DJ (BW)

DJ is a Maximal Jointron from the Beast Wars II portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

DJ (DJ (ディージェイ) Dī Jei) is the eldest of the cheerful Jointron brothers and the strategist of the trio. Despite his carefree nature and habit of partying wherever he goes, DJ is ambitious and makes plans to capture the Predacons and impress Maximal HQ, sending them frequent reports where he gives himself and his brothers all the credit for saving the day. Luckily, those reports never make it to destination. DJ loves a good drink of oil, but unfortunately, he has a hard time retaining it.

DJ's main weapons are two Seven-Year Swords that hide in his wings. With them, he can chop even large trees in two at a single stroke, but he seems to prefer playing music with them by snapping them together. He also creates special sound waves that can be heard 10,000 km away.

DJ can also join with the other Jointrons (get it?) to form Tripledacus.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Beast Wars II cartoon

Voice actor: Ryō Naitō (Japanese)

Along with his brothers Gimlet and Motorarm, DJ was sent by Maximal command to the planet Trius. However, their ship ran into problems and they were forced to land on the nearest planet: Gaia. Evacuating the ship before anybody else could find them, they later ran into the Predacons and Maximals stationed on Gaia in their combined form, Tripledacus. After initially thinking the Maximals were Predacons, they realized their mistake and split into their individual selves, introducing themselves as the Jointrons to the other Maximals. However, the three's eccentric behavior didn't endear themselves to Lio Convoy's group. Unconcerned about this, they sought to use their might to defeat the Predacons and flew out without informing the other Maximals. The Jointrons faced against a Predacon force as Tripledacus and weren't faring well till Lio Convoy, Scuba, and Apache came to add their firepower to the battle. After the Predacons retreated, the Jointrons claimed all the credit. The Combined Giant, Tripledacus

Still intent on handling the Predacons on their own, the Jointrons took over a Maximal shuttle and turned it into a party house, to the annoyance of Apache. Disabling the shields and shooting out a flare to lure the Predacons to their position, they managed to lure in Dirge and Thrust, who left Autoroller backup outside. The two Combatrons were treated to the Jointrons' friendly hospitality—massive amounts of oil that impaired their already poor judgment. Using the excuse that they were bringing oil to the Autorollers, the Jointrons combined into Tripledacus, and, with Lio Convoy's help, chased away the Autorollers. Afterwards, the Combatron duo were forced to surrender—a victory for the Jointrons! The Festive Jointrons

Again eager to take down the Predacons, DJ and his brothers went out on patrol for them, coming across a trap that they dumped Tasmania Kid and Diver to check out. Soon, they came across Starscream and BB, who attacked them with a "bacteria bomb" that struck DJ and Motorarm with bacteria that sapped them of energy. The three attempted to combine, but Gimlet's germaphobia prevented any cohesion, and they were left at the mercy of the Predacons. After the other Maximals came to the rescue as the "Jointron II", and Lio Convoy made a speech about how they could overcome this challenge if they shared energy, the Jointrons managed to combine and sent Starscream and BB fleeing. A Fearsome Combination Plan?

On another day, the Jointrons were sent on patrol with Diver and Tasmania Kid, who brought up the question of just who the leader in the trio was. Naturally, each one made a claim for themselves, with DJ noting that he was the one who contacted Maximal HQ and negotiated with others, amoth other qualities. Their competition brought them to the attention of the Predacons, who sought to capture the Jointrons to study their combination abilities. To handle the Predacons, the Jointrons took off on their own in a Maximal shuttle, but the intervention of Tasmania Kid caused them to crash. In the following battle, the brothers agreed that whoever was most successful against the Predacons would lead, but they all ended up captured and required the other Maximals to step in and rescue them. Afterwards, they reconsidered their silly argument and combined into Tripledacus to repel the Predacons. Who Is the Leader!?

The Jointrons were left behind on Gaia's eastern continent while Lio Convoy's troop returned to the northern continent. Later, during their patrol of the nearby ocean, they found Bighorn pining for Scylla and agreed to help in the sake of love. As part of a plan where Bighorn would "rescue" Scylla and be hailed as a knight in shining armor, the Jointrons sent a fake letter to Scylla, imploring her to come to Tengu Cliff. When she arrived, expecting Scuba, she was met by the masked Jointrons, who stuffed her into a bag and went off to rendezvous with Bighorn. Their plan hit a snag when they were spotted by Starscream and BB, who fired upon them and Bighorn. The trio were also spotted by Sea Phantom and Terrormander, who realized that they had their teammate. When the furious Scylla informed the Jointrons that she was one of the Space Pirate Seacons, the three agreed to bring her to Lio Convoy to get "credit". Their new plan didn't succeed, as they were soon caught between the Predacons and the Seacons who attacked them before; after dropping Scylla down a hill, they resorted to defending themselves. When the remaining Seacons showed up, the three combined into Tripledacus and fought against God Neptune. With the aid of the other Maximals, the pirate combiner was sent tumbling into the sea, and the Jointrons rejoiced over their "victory" against a quintuple combiner. Face the Setting Sun

