Drift (G1)

Drift is an Autobot and former Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

While you were out partying, I studied THE BLADE.

Drift was not always an Autobot. In fact, he slaughtered quite a few when he was known as the Decepticon Deadlock. But Deadlock's eyes were opened to what the Transformers' war had become when he stumbled across a lost faction of neutral Transformers long since forgotten. He discarded his ruthless ways, abandoned his guns for swords, and changed his name and appearance.

When Drift returned to the Transformer war to make right what he put wrong, he was a bot of few words and disciplined action. He since went on to be an enthusiastic spiritualist and a self-punishing crusader, all in an attempt to get away from the nasty parts of his personality that are still lurking within him. It doesn't matter what his personality is because with his Decepticon past, Drift isn't well-liked or trusted by a few of the Autobots and some of the Decepticons think he's just lying about having changed. This hits Drift more than you might think because at the end of the day, despite his loner attitude, Drift really just wants to be part of something.

In addition to the two swords kept in his hip scabbards, Drift carries a legendary Great Sword. An ancient weapon that predates modern civilization, the Great Sword draws upon the spark energy of its bearer, and as such must only be used in the most dire of circumstances.

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: All Hail Megatron #5

"Eh....Inferno, tell to Death Blade that if he calling me that again, his name will become DEATH BOT!"

Drift was originally a homeless Cybertronian, living on the streets and stealing energon to survive. The hopeless 'bot was befriended by Gasket Drift #2 but otherwise had no one. During one drug trip in the Dead End, he was assaulted by Sonic and Boom, who were abducting homeless people for money. Drift was rescued by Orion Pax, who brought him to Ratchet's secret clinic in Rodion. Ratchet saved Drift's life, and told the young robot that he could achieve great things in his life if he tried— he could just tell Drift was destined for something special. Post Hoc

Drift would soon learn what that was, after Gasket was killed by Autobot law enforcement after trying to stop them from executing a thief. Drift exploded with rage, grabbed the nearest gun and killed them all. His knack for violence attracted the attention of the Cybertronian underground, who trained Drift as a killer. Amongst this group, Drift realized the level of corruption in the Senate, and a recruitment rally held by Megatron drew Drift in with his talk of equality. Megatron singled Drift out of the crowd, claiming to have heard great things of him, and asked him to join the Decepticons to fight for a better Cybertron. Drift agreed and, after being was hailed by the crowd, was renamed Deadlock by Megatron. Drift #2 Drift rose to become the second-in-command of Turmoil, garnering a reputation as a vicious and merciless fighter. Drift #1

During their time with Gigatron, Turmoil and Deadlock crashed on a desert world and investigated a nearby stone fortress to find a way out. The two of them would go on to massacre the inhabitants before leaving, though not before Deadlock recorded the presence of a Stone Army on the planet. Empire of Stone #2 Empire of Stone #3

Deadlock prefers to pose so his legs don't block any of the action.

Much later, on the planet Dabola, Deadlock led a battalion against an Autobot squadron. The Autobots' leader called a retreat, and Deadlock's team celebrated. This was spoiled when one of the soldiers pointed out that Deadlock had been ordered to merely observe, and once again had disobeyed orders. When the soldier threatened to inform Turmoil of Deadlock's disobedience, Deadlock killed him. Claiming Turmoil was too cautious and that it was time for new leadership, he called for the other soldiers to follow him, but they summarily captured him and brought him to Turmoil. Turmoil used a stasis lock to trap him in robot mode and attempted to execute him. Deadlock managed to escape, and after initiating an emergency protocol to cover his escape, stole an escape pod and departed the ship.

Deadlock crashed on an unknown planet. After scaling some, he found a massive structure, but before he could explore, a mysterious cloaked figure appeared, named Wing. Wing offered a deal: help him free the slaves, and he would find Deadlock a ship. Deadlock, introducing himself as "Drift," agreed, but first Drift said he needed guns. Together, they jumped some guards and stole their weapons, however a stray blast stripped Wing of his cloak, revealing him to be Cybertronian. Once they jumped into the complex, Drift automatically fled for the ship, abandoning Wing. Despite this betrayal, when Drift was attacked and nearly killed by one the slavers, Wing brought Drift back with him to a new Crystal City, where he was repaired. Drift #1

"We were okay with your old legs. Rest had to go."

Wing explained that they were the Circle of Light, a group of Cybertronian scholars and scientists who abandoned the planet during the early days of the war in order to find peace and preserve Cybertron's culture. Wing and Drift were taken to a meeting with Crystal City's leader, Dai Atlas. While Drift waited outside, Wing was admonished for bringing a corrupting influence to the city. He was ordered to keep Drift with him at all times. Afterward, Wing brought Drift to an empty room, discarded his swords and asked him what the Decepticon symbol stood for. Drift replied it meant strength, power and conviction, and the belief in the survival of the strongest. Wing offered Drift a chance to earn his freedom by defeating him without guns in combat, but Drift never succeeded. Drift grumbled that he'd never learned to fight without projectile weaponry.

Weeks later, Wing was still dominating Drift. Over time, Drift admitted that Crystal City held everything Drift had ever wanted, while the Decepticons had lost sight of this goal some time ago. Their sparring was interrupted by a summons from Dai Atlas. When they arrived in the control room, he informed them that they had received a coded signal and he thought Drift might be able to translate. Though Drift claimed he could not understand it, that night he snuck out of the city and drove far into the desert. There he met with the slavers, who had used a Decepticon code to offer Drift a deal. The code had been obtained from Lockdown, a Decepticon sent by Megatron. The deal was simple: hand over the location of the Circle of Light or die. Drift #2

Man, I bet those dumb G2 guys wish they had this kind of endurance.

Lockdown reminded "Deadlock" of his high-standing in the Decepticon army. Megatron held Deadlock in high esteem, and by guarding these Transformers Drift stood to lose that. Meanwhile, the head slaver, Braid, required Cybertronian bodies to experiment on, and were willing to take captives from the neutral camp in lieu of Deadlock, in payment for the property he'd damaged earlier. After agreeing to lead the neutral Transformers into an ambush, Drift stumbled back to Crystal City, where he informed the Circle of Light about the pact he'd made with Lockdown and the slavers. Drift argued that they should fight their attackers to preserve their freedom and their way of life, but Dai Atlas sharply disagreed. He would have no fighting at all, even to preserve his own life, and blamed Drift for ruining their civilization. The others did not agree, and supported Drift. A small number of them offered to help fight the slavers while keeping the true number of their population unknown. As they reached the surface with a hastily constructed craft to make it appear as if the Circle of Light had recently crashed there, Drift revealed himself to have been rebuilt head-to-toe to match his new colleagues. With a sword mounted on each hip, Drift announced he was ready. Drift #3

Soon, Lockdown and the slavers were upon them. After slaying a few of the slavers, Drift realized that he was past the point of no return. Lockdown realized this as well, and asked the former Decepticon why he'd given it all away so easily. "What I've always wanted... the promise of a better Cybertron." But their sparring was interrupted by the death of Wing. Enraged, Drift jumped Braid, Wing's murderer, but he did not accomplish much. He was not as agile a fighter as his late friend, and Braid easily defeated him.

