Ratbat (G1)

The name or term "Ratbat" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Ratbat (disambiguation).

Ratbat is a Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family. He is usually a Mini-Cassette. Sometimes his robot mode is humanoid.

Cold-blooded and obsessed with efficiency, Ratbat's primary concern is looking out for himself. He treats his responsibilities, whether as a fuel auditor or as leader of Decepticons, as a business. In his book, everything comes down to profit and loss.

In his role as fuel scout, Ratbat carries sensors that allow him to detect and evaluate the quality of fuels of various types, from primitive hydrocarbons to Energon. He can process any number of these different fuels to power himself.

Although obsessed with efficiency, like any good CEO, Ratbat allows himself a small indulgence: He enjoys sinking his fangs into the fuel tanks of Terran automobiles, the more expensive the better. He enjoys nothing more than savoring high-test gasoline siphoned from a hapless yuppie's Mercedes or BMW.

Ratbat is also the best Decepticon leader ever. True, that's what every other leader says, but he's got the victories to back it up.

Contents 1 Fiction 1.1 Generation 1 cartoon continuity 1.1.1 The Transformers cartoon 1.1.2 Japanese cartoon continuity 1.1.2.1 Scramble City 1.1.2.2 The Headmasters cartoon 1.1.2.3 Generations Selects Special Comic 1.1.3 TV Magazine comic continuity 1.1.3.1 Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic 1.1.3.2 The Great Transformer War 1.1.3.3 The Headmasters comic 1.1.4 Madman The Transformers comic 1.2 Marvel Comics continuity 1.2.1 Marvel The Transformers comics 1.2.2 Marvel Generation 2 comic 1.2.3 Recordicons 1.2.4 Regeneration One 1.2.5 G.I. Joe Club Dossier bio 1.2.6 Transformers '84 1.3 Transformers in 3-D 1.4 Dreamwave Generation One continuity 1.5 G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers 1.6 2005 IDW continuity 1.7 Lil Formers 1.8 Kre-O online manga 1.9 Beast Wars: Uprising 1.10 War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material 1.11 2019 IDW continuity 1.12 My Little Pony/Transformers 2 Games 2.1 Transformers: Mystery of Convoy 2.2 Transformers Legends 2.3 Angry Birds Transformers 2.4 Transformers Roleplaying Game 3 Toys 4 Merchandise 5 Notes 5.1 Foreign names 6 References

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Frank Welker (English), Ken Shiroyama (Japanese)

Ratbat was among several cassettes deployed by Soundwave during the Battle of Autobot City in an effort to stop Blaster from broadcasting a distress signal to Optimus Prime. After successfully destroying the transmitter, the cassettes broke into the glass dome of the communications tower and attacked Perceptor until Blaster deployed his own cassette squad. Ratbat was then attacked by Ramhorn. The Transformers: The Movie

While the Decepticons were searching space for isidrite to repair their weaponry, Soundwave ejected Ratbat to hunt for the mineral in an asteroid field. Although the scout was successful in his mission, the isidrite deposit he discovered was already being mined by the Autobots, leading to the inevitable conflict. Webworld

When Galvatron hired the Skuxxoid and Slizardo to attack the Autobots with anti-electrons, the spying Ratbat recorded their failure and raced back to Chaar to inform Galvatron, replaying his footage of the Autobots' recovery for the two would-be saboteurs to see. Grimlock's New Brain

During a battle on Earth's Moon, Ratbat was among several "primitive" Transformers called away by a mysterious being known as Primacron's assistant to do battle with Primacron's creation, Tornedron. As the primitives made their escape from the seemingly unstoppable creature, Ratbat was grabbed by Tornedron's tiger form and eaten. Call of the Primitives He got better, though, and was later around to overhear the Autobots' conversation with Jessica Morgan about the discovery of the lifeless body of Optimus Prime. However, this resulted in most of the Decepticons being infected with the Hate Plague. Some days, a bat can't win. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

Japanese cartoon continuity

Scramble City

Voice actor: Ken Shiroyama (Japanese)

Detecting some strange electromagnetic emanations coming from a mountain range, Megatron had Soundwave deploy Ratbat, Ravage and Laserbeak to investigate. When they met resistance from Blaster and his own cassette warriors, it became apparent that the mountain concealed an Autobot operation. While Ravage and Laserbeak occupied Ramhorn and Steeljaw, Ratbat was able to evade laser fire from Blaster and penetrated the mountain, discovering that it housed the construction site for the Autobots' Scramble City. Scramble City: Mobilization

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Ken Yamaguchi (Japanese, ep. 4), Hōchū Ōtsuka (Japanese, ep. 17)

In the year 2011, as Vector Sigma was in the process of destabilizing, Soundwave and his cassettes invaded Autobot City in an attempt to learn what the Autobots' strategy for resolving the situation was. While listening in on the Autobots' discussion, which involved locating the missing Matrix of Leadership, Ratbat was detected by Blaster, leading to a battle between the two communications officers. Soundwave and his troops fled, but the battle was renewed soon after in the Arctic, where both combatants ultimately destroyed each other. Ratbat, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw gathered up the broken fragments of Soundwave's body and made an airborne escape. The Mystery of Planet Master Subsequently, the information Ratbat had gathered on the Autobots' search was replayed for Galvatron. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime

