Minerva (human)

Minerva is a human Autobot Headmaster Junior from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Able was I, ere I saw Minelba.

Minerva (ミネルバ Mineruba) is the daughter of Mont Parta's ambassador to Japan, half-French on her mother's side, and a happy, charming, friendly, talented girl brimming with idealism and care for her fellow man. But Minerva's idealism is a naive kind: petitioning to join the Autobots out of a desire to "fight evil", she quickly found that the reality of war was a lot more than she was prepared for. Already very uncomfortable with violence and now thrown into the heart of a war in which children, of all beings, are so casually made a part of the conflict, Minerva is left struggling to rationalize her role as a warrior, even one on the side of good. As such, she usually refrains from entering battle herself unless circumstances absolutely demand it, instead operating as a battlefield medic and tending to the human victims of the Transformers' battles. In the final analysis, Minerva's timidness leaves her simply treating the symptoms of the disease, rather than fighting the cause.

As an Autobot Headmaster Junior, Minerva is bonded to a Transtector from the planet Master, which takes the form of an emergency rescue vehicle. Using her Master-Braces, she can summon a suit of armor that enhances her physical strength, speed and reflexes, which allows her to transform into a head for her Transtector and function as a full-size Transformer robot armed with a paralyzing "Shock Blaster". Outside of combat situations, Minerva is a much more easy-going girl. Clearly raised in an overly "traditional" manner befitting an ambassador's daughter and tutored in various "feminine skills", she is a talented dancer, painter, cook and medic, and has inherited the poise, grace and beauty of her mother, making her the object of many of her male teammates' affections. A word or two of praise from Minerva is enough to bring any Autobot out in a hot flush.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Voice actor: Yuriko Yamamoto (Japanese), Lisa Mazzotti (Italian)

The name is Minerva and I'll be your host this page.

When the news came that her family was moving to Japan, Minerva was especially excited at the prospect of learning traditional Japanese dance, but she could never have guessed that the plane on which they flew would be attacked by the Decepticon Pretender, Blood, who was searching for Mont Parta's prize-winning biologist, Professor Blanieux. Their jet crashed in Corsica, but Minerva and her family escaped with only minor injuries, and she was only too happy to talk to the "government investigators" who came to her in the hospital where her parents were being treated. In particular, the two young boys that accompanied the investigators, Shūta and Cab, were very taken with Minerva. The following day, when Professor Blanieux arrived to rendezvous with Minerva's father before he and the family headed on to Japan, the investigators, Shūta and Cab accompanied them on their private jet for fear of any further Decepticon attacks. Blood did indeed strike at the plane, and to combat him, the investigators revealed that they were, in fact, the Autobot Pretenders. Although Minerva was initially angry with Shūta and Cab for lying to her, she was impressed with their bravery when the jet's stewardess turned out to be a Decepticon Destroid and they fought and incapacitated her. With the Decepticons' plan foiled, Shūta and Cab suggested that Minerva could join them in attending the International School, and she happily agreed. Kidnapping!? The Targeted Jumbo Jet

"What do you mean, 'anything can happen in the next half-hour?'"

Having seen the evil of the Decepticons firsthand, Minerva was only to happy to say yes when Autobot leader Metalhawk asked if she wanted to help the Autobots in their fight against them. At first, Hawk was unsure if she was up to the task, but Minerva obtained her parents' permission and assured Hawk that she was willing to spend her life saving the lives of others. Together with Shūta and Cab, Minerva was given Masterbraces and a Transtector and became a Headmaster Junior warrior. Birth! Headmaster Jrs

While training with Diver in America, however, Minerva displayed her lack of confidence with her new power, but was soon forced to face up to the responsibilities it carried when the Decepticons' Headmaster Juniors attacked a nearby city. Unable to summon the courage to join Shūta and Cab in the fight, Minerva was only galvanized into action when she saw a young girl become buried under rubble on news coverage of the battle. Racing into action without a second thought, Minerva followed the girl's dog to her side and rescued her, but tragedy then struck when Wilder killed the poor animal. Finally filled with the emotional fury that drove her to fight, Minerva transformed to robot mode and took out two of the three villains, forcing them to retreat. After the battle, Minerva helped the girl bury Pis and promised to buy her a new puppy just like him. Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules

When Wilder kidnaps one of his former gang members, the sister, Mary comes to the Juniors for help. During the battle, Minerva and Cab fight together to take down Bullhorn, but are stopped when Cancer takes Mary hostage. Her brother finally joins the battle with an exploding motorcycle. Minerva catches him after the blast and stuns Wilder and Cancer. Calling the retreat, she quickly transports the siblings back to base. At the dinner party she invites them to, Minerva makes the salad. Go, Goshooter - Showdown in the Wasteland

What? Lightrays naturally form and angle like that!

On a mission to Kenya, Minerva's choice of ensemble definitely made the trip for Shūta and Cab, but it also left her quite open for a deadly scorpion sting. Thankfully, this was prevented by a well-timed shot from Ricky. While the other Autobots battled the Decepticons in the area, Minerva put her medical talents to use treating an injured fawn for which Ricky was caring. Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!! Upon returning to Japan, the trio participated in the Mt Fuji Foothills Hang Gliding Competition Tournament, only for it to be attacked by the Decepticon Godmasters Buster and Hydra. Minerva treated the injured hang-gliders while the battle raged. Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers

Not long thereafter, the Autobots were joined by their own Godmaster, Ginrai, whom Minerva and the other Juniors were eager to meet. Ginrai: God On of Rage!! They arrived to welcome him at the harbour when he came to visit them, but during the drive back to the headquarters, the team was attacked by the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors, and Ginrai kidnapped Cancer for interrogation. Minerva attempted to make the boy's imprisonment bearable, appalled by Ginrai's use of handcuffs. Even when Cancer shattered a glass of juice that she attempted to offer him, cutting her with the shards, she refused to let Shūta and Cab hurt him. When Ginrai threatened Cancer with physical force, she tried to stop him, but was ordered out of the room, so she watched the ensuing interrogation on a viewscreen.

First Mayumi, then Minerva... Cancer might be scared Mega will be next.

Learning what they needed from him, the Autobots released Cancer into the hands of Hydra and Buster, but Hydra immediately discovered a homing beacon on Cancer's back and attacked the Autobots in retaliation. Buster seized Minerva and placed his blaster to her head, but surprisingly, Cancer snatched her away, begging the Godmasters not to kill anyone. The surprised Decepticons were overpowered by Ginrai and retreated, with Cancer shouting back that his act of kindness was simply payback for the drink. A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva

Worrying that Ginrai would hate her after her argument with him, Minerva went to Metalhawk with her concerns, and he encouraged her to talk it out with him. Heading out to join Ginrai, Shūta and Cab at a barbecue, Minerva arrived in time to overhear Ginrai praise her honesty, and she consequently plucked up the courage to join them and apologize, setting things right once more. She was subsequently with Ginrai when he discovered the trailer for his Transtector Friend or Foe!? The True Form of the Monster!! and was part of the battle when he unleashed its power against King Poseidon. During this fight, Minerva appealed to Cancer to abandon the Decepticons and join the Autobots, but she was struck down by Bullhorn before her words could sink in. Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai

Pose it like you mean it.

The Headmaster Juniors' summer break coincided with the discovery of another Autobot Godmaster, Lightfoot, Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter and as such, they were able to accompany Ginrai, Metalhawk and Lander on their search for the next Godmaster, camping in the Rocky Mountains. While picking mushrooms, Minerva spotted a forest patrolman named Ranger talking with Bullhorn and immediately suspected he was a Decepticon, but was unable to tell the other Autobots when she returned to the camp and found Shūta and Cab fishing with him. When a storm lashed the campsite that night, the group took Ranger up on his offer of taking refuge in his cabin, where Minerva was able to tell her fellow Juniors her suspicions. She was soon proven wrong, however, when Ranger revealed a strange, glowing rock that he had discovered, which turned out to be a Transtector with which he then bonded, becoming the next Autobot Godmaster. An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger

When the Six Changer Sixknight arrived on Earth, allied himself with the Decepticons and challenged Ginrai to a duel, Minerva was among the spectators of the battle, but found herself playing a more important role when she was captured by Blood and Gilmer. The Pretender duo threatened her life in order to make Ginrai stand down, but as they argued over who got to hold her Sixknight was enraged at their interference and forced them to let her go so that they could duel honourably. A Powerful Foe!! Sixknight the Wanderer Sixknight ultimately lost to Ginrai, but returned soon after, attempting to comprehend how he'd lost to a human. As he and Ginrai were in the middle of talking, the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors attacked a nearby city in order to draw the Autobots out, as part of a plan by Cancer to prove to his fellow Juniors that Minerva meant nothing to him. Sixknight responded to their attack with deadly force, and the horrified Minerva was forced to team up with Cancer's little Decepticon buddy Browning to blind Sixknight with a smokescreen, allowing the Decepticon Juniors to escape. The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?!

Never thought you'd see the GIRL wearing the least skimpy swimsuit, did you?

With the summer break coming to a close, Minerva joined Shūta and Cab on a trip to Cab's home in the Karin Islands, where her beauty particularly struck Cab's elderly guardian Donq. Minerva's medical talents were required to help treat a sick friend of Cab's named Copo, as all the local doctors had been kidnapped by the Decepticons as part of an outlandish plan, but the Autobots rescued them and all was set right. Save the Little Girl! The Chōjin Warriors, the Godmasters Crazy Decepticon plans were still the order of the day when the Juniors returned to school to hear stories of a mysterious fortune-teller on television who predicted disasters across the planet. Minerva dismissed it all as made-up nonsense, but had to eat her words when all the predictions came true and she and the other Juniors had to protect a town from a raging flood, only for it all to turn out to have been yet another Decepticon scheme. Expose the Decepticons' Dark Trap!

Soon thereafter, Minerva, Shūta and Cab were at last let in on a secret the other Autobots had been keeping from them: the "Bomber Project", a plan to construct a power-up drone known as "Godbomber" for Ginrai to help him fight BlackZarak, a mighty Decepticon presently approaching from space. Super Ginrai Gets Blown Away in the Desert!? Ginrai was subsequently injured by Overlord in a battle in the desert, and Minerva treated his wounds before he was admitted to a hospital. Will the Bomber Project Be Destroyed!? Ginrai was insistent on going through with the mission despite his injuries, so Minerva had Shūta and Cab spar with him a little to help him work through the pain. God Ginrai - Into the Sky!! Alas, the three Juniors and the other Autobots could do nothing but watch as Ginrai and Grand Maximus battled Overlord and BlackZarak on Earth's moon, but in the end, the Autobots triumphed. God Ginrai - Showdown on the Surface of the Moon After returning to Earth, Godbomber was further modified to transport the Juniors' transtectors into battle. As Shūta and Cab raced through British Motors in robot-mode, Minerva slid down a railing. Upon arriving on the factory floor, Shūta and Cab landing in a heap, Minerva claimed no part in the competition. Shortly after, Lightfoot reported that the Decepticons were attacking a desert oil refinery. As the boys put out the fires, Minerva tended to the wounded workers. After the battle, Ginrai gave high praise to the trio for their successful handling of the situation and claimed them as a reliable part of his team. Overlord - Terror of the Chōkon Tornado Godbomber even revealed a new power, transforming into a robot that Minerva and the Juniors discovered they could combine their Chōkon Power to control. Destroy Godbomber!!

Kind of embarrassing to see the Ambulance need saving.

When the Autobots tracked the Decepticons down to an island in the Pacific, Minerva was injured by a blast from Overlord, but was suddenly swept up and carried to safety by a new robot named Clouder, who introduced himself as the final Godmaster. Appearance!! The Final Godmaster Minerva welcomed Clouder into the Autobot ranks and gave him a tour of their headquarters, even covering for him when his apparent curiosity led him to fiddle with the base computer. She dismissed Shūta and Cab's suspicions of Clouder, but Hawk shared in the boys' doubts and trailed Clouder, proving that he was, in fact, a Decepticon spy. Unfortunately, this did little to help the Autobots, as the Decepticons soon attacked using the information Clouder had provided, while bombs he had planted in the base crippled its defences. Secret Orders! Destroy the Autobot Base!! With Hawk injured and the other Autobots occupied in battle, Minerva and the Juniors were left to defend the base alone, but ultimately, the Autobots were forced to abandon it before it was destroyed. Disaster! The Autobot Base Explodes

