Octopunch (G1)

Octopunch is a Decepticon Pretender from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Just between you and me, it was a blast which ricocheted off Grimlock.

There is no greater scourge of the seas than Octopunch. Though plundering the depths for forgotten treasure is well-suited to his expertise, his real love is the terror he can bring to those who breach his territory. There is no cruise ship so large that he can't find an appropriately-sized iceberg to push in its path. The thought of bringing its hull beneath the waves with his slimy tentacles is what sustains him in his private moments.

And unlike other robots with similar functions, Octopunch is very good at what he does. While in his Pretender shell underwater, his strength expands several fold, and his electrically-charged, razor-tipped harpoon gun can stop anything in its tracks. Though often seen with fellow Mayhem Attack Squad members Bludgeon and Stranglehold, Octopunch is a fearsome warrior in his own right, either above or beneath the waves.

His only weakness is his overconfidence in his abilities. It may seem like a small one, but get back to us on this after he shoots God in the face.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

I'm with fashionable →

Looking to recruit a new Mayhem Attack Squad to go after the traitorous former members, Carnivac and Catilla, Snarler hired Octopunch and his comrades Bludgeon and Stranglehold for the squad. For training purposes with their fellow recruits Needlenose and Spinister, they engaged in a solid light simulated combat session set in Slaughter City, and Octopunch managed to destroy the sim versions of Grimlock AND Fortress Maximus in the first few minutes (mmmmaybe it was still set on 'Easy' mode). The Hunting Party On Earth, the Mayhems caught up with Carnivac on the outskirts of Dallas, Texas, Way of the Warrior and their fight soon carried across the border into the Mexico deserts. After Carnivac caught Needlenose flat-footed, Octopunch forced him to disengage and leave his Pretender shell by threatening some nearby humans. Infuriated at seeing a fellow Decepticon surrender simply because of some fleshlings, Octopunch prepared to deliver the death-blow to Carnivac. Survival Run However, those self-samed fleshlings came to the rescue of their savior, driving a transport truck at full-speed into the Mayhems' backside, giving Carnivac a chance to scramble clear. The resulting explosion took Octopunch out of the rest of the fight. His fellow Mayhems eventually dragged him clear when the rest of the Survivors arrived and they retreated, but not before Bludgeon managed to execute the traitor Catilla with his blade. A Savage Place!

If you ever wanted to see his character model, this is probably it.

Octopunch was part of the Mayhem Attack Squad (alongside Bludgeon and Stranglehold) sent by Thunderwing to assassinate the Autobot Pretenders Bumblebee, Grimlock, and Jazz, after their revival on Cybertron stirred the spirits of the Autobot rebellion and threatened Decepticon supremacy. After a trans-time dimensional portal accident cut short their first assassination attempt, Octopunch and the rest of the Squad followed the Autobots into the core of Cybertron. Surprisingly, Cybertron's core contained none other than Primus himself! Yesterday's Heroes!

The most important thing Octopunch ever did was sadly also the stupidest.

The Mayhems made a second attempt to destroy the Autobot Pretenders, but Octopunch found out that Grimlock was much harder to kill in real life than in a simulation. After the Dinobot commander headbutted Octopunch, shattering his faceplate, the Micromasters Stakeout and Red Hot tripped him over the edge of a railing, sending him crashing to the floor below. Blacking out, Octopunch made a final attempt to fire at Grimlock, which ended up ricocheting off the Dinobot's armor-plating and striking Primus right between the eyes. Upon being shot, Primus awoke and unleashed a scream that eventually drew Unicron to the Transformers' homeworld. The Primal Scream Vector Prime: In the Beginning

Thanks a LOT, Octopunch.

Octopunch and the other Squad members ended up on Earth, and joined forces with Scorponok. When Optimus Prime surrendered his Autobots to the Decepticons under the pretenses of facilitating an alliance against the threat of Unicron, Octopunch helped place the Autobots into holding cells. Like many of the other Decepticons, Octopunch had grown dissatisfied with Scorponok's leadership, and viewed a potential alliance as a weakness. Surrender! The alliance was temporarily put on hold when a small subfaction of Decepticons led by Shockwave attacked the base. Octopunch joined Scorponok's Decepticons in repelling the insurgents. ...All This and Civil War 2

Apparently, octopus is above dog in the natural pecking order.

The second Decepticon Civil War came to a halt when Primus himself brought all of the Earthbound Transformers to Cybertron to counter the imminent arrival of Unicron. Primus spoke to Octopunch and the others through Emirate Xaaron, catching them up on the history between the two cosmic beings. Though Octopunch still had his doubts about an Autobot/Decepticon alliance, they were mostly dispelled when Unicron cultists raided their camp—anything that gave him the opportunity to kill this many dudes was fine by him! The Void!

