Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)

***Transformers: Cyberverse***, later rebranded as ***Transformers: Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures***, is a computer-animated series developed by Boulder Media Studio. It debuted on the Cartoon Network app and website on August 27, 2018, and made its television premiere on Cartoon Network on September 1, 2018. The story is divided into chapters: Chapter One ran for 18 episodes in 2018, Chapter Two ran for 18 episodes in 2019, and a third 26-episode Chapter aired in 2020. Unlike nearly every prior *Transformers* TV series, episodes are only 11 minutes in length as opposed to 22 minutes. The show concluded after its third season.

The series focuses on the adventures of Bumblebee; having damaged his memory chips, he and Windblade must recover his missing memories in order to help him remember his mission on Earth. Unfortunately, the Decepticons are after their friends.

The series is intended to "focus more on characters and their mythology", featuring a stronger emphasis on serialized storytelling, and utilizes the "evergreen" character designs. It is set in a new continuity and is not a sequel to any previous series.

Contents
[hide]
* 1 Storyline
* 2 Main cast
* 3 Episodes
	+ 3.1 Chapter One (2018)
	+ 3.2 Chapter Two: Power of the Spark (2019)
	+ 3.3 Chapter Three: Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures (2020)
* 4 Japanese release
* 5 Home video releases
* 6 Notes
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Storyline

During the war on Cybertron, Optimus Prime and a team including Bumblebee have left the planet to search for the Allspark. The Decepticons catch wind that the ancient artifact is on Earth, and leave to investigate, which forces Windblade to take a one-way space bridge journey there herself. Unable to find any trace of the Ark or Optimus Prime, she manages to find her old friend Bumblebee. However, he is suffering from amnesia and has no recollection of who he is or how he got there. With the pair being pursued relentlessly by Decepticons, Windblade must help Bumblebee unlock and repair his damaged memories of the war and his journey to Earth so that they can locate Optimus and the Allspark before their enemies do.

In the second season, several decades later, the revived Autobots and the recently arrived Decepticons now battle over the fate of Earth thanks to the knowledge that the Allspark is somewhere on the planet, protected by its guardian. The conflict escalates when Starscream, believing he has been chosen for a higher purpose, makes his own bid for power that puts both sides at risk. Thus it falls to the Autobots to not only retrieve the Allspark but to escort it safely back to Cybertron.

In the third and final season, the Autobots manage to retake Cybertron from the Decepticons, but otherworldly invaders arrive and take control of the planet. With everyone else imprisoned, a ragtag resistance group made up of Bots and Cons alike must band together to save their friends, Cybertron, and potentially the entire universe. The day was saved, but Cybertron now stands as a divided government, with Windblade's mind scattered in shards across the planet and Megatron preparing for the coming of an enemy from another universe.

## Main cast

* Windblade (Sophia Isabella)
* Optimus Prime (Jake Tillman)
* Hot Rod/Dark Hot Rod (Travis Artz)
* Grimlock (Ryan Andes)
* Cheetor (TJ Nelson)
* Perceptor (Jeremy Levy)
* Whirl (Jeremy Levy)
* Rack'n'Ruin (Jeremy Levy)
* Jetfire (Jeremy Levy)
* Chromia (Latonia Phipps, Jaime Lamchick)
* Arcee (Jaime Lamchick)
* Wheeljack (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Ratchet (Todd Perlmutter)
* Kup (Mike Rose)
* Prowl (Dick Terhune)
* Blurr (JC Ernst)
* Thunderhowl (Rich Orlow)
* Alpha Trion (Rich Orlow)
* Meteorfire (Rich Orlow)
* Hammerbyte (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Red Five (Marc Thompson)
* Starscream (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Shockwave (Ryan Andes)
	+ Shockwave's drones
* Soundwave (Marc Swint)
	+ Laserbeak
* Clobber\* (Saskia Marx)
* Dead End (Xavier Paul)
* Shadow Striker (Deanna McGovern)
* Sky-Byte (Marc Thompson)
* Lockdown (Mike Rose)
* Drift/Deadlock\* (Mike Rose)
* Wildwheel\* (Rich Orlow)
* Alphastrike (Jaime Lamchick)
* Bludgeon

Seekers* Slipstream (Lianne Marie Dobbs)
* Thundercracker (Ben Bott)
* Nova Storm (Saskia Marx)
* Acid Storm (Jaime Lamchick)
* Thrust (Tomas Virgadula)
* Ramjet (Mike Rose)
* Dirge (Ryan Nicolls)
* Skywarp

**Alternate universe**
* Megatron X (Marc Thompson)
* Astrotrain (Mike Rose)
* Insecticons
	+ Shrapnel (Brian Levinson)
	+ Kickback
	+ Bombshell
* Perfect Decepticons
* Teletraan-X (Mike Rose)
* Teletraan-1 (Mike Rose)
* Cosmos (Sophia Isabella)
* Announcers (Ryan Andes)
* Discharge

**Creatures**
* Gray (Sophia Isabella)
* Velgrox (Ryan Nicolls)
* Skullcruncher
* Singlehorn
* Scraplets
* Air Hammers
* Injectors
* Cave monsters