Soon after, BlackZarak was able to reach the Earth, and the conflict took a step up as cities all over the world were targeted. When Cancer was buried in a pile of rubble during an attack on his home country of China, Minerva began to dig him out. Shūta and Cab were only to happy to let him rot until Ginrai ordered them to help. God Ginrai - Save Cancer!? At last convinced by this display of concern and respect, Cancer defected to the Autobots. God Ginrai: Showdown at the Decepticon Base

That is one intense séance.

When BlackZarak, now merged with Decepticon emperor Devil Z, threatened North American with his Devil Power from his staging point within the Grand Canyon, Minerva was part of a team along with Shūta, Cab and Ranger who were attacked by King Poseidon. Autobots! Desperate Attack!! The Juniors got a chance at a rematch in the Alps, where King Poseidon nearly cut Minerva in two before Metalhawk stepped in to rescue her. Ginrai arrived to defeat the combiner, but Metalhawk and the Juniors were badly wounded and forced to remain behind as Ginrai headed to the summit of the Matterhorn to face BlackZarak. Malevolent and Inhuman! The True Form of Devil Z Minerva used the time to take care of Metalhawk's injuries, but soon, Ginrai and BlackZarak's fight carried them down the mountain, where BlackZarak transformed into an even more powerful serpent mode. Minerva, Shūta and Cab could feel the burning energy of Ginrai, and all three Juniors found themselves transported into his chest cockpit, where their energies helped him destroy BlackZarak. His host destroyed, Devil Z raged impotently until Ginrai and the Juniors united every last drop of their power in the Final Fire Guts attack, which completely destroyed the arch-villain. In the aftermath of the battle, the Autobots were all immediately enveloped in a glow and transformed from robots back into their human forms. Minerva was the first to realize that their Masterbraces had disappeared, and moments later, the truth of the situation was revealed: the death of Devil Z had caused their bond to their Transtectors to be severed. Their Transtectors, however, all lived on, evolved into true super-robot lifeforms through the power of their bond. Minerva's Transtector departed for space with all the others to carry on the fight against the Decepticons. A Battle... and Then...

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. A Fierce Battle!! The Autobots Are in Trouble Assemble! The Four Godmaster Gunmen Escape!! The Underwater Volcano Erupts BlackZarak - Destroyer from Space Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction The Ultimate Combination!! BlackZarak, the New Lifeform Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings Reborn

Cloud

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Wandering TFC-A03

Minerva, along with Shūta and Cab encounter the entity SARA and Hot Rodimus in their quest to find energy to absorb from their world, known as the 63-MF Spacetime. After befriending SARA, she and the other Autobots went to assist in a fire that broke out in the city, being helped by an unknown Transformer. Later, they wave SARA goodbye.

Legends/Unite Warriors

Spider-Man: No Way Home be like:

Operating her transtector, Minerva was among the heroic female Transformers who appeared in one of Tigatron's dreams to protect him from the evil female Transformers. Bonus Edition Vol. 11

The real Minerva was one of the many women brought to the Legends Universe by Tigatron using the ultra-drill in an attempt to get women who liked him better than Springer. It did not work out, as all of the women brought over eventually swooned over Springer. Bonus Edition Vol. 19

In 2021 after the Masterforce War, with Cancer and Wilder, a human who might have been Minerva surfed near by a group of Autobots led by Optimus Prime who were doing "special surfing training". Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?

