Prowl (TFA)


 * Prowl is an Autobot in the Transformers Animated continuity family.

Some people are team players, and some...well, aren't. Prowl falls into the latter category. A loner at heart, he has little interest in teamwork, something Optimus Prime finds extremely frustrating.

Prowl is an adept and agile one-on-one fighter who strikes swiftly and unseen. He feels cooperation with the loud and unsubtle Autobots around him would cramp his style. Despite Prowl's battle prowess, this unwillingness to work with his teammates causes problems.

Still, he's not without his redeeming features. He has a deep, deep fascination with organic lifeforms. His quarters on Earth is missing most of its ceiling, allowing him a permanent window into nature. In fact, he seems to have a deeper appreciation of his new surroundings than the humans who grew up with them. The phrase "stop and smell the roses" is a life truth for Prowl, and he can spend hours motionless, watching the world play out around him.

Prowl uses an array of throwing weapons, such as cutting discs, that he can hurl with high accuracy. While useful as projectiles, these weapons tend to be far more damaging at close range and will occasionally bounce off their target with little damage if thrown from too great a distance. He's the only Autobot with a jetpack, granting him limited flight.

"Stillness...then strike."

- Prowl getting past motion detectors

Animated cartoon

 * Voice actor: Jeff Glen Bennett (Engllish), Lutz Schnell (German)

Prowl showed a lack of interest in both teamwork (as a loner type) and in the motivational (kinda long-winded) speeches of Optimus Prime. He did not obey orders at first and learned of the consequences firsthand as he was nearly killed by a nanite-enhanced cockroach. After his revival at the hands of Sari and her AllSpark-empowered key, he showed that he had become a valuable team player when he headed out with Bumblebee and Sari to save Professor Sumdac and Captain Fanzone from Starscream.

Later, Prowl was watching a cat stalk a bird. He found it fascinating, but was aggravated when he was interrupted by human fans. Returning to base, he hid out in his Japanese-themed room, only to be interrupted by Prime and Bumblebee. Even worse, Sari threw a slumber party, pushing Prowl to the edge by the commotion. Ironically, when Megatron took over the factory, Prowl was able to show Bumblebee the value of stillness in battle, something the pair would work on later in a game of Twister™.

In an attempt to get Bulkhead to be less bumbling and destructive, he tried to teach his comrade how to move with ninja-like grace as he did. It...did not go well. Bulkhead's effectiveness in battle was undermined until Prowl realized Bulkhead's approach had its place and encouraged him to "do what you do." He also sensed sparks within the Dinobots and, unwilling to let them be destroyed, secretly hid them on a small island before they were melted down. As he explained to Bulkhead, "Just because something's big and lumbering and destructive, doesn't mean you give up on it."

Reasoning correctly that the Decepticons would target Sari to get at her AllSpark-empowered key, Prowl took to instructing her in the art of "ninja nerve blows." It was shortly after one of these sessions that his decision to save the Dinobots seemingly came back to haunt him when the gargantuan robots kidnapped the girl. He headed to their island home with Bulkhead in tow, the suspicious Captain Fanzone shadowing them somewhat clumsily the whole way. However the police captain was not prepared for the environmental hazards of the secluded island and had to be rescued by the pair of Autobots. Together, the three of them discovered that the Dinobots had been coerced into kidnapping Sari by Prometheus Black, whose corrosive touch they had come to fear. Forced along with Fanzone to fight the mad geneticist's creations in a gladiatorial arena, Prowl began to develop a bond with the captain, who in turn came to trust Prowl.

When Decepticon energy signals were detected, the Autobots quickly realized that they were outnumbered. Bulkhead mentioned that the Dinobots might be able to help, not aware that Prowl hadn't told Optimus they had moved them to Dinobot Island. Prime was furious and ordered the two to take him there at once. After searching the island, the Autobots found the Dinobots. Prime's introduction was less than friendly, and Prowl was forced to smooth things over with Grimlock. They were unwilling to help, so the Autobots left, unsure of their next move. When Bumblebee contacted Prime, saying that Starscream was at Sumdac Tower, he ordered him to stand down. When they arrived at the tower, they saw Bumblebee fighting Starscream. Prime dryly noted that disobeying orders was becoming a habit, but Prowl wasn't too insulted.

