Minerva
minerva.jpegWhen the news came that her family was moving to Japan, Minerva was especially excited at the prospect of learning traditional Japanese dance, but she could never have guessed that the plane on which they flew would be attacked by the Decepticon Pretender, Blood, who was searching for Mont Porte's prize-winning biologist, Professor Blanieux. Their jet crashed in Corsica, but Minerva and her family escaped with only minor injuries, and she was only too happy to talk to the "government investigators" who came to her in the hospital where her parents were being treated. In particular, the two young boys that accompanied the investigators, Shūta and, were very taken with Minerva. The following day, when Professor Blanieux arrived to rendezvous with Minerva's father before he and the family headed on to Japan, the investigators, Shūta accompanied them on their private jet for fear of any further Decepticon attacks. Blood did indeed strike at the plane, and to combat him, the investigators revealed that they were, in fact, the Autobot Pretenders. Although Minerva was initially angry with Shūta for lying to her, she was impressed with their bravery when the jet's stewardess turned out to be a Decepticon Destroid and they fought and incapacitated her. With the Decepticons' plan foiled, Shūta suggested that Minerva could join them in attending the International School, and she happily agreed. Kidnapping!? The Targeted Jumbo Jet
"What do you mean, 'anything can happen in the next half-hour?'"
imageMinerva.jpeg
Having seen the evil of the Decepticons firsthand, Minerva was only to happy to say yes when Autobot leader Metalhawk asked if she wanted to help the Autobots in their fight against them. At first, Hawk was unsure if she was up to the task, but Minerva obtained her parents' permission and assured Hawk that she was willing to spend her life saving the lives of others. Together with Shūta, Minerva was given Masterbraces and a Transtector and became a Headmaster Junior warrior. Birth! Headmaster Jrs

While training with Diver in America, however, Minerva displayed her lack of confidence with her new power, but was soon forced to face up to the responsibilities it carried when the Decepticons' Headmaster Juniors attacked a nearby city. Unable to summon the courage to join Shūta in the fight, Minerva was only galvanized into action when she saw a young girl become buried under rubble on news coverage of the battle. Racing into action without a second thought, Minerva followed the girl's dog to her side and rescued her, but tragedy then struck when Wilder killed the poor animal. Finally filled with the emotional fury that drove her to fight, Minerva transformed to robot mode and took out two of the three villains, forcing them to retreat. After the battle, Minerva helped the girl bury Pis and promised to buy her a new puppy just like him. Rage!! Little Devils with No Need for Rules
What? Lightrays naturally form and angle like that!
imagesMin.jpeg
On a mission to Kenya, Minerva's choice of ensemble definitely made the trip for Shūta , but it also left her quite open for a deadly scorpion sting. Thankfully, this was prevented by a well-timed shot from Ricky. While the other Autobots battled the Decepticons in the area, Minerva put her medical talents to use treating an injured fawn for which Ricky was caring. Panic! Protect the Wild Animals!! Upon returning to Japan, the trio participated in the Mt Fuji Foothills Hang Gliding Competition Tournament, only for it to be attacked by the Decepticon Godmasters Buster and Hydra. Minerva treated the injured hang-gliders while the battle raged. Super Warriors - The Godmaster Brothers

Not long thereafter, the Autobots were joined by their own Godmaster, Ginrai, whom Minerva and the other Juniors were eager to meet. Ginrai: God On of Rage!! They arrived to welcome him at the harbour when he came to visit them, but during the drive back to the headquarters, the team was attacked by the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors, and Ginrai kidnapped Cancer for interrogation. Minerva attempted to make the boy's imprisonment bearable, appalled by Ginrai's use of handcuffs. Even when Cancer shattered a glass of juice that she attempted to offer him, cutting her with the shards, she refused to let Shūta hurt him. When Ginrai threatened Cancer with physical force, she tried to stop him, but was ordered out of the room, so she watched the ensuing interrogation on a viewscreen.
First Mayumi, then Minerva… Cancer might be scared Mega will be next.
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Learning what they needed from him, the Autobots released Cancer into the hands of Hydra and Buster, but Hydra immediately discovered a homing beacon on Cancer's back and attacked the Autobots in retaliation. Buster seized Minerva and placed his blaster to her head, but surprisingly, Cancer snatched her away, begging the Godmasters not to kill anyone. The surprised Decepticons were overpowered by Ginrai and retreated, with Cancer shouting back that his act of kindness was simply payback for the drink. A Strange Friendship: Cancer and Minerva