Thanks to the super-science of planet Master, Decepticon Headmaster leader Scorponok was able to use the fragments of Soundwave's body Ratbat and the others had recovered to restore him to life as Soundblaster. He was joyfully received by Ratbat and the other cassettes, who soon found themselves again battling Blaster—likewise reborn as Twincast—and his cassettes while Soundblaster attacked Cybertron with the Decepticons' new Madmachine. The Great Cassette Operation

When a shadowy figure began blackmailing different nations around the world, Ratbat snuck into Autobot City to observe the Autobots' response. He was, however, spotted by Trainbot leader Shouki in the reflection in his glass of energon, and fled. Terror! The Six Shadows Ratbat accompanied Soundblaster and the other cassettes in his investigation of Vector Sigma's newest creation, Cybertonuron. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1 Ratbat continued his spying missions, and gleaned information on the human/Autobot joint venture Sol 1, an energy-absorbing satellite set for launch. Although he was discovered by Chromedome, Ratbat escaped and reported back to Soundblaster. He used holographic projectors behind his eyes to allow Scorponok to review the data he had uncovered. The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok

Ratbat and the Mini-Cassettes were concerned about Counterpunch filling their place as Scorponok's chief informants, and met with Soundblaster on how to reassert their dominance. Return of the Immortal Emperor Ratbat was still favored by Galvatron after he returned, however, and was sent to spy on the Autobots in order to learn what they planned to do about Sandra's distress call. SOS from Planet Sandra

After the Decepticons left Earth behind to seek other sources of energy, Ratbat and the Mini-Cassettes traveled with Soundblaster and the others aboard Scorponok. On the planet Paradise, he delivered a message to the Autobots when the Decepticons captured their teammate, Highbrow. Head Formation of Friendship

Soundblaster used Ratbat to spy on the Autobots as they hovered over planet Master aboard Fortress Maximus. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide Ratbat and the other Mini-Cassettes joined Soundblaster in sentry duty outside the Decepticons' new base on Master. Operation: Destroy the Decepticons

Generations Selects Special Comic

In 2050, Ratbat and the Decepticons lent their support to the Earth-born Selectors, robots eager to rebel against their human makers who enslaved them. Volcanicus comic 2

TV Magazine comic continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers comic

Under the direction of Soundwave, Ratbat and his fellow cassettes ambushed Bumblebee in Japan shortly after his companion Kenji had flown off in Powerglide. Bumblebee was able to leap over them and run off, which prompted Soundwave to have the cassettes give chase. Rumble shortly ordered the group to split up to cover more ground.

However, they instead (as a group, oddly) ran into Ironhide and Cliffjumper, which sent them into retreat. Unfortunately, their attempt to re-enter Soundwave's chest was foiled by the fact that Bumblebee had shattered it with a kick, causing them all (including Ratbat) to bounce off the mangled cassette door. Cliffjumper then picked them all up and proceeded to pull out their magnetic tape, wrapping it around his fingers. That meanie. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #2

The Great Transformer War

In 2010, after infiltrating Scramble City, Ratbat watched from a hidden perch as the alien scientist Doctor Dalton assisted the Autobots in increasing the power of the nascent Technobots. The Great Transformer War #1

The Headmasters comic

After Soundblaster crash-landed following his encounter with Chromedome's "Master Chrome Hurricane-Throw to the End of Hell" attack, Ratbat and the other animal cassettes (minus Slugfest and Overkill) stood over his groggy form while Rumble and Frenzy panicked at the approach of Sixshot. The Headmasters #8

Madman The Transformers comic

In the year 2001, Ratbat was one of several tapes that accompanied Soundwave when they were spying on the construction of Autobot City. Soundwave had managed to record a meeting between Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus where the two Autobots leaders discussed hiding the Matrix of Leadership in a bunker at the building site. Ratbat was deployed along with Overkill, Slugfest, Beastbox and Squawktalk to oversee the retrieval of the powerful Autobot artifact. As Ratbat happily reported the minimal usage of fuel in the successful operation, the Autobot Hot Rod rammed Squawkbox and Slugfest, scaring the crap out of the bat. The Transformers

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Ratbat was one of the many Decepticons left on Cybertron, where he rose to the critical post of fuel auditor. With a drive towards extreme efficiency, he would rarely countenance unnecessary risks. He was one of the key figures in Lord Straxus's court, and continued to assist the cruel warlord even after the later had been reduced to a head in a life-support system. Megatron wound up teleported to Cybertron at this time, along with Optimus Prime, and the Decepticons leaked false information to the enemy army that Prime was really a Decepticon spy sent to infiltrate their ranks. Ratbat was tasked to spy on the Autobots to see their machinations play out. Things did not go according to plan, as Optimus escaped an execution squad thanks to the interference of Outback. Unwilling to reveal himself and thus confirm that Optimus was the genuine article, Ratbat reported back to Megatron and Straxus to let them know their scheme had likely failed already. Under Fire! When Straxus' attempted possession of Megatron saw Straxus dead and Megatron mentally unstable, Ratbat was able to exploit the situation. Convincing the others that Megatron and Straxus were a liability, he had Straxus' troops open the space bridge in front of Megatron, Optimus and Ultra Magnus, which sent them back to Earth. Resurrection!

