Dauros
From Transformers Wiki
| This article is about the Decepticon Pretender from Masterforce. For the Autobot Nebulan Headmaster partner, see Duros. |
- Dauros is a Decepticon Pretender from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Dauros (ダウロス Daurosu) and his fellow Decepticon Pretenders crash-landed on Earth during the Stone Age, while attempting to escape a pursuing crew of Autobots led by Metalhawk. Seeking to conquer the planet through fear, the Decepticons used their Pretender powers to take on the shapes of unearthly creatures and terrorized burgeoning humanity with their monstrous forms. While battling the Autobots down through the ages, the Decepticons gave rise to many myths and legends; specifically, in Dauros's case, his rampages in Ancient Greece resulted in the tale of the Minotaur. Eventually, the Decepticon Pretenders were defeated by the Autobots and sealed away, with Dauros being entombed underground, beneath the Nazca Lines of Peru. In the present day, however, the evil alien entity Devil Z has liberated Dauros and his fellow Pretenders to play a role in his evil plans for humans and Transformers alike.
Dauros's love of the smell of gunpowder led him to become the explosions expert of the Decepticon forces. If there's an unexplained explosion anywhere in human history, odds are Dauros had a hand in it. But he's not just good for blowing things up: he's also physically the strongest of the three Decepticon Pretenders, and always up for a fight. Naturally, he thinks that means he ought to be in charge, and as such, he doesn't get along very well with self-appointed leader Blood. He is constantly attempting to undermine Blood's authority, even though he never has very much luck, since Blood rarely takes him seriously. Dauros transforms into an assault tank which can burrow beneath the ground, and is also capable of flight.
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Fiction
Super-God Masterforce cartoon
- Voice actor: Daisuke Gōri (Japanese), Rik Thomas (English, Omni Productions dub)
Dauros's first public action after being freed from imprisonment by Devil Z was to lead a group of Tentakil Seacons in attacking a Japanese city in an attempt to draw out the Autobot Pretenders. Blood soon arrived to berate him for "playing leader", but Gilmer stopped the pair from fighting before they could start. As it happened, Dauros's approach actually proved successful, as Metalhawk soon arrived and all three Decepticons ganged up on him. Unfortunately for the villains, Metalhawk's fellow Autobot Pretenders also soon arrived, and Dauros grappled with Lander as the others battled around them. When Metalhawk destroyed the Seacons Dauros had brought with him, the evil trio elected to retreat. Rise Up!! Pretenders
Seeking to find a way to infuse human beings with Decepticon power, Blood had Dauros and Gilmer steal corpses from a university medical lab, and channelled energy from Devil Z to transform them into zombie-like "Destroids". These creatures soon proved unstable and short-lived, so Blood decided to use live subjects instead, sending Dauros and Gilmer to round up some test subjects in the Karin Islands. In the island jungles, Dauros battled Metalhawk, only to flee when the Lobclaw Seacons accompanying him were destroyed. Dauros and Gilmer withdrew with what human captives they had been able to acquire to the nearby Isle of the Gods, but the Autobots pursued them, liberated the captives, and forced the two Pretenders to retreat. Terror! The Decepticons' Manhunt Blood later acquired live test subjects from a jet airliner, and Dauros observed as these new Destroids were unleashed on Rome. When the Autobots arrived to subdue the Destroids, Dauros and his fellow Pretenders escaped into the catacombs under the city. Kidnapping!? The Targeted Jumbo Jet
After the failure of the Destroid scheme, the Decepticons decided that it was time to unleash their Headmaster Juniors—human beings bonded to transtectors that they had stolen from an Autobot cargo ship some time previously. Birth! Headmaster Jrs Dauros and the other Headmasters watched from their base as the three Decepticon Juniors made short work of the Cool Guys. Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules
After holding back from the front lines for a while to allow the Decepticons' new Headmaster Junior warriors to take centre stage, Dauros was then dispatched to Africa with Gilmer to cause wild animals to stampede, as part of a plan to destabilize the natural balance of Earth. Despite successfully putting his explosive skills to use to scare the animals into stampeding, Dauros was not best pleased to be on the receiving end of orders from Blood, but the head Pretender simply shut off the communication channel before he could protest. Blood then joined Dauros and Gilmer in Africa and caused an elephant stampede, but the Autobots pacified the panicked pachyderms and the Decepticons fled once more. Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!!