Before the killing blow could be delivered, Crystal City in its entirety rose from the ground, as Wing's death had spurred Dai Atlas into action. With the entirety of the population now fighting the slavers, the tide was quickly turned. Despite his injuries, Drift slew Braid with his Great Sword, while Lockdown, startled at Drift's transformation, cut his losses and left. Though the Circle of Light asked Drift to stay with them, Drift reminded them that he'd promised Wing to return the freed slaves to their homes. Drift was given Wing's Great Sword and given their blessing. Drift #4

He's your horrible fancharacter.

Some time after leaving Crystal City and returning the slaves, Drift set off to make a difference in the Autobot/Decepticon Civil War. First, he attempted to free a group of Autobots held captive on the ship he'd previously served aboard. Upon entering Turmoil's ship, his attempt at stealth was successful until the Wreckers arrived and blasted their way aboard. Jumping into the battle to assist them, he piqued the interest of a few Autobots. Perceptor was injured as Turmoil entered the battle and, recognizing Drift's voice as that of his former lieutenant, attempted to destroy him. However, his attack only resulted in knocking Drift and Kup to another room. The two quickly worked together to program the ship to overload. In his final confrontation with Turmoil, Drift stated his intention was to help, not kill, and left to rescue Perceptor before the ship blew up.

After his arrival on the Autobot ship, Kup invited Drift to join his new unit as an Autobot. Spotlight: Drift

Now a crew member of the spacecraft Trion, Drift got to know his new teammate Blurr over many friendly games of Go. Perceptor felt he owed a debt to Drift for saving his life, and so devoted much of his time to upgrading himself for more combat-oriented tasks. While Kup discouraged this, Drift stoically accepted Perceptor's new ambitions. Lost & Found

They were soon baited into a Decepticon ambush over Cybertron. The Trion's command codes were hacked due to their being sold to the Decepticons by an Autobot traitor, and, left defenseless, it was forced to crash-land on the desolate landscape of the planet. Eventually, the crew were found by Optimus Prime's unit, who unfortunately proved to be also stranded. When Mirage was revealed by Jazz to have been standing invisibly among them, Drift was the only one who didn't appear surprised. All Hail Megatron #5

Seriously, you made this guy up when you were eight.

When an advance scout of the Insecticon swarm discovered the Autobots' base camp, Drift was dispatched to take care of it. Drift stood stock-still as the creature walked up to him, greeting it with a simple, smirking "hello" as the monstrous beast snarled in his face. Finally, he beheaded the scout with a single wave of his sword. A second creature tried to attack Drift from behind, but the smirking Autobot merely tilted his head slightly, allowing Perceptor to kill the beast with some precision sniping. Cliffjumper thought the incident was the coolest thing ever. All Hail Megatron #6

After Sunstreaker revealed to Ironhide that he was the traitor, an army of the Swarm came after them. Drift saved Ironhide while Sunstreaker blew up a bridge, killing himself and the Swarm army. Later, Drift visited Ironhide and claimed that the Decepticons had access to the Autobots' systems in a way that Sunstreaker couldn't possibly have. Ironhide asked if this meant there was a second traitor, but Drift replied that there was simply more to the situation than they knew. All Hail Megatron #8

When Mirage was showing some doubt in the Autobot cause, it was Drift who said that, now more than ever, the Autobots should continue being who they are. Bumblebee insinuated that Drift had no right to say something like that, which started an argument that was only stopped by the return of Optimus Prime. All Hail Megatron #9

"Another of your ill-timed jokes, Drift??"
"... You and I are enemies now."

Drift took part in the battle against the Swarm and joined the others in escaping Cybertron in Omega Supreme. All Hail Megatron #10. On Earth, he battled the Decepticons, and when Thundercracker volunteered to divert the humans' nuclear bomb, Drift attempted to congratulate his former comrade on seeing the light. Thundercracker called him a traitor, slapping Drift's hand away and claiming he was merely following the Decepticons' true ideal. All Hail Megatron #12

At some point Drift traveled to Japan and did some drift racing all by himself. Drift #4

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Me

Two years later, Drift was still with the Autobots, hiding on Earth. ...For All Mankind After Optimus Prime left the Autobots, Drift decided to stay with the larger group, rather than leave with Rodimus and his fellow defectors. Drift celebrated Bumblebee's election with numerous other Autobots. The Hanging Sword

Drift was among the Autobots who confronted Galvatron and his troops when they crashed their ship in Las Vegas, bringing with them a zombie invasion. Infestation #1 The Autobots and Decepticons worked together to banish the zombies to the Dead Universe, though Drift himself really just stood silently in the background the whole time. Infestation #2

Drift listened to Wheelie tell tales of, presumably, his time in space and accompanied Optimus Prime and many others to Cybertron aboard Omega Supreme's rocket form. Orphans of the Helix Along the way, he and many others tried to listen in on a conversation between Optimus Prime and a captive Megatron. Chaos Theory Part 1 Later, Drift accompanied Optimus, Hot Rod, Ironhide, Sunstreaker, and Cliffjumper to Cybertron to confront Galvatron and his army. After a brief skirmish with Galvatron's forces, the landing party returned to the Autobot landing zone. As Drift pointed out that maybe Galvatron was telling the truth and he had been assembling his army for a reason, the Autobots were bathed in a red light... Lamentations which turned out to be a blast from the orbiting space station Kimia, recently commandeered by Galvatron's forces. Optimus Prime handed out orders to combat this new threat, telling Drift and Sunstreaker to establish a base of operations. After the threat of Kimia had ended, Omega Supreme's rocket landed at this base-camp and Rodimus and Drift set out after Optimus Prime and Ironhide, who had left to locate Galvatron. Numbers

Thanks to the magical power of retcon... that is the wrong sword.

At the crater that Kimia's main weapon had blown into the surface of the planet, Drift accompanied Optimus and the others underground. The Autobots finally intercepted Galvatron and Jhiaxus and Optimus Prime demanded their surrender. Galvatron claimed that the core of Cybertron had to be destroyed to save the universe, revealing the glowing Heart of Darkness within his chest. At this, Drift began spouting gibberish and attacking his comrades in a maddened state, allowing for Galvatron and Jhiaxus to escape. The others attempted to restrain him, but Drift summoned what free will he had left and impaled himself on one of his own blades, much to Ironhide's horror. Kings While Drift survived this, Ironhide told Prime that they'd have to evacuate him immediately for medical attention. Genesis

After recovering, Drift's near-death experience had reawakened his spiritual side. Hangers On Optimus Prime's return to Autobot camp three weeks later brought the discovery of a map inscribed inside the Matrix of Leadership. Drift was consumed with the idea that the map gave directions to Cyberutopia, the home of the Knights of Cybertron. Despite Prowl's insistence that the Knights of Cybertron never existed, Drift maintained that he had heard all about the Knights of Cybertron from Dai Atlas, and that the stories were true. Drift's passion for this discovery inspired Rodimus to assemble a team to leave the planet and find the Knights of Cybertron. The Death of Optimus Prime

At some point, Drift shed his Earth mode and took a more sleek, Cybertronian form for himself. Rodimus tasked himself with recruiting as many Autobots as he could to take off-planet and find the Knights of Cybertron. He was very good at working a crowd, though admittedly Drift wrote all of his speeches. The guy became the nominal third-in-command because, or so Ratchet said, he told Rodimus what he wanted to hear. Ratchet, older and grumpier than the pre-war days, was on the same ship as Drift and really had it in for him for everything the 'bot he'd saved had done with the life he'd given him. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It Hangers On