**Titans**
* Croaton (Mike Rose)
* Iaconus (Ryan Andes)
* Dweller (Dick Terhune)

**Quintessons**
* Judge (Saskia Marx, Jeremy Levy, Mike Rose, Dick Terhune)
* Scientist (Dick Terhune)
* Prosecutors

**Sharkticons**
* Lord Gnaw (Jeremy Levy)
* Biter (Rich Orlow)
* Backbite (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Sawtooth (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Jawsy (Marc Thompson)
* The Snouts
* The Tails
* The Fins

**Monsterbots**
* Repugnus (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Stinkus (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Teknicus (Billy Bob Thompson)
* Coolus (Jeremy Levy)
* Hippus (Jeremy Levy)
* Affluous (Rich Orlow)
* Operatus (Jaime Lamchick)
* Raddus (Marc Swint)

\* Has changes in allegiance.

## Episodes

### Chapter One (2018)

1. "Fractured"
2. "Memory"
3. "Allspark"
4. "The Journey"
5. "Whiteout"
6. "Megatron Is My Hero"
7. "Cube"
8. "Terminal Velocity"
9. "Shadowstriker"
10. "Maccadam's"
11. "Sabotage"
12. "Teletraan-X"
13. "Matrix of Leadership"
14. "Siloed"
15. "King of the Dinosaurs"
16. "The Extinction Event"
17. "Awaken Sleeping Giants"
18. "Eruption"

### Chapter Two: Power of the Spark (2019)

1. "Sea of Tranquility"
2. "Bad Moon Rising"
3. "The Visitor"
4. "Bring Me The Spark Of Optimus Prime"
5. "Trials"
6. "Dark Birth"
7. "Parley"
8. "Starscream's Children"
9. "Spotted"
10. "Secret Science"
11. "Infinite Vendetta"
12. "I Am The Allspark"
13. "Escape From Earth"
14. "Party Down"
15. "Wiped Out"
16. "Ghost Town"
17. "Perfect Storm"
18. "The Crossroads"

### Chapter Three: Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures (2020)

1. "Battle For Cybertron I"
2. "Battle For Cybertron II"
3. "Battle For Cybertron III"
4. "Battle For Cybertron IV"
5. "The Loop"
6. "The Dead End"
7. "The Sleeper"
8. "The Citizen"
9. "The Trial"
10. "The Prisoner"
11. "The Scientist"
12. "The Alliance"
13. "The Judge"
14. "The End Of The Universe I"
15. "The End Of The Universe II"
16. "The End Of The Universe III"
17. "The End Of The Universe IV"
18. "Enemy Line"
19. "Thunderhowl"
20. "Wild Wild Wheel"
21. "Alien Hunt! With Meteorfire And Cosmos"
22. "Journey To The Valley Of Repugnus"
23. "Rack N' Ruin N' Ratchet"
24. "Dweller In The Depths"
25. "Silent Strike"
26. "The Other One"

## Japanese release

Unlike the English version (which uses voice actors new to their roles), several Transformers alumni voice characters in the Japanese dub. In some cases, this borders on role reprisal, such as *Aligned* Starscream's voice actor voicing his *Cyberverse* counterpart or Bumblebee's voice actor having voiced four different versions of Bumblebee. In others, there are nods to their previous characters, with both Optimus Prime and Megatron's voice actors previously voicing Optimus Primal and Megatron in the Japanese dub of *Beast Wars*.

Like many other Japanese dubs (including *Beast Wars*, *Beast Machines* and *Transformers: Prime*), the Japanese dub of *Cyberverse* takes a more "humorous" tack towards the show. For example, in the episode Sea of Tranquility as Starscream attacks Windblade he cheerfully goes, "Hello, Starscream here!" Even more serious characters like Optimus Prime aren't spared, as at one point he complains, "I was still talking!" when Megatron punches him.

Other typical Japanese dub additions include characters yelling "Transform!" as they, well, transform. The occasional special attack name is also called out (e.g. in Bad Moon Rising Megatron cries out, "Punishment Cannon: Fusion Cannon, FIRE!" when he blasts Starscream).

Personality-wise, some characters are effectively transplants of their previous incarnations. Starscream, for example, is basically *Prime* Starscream right down to his mannerisms. Megatron and Optimus Prime are basically their G1 counterparts with Japanese dub Beast Megatron and Optimus Primal's personalities. Other characters have quirks unique to previous Japanese dubs, like Shockwave punctuating his sentences with "shock!" similar to his *Prime* counterpart and being much more expressive compared to the stoic and clinical English version.

In lieu of an opening theme, Cyberverse has characters talking over the opening credits to pump up the kids watching the show. For the ending, the same character will talk over the English credits commenting on events in the episode, and afterward, the Japanese credits will play over stills of highlights from said episode.

