Ranger

Ranger is a human and Autobot Godmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Go, Geodude! I choose you!

Ranger (レインジャー Reinjā) approaches life on Earth with the sort of fascination that one would normally reserve for a visitor from Cybertron. He absolutely adores the natural world (except for insects, especially cockroaches), having developed a harmonious rapport with nature that allows him to take pleasure in the simple things that many of us would either take for granted, like the sunset or the way snow falls on a mountain peak, or in the secrets of nature that most never get the chance to experience at all. As an extension of his love of nature, he withdrew from noisy city life and began working as a Mountie in the Canadian Rockies, living in a simple log cabin in the woods that he built himself and expressing himself by whittling and painting. And you can't even begrudge his eccentricities, because Ranger is a polite, warm, open-hearted guy who makes friends easily and is always ready to lend a hand to a complete stranger. While this simple lifestyle and emotional openness might cause you to mistakenly perceive him as naïve or pacifistic, he's actually quite willing to fight when the situation demands it. He's hot-blooded when those he loves are hurt, and is handy with a firearm, but he's also very well-educated, particularly in geography and history.

As an Autobot Godmaster, Ranger is bonded to a Transtector from the G Nebula which takes the form of a tough baja buggy able to handle any terrain, and even maneuver underground. Like all Godmasters, he is endowed with the ability to manipulate Chōkon Power, exemplified in his "Heat Sand Attack”, which enables him to project waves of super-heated silicon dioxide from his body, eroding Decepticon armor until it is reduced to so many grains.

Fiction

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Voice actor: Hōchū Ōtsuka (Japanese), Simon Broad (English, Omni Productions dub), Franco Gamba (Italian)

I so wish I could think of a caption that wasn't a "yellow snow" joke...

One day, while on routine patrol through the Rockies, Ranger's attention was caught by a strange glow emanating from beneath a patch of snow. Investigating, Ranger discovered that the source of the glow was a strange, black rock, which he took back to his cabin and stored in his barn. Although the rock baffled him, he was fascinated by it, and began repeatedly painting the mountain on which he had found it.

Some time later, Ranger was again out on patrol when he chanced upon a group of people—the Autobots Ginrai, Lightfoot, Metalhawk, and Lander—as they were about to enter a mineshaft. Ranger warned them that there had been a lot of cave-ins in the area, only to wind up quite bemused when they ignored his caution and went on into the mine anyway. Carrying on his way, Ranger next came upon a young man—in truth, the Decepticon Bullhorn—and supplied him with directions through the forest, after which he decided to take a break and go fishing. On the riverbank, he met two more youngsters, who introduced themselves as Shūta Gō and Cab, and shared his special bait with them, enabling Cab to make his first catch all day. A few moments later, the two boys' fellow Autobot Headmaster Junior Minerva arrived, but refused to get close to Ranger, having spotted him with Bullhorn earlier and mistakenly leapt to the conclusion that he was working with the Decepticons. Before departing, Ranger told the boys that if they needed any more help, they could drop by his cabin.

With his eyesight, he probably thinks they're clay pigeons.

That night, when a fierce storm lashed the forest, Shūta and Cab took Ranger up on his offer, and brought the whole Autobot party to Ranger's cabin. When Lander asked about Ranger's large collection of mountain paintings, he told them about the strange rock, and at their insistence, led them out to his barn and showed it to them. In the presence of Ginrai and Lightfoot's Master-Braces, the rock began to glow, and the Autobots realized that the monolith was, in fact, a Godmaster Transtector. Without even waiting for an objection, they slapped a pair of Master-Braces on Ranger's wrists, and when Ranger discovered he could not remove them, they knew that he was their next Godmaster. Ranger, however, was the sort of guy who thought that "Transformers" were a circus act, and so the Autobots spent the night telling him their story.

The new day dawned violently, when the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors suddenly attacked Ranger's cabin and absconded with the Transtector. As the Autobots transformed to robot mode and gave chase, Ranger was amazed at the sight of people changing into robots, but his emotions soon shifted when he discovered his wounded horse in the wreckage of the barn. As Minerva tended to the horse, Ranger, overcome with rage, pursued the Transformers with his rifle in hand, finally catching up to them just as Decepticon Godmasters Hydra and Buster arrived to join the battle. Ranger opened fire and manage to shoot Hydra in the eye, prompting Buster to blast out the cliff from under Ranger's feet. As Ranger tumbled to certain doom, Ginrai shouted out the necessary directions for him to activate his Godmaster powers, and Ranger quickly followed them. As his Godmaster armor materialized around him, the Transtector rock was suddenly transformed into a baja buggy, to which Ranger connected, transforming into robot mode. Ranger was fortunate to not actually have to fight on this occasion, as the Decepticons, badly outnumbered by the Autobots, immediately fled. The Autobots despaired over the destruction of Ranger's cabin, but Ranger shrugged it off, saying it could be built again, but that he hoped the Autobots would treat him well in the meantime. An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger

The light, I'm blind!...oh yeah, eyes are closed.