Drift himself found a ship for the quest, purchasing the U1 with the help of Riptide and Pipes for one billion Shanix from a group of Mortilus-worshipping NAILs during the Festival of Lost Light, from which the ship got it's new name, the Lost Light. Twenty Plus One

Before departing, Rodimus and Drift met with Prowl in his office. Prowl asked Rodimus to bring the captive and near-comatose Overlord along on the journey, as part of a plan to create Phase Sixers for the Autobots. While Drift strongly advised against this course of action, Rodimus was pressured into it by Prowl. Aside from Brainstorm and the Duobots, Overlord's presence on board was kept secret from the rest of the crew. The Sound of Breaking Glass

After boarding their new craft, the Lost Light, Drift had counted 208 total Autobots on board. (He also complimented Rodimus's latest speech.) Drift asked why Ultra Magnus appeared displeased (more than usual) with the crew, and Ultra Magnus revealed that he felt most of them were practically criminals. (Drift himself was under high suspicion, though Ultra Magnus didn't say this out loud.) As launch was underway, Drift continued to act as Rodimus's right-hand man, and moments before takeoff, Drift brought to his attention the "weapon of mass destruction" Ratchet had apparently brought on board. Something went wrong during takeoff, and the ship quantum jumped before it was ready, placing the ship somewhere random in space, just over a planet. A tear in the hull was expelling Autobots into space, and as the ship stabilized, Drift named off the Autobots they'd lost. How to Say Goodbye and Mean It

As recovery efforts were undertaken, Drift radioed Ratchet a status update and also to tell the medical officer to make sure the medibay was "buzzing with positive energy" so those injured were "guaranteed a speedy recovery!". After he had signed off, Ratchet and Swerve shared their annoyance with Drift's new attitude and...interesting theories about the Knights of Cybertron. Later, when Rodimus was deciding how to address the crew about their current situation, Drift cheerfully suggested he focus on the positive. Hangers On

After a Sparkeater had thought to have been let loose aboard the Lost Light, Drift accompanied Rodimus' hand-picked team to investigate. As they examined the creature's first victim, Chromedome confirmed that it was indeed a Sparkeater and Drift opined that this was a dark omen and that they were being "punished" for the horrific things that must have happened on the ship before it came into their possession, much to Ratchet's skepticism.

While the others searched for the creature, Rodimus and Drift tried to figure out how the previous owners of the Lost Light kept the Sparkeater contained. They figured out that the Sparkeater had been trapped in the engine rooms and fed turbofoxes to keep it docile. After the Sparkeater made its way back to the engine rooms, chasing Rung, Drift helped Rodimus put his plan to kill the creature into action. Utilizing a second quantum jump, Rodimus managed to stuff the Sparkeater into the ship's engine block, where it died after being fused into the mechanism. Drift was awed by Rodimus' quick-thinking and ingenuity. The Chaos of Warm Things

At the "Grand Secret Opening" of Swerve's, Drift shared a drink with Pipes. When the smaller 'bot let on that he was looking for a relationship, Drift offered to introduce him to the similarly diminutive Tailgate... unaware that Tailgate's future self was invisibly listening in via a 'magic window' in time. No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases

The purpose of Drift is to flip out and kill sick people.

Drift accompanied Ratchet and Pipes on an investigation of the remote medical facility Delphi. Drift was subjected to repeated verbal barbs from Ratchet along the way, despite his efforts to get along with the medic. Once they had finally reached Delphi, Pipes impulsively rammed through a door that had the universal "plague" symbol on it. They found themselves in a morgue full of Transformers that had died from a mysterious "Red Rust" virus. When Drift noticed a shambling, disease-ridden Transformer approaching Pipes from behind, he sprung into action and dismembered the poor soul, much to Ratchet's outrage.

First Aid showed up and explained the situation to them, how five days ago, a mysterious explosion had heralded the outbreak of this rust plague. Ambulon brought them to Pharma, who had been accidentally locked in a quarantine room when the explosion went off. Suddenly, Pipes began showcasing the symptoms of the virus and staggered toward them, disoriented and terrified. Pipes began vomiting and leaking from his optics, cornering Drift. Ratchet freed Pharma from the quarantine while telling Drift to non-fatally disable Pipes. Drift managed to slip behind his diseased comrade and knock him out with a blow to the head. Ratchet brought Pipes to the emergency ward, seeking to tend to him. By that time, Drift began to exhibit the symptoms as well, assuming he'd been infected by Pipes. Life After the Big Bang

I sparkle because I'm too beautiful for everything.

While being tended to by Ratchet, Drift recalled the time in Rodion before the war when the Autobot medic had also been trying to save his life. Drift asked Ratchet to put him out of his misery in the event that the Decepticon Justice Division showed up, despite having earlier claimed that he wasn't afraid of them. When Pharma was revealed as a traitor, Ratchet had a confrontation with his former friend on Delphi's roof. The stricken Drift made his way up there and managed to save Ratchet from being shot in the back by chopping off Pharma's hands. With Ratchet having obtained a vaccine for the Red Rust virus from Pharma, Drift and the other victims were soon cured. Drift returned to the Lost Light along with the survivors. How Ratchet Got His Hands Back

After the Lost Light was impacted by a discarded thumb from Metroplex, and was subsequently repaired, Drift attended an award ceremony honoring Brainstorm, Chromedome, and Highbrow for their part in saving the ship. He chatted with Rodimus during the celebration, until Whirl and Trailbreaker drew Rodimus's attention. Later, Drift along with nearly everyone on board of the Lost Light were frozen in place due to one of Brainstorm's experimental weapons accidentally going off. After he recovered, he was awarded a Rodimus Star "for exceptional endurance in the face of adversity." The Reluctant Specialist

Drift reported to Rodimus and Ultra Magnus that Fortress Maximus had locked himself in Rung's office. He was the first to notice both when Rung stared at the camera, and when he tapped on his model of the Ark. After the hostage situation had been resolved, Drift complimented Rodimus on the eulogy he gave for the gravely-injured Rung, even though he hadn't written that particular speech. Interiors

A fabulous secret Titan was revealed to Drift the day he held aloft his magic sword and said...

En route to Theophany, Drift helped Rodimus prepare for Tailgate's Act of Affiliation ceremony, and politely pointed out his overuse of the phrase "'Til all are one". When Ultra Magnus interrupted and expressed concern over a lack of radio contact with the Circle Of Light, Drift argued that they knew how to take care of themselves. Later at the ceremony, Rodimus inscribed a message in Old Cybertronian on Tailgate's chest instead of branding him with the Autobot sigil. Drift supposed that it was caused by some sort of possession, which was quickly dismissed by Ratchet as "complete and utter guff".