## Home video releases

*Main article: Transformers: Cyberverse (cartoon)/home video*
Australia
* *Transformers: Cyberverse* - The Journey (2019)
* *Transformers: Cyberverse* - Terminal Velocity (2019)
* *Transformers: Cyberverse* - King of the Dinosaurs (2019)

## Notes

* *Cyberverse* draws some concepts from the *Bumblebee* film, released a few months after *Cyberverse* debuted; in particular, the plot point of Bumblebee's amnesia is lifted directly from the film, as is the "honeycomb" design of Bumblebee's internal readouts.
* Unlike previous *Transformers* series, the characters in this show are drawn with only four fingers. The *Cyberverse* characters are also known for the "Energon vein" designs in many of their joints (mostly the hips). Much like *Animated*, the *Cyberverse* characters also have an overwhelming design tendency to have large boot-like feet.
* The show's premiere episodes, "Fractured" and "Memory," were both put up on Cartoon Network's mobile app and website several days before their U.S. television premiere. All subsequent episodes of the season were uploaded the day before they were aired on television, followed by a release on Hasbro's YouTube channel the day after, region-locked to United States users; following a weekend without any videos due to American Thanksgiving, the YouTube release moved to the *next* Sunday after airing starting with episode 13. Cartoon Network's app/website split each episode into two separate parts, each with a generic title card, and were numbered as such. By the second season, the Cartoon Network site began putting up episodes over a week before they would hit the airwaves, and Hasbro's YouTube uploads returned to their one-day delay schedule, now unlocked for all regions. By the time of the third season, Cartoon Network was airing 2-4 new episodes at a time while Hasbro continued to upload just one per week, falling significantly behind by the time they had finished airing on TV. The Cartoon Network site kept up with the TV schedule, still splitting episodes into two parts, though they were now locked for people without a Cartoon Network cable account.
* While the first season was aired at a rate of one episode per week in the United States, in Canada, *two* episodes aired every week in a half-hour block. Consequently, "Megatron Is My Hero" through "Maccadam's" all premiered on Canadian television ahead of their US broadcasts. In fact, the entire rest of the first season was initially scheduled to debut in Canada over the following weeks, but it was all pulled and replaced with re-runs, presumably because someone US-side didn't like how far ahead they were getting! However, the show still couldn't catch a break, as the next two episodes premiered on the Xfinity X1 service more than two weeks before they aired on television, with the remaining Chapter One episodes each airing in Singapore at least a week ahead of their US broadcast. This unfortunate scheduling continued during Chapter Two's broadcast, with the season premiering in multiple countries (including Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and France) two weeks ahead of its US broadcast and airing at a rate of four new episodes each weekend, finishing out the season as the US was only just starting it. Chapter Three followed suit, with UK channel POP TV airing *the entire season* in daily broadcasts of multiple new episodes over *a week and a half*, before a US airdate had even been announced.
* While most of the cast make use of evergreen designs, several characters who don't have toys in the accompanying toyline use stylized versions of recent toy or fiction designs. For example, *Cyberverse* Chromia's appearance is based on her 2014-2018 IDW comic design while *Cyberverse* Bludgeon is modeled on his 2017 *Robots in Disguise* toy. The Seekers are a special case, generally using modified versions of Starscream's design (which *is* based on his evergreen design). This does slightly affect show-accuracy in regards to toys: both Slipstream and Thundercracker's toys are straight redecoes of Starscream's whereas in the cartoon itself the differences between Screamer and his subordinates are more pronounced.
* In a Q&A session, concepts and characters that writer Mae Catt expressed a desire to feature in the series which ultimately didn't come to pass included: Obsidian, Ultra Magnus/Minimus Ambus, Jazz (who would have been female), Rumble, Frenzy, Knock Out, Transmutate (who would have been a visual amalgamation of her *Beast Wars: Uprising* and original *Beast Wars* designs), Thunderclash, Lightbright, Nickel, various combiners, crossovers with other *Transformers* continuities (examples including "Aligned", *Animated*, *Shattered Glass*, and the classic Generation 1), and a redemption arc for Starscream (who would have survived the events of "The End Of The Universe", suffered amnesia, and carried a psychic shard of Windblade).
	+ During the same Q&A session, Catt noted that the crew wanted to avoid a storyline featuring Unicron because of how repetitive it has become.
* Compared to past *Transformers* cartoons set on modern-day Earth, the presence of humans in the series is extremely limited. Aside from a kid in the first-season episode "Teletraan-X", no humans make a physical appearance, with their presence limited to unseen voiceovers on media services. This was a conscious decision by the staff since the beginning, as the limited episode runtime was not conducive to the "B plots" that tend to come with the addition of human sidekicks.

## References

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ Exclusive: Your First Look At The New Transformers: Cyberverse Animated Series
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Transformers: Cyberverse – Mae Catt Q&A Session (Unedited Edition), 21 March 2020"

## External links

* "*Transformers Cyberverse* | Season 1" playlist on Hasbro's YouTube channel
* "*Transformers Cyberverse* | Season 2: Power of the Spark" playlist on Hasbro's YouTube channel
* "*Transformers Cyberverse* Season 3 | Bumblebee: Cyberverse Adventures" playlist on Hasbro's YouTube channel
* *Transformers Cyberverse* playlist on TakaraTomy's YouTube channel (JP only)
* *Cyberverse* first teased at Hasbro Media And Investor Day 2017

Categories:

* Cyberverse (2018)
* Television series