Minerva, Shūta, and Cab went into space with Fortress Maximus's crew in order to find the missing former Decepticon Headmaster Juniors. LG24 Shockwave & Cancer Prologue The three were then caught up in a battle between Fortress Maximus's and Scorponok's troops. When Scorponok detonated a nearby black hole, Fortress had Wheelie take the humans to safety, and so they avoided being infected with "blackballs" like the other Autobots. Headmaster Chapter Prologue The humans would join the Autobots in the Legends Universe, where they reunited with the former Decepticon Headmaster Juniors, who brought them new Headmaster-Braces from Grand. LG24 Shockwave & Cancer Prologue

When a mysterious meteor landed in the Legends Universe and turned into a trailer, Minerva and her friends recognized it as Ginrai's transtector. She then borrowed Alpha Trion's ultra-drill and used it to bring Ginrai over to this universe to claim the trailer. Bonus Edition Vol. 35 While partying at the Dancitron, Minerva was brainwashed by Soundblaster's music into attacking Twincast until the Autobot's own music cleared her head. Bonus Edition Vol. 36 Minerva went on to join the local police force, working with Ai and Ravage in the search for the escaped criminal, Tarantulas. Bonus Edition Vol. 40 While visiting the facility where the Autobots were rebuilding Godbomber, Minerva was shocked to run into a doppelganger of herself who revealed herself to be Nightbeat, the Legends World equivalent of Minerva who was spying on the project. Nightbeat and her Decepticon allies stole most of the Godbomber parts but missed its new Headmaster component, which Minerva, Shūta, and Cab were asked to commune with like they had done once before. By imbuing Godbomber with Chōkon Power, they brought life to the drone, allowing it to go save Ginrai from the Decepticons' false Godbomber. Bonus Edition Vol. 42

Minerva was among those swallowed whole and used as a living battery by Trypticon during his rampage, Bonus Edition Vol. 43 and was later seen on the streets of Akihabara after it was rebuilt as Neo Akihabara City. Targetmaster Chapter Prologue She was alarmed when Kickback ate his way into the police station and stole Blowpipe, and more so when bug-sized Kickback clones were eating the clothes off of her. Bonus Edition Vol. 47 This was but the beginning of Minerva's clothing-related mishaps, as her uniform was later destroyed by Blowpipe's plasma energy emissions. Bonus Edition Vol. 49 When evil Kreons invaded the Legends World, she found herself harassed by Pick-Up. Special Chapter She lost her clothes again when White Leo turned everyone into pseudo-Beastformers and counted the humans as "ape-type beasts", even giving Minerva the Beastformer name "Monkey Minerva". Bonus Edition Vol. 51

Minerva, Shūta, and Cab accompanied Ginrai on a delivery job during which they were ambushed by a revived Giga and Mega, who attempted to neutralize Ginrai and Godbomber by taking away their heads. The Headmaster Juniors came to the rescue by borrowing the headless transtectors, with Minerva taking control of the Super Ginrai body and becoming "Super Minerva" before combining with "God Cab" into "God Minerva" and sending Giga and Mega fleeing. Bonus Edition God Ginrai Giga and Mega later lured them to their Chōkon Tower Chinese Restaurant to settle the score with Ginrai, and the Headmaster Juniors assisted in the duel by sitting inside Godbomber and lending it their power. Bonus Edition Vol. 60 They participated in the final battle with a revived Devil Z alongside all the other Masterforce warriors, again by powering up Godbomber/God Ginrai. Bonus Edition Grand Maximus

Minerva felt the rumblings caused by Scorponok's Majin Zarak, which distracted her and others at the police station enough that they didn't notice Flywheels pilfering the cell keys. Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part One

TV Magazine comic continuity

Super-God Masterforce comic

In the name of The Moon, I will punish you!

Minerva was a schoolfriend of Shūta and Cab's, who joined them in begging Metalhawk to allow them to become members of the Autobots. After a period of intense training, the trio were given Master-Braces and Transtectors and became Headmaster Juniors, but didn't fare very well in their first battle against a Lobclaw. Minerva was first to fall to the Seacon, and Metalhawk had to leap in to bail them out. The Birth of the Junior Headmasters

During a battle between Metalhawk and Blood in the dead of night, Hawk called upon the Juniors to provide rescue operations in the city. Minerva and Shūta had to silently sneak out of the International School dorms, and once they arrived on the scene, they were attacked by the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors. Although outmatched, they were able to overpower their foes when Cancer was distracted by some injured humans nearby, and with their enemies dispatched, Minerva dispensed first aid. The Battle of Destiny - Children of Good and Evil

When news came from America of the discovery of the first Autobot Godmaster, Minerva and the other Autobots waited at the harbor for his arrival, only to be attacked by the Decepticon Godmasters, Buster and Hydra. Ginrai arrived to save them, and Minerva and the Juniors became fast friends with him, On Scene! Our Savior's Name Is Ginrai! later travelling to Athenia to see him appointed Supreme Commander of the Autobots. The Battle Begins! The Earth-Space Alliance Army

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Burn, Chokon! New Commander Super Ginrai!