When Unicron arrived, Octopunch did the wise thing and made a run for it. On the Edge of Extinction!

Unicron was defeated, and with Scorponok also dead, Bludgeon assumed command of the Decepticons. Bludgeon led Octopunch and the other Decepticons off Cybertron to Klo, a peaceful world which they could conquer quickly and easily without interference from the Autobots. The Decepticons found a tracer on one of their spaceships, and waited for their adversaries to arrive, intending to spoil their surprise attack. The Last Autobot? Wiping out nearly all the Autobots in the battle that followed, Octopunch led a squad consisting of Quake, Fangry, and Weirdwolf to pick off the stragglers. Octopunch located them, but the Autobots' desperation helped them overwhelm their hunters. When Grimlock and the others joined the main battle elsewhere, he was carrying Octopunch's trident. Octopunch was not seen fleeing with the Decepticons following their defeat. End of the Road!

Earthforce

His Shuma-Gorath cosplay still needs work.

Although their last target, Carnivac, was still at large, the Mayhem Attack Squad reasoned that he would inevitably come to them, seeking revenge for the death of his comrade, Catilla. Therefore, they set up a heavily defended island base in the Bahamas to wait out the traitor's arrival. When Needlenose's cowardice prompted him to fake an emergency to test how quickly his teammates would come to his aid, Octopunch, Stranglehold, and Bludgeon were left infuriated over the deception. All three prepared to off Needlenose, only for Snarler and Spinister to interrupt the attempt. The disgruntled Decepticons walked away in disgust after Needlenose explained that his paranoia had pushed him to cry wolf. Little did the group know that Carnivac had indeed already infiltrated their headquarters. He took out Needlenose before anyone even knew he was there. Cry Wolf! As night fell, Carnivac skulked about the base, eager to find another isolated target. He happened upon Octopunch while he was standing guard with Stranglehold, and so moved on. Finding Bludgeon meditating, Carnivac tried to take him out by surprise. But Bludgeon heard him coming, and the ensuing commotion soon brought the rest of the Decepticons to the confrontation. Wolf in the Fold! The Decepticons were tricked into thinking Spinister killed Carnivac, when in reality their opponent had allowed the destruction of his Pretender shell to fake his death. Octopunch, Bludgeon, and Stranglehold wandered off to a nearby beach to mope over not getting to kill the traitor themselves, only for several Autobots to turn up, intent on rescuing their ally. Octopunch and his colleagues were planning to go down fighting against Carnivac's back-up, but Carnivac turned up just before a killing blow was struck. The three Pretenders were taken into custody, denying them a warrior's death. Where Wolf?

While in captivity, Octopunch, Bludgeon and Stranglehold kept completely quiet in their cell, unnerving their guard, Inferno. The trio managed to escape when Strangehold created a distraction, tearing up their cell's floor and forcing Inferno to open it up to pacify him. Bludgeon then summoned his sword telekinetically, stabbing Inferno in the back and allowing the Mayhems to calmly walk away as the Autobot blacked out. Shut Up! They hooked up with the deposed Decepticon leaders, Megatron and Shockwave, taking an assassination contract for the usurpers, Starscream and Soundwave. Assassins Though the Pretenders were only meant to eliminate whichever of their targets had survived an orchestrated battle between the pair, they found both Starscream and Soundwave functional upon their arrival. Unperturbed, Octopunch and his teammates surmised that they could ask to be paid double for the hit once it had been completed. External Forces! Problem was, the Autobots needed Starscream alive for their own reasons, and so Grimlock sent Sludge and Swoop in to fight against the Mayhems. It was surely a brutal battle, but Octopunch and the others were defeated, their contract unfulfilled. The Lesser Evil!

Marvel UK future timelines

HE PUNCHED A LADY BEE!

In 1990, Octopunch was working for Megatron on Cybertron along with Bludgeon, Stranglehold, and Warmonger. After some Autobot captives temporarily escaped, Megatron determined there was a traitor in their midst, and singled out Bludgeon. When the Pretender demanded a Trial by Combat, Megatron set him loose to face his fellow Decepticons on the field of battle. In the fight, Bludgeon scored first blood against Octopunch, but the salvage expert caught his "once friend" off-guard by popping out of his shell with a flying punch. The punch did little against Bludgeon's armored shell, though, and he knocked Octopunch out. Bludgeon was eventually proven innocent when Warmonger caught him in his sights but couldn't pull the trigger, thus proving to Megatron that HE was the weak-willed Autobot in disguise. Aspects of Evil!

