Detection

« Transformers: Armada ep 27 »
"Detection" 発覚 (しょうたい) (Shōtai) "Detection: True Character"
Production code	TF: A-27
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	March 1, 2003 (English) 11 July 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Ryō Motohira
Director	Masayuki Motsumoto
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

The Decepticons are suspicious of Sideways. They should be.

Synopsis

Jetfire and Smokescreen arm-wrestle while Hot Shot and the kids watch. Carlos is confused by Alexis cheering for both combatants, and Smokescreen blames his loss on his arm falling asleep. Alexis reflects on how morale has been high since Jetfire arrived.

Thrust explains to Megatron that the reason both of his plans failed was that the Decepticons are unable to work as a team like the Autobots do. Though Megatron takes this as an insult against his command abilities, Thrust begs his leader to let him continue. Demolishor's scoffing at Thrust's command ability proves the point that the Decepticons are too busy bickering to work as a team. Thrust tells Megatron that if they're able to obtain the Skyboom Shield, then more Decepticons will come to Earth to join their cause. But Thrust says first they have something else to attend to and looks pointedly at Sideways.

Meanwhile, something big moves through the Solar System.

Did I ever tell you I was part-bat?

Repairs in the Autobot base aren't going well, with Hot Shot and Optimus seeming to be confused over where to put things. Alexis notices that Jetfire is missing. The kids follow Hot Shot and ask him what the Autobots will do once they repair the ship. He says they intend to stay on Earth until all the Mini-Cons are free. They join Jetfire, who's reviewing battle footage. They study more footage, and Jetfire asks about Sideways. The others fill him in on how Sideways fooled them into thinking he was an Autobot.

Sideways and Demolishor discuss how they don't trust Thrust, and Sideways manipulates his dim comrade into thinking they need to kill off the Decepticon jet. When Demolishor says he'll talk Starscream and Cyclonus into helping them, Sideways announces he's taking care of it himself, making Demolishor even more determined to do it.

Jetfire is skeptical that Sideways really is a Decepticon, playing a clip that shows Sideways shooting down Cyclonus. Hot Shot, and the kids are confused.

Thrust is waiting to meet Megatron out on the surface of the Moon, when Demolishor rises out of a pile of discarded parts, seizing the Decepticon and tossing him away. Nearby, Sideways watches smugly before going to a cave to report that the Autobots are now stronger than the Decepticons. The rest of the Decepticons interrupt him. Demolishor is confused about what's going on, and the others explain Sideways has been duping them all along. Megatron then arrives and confronts Sideways, only for the latter to activate a hidden panel. The ground shakes, covering Sideways's escape, but Thrust gives chase.

Words cannot express how much I hate France right now!

Back on Earth, the kids puzzle over what Sideways's deal is. Alexis doesn't think he's trying to collect Mini-Cons, and everyone ultimately decides they can't trust him.

Thrust and Sideways fight in robot mode with the rest of the Decepticons watching. As Megatron tells Thrust to finish his enemy, Sideways dissolves into static, appearing as a ghostly form. Megatron slashes it with the Star Saber, but it reforms. The other Decepticons fire ineffectually on Sideways and, after Megatron slashes him a few more times, Sideways disappears. Megatron boasts, but the static reforms into Sideways's rider's head, gloating that Megatron will never destroy him. Still gloating, Sideways's rider flies off into space.

Sometime later, the Decepticons and Autobots are locked in another battle as the huge object from earlier moves through Earth's atmosphere.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Oh, yeah? Bring it on, Smokey!"

—Jetfire mistakes Smokescreen for a bear.

"And remember how Hot Shot and Carlos almost became Swiss cheese?"
"Aw, man, don't even go there, or I'll end up in therapy."

—Alexis and Carlos

"I don't trust him as far as I could throw him. I'd love to crush that arrogant mainframe into a pile of titanium shavings!"

—Demolishor on Thrust

"I don't believe this! How could I have been so gullible?!"
"Aw, don't cwy, poor baby! Hehehohoho..."

—Demolishor realizes Sideways fooled him, and Cyclonus isn't exactly sympathetic.

Demolishor: "I've had all I can stand of this freak show!"
Starscream: "You're dog meat, scum!"
Cyclonus: "Eat lead, ya traitor!"
Megatron: "That's enough, men! I'LL finish him off!"