Ratbat emerged as the most powerful Decepticon in Polyhex. Ratbat grew increasingly dissatisfied with the inefficient use of fuel by the Decepticons based on Earth under the command of Shockwave, a practice he planned to alleviate by shutting down the space bridge between Earth and Cybertron. The amount of fuel the Earthbound Decepticons had gathered was not remotely equal to the energy required to run the bridge. Regardless, Shockwave appealed for one more use of the space bridge, and blamed the Earthbound Autobots for their lack of progress. To the ends of eliminating them from the equation, Ratbat opened up the space bridge in front of the Ark and sent Trypticon through it to destroy them. Though many injuries were inflicted, the arrival of the Dinobots rapidly turned the tide. Trypticon's energy expenses exceeded the budget allowed for the mission, and Ratbat ordered him back. King of the Hill!

With the space bridge deemed too wasteful, Ratbat sent things to Earth via low-energy cost space freighters. However, a particularly important cargo went missing en route to Earth, so he made brief use of the space bridge anyways, in order to dispatch the Triple Changers through to Earth and investigate. Crater Critters When the source of the problem turned out to be a deadly plague of Scraplets, he captured the Throttlebots and sent them to Earth to remove the infection with corrosives. He warned them that if they did not succeed within ten hours, he would destroy the Earth to prevent the plague from spreading. Thankfully, water was discovered to be an effective cure. The Cure!

Ratbat traveled to Earth to oversee his designs for the planet. He continued to be outraged at Shockwave's excessive fuel use, particularly when he revealed that Shockwave's Decepticons had recently stolen a fuel tanker after it had unloaded its cargo! Meanwhile, Ratbat's own plans proceeded well. He had placed industrialist G.B. Blackrock under his control, and had him open a chain of car washes that featured rock and roll music and flashing lights, dubbed the "Wash and Roll Car Wash." These car washes hypnotized humans into delivering the fuel they'd pumped back to the Decepticons. However, this plan was discovered by the Autobots' ally Buster Witwicky. After managing to evade Ratbat by fleeing through one of the car washes, Buster was able to awaken the hypnotized masses outside. Ratbat was forced to flee and abandon this particular fuel-gathering method. Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom

The United States government later captured the Throttlebots and executed them live on television. The Predacons carried Ratbat to the execution location afterwards so that he could ensure that they had indeed been killed. He discovered that their brain modules were missing, and once he had the scent, he tracked down the Throttlebots to Sparkplug Witwicky's garage. When Sparkplug refuse to divulge any information to his troops, Ratbat and the Predacons tore the man's garage around him and continued on the trail. It eventually led them to inside a nearby mall. Here he battled Buster Witwicky once again, and learned that Walter Barnett, before having teamed up with the boy, had snuck the Throttlebots' brains away inside remote control cars. The toy-Autobots proved too crafty to be captured, but mid-chase, Ratbat finally got a good look at Buster's face. Remembering him as the one who foiled his previous plot, Ratbat swooped down to take his revenge, only to have a security gate dropped atop of him. Unable to move in his robot mode, Ratbat waited until Buster had his back turned, transformed, and stowed away in the boy's radio. Though he was briefly knocked out by the boy's rough handling of the machine, Ratbat awakened to find his prey at the Ark's former location. After crushing the toy body of the only Autobot left with him, Goldbug, Ratbat took Buster captive. Toy Soldiers! Trial by Fire! Pretender to the Throne!

He brought Buster back to the Decepticons' island headquarters, where he was used as a human shield against military retaliation. The Autobot Targetmasters besieged the base, commanded by Fortress Maximus and Buster's older brother Spike Witwicky, so the Decepticons were forced to flee by deploying the island base's space-travel capabilities. In the process of departure, Shockwave was shot down in space and seen spiraling towards Earth, apparently dying during reentry. Ratbat declared it would be inefficient to rescue him and seized command of the Decepticons for himself. The Desert Island of Space!

Of all the leaders of the Decepticons on Earth few came closer to outright victory than Ratbat. He followed the Autobots under Fortress Maximus when they set out to unite with those under Grimlock and launched an all-out attack that resulted in huge casualties and the Autobots being briefly stranded on the Moon. He retreated only when Grimlock and Blaster returned from their duel and turned the tide. Totaled!

Later, Ratbat promoted the newly recovered Starscream to the position of second-in-command and set out to retrieve two Autobot mini-cassettes that had gotten lost on Earth hundreds of years ago. To this end, he set down the Decepticons' base back on Earth, disguising it as an island once more, though this time the Decepticons advertised it as an island resort for human vacationers. With the resort drawing attention away from their search, Ratbat had the Seacons secure the Autobots' dormant bodies. But just as the Seacons were about to present their find to Ratbat, a human was able to sneak into their headquarters and snatch the Autobot mini-cassettes away. Ratbat sent out the Seacons to retrieve them, which they did successfully. Club Con! Using a Realvision simulator, Ratbat and Starscream reviewed the information encoded on Grand Slam and Raindance. The two Decepticons were beholden to an early adventure in Optimus Prime's career, where he fought to keep the powerful Underbase out of Megatron's grasp. The Underbase was ultimately sent out into space by Prime, but with the information encoded on the tapes, the Decepticons came to discover that the artifact was Earth-bound... and due to land planet-side in a matter of weeks! The Flames of Boltax!