The ceremony was further interrupted by the arrival of the Galactic Council's ship, The Benign Intervention. Its captain informed them that Theophany was deserted, much to Drift's disbelief. After some red-tape wrangling from Ultra Magnus, Drift and a group of others were allowed to teleport to the planet's surface, where they found Crystal City ruined and abandoned. Confused and agitated, a despairing Drift snapped at Rewind and decked Whirl after the latter mocked him. He attempted to call out to any of the denizens of Crystal City, but when there was no response, Drift drove one of his swords into the ground in frustration. The ground gave way and sent the Autobots plunging underground, where they found Metrotitan, a slumbering Titan. This discovery led Cyclonus to share his myth of creation, which triggered a theological debate between Drift and Ratchet, culminating in Drift pulling his sword on Ratchet. Rodimus took Drift for a walk to cool him down, where Drift reaffirmed his faith in Rodimus.

After Chromedome's mnemosurgery reawakened the Titan and made it fire its eye-beams at the Benign Intervention, Drift was among those dispatched to fight off the Galactic Council's troops. The Titan eventually teleported Drift and the others back onto the Lost Light, which then quantum-jumped to safety. You, Me, and Other Revelations

A few days later, Drift and other crew members aided Rewind in helping heal Rung's dormant mind by telling his part in a story of past events. Drift elaborated on the time in Rodion when he was rescued by Orion Pax and treated by Ratchet, being sure to antagonize Ratchet by claiming he had uttered religious praises during that time. All the while, he was being pestered by calls from Rodimus, who finally ordered Drift to meet him in the oil reservoir. Drift arrived there just in time to see Grapple recover Red Alert's headless body from the reservoir. Post Hoc

Of course Drift wants to get at the oni-looking guy...

After the suspected assailant Cyclonus was sent to their makeshift interrogation room, Drift conducted a very hostile interrogation, pointing his sword at Cyclonus in a threatening manner. (Ultra Magnus later suggested Drift's overly enthusiastic interrogation was an unfortunate attempt to impress Rodimus.) The attempt didn't work, as Cyclonus quickly swatted the sword away and smashed Drift into a table. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus were forced to intervene and break the two of them up. Patternism First Aid soon discerned that Red Alert's "accident" was actually a suicide attempt, and Ultra Magnus suggested that the troubled security chief should be left in stasis until they could revive him in a less stressful environment. Rodimus railed against this, but when Drift agreed with Magnus, he sadly acquiesced. An Intimate Beheading

The crew of the Lost Light intervened on Temptoria, where a group of Decepticons had invaded and subjugated the local populace. A fierce battle erupted on the planet's surface, in which Drift cut down Tailwind and Tentakil. He also interrupted Rodimus' battle with Snap Trap, shoving a sword through the Seacon's face. Rodimus chided him for butting in, but Drift protested that "the ones with swords" were his to fight. In the aftermath of the fight, Drift^[1] visited Chromedome's room to make a proposal. Before & After He and Brainstorm revealed to Chromedome that Overlord was aboard, hidden in a specially-constructed room beneath the ship, and the mnemosurgeon agreed to interface with the dormant Phase-Sixer to learn the secret of his power. Remembrance Day

“I don't even want you to nod, that's how much you annoy me. Just freeze and shut up.”

Drift was teaching Rodimus how to use a sword, forging a deeper friendship with his captain, when a possible security situation interrupted. However, it merely turned out to be Cyclonus singing loudly to Tailgate. Swerve asked Drift if he wanted to be his roommate but Drift, claiming to prefer solitude, declined. Cybertronian Homesick Blues Drift was among those interviewed by Rewind for his documentary on life aboard the Lost Light. When Thunderclash arrived on the ship seeking aid, Rodimus trotted Drift out as an accomplishment of his, claiming he had "rehabilitated" the ex-Decepticon. Drift was puzzled by Rodimus' claims, but impressed by Thunderclash, who greeted him respectfully and in accordance with his religious beliefs. Little Victories

This can only end well!

During a mnemosurgery session, Chromedome was outsmarted by Overlord, who obtained from the Autobot's memory the security codes to his cell that Drift provided. Drift was one of the first Autobots to fight the escaped Overlord outside of the medibay, urging Ratchet to lock himself in. But Ratchet chose to stand with his "friend" and sealed them outside the room. By the time reinforcements arrived, Overlord had severed both of Drift's legs and badly beaten Ratchet. Drift radioed the ship's brig to release Fortress Maximus, but not before his Great Sword was used by Overlord to mortally-wound Ultra Magnus. Under Cold Blue Stars

After Overlord had been jettisoned from the Lost Light, Rodimus announced an inquiry to be held, knowing full well who was responsible for the Phase Sixer's presence on the ship. Drift offered to take full blame for the incident, protecting the identities of the other conspirators. He explained to Rodimus that he had a vision back on Cybertron, after he had impaled himself outside of Vector Sigma's chamber. Drift felt sure that Rodimus was essential to finding the Knights of Cybertron and couldn't let him out himself as having knowledge of the Overlord conspiracy. A hesitant and sorrowful Rodimus agreed and "furiously" stripped Drift of his Autobot symbol, exiling him from the ship. As he walked towards the shuttle prepared for him, Drift was knocked down by a piece of debris hurled by an angry crew member. Ratchet helped him up, and Drift departed the Lost Light. The Gloaming The Sound of Breaking Glass

Oi oi OI! Are you looking at me bird?!

Eighteen months from the Lost Light's launch, the Necrobot had listed Drift as deceased. Who's Afraid of the DJD? The deceased Drift was actually part of a quantum duplicated Lost Light created by the initial accident at launch. When the Decepticon Justice Division arrived there to kill Overlord, the presence of Drift—another one on their List—caused them to go on a massive kill spree. Drift died first, killed along with Ratchet and Hound by Helex. When Megatron later found their corpses an inspection of Drift allowed him to determine who had attacked the ship. The Permanent Revolution slaughterhouse The Road Not Taken

"You look terrible." "Thank you." "So you agree? You think you look terrible?"

Meanwhile, the original Drift was defending planets across the outer rim from rogue Decepticons. He'd been left battered by all the fighting, fights made harder as he'd promised to never kill again, but was neglecting to get himself repaired. While handing Grit over to the Galactic Council, he ran into Ratchet: all of the truth of Drift's departure had come out now and the medic had come to take him home. Drift refused. Ratchet stubbornly stuck with him while he tracked down the main Decepticon army—right to the desert planet he'd discovered centuries ago. Both Autobots and Grit were shot down by the army and Drift found himself defending Grit from being killed for suspected treason.

The leader of the army turned out to be Drift's old boss Gigatron Empire of Stone #1 who was ignoring the war had ended and was trying to find the Stone Army "Deadlock" had mentioned before. Drift, who knew the army wasn't hidden in the first place, refused until Ratchet's life was threatened and the three bots ended up in the cells. Ratchet's plan to get out was for Drift to pretend to be injured so the guard would open the cell—it was a very lame attempt but luckily the guard was a friend of Grit. As the robots escaped, Drift tried and failed to get Grit not to kill Hellbat for slighting him: the Decepticon said he was sure in himself and his path in life, and didn't want the man projecting his own issues onto him. The Autobots carried on and found Gigatron hadn't found the army because Hellbat was hiding it from him Empire of Stone #2 so he could use them himself to kill everything, having decided to embrace the only thing he believed the Transformers were any good at. When Drift protested that he'd vowed never to kill again, Hellbat sneered and pointed to all the dead monks "Deadlock" had killed years ago.