—The Decepticons have had just about enough of Sideways.

"This is one virus you'll never be able to eliminate, Megatron! You see, I can change my appearance any time I please, and I can fight at any power level, so you'll never destroy me! Never! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

—Mirror

Notes

Differences with Legends of the Microns

• Jetfire and Smokescreen's opening dialogue involves Smokescreen scolding Jetfire for mocking him and Jetfire claiming he doesn't need to make fun of him.
• In Armada, Carlos asks Alexis why she's cheering for Jetfire and Smokescreen during their arm-wrestling match. She answers that she wants them both to win, and Carlos quips about not understanding girls. In Legends of the Microns, Carlos asks who Alexis is cheering for, and she says, "A goddess would smile down on either of them," leaving Carlos stumped about what she means. Then, after losing, Smokescreen claims his arm fell asleep in Armada but says "an old-timer" like him is no match for Jetfire in Legends of the Microns. Then Hot Shot says it's Jetfire's third win straight and that he doesn't know what losing means. Jetfire brags about being invincible, and Carlos remarks how Jetfire loves boasting.
• For her opening Armada narration, Alexis says Jetfire's arrival has made the others full of energy and ready to take down the Decepticons, but she's not looking forward to the boosted morale getting tested. In Legends of the Microns, Alexis says the Autobot base has become more relaxed since Jetfire came. Though the nonstop fighting has everyone slightly exhausted, they feel the war is now at a significant turning point.
• Legends of the Microns changes Thrust's dialogue to him saying that despite the unexpected defeat last time, he learned a lot about the Autobots instead of the Decepticons. Yet, he comes to the same conclusion: the Decepticons lack unity. Armada gives Thrust and Megatron some filler dialogue to remove some of the scene's silence. Unlike Armada, Megatron is very laid back and says he won't get mad, making his outburst a humorous moment.
• Instead of berating Thrust for questioning his leadership and praising his men as the greatest Decepticons ever, Megatron asks Thrust if his men's flaws are why his plans as a tactician have failed so far and threatens to cut off Thrust's mouth with the Star Saber. Thrust says he won't stop Megatron from killing him for his honesty and will gladly offer his head, but Megatron will never return to his glory days back on Cybertron if things don't change. In Armada, Thrust says he won't "overstep his rank," but in Legends of the Microns, he says he'll do whatever it takes to break the Decepticons' current deadlock.
• Demolishor says Thrust is nothing but talk in Armada. In Legends of the Microns, he says he's not doing another of Thrust's strategies only to watch the Autobots collect Mini-Cons back-to-back. Then Thrust says the amount of Mini-Cons the Autobots have isn't the problem, and they must focus on reclaiming the Skyboom Shield.
• In Armada, Hot Shot says he was sure the panel was supposed to go where he's trying to fit it. Legends of the Microns has Hot Shot saying something seemed off about it instead. Then, instead of Red Alert addressing everyone as he does in Armada, he tells Scavenger there is still work to do before he can doze off.
• When talking with the kids, Armada has Hot Shot say he can't wait to go back to Cybertron and that he'd miss the kids, extending his line to remove some of the Japanese dub's silence. Legends of the Microns has him saying the Autobots have to return to Cybertron eventually since it's their homeworld. Instead of saying that Jetfire's not as attractive as he is, Hot Shot says Jetfire tends to get carried away. Then Alexis says Jetfire reminds her of someone she knows. Hot Shot asks if she's referring to him, but Alexis remains modest.
• Instead of Jetfire saying the footage is from "the last battle with the Decepticons" like in Armada, he says he is looking through the Autobots' battles. After Alexis complements Jetfire for being a little better than others she knows, Carlos says that's not what she said before.
• The Transformers theme plays during the footage run-through in Armada. Legends of the Microns plays "Invincible Power." The Japanese dub removes some of the extra dialogue Armada added to the footage.
• When discussing Sideways, Hot Shot calls him a virus in Armada but says he was a Decepticon all along in Legends of the Microns. Then, in Armada, Jetfire calls Sideways a lowlife, but in Legends of the Microns, he asks, "One with two faces?"
• In Armada, Demolishor rants about not trusting Thrust and wanting to crush him. In Legends of the Microns, he goes off about Thrust accusing the Decepticons of lacking unity instead of owning up to his failures. Then Sideways claims Thrust is trying to dissolve the Decepticon army, which is why they should get rid of him; Armada reduces the reason to fear of losing the war. Demolishor asserts that he isn't scared of Thrust, but Sideways isn't sure if someone cowardly like Demolishor can do the deed.
