Master-Brace

Tell her you'd become a colossal robot warrior for her all over again.

Master-Braces are (originally, at least) a product of the super-science of the planet Master, created to allow human beings to connect to Transtectors and effectively "become" Transformers themselves.

Master-Braces take the form of a pair of shining, metallic bracelets, stored within spheres which split in two; once the human in question puts the bracelets upon their wrists, he or she will be unable to remove them. By crossing their arms, thereby touching the bracelets together, and shouting "Masterforce!" the human activates the bracelets; in a flash of light, their bodies are then transformed, infused with Chokon Power that enhances their strength, agility and reflexes and surrounded by Master Suit, a suit of armor. Most importantly, an ill-defined holistic conversion of their bodily cells allows them to actually physically transform into heads (in the case of the Headmaster Juniors) or engines (in the case of Godmasters) and connect to and control Transtectors. On a more mundane level, Master-Braces also act as communicators, patching the wearers into their respective faction's communications frequences.

Fiction

Super-God Masterforce animated series

There are two distinct types of Master-Braces.

Thing-Ring, do your thing!

The first type introduced is that worn by the Headmaster Juniors. With nearly all the Autobots having left Earth after the defeat of Scorponok, rumblings of Decepticon activity starting up again on the planet prompted the lone group of Autobots remaining on Earth - Metalhawk's Pretenders - to contact Chromedome of the Autobot Headmasters. They hoped to increase the presence of Autobots on Earth, but with the space bridge having been destroyed, quick access to and from the planet was limited, prompting the need for another solution. That solution was the creation of Master-Braces, six pairs of silver bracelets that would allow human beings to connect to Headmaster Transtectors, thereby increasing the Autobot ranks on Earth without compromising their forces in space.

The Master-Braces and Transtectors were dispatched by Chromedome aboard a transport shuttle, but en route to Earth, the craft was attacked and half of its cargo was stolen by the Decepticon Pretenders. The remaining three were successfully received by the Autobots, and warehoused by their human ally, Professor Gō, until such time as it could be definitely confirmed that their use was necessary. A series of public attacks by the Decepticons convinced Metalhawk that the time had come, and he gave the Master-Braces and Transtectors to three human children that had become friends to the Autobots - Professor Gō's son Shūta, south-sea island prince Cab, and daughter of Mont Porte's Japanese ambassador Minerva. At the same time, the Decepticons abandoned their attempts to empower humans in other ways and created their own Headmaster Juniors with the stolen Master-Braces - former biker gang leader Wilder, orphan martial artist Cancer and street thug Bullhorn. Birth! Headmaster Jrs

Best gashapon ever!

The second type of Master-Braces are those worn by the Godmasters (referred to on one occasion as "God-Braces"). These golden bracelets are infinitely more mysterious, which is par for the course, given that they are tied into the complicated origins of the Godmaster Transtectors. "God-Braces" debuted with the introduction of the Decepticon Godmasters, Hydra and Buster Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers; they had been given their Master-Braces and Transtectors by Giga and Mega, who were also Godmasters, and had in turn been given their bracelets by the alien super-energy being and self-styled Decepticon "god," Devil Z. Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!? Not long thereafter, a Japanese trucker named Ginrai discovered a sphere holding a pair of Autobot Master-Braces in the glove compartment of a truck he had just rented. Donning the bracelets, he decided they didn't suit him, but was distressed to discover that he could not remove them. It was at that point that the Autobot Pretender Diver, in his human identity, discovered Ginrai wrestling with the bracelets in his cab; shocked to see the Autobot insignia glowing on their surface, he had Ginrai take him back to the rental shop he got the truck from. Along the way, they were attacked by Hydra and Buster, and Ginrai discovered that he was a Godmaster, and that the truck was his Transtector. A Hero is Chosen - His Name is Ginrai

A short time later, while still deliberating over whether or not to join the Autobots, Ginrai discovered three additional sets of Master-Braces in his glovebox - scans performed on them at the Autobot base proved that they were definitely Godmaster bracelets when the sheer amount of power they contained caused the scanner to explode. A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva After making a televised appeal, Ginrai successfully located the three owners, who were all recruited to the Autobots - automotive engineering company heir Lightfoot, Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter Canadian forest patrolman Ranger An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger and Grand Prix champion Road King At Full Strength! The Four Godmaster Gunmen. One more Godmaster was later revealed, Doubleclouder, who possessed a unique pair of Master-Braces - one Autobot, one Decepticon. Depending on which bracelet was atop the other when they were crossed, he could adopt either an Autobot robot form, or a Decepticon falcon form. Appearance!! The Final Godmaster After briefly dallying with the Decepticons, he sided with the Autobots. Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes

Bastardforce.

The precise origins of Godmaster Master-Braces are undisclosed. Godmaster Transtectors were developed by the Transformers in a region of space known as G Nebula 89, but as they were never intended for humans to combine with, there seems to be little reason for Master-Braces to have been made to go along with them. It is known that Devil Z stole the Godmaster Transtectors and brought them to Earth with the intent of bonding them to humans, and he would later claim that he was responsible for forging the connection between humans and their Transtectors, so it is possible that the Godmaster bracelets were created by him. Such a train of thought, however, would require some hand-waving to explain why so many of them had Autobot insignias and bonded to humans sympathetic to the Autobot cause, when this was contrary to Devil Z's wishes. Similarly, it is never explained how three pairs of bracelets spontaneously appeared in Ginrai's glovebox when they had categorically not been there before - one might theorise that Devil Z arranged for them to be placed there, in order to flush out the remaining Godmasters, but that's unashamed speculation.

During the final stages of the Masterforce war, Devil Z transformed several Transtectors into true, living robotic beings, severing their connection to their human partners and causing their Master-Braces to simply disappear from their wrists in a glimmer of light. Wilder, Cancer, Bullhorn, Doubleclouder, Mega and Giga were all forcibly parted from their Transtectors in this manner, but Ginrai ultimately destroyed the villain. Adding credence to Devil Z's claim that he was responsible for creating the bond between human and Transtector, his death caused all the remaining Master-Braces to vanish from the wrists of their wearers - however, through their bond with humans, the Transtectors themselves continued to live on as true super-robot lifeforms. A Battle... and Then...

Toys

Don it, and you'll become a Master Warrior!

• Headmaster-Braces - Goshooter (1988)

Role-play toys for the little robots born in the bodies of children, this pair of chromed silver bracelets was sold exclusively in Japan, as you might expect. The bracelets are of the Autobot variety and are presented as being Shūta's, their packaging decorated with images of him in his various forms. Sadly, no Decepticon versions were available - because it would have been totally cool to role-play as the socially-maladjusted leader of a disbanded biker gang. Thankfully for all involved, these ones are removable. They are packaged with a mysterious rectangle.

• Godmaster-Braces - Ginrai (1988)

Just the same as the Headmaster-Braces, but in Godmaster gold, these bracelets are presented as Ginrai's.

See also

• Transtector