Ratbat was determined to attain the Underbase's power for himself, but this ambition was shared by Starscream. The latter lured the separate Decepticon faction led by Scorponok to a meeting with Ratbat's forces, and Ratbat immediately grew to dislike his fellow commander for his partly-organic nature. He nonetheless tried to keep things civil between his troops and Scorponok's, but thanks to Starscream's subtle manipulations, a conflict soon erupted between them. Ratbat realized too late that Starscream had played him so as to get a head start in attaining the Underbase. Cold War!

Though Ratbat and his forces were briefly distracted in attacking the Autobots, who had been lured by Starscream into proximity of the Decepticon headquarters, Buster Witwicky convinced him to announce a cease-fire so they could unite against the Seeker. Following Starscream into space, they were able to prevent him from absorbing all but a tiny fraction of the Underbase's energies. Unfortunately, the amount Starscream had taken into himself was still enough to endow him with incredible might. He went about rampaging across the Earth, with both Autobots and Decepticons suffering huge casualties in the process. Both Ratbat and Scorponok independently suspected that the Autobot leader Optimus Prime, absent from the battlefield, had plans to seize the power of the Underbase for himself, and set out to stop him while their troops were being slaughtered. They confronted Optimus aboard the Ark, and Ratbat declared he would have the power of the Underbase for himself. Seconds later, Ratbat was dead, shot in the back by Scorponok. Dark Star

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Years later, Grimlock would invoke Buster Witwicky's fight with Ratbat inside the Wash and Roll Car Wash. Optimus Prime needed to be reminded that no matter how small, life struggles to carry on, and if protecting it was good once, why would they stop now? War Without End!

Recordicons

Though Ratbat was dead, he was sought by his alternate self from another universe who had assumed the persona of Batbot. Asking if Ratbat had left any unfinished business, Batbot was directed to the pile of unfinished paperwork in Ratbat's quarters. Recordicons #11

Regeneration One

After awaking in 1994, Megatron retrieved Ratbat's body from the Ark and after being reanimated and lobotomised, the cassette was pressed into service as part of Megatron's zombie army.

At some point, Ratbat finally managed to finish what he started with Buster Witwicky, killing him in a car wash. Less Than Zero

In 2012, Ratbat (now sporting an eye-patch) was part of a detachment ordered to chase down Kup and the Wreckers. Upon subduing Kup, Ratbat ordered his fellow zombies to return him to Megatron. Loose Ends, Part 2

When the Wreckers subsequently attempted to rescue Kup, Springer took down Ratbat with a punch after deploying some unexpected moves. Loose Ends, Part 4

Following Megatron's defeat and Auntie's destruction, the inert bodies of the zombies were gathered up, thrown into a large pit and vaporised from orbit. Natural Selection, Part One

G.I. Joe Club Dossier bio

Ratbat, who did not die, secretly integrated himself into Earth's criminal underworld, with the aim of controlling the entire planet from the shadows. To this end, he would build up mutually beneficial relationships with terrorist organisations: he brokered intelligence and arms deals for them, and they gathered resources for him – but whenever a cell expended its usefulness, he would rat them out to government authorities. After all, a constant state of worldwide conflict was a good smokescreen for his agenda.

Upon hearing of an alliance between Megatron and Cobra Commander, Ratbat took particular interest in Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones' proprietary rail gun technology – but he also plotted to stop Megatron's return in its early stages, lest the tyrant upend Ratbat's precise ecosystem of war profiteering. Ratbat profile in G.I. Joe Collectors' Club magazine, October 2016

Transformers '84

Ratbat was present at the Presidium when Megatron announced his plans to invade Stanix. Perhaps unwisely, Ratbat questioned his leader's orders, pointing out that the Decepticon army was already overstretched in terms of fuel and troops and that Stanix was of little strategic value. He suggested that they concentrate their efforts on redeveloping the energon capacitors in Tarn instead, which Megatron took under advisement.

Later, after an explosion apparently caused by a stray missile striking a fuel cache caused Cybertron's trajectory to be diverted into the Stellae Cimeterium, Ratbat confronted Shockwave with his suspicions that the explosion had something to do with Shockwave's Project Dreadnought and warned the scientist that he was looking for proof of his involvement. When he was unable to find anything concrete, Ratbat leaked what he suspected to the Autobots through the double agent Counterpunch. Secrets & Lies #1

Transformers in 3-D

Ratbat was a sentient entity capable of talking, but pretended to be an obedient mute animal in order to get out of doing any real work. He ended up as the mentally unstable Galvatron's witless pet and sole confidant. This embarrasses him, but rather that than do work!