When Dauros and his fellow Decepticons were united with the second Decepticon unit operating under Devil Z's command and fell into service under their new leaders, Mega and Giga, the three Pretenders took an instant dislike towards their two new teammates, Hydra and Buster. As a new breed of Transformer-human fusion known as "Godmasters", Hydra and Buster were introduced as being more powerful than them, which did not get things off to a good start. As such, when Mega commented that in the grand scheme of things, even the Headmaster Juniors were more important than the Pretenders, Dauros and his two companions furiously stormed off to join in the Decepticons' attack on Viscas Island. The ensuing battle was not the Pretenders' finest hour, and they were defeated by Metalhawk and the Autobot Headmaster Juniors. A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble
Dauros and the Pretenders took a back seat in the battles that ensued, during which time the Autobots recruited their own Godmaster, Ginrai. Always out to improve their standing in Mega and Giga's eyes, the Pretenders attempted to lure Ginrai to his destruction at the hands of the Seacon combiner King Poseidon by kidnapping children and holding them on an island off the coast of America. When Autobot Pretender Diver arrived to investigate, Dauros was able to capture him as well, locking him into a device that prevented him from transforming to robot mode. Unfortunately for the Decepticons, Diver and the captive kids worked together to summon the other Autobots to the island, and King Poseidon was defeated by the new-born "Super Ginrai". Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai
Dauros and the Pretenders were later recruited by Hydra and Buster to help them track Ginrai down as he searched for more Godmasters around the world. Blood found Ginrai as he was meeting up with the first new Autobot Godmaster, Lightfoot, but kept the discovery a secret from the Godmaster brothers, calling in Dauros and Gilmer so that the Pretenders could take the credit. Blood grappled with Lightfoot while Dauros and Gilmer summoned King Poseidon to the battlefield, but when Ginrai defeated the combiner again, the villains made themselves scarce. Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter Later, after nearly choking on a turkey leg during a feast at the Decepticon base when Giga unexpectedly called on him, The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?! Dauros worked with the other Pretenders to carry out a complex plan formulated by Hydra and Buster, capturing doctors from all over the world and holding them captive on Atlan Island in the South Pacific. Unfortunately, Dauros bungled the plan when he allowed Doctor Dado to escape and alert the Autobot Godmasters, who arrived to save the day. Dauros battled Ranger during the fight, which concluded when the Godmasters unleashed their special powers and sent the Decepticon Pretenders back to their base in disgrace. Save the Little Girl! The Chōjin Warriors, the Godmasters
When Mega was posing as a fortune teller and horrifying the world with predictions of disaster, Dauros and the Pretenders later helped to make these "predictions" come true by trying to blow up Watson Dam, although they lacked the firepower to accomplish the task, forcing Giga to step up. Expose the Decepticons' Dark Trap! A little later, Dauros, Blood and Gilmer all participated in an attack on the Autobots' "Bomber Project" facility, but the fight was definitely a low point for the evil Pretenders, who were beaten so badly by Lightfoot and Ranger that they lost several limbs between them. Will the Bomber Project Be Destroyed!?
After dropping off the radar for a lengthy period of time, Dauros and the Decepticon Pretenders were later seen battling the Autobot Pretenders in Latin America God Ginrai - Save Cancer!? and were at the Decepticon headquarters when Ginrai was lured there to rescue his captive comrade Shūta Gō, God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base and when the Autobots initiated an all-out attack on the base. The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform During this battle, Devil Z and BlackZarak fused together and the Decepticon base was destroyed, following which Dauros relocated with the rest of the villains to the Grand Canyon for an attack on North America. When Autobots pursued them, the Decepticon Pretenders battled Road King and Lightfoot, although Hydra and Buster soon butted in and took over the fight.
With the attack on North America complete, the Decepticons moved to the Alps to attack Europe. Again, the Autobots gave chase, and Dauros, Blood and Gilmer observed the heroes' approach, reporting on it to Overlord and BlackZarak. When Hydra and Buster were defeated once again in battle by Ginrai, BlackZarak unleashed his full fury upon them, and the terrified Pretenders fled the scene, fearing what would happen if BlackZarak turned his anger on them. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z
Super-God Masterforce comic
After being freed by Devil Z, Dauros, Blood, and Gilmer reintroduced themselves to the modern world by attacking the Karin Islands. The islands' prince, Cab, made a vain attempt at battling the Decepticons, but the tide turned when the Autobot hero Metalhawk arrived and sent the Decepticons packing with his "Shining Arrow" attack. Gods? Demons? The Pretenders
After unleashing a Lobclaw on Ginza, Tokyo The Birth of the Junior Headmasters Dauros and Gilmer directed the Decepticons' new Headmaster Junior warriors in attacking the city while Blood was busy occupying Metalhawk. The Decepticon Juniors were defeated by the Autobots' own Headmaster Juniors The Battle of Destiny - Children of Good and Evil and Dauros joined them in withdrawing to meet up with their leaders, Mega and Giga. On Scene! Our Savior's Name Is Ginrai! Later, when the Seacon combiner King Poseidon was defeated by Super Ginrai, the battered Turtler escaped to report his failure to the Pretenders. Burn, Chokon! New Commander Super Ginrai!
