Trypticon (G1)


 * Trypticon is a Decepticon in the Generation 1 continuity family.



While there have been other sentient Decepticon "cities," Trypticon was the first to appear in any continuity. His intelligence and personality vary between those continuities, from a plodding near-animal to an introspective killer with designs on Decepticon leadership. Also variable is his scale: He's always depicted as being very large, but whether that means being two-to-three times typical Transformer size, literally city-sized, or somewhere in between, is rarely consistent. One element that should be consistent, given how often it's referenced, is the fact that his eyes can emit hypno-beams that subvert the will of other Transformers. Strangely, though, he has never been seen to use them.

In some continuities, he is accompanied by one or more smaller robots. The only one to exhibit an autonomous personality is Wipe-Out. Full-Tilt and Brunt have merely been mindless drones when they've existed at all.

The only thing that is consistent is his incredible power. Only a few Transformers have been able to defeat Trypticon, and usually by outwitting him instead of by force. The only one who has a decent chance against Trypticon is Metroplex, and there is a great rivalry between the two cities.

He hates water more than any other substance in the universe, but that's mostly because he gets thrown into water a lot. "Trypticon cannot be stopped! Nothing can stand in my way!"

- Trypticon


 * Japanese name: Dinosaurer (beast-mode)/Dinobase (city-mode and his function)
 * Hungarian name: Triptikon

American cartoon continuity

 * Voice actor: Brad Garrett (US), Yutaka Shimaka (Japan)



In the year 2006, Trypticon was built on Earth by the Constructicons (with help from Octane and some other guy), out of a human city as the Decepticon answer to Metroplex and as part of the joint Quintesson/Decepticon campaign to attack the Autobots on two fronts. Upon activation, Trypticon sent his former human occupants running for their lives, then destroyed a nearby mountain for no apparent reason.

His first mission was to attack the Ark, defended by those pesky Minibots. Trypticon shot Powerglide out of the sky, then shrugged off sneak attacks by the Minibot defenders (stepping on Swerve) before leveling the Ark and the volcano the Autobot ship was embedded in. Destroying one Autobot stronghold wasn't enough, however, and Trypticon soon set his sights on Autobot City and Metroplex.

Metroplex was at a significant disadvantage, since he was without his transformation cog and thus locked into his battle station form, a weakness that Trypticon exploited. However, the timely arrival of Blurr and Wheelie with the cog allowed Metroplex to gain the upper hand, and Trypticon was forced to take a bath in the Pacific ocean.

With the Autobots believing Trypticon destroyed, Galvatron had Trypticon sent to Dinobot Island for recovery, but he was stolen by the Triple Changer Octane. Octane made a deal with Abdul Fakkadi of the Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya: In exchange for the Carbombya's high-grade oil, they would guard the country's coasts. Unfortunately, Trypticon was extremely energy-consumptive, requiring a thousand barrels of oil to make an Energon cube for him. Worse, Trypticon actually didn't fire at invaders, but at passing cruise ships (though in Trypticon's defense, he actually did think they were invading). Octane managed to renegotiate the deal so they would steal monuments for Fakkadi. Initially, the Dinobots and Sky Lynx were suspected of the thefts, but Perceptor linked the crime back to Trypticon. Rodimus Prime, Metroplex, and the rest of the Autobots put a stop to the scheme, and Trypticon took another bath.

Later, after Swindle stole Metroplex's transformation cog, Galvatron dispatched Trypticon to destroy the defenseless city. Confident of victory, Trypticon decided to have some fun, eating a naval destroyer and menacing the passengers of a train. However, Silverbolt flew into Trypticon through his mouth, firing all the while, giving the giant dinosaur a big tummy-ache. Forced to retreat, Daniel and Spike Witwicky stole Trypticon's own transformation cog, intending to use it on Metroplex, forcing the Decepticons to use Metroplex's transformation cog on Trypticon. The game of musical cogs caused both cities to stall between their two modes, but Trypticon was more combat-ready. At first, he laid the smack down on Metroplex, forcing him to take a bath, but eventually, First Aid managed to properly align the Decepticon cog in Metroplex, allowing the Autobot to transform fully. Metroplex regained the initiative, and Trypticon took yet another bath. This bath was not in the ocean, but that was presumably of little comfort to Trypticon.

Later, he had one of his eyes, his transformation cog, and even his body stolen by Starscream and Scourge in an effort to revive Unicron. He also acted as a transport vessel for the other "primitive" Transformers when they went to fight Tornedron, and was the first "primitive" Transformer to have his energy drained by Tornedron, but no baths were involved.

Fight! Super Robot Life Form Transformers manga
In this timeline, Trypticon's construction occurred around 1986/87, rather than in 2005. While the Autobots were in the process of constructing Metroplex, Astrotrain and Reflector were able to sneak past their security and spy on the process, acquiring the information that Megatron needed to discover whether or not Metroplex was strong enough to stand up to Trypticon.

The completed Trypticon made his first appearance terrorizing an island utopia that the Decepticons had conquered. He made short work of Superion, nearly killing him, until he was goaded into battle by the sudden appearance of Metroplex. Trypticon dove head-first at his rival, only to phase right through him and fall off a cliff and into the ocean. As it turns out, it was a hologram created by Hound and magnified by Perceptor.