While somehow out in Gaia's orbit, the Jointrons fought the Seacons, but their battle was interrupted by the passing teleport gate. Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger! DJ, Gimlet, and Motorarm later tried to deal with the eruptions of Angolmois Energy caused by Nemesis by using boulders to block them. When they came across the other Maximals using cooling rays to freeze the Angolmois Energy, they got the idea to use an iceberg to seal a particular geyser that was threatening a nearby forest. The Great Angolmois Freezing Tactic When the Maximals set up a launch to get to Nemesis, the Jointrons fused as Tripledacus to help hold off the Predacons before they could interrupt the launch. When the tip of the ramp was broken by the Predacons, Tripledacus used his strength to push it back to its original position and let Lio Convoy's Maximals successful leave Gaia's atmosphere. Fly Out! Planet Gaia

Beast Wars Neo cartoon

After the defeat of Unicron, DJ, as part of Tripledacus, returned to Cybertron, where he helped with reconstruction. Graduation Ceremony!!

Beast Wars II comic

When the Angolmois Energy-corrupted Lio Convoy fought Galvatron in the desolate city of Tokyo, Scuba sent out a signal for assistance, which DJ, Gimlet, and Motorarm answered. As Tripledacus, they arrived just as Galvatron was beaten, but were knocked out of the sky by the malevolent Lio Convoy. Free the Captured Matrix! The Jointrons were later part of an assembled Maximal force that took off in the Yukikaze to reach Nemesis. All hands survived the destruction of the ship by the Predacons and engaged their enemies in battle on the artificial planet's surface. All Hands, Make a Special Attack on the Evil Planet!

2005 IDW continuity

DJ was one of Onyx Prime's Maximals. During Onyx's invasion of Cybertron, he was one of the many Maximals who battled Arcee and lost; Jetfire and Aileron came across his remains shortly afterwards. Endless Forever

Games

Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars

When the super-powerful Energon Quartz was discovered on Gaia, DJ was one of the several Maximals involved in the ensuing conflicts. He was not, however, directly involved in combat. Instead, he was sent on missions to traverse pit-riddled fields while fending off enormous bacteria opponents. Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars

Toys

Beast Wars

Quality control issues thankfully do not include leakage of oil.

• DJ (DJ (ディージェイ), 1998)

• ID number: C-23
• Release date: 1998 July
• Accessories: 2 "Seven-Year Swords"
• Known designers: Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)

Released in the sixth wave of Beast Wars II products in Takara's Beast Wars toyline, DJ is a redeco of Hasbro's Beast Wars Deluxe Class Cicadacon, transforming into an organic cicada. In beast mode, he has a flip-out mechanical rostrum (the horn of the combined mode head) called the "Energon Injection".

In robot mode, two "Seven-Year Swords" can be removed from his wings and be held in either hand. Caution is advised when putting the swords into his hands, as the handles are made of very thin clear plastic and are likely to snap if the hand is too tight to pull them out of, the same goes for the original use of the mold.

DJ forms the upper torso and head to Tripledacus, with his Seven Year Swords used as spring-loaded missiles in the combiner's weapon.

• More information on DJ at TFU.info

• Tripledacus (トリプルダクス, 1998)

• ID number: X-3
• Release date: 1998 July
• Accessories: 2 "Seven-Year Swords"

The three Jointrons were also made available in a gift set, also released in the sixth wave of Beast Wars II toys.

All three toys are identical to their individual releases, though the set only included a single card for the combined Tripledacus form.

Merchandise

Beast Wars Gum

Pregnant with a giant robo-cicada head.

• DJ (candy toy, 1998)

A snap together model kit of DJ was available as part of Kabaya's Beast Wars Gum, sculpted from red and brownish-grey plastic. He could transform from robot to beast mode by being broken down into its component parts, then rebuilt into a new mode, and could combine with the other Jointrons to form Tripledacus. He came with stickers for his wings and Tripledacus's head. It also came with a stick of gum.

Notes

• DJ's name is likely derived from the repetitive noise patterns (or beats) that cicadas make when calling for a mate.
• The name of his "Seven-Year Swords" is a reference to the length of time some cicadas spend underground before emerging and becoming adults.
• Like many Japanese Beast Wars characters, DJ was given a verbal tic to end each sentence with. In his case, he ends his sentences with "mi" (ミ), a Japanese onomatopoeia for cicada cries.
• While TakaraTomy reissued the other two Tripledacus components, Gimlet and Motorarm, as part of their Beast Wars Telemocha Series in 2007, they omitted DJ from the line-up. Therefore, the only way to complete Tripledacus from the Telemocha releases would be by using an original DJ toy.