Burning spirit
From Transformers Wiki
"Burning spirit" refers to the phenomenon of some Transformers manifesting new power based on positive psychic reinforcement—that is, by belief, either from the subject's own self-confidence and righteous indignation, or the championing power of an adoring crowd encouraging them, or some other ambient psychic effect that drives them to fight on. The actual mechanism by which the beliefs are transmitted and converted into energy are unclear, and are often inconsistent between circumstances.
"Burning spirit" isn't always the direct source of this new power; sometimes it instead acts as a trigger which activates another power source, either within the subject or another external mechanism. The most notable of these is the Energon Matrix, which can only be activated by strong emotions as a means of ensuring it is only used in the most dire of situations. Regardless of how this burning spirit is invoked, this often leads the Transformer to show undeniable physical alterations—e.g., color changes, physical growth, new weapon attachments, a visible aura, or abilities they possess at no other time—which in turn can include powers that are all but miraculous, such as repairing grievous bodily injury or temporarily suspending the laws of thermodynamics.
It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "burning justice".
| “ | Nothing is impossible for a burning spirit. | ” |
| —Fire Convoy's motto, and the supposed solution to all their problems. | ||
Contents |
Conceptual overview
| “ | The secondary heroes stand around and watch, calling on their burning spirit and heart of justice to empower the main hero from afar. | ” |
As you can guess, "burning spirit" is a sort of catch-all term that describes the tendency of protagonists to become stronger through seemingly nothing more than sheer force of will. Frequently the media in question will provide a broad mechanism to explain these instances (e.g. Dragon Ball and its various ki auras; Gurren Lagann's Spiral Power; etc.), but it is usually implied that it is simply the character's determination that unlocks or creates this power. While most commonly demonstrated in Japanese fiction, there are several examples of western media using the trope as well (e.g. various uses of the Avatar State in Avatar: The Last Airbender; the Cage family's powers in Mortal Kombat X; etc.). This practice isn't exclusive to just the good guys either, with the baddies equally capable of getting their own emotional boost. The major difference is that in heroes, it is brought about by positive emotions such as faith, courage or love, while in villains, it is generally anger, ambition or vengeance.
Note that the major difference between burning spirit and good old-fashioned grim determination is whether or not there are any real, physical changes that occur. A mortally wounded Optimus Prime using the last of his strength to strike Megatron? Desperation or determination. A battered but defiant Optimus Prime turning gold to strike down Galvatron? Burning spirit all the way, baby.
As previously mentioned, burning spirit is a very common trope in Japanese media, particularly in shōnen manga, so Takara and the various Japanese creators tend to be a little more laissez-faire about its invocation or explaining the reasons behind it when it occurs. Hasbro and its licensors, however, seem to prefer that these sorts of power boosts can be clearly explained in-story, rather than just occurring because someone really wants to win. This approach often includes English adaptations of the aforementioned Japanese media, which would sometimes try to offer vague explanations for where this sudden power surge came from. That said, there are plenty of edge cases in western media: for example, Optimus's resurrection in "The War Never Ends" is the result of the supernatural power of the Matrix of Leadership, but gives him an inexplicable white coloration as a result; and Rodimus's energon-fueled power up in Last Bot Standing #4 is a pretty obvious Super Saiyan nod without being directly tied to his emotional state.
Perhaps the most obvious examples of this east-versus-west approach to the concept can be seen in Transformers: Cybertron. In its Japanese counterpart, Galaxy Force, moments of spontaneous power-ups were abundant, perhaps to a greater magnitude than any other piece of Transformers fiction. As a result, the English-language Cybertron dub's writers would desperately attempt to make these instances make sense, or at least acknowledge how bizarre they were, to the best of their ability. This was done through the insertion of dialogue that explained where the power boost was coming from, or just altering dialogue so that the characters would be amazed and/or mystified by what was happening to them, as opposed to their Japanese counterparts' nonchalant reactions that presented it as the most normal thing in the world. Sometimes characters would claim it to be a side effect of the Cyber Keys' power, activated or called upon during moments of desperation; other times, it could be treated as part of a Super Mode, with the surrounding aura being explained as excess energon being expended by their powered state. The Omega Frequency, another creation of the dub, would also sometimes be edited into the soundscape during these moments in an attempt to tie it back to the power of Primus. And sometimes, when faced with a particularly inexplicable example, the script would just give up and flag up the inexplicability for laughs.