• While analyzing the footage of Sideways shooting Cyclonus down, Hot Shot asks why Sideways would help the Autobots. Jetfire says the footage doesn't show the shot's exact moment, yet Alexis agrees that Sideways attacked Cyclonus. Armada replaces this dialogue with the characters talking about the video possibly being glitched or edited. Then in Legends of the Microns, Carlos wonders if Sideways also betrayed the Decepticons before Rad asks what Sideways is after.
• Thrust asks why Megatron would request to meet at his location during the shot of his legs just before Demolishor grabs him. After throwing Thrust away, Demolishor mocks him for being a poor fighter. He warns Thrust not to show his face again in Armada. Then Sideways says, "That's it, let the infighting continue..." in Legends of the Microns.
• When Starscream finds him in the tunnel, Sideways exclaims in surprise in Legends of the Microns. Then Demolishor is heard telling Cyclonus to let him go before asking about Megatron while being brought in, shocked to see Sideways. He asks what's happening, and Starscream calls him a moron for even asking. In Armada, they say that Sideways tricked the whole group but say he fooled Demolishor instead in Legends of the Microns. Then Thrust says Sideways used Demolishor's loyalty to Megatron to trick him.
• After Sideways transforms, Thrust says not to let him escape while flying after him. Then Armada removes a line from Starscream before he prepares to transform. In Armada, Megatron says letting Thrust deal with Sideways alone is an excellent way to test his loyalty. In Legends of the Microns, he says it's a chance to see if Thrust can deliver results "as big as his mouth." Thrust demands Sideways to halt while firing on him instead of before.
• Rad asks what Sideways is thinking before Jetfire recounts the story of an unknown evil that once tried to devour Cybertron. Billy and Carlos wonder what it could be. Fred asks Carlos if he knows, and Carlos shouts that Jetfire brought it up, not him.
• Fred's line about when everyone will eat is removed, and his dialogue with Jetfire is changed to them clumsily wondering what currently matters. Then Alexis says Jetfire is trying to say they should be on their guard for now, which Jetfire confirms though nothing else changes. In Armada, the dialogue is about agreeing that they can't trust Sideways.
• As he fires at Thrust in Legends of the Microns, Sideways brags about being able to track Thrust's movements since he can see his feet going through the garbage. Later, before commanding Thrust to finish Sideways, Megatron asks himself which of them will win instead of being impressed as he does in Armada. After Sideways becomes ghostly static, Megatron sounds shocked instead of indifferent. Sideways later says he never thought he'd be forced to use his other form and praises the Decepticons but only laughs maniacally in Armada. The Japanese dub adds a filter to his voice to make him sound spectral.
• Megatron roars as he jumps before descending upon Sideways. After reforming himself from Megatron's attack, Sideways brags about how he can't be cut and tells Megatron his attacks are pointless before the others unleash their assault. After commanding the others to stop so he can finish the job, Megatron says he'll turn Sideways into space dust.
• In Armada, Megatron says he has eradicated the virus. In Legends of the Microns, he says Sideways wasn't a Transformer after all. Sideways calls Megatron a fool and says that he is a Transformer, just one with a different mind and structure, and urges the 'Cons to keep fighting. Megatron asks if the ghostly image is Sideways's true form before telling the disembodied head of Sideways's rider to "burn in the Pit!" In Armada, this is the first time Sideways speaks since changing his form, bragging about being a virus that can transform into anything and one Megatron can never destroy.
• Armada has Sideways's rider claim the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield are mere toys to him and wonders who will win the race to find all the Mini-Cons. Legends of the Microns has him say the sword and shield aren't the only Mini-Con weapons. Then he says that Megatron is in for a surprise as to what the next Mini-Con set will become, setting up the Requiem Blaster's debut in two episodes.
• During the last scene in Armada, Megatron tells Optimus to be wise and surrender, and Optimus tells Megatron to follow his own advice. Megatron quips that a war has never been won with words and declares Optimus will be no more once the Decepticons have all the Mini-Cons. Fed up with Megatron's talking, Optimus declares the Mini-Cons belong to the Autobots. In Legends of the Microns, Megatron refuses to let Optimus do as he wants, and Optimus says the Autobots will end Megatron's evil ambitions though Megatron says Prime can try. Then Megatron says the Mini-Cons only exist to benefit him, but Optimus swears to free all the Mini-Cons by the name of every Prime that's existed.
• In Armada's closing narration, Rad says a new battle has begun and asks if the Autobots can fend off the Decepticons before Megatron controls the universe. Legends of the Microns has no ending monologue, so this part is silent.