The creepiest smiles ever. Yikes.

With the other Autobot Masterforce warriors, Minerva fought Grand King Poseidon on Earth. Headmasters VS Masterforce The Juniors' relationship with Ginrai grew closer with the creation of Godbomber, a drone piloted by Minerva, Shūta and Cab that combined with Ginrai and allowed him to defeat Overlord and BlackZarak. God Ginrai's Amazing Divine Combination! When Shūta and Cab were captured by the Decepticons, however, Minerva had to pilot Godbomber alone and crashed it through the walls of Overlord's base mode in order to save her friends. As their injuries were bandaged back at the Autobot base, Minerva was embarrassed by the two boys' jokes about how she was like a mother to them. The Good and Evil Families of Earth

Minerva and the Juniors accompanied Ginrai into battle aboard Godbomber for several further conflicts, including the recruitment of the final Godmaster, Clouder, who Minerva welcomed into the Autobot ranks with a big home-cooked meal. The Decepticons' Great Counterattack!

I want to tell you about the Transformers! This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Transformers Wiki by expanding it. Life or Death? The Desperate Divine Combination! The Great Turnabout of the Autobots

In the final battle against BlackZarak, now fused with Decepticon emperor Devil Z, the villain turned on his fellow Decepticons, leading them to unite with the Autobots in defeating him. Minerva and all the other Transformers united their energies in the "Perfect Transformer Attack," which obliterated both villains. The death of Devil Z caused the bond between the humans and their Transtectors to be broken, and Minerva became a normal kid again as her now-living Transtector and those of all the other Autobots headed into space to continue the fight against the Decepticons. The Birth of the Super Life-Forms

Victory comic

Cab and Shūta weren't impressed by the new Autobot Supreme Commander, Star Saber, and registered their disappointment with his human son, Jan. They reminisced about the times when they fought alongside Minerva and God Ginrai, stating that the later was the superior Commander as he had a human heart acting as his conscience. Cob and Shūta eventually came to think of Star Saber as more than a cold, unfeeling robot when they witnessed him show compassion to the Decepticon Kakuryu. Star Saber, Warrior of Love!

Classics

That neckline says otherwise!

Minerva, the daughter of a French mother and a Japanese father, was chosen out of the Japanese Self Defense Core to be part of Project: Transtector. For a while she piloted a battle armor suit fashioned from Transformer scrap found around the globe, until the project ended when most of its subjects collapsed under psychological stress. Minerva survived seemingly unscathed, except for that one time she stole a starfighter and followed "visions" directly to the Autobot, Nightbeat, and began dating his head. Minerva's profile in Club magazine #22

She ended up joining Muzzle and Nightbeat's team, which also included Siren and Quig, Lug, and the disgruntled Dinobots Sludge and Slag. While traveling the universe, they set their ship down on the planet Azure for repairs. If "setting the ship down for repairs" means "getting shot down in high orbit and crashing it into the only repair bay equipped to fix it".

If "Cheap Shots" were the Beatles, I'd be its Yoko Ono!

Nightbeat found that he was a person of interest to a potential client, a sentient ship named Amory, but not before Minerva and the others battled her hired "thugs". Amory required the services of Nightbeat and his team in finding her pilot, Phyrion. Minerva and the other humans pored over the evidence, but they could find no lead. Ultimately, the entire arrangement was revealed to be a setup put together by the Decepticons Ruckus and Needlenose, who had assembled an alleged "new Mayhem Attack Squad" by promising payment to Octopunch and Stranglehold for their assistance. Ruckus wasn't very smart, however, and had brought his hostage with him. The Decepticons were brutalized and Phyrion was returned to Amory. Regretting her involvement, Amory paid the Autobots for her services.