For several years, members of the fandom used the term "burning justice" to describe this phenomenon, seemingly derived from a 2006 Shortpacked! strip by David Willis. That said, it's not an especially elegant term, nor is it particularly descriptive of the trope itself, and feels largely rooted in the "LOL JAPAN IS WEIRD" mentality of the early-to-mid-2000s.
Incidentally, burning spirit is an easy way to show off just how awesome and cool a character is. You can guess why.
Fiction
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Generations Selects Special Comic (1)
In 2011, Optimus Prime and a time-traveling young Oracle used their desire to protect the timeline as it happened and everyone in it to vanquish a resurgent Unicron with a huge blast of Oracle's virtuous Angolmois Energy. Finale
Victory cartoon
As Earth came under attack by the Planet-Destroying Fortress, both Star Saber and Victory Leo swore to destroy the weapon, even at the cost of their own lives. Drawing on their burning spirit, the pair combined into Victory Saber and unleashed their full arsenal upon the fortress, before charging up their energy into a burning aura and releasing it inside the fortress's core, creating a massive explosion that completely destroyed it. Showdown! The Fortress vs the Victory Unification
Legends
Generations Selects Special Comic (2)
In 2050, the Selectors followed the lead of a time-traveling Lio Convoy and harnessed their resolve to protect the Earth to attain various Angolmois Energy-powered super modes and vanquish Megatron Omega. Finale
Beast Wars II cartoon
When the legendary warrior Optimus Primal was pulled out of space-time by a warp gate, he joined forces with Lio Convoy against Majin Zarak. Together, their burning spirit activated the power of their Energon Matrices, granting them new color schemes and powers as "Burning Convoy" and "Flash Lio Convoy". Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!
Lio Convoy and Lio Junior's burning spirit allowed them to merge the power of their Energon Matrices, becoming a single warrior glowing green with internal energies. Legend! The Green Warrior
Car Robots cartoon
When he found out that the Combatrons had lied to him about switching sides, Fire Convoy's burning anger activated his Energon Matrix at full power, causing him to glow green and unlocking several new weapons, which he used to deliver a brutal smackdown to the Combatrons and force them to retreat. Heroic Awakening! Black Convoy
Devil Gigatron determined that while the Transformers' spirits had stagnated over the eons and would forever be trapped on a path to the same destiny, the pure, optimistic hearts of children had the power to reshape the future. As a result, he intended to use his swarms of mind-controlling cyber-bats to harness and control their power, shaping the future to his own ends. After Devil Gigatron drained Brave Maximus's energy, Yuuki Onishi contacted other children over the internet to let them know what was happening and to ask that they all send their well-wishes to Maximus. Their positive energy and desire to see good triumph over evil was strong enough to restore Brave Maximus to full power, and Maximus in turn channeled that energy to God Fire Convoy, who used it to call forth the Super God Sword and defeat Devil Gigatron once and for all. The Final Battle
Beast Machines cartoon
In a rather unique inversion of the concept, following their reformatting into technorganic forms by the Oracle, heightened and extreme emotions actually prevented the Maximals from transforming into their robot modes. Only by finding their emotional centers could they access their transformations. Master of the House
When Megatron was about to destroy the organic core of Cybertron, Optimus Primal's burning spirit allowed him to tap into the Oracle's power. He broke free of the bonds holding him and blasted Megatron's throne with a reformatting beam that caused it to sprout technorganic vines, using them to hold Megatron in place and push them both to their destruction. Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future
Unicron Trilogy continuity family
Armada
When Megatron fired the Hydra Cannon at Earth in an attempt to destroy the planet, Optimus Prime called upon his very spark to give him the strength to stop it. Driven by his determination and burning spirit, the power of Optimus's spark was enough to repel the blast back at the cannon and destroy it, though doing so cost him his life. Crisis
Energon
When Six Shot hacked a virtual reality tournament to immobilize his opponents, Hot Shot and Rodimus, the two used the power of their burning spirit to break free and powerlinx, allowing them to defeat Six Shot. Distribution