Animation and technical errors

• Some of the dialogue in this episode is difficult to hear. This issue doesn't exist in the Japanese dub.
• In the beginning, Carlos says Jetfire doesn't have an ego. But doesn't constant bragging equal having an ego?
• In one shot during Thrust's "evaluation" of the Decepticons, Megatron's eye is miscolored yellow. Legends of the Microns fixes this.
• After Megatron lowers the Star Saber after pointing it at Thrust, it seems that part of Megatron's right leg is missing above the knee.
• In some shots, Thrust, Starscream, and Megatron are missing the shadow around their eyes.
• After Hot Shot decides to join Jetfire in slacking off, Rad's eyes are reduced to dots for some reason.
• During the footage of Cyclonus firing at Hot Shot and Blurr from "Decisive Battle," Cyclonus's lasers are miscolored black before turning purple.
• As part of a repeating error, Sideways's primary robot mode head is colored shades of grey instead of yellow and purple outside of his stock footage sequences. Another frequent mistake with Sideways is the disappearing and reappearing Autobot/Decepticon symbol on his chest.
• After Sideways shoots at him, Starscream's eyes don't have the shadow around them, making them look small. Starscream's eyes look twice their regular size in the Japanese dub to compensate for the missing shadow.
• The smoke randomly changes from light blue to dark gray at one point while Thrust chases Sideways. Legends of the Microns fixes the color.
• When Megatron complements Thrust from offscreen, there seems to be a frame of animation missing when the others turn in Megatron's direction.
• Starscream prepares to chase after Sideways but suddenly stops for no reason. In Legends of the Microns, it's explained by Megatron telling Starscream to wait at the last second.
• The debris specks kicked up by Thrust while he stalks Sideways in stealth mode are colored black. The Japanese dub changes the debris color and makes it easier to see.
• The animation of the Decepticons' reaction to Sideways's ghostly form is flat, and the irregular twitching does it no favors either. After this, in Legends of the Microns, Megatron exclaims, "Why you!" before he leaps toward Sideways, but his mouth doesn't move.
• In the same scene mentioned above, Demolishor's mouth doesn't move when he says "This is gettin' weird!"
• Megatron looks like a low-res pixel image after slicing through Sideways. He looks this way again when the other Decepticons in the background blast Sideways in two shots, and while Sideways's disembodied head talks to him.
• For a split second while Demolishor, Starscream, and Cyclonus shoot Sideways, two Japanese kanji in a blue oval appear like a cue mark.
• As Megatron relishes Sideways's apparent destruction, his face is colored similar to his helmet.
• In the last scene, when Optimus tells Megatron he's tired of his blabbering, part of his chest is miscolored yellow.
• In the last scene, after Megatron orders the Decepticons to fire, Demolishor is miscolored like he's underwater, like in "Ruin."

Continuity notes

• Like in "Credulous," Sideways is referred to several times as a virus; He's never called a virus in the Japanese dub.
• Jetfire's cryptic mention of Unicron is the Japanese dub's second instance of building up to him, the first being three episodes ago in "Chase." By this point in the series, "Chase" is the only time Armada foreshadows Unicron.
• This episode foreshadows Tidal Wave's appearance in the next episode.
• Sideways removes his Decepticon head revealing his real robot head; this is the first time he is seen with his real face fully exposed for any real length of time.
• The Japanese dub has Sideways foreshadow the Requiem Blaster's appearance in "Desperate" after first mentioning it in "Rebellion."
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Inferno displays the ability to use Thrust's stealth capabilities.
  • Sideways reveals the ability to atomize and reconfigure himself. The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 explains that Sideways is considered a "nano-machine," the ultimate Transformer according to Ryō Motohira's script.