Cyclonus worried about Galvatron's unhealthy attachment to Ratbat. When Searchlight foiled Ratbat's search for mysterious energon-producing aliens by causing Galvatron to accidentally step on him using Scorponok, Galvatron stopped fighting to rush to Ratbat's side, distraught over his actions. The Test

Ratbat later joined a Decepticon raid on S.S. Exton 9, corralling the humans within for the use of the suspension-ray beam on them. They were to be future slaves in the Decepticons' energy research laboratory. During the raid, Ratbat noted what seemed to be an Autobot ship, and several Decepticons went in pursuit. They failed to capture the Autobot, and a group of four children, Ironhide, and Cosmos returned to Exton 9 with the Prism of Power. The battle that followed forced the Decepticons into retreat and the Prism nullified the ray beam's effects on the humans. Transformers in 3-D #2

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

In the absence of Megatron and Optimus Prime during the Dark Ages, the Autobots and the Decepticons split into disparate factions. High Executor Ratbat became leader of his own faction, the Ultracons. They frequently clashed with Springer's Wreckers, who managed to keep the Ultracons in Polyhex's borders.

In a push to seize the Tagan Heights, which would grant control over 40% of Cybertron's manufacturing, Ratbat violated the Crisis Intervention Accord and managed to sway the Constructicons over to the Ultracons, unleashing Devastator on the Heights. However, the Protectobots arrived and formed Defensor. Escalation Their duel resulted in the destruction of a good deal of the Tagan Heights, and after being beaten down and berated by Springer, Ratbat was forced to retreat. Devastation

Eventually, four of the factions agreed to peace talks at the High Council Pavilions. Ratbat attended the ceremony personally, though he remained paranoid throughout the proceedings, accusing the Autobots of planing treachery at the first sign something went wrong. The talks were interrupted by an attack from Starscream's Predacons, but Ratbat was spared any harm thanks to the defenses the Autobots had set up prior to the signing. Spurred on by this act of aggression, the four factions joined to subdue the Predacons. However, another force quickly arrived in the form of Megatron and his Aerospace Extermination Squad. The Age of Wrath Megatron easily subdued Ultra Magnus as Ratbat and Shockwave looked on. With the return of their esteemed leader, the factions reintegrated into a single Decepticon army. The Age of Wrath Pt.2

Afterward, Ratbat attended a conference with Scorponok and Shockwave to discuss Cybertron's catastrophic fuel shortage. Destined for Nothing

During the millions of years that followed, Ratbat acquired a new body, which he despised More than Meets the Eye #5 and which worked in conjunction with Soundwave's body. At one point, he was captured and kept in the Detention Banks. During the reign of Shockwave, Starscream secretly worked with Soundwave, having Frenzy and Rumble assist him in releasing Ratbat while they were releasing the Stunticons on behalf of Shockwave. Cold War In return for some favors, Starscream returned Ratbat to Soundwave. Countdown to Extinction

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

Ratbat was one of the many Transformers recovered from the crashed Ark by Cobra. He was repaired and retrofitted by Doctor Mindbender, who proudly displayed him, Soundwave, and his fellow Mini-Cassettes to Destro. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Ratbat was released by Soundwave, along with Laserbeak, Frenzy, Rumble, and Ravage, during an attack on the SPS Research Facility. Ratbat was felled by the combined fire of Rock 'n Roll, Roadblock, and Bazooka. His body was taken into custody by G.I. Joe. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3

During an adventure full of time travel hijinks, Ratbat joined a platoon of Decepticons in guarding the Teletran 3 tower on Cybertron. They didn't do a very good job. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Megatron Origin #2

Millions of years ago, before the war, Ratbat was a member of the Senate and possessed a fairly impressive humanoid form with wing-like capes and a bat head-like helmet. This seems to mean he's a descendant of "the progenitors". Chaos Theory Part 2 His professed role was "the application of wisdom through judgment", whatever that means, but, in practicality, he simply monitored news feeds and manipulated events (including stoking conflicts) to create the most profit for himself. Megatron Origin #2 The day Shockwave joined the Senate, Ratbat applauded his proposal to construct the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology. Shockwaves He supported Senator Proteus's decision to implement the Clampdown, which would grant the Senate more power over Cybertronian citizens by strengthening security in the wake of an assassination attempt on Nominus Prime. In particular, Ratbat suggested they use the Clampdown to track down and shut down groups opposed to the Senate's rule. Chaos Theory Part 2

Learning of the existence of Soundwave, a homeless Cybertronian who could read minds, Ratbat saw how those skills could come in handy and offered the drifter a position by his side. Soundwaves Some time later he was responsible for the automation of Cybertron's energon mines, a move which prompted the miner known as Megatron to rebel and flee underground. Interested by Megatron's early gladiatorial exploits, he sent Soundwave to offer the gladiator a wide variety of advanced weaponry. It is unclear if he was simply trying to get in on the fight racket and increase the violence for profit, or if he was deliberately trying to create greater instability (also for profit). Megatron Origin #2

When Megatron's forces bloomed from underground fightclub to planet-destabilizing army, Ratbat realized that he'd made a mistake and Megatron was going too far. Megatron Origin #3 After Megatron decisively won his first battle against Sentinel Prime and the Decepticons were established, Ratbat decided to view this as a job opportunity and simply transfer himself (and all of Kaon's city funding and government data) to Iacon and a more lucrative position. Unfortunately for him, he was betrayed by Soundwave, who thought Ratbat would be a "valuable resource" for the Decepticons. Megatron Origin #4 His spark and brain module were removed and transferred into a smaller, compact form meant to serve Soundwave, a punishment for the Senator's support of discrimination through functionism. This new body was designed to be bat-like by Shockwave in order to add another flier to the Decepticon ranks. Soundwaves