He was too busy being shocked by Megatron bursting through Sumdac Tower.

Quickly regaining their composure, the Autobots attacked, only for Megatron to defeat all three of them himself. After the battle, Sumdac revealed that he had helped rebuild Megatron. Prowl was furious, but Prime said that it was unimportant. Using residual key energy in Sumdac's lab, the Autobots repaired themselves, and Prime apologized for his harsh words. Ratchet and Sari came in the ship, but it was shot down over Dinobot Island. During the subsequent battle, Prowl noticed that Blitzwing's multiple personalities were connected to his alternate modes. To cause his hotheaded side to emerge and transform into a tank, Prowl suggested that Bumblebee use his greatest strength his obnoxious personality.

Prowl's fighting style is Metallikato, or at least borrows from it, according to Jazz. Jazz also makes a mild snipe that he'd not gotten that far in his ninja training. Which raises the question, why is Prowl in with a repair crew?



While responding to a report of rampages on Dinobot Island, Prowl and Bulkhead were given Ratchet's EMP generator and stasis cuffs to detain the Dinobots. Discovering that Grimlock had a metal shard wedged in his foot, Prowl used the generator to dull Grimlock's sensors and remove the shard. However, they then received a call from Ultra Magnus that Starscream had escaped. Heading to the Autobots' crashed ship, Prowl used Teletran 1 to scan for Starscream, discovering him on the Moon. Prowl suggested that they go after Starscream, but Bulkhead thought it was suicide. So Prowl stole a shuttle and went off by himself. Locating Starscream on the Moon, he managed to place stasis cuffs on the Decepticon, but Lockdown appeared to take Starscream off Prowl's hands. During their fight, Starscream escaped and destroyed Prowl's shuttle. Stowing away on Lockdown's ship, Prowl suggested an alliance to capture him. Lockdown gave him a set of armor that would assist him in the hunt. Discovering a purple (and frightened) Starscream, they captured him, but Lockdown revealed that he was working for Megatron. Prowl would not allow Starscream to be taken, but Lockdown tied Prowl up and left.

The other Autobots arrived and chewed out Prowl for his actions, but Prowl insisted that they retrieve Starscream first. During their pursuit, Starscream somehow showed up and offered an alliance against Megatron. Prowl took down Starscream, but in his actions, he destroyed a bird nest. Realizing that the modifications he had were going to his head, he resolved to abandon them... once they got Starscream. Prowl initially flubbed an attempt to spy on the meet between Megatron and Lockdown and quickly found himself outgunned until the other Autobots arrived with the second Starscream. During the standoff that followed, the two Starscreams revealed that they had bombs inside them. Prowl used the armor he had been given to send them into the sky, saving Detroit from destruction. Lockdown then contacted Prowl, offering him a partnership, but Prowl declined and returned Ratchet's EMP generator.

Transformers Animated



 * Prowl (Deluxe, 2008)
 * Accessories: 2 bladed ninja stars, 1 street lamp "chain" weapon


 * Prowl transforms into a black and gold police motorcycle of made-up model. Two of his hubcaps are removable, and they both can reconfigure into three-bladed ninja stars which he can hold in robot mode. He also comes with a traffic light "chain" weapon which he can hold in robot mode, but it cannot be stowed in vehicle mode.


 * Partly due to his lithe proportions and the double-jointed knees required for his transformation, Prowl is extremely poseable. Additionally, he has a large number of translucent plastic colors, with blue and red translucent sirens, a red, yellow, and green traffic light, and a smoky gray translucent windscreen.


 * Prowl (Deluxe, 2008?)
 * This version of Prowl includes an all-new sidecar, which transforms into "samurai" armor for the robot mode. To date, it has appeared in only one episode.

Trivia

 * Prowl's eyes are a reference to 2000 AD's ABC Warriors.


 * Despite his alternate mode being the smallest among the core cast, Prowl's robot mode is about the same height as Ratchet's, and much taller than Bumblebee's


 * As of Autoboot Camp, Prowl is the only main cast autobot who hasn't had an episode dedicated to his flashbacks.


 * according to Black Friday, Prowl's eyes aren't really eyes, but a "visor" as you can still see the blue glow when his eyes supposed to be closed. So, this means you couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed. Ninja-y.