Another Time & Place

Guy named Octopunch winds up with eight limbs. What are the odds?

After the war on Klo, Octopunch and the Decepticons lay in wait for Grimlock to do something stupid, and so he did. Tracking the Dinobot commander and his troops to Hydrus Four, Octopunch and his fellows caught Grimlock off-guard and managed to take control of the medical facility where Nucleon was being produced. Bludgeon had plans to use the super-energy to bring Megatron himself back to life. Octopunch was later seen worshipping at the altar of Megatron's corpse alongside Stranglehold and Bludgeon. When the Autobots attacked, Octopunch charged into battle with his electro trident like the others, but was ultimately defeated. Another Time & Place

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Wasn't he on Scooby-Doo?

Octopunch was one of countless Decepticons under Bludgeon's command when they fought the Autobots over ownership of a cache of weapons on an unnamed barren world. The Decepticons were easily overpowering the Autobots; Octopunch, in particular, was strangling Jazz with his tentacles. Bludgeon ordered a retreat when a gigantic, monstrous creature who guarded their quarry warned them away. Ghosts

Later, Octopunch and the other Decepticons were ordered to rampage across Earth in order to get Optimus Prime's attention. Tales of Earth Part One Their "work" was interrupted when Megatron returned in a powerful new body with Starscream in tow. Megatron challenged Bludgeon for leadership of the Decepticons, and when Bludgeon lost, Octopunch and the other Decepticons switched their allegiance to the victor. Tales of Earth Part Two

Hey Octopunch, try using that blaster that ricochets off Grimlock.

Soon after, Megatron's forces clashed with Jhiaxus's Cybertronian Empire. Megatron declared war against them as Octopunch and the other Decepticons cheered him on. Their feelings changed, however, when the Warworld was attacked. Octopunch and the others fought the Cybertronians on the surface of the Warworld, but they were getting massacred. Octopunch was shot in the chest, presumably killed. New Dawn

Classics

I lost a lot of yellow in the past 15 years.

A complete idiot and his dumb surfer friend hired Octopunch and Stranglehold as part of a new Mayhem Attack Squad. They took a hostage as bait to capture Nightbeat and Siren. When Nightbeat's crew showed up, Octopunch took one look at Slag and Sludge and promptly said that his price went up. Slag beat him up badly, and Octopunch beat himself up worse when he saw that Ruckus brought the hostage with him. Needless to say, Octopunch left saying that he would contact Ruckus about payment, after they all got their rears handed to them. Cheap Shots

The SG matchup you've always wanted to see! Hopefully!

Some time later, Octopunch and Stranglehold had fallen in with Gigatron on Earth, and were present when Gigatron's team attacked the Autobots' Ironworks headquarters for their hidden Rarified Energon reserves. Invasion Prologue

While observing Ironworks with Gigatron and the rest of his troops from afar, Octopunch and the others received word from Spinister that strange Transformers from another dimension had invaded the Autobot base. Gigatron decided the time was ripe to make another play for the Rarified Energon while the Autobots were distracted, and the Decepticons moved in. Octopunch and Skullgrin tried to sneak into Ironworks from underground, but encountered two Autobots instead. Scoop proved more than a match for Skullgrin, but Octopunch was more evenly paired against the other interloper. Octopunch realized too late that he was not fighting an Autobot at all, but a heroic version of himself from another dimension. With one final sock to the jaw, Octopunch was down. Invasion

Regeneration One

Twenty-one years after the battle of Klo, Octopunch was still a member of Bludgeon's forces, and helped torture the inhabitants of Torkulon. Loose Ends, Part 3 He was still at Bludgeon's side aboard the Warworld as the Decepticon leader unleashed his Blitz Engines on Cybertron's Autobots. Destiny, Part Four At Fangry's suggestion, Krok, Weirdwolf, Skullcruncher, Horri-Bull, Stranglehold, and Octopunch went down to the planet's surface to join in the fighting, but as the Blitz Engines, Soundwave's Neo-Decepticons and finally Bludgeon himself were all defeated in turn, the Autobots claimed victory. Destiny, Part Five

Afterwards, any Decepticons not killed in the battle were taken into Autobot custody and were then most likely converted into shadow-leeches by the Dark Matrix creature, along with (almost) the entire population of Cybertron, while Rodimus Prime and his Autobots were off-planet fighting Jhiaxus at the Hub Network.

