Unaired Episodes of Transformers Come to DVD

With obviously queer characters like Starscreem and Bumblebee in the original Transformers, it’s no wonder so many gay fans recall rushing home from school in the 1980s to watch the “Robots in Disguise.”

Lasting 4 seasons, the show was a pop culture phenomenon that has since been reinterpreted many times over.

However, the original animated adventures of the Autobots and Decepticons didn’t end when the U.S. series ceased production in 1987. The story continued for 3 more seasons in Japan as Transformers: Headmasters, Transformers: Masterforce, and finally—Transformers: Victory.

Continuing the continuity of the American series,(excluding the 4th season), each of Japan’s additional seasons followed a theme—prompting the unique titles—and introduced several new characters.

For many years the Japanese seasons of Transformers were unknown to all but hardcore fans and with no American video release even those aware of the episodes could only view the them through websites like YouTube or bootleg copies of varying quality.

However, Shout! Factory has given fanboys a reason to rejoice with the announcement of a DVD release for each of the Japanese Transformers shows.

The first, Transformers: Headmasters, hit store shelves on Tuesday with the remaining two series set for future unspecified release dates. Additionally, Shout! Factory will also offer a box set of all three series exclusively on their website.