During a manhunt for Soundwave in Iacon, Silverbolt closed in on the Decepticon communications officer from the air. Soundwave ejected Ratbat to deter him, much to Silverbolt's shock. Ratbat nimbly took out Silverbolt's port stabilizer, forcing him to crash into a nearby building. The Hunt for Soundwave

Millions of years later, Ratbat served as a scout for the Decepticons on Earth. After reporting to Megatron that he had found the Autobots' Ark-19, Ratbat was ordered to keep monitoring. Devastation #1 After the Surge and during the Decepticon invasion of the United States, the patrolling Ratbat came across the military unit of Spike Witwicky as they attempted to cross the Hudson River. He sunk their boat and only Witwicky survived. All Hail Megatron #5 When the Autobots returned to Earth and fought the Decepticons off, Ratbat retreated with the others aboard Astrotrain. Uneasy Lies the Head

Following the defeat of the Deceptigod, the Decepticons were left weakened from being forced to merge, and with Megatron MIA, Ratbat took the chance to revive his old title of Senator and make himself spokesperson of the defeated Decepticons. He negotiated an unconditional surrender with the Autobots in exchange for his own safety, unaware that Soundwave and Shockwave were already plotting for Megatron's return. Shockpoint The Decepticons were subsequently locked away in a temporary holding area inside the gun barrel of the crashed Kimia Facility. When Optimus Prime was shown to the facility, Ratbat loudly claimed that his reputation had been unfairly tarnished and he should be released, but Optimus told him in no uncertain terms that, as far as he was concerned, Ratbat was just another Decepticon, regardless of his past as a senator.

Getting nowhere with the Autobots, Ratbat instead tried to get the Decepticons to fall in line behind him now that Megatron had vanished, but when they were released to deal with a riot caused by a large number of angry neutral Cybertronians, the Decepticons all ignored him. Starscream mockingly noted that Ratbat's attitude was the reason why no one had listened to him in four million years. The Death of Optimus Prime

Some weeks later, Ratbat had managed to cement his position as figurehead and spokesperson for the confined Decepticons. Needlenose and Horri-Bull were forcibly returned to the Decepticon holding pen for threatening a NAIL, much to Ratbat's chagrin. He complained to Prowl about the unfair, restrictive conditions that the Decepticons were kept under. Prowl simply blew him off, telling Ratbat that Decepticons couldn't be trusted to function in the new society without the I/D chips in their heads. When Ratbat pressed further, Prowl bluntly stated that the Decepticons only deserved to be treated "like the animals you are". After the Autobots had left, Ratbat furiously chewed Needlenose and Horri-Bull out for volunteering to serve on the outside as peacekeepers. Needlenose protested that they simply wanted something to do, to which Ratbat responded that he did have a plan and they only had to stay out of trouble until the next night. The Autonomy Lesson

Of course, Horri-Bull and Needlenose couldn't stay out of trouble for another night and attacked another NAIL, forcing Bumblebee to activate Horri-Bull's I/D chip and blow his head off. This however, served Ratbat's larger scheme in proving to the Autobots that the I/D chips still functioned properly. The reality of it was that Soundwave and Shockwave had found a way to disable them, and Ratbat was waiting for the right time to take advantage of this fact. Having sent Skywarp to confirm this by teleporting out and witnessing Horri-Bull's demise, Ratbat warned the others to stick to his plan. Starscream openly voiced his doubt in Ratbat's plans and leadership, to which Ratbat merely claimed that he was the one who was responsible for the Decepticon uprising in the first place, through his manipulations as a senator. Starscream left in disgust, prompting Ratbat to order Long Haul to tail him.

Ratbat's plan went into effect the next night. During a memorial service for the presumed-dead crew of the Lost Light, Skywarp was to assassinate Bumblebee from a high vantage point, pinning the crime on a NAIL. Ratbat and the other Decepticons would then move out and attack the Autobots in the confusion. Unfortunately, Starscream had tipped Prowl off to Ratbat's plan, and the Autobot prevented Skywarp from pulling the trigger. Believing Bumblebee to have been successfully killed, Ratbat ordered Mixmaster to rally the others. Ratbat asked Soundwave and Shockwave if they were in agreement with his plans, to the former's silence and the latter's indifference. Satisfied, Ratbat retreated to his quarters to prepare, where he was ambushed by Arcee. The vicious Autobot cut his legs off and skewered his wing, before stabbing him through the chest. When someone came to check on Ratbat, they found him dead and pinned to the wall with an energy-sword. The World & Everything in It The Autobots showed up shortly thereafter to remove Ratbat's body. Prowl told the assembled Decepticons that Ratbat's death had been a suicide, much to their outrage and disbelief. Starscream backed this obvious cover story, claiming that the former senator had confided in him that the pressures of leadership were too great for his "tiny body" to withstand. Last seen, his corpse was in Fixit's medical facility, being stood over by Scattershot. Stick Together

Lil Formers

Ratbat was one of the absurd amount of minion Soundwave ejected out of his chest, all in a row, in preparation for a fight. Lil Formers

Kre-O online manga

Ratbat was present when Megatron explained out loud his plans to brainwash the entire population using music. Soundwave's Trap? Stop Operation Brainwash Humanity!

