Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

Zone is an OVA (Original Video Animation) released in Japan in July 1990. A direct sequel to the previous animated series, Victory, it was the final animated installment of Japan's original Generation 1 series.

Detailed synopsis
The demonic Violen Jygar gathers together the Decepticons Devastator, Menasor, Bruticus, Trypticon, Predaking, Abominus, King Poseidon, Overlord and BlackZarak as his Nine Great Demon Generals and charges them with obtaining the Zodiac, the enigmatic energy force responsible for the creation of the universe. In search of this great power, the Generals attack and devastate the planet Feminia, drawing the attention of the Autobots, who arrive to save the planet's populace. Supreme Commander Victory Saber saves the life on a young boy named Kain, but is unable to escape the planet's destruction himself and is left missing in action when Feminia explodes.

Kain and his pet Emusa are brought to Planet Zone, the fortified defence base of the Autobot Micromasters, where Moonradar and Rabbicrater give him the low-down on its history. Having been founded by the Powered Masters, early Transformer pioneers of space, Zone is powered by the new energy source, Energon Z - but unfortunately, it just so happens that this is also on Violen Jygar's list of acquisitions, and Overlord, Menasor, Bruticus and Abominus attack the planet and steal it. Moonradar leads the Super Car Patrol Team and the Battle Patrol Team in pursuit of the villains, but their way is barred by BlackZarak, who impedes their progress with an energy net. The Jet Patrol Team free their companions, and Sunrunner tracks the Generals with his radar, discovering that the other half of the group is heading for Earth.

Back on Zone, as the Rescue Patrol Team cleans up, the Powered Masters Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber return from their search for Victory Saber, bringing the wounded commander back safely. The two Powered Masters immediately set out for Earth, where Devastator, King Poseidon, Trypticon and Predaking are already wreaking havoc. The Micromasters, meanwhile, have already arrived on the planet, just in time to save a young boy named Akira, who... befriends... Kain as the Micromasters do the best they can to hold off the Generals. In the nick of time, Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber arrive, and the battle goes underground as Devastator and Dai Atlas race to find the Zodiac, buried in a cavern beneath the Earth's surface. As Devastator is dispatched by a river of lava, King Poseidon attempts to escape with the Zodiac, but is stopped by Sonic Bomber, and tosses it to his fellow Generals. Dai Atlas, however, is able to snatch it from the grasp, and calls upon its power to unlock "Zone Mode" - a new transformation for him and Sonic Bomber that allows them to convert to heavily-armed base modes that dispense with King Poseidon and Trypticon. Attempting to flee, Predaking is cleaved in two by Dai Atlas's Zone Sword Cutter attack.

Back on Zone, the injured Victory Saber appoints Dai Atlas as the new Supreme Commander of the Autobots, to serve while he is unable.

Stats
Original release date: 21 July 1990

Written by: Masumi Kaneda?

Featured characters
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Transformers references

 * The Shuttle Base from Victory reappears as the core of the Zone Base. It is, of course, the rocket base belonging to the Micromaster Countdown, or if you prefer, his Japanese counterpart, Moonradar.
 * The Micromaster Bases belonging to Airwave, Greasepit, Hothouse and Ironworks all appear as part of the Zone Base, but their Micromaster owners do not. In Japan, the bases are known simply as "Airport Base," "Gasoline Base," "Fire Base" and "Build Base," respectively.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * This is the only episode of Zone in existence. Although rumors have always circulated that as many as five could have been completed, only this first episode was released, and serves as the final animated installment of the Generation 1 cartoon. The storyline of Zone would be continued through TV Magazine story pages; as the story progressed, the massive Decepticon Metrotitan attacked Earth, and Violen Jygar was able to obtain the Zodiac, leading to a climactic battle between him and the Powered Masters - now including Roadfire - on the newly-discovered tenth planet of Earth's solar system. Separating into three giant insects, Violen Jygar was beaten back, but then revealed his true form as a flaming mass of Decepticon spirits, only to be destroyed by the Zodiac-empowered Big Powered. With his death, the tenth planet became a paradise where Autobots, Decepticons and humans could all live in peace.
 * The Zone VHS came packaged with the exclusive figure, Rabbicrater.
 * Four complete Micromaster teams appear in this episode - the Rescue Team, the Battle Team, the Jet Team and the Super Car Team. The latter two are redecos of the Air Strike Patrol and the Sports Car Patrol, who were Decepticons in the West.
 * Only three members of the Race Car Patrol appear in this episode, in cameos from behind, nonetheless. The missing member is Wheelrun, who can briefly be spotted in the opening sequence
 * So... yeah. Kain and Akira are pretty gay. Aside from both being very effeminate in design, the two boys share scenes in which they fall over on top of each other and blush like crazy, and in which Akira presents Kain with flowers. Then, the whole closing sequence is about them running through a field of shojo bubbles and watching the sunrise together. Quite why Takara caved into such a ghastly anime cliche after having stayed away from anything even close to this in Transformers before, we may never know - but it could have something to do with Masumi Kaneda's desire to have Kain and Akira become something akin to miko at the story's conclusion.