When Mega and Giga rolled their Transtectors into battle for the first time, Dauros and the Pretenders came along for the ride, clinging to the top of the Megajet. God Ginrai's Amazing Divine Combination! Dauros later observed the torture of the Autobot Headmaster Juniors Shūta Gō and Cab at Blood's hands, as the Decepticons tried to force the boys to join their evil family, The Good and Evil Families of Earth and later still, helped to make decorations for the Decepticon base to celebrate the New Year. The Great Turnabout of the Autobots
Dauros, Blood, and Gilmer were the only Transformers who did not participate in the final battle against Devil Z when he turned on the other Decepticons and attempted to absorb their Jinchōkon. After all the other Transformers joined their energies in the "Perfect Transform Attack" and destroyed Devil Z once and for all, the Autobots' and Decepticons' Transtectors were brought to life by the alien's death and departed Earth to rejoin their respective factions in space. Watching as their once-comrades left the planet, Dauros, Blood, and Gilmer were last seen running off into the distance, deciding that they should learn to transform into humans too. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms
2005 IDW continuity
- First appearance: Autocracy #12
Dauros was among the attacking Decepticon forces against the Autobots in the battle at the Citadel. He responded enthusiastically to Blitzwing's orders when he ordered the Decepticons to assume siege mode. Endgame
Millions of years later, after the war had ended, Dauros was at a Decepticon bar when Tracks showed up to confront Needlenose over his recent course of action. When Needlenose claimed that he could handle Tracks on his own, Dauros told him, "Then handle it." The Transgressors Soon thereafter, Dauros was among the Decepticons led by Needlenose, Brawl, and Dreadwing who headed to the spacebridge chamber in Iacon to transport themselves to the Ark-7. Lagrange
Toys
Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers
...that is all.
- ID number: D-202
- Accessories: Pretender shell, belt, "Oval Cutter", 2 "Gigaton Magnum" rifles
- Known designers: Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- Released in the fourth year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line under the Super-God Masterforce banner, Pretender Dauros is identical to the Hasbro-release Skullgrin, transforming into a gray and purple Cybertronic half-track kinda thing. Aside from his normal top-mounted arm-blasters, his "Gigaton Magnum" rifles can plug into the sides of his robot mode at the treads.
- In robot mode, Dauros fits inside his larger two-part Pretender shell, a saggy humanoid minotaur-ish creature with a very ungulate-y skull for a head. (His lower jaw is actually sculpted into the torso of the shell, but as it is unpainted, it tends to get lost visually in all his other folds.) An off-white skull belt helps secures the two shell pieces when locked together; unlike most Pretenders, his belt is a full-length piece that buckles together in the back rather than a half-belt that just clips onto the shell halves at the sides of the hips. The shell can hold Dauros's Gigaton Magnums which can combine to form a super-weapon, which also leaves his other hand open to hold his "Oval Cutter" sword weapon (which robot-Dauros cannot handle, sadly).
Notes
- "Dauros" is based on tauros (タウロス), Greek for "bull", with the first consonant changed to the voiced equivalent.
- Dauros is never been identified by name in IDW continuity. His Hasbro doppelgänger, Skullgrin, is drawn based on a mechanical version of their Pretender shell. Consequently, TFWiki has assumed appearances by the standard robot mode are Dauros by default. Blood and Bomb-Burst are known to follow this pattern explicitly.
Foreign names
- English: Skullgrin (Omni Productions dub, Shout! Factory sub)
- Italian: Korno ("Horn")
- Mandarin: Shānyáng Guàimó (山羊怪魔, "Goat Demon")
- Russian: Zuboskal (Зубоскал, "Scoffer")
- Spanish: Bull (Latin America)
