List of The Transformers characters: Cassette warriors
Encyclopedia
This is a list of characters appearing in the original American Transformers cartoon
The Transformers (TV series)
The Transformers is an animated television series depicting a war among giant robots who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animal-like forms. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and South Korea...

, first aired between 1984 and 1987.

Cassette warriors (or "Mini-Cassettes", or simply "Cassettes") are tiny transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...

; they are no taller than the humans. Their alternate mode is that of a microcassette
Microcassette
A Microcassette is an audio storage medium introduced by Olympus in 1969. It uses the same width of magnetic tape as the Compact Cassette but in a much smaller container. By using thinner tape and half or a quarter the tape speed, microcassettes can offer comparable recording time to the compact...


Origins of the Cassette warriors

According to "The Transformers"' version, in the days of Megatron, Decepticons developed the art of espionage using cassette technology. Their first cassette, Laserbeak, could fly undetected into any Autobot
Autobot
Autobot, a faction of sentient robots from the planet Cybertron, are usually the main protagonists in the fictional universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, graphic novels, paperback books, cartoons and movies first introduced in 1984. In all but one Transformer story, the...

 stronghold, record information and then return to base. Then the Decepticons decided to increase their spying abilities with Ratbat. As a bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...

, Ratbat can hide in crevices that Laserbeak can't reach, and is especially effective in tunnels, caves or in the darkness of space. Ratbat records from the Autobots' most carefully guarded secrets. The Autobots had no choice but to strike back with these Decepticon techniques of stealth, building their own force of cassette Transformers, with Blaster
Blaster (Transformers)
Blaster is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers television and comic series based on the popular toy line produced by Takara Tomy and Hasbro. Due to trademark reasons, he is sometimes called Autobot Blaster...

 as their guardian. They constructed Ramhorn, the rhino, who can use animalistic force if cornered, and Steeljaw, the lion, who can crawl through the foliage of any alien world, to sneak up on Decepticons. They also bolstered their cassette force with Rewind and Eject, who can transform to robot mode and use more conventional fighting force techniques.

The alternate version of the Cassette warriors' origin is stated in the animated series. According to this version, they (or, at any rate, the beast-moded ones) were once created by the divine inventor Primacron.

The Autobot Mini-Cassettes

Name Alternate mode First appearance Last appearance Voiced by Status
Eject
Eject (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:The initial Hasbro releases of Eject and Ramhorn had chromed-gold weapons, subsequent releases used chromed-silver. Eject shares a mold with the Autobot Rewind...

Cassette Tape The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

Madman's Paradise none Dead
An Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

 sports fanatic, perpetually uses human athletic slang in his day to day speech; never speaks in the cartoon, though. Usually seen only in the background.
Rewind
Rewind (Transformers)
Rewind is a fictional character from the Transformers universes. He is an Autobot historian who works under the commander of the communications officer Blaster.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

Cassette Tape Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

Madman's Paradise Townsend Coleman
Townsend Coleman
Townsend Coleman is an American voice actor who performed in many animated series and TV commercials beginning in the early 1980s...

Alive
Portable repository of knowledge. Gathers up every grain of information he can find. The most of the Autobots consider his database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...

 to be blocked up with the trifles, but he firmly believes that one day his knowledge will be of use for somebody. Also fights alongside Eject.
Ramhorn
Ramhorn
-Transformers: Generation 1:He is part of the mini-cassette Autobot team and takes on the form of a rhinoceros.Ramhorn's bio painted him as extremely unruly and bad-tempered, prone to destroying anyone who violates his territory...

Rhino/Cassette Tape Scramble City
Transformers: Scramble City
Scramble City is the name of a Transformers OVA created and released in Japan in April 1986. It was created as a promotional video for the new line of 'Scramble City' toys released only in Japan...

Call of the Primitives John Hostetter Alive
Extremely nasty. Eager for battle. Only speaks in one episode, in which he stutters. Otherwise makes only rhino noises
Steeljaw
Steeljaw
Steeljaw is the name of several characters from the Transformers toy line and television series.-Transformers: Generation 1:He is an Autobot and part of the mini-cassette team. He takes the form of a lion...

Lion/Cassette Tape Scramble City
Transformers: Scramble City
Scramble City is the name of a Transformers OVA created and released in Japan in April 1986. It was created as a promotional video for the new line of 'Scramble City' toys released only in Japan...

The Return of Optimus Prime (Part 2) Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

 (animal noises only)
Alive
Chose to first fly in his first appearance (flight of course for Autobots is impossible). According to Blaster, "can sniff out any trail, whether it's hot or not."

