Name: Kremzeek

From: Transformers Animated Series (1985)

Classification: Decepticon created energy-based life form.

Created by Megatron in a freak accident while working on electrodes for a new Energy Magnet, the Kremzeek sprang to life and began destroying the Decepticon lab. Quickly, Megatron trapped the Kremzeek in a circuit trap. The small, yellow, electrical creature was almost to much for the trap to take as it bound back and forth. Seeing the potential of the Kremzeek as an effective weapon against the Autobots, Megatron sent the Decepticon jet Thrust to deliver the Kremzeek to the Autobot base.

After the Kremzeek was unleashed on the Autobots, the little creature quickly went to work destroying the Autobot base, shorting out Autobots Jazz and Hoist while also attacking and shocking the human, Sparkplug.

Sparkplug knowing his way around electricity quickly fetches an insulating compound and coats Optimus Prime in the substance. After seeing that the Autobot leader was now immune to the attacks of the Kremzeek, the rest of the Autobots in the base were coated in the insulation. In their haste, the Autobots left their central computer system Teletraan 1 vulnerable to attack.

The Kremzeek entered the large computer and began broadcasting strange warning messages across the globe. The Kremzeek’s signals were short-lived as Teletraan 1 shorts out and goes off-line. In the chaos of Teletraan 1 going down the Kremzeek rides a transmission to the Autobot satellite Sky Spy and is beamed to Japan. Seeing all the chaos the Kremzeek has caused the Decepticons deploy their Energy Magnet.

What remaining Transformers were left after the attack of Kremzeek hopped a flight on Omega Supreme to Japan. Once there they track the Kremzeek to a train where the little creature jumps aboard and speeds off. Optimus Prime transforms and pursues Kremzeek and ends up in Tokyo. In Tokyo, Kremzeek wreaks havoc on any and all electronic devises and businesses. It is within one of these businesses that the Autobots meet a scientist that believes Kremzeek can be stopped by radio waves. Not needing to hear anymore,Blaster begins shooting radio waves at Kremzeek. The creature walked straight through the blast and jumped inside of the Autobot’s body. In a last ditch effort, Blaster tries to overload himself to destroy Kremzeek.

Unfortunately Blaster’s selfless act backfired and the extra energy the Kremzeek absorbed caused the creature to multiply into different colored versions of itself. The new born creature set out to destroy everything around them.

Optimus Prime then theorizes that a larger energy source would attract all of the Kremzeeks and gather them in one place and reunite them. The Autobots quickly build a tower to absorb the Kremzeeks. Again, another plan backfires, only this time the Kremzeeks once gathered beginning merging into one large, monstrous being. The creature begins rampaging anew.

Elsewhere the Decepticons turn on their Energy Magnet. Once engaged the machine begins siphoning all of the energy in the world and collecting it in the form of Energon. The Autobots begin feeling the effects of the draw on their power and begin to slow down. The Giant Kremzeek also began slowing down, allowing the Autobots to entice the creature to hitch a ride on a radio wave to the now growing energy source of the Energy Magnet. Now the Kremzeek was Megatron’s problem to deal with.

In the last beat of the episode it is revealed that a lone Kremzeek hid inside of Blaster is now free, with the Autobots in close pursuit.

For only having one appearance in the original Transformer cartoon, the legacy of the Kremzeek still lives on. Often hailed as one of the worse episodes of Transformers EVER, the season 2 episode is chock-full of errors, re-used animation cells, and animation and color mishaps. These technological missteps did little to take away from the Gremlin-esque Kremzeek’s appeal. His mischievous nature hit home with kids at the time (and kids now, believe me) and the fact that his sound effects were reused lightsaber battle sounds didn’t hurt either. (No really, they really used the sound effects from when Vader and Obi-Wan fought on the Death Star. They also used the sound from the Millennium Falcon for Omega Supreme’s rocket boosters.)

Over the years Kremzeek has many “Easter Egg” like appeances with in world of Transformers comics and video games. Like did you know that the soda of choice in the universe was Kremzeek Soda? Both Earthlings and Cybertronians enjoy the carbonated beverage.

Also in the manga, Kiss Players (Generation 1 continuity family) the original scientist from the episode introducing Kremzeek has bred Kremzeeks and uses them as a “bullet” for Earth Defense Command weapons. The Kremzeeks are fired at mechinoids, Transformers, and humans alike to incapacitate and paralyze.

In an odd reappearance or homage to the creature, Kremzeek was shown as a demon that prowled Cybertronian purgatory in a more recent comic. In the issue Kremzeek fed on the bio-electronic souls (sparks) of Transformers on their way to the afterlife.

 

One of my favorite appearances was in the awesome video game, Transformers: Devastation. In the game there are many Kremzeek hidden among the world and when captured they would unlock artwork or other behind the scenes items from the game.

 

Also many 3rd party companies and customizers have made some awesome replicas of the Kremzeek in made different scales.

With a controversial episode (other than the spotty animation, Optimus gets called out for wanting to kill the sentient being Kremzeek when his normal M.O. is to protect all sentient life) from over 32 years ago, the Kremzeek has gone on to live in infamy with fans and collectors alike.