Beast Wars: Uprising

During the Great War, Ratbat was a high-ranking Decepticon who posed a threat to Megatron's leadership position. Not All Megatrons At one point, he fought Hot Rod on Earth, and the Autobot ripped one of his wings off. Derailment

By the 24th century, Ratbat was a member of the Builder Assembly, which admonished Eject when his subordinate Lio Convoy rebelled against the Builders. When Eject revealed that he had the means to create a clone of Lio Convoy, Ratbat and the other members of the assembly were receptive to his plan. Broken Windshields In order to shore up public morale, Ratbat insisted on restarting the Games after Lio Convoy's spectacle at the last Games. The new matches at Tesarus Arena were intended to star captured Resistance POWs, forced to fight against each other for the Builders' amusement. Micro-Aggressions

The war was going against the Builders by the time Galva Convoy was prepared to launch his Vehicons. So, despite Eject's newfound reticence, Ratbat and the Builder Assembly pressed ahead with the new drone troopers. The modified nano-virus produced by Vehicons allowed them to assimilate other members of the proto-races to increase their numbers, although Galva Convoy assured the Assembly that Macromaster-scale Builders were simply too complex to succumb to the virus. Eject still insisted on a line of code dubbed General Order 66, hardwiring the Vehicons to prevent them from passing above the 66th parallel, keeping them out of Iacon and neighboring Builder city-states and concentrated on Resistance territory and secessionists like the Maximal Nation and IPS.

Deploying the Vehicon virus at the south polar Protihex was successful as far as it went, but it only emboldened Lio Convoy and the Resistance to press ahead to Iacon and the Builder Assembly at a reckless pace. Ratbat and the Assemblybots began to shriek in fear as the majority of the fighting pushed above the 66th parallel. Despite Eject's warnings, a 2/3rds majority passed a resolution to rescind Order 66, and Galva Convoy immediately dispatched all Vehicons on a direct path towards the Pavilion. Ratbat and the Assembly's position became even more precarious when Hot Rod and the Micromaster 001st refused to engage the Resistance on the streets of Iacon. Hot Rod, unlike Ratbat, was concerned with civilian casualties and preserving the city, but this meant the Resistance could reach the High Pavilion that much sooner.

Even in the complete absence of any remaining defense, Ratbat still had the gall to defy Lio Convoy to his face when the Resistance leader confronted the Assembly atop the ruins of the High Pavilion after the army of the Resistance finished laying siege to it. Ratbat's arrogance appeared justified for a moment, as the Vehicons finally arrived en masse. It was then, however, that Galva Convoy turned against the Builders, assimilating Ratbat and the others into new, Builder-scale Vehicons. Ratbat became a Vehicon Copter Drone as the Vehicon Apocalypse truly began. Derailment

War for Cybertron Trilogy marketing material

During the war for Cybertron, Ratbat was an Air Force Applied Sciences Raider. Siege toy packaging

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #11

Ratbat was an Infiltration Trooper. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay In the years that followed the War of the Threefold Spark, he became a Senator; along with Megatron, Jhiaxus, Soundwave, and Strika, he represented the Ascenticon faction in the Senate. All Fall Down Head of Intelligence Starscream believed that he owed his continual re-election to the popularity that he enjoyed among his fellow Infiltration Troopers. Wheeljack: Orbital Decay Following a false-flag attack on Ascenticon Headquarters by The Rise, Ratbat and Strika both joined Megatron on a public broadcast as their leader rebranded the movement with a new insignia. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five

When The Rise destroyed the Tether, Megatron realized that the only way to keep ahead of the violence of his own followers was to fast-track his plans. At a meeting with the other Ascenticon senators, Megatron instructed Ratbat to rally his fellow Infiltration Troopers for action. All Fall Down Not long afterwards, Ratbat and Strika joined Megatron when the Ascenticon leader marched on the Senate and denounced Sentinel Prime and the assembly, before the newly christened "Decepticons" stormed the building. We Have Deceived You Ratbat watched as Megatron laid down his terms to the now-captive senators, until the Autobots attempted an assault on the building. Prime After Sentinel Prime was killed in the ensuing conflict and Iacon seized by the Decepticons, Ratbat consulted with Megatron on recruiting key figures to the Decepticon cause and told him Starscream wanted a meeting with him. Later, Ratbat watched as Termagax unexpectedly arrived at Decepticon HQ to denounce the movement and Megatron in particular. Megatron seemingly killed her with a shot from his fusion cannon in response, but Ratbat determined that it was actually a spectrosynth drone that was destroyed, and the real Termagax was still out there. Awakenings

Seeking to consolidate his power in Iacon, Megatron instructed Ratbat to seize the city's energon storage fields. Ratbat and his troops encountered resistance in the form of Grapple and his volunteers. When they refused to step aside, Ratbat ordered his troops to attack them. Ratbat was snagged by Grapple's claw right as the battle began, but the Decepticons ultimately triumphed and took full control of the city's energon distribution. Hunt

My Little Pony/Transformers

After crash-landing in Equestria, Soundwave ejected Ratbat, Frenzy, Laserbeak, and Ravage to scout the terrain. Soundwave's arrival drew the attention of Discord and Fluttershy; despite Frenzy's protests, Fluttershy quickly took a liking to Soundwave's "pets". When Frenzy's attitude led to him retaliating against the pony, Ratbat and the other cassettes, who had enjoyed her kindness, briefly turned on Soundwave and Frenzy. Unwilling to lose the friendship of his faithful cassettes, Soundwave agreed to a truce, and Ratbat and the others spent some time playing with their new friends. Pet Sounds

Games

Transformers: Mystery of Convoy

• Stages: 3, 6
• Point value: 300

Numerous copies of Ratbat patrol the early Time Tunnels, flitting back and forth in the more open areas of the shafts. When shot, they transform into harmless cassette modes and stay that way. Autobots can then use the cassette as a platform to reach hidden areas.