Cybertron
While battling the Autobots at Niagara Falls, Megatron's anger at being bested became so intense, it powered him up to the point where he nearly killed Hot Shot, Red Alert, and Scattorshot. Revelation Despite being near-death, the encouragement of their human allies strengthened their resolve, with all three of them swearing they would never give up. Their determination was so powerful, it manifested as an energy that beamed itself to Cybertron through a radar dish, which caused Primus to send some of his power to the distant Omega Lock, using it to fully restore all three bots in new, more powerful bodies as the Cybertron Defense Team. Critical
When Override Leobreaker, and Evac were transporting the Omega Lock to Cybertron via space bridge, they found themselves cornered in a warped area of space by the Decepticons. The three decided to take a chance and jump to escape, and their determination imbued them with the power of the Omega Lock, allowing them to fly forth unabated. Override reacted with shock and confusion, but Leobreaker casually remarked that this was just something that happened from time to time, and he had chosen to stop questioning it. Crumplezone and Ransack were left rather flummoxed by the whole thing; Megatron and Scourge, however, built up their own power to give chase, while Thunderblast managed to manifest her own aura solely from her attraction to Megatron. Cybertron
Following his defeat by Metroplex, Megatron's anger was so great that he literally began to project an aura of fury, drawing on Gigantion's Cyber Planet Key to increase its power. While encased in this aura, Megatron was practically untouchable, defeating any Autobot he came across in short order. This came to a head when the aura finally dissipated, revealing it had fully transformed Megatron into the more powerful Galvatron. Fury
When Galvatron damaged one of the planetary engines pushing Jungle Planet through a space bridge, putting it on a collision course with Cybertron, every Transformer from all the colonies arrived to assist. Their combined burning spirit called upon the power of Primus, giving them the strength to push the engine back into place and avert the disaster. In his subsequent final battle with Galvatron, Optimus's burning spirit was brought out by the encouragement of his allies, including the deceased Vector Prime, causing the Matrix of Leadership to encase him in a gold aura that gave him the strength to overcome his foe. Unfinished
TransTech
When the Predacon Megatron used the AllSpark Key to create an army of sentient lab equipment, Shockwave suggested the heroes defeat them by having Optimus Prime engage Megatron in a long, drawn-out battle full of stock footage, while the others "stand around and watch, calling on their burning spirit and heart of justice to empower the main hero from afar." Prime and the others were quick to decline. Bee in the City
Animated continuity family
The Japanese title sequence features Optimus Prime surrounding himself with a blue aura as he launches himself at Megatron, who is practically a silhouette within his own red aura.
Safeguard's powered-up mode was referred to as his "Burning Justice" mode. The AllSpark Almanac II
Go! cartoon
When Goradora began to overpower the Swordbot Samurai Team during a battle in the past, Isami Tatewaki called out to them, telling them to hang in there. His words of encouragement activated the Red Legendisc, allowing the Swordbots to merge into GoJinbu and defeat their opponent. Pursue! The Legendiscs!
Cloud
Precursor World
Halfshell bisected Megatron Omega and revived God Neptune with the power of love for his crew (and the Star Power provided by the help of White Gallant Convoy's ghost). God Neptune comic 2
Green Tender Convoy, Black Go Prime and Yellow Splendid Convoy's resolve to protect their universe to the last (and beyond) allowed them to utilize the Primus Vanguard's secret Star Power technique for a final posthumous attack. Megatron Omega née Galvatron's desperation to change the timeline and avert his own death, along with Golden Power siphoned from Primus's envoy, powered him up into Gold Megatron. Finale
Though initially doubting his ability to lead the Blue Order after the death of Blue Big Convoy and the destruction of the Matrix Sword, Magna Convoy was encouraged by Convobat during an attack by the Straxus twins. Now accepting his role as leader, Magna Convoy's burning spirit allowed him to harness his Blue Star Power, reconstituting the Matrix Sword and using it to repel Straxus. Cybertron Magna Convoy