Continuity errors

• When Jetfire first reviews the footage, the monitor shows an image of Demolishor from a scene later in the episode, as if it can now show the future.
• The footage that Jetfire, Hot Shot, and the kids review from their "last battle with the Decepticons" often bears no resemblance to what they're describing:
  • The footage features Cyclonus Powerlinxing with Drill Bit, which happened in "Underground."
  • The footage of "the first time Optimus went up against Megatron" is actually from "Comrade." The Japanese dub corrects this to have Rad say it's the first time the kids fought alongside the Autobots.
  • Rad refers to Optimus transforming into a "really cool base" when it's his trailer transforming. Legends of the Microns removes this bit.
  • During the section from "Confrontation," Hot Shot is heard shouting, "Transform!" when he punches Megatron, which never happened. In Legends of the Microns, Hot Shot says, "Unforgivable!" just as he did in the episode.
• Megatron says he's tired of being on the Moon, but this doesn't align with what Thrust previously noted about the Decepticons being invincible once they repossess the Skyboom Shield. In Legends of the Microns, before Megatron says this, Thrust says the Decepticons can return to Cybertron once they have the Star Saber and Shield.
• Thrust claims that more Decepticons will join their cause once they reclaim the Skyboom Shield, which never really happens. Thrust says they'll soon have reinforcements in the Japanese dub, but the Decepticons must first deal with the lack of teamwork amongst them; this does a better job of building up Tidal Wave's arrival at the end before his proper debut in the next episode.

Transformers references

• When facing Sideways near the end, Megatron references the Pit in the Japanese dub.

Real-world referencess

• Though it's probably unintentional, Jetfire refers to Smokey Bear (quoted above).

Trivia

• The kanji 発覚 would be pronounced as hakkaku, while shōtai is used for 正体.
• The second opening sequence and the song "Transformers: Kōtetsu no Yūki," and the second ending song "Don't Give Up!!" both debut in this episode in Legends of the Microns.
  • The new mid-episode commercial bumpers featuring Jet Optimus and Megatron Powerlinxed with Tidal Wave also debut in this episode.
• In the Japanese dub, Jetfire makes an on-the-nose remark about Sideways's Japanese name, Double-Face, by essentially calling him two-faced, which goes without saying.
• The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals other bits of info:
  • According to Hidehito Ueda, Demolishor's personality was decided when he found the Mini-Con panel in "Palace," Ueda thought of him as a good guy, and the scene in this episode that best exemplifies Demolishor's character is when Sideways dupes him.
  • The dialogue Sideways mumbles near the end is probably improvised and played backward, and it probably has no real meaning.

Foreign localization

German

• Title: "Falsches Spiel" ("False Play")
• Original airdate: This episode was never shown on TV but was dubbed in 2003. The dub premiered in 2009 with the German DVD release of the show.

Hungarian

• Title: "Megtévesztés" ("Deception")

Italian

• Title: "Il tradimento" ("The Betrayal")

• Hot Shot says that Sideways "tried" to steal him the Star Saber... the problem is that... he didn't just tried, he actually managed to do it! It looks like Hot Shot doesn't like to talk about his failure...
• Starting from this episode, Demolishor is called "Demolisher".
• After Jetfire says that he's not sure Sideways is a Decepticon, Carlos says: "If he wasn't one of them, he would have already outwitted us", and then Jetfire says: "I don't want to make a hasty judgment. Let's watch the video". While Carlos's line simply makes no sense, Jetfire's one implies he didn't watch the video. Still, after, it's made clear that he already watched it.
• Rad's line: "So, can we trust Sideways or what's the deal?" is changed to: "So, you mean you think we can trust Sideways?", which... is totally not what Jetfire meant!

Korean

• Title: "진짜 스파이는 누구?" ("Who Is the Real Spy?")

Polish

• Title: "Wykrycie" ("Detection")

Portuguese

• Title: "Descoberta" ("Discovery")

Home video releases

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 7 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:09 (Warner Music Video)
2006 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part Two (Rhino Entertainment)
2009 — Transformers: Armada — Volume Two (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)