Ratchet (Transformers)

For other uses, see Ratchet.

Ratchet is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers series.

2007 Transformers Animated

Ratchet appears in the Transformers Animated series as an Autobot ambulance and a seasoned warrior.

Ratchet has retractable magnets in his arms which can attract or repel metal, as well as projecting a protective wall of magnetic force. The magnets can also function as rudimentary pincer claws. As of episode 7, Thrill of the Hunt, Ratchet has an EMP Generator that can overload a Transformer's systems to enable him to patch them up without causing them pain, which he doesn't bring into battle until "Transwarped". His personality appears more based on G1's Kup than the original Ratchet. He is the oldest of the main Autobot cast of the series and the only one who actually fought against Decepticons in the Great War.

It should be noted that in the Japanese translation of Transformers: Animated, the story has been changed to make it a prequel to the 2007 Transformers film. This makes this version of Ratchet an earlier version of the film character.

Animated series

As revealed in "Thrill of the Hunt", Ratchet was assigned by Ultra Magnus to rescue an intelligence officer, Arcee, and retrieve access codes vital to the war effort, when he ran into a Decepticon bounty hunter, Lockdown. Lockdown captured both of them, and took Ratchet's EMP Generator as a trophy. Arcee requested that Ratchet use the generator at full blast to wipe her memory, erasing the access codes in the process. Ratchet did so, but Lockdown's interference overloaded it, completely erasing Arcee's memory. Attempting to restore her memory, Ratchet accidentally uploaded the access codes Arcee was carrying. When Highbrow notices this, he has Ultra Magnus bring Ratchet before the inactive Omega Supreme, with Ratchet taking Arcee's place in teaching Omega prior to being introduced to battle. But in the aftermath of war, with Arcee still in stasis and Omega's near death in the final fight, Ratchet became the bitter war veteran that he is today.

Many years later, Ratchet became the crew member of the Autobot ship that Omega's body was converted into prior to it crashing onto Earth. There, Ratchet eventually ran into Lockdown again, having him painfully remember the incident which caused Arcee to lose her memory. During the events that transpired, Ratchet retrieved his EMP Generator from Lockdown while saving Optimus Prime from him, giving him some closure. However, when Blitzwing and Lugnut came to Earth, Ratchet admitted to Sari, who was against the Autobots leaving the planet in hopes of getting the Deceptions to pursue them, that he had no intention to see someone else suffer because of their war. After being ordered later by Prime to take away Sari's key, Ratchet heads to the ship and protect the Allspark, but before he could get there, he was ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, the former freezing him before ripping off most of Ratchet's right arm to get the key. After freeing himself, Ratchet reports to Optimus who tells him to enter the ship and protect the Allspark anyway. After making the ship airborne again, Ratchet managed to save Sari from Blackarachnia and then the rest of his team and Issac Sumdac, teaming up with Bumblebee and Prowl to fight Blitzwing.

In "Garbage In, Garbage Out", Ratchet encountered the newly created Transformer, Wreck-Gar. Initially rebuffing the scatterbrained machine, when it became clear that the trash-eating nanobots he was carrying would destroy the entire city, Ratchet was forced to do that which, in his own words, "requires more courage than anything I've ever done in my entire Autobot career": apologizing. Ratchet convinced Wreck-Gar that he could be anything he wanted, even a hero, and the junk-bot removed the nanobots, only to sink into the river.

In the "A Bridge Too Close" two-parter, Ratchet, with Sari's help, managed to bring Omega Supreme back to life, only to be saddened to see his friend once again sacrifice himself to save everyone. During "Transwarped", Ratchet plays a large role in the story, and is infuriated when the other Autobots "choose" Sari's key over him when it comes to fixing things. But after saving Bumblebee after getting severely damaged by an out-of-control Sari, Ratchet attempts talk to Omega in regaining control over himself from Starscream.

In "Human Error", Ratchet, along with the Autobots, are trapped in a virtual world by Soundwave. There, the Autobots take human forms. Ratchet is portrayed as a medium-built Caucasian with gray hair in his 60s.

In "This is Why I Hate Machines", Ratchet and Captain Fanzone arrive on Cybertron through Bulkhead's Space Bridge, just as Omega Supreme (containing Megatron, Starscream, and Lugnut) transwarps to there as well. Ratchet then fruitlessly attempts to stop Sentinel Prime from firing on his old friend, and flees the scene with Fanzone. With help from Jazz, the duo find the lair of Shockwave, who was in hiding all this time. After a duel, in which Shockwave reveals his intentions to get Omega's access codes from Arcee herself, Ratchet retells his tale to Fanzone, and battles Shockwave once more, only for Sentinel to interfere again. Shockwave escapes with Arcee, and Ratchet and Fanzone return to Earth with Ultra Magnus's hammer and Jazz, who wished no further part in Sentinel's government. Despite Perceptor assuring Ratchet that Shockwave can't get Arcee's codes, as the damage is beyond repair, on board Omega, who transwarped to the Moon, Arcee says Ratchet's name, implying she may indeed remember after all.

In the third-season finale, he helped facilitate Optimus' jet-pack upgrade, and later ventured to the Moon with Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Sari. There, he and Sari returned Arcee's memories, with Arcee helping them regain control of Omega Supreme. After the battle, they all returned to Cybertron with the captured Megatron, Omega, and Prowl's body, greeted as heroes one and all.