Ranger was quick to join in the search for the next Autobot Godmaster, helping Ginrai to scour Europe while Lightfoot and the Headmaster Juniors attended the World F-1 Grand Prix in France. While searching, Ranger stumbled upon an attack by the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors in the small village of Dagneux and tackled the three punks on his own, holding his own until the other Autobots arrived with the new Godmaster, Road King, and helped him defeat them. Assemble! The Four Godmaster Gunmen For their first mission together, the four assembled Godmasters travelled to Atlan Island in the South Pacific, to rescue a group of doctors kidnapped by the Decepticon Pretenders. Ranger tussled with Dauros, then joined in a battle with a legion of Seacons, destroying an Overbite with his Heat Sand Attack. Save the Little Girl! The Chōjin Warriors, the Godmasters

Ranger was on the scene when Road King was filming a commercial for Lightfoot's company British Motors, but during the shoot, word arrived that Hydra and Buster had kidnapped Lightfoot's father Leftfoot. Lightfoot sped off to rescue him, instructing Road King and Ranger not to follow him, per the Decepticons' instructions, but naturally, the pair ignored him, summoning Ginrai and observing Lightfoot's confrontation with the Godmaster brothers from afar. At the right moment, they jumped in to help him, although Ranger barely managed to get his licks in, since the furious Lightfoot was insistent on beating up the villains himself. Life? Death? The Desperate Lightfoot

"I'm so good, I can drive with my eyes close-*CRASH*"

Ranger later helped defend the construction facility where the Autobots were building Ginrai's new power-up done, Godbomber, against Decepticon attack, battling both the Decepticon Pretenders and Hydra and Buster. Will the Bomber Project Be Destroyed!? The construction of Godbomber was subsequently completed, and its power allowed Ginrai to travel into space to battle Overlord and BlackZarak. God Ginrai - Into the Sky!! Lightfoot and the other Autobots could do nothing but watch the battle from Earth, but Ginrai ultimately emerged victorious. God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon

Ranger next went into action when he, Road King and Lightfoot rescued the passengers of a stricken cruise ship while Ginrai and the Headmaster Juniors battle the Decepticons. That battle took a surprise twist when the Autobots were suddenly saved by the final Godmaster, Clouder, Appearance!! The Final Godmaster who subsequently joined their ranks. Little did the heroes realize that Clouder was, in fact, a Decepticon double-agent, who was feeding information on Autobot Base to his evil allies. Clouder's deception was soon discovered and Ranger joined in the battle to bring him down, but the damage was done: a staged attack by Hydra and Buster drew Ranger, Road King, Lightfoot, and Ginrai out of the base, at which point the rest of the Decepticon forces began an all-out assault against the Autobots' headquarters. Secret Orders! Destroy the Autobot Base!! When news of the siege reached the Godmasters, Ranger and Road King continued rescue operations in the city while Ginrai and Lightfoot headed back to the base. Despite the best efforts of the Autobots, their headquarters was destroyed. Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes

Ranger helped battle BlackZarak when the powerful Decepticon returned to Earth, BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space and then journeyed into space aboard Grand Maximus with the other Autobots to stop the villain from unleashing the Death Para-Machine against the Earth. Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction Ranger later battled Hydra and Buster in northern Europe, God Ginrai - Save Cancer!? then helped the other Autobots search for the Decepticons' hidden base. That search promptly ended when Shūta was kidnapped and held prisoner in the villains' lair, and while Ginrai headed there to rescue him, Ranger and the Autobot Pretenders were occupied battling the Decepticon Pretenders and Seacons in Geneva. God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base

With the location of Decepticon Base revealed after Ginrai's battle there, the Autobots prepared to initiate a full-scale attack on their enemies, staged from Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Ranger and Road King were the last Autobots to arrive at the temples, and Ranger gave Road King a quick run-down on the ancient structure's history as they drove up to it. The subsequent attack on the Decepticon headquarters culminated in the fusion of BlackZarak with the Decepticon emperor Devil Z, who collapsed the base in a failed attempt to destroy the Autobots. The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform

I am not wasting money on a chair lift. The exercise is good for you

With their base destroyed, the Decepticons relocated to the Grand Canyon, and were pursued by the Autobots, who split into teams for the attack. Ranger and the Headmaster Juniors were attacked by King Poseidon, but before anything fatal could befall them, Devil Z called for the Decepticons to fall back to their next attack position in the Alps. Autobots! Desperate Attack!! The Autobots again gave chase, but no sooner has they arrived in the snowy slopes than Ranger, Road King and Lightfoot were promptly buried under an avalanche by the merged BlackZarak/Devil Z entity. Ginrai and Grand Maximus dug the three heroes out, but Ginrai requested that they stay back so that he could make the first strike on BlackZarak himself. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z While Ginrai engaged BlackZarak in battle, Ranger and the other Godmasters battled the weakened Hydra and Buster, and then the Transtectors of Clouder, Wilder, Cancer, and Bullhorn, which had been brought to life by the power of Devil Z. At the battle's conclusion, Ginrai and the Headmaster Juniors united their powers to destroy BlackZarak and Devil Z for good, prompting the Decepticons to break off the battle and flee into space. As Ranger and the rest of the heroes watched them go, the Autobots were all enveloped in bright light, and when it faded, they found that the death of Devil Z had caused them to be separated from their Transtectors. The Transtectors themselves continued to live on as true super-robot lifeforms, and Ranger's Transtector joined with the others in pursuing the Decepticons and continuing the Transformers' war out in space. A Battle... and Then...

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. Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings Reborn

Super-God Masterforce comic

Ranger made his dramatic entrance alongside Road King and Lightfoot, arriving in the midst of a battle between the other Autobots and a legion of legendary Decepticons with a trailer for Ginrai in tow. At Lightfoot's instruction, Ginrai combined with the trailer and wiped out the Decepticons with a blast of Chōkon Power, revealing that they were simply holograms. Burn, Chokon! New Commander Super Ginrai!

This is your last picnic basket, Yogi!

When the Autobots traveled to the planet Athenia to attend Ginrai's coronation as Supreme Commander, the Decepticons inevitably attacked. During the battle, Ranger and Road King piloted Ginrai's "Cannon Craft"and channelled their energy into them to aid their newly-appointed commander in destroying Scramble 7. The Battle Begins! The Earth-Space Alliance Army Ranger later battled Grand King Poseidon, Headmasters VS Masterforce Overlord on Earth, God Ginrai's Amazing Divine Combination! and BlackZarak and Darkwings in space. The Good and Evil Families of Earth

When BlackZarak and Overlord attacked Tokyo, Ranger and the Godmasters held off BlackZarak while Ginrai unleashed the new Autobot weapon, VX Bomb, against Overlord. Life or Death? The Desperate Divine Combination! The Godmasters also joined Ginrai in defending a city where Cancer went to against BlackZarak and the Sparkdash, during which battle Ranger teamed with Clouder to take down a Javil. The Great Turnabout of the Autobots

During the final battle, Devil Z possessed BlackZarak and turned on the other Decepticons, intending to absorb their Jinchōkon in order to become the ultimate lifeform. Saved by Ginrai and the Pretenders, the Decepticons turned on their former leader, and joined with Ranger and all the other Autobots in uniting their energies into the "Perfect Transform Attack", destroying Devil Z and BlackZarak once and for all. With Devil Z's death, the humans were separated from their Transtectors, which came to life as true super-robot lifeforms. The Transtectors departed for space to carry on their war away from Earth, leaving Ranger and the others to return to their normal lives. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

Go, go, Powermaster Rangers!

• Ranger (Godmaster, 1988)

• ID number: C-305
• Accessories: Godmaster Transtector, "Napalm Blaster”

Released in the fourth year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line under the Super-God Masterforce banner, Godmaster Ranger is a redeco of the Hasbro Powermaster Nebulan Hotwire, transforming from armored humanoid into an engine block. In engine mode, he can plug into the engine socket of any larger Godmaster/Powermaster toy, unlocking their transformation or other gimmicks.

Ranger's Transtector is a hyper-light-blue and red redeco of Hasbro's Joyride, transforming into a baja buggy, which, like any Godmaster, cannot transform into robot mode until a Godmaster/Powermaster figure in engine mode and snapped into place in the toy's chassis. (Or you can just press the tiny release button via some other method. The engine method is easier on the fingertips though.) The roof of the buggy mode has a 5 mm post-hole to mount the "Napalm Blaster" rifle.

The Godmaster engine portion of this toys was redecoed into the Masterforce Warrior Aquastar.

• More information on Ranger at TFU.info

Go, Green Ranger, go!

• Ranger Joy Ride (Godmaster, 1989)

• Accessories: Godmaster Transtector, "Napalm Blaster"

Essentially just a Japanese release of Hasbro's Joyride figure, this version of the Ranger toy was only available by mail-order, for the price of 1980 yen and four robot points.

It is currently unknown if this toy was shipped in a plain mailer box, or in standard Hasbro "Joyride" packaging, as some mail-away toys were.

• More information on Ranger Joy Ride (well, Joyride) at TFU.info

Notes

• According to his supplementary bio card, Ranger is 17 years old. That actually makes him too young to be a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which requires a minimum age of 18.^[1]

Foreign names

• English: Joyride (Omni Productions dub)
• Italian: Starbot
• Mandarin: Joey (China, 乔伊 Qiáoyī)
• Russian: Veter (Ветер, "Wind")

References