SUPERMAN WHEEEEE

A battle broke out and Drift found himself fought to a standstill by Vanquish before Hellbat activated the Stone Army. Rather than alert Cybertron, Drift felt they had to stop the army here and now and he turned to Gigatron for aid. Empire of Stone #3 Together, the Autobots and Decepticons tore through the golems. Drift took the fight to Hellbat (after Gigatron used "maneuver seven", throwing Drift at Hellbat) and was goaded into killing him. Instead, the Autobot ripped the Stone Army's control device from him... at which point Gigatron went for him and no amount of reasoning could get Gigatron to stand down. Forced to defend himself, Drift dropped the device and Hellbat retrieved it.

Gigatron and Hellbat would kill each other, taking the Stone Army with them, while Drift and Ratchet escaped. When the medic again tried to get Drift back to the Lost Light, the swordsman said he'd spent his whole life struggling to belong to something but only ever joined as a killer, and the Hellbat affair just reiterated that he didn't want to live a life where all he could offer was death. Ratchet rephrased the offer: instead of coming back as an Autobot, he should come back as his friend. Empire of Stone #4

The two Autobots upgraded their bodies over the course of their adventures and Drift began sporting a facial tattoo in honour of the deceased Dai Atlas.^[2] They eventually ran back into the Lost Light crew, or some of them, after a mutiny had stranded Megatron, Rodimus, and their assumed loyalists on the Necrobot's planet and Velocity had put out a call for help. Your Fierce Tears In a blaze of action, they saved the robot Ten from a Decepticon mauling! The Sun in Flight They very quickly found the Decepticons were a bigger deal than most of their foes and were nearly overrun until Drift spotted how Kaon of the D.J.D. was really protective of "the Pet", a 'domesticated' beast-mode Transformer. Drift swiftly took "the Pet" hostage, giving them a chance to escape to the Autobot's fortress.

“Did you win your sword fight?"
"Of course I won the fragging sword fight, I'm the greatest sword fighter in the world."

There, Rodimus and Drift had a long overdue discussion. Drift wanted to know why Rodimus hadn't come looking for him after revealing the truth to the crew, and Rodimus admitted it was out of fear he would hate him. Drift accepted Rodimus's sincere apology—Rodimus pleaded that he ignore his words and focus on his aura, eye colour, or any means Drift had claimed he could 'see', which Drift just smiled at—but doubted his belief that they can all make it out of their present situation alive. Your Fierce Tears Indeed, Drift even arranged it with Rewind that everyone could record their last wishes and how they wanted their bodies disposed of, to broadcast into space as an act of catharsis and closure. He witnessed very little catharsis when Chromedome almost died trying mnemosurgery on "the Pet" in front of him and, when the "Pet" was revealed by Rewind to be the lost Dominus Ambus, he had his sword stolen by Rewind to kill Ambus before Chromedome could die.

When sunrise came, the Decepticons attacked. Rodimus embraced Drift and the others and thanked them for travelling with him, before the group charged into battle. At Close of Day Drift and the crew survived for some time in fight with the hundreds of Decepticons thanks to the temporary outlier powers they cooked up, but soon they began to tire. When Megatron finally took to the field of battle, the others retreated back to the fortress. Rage, Rage Drift was present as the DJD were brought down and the Disappeared released from stasis under the Necrobot's citadel. Do Not Go Gentle

Drift had succeeded in getting Rodimus to convert to Spectralism, but he was concerned about the ramifications of Rodimus's new paint job, signifying the severity of his intentions towards Getaway. Also, Drift experienced a curious vision when he touched one of the newly awakened Disappeared named Anode. He saw Pharma, Grimlock, Worldsweepers of the Phantom Fleet, and crystals that rained from the sky as sparkeaters emerged from threadbare space, all surrounded by the words "Prepare. Confront. Repel." over and over again.

...so anyway, Brainstorm constructed a teleportation "den" to send some of the group back to Cybertron to find transport for the rest of them. When they arrived, however, Cybertron was undeniably changed. Rewind soon recognized it as the Functionist Universe, the alternate history that overlapped on his database when Brainstorm used his time case. Some Other Cybertron Twelve-of-Twelve captured Drift and the others as suspected members of the revolutionary Anti-Vocationist League. The real AVL arrived and caused a distraction for the crew to escape. Anomie Drift and his friends were matter transported to "Cyberutopia", the sanctuary city of Adaptica ruled by the rogue Functionist Nine-of-Twelve. They learned that in this reality Rung was hailed by the AVL as the "Useless One" for his alt mode that apparently stood in defiance of Primus and Functionism. Unfortunately, the Functionist Council chose that day to reveal they had discovered Rung's true use as a mining tank, allowing them to access Vector Sigma which had been sealed off by the Senate millennia ago. A World Misplaced

Drift and the others traveled to Vector Sigma to confront the Council and rescue Rung. Bad Moon Rising They succeeded and stole the Council's flying base, the Cog, to make their way back to Cyberutopia. Modes of Production With the help of teleport technology in a weaponized Luna-2 and wand-tech Brainstorm recovered from Killmaster on Necroworld, they transported the entire world back from the Functionist Universe to their original one. This Machine Kills Fascists

The crew prepared to continue their quest for the real Cyberutopia, and for revenge on Getaway and the mutineers. A Decepticon corpse named Skip was modified and mass-displaced to form a passable space craft, and so Drift and the others pressed on. After Megatron

As they sailed through space, Drift noted that Ratchet's colour looked different before the doctor returned, having inexplicably succumbed to aggressive depigmentation, with Drift noting that his aura had disappeared.Sardines All of a sudden, Skip's mass displacement wore off. To survive, Ten directed the engineers on how to access the Warren so they could reach a Mederi facility. Mid-transit however, the crew was forced to abandon ship, their bodies being ravaged by the effects of super-compressed space. Emerging in the orbit of the original Mederi, the moon repaired them and led them to believe that they'd gone to the Afterspark.Metastasis You Are Here

Drift was giddy at coming to the promised land, dreaming about Ratchet's face when he and the doctor next met, Metastasis before he was summoned, along with Ratchet and Magnus, before the Guiding Hand at Rodimus' request. Despite Rodimus' pleas, the deities rejected their desire for resurrection and returned them to the Afterspark's landing. After Magnus had driven off, the remaining three explored a temple, driven on by Ratchet's claims of writing that only he could see before they found a ward of organics hooked up to a pillar of "trapped light". As the organics began chanting, Omega Guardians emerged from the darkness. The God War

When Magnus returned, the quartet quickly defeated the Guardians before Ratchet shattered the pillar, revealing Mederi to them. Accessing the computers, Drift found that the moon was a euthanasia clinic before Nautica arrived with the Scavengers and Axe's corpse. At Rodimus' command, Drift then plotted a course from Cybertron to Mederi, revealing that the moon was Cyberutopia, the Knights having fallen victim to the same trap that nearly claimed their lives. With everything over and done with, the group prepared to leave before sparkeaters formed out of the Lost Light's crew descended from the skies. You Are Here

Definitely not street-legal...