Comics

IDW Publishing

Set shortly after the events of "Total Meltdown" was the Transformers: Animated comic issue #2 by IDW Publishing. In it Bumblebee and Prowl apprehended the Angry Archer as the villain attempted to steal money from a used car salesman. In doing so they revealed the holographic trickery of the Detroit super hero known as The Wraith. With the secret of his power revealed The Wraith lost much of the respect he used to command in Detroit. The Wraith attempted to stop Cyrus "The Colossus" Rhodes from escaping prison, but was unable to fool the villain now that the secret was public, forcing the Autobots to stop the Rhodes and making The Wraith look foolish. The Wraith then attempted to discredit Bumblebee at a college football game by trapping the Autobot with a car boot and using his holograms to make a fake Bumblebee attack the stadium. Bumblebee eventually escaped and the other Autobots helped him capture The Wraith and he was placed in a mental institution.

TFcon comics

Ratchet appears in the TFcon 2010 voice actor play.

Toys

• Animated McDonalds Autobot Ratchet (2008)

Given away as a premium with Happy Meals.

• Animated Activators Ratchet (2008)

A simple Scout-class version of the character with near-instant transformation at the push of a button. Also bundled as a Target store exclusive with Voyager Class Sunstorm. Sold in Japan as part of the "Super Collection Vol. 1" gift set alongside Activators Optimus Prime, Megatron and Lockdown.

• Animated Battle Bumpers Ratchet (2008)

A simple push and go toy for small children with lights and sounds. Transforms when it hits an object.

• Animated Deluxe Autobot Ratchet (2008)

A simple deluxe-class version of Ratchet. The figure is based on Ratchet's in-show design, with beer-gut and broken crest, and also has a socket for the EMP Generator which comes with Lockdown. The figure also has a sort of spring-loaded sickle on its wrists, which when stored can be used to attach the four "medic tools" which come with the toy. When not in use, the tools can be stored in the toy's "backpack", but only in robot mode. An exclusive fan-made accessory pack offered online includes Ratchet's show-accurate magnet claws.

• Animated Deluxe Rescue Ratchet (2008)

A Target store exclusive contains a yellow redeco of Deluxe Ratchet packaged together with Legends Class Prowl and Starscream.

• Animated Deluxe Cybertron Mode Autobot Ratchet (2010)

This Deluxe sized figure is based on Ratchet's Cybertronian mode, released as a Toys "R" Us store exclusive. The mold for this figure is also used for Animated Ironhide and the BotCon 2011 exclusive Autotrooper and Fisitron (the latter being a giveaway to convention attendees).

• Takara Transformers Animated TA-04 Deluxe Ratchet (2010)

The 2010 Japan release version by Takara Tomy sports a metallic red finish and a red Autobot emblem, as opposed to the matte finish and silver Autobot emblem on the Hasbro version. Also bundled with TA-08 Deluxe Lockdown.

• Takara Transformers Animated TA-40 Deluxe Cybertron Mode Ratchet (2010)

The Japanese version of this figure features a metallic repaint.

2008 Shattered Glass

This Ratchet is an evil mirror universe version of his Generation 1 self, though his original appearance is based on the BotCon 2005 Ratchet figure. He likes to give his patients unnecessary weapon modification, whether they want it or not.

He was later transformed into an Autotrooper by Shattered Glass Unicron.

Development

One unused toy concept for a BotCon 2011 was Shattered Glass Ratchet made from Energon Roadblock. He was to be the Attendee Exclusive figure.

Comics

Fun Publications

An evil version of Ratchet first appeared in the Fun Publications fiction Dungeons & Dinobots. He is placed in charge of reformatting Wheeljack into an Earth-vehicle mode, then later repairs Rodimus' hand (by replacing it with a saw-weapon).

Although not depicted directly, Ratchet is one of the many Autobots aboard the Ark in Do Over. The Ark launches from Cybertron for Earth under the command of Rodimus and is followed by the Decepticon ship Nemesis, under the command of Starscream. While battling over Earth it is shot down by human defense systems.

Ratchet is among the Autobots on Earth in Blitzwing Bop.

Ratchet appeared in Another Light. Ratchet became an Autotrooper when a good fragment of Unicron approached the defeated Optimus Prime and several of his dying Autobots with an offer of enlightenment. They were transported to Cybertron where they defeated Rodimus Prime and his Autobot forces. The Knights of Unicron were arresting the Shattered Glass Autobots when Unicron warned Nova Prime to be ready. Rodimus Prime returned, now allied with Primus, who transformed. Nova Prime ordered the Knights to attack Primus in the eyes before escaping into space. The Knights of Unicron were appointed as guardians of New Cybertron.

IDW Publishing

Blurr collected the bounty on Sixshot from Ratchet.

Games

Shattered Glass Ratchet in Magic: The Gathering

Both Generation 1 and Shattered Glass Ratchet had cards in the Magic: The Gathering Brothers' War card game in 2022.

Toys

• Hasbro Transformers: Generations Deluxe Shattered Glass Ratchet (2016)

This version of Ratchet was one of several figures that could be assembled at the BotCon 2016 customizing class. It is a recolor of Generations Combiner Wars Deluxe First Aid with a new head.

• Hasbro Transformers Generations War for Cybertron Trilogy Shattered Glass Optimus Prime and Shattered Glass Ratchet (2020)

2015 Shattered Glass Transformers: Prime

Shattered Glass Transformers: Prime concept art by ehobby

A proposed but unrealized release by ehobby was Transformers: Prime Ratchet recolored like Knockout.