Despite their short run-in with good luck, Minerva and the rest of the crew were still stranded on Azure without a working ship. In the meantime, surely someone was in need of a detective... Cheap Shots

After the destruction of her universe, Minerva and her comrades ended up at Axiom Nexus. Epilogue

Kre-O online manga

Minerva and Spike ran away from Mega-Megatron in terror. Defend the Blocks! Autobots, Dispatch!

Later, Minerva was present at the Autobot base, and sporting a fancy-dancy new suit of armor, when Bruticus came a-calling. Bad timing, sister. New Military Unit Combaticon! Bruticus, Combine!

Toys

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers

The three vehicle-mounted weapons fire aspirin, we promise.

• Minelba [sic] (Headmaster Junior, 1988)

• ID number: C-303
• Accessories: Transtector, seat/helmet, left & right shock blasters, shock gun
• Known designers: Tetsuya Ikeda (TakaraTomy), Ban Magami (concept artist)

Released in the fourth year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers line under the Super-God Masterforce banner, Minerva is a small armored human who transforms into a robotic head; she can also combine with an outer helmet (the removable seat of her vehicle) and pair of small guns to form a bulkier head. In head mode, she is compatible with any other Headmaster body.

Her Transtector is referred to as an ambulance, but let's be honest: it's a Porsche 959 with an emergency rescue color scheme that wouldn't likely be very useful in transporting patients around. The roof is hinged and can be opened to reveal an interior cockpit that Minerva herself can sit inside of; the prominent hinge itself is rather cleverly disguised as a lightbar, something that Minerva's mold-partner, Nightbeat, lacks. Her Shock Blasters plug in just above the vehicle's headlights, while her larger Shock Gun can be plugged onto the roof.

In robot mode, the Transtector has a flip-down panel on her chest which covers a spring-loaded mini-Tech-Spec-meter which gives readings for Speed, Strength and Intelligence. The tumblers are activated when Minerva (or any other Headmaster unit) is plugged into the neck socket. As another consequence of being a smaller Headmaster, Minerva's chest cavity was apparently too small for three individual tumblers. As a result, all Headmaster heads inserted will display her pre-molded (and painted) Speed, Strength, and Intelligence readings (7, 5, 8) on one large sliding plate.

As noted above, Minerva shares a mold with the Hasbro Headmaster Nightbeat; the latter was designed first, with Minerva conceptualized later.^[1]

• More information on Minerva at TFU.info

Not-Beat.

• Minerva Night Beat (Headmaster Junior, 1988)

• Accessories: Transtector, seat/helmet, left & right shock blasters, shock gun
• Known designers: Tetsuya Ikeda (TakaraTomy)

Essentially just a Japanese release of Hasbro's Nightbeat toy, this version of the Minerva toy was only available by mail order, for the price of 1800 yen and four Robot Points.

It is currently unknown if this version of the toy came in a simple mailer box or in Hasbro packaging, as several other mail-order toys did.

• More information on Minerva Night Beat (well, Nightbeat) at TFU.info

Legends

Lotta you were only considering getting God Ginrai because of this one item, admit it.

• God Ginrai (Multi-pack, 2017)

• Release date: December 2, 2017
• ID number: LG-EX

Legends Minerva transforms from armored human to robot head, with both modes being based on her appearance in the Masterforce anime. Her head mode can be plugged into the neck socket of every Legends Headmaster or Titans Return figure of the Deluxe, Voyager, or Leader size classes, and her human mode can interact with related vehicle modes and accessories.

Minerva was only available in a TakaraTomy Mall-exclusive multi-pack with Super Ginrai, Godbomber, and Cab.

Merchandise

I will NOT make the Knee Test!

Super Collection Figure

• Minerva (2001)
  • ACT: 2
  • Accessories: stand

A PVC figurine of Minerva, based on her robot mode character model, was available in the second "act" of Takara's Super Collection Figure line. Her simple assembly gives her some limited articulation, with swivels at the neck, shoulders and forearms.