Though the group quickly rolled out, Wipe-Out's ship soon arrived, bearing allies and weapons. After the Lost Light made itself known, Drift boarded the Q-Ship to steal back the larger craft only to wound up caught in Getaway's trap, the shuttle bay being flooded with the contents of the oil reservoir and its scraplet horde. A Dance Before Dying Fortunately, Whirl's domesticated scraplets counted amongst the horde and the Wrecker was quickly able to tame the predators and release them. No sooner had Rodimus reclaimed the Lost Light did a massive tear in the Warren open above the moon. Lūstrāre

Though everyone was quick to board the ship, the gravity of the rift proved too much for the engines, the Lost Light being dragged through to the Benzene Cluster where the found five copies of Cybertron. Touching down on one, the group was taken prisoner by the forces of the Grand Architect and duped into a cell. When Froid joined them, he revealed the five planets were an upscaled God Gun capable of piercing the barrier between universes. After it had done just that, Megatron emerged in the Last Light from the Functionist Universe. Farsickness

"You don't respect those people very much, Drift, because you're young and arrogant. But I don't respect them much either, because I'm old and wise."

Following close behind him was the Functionist Universe's version of Cybertron, now transformed into a robot mode in Primus' likeness. As the fleets of the Functionists and the Architect went to war, Megatron tried to free the group with a hull breach only for Drift to be critically wounded when the Architect's guards arrived, falling victim to a zero point only to be healed by Megatron, who praised the turncoat for his defection. The Return of the King After everyone had reconvened aboard the Lost Light, with the news that Rung was the real Primus, everyone hit on the idea to use twelve duplicates of the Matrix of Leadership, opened at Cybertron's twelve hot spots, to overwhelm Vector Sigma and destroy the Functionist Council. The Unremembering

Acting as Ratchet's bodyguard, Drift was sent to Vespertine Blue, holding off the Functionaries until Ratchet, after a rousing speech from Rodimus, managed to open the Matrix. A Spark Among Embers

New Cybertron, as it came to be known, was soon visited by Prowl who decided to decommission the Lost Light so its quantum engines could be used to double the planet's energon reserves but allowed the crew the luxury of a victory lap. Before jumping back home however, the crew decided to recreate the initial malfunctioning launch and then shunt their duplicates into a parallel universe, thereby ensuring their adventures would never end. When the time came however, the ship simply wound up back on Cybertron. While having a last drink, Drift and Ratchet theorized that Drift's vision had been the result of the telepaths sending him their experiences through the Warren before Rodimus gave Drift and Ratchet his blessing for their future. The touching moment was ruined when construction cranes began disassembling the ship.

Over the following years, Drift and Ratchet would become Conjunx Endura and had many happy years together before Ratchet's old age caught up with him and he passed. Arranging a funeral at Rivets Field, Drift ensured that Whirl could attend and gifted him Ratchet's hands. Though touched Whirl returned them, stating that he was not broken and didn't need fixing. After the service ended, Rodimus turned up, Drift recognizing that his friend had been drinking. Once Rodimus had placed Megatron's withered Rodimus Star on Ratchet's tomb, he prepared to return to the Exitus. Before he left, Drift asked if he'd ever thought about the recreated accident. Deciding it was best to live in a state of never knowing if the gamble had worked, Rodimus and Drift promised to keep in touch before they went their separate ways once again.

And far away, in some distant corner of the multiverse, the duplicate Lost Light materialized, ready to set sail for an infinity of new adventures. How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2

Robot Heroes

He makes it so hard to like him and then he does this. So confused!

Drift was Optimus Prime's friend and always let his actions speak louder than words. When the Autobots arrived on Earth, he hid himself in a lake. Upon Optimus's order, he transformed into his car mode to roll out. Later, when the Decepticons attacked, he pushed Starscream over a tripwire held by some of the Autobots' human allies. I Am Optimus Prime

United

MY KUNG FU CURES ME!!!

A nano-virus infected the population of Autobot City bar the Targetmasters and Headmasters. The former Decepticon Drift was able to force off, or at least hold off, the effects of the nano-virus, so he was charged with guarding the city unaided while the other immune Autobots left to retrieve a cure from Nebulos. When Ricochet returned with the anti-virus, Drift was in attendance when Optimus Prime praised the Targetmaster. The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos

IDW Angry Birds Transformers comic

"Wait, this is a movie universe story, right?"

Drift was aboard Optimus Prime's ship transporting the AllSpark when it came under Decepticon attack. He and Grimlock tried to stop Starscream as the Air Commander chased Bumblebee, but Starscream slipped straight past them. Angry Birds Transformers #1

Drift Black Ver.

Train Wars

G1 body, movie colors!

When The Fallen attacked Cybertron in the hopes of merging with Vector Sigma, Overdrive sought additional help using the power of his Quantum Dial. Further empowering the dial with the help of the Oracle, Overdrive reached across space and time to recruit a black-colored Drift and other inter-dimensional warriors. Train Wars The Fallen assumed a combination form, however, and managed to impale Drift and the reinforcements using energy spikes. Metroplex, the Trainbots, the Train Team, and the Liner Team soon arrived to turn the tide, and the Fallen was ultimately defeated. In the aftermath, Drift was returned home by the Omnibots. Train Wars 2

Legends comic

Smokescreen cheered on The Fallen in the battle against Drift and his heroic comrades. LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part One

Kre-O comic

Drift attended Megatron's hanami. Soundwave's Trap? Stop Operation Brainwash Humanity!

Kre-O cartoon

Drift fought with Bumblebee over the affections of a potential car buyer. Kre-O Cars

Q-Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Tomoaki Maeno (Japanese)

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. The Road to Winning a New Fanbase

Adventure bios

When Jazz returned to Cybertron from Earth, he encountered a Transformer named Drift who was similar to, but not, the Drift he knew. To gain a better understanding of what was going on, Jazz fought the stranger. TAV VS05 bio

2019 IDW continuity

Deadlock was a member of the Ascenticons who received the movement's new insignia from Jhiaxus. The Change In Your Nature Part One

Precursor World

In Magna Convoy's reassembled Primus Vanguard, a Warrior of the Seven Lights resembling Drift inherited White Gallant Convoy's position as leader of the White Order. Finale

Games

Transformers: Legends

After falling out with his commanding officer, the Decepticon Deadlock found himself on an unfamiliar planet. He encountered the Circle of Light, who helped him defeat Lockdown and some local miscreants, and as a result Deadlock changed his name to Drift and joined up with the Circle in their journey to find a peaceful home. Circle of Light

At some point Drift joined the Autobot army. Catching wind of a Quintesson plot to disrupt the Galactic Games, Drift teamed up with Cosmos to enter the games as a team, and succeeded in uncovering and stopping Slipstream. The Galactic Games

Drift and his team had to speed a vital component to a power station to prevent it from exploding, and they made it, despite interference from Breakdown and Wildrider. Rushdown Road

Angry Birds Transformers

Main article: Bomb (AB)#As Drift

Main article: Bomb (AB)#As Private Deadlock

Drift appears as a character unlockable in Challenge Events. Deadlock also appears in Season 8 as Private Deadlock. They are portrayed by Bomb. Angry Birds Transformers

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Wow!!! Sugoi!!! Kickasseru!!! 両親が私を愛してくれませんか!!!