Frankly, they're not much of a threat at all. Transformers: Mystery of Convoy

Transformers Legends

Originally a senator on Cybertron, Ratbat was responsible for shutting down the mine where Megatron originally worked. This led to a revolt, and ultimately, Megatron's rise as founder of the Decepticons. When Alpha Trion exposed Ratbat's involvement in these events to Sentinel Prime, Ratbat was forced to flee for his life. Megatron Origins

Ratbat uses his accounting skills to engineer financial schemes aimed at crippling the Autobots' resources. Ratbat's card bio When the Dinobots marched on the Decepticon base, Ratbat joined Shockwave and Ramjet in bringing them to a halt. Day of the Dinobots - Part 2 Ratbat was among a handful of Decepticons who ventured inside Unicron to search for Galvatron. After encountering Arcee and Daniel, then falling foul of Unicron's internal defenses, the Decepticons resumed their search. Belly of the Beast Ratbat aided Starscream's ghost in trying to disrupt the Autobot Headmasters, but Brainstorm's team managed to overcome them, causing Ratbat, Fangry, and Weirdwolf to scatter into the night. Ghost in the Machine

When humans unlocked the secrets of Gravitronic Energy, Soundwave and his minions, Ratbat among them, attempted to take possession of the data, but were foiled by Bumblebee and Sunstreaker. Box Trap

Angry Birds Transformers

Ratbat is an "Accessory" character, giving Deceptihogs he's attached to a defense boost. This bonus can be increased with upgrades won from random-prize Crates or in the "Shockwave's Tower" mini-game.

He can be unlocked by purchasing him with Gems in the Barracks, with Tokens during specific Challenge Events, or won from Crates and Shockwave's Tower. Angry Birds Transformers

Deceptihog	Body Part	Rarity	Gem Cost	Base Effect	Notes
Energon Soundwave	Arms	Legendary	900	20% Defense

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Ratbat was a selfish Mini-Cassette with the ability to sniff out energy wavelengths across many frequencies—talents that made him an excellent manager and taskforce leader. Decepticon Directive

Toys

Main article: Ratbat (G1)/toys

Merchandise

Main article: Ratbat (G1)/toys#Merchandise

Notes

• Ratbat's form in The Transformers: Devastation was not based on a CD player, as was frequently believed, but a first-generation Sony Mylo.^[1]
• Ratbat's manga appearances use wildly different character models. The first appears to be based more closely on his box art, and thus may in fact be his Studio OX model, while the second seems to simply be his standard animation model.
• Ratbat's Generation 1 designs are based on two different bat species, with his toy design being based on fruit bats, and his cartoon model on vampire bats.
• While Ratbat in the original cartoon was a voiceless beast who was ordered around by Soundwave, in the Marvel Comics stories, Ratbat was an independent, intelligent character who could speak and held a prestigious rank, even commanding the Earthbound Decepticons for a period, despite transforming into a tiny audio cassette. Both of the "postmodern" continuities established by Dreamwave and IDW have tried to harmonize these two disparate roles by portraying Ratbat as a previously important individual who was humbled and forced into a lowly form. Remember, kids, if you're not humanoid, you can't possibly have held a real rank. There must be some explanation.
• Bob Budiansky has said that Ratbat was made leader in an attempt to shake things up and keep the story interesting: instead of a more standard evil leader, we'd have a guy who cares more about the internal accounts. At the same time Ratbat was boss, Grimlock had become Autobot leader for the same reason. Sadly, we never saw a Ratbat/Grimlock throwdown.
• Ratbat's cassette form in All Hail Megatron was part of a deliberate decision to have everyone looking recognisable to new readers.^[2] A black and purple bat? Perhaps they were worried readers would confuse him with Mindwipe.

• Ratbat was planned to appear in Transformers: Devastation as part of the boss fights with Soundwave, but was removed during development. However, his unused character model can still be found within the game's files.
• Kreon Ratbat is made from several existing Kre-O pieces. In this case, he uses the Rampage animal head (with small wing pieces to simulate bat ears), two purple spike pieces for 'claws', and Grimwing's wings (although the wings are directly on the arm-joint sections where they cannot normally fit), and a yellow/gold backpack piece.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Ratbat (ラットバット Rattobatto)
• French: Vampiro (Canada), Chauve-Souris Robot (France, Webworld, "Robot Bat"), Rabat (France, The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1)
• Hungarian: Féreg ("Worm")
• Italian: Stridek
• Mandarin: Biānfú Jīng (蝙蝠精, "Bat-Bogey")
• Russian: Krysak (Крысак, "Ratty")

References