Transformers '84

When Straxus took over leadership of the Decepticons, Octopunch joined the forces under his command and took part in a purge to eliminate every surviving Autobot on the planet. Secrets & Lies #3

A Tale of the Pretenders

With other Decepticon Pretenders, Octopunch was active in ancient Japan. One day, they came across three human siblings and threatened them. The oldest managed to escape and both Iguanus and Carnivac pursued the remaining two while the other Decepticons followed. Bludgeon found the entire thing beneath their notice, but Octopunch rebuked him, desiring to "play" with the humans. He was about to step on the two when Metalhawk struck Octopunch, breaking his helmet and leaving him unable to "ventilate". Other Autobot Pretenders soon followed and Octopunch was sent scampering by the efforts of Lander, Diver, and Phoenix. A Tale of the Pretenders

2005 IDW continuity

• First Appearance: Transformers: Robots in Disguise #12

Octopunch fought Manta Ray during the Battle of Junkion. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain

After the Chaos War, Octopunch was one of the Decepticons who started rioting on the streets of Cybertron in celebration of Megatron's return. City on Fire

Power of the Primes marketing material

Four times better than Double Punch

Octopunch was a Prime Master who housed the spark energy of Solus Prime, able to grant weapon forger abilities to other Transformers. Power of the Primes Octopunch / Solus Prime online bio

Precursor World

Octopunch, or a creature that looked like his Pretender shell, was part of Purple Wicked Convoy's collection of monsters. God Neptune comic 1

2019 IDW continuity

Octopunch demonstrates the horrors of Gold Plastic Syndrome.

The spokesperson for Mayhem, Octopunch hacked into the video feeds of the Wreckers' latest stunt to denounce Velocitron's usage of the Speedia 500 to determine their rulers. After executing the bound Electrons, Octopunch called for the race to be cancelled and the power to choose leadership returned to the citizenry. If not, he promised that Mayhem would assume control of the colony themselves, ending his broadcast with a sardonic "Wreck and Rule". Tread & Circuits Part 1 Octopunch met with Axer, one of the undercover Mayhem agents embedded in the planet's Security Operations branch, at a secret hideout. Tread & Circuits Part 2

When the Speedia 500 began, Mayhem launched an attack to disrupt the race, hacking the remote cameras to showcase their brutality. Octopunch killed Road Pig at the outset, telling the viewers that they were warned of the consequences if Mayhem's demands weren't met. The Wreckers tried to stop them and Octopunch took on Thunderclash in the following brawl. The race concluded with Knock Out as the victor and thus the new First Senator, but Mayhem managed to escape. Tread & Circuits Part 3

At Knock Out's inauguration, Mayhem attacked again, this time attempting to assassinate him. Octopunch broke into the room from beneath the floor in an attempt to drag the wounded Knock Out underground, but was blasted by Aileron and defeated. Minerva was ultimately framed for the assassination attempt, and Octopunch was present when she was sentenced by Knock Out, revealing that Mayhem had been in cahoots with the new First Senator all along. The conspirators hailed their new leader and their collective true allegiance to the Decepticons. Tread & Circuits Part 4

Games

Transformers: Earth Wars

Shattered Glass Octopunch? What are you doing here?

Octopunch was on a routine mission to Aquatron to get some crystals, and decided to spare some torpedoes on his sworn enemy Seaspray. That was a big mistake. His torpedoes set off the highly volatile crystals, and Sharkticons swarmed in attacked them both.

Arriving on Earth, distraught, damaged, and missing some vital organs, he needed someone to talk to about Aquatron. Luca and Breakdown excused themselves from having to hear his woes, and Bludgeon only reminisced about their hardcore times as the Mayhem Attack Squad with Stranglehold. So Octopunch turned to Seaspray to talk about his Sharkticon horrors. Octopunch Research

Bludgeon gave Octopunch their 'wrecking ball' Gnaw to work with, much to his chagrin. They went to one of Earth's oceans, waiting for any Autobot to intercept a signal there. Octopunch presented the vast ocean to Gnaw, but he didn't seem interested. Octopunch started to believe they could make a good team, just as Gnaw bit one of his tentacles.

Seaspray eventually arrived, and Octopunch was waiting for the right moment to pounce, but Gnaw jumped out too soon. Seaspray had energon snacks with him, and convinced Gnaw to chomp Octopunch's body parts for more! Gnaw Research

• Class: Gunner
• Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
• Weapons: Octopunch a rocket launcher that shoots three missile at a time.
• Ability: Whirlwind: Summons a devastating tornado that moves to target location dealing damage every second. Stuns and interrupts defenses.
  • Cost: 5 ability points (was 6) +3 for reuses.

