The Energon Pub

[Seibertron]

I edited my post to include one more point.

I could get behind changing the names for the galleries to

Where does Riki come from with Chikara?

"Yūki no Burein" = 勇気のブレイン = "Brain of Courage"
"Chikara no Burein" = カのブレイン = "Brain of Strength"
"Chie no Burein" = 知恵のブレイン = "Brain of Intelligence"
"Waza no Burein" = 技のブレイ = "Brain of Skill"

[Sabrblade]

Where does Riki come from with Chikara?

It was likely from a mistranslation of 力 (chikara).

I don't know exactly how fans got "Riki" (or "Sala", another fan name) from 力, though of note is how very similar 力 resembles the Katakana カ ("Ka") character. There's very little difference visible between the two when viewed on this screen, unless one enlarges them:

力 vs. カ
"Chikara" vs. "Ka"

"Yūki no Burein" = 勇気のブレイン = "Brain of Courage"
"Chikara no Burein" = 力のブレイン = "Brain of Strength"
"Chie no Burein" = 知恵のブレイン = "Brain of Intelligence"
"Waza no Burein" = 技のブレイン = "Brain of Skill"

You can use the English word "Brain" instead of the transliteration of "Burein" since the use of Katakana over Hiragana denotes their using the English word.

Otherwise, the Kanji 脳 ("Nō") or the Hiragana のう ("Nō") would have been used for "Brain" instead of ブレイン ("Burein").

[chuckdawg1999]

"Yūki" is literally the Japanese word for "Courage", "Bravery", "Fearlessness", etc. Same with the other three meaning those other words (though, it's "Chikara" rather than "Riki"). "Waza" was even used again in recent years in Transformers: Go! to refer to GoKenzan as the "Waza no Sanjou Gattai", meaning he's the "Triple Combination of Skill". Fans attributing these descriptors to the Brainmasters as personal names for them was likely another product of the early online fandom of the 90s' lack of full understanding of the Japanese Transformers series. And that is reasonably understandable since both the fandom and its awareness of the Japanese TF series' existence was still very new at the time, and the shows themselves wouldn't be fully experienced until the fansubs of them from TV-Nihon and the official subbed DVD sets of them from the UK and Australia came about in the 2000s.

As for the brains themselves, the Victory cartoon itself would address the terms "Yūki", "Chikara", "Chie" and "Waza" in regards to the brains in its third episode:

Joyce: "Hey, are the Cybertrons powerful?"
Jean: "Of course! All the Cybertrons are powerful, but the Brainmasters are really powerful!"
Joyce: "Brainmasters?"
Jean: "Yeah! There's only four beings in the whole universe who have the Brain Power (Burein Kinō)!"
Students: "Wow!"
Teacher: "Jean-kun! Be quiet and pay attention!"
Jean: "Yes sir!"
Joyce: "What's Brain Power?"
Jean: "I'm glad you asked! Brain Power is... Courage (Yūki)! Strength (Chikara)! Intelligence (Chie)! Skill (Waza)! It's an awesome mecha that gives one's abilities a power-up! When some has the Brain Power, they become one of the most powerful warriors in the universe! Well, that's what I heard from Holi, anyway."

Jean's hyperbolic excitement aside, it's evident that he's speaking of the Brains as a power (manifested into physical robotic forms) belonging to each of the larger Autobots, rather than as individual persons in their own right.

They're still "Yūki", "Riki", "Chie" and "Waza" to me.

I call them Bill, Bob, Rob and Roy. And they're from a Japanese animated cartoon.

[guarayakha]

Where does Riki come from with Chikara?

Synonyms. The kanji "力" can be read as both "Chikara" or "Riki".

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Where does Riki come from with Chikara?

Synonyms. The kanji "力" can be read as both "Chikara" or "Riki".

To elaborate a bit: most Kanji have multiple readings, one from native Japanese, and the other derived from the original Chinese. Which one to use when is a bit of an art, but a good rule to follow is that one is used stand-alone, and the other as part of a compound. Some are just a mess and have to be learned by heart. Look at 力 for example:

力 = Chikara (kun'yomi reading)
重力 = Juu-ryoku (on'yomi reading)
超力 = Chou-riki (alternate on'yomi reading)

The third is where "Riki" comes from.

[Sabrblade]

And now my noting of how similar "chikara" and "ka" look has been rendered entirely pointless.

Rightfully so, though, as I see in hindsight that it certainly was.

[LOST Cybertronian]

Here is another size comparison for the upcoming Masterpiece Star Saber. This image sent to us by Autobot Genocide from the TF Upgrader Facebook page.

[Sabrblade]

There's one more comparison image from the same source that compares the full robot modes of the original and the Masterpiece.

[LOST Cybertronian]

Tweeted by Hisashi Yuki

[Sabrblade]

So yeah, despite Saber and the Brain being smaller than their originals, Star Saber's "Battle Up!" form is definitely bigger.

[Agamemnon]

So yeah, despite Saber and the Brain being smaller than their originals, Star Saber's "Battle Up!" form is definitely bigger.

Indeed. I also like the proportions better now. It feels much closer to screen accuracy in the respective parts of Star Saber. I'm very happy with it!

[mooncake623]

Always thought G1 Star Saber had a really big head.

[RotorstormNZ]

I know nothing about this character, I've never seen his show, and I've never laid hands on his original toy, but each new photo makes me want this more and more and more. It looks like a brilliant update of the original with modern engineering and I imagine the end result will blow a lot of people away.

Looking forward to the Gallery and reviews!

[LOST Cybertronian]

Taghobby has posted some new info concerning MP-24 Star Saber. That's right, Star Saber gets his own MP numbered designation. Star Saber will retail for 18,000 yen to be released in March.

[Sabrblade]

24, eh? Doesn't make him sound that special compared to when he had no known number.

[The Thuggernaut]

About 170-180 bucks, hmmm , not bad, not bad at all.

[fenrir72]

Oh Yeah!

[Torneira]

Release in March? Let's hope so...

[BERSEKAEL]

honestly doesn't look bad, besides I know nothing about that character or its lore. So pass.

[kirbenvost]

He somehow looks cooler in the grey prototype form. It's those typical anime robot Playskool-esque colors again.

Another cool thing, this seems to confirm he can hold the sword with the blade facing the right direction.

[RhA]

honestly doesn't look bad, besides I know nothing about that character or its lore. So pass.

Watch Victory and get educated. I loved it.

[ZeroWolf]

Hmm...now to find out how much that is pound wise. These pictures are fantastic, a lot of love has been given to updating Star Saber. Can't wait for next March.

[OptimalOptimus2]

Hmm...now to find out how much that is pound wise. These pictures are fantastic, a lot of love has been given to updating Star Saber. Can't wait for next March.

About £105.

[WildclawPrime]

Still a nice looking MP figure. I'm still sure that Takara will make a MP Victory Leo, so that way we could have an MP Victory Saber. Nicely done, Takara.

[Xephon0930]

Is that Star Saber holding his sword properly?