film *''Kagemusha'' (1980) – Hara Jingorō #2 Television ani ...

as Bruticus, Onslaught &

Thundercracker The Decepticons are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. Serving as the main antagonists in the franchise, their goals include conquering their fictional homeworld planet Cybertron, defeating ...

Kōji Totani was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator born in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan who worked at Aoni Production. On February 6, 2006, at the age of 57, he died from acute heart failure. His final appearance was the Naruto 2006 New Year on ...

as Motormaster &

Menasor ''The Transformers'' is an animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication based upon Hasbro and Takara's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transform ...

Yoku Shioya is a Japanese actor and voice actor debuting in '' Triton of the Sea'' (1972). He has done some voice directing in such anime as '' Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls Ryota Miyagi in Slam Dunk and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.'' His real name is Tsub ...

Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

Fireflight Fireflight is an American Christian rock band formed in Eustis, Florida, in 1999. The band was signed by Flicker Records. The band currently consists of vocalist Dawn Michele, Glenn and Wendy Drennen, guitarist and bassist respectively, and gu ...

Takurō Kitagawa is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was represented by Sigma Seven and is now a freelancer. Filmography Anime television series *Another (Yosuke Sakakibara) *Brave Police J-Decker (Edgar Hopkins) *Cyber Team in Akihabara (Ci ...

Skydive Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

, Warpath, Mixmaster &

Scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume Corpse decomposition, dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a he ...

Masashi Ebara , better known as , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kanagawa Prefecture. He is affiliated with Aoni Production. He had roles in the '' Initial D'' series (as Jōshima Toshiya "God Hand"), ''Naruto'' (as Might Guy), '' Eat-Man ...

as Teletraan 1 &

Skywarp The Decepticons are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. Serving as the main antagonists in the franchise, their goals include conquering their fictional homeworld planet Cybertron, defeating ...

Shō Hayami , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. He is mainly known for his smooth, deep voice. He has played a wide range of characters from kind-hearted heroes ( Father Remington, Maximilian Jenius, Nicholas D. Wolfwood ...

as Blast Off, Bonecrusher, Ironhide, Tracks & Spike Witwicky * Ken Shiroyama as

Ratbat ''The Transformers'' is an animated television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication based upon Hasbro and Takara's ''Transformers'' toy line. The first television series in the ''Transform ...

* Toshio Ishii as

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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* Issei Masamune as the narrator &

Soundwave Soundwave or Sound Wave may refer to: * Sound, a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave * Acoustic wave, the wave which carries sound Festivals * Soundwave (Australian music festival), an annual music festival 2007–2016 * Soundwave Fe ...

Notes

*''Scramble City'' is part of the Japanese continuity, but not the American. ''Scramble City Toys'' is not part of either, and is simply a toy advert. *For ''Scramble City'' the first seven minutes or so of the episode consists of recycled animation sequences from the G1 episodes "More than Meets the Eye" (the three part series pilot) and the eleventh season 2 episode "The Master Builders" in addition to a remixed season 2 opening with Japanese titles and music. A "Scramble City" logo follows, with the next fifteen minutes consisting of new, never-before-seen (to US audiences) animation. The post-ending sequence consists of more stock footage taken from the previously mentioned episodes with music and Japanese titles. *"Scramble City" is included as a special feature on ''Transformers: The Movie'' 20th Anniversary Special Edition 2-Disc DVD, although due to rights issues with the entirety of the soundtrack, only a fan commentary (and no subtitles) was provided without full original Japanese audio. *In 2007, "Scramble City" was released with full original Japanese audio and subtitles (with optional fan commentary) on the region 2 "Ultimate Edition" version of the movie. However, the video source for the episode was taken from an unofficial

fansub A fansub (short for fan-subtitled) is a version of a foreign film or foreign television program, typically anime or dorama which has been translated by fans (as opposed to an officially licensed translation done by paid professionals) and subti ...

bed copy, with misspelled hard subtitles and a crop all around the picture. Additionally, a poor standards conversion from NTSC to PAL resulted in a green tint on the picture - making it look worse than the unlicensed copies in distribution.

References

{{Toei Animation OVAs Scramble City 1986 anime OVAs Super robot anime and manga Toei Animation original video animation Anime and manga set in the United States