Decepticon Hunters

The Decepticon Hunters are multi-purpose tool that links with its wielders' neural transmissions and configuring into whatever weapon or device is thought of by the wielder in battle. As its name implies, it was apparently created by the Autobots for use in battling Decepticons, specifically the inmates of prison ships such as the Alchemor. This technology can be a bit tricky however, as the wielder must have a clear mental image of what they're trying to make out of it, and even a minor malfunction in the machine itself can prove dangerous, if not resulting in extra damage to both the Decepticon Hunter and whoever is using the tool. A more powerful version known as the Prime Decepticon Hunter also exists, and was given to Optimus Prime by his fellow Primes.

History
A Decepticon Hunter was among the various pieces of equipment salvaged by the Bee Team from the wreckage of the Alchemor in As the Kospego Commands! and was first utilized by Strongarm. However, the device was somewhat damaged, and both Strongarm and Sideswipe were unable to transform it into the weapon they desired. It managed a few transformations and was briefly employed against Thunderhoof before shutting down. Fixit and Denny Clay later managed to repair it in Rumble in the Jungle after some initial bickering and set to work replicating it so that each member of the team could have one. However, due to a shortage of platinum, they were only able to create two more, making a set of three that they presented to Bumblebee, Strongarm and Sideswipe.

The trio of Autobots employed the Decepticon Hunters as weapons against their various enemies: Bumblebee would employ his Decepticon Hunter in the form of a staff-like weapon, Strongarm would use hers as a laser crossbow, and Sideswipe would employ his own as a katana-like blade. During this time, Optimus was given the Prime Decepticon Hunter, which took the form of a sword with a split blade during Out of Focus, and soon learned that it could be used as both a melee weapon and for launching powerful energy beams. He was informed that it was to be used to help deal with a threat that would soon arrive on Earth. This threat would later be revealed to be Megatronus.

The Decepticon Hunters would prove vital to halting Megatronus' plans for the Spark Fuser in Battlegrounds, Part 1 and Battlegrounds, Part 2. Optimus employed his in battling the traitorous Prime and destroyed the Spark Fuser before the AllSpark and Anti-Spark could be blended together and destroy both Earth and Cybertron. At the same time, the trio from the Bee Team discovered that their Decepticon Hunters, when touched together and transformed into replicas of the Prime version, could grant them powerful armor and also unleash beams of energy as well. Working together, they used them to defeat Megatronus, who was consumed by the power of the three weapons, though whether he had truly been destroyed is still unclear.

In Portals, it was revealed that two more Decepticon Hunters were located behind a sealed door in a special compartment on board the remaining wreckage of the Alchemor, and Steeljaw later seized them for himself to successfully overthrow Saberhorn and Glowstrike, even taking Bumblebee's Decepticon Hunter after the Autobot dropped it; he would later combine the three Decepticon Hunters himself to take on both Optimus and Bumblebee on his own, with his armor being to strong for even Optimus' Decepticon Hunter to cause any damage. With the help of some Mini-Cons, Bumblebee managed to reclaim the weapon and use it to trap Steeljaw in the floor, resulting in the Decepticon being caught when the Autobots' cryo-gas bomb went off.

Soundwave began dispatching Mini-Cons to collect the Autobots' Decepticon Hunters while trapped in the Shadowzone. Stuntwing was first sent to get Bumblebee's weapon and succeeded when the Bee Team was rendered unconscious after combining into Ultra Bee. He then sent Trickout to obtain a second Decepticon Hunter. The Mini-Con succeeded in acquiring Sideswipe's weapon while the Autobots were once again merged into Ultra Bee. Soundwave later sent Hi-Test to collect a third Decepticon Hunter from Strongarm, but was disappointed with the Mini-Con's failure due to Strongarm getting away to help Nightra after Hi-Test unintentionally caused a commotion that scared off the Autobot's friend. The Mini-Con fled and banished out of fear when Soundwave threatened to terminate him. Goldgear succeeded where Hi-Test failed, and the Autobots began to realize there was a connection with the thefts of their weapons. Soundwave was able to use the Decepticon Hunters to escape the Shadowzone, though they were eventually reclaimed by the Autobots after his plans of contacting Megatron were thwarted.

Gallery
Main Article: Decepticon Hunter Gallery

Background Information

 * The Shield Generator used by Knock Out is similar in basic design and function to the Decepticon Hunters; it is even possible that the Shield Generator itself was the prototype of and predecessor to the Decepticon Hunters' technology, but this is still unconfirmed.
 * A weapon resembling the Decepticon Hunter in its inactive form was given to Bumblebee by Fixit in the first few episodes, but was referred to merely as a Capture Device and didn't show the ability to transform.
 * The Prime Deception Hunter is shown to rival the Dark Star Saber.