Octopunch at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

Toys

The Transformers

Found in the aisles of your local Shell City.

• Octopunch (Pretender, 1989)

• Accessories: "Harpoon gun" (large gun), "acetylene torch gun" (small gun), helmet, left & right crab leg sections
• Known designers: Tetsuya Ikeda (TakaraTomy)

The Transformers Octopunch's inner robot transforms into a crab, though you need the two sets of legs which attach to his sides to complete it. By attaching the small "acetylene torch gun" to his robot mode arm, an "Attack Robot" is formed. Octopunch's Pretender shell is a bipedal octopus creature in a scuba outfit, with four octopus-like tentacles extending from his shoulders. While the robot is inside, the crab legs can attach to the back of the shell, and like the other 1989 Pretenders, the "acetylene torch gun" can store inside the shell in a port located in the leg. The helmet can be removed revealing a monstrous face. The shell's arms, head and helmet are all made from a softer plastic than the rest of the shell. Though Octopunch's Marvel comics appearances give him a trident weapon, the toy does not come with one; instead, he has a "harpoon gun".

No version of this mold or character was released in Japan.

• More information on Octopunch at TFU.info

Power of the Primes

"Octopus Prime". HAHAHA COMEDY GOLD

• Solus Prime (Prime Master, 2018)

• TakaraTomy ID number: PP-28
• TakaraTomy release date: September 29, 2018
• Accessories: Octopunch decoy armor, tentacle device
• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Power of the Primes Solus Prime is a Prime Master with Octopunch decoy armor, visually based on the original Pretender's inner robot and shell.

This toy has identical features to the other Prime Masters in the line. The decoy armor has a weapon piece which can fold out to create a weapon mode, or detach and be held in the armor's 3 mm-compatible hand. The Titan Master-like robot can store inside the decoy armor or ride Legends Class figures in vehicle mode, and is fully compatible with toys from the previous Titans Return line. The "Power Swap" gimmick means its spark form can plug onto any decoy armor's weapon form (which has a 5 mm post to be held by larger figures), Deluxe Class figures' chest armor, Voyager Class figures' bucklers, Leader Class figures' Matrix (in place of their Matrix core), combiners' torsos (in place of their Enigma of Combination), or the Scepter of Sparks. With the power of your imagination, this bestows the Prime Master's unique power on the larger figure.

Solus Prime was retooled with a new Prime Master sigil as Prima Prime.

Merchandise

e-HOBBY

Transformers Character Card

• Longtooth and Octopunch Set (April 14, 2022)
  • ID number: 17 & 18

Released as part of the third wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Longtooth and Octopunch along with character profiles and tech specs.

• Translation of Octopunch's Transformers Character Card

Rubber strap series

• Bludgeon & Stranglehold & Octopunch Set (January 2023)

Released as part of the first wave of an e-HOBBY exclusive series, this trio of rubber keychains depict super-deformed art of Bludgeon, Stranglehold and Octopunch.

Notes

Maybe he's Punchocto.

• The Pretender shells of Octopunch, Skullgrin and Longtooth all possess human skull belt buckles. The significance of this shared detail, if any, has never been revealed.
• Many promotional catalogs depict Banzai-Tron's Action Master partner Razor-Sharp as Octopunch's inner robot in Razor-Sharp's colors. That's kind of weird.
• It was bad enough when Octopunch's ricocheted shot alerted Unicron to Primus's location, resulting in countless deaths and the persisting threat of the Planet Eater. It was later retconned in "Vector Prime: In the Beginning" that Octopunch's ricocheted shot not only doomed his own universe to Unicron, but every single Transformers universe in the entire multiverse as well. Better hope there's no karma in Transformers, or he's got some serious comeuppance due.
• At BotCon 2008, it was revealed that the Transformers Animated crew originally planned to use a human villain patterned after Octopunch (with the addition of boxing gloves on his tentacles) in the opening scenes of "Home Is Where the Spark Is". He was eventually replaced with the Angry Archer. Derrick J. Wyatt also stated in an interview that he and Matt Youngberg had been trying to make him a character for a long time.
• Earth Wars Octopunch is based on the Hunt for the Decepticons Sea Spray mold, specifically its use for Shattered Glass Octopunch. However, the Earth Wars model differs in color scheme and physical features to the Shattered Glass toy.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Octopunch (オクトパンチ Okutopanchi)
• French: Pieuvre (France, "Octopus"), Octocoup (Canada, "Octopunch")
• Italian: Medusa
• Mandarin: Bāzhuǎguài (八爪怪, "Octopus")