Drift participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 90 units of Cybermetal, 45 units of Transmetal, and 25 support cores. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers: Frontiers

The Game Full of Death and Suffering...! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their video game appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Transformers: Frontiers

Transformers: Earth Wars

Ryūjin no ken o Kurae.... wait. Wrong game. Whoops.

Out of Control Optimus told Drift to just observe and not engage. Double-Crossed

Drift came in response when Optimus and Megatron's truce at the movies went _____ and freaked out the cinemagoers. Barricade came in tow and started taunting him. Drift retorted he would prefer to play his director's cut. He then taunted if Barricade was ready for his closeup with all the cellphone cameras around. Drift then said to catch him if he can. Direct the Dialogue 2

When Optimus learned that the Decepticons were trawling alternate realities for reinforcements, he decided he needed someone with stealth and total commitment to the mission, and commanded Hot Rod to summon drift, in spite of his mistrust. Event Horizon Drift was _____ that the Autobots still mistrust him behind the mask of acceptance. Just then Grimlock told him Optimus wanted him for a secret mission, and Hot Rod explained that this was his shot to prove his allegiance.

Optimus informed him on the Decepticon's' multi-universal recruitment drive. Drift asked why they sent one asset instead of an army, and Perceptor explained because of the massive energy expenditure needed to penetrate the Multiversal Membrane, solo is the only option. Drift followed Barricade to an alternate universe with endless fighting. Barricade taunted him before fighting him head-on. Outlaws

Drift tried to prevent Barricade from tagging an Autobot when they were suddenly bombarded with missiles. He remarked nothing makes sense and he's losing the plot. Barricade tagged his cross-dimensional beacon on the universe's Lockdown, but nothing happened. As if a god-like force was making the alternate universe untouchable. Just then Hun-Gurrr rammed into Barricade, much to Drift's surprise, and the two 'cons teleported to another universe. Critcial Mass

Drift arrived in a garish universe too late to stop Barricade and Hun-Gurrr from departing, but the local Optimus Prime appeared and commanded him to identify himself. Drift subsequently asked Laser Optimus for help against the 'Cons, to which the heroic Laser Rod agreed. Worlds Collide

• Class: Warrior
• Lowest Star Rating 2 star
• Weapons: Drift leaps on a target and then attacks with his swords.
• Ability: Essence Theft: Drift rushes at a target for a draining strike, and heals him for double the amount of damage inflicted.
  • Cost: 4 ability points +2 for reuses.

Drift at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

The Game Full of Death and Suffering...! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their video game appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Fill in the Blanks

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Drift was a new Autobot recruit who enjoyed patrolling Tokyo. Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook

Toys

Generations

Forgive me master, i must go all out.... just this once...

• Autobot Drift (Deluxe Class, 2010)
  • Accessories: Left & right "dual swords", greatsword

• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro), Shogo Hasui (TakaraTomy)

Generations Drift transforms into a cross between a Nissan Silvia S15 and a Mitsubishi FTO. In vehicle mode, Drift's two shorter "dual swords" store inside his doors (which double as his hip sheaths during robot mode), while the larger sword stores in a set of grooves on the underside of his vehicle (also used in robot mode). It can also be stored (in robot mode) in the doors where the windows fold up. Behind his windshield kibble is his pre-Earth chest design, in a nod to the form Drift had been seen in almost exclusively at the time of the toy's unveiling. Due to his ball jointed wrists, Drift is one of the few Transformers figures that can hold a sword with a two-handed grip. Left unmentioned in the instructions is that the clip that holds his large sword is on a small concealed arm that allows the sword to move away from his back and out of the way of his legs and shoulders. Drift's swords are made from a kid-friendly flexible material, and therefore care must be taken to avoid warping. His larger sword in particular is prone to warping out of shape if left stored underneath his car mode, as the soft plastic will eventually conform against the tension holding it in place. His hand holes are slightly larger than 5 mm, but taper toward the bottom.

While Drift's Earth mode designs showed him sporting the katakana ドリフト (Dorifuto) on his car doors, the toy instead sports the kanji 侍 (samurai). The large sword sports the kanji 天下無双 (tenka musō, "peerless under heaven", or just "peerless" if you're not feeling idiomatic. It can also mean "armed under providence").

Drift's mold was retooled into Generations Blurr and was redecoed, with Blurr's pistols also being included, into Shattered Glass Drift. It was separately redecoed into the Cloud release of Deadlock, whose color scheme was based off this Drift's past Decepticon self.

When his eyes are lit up, he has two visible pupils that follow you when you turn him. Freaky.

• More information on Autobot Drift at TFU.info

United

I am the white void, I am the cold steel, I am the just sword, with blade in hand I shall reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction! I am Drift, the end has come!

• Autobot Drift (December 25, 2010)
  • Japanese ID number: UN-08
  • Accessories: Left & right "dual swords", greatsword

Part of the first wave of Transformers United toys, the TakaraTomy release of "Autobot Drift" is cast in a brighter white plastic, a cooler gray, and features more paint applications in vehicle mode, and on his head, arms and chest to make him more accurate to his comic book appearances. The light red of the Hasbro version is now more crimson in color and the sword's gray is slightly altered from the Hasbro release.

Age of Extinction

"Sensei!"

• Autobot Drift (Deluxe Class, 2014)
  • Accessories: Two daggers, two swords
  • Japanese ID number: AD23

Part of the second wave of Age of Extinction Deluxe Class toys, this figure of Drift features a more complex transformation and a much more articulated and proportionate robot mode. He comes with two daggers and two swords, all of which he can wield via 5 mm post. All four of his weapons can store on his roof/back in various ways in robot mode, while in vehicle mode his daggers store beneath the roof and his swords store on the underside of the car.

A variant of Drift that apparently shipped with wave 2.5 (which also included Lockdown) adds black paint operations to the front vents. The two versions can be distinguished by the manufacturing date codes stamped into their cardbacks.^[3]

Generations (Japan)

I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROACHING!

• Autobot Drift Black Ver. (2015)
  • Accessories: Presumably left and right swords, great sword

A mock-up of a black redeco of Generations Drift in colours based on his Age of Extinction counterpart appeared in Transformers Generations 2014 Volume 1 as one of ten potential exclusives for Vol. 2. This "Autobot Drift Black Ver." (placeholder name) didn't win the poll to determine which of the ten would be produced, however, ending up in fourth place with 12.7% of the votes,^[4] leaving Goshooter as the winner.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Q-Transformers

Are you sure this is the guy who's supposed to flip out and kill sick people?

• Drift (June 27, 2015)
  • ID number: QT-22

Q-Transformers Drift is a redeco and retool of QT-12 Sunstreaker, transforming into a super deformed Mazda RX-7 FD3S (though as a Sunstreaker redeco, his feet are sculpted to resemble the hood of a Lamborghini Countach). His head features some inspiration from Age of Extinction Drift's design, namely the golden crest and samurai helmet neckguard.

Kre-O

• Autobot Drift (Kreon Triple Changer, 2015)
  • Accessories: 2 swords, Slipstream & Jetstorm Kreons

• Known designers: Evan Brooks (Hasbro)^[5]

Kreon Triple Changer Autobot Drift mooshes all the incarnations of Drift into one form! This built-up Kreon transforms from robot to sportscar to helicopter, without needing to be disassmebled. His general appearance is based on Generation 1 Drift, his altmodes come from Age of Extinction Drift, and of course his micro-Kreon Mini-Con partners Slipstream and Jetstorm hail from Robots in Disguise Drift.

