Toraizer

Toraizer is an Autobot Master Warrior from the Generation 1 continuity family.

...we hardly knew 'er!

Toraizer (トライザー Toraizā, also Trizer) is one of the Autobot Master Warriors, the group of diminutive young robots training on the planet Master to become fully-fledged Headmasters. This nimble feline transfers his speedy skills to any Transtector he attaches to.

Fiction

The Headmasters cartoon

The evil twin gets what he deserves.

Several robots using Toraizer’s body design appeared on planet Master during the efforts of the resistance force formed to combat the Decepticons. A yellow and red version was a member of the resistance force who appeared to thank the Autobot Headmasters for their aid in a battle, Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2) while a green and blue version was among the Master civilians shot by the Decepticon Targetmasters during their attack on a city. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons

TV Magazine Super-God Masterforce prologue

Some time later, after the Decepticons had been forced off of Earth and a larger war began based around use of advanced technology from Planet Master, Chromedome and the other Headmasters took it upon themselves to train Toraizer and the other Master Warriors in the use of their powers. The Headmasters Now!!

Ask Vector Prime

Trizer [sic] was somehow connected to the development of Brainmaster technology. When the Decepticons learned of the technique, he, Kirk, and Shuffler destroyed the laboratory rather than let them get their hands on it. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/23

Legends comic

Toraizer, Lione, and Shuffler were deployed to the planet Beast to help the Beastformers in their war against the Laser Beasts, only to be forcibly bonded to the bodies of three Laser Beast warriors who used the power of the Three Wise Ones on them. Toraizer was merged with Scopecougar. LG51 Doublecross Prologue Scopecougar used his head mode to control Repugnus's stolen body until Seaspray splashed him with water from the Well of Transformation, allowing Toraizer's consciousness to fight back and separate them. The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 1

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

'Scuse me a moment, my head needs to find a litter box.

• Toraizer (Autobot Master Warrior, 1987)

• Known designers: Takashi Matsuda (TakaraTomy)

Available exclusively in Japan in a tiny individual box, Toraizer transforms from a purple and dark blue robotic tiger into a humanoid head. In this mode, he can connect to any of the larger Headmaster toys' bodies, activating their built-in Tech Specs meter. Toraizer grants his host body a Speed rating of 10, Strength of 7, and Intelligence of 7.

Toraizer and his fellow Autobot Master Warriors go for ludicrous sums of money on the secondary market. Naturally, this has led to some convincing knockoffs being made. The set with the widest distribution has a number of small differences from the originals, but one big obvious tell: these knockoffs lack the "© Takara '87" copyright stamping. Be wary when buying!

• More information on Toraizer at TFU.info

• Toraizer (Autobot Master Warrior, 1987)

What go for even more ludicrous sums of money are the entirely-white versions of the Master Warriors, easily selling for over $1000 US a pop (and yes, there are knockoffs of these versions too, so be SUPER-wary).

These are stupid-rare pieces, as they were only available as free giveaways with the purchase of other Transformers product, and prizes like these are usually run in very small numbers. These are the first known such promotional giveaways in the Transformers franchise.

One of these promotions was the "Throttlebot Promotional Sales Campaign", where a random bagged all-white Headmaster was given away with the purchase of any Throttlebot at select Japanese retailers (sadly, we do not know which retailers these were). Reportedly, they were also available at Lawsons stores with the purchase of any Transformers product, both individually and as a big bagged set of six. Sadly, more concrete information on these campaigns is going to be... hard to come across.

Titans Return

• Toraizer (Titan Master, 2017)

• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

For Titans Return, Hasbro apparently intended to release a Titan Master version of Toraizer, who would have been included in the fifth wave alongside Optimus Primal and a repack of Ramhorn. A listing was first found in Toys"R"Us's systems,^[1] then almost a year later, another listing was found on Amazon's German website.^[2] But ultimately, Ramhorn was the only new Titan Master figure included in wave 5, and it's currently unclear how far Toraizer and Optimus Primal even made it through the development process (they almost certainly didn't make it as far as actual prototypes). A Walmart listing under the UPC barcode assigned to Toraizer now reads as "discontinued by vendor".^[3]

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

Notes

Three necks are better than one!

• Tora (虎) is the Japanese word for "tiger". This was unknown to early fandom, so the Japanese katakana was misinterpreted as "Trizer". As a reference to this acknowledged misspelling, Fun Publications used it for "Alpha Trizer".^[4]
• The pre-final photography for Toraizer shows a split-up Tech Specs trigger, rather than the solid block of the final.

References