The Decepticon Mini-Cassettes

All of them are housed in Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

's breast.
Name Alternate mode First appearance Last appearance Voiced by Status alive
Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

Condor
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....

/Cassette Tape
More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Web World Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

 (animal noises only)
Alive
Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

 is one of the few Transformers whose robot mode is not a humanoid. When on Cybertron
Cybertron
Cybertron is a fictional planet, the homeworld of the Transformers in the various fictional incarnations of the metaseries and toyline by Hasbro. In the Japanese series, the planet is referred to as "Cybertron" pronounced as セイバートロン Seibātoron...

, his main speciality had been to interrogate
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...

 the Autobot prisoners, but on the Earth he became the best Decepticon spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...

. As a bird, Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

 is usually sent on reconnaissance missions, but he is worthless as a warrior, because of his cowardice. Nonetheless, Laserbeak is one of Megatron's pets; one can often see him sitting on Megatron's hand or shoulder.
Rumble
Rumble (Transformers)
Rumble is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

Cassette Tape More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Five Faces of Darkness (Part 3) Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

Alive
Rumble
Rumble (Transformers)
Rumble is a fictional character in the Transformers universes. In order to trademark the name, Hasbro referred to the Alternators character as Decepticon Rumble.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

 is a sort of a street-thug robot. His arms become piledrivers which he can use to cause earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...

s, and also to create fissures.
Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...

Panther
Black panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...

/Cassette Tape
More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Call of the Primitives Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

 (animal noises only, with one exception)
Alive
Ravage
Ravage (Transformers)
Ravage is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers universes. Due to the inability to trademark the common word "ravage", he is sometimes called Battle Ravage, Command Ravage or Tripredacus Agent...

 is one of the Transformers whose robot mode is a beast. Also, he is one of the most hidden and treacherous Decepticons, acting in the darkness only. As a panther, he is able to move with more stealth than other Decepticon
Decepticon
The Decepticons are usually depicted as the antagonists in the fictional universes of the Transformers stoyline and related comics and cartoons, and the enemies of the Autobots and the University of California Davis Aggies...

s. He is Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

's pet.
Frenzy
Frenzy (Transformers)
Frenzy is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. Wired Magazine once nominated him as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers of all time.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

Cassette Tape Countdown to Extinction The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

 (omitting one possible animation error)
Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

Alive
Shares his appearance, pile-driver ability, and street-thug personality with Rumble. They consider Frenzy to be more smart and brave than Rumble, but he appears much less frequently in the series than his "twin brother".
Buzzsaw Condor
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....

/Cassette Tape
City of Steel Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

 (animal noises only)
Unknown
A civil and sophisticated creature, but also one of the cruelest Decepticons. Usually deployed with the more frequently featured Laserbeak for scouting or attacks.
Ratbat
Ratbat
Ratbat is the name of several fictional characters who appeared in various Transformers universes.-Transformers: Generation 1:As is the case with many Transformers characters, the various continuities in which Ratbat has appeared have portrayed him widely differently in terms of size, personality,...

Bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...

/Cassette Tape
Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....

The Return of Optimus Prime (Part 1) Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...

 (animal noises only)
Alive
The smallest of the Mini-Cassettes (his size never exceedes that of a real bat). In his beast mode, he is used as a spy in places Laserbeak
Laserbeak
Laserbeak is the name given to several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes. He is almost always a mechanical bird, and is partnered with Soundwave.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

 is unable to reach. A skilled geologist
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

.
Slugfest
Slugfest (Transformers)
-Transformers: Generation 1:Slugfest is one of the cassette minions of Soundwave. He is slow and stupid. He is armed with two solar powered vibro cannons.-Reception:...

Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...

Call of the Primitives Call of the Primitives, only appearance Frank Welker Unknown
A cassette ejected from Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

 when called along with the other primitives. In his dinosaurus mode, he is an empty-headed destruction machine. In the cassette mode, he can serve only as a messenger, because of his extreme stupidity.
Overkill
Overkill (Transformers)
Overkill is a fictional character in the various Transformers universes. He is one of the Decepticon Mini-Cassettes.-Transformers: Generation 1:Overkill is a Decepticon.-Animated series:...

/Buzzkill
Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...

Call of the Primitives Call of the Primitives, only appearance Frank Welker Unknown
According to his Tech Spec, he is a serviceable warrior which never stops doing something until he runs out of fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...

. But in the series, he appears only as a cassette ejected from Soundwave
Soundwave (Transformers)
Soundwave is the name of several characters in the various series Transformers series. His most famous disguise is that of a microcassette recorder and has an iconic voice done by a vocoder.-Transformers: Generation 1:...

when called along with the other primitives.

External links

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