Scramble City OVA
Not long after Trypticon's island misadventure, the Autobots completed construction of Metroplex, who was dispatched to aid the Autobot combiners in battle against their Decepticon foes. With the villains defeated, Megatron activated Trypticon to battle Metroplex.

Headmasters cartoon

 * Voice actor: Masato Hirano (Japan)

Trypticon continued serving the Decepticons into the year 2011; however, by then, he'd become mostly a joke. In one confrontation, he was defeated by Daniel and Wheelie when they lured him into walking onto a rickety rope bridge, which subsequently buckled under his weight and dumped him into a river. Nevertheless, he was still used in numerous battles throughout 2011. At one point, he was commandeered by Cyclonus and Scourge and brought into battle against the Autobot Headmasters. The pair fled, leaving Trypticon behind to be destroyed. He was apparently rebuilt, however, and was seen serving the Decepticons all the way through to their eviction from planet Earth.

Zone OVA

 * Voice actor: Daisuke Gōri (Japan)



Trypticon eventually joined forces with Violen Jygar as one of his nine deadly Decepticon Demon-Generals. Now with the rank of Saurian General, he used a club for a weapon and was equipped with a new attack, the Energon Z Beam, thanks to his compatriots stealing the Autobots' Energon Z from Planet Zone. Trypticon was sent by Violen Jygar to steal the Zodiac from the Autobots on Earth. During the battle with Dai Atlas, he almost killed Sonic Bomber with his Energon Z Beam. However, he soon met his end when Dai Atlas unleashed the power of the Zodiac right in Trypticon's face, killing him.

Marvel comics continuity
Events in italics happened in the Marvel UK comics

Trypticon was dispatched by Ratbat to Earth, where he attacked the Ark with the aid of Wipe-Out. He exhibited more intelligence than in perhaps any other universe, bantering with his enemies and employing some degree of strategy. But the Dinobots held him off long enough that his energy expenditures upset the miserly Ratbat, who recalled him to Cybertron. The "defeat" of Trypticon immediately led to Grimlock's inauguration as Autobot Leader.

''Later he fought evil zombies with Flywheels and the Wreckers. ''

Dreamwave comics continuity
Trypticon began as an early Decepticon military project, and the prototype iteration was put to use in the Decepticons' initial wave of attacks after the death of Sentinel Prime. Trypticon himself was created during the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron were missing. When the Autobots came to investigate his construction progress, Trypticon came online. Prowl was forced to call in reinforcements. During that assault he nearly killed them, but was called off to help Shockwave. He's later seen taking part in the battle against the Fallen. Though not seen at that time, he does control two "battlefield drones," Full-Tilt and Brunt.

Despite his effectiveness as a killing machine, he doubts the Decepticon cause and hates his own role. He thinks that his abilities will eventually merit his taking leadership of the Decepticons, though he accepts this with the same resignation as the rest of his futile existence.

It's entirely possible he speaks with a British accent.

Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics continuity
As part of Serpent O.R.'s forces, Trypticon defended the newly unified Decepticon army's base against a combined Autobot/G.I. Joe strike force. A massive barrage from Ultra Magnus and G.I. Joe's artillery almost felled the giant Decepticon.

IDW comics continuity
Hundreds of years ago, Trypticon fought Thunderwing alongside Megatron, Optimus Prime, and Omega Supreme.

He survived the battle, and was part of a major Decepticon counter-offensive on what was left of Cybertron shortly thereafter, led by the Predacons. Given the Decepticons' current focus on infiltration before assault, it's possible that Trypticon is being held in reserve. Let's just face it, the guy is kinda hard to hide.

Generation 1

 * Trypticon (Decepticon City, 1986/1987)
 * Japanese ID number: D-63
 * Came with Full-Tilt and Brunt


 * This mold was later retooled, redecoed, and sold with fewer accessories as Beast Wars II Gigastorm

MyClone

 * Trypticon (MyClone, 2003)


 * The Trypticon MyClone is the adorablest little killer dinosaur you ever did see.

Classics

 * Trypticon (Legends, 2006)
 * Trypticon in the Classics line is a redeco of Legends of Cybertron Scourge. This redeco is awesome and needs cuddles.


 * This mold was also used to make Universe Hun-Grr.

Trivia

 * Trypticon's original Tech Specs give him a very high rank of 9, but he is never portrayed as somebody so far up in the Decepticon power structure.
 * "Shattered Glass"'s Grimlock's color scheme is based on Trypticon.
 * According to Abdul Fakkadi, leader of Carbomya, Trypticon consumes fifty energon cubes an hour. Fakkadi also says it took one thousand barrels of crude oil to make a single cube, suggesting that Trypticon's fuel consumption could be as as high as 1,200,000 barrels of oil a day, about 50,400,000 US Gallons. We can deduce four things from this:
 * 1) Trypticon clearly isn't an economy model.
 * 2) He could drink the world's largest oil tanker, the Knock Nevis, dry in just four days.
 * 3) He may be the sole cause of global warming.
 * 4) He's Greenpeace's worst nightmare.
 * A robotic dinosaur drinking a hydrocarbon product formed from fossilized dinosaurs? (Well, okay, super-compressed and -heated, plants and zooplankton from the AGE of dinosaurs.) Animated Grimlock would not approve of this "fossil feeder"!