Drift (along with Blitzwing) was shown at Toy Fair 2015, but no accounts of it seeing release in any market have ever surfaced.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Adventure

Remember when you all hated me?

• Drift Origin Mode & Jazz Battle Mode (Warrior Class 2-pack, 2015-11-14)
  • Japanese ID Number: TAV VS05
  • Accessories: Longsword, short sword

Packaged with a retooled Jazz, Adventure "Drift Origin Mode" is a redeco/retool of the first Warrior Class Drift, featuring a new head and deco that evokes Drift's IDW design. Drift Origin Mode transforms from a samurai robot into a futuristic white car that appears to be a cross between Age of Extinction Drift's Bugatti Veyron alternate mode and a Gumpert Apollo. In robot mode, his two swords can be stored on his left hip. In car mode, they store on his underside by using the tabs on his legs with the slots in the sword handles.

Drift Origin Mode features a scannable badge. While it was accessible in-package, this is covered up by a "dummy sticker" to prevent scanning without taking it off. Scanning the real sticker unlocks this Drift in the Transformers Chronicle checklist app.

Merchandise

Flame Toys

Kuro Kara Kuri

• Drift (December 2017)
  • Accessories: Great Sword, Great Sword scabbard, 2 small swords, 2 small scabbards, 2 cape parts, 3 faces, 14 hands, helmet armor (exclusive)
  • Sculptor: Chemical Attack
  • Painting by: Decomas Lab (Hiroyuki Hirose]

Produced by Flame Toys as part of their Kuro Kara Kuri line, Drift is a detailed non-transforming action figure featuring die-cast parts and LEDs in his head, chest, shoulders and legs. He comes with a selection of alternate hands, three faces with different expressions (stoic, snarling and shouting), his Great Sword, two smaller swords, and a tattered cape based on the one worn by Wing in Drift #1. The Great Sword features a gimmick where pushing in the handle transforms the hilt, causing it to splay out into a crossguard and changing the gem's color from white to blue. If purchased via D4toys.com, SEN-TI-DEN Hong Kong, or events attended by Flame Toys, Drift also includes additional samurai-inspired helmet armor that can be displayed with or without a visor.

Furai Model

• Drift (December 2019)

Part of the Furai Model line, this Drift is a non-transforming model kit, vastly less expensive than the above Kuro Kara Kuri figure. It features plastic parts and some polycap components, as well as some stickers. Glue is not required but recommended on all of the model's sword sheaths, as they come apart quite easily. This model has far fewer accessories than the Kuro Kara Kuri figure, only coming with two regular swords and one great sword.

If one chooses, the kit can be panel-lined and touched-up with several panel-lining and paint markers (water/acrylic-based markers are recommended, as alcohol-based markers like Gundam Markers can potentially damage the ABS plastic). If one desires; the kit's pieces, aside from the translucent parts, can be fully coated with spray paints to recreate the finished sample seen in the stock photos.

A common feature in mecha model kits is an abundance of spare parts in different colors that will be left over after assembly. These are present purely for the ease of manufacture, but one could substitute them for the used components if so desired.

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Deadlock, Bounty Hunter (2018)
  • Wave 1
  • Rarity: UT
  • Card Number: T13/T40
  • Stars: 8

Based on Drift's time as a Decepticon, Deadlock, Bounty Hunter is one of forty double-sided character cards available in Wave 1 of the Transformers Trading Card Game.

The artwork on the card is reused from the Transformers Legends mobile card game, with line-art for both Bot and Alt-mode by Dan Khanna.

• Deadlock, Soldier of Fortune (2019)
  • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
  • Rarity: UT
  • Card Number: T04/T52
  • Stars: 9

Deadlock, Soldier of Fortune is one of 52 character cards released in Wave 4 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege II. Neither Autobot nor Decepticon, Deadlock, Soldier of Fortune is a member of the Mercenary faction introduced in the set.

The card features original artwork, with Bot Mode line-art by Andrew Griffith.

e-HOBBY

Transformers Character Card

• Drift & Deadlock Set (August 29, 2022)
  • ID number: 21 & 22

Released as part of the fourth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Drift and Cloud Deadlock along with character profiles and tech specs.

• Translation of Drift's Transformers Character Card

Rubber strap series

• Drift & Deadlock & Grand Scourge Set (June 2023)

Released as part of the second wave of an e-HOBBY exclusive series, this trio of rubber keychains depict super-deformed art of Drift, Cloud Deadlock and Grand Scourge.

Notes

• Drift was created because Shane McCarthy wanted to introduce both a character element not seen elsewhere and an Autobot drift racer.^[6] He later said he wanted to show what'd happen if a former Decepticon became an Autobot.^[7] Drift's Japanese overtones are meant to be a tip of the hat "to the country that gave birth to [Transformers]."^[8]
• Drift's name is derived from the Japanese driving technique of "drifting," rendered in Japanese as ドリフト走行 (dorifuto sōkō).
• Discarded body designs and head designs for Drift can be found on Guido Guidi's DeviantArt page.
• IDW Publishing initially claimed that Drift had been solicited by Hasbro to receive a toy in the Universe line. This may have been premature, as it was followed several months later with a denial, albeit from Hasbro's Australian offices.^[9] This was rebutted by IDW editor Chris Ryall at New York Comic Con 2009, mildly denied in the March 2009 Hasbro Q&A for Seibertron.com,^[10] and finally acknowledged by Hasbro at BotCon 2009 when early design sketches were unveiled for Drift's toy. The toy itself was first shown at Toy Fair 2010.
• As may be surmised from this page's captions, the large amount of hype surrounding Drift's initial introduction—along with perceptions that he was little more than a stereotypical badass fan-created character with Japanese samurai/ninja stereotypes added in for maximum awesomeness—led to a considerable backlash against the character when he was first announced. The hype included not only his own Spotlight issue, followed later by a four-issue mini-series, but also an appearance in "I Am Optimus Prime", a book intended to advertise the Robot Heroes toys... whose ranks don't actually include a Drift figure. The character's actual appearances in fiction, however, have not spawned nearly as much vitriol, and the later (re)interpretation by author James Roberts actually resulted in many a fan changing their opinion of the character.
• Roberts has said "there's different facets" to Drift and his environment has an impact on how he presents himself.^[11] Drift himself says in Empire of Stone #3 that he dives into new personas, both his brooding loner and his hippie ones, to cover up the parts of himself that he doesn't like.
• James Roberts stated that IDW Drift is forged and from Rodion.^[12]
• He is a favorite of voice actor Eric Bauza, which gave him a chance to voice a different Drift.
• Drift's appearance in the Kre-O comic uses existing Kre-O pieces for his design, sporting the Prowl/Bluestreak helmet and a katana-style sword on his back.
• In Earth Wars, Drift has "Penance" and "Vengeance" written in Decepticon script on one of his swords; the other has "Forgive" written in Autobot script.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Drift (ドリフト Dorifuto), Deadlock (デッドロック Deddorokku)
• Cantonese: Piuji (飄移, "Drift")
• Mandarin: Piāoyí (China, 漂移, "Drift")

References