Like all the figures in the act, she was available as both a standard full-color figure, and as a colorless clear plastic version, one of each in a case of twelve blind-packed PVCs.

Minerva, Lazarus. Lazarus, Minerva.

• Metalhawk & Minerva (2001)
  • ACT: 5
  • Accessories: stand

A second Minerva figurine was released in the fifth, Masterforce-centric act of the line, this time as an unarmored human in her school uniform. Only available packaged with the act's Metalhawk figurine, it was available in both full-color and metallic silver "pewter" versions, again at a ratio of one each per case of twelve.

Due to the small size of her feet, she lacks holes in her soles for the stand that comes with the pair, so keeping her standing upright without support can be tricky.

In eight out of every ten cases, the pewter version of Metalhawk & Minerva came packaged with the right arm of the BlackZarak "Build-A-Figure", itself either in full-color or pewter versions, in an equal ratio of 4 to 4.

A-1 Kit

• Minelba [sic] (2010)
  • Accessories:

A snap-together garage kit of Minerva was licensed by TakaraTomy and released at Japan's Wonder Festival Winter 2010.

Gutto Kuru Figure Collection

"Zero? Nope, never heard of him."

• Minelba [sic] (2012)
  • Accessories: helmet, smiling face, gleeful face, angry face, 4 pairs of hands

A posable figure of Minerva in her Headmaster Junior armor was made by CM's Corporation as part of their Gutto Kuru Figure Collection. She comes with a removable helmet and several swappable faces, and the robot face molded onto her backpack can be compressed and hidden to leave room for her long hair.

• Minelba Special Color Ver. (Wonder Festival Summer exclusive, 2012)
  • Accessories: helmet, smiling face, gleeful face, angry face, Hi-Q head with visor

A recolor of Minerva in the blue and yellow of her American counterparts Nightbeat and Muzzle was available exclusively at the Summer Wonder Festival 2012 convention in Japan. In addition to the regular figure's accessories, this exclusive comes with an extra head based on Hasbro Powermaster Hi-Q, which can be attached to CM's separately-sold Ginrai figurine.

Notes

• Upon her release, Minerva was the first female Transformer toy. Many years later, though, her position would be retroactively usurped when Freezon was retconned into being female; Minerva can still, however, claim the title of first female Autobot toy since Freezon is a Decepticon.
• Minerva's name is consistently mis-anglicized as "Minelba" in every English instance of the name on Japanese packaging and bio material. Japanese uses a single sound to stand in for L and R sounds in foreign words, and B is used for the foreign V sound (although orthography varies).
• According to her supplementary bio card, Minerva was 15 years old, making her the oldest Autobot Headmaster Junior.
• Minerva's precise nationality is a bit ambiguous. Her mother is stated to be French, but whether her ambassador father is Japanese or from the Republic of Mont Parta is not made explicitly clear in the cartoon. Her father is, at least, explained to be Mont Parta's ambassador to Japan, which would suggest he is a Mont Parta native, but some sources, including The Ark II, have claimed that he is Japanese (by way of describing Minerva as "half-French, half-Japanese").

Probably buddies with Ariel Paradron-Type.

• Although Minerva's Transtector doesn't have room to ferry patients like a real ambulance would (which is what it's referred to being as), it would qualify as a fly-car due to it having a faster response time to emergencies (and saving ambulance resources if the situation is minor).
• While Shūta and Cab returned in the pages of the Victory manga, Minerva did not beyond one flashback. According to writer Masumi Kaneda, the reason for this was because the manga would then have been "buried in female characters".^[2] Besides the obvious sexism, there was all of one regular female character; the three others (Illumina, Esmeral, and Lyzack) only briefly appeared in one issue.
• Minerva's color scheme was used for the DVD-exclusive "White Version" redeco of Cybertron Thunderblast. It made her look quite like Override.

Foreign names

• English: Nightbeat (Omni Productions dub)
• Italian: Phantom
• Mandarin: Lièhuǒ (China, 烈火, "Raging Flames")
• Russian: Vetochka (Веточка, "Tree Branch")
• Spanish: Cher (America)

References