Worrying that Ginrai would hate her after her argument with him, Minerva went to Metalhawk with her concerns, and he encouraged her to talk it out with him. Heading out to join Ginrai, Shūta and Cab at a barbecue, Minerva arrived in time to overhear Ginrai praise her honesty, and she consequently plucked up the courage to join them and apologize, setting things right once more. She was subsequently with Ginrai when he discovered the trailer for his Transtector Friend or Foe!? The True Form of the Monster!! and was part of the battle when he unleashed its power against King Poseidon. During this fight, Minerva appealed to Cancer to abandon the Decepticons and join the Autobots, but she was struck down by Bullhorn before her words could sink in. Heroism!! The Birth of Super Ginrai
Able was I, ere I saw Minelba.
Minerva-masterforce.jpg
The Headmaster Juniors' summer break coincided with the discovery of another Autobot Godmaster, Lightfoot, Lightfoot: A Dramatic Encounter and as such, they were able to accompany Ginrai, Metalhawk and Lander on their search for the next Godmaster, camping in the Rocky Mountains. While picking mushrooms, Minerva spotted a forest patrolman named Ranger talking with Bullhorn and immediately suspected he was a Decepticon, but was unable to tell the other Autobots when she returned to the camp and found Shūta and Cab fishing with him. When a storm lashed the campsite that night, the group took Ranger up on his offer of taking refuge in his cabin, where Minerva was able to tell her fellow Juniors her suspicions. She was soon proven wrong, however, when Ranger revealed a strange, glowing rock that he had discovered, which turned out to be a Transtector with which he then bonded, becoming the next Autobot Godmaster. An Enemy? The Third Godmaster, Ranger

When the Six Changer Sixknight arrived on Earth, allied himself with the Decepticons and challenged Ginrai to a duel, Minerva was among the spectators of the battle, but found herself playing a more important role when she was captured by Blood and Gilmer. The Pretender duo threatened her life in order to make Ginrai stand down, but as they argued over who gets to hold her Sixknight was enraged at their interference and forced them to let her go so that they could duel honourably. A Powerful Foe!! Sixknight the Wanderer Sixknight ultimately lost to Ginrai, but returned soon after, attempting to comprehend how he'd lost to a human. As he and Ginrai were in the middle of talking, the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors attacked a nearby city in order to draw the Autobots out, as part of a plan by Cancer to prove to his fellow Juniors that Minerva meant nothing to him. Sixknight responded to their attack with deadly force, and the horrified Minerva was forced to team up with Cancer's little Decepticon buddy Browning to blind Sixknight with a smokescreen, allowing the Decepticon Juniors to escape. The Autobot Warrior, Sixknight?!
Victory cartoon
Odds are, you only like two of these characters.

Voice actor: Tomoko Maruo (Japanese)
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Several years later, when Ginrai's now-living Transtector was fatally wounded in battle with Decepticon leader Deathsaurus, Minerva's own Transtector, having taken its partner's name for its own, was summoned to Earth along with Perceptor and Wheeljack for medical support. Unfortunately, it was soon determined that nothing could be done for Ginrai, save to rebuild him in an entirely new form. Ginrai Dies!! Using a design crafted by Autobot Supreme Commander Star Saber, Minerva, Wheeljack and Perceptor rebuilt Ginrai as Victory Leo Fight!! Victory Leo and subsequently implanted a circuit in Star Saber's head that would allow him and Victory Leo to combine. Awaken! Victory Leo Perceptor was wary of the strain on Star Saber's body when the combination was first used, but when Minerva pressed him for details, he assured her everything would turn out fine. The Tide Is Turned! The Ultimate Weapon, the Victory Unification
Super-God Masterforce comic
In the name of The Moon, I will punish you!

Minerva was a schoolfriend of Shūta, who joined them in begging Metalhawk to allow them to become members of the Autobots. After a period of intense training, the trio were given Master-Braces and Transtectors and became Headmaster Juniors, but didn't fare very well in their first battle against a Lobclaw. Minerva was first to fall to the Seacon, and Metalhawk had to leap in to bail them out. Headmaster Jrs Are Born

During a battle between Metalhawk and Blood in the dead of night, Hawk called upon the Juniors to provide rescue operations in the city. Minerva and Shūta had to silently sneak out of the International School dorms, and once they arrived on the scene, they were attacked by the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors. Although outmatched, they were able to overpower their foes when Cancer was distracted by some injured humans nearby, and with their enemies dispatched, Minerva dispensed first aid. Destined Confrontation: The Children of Good and Evil

When news came from America of the discovery of the first Autobot Godmaster, Minerva and the other Autobots waited at the harbor for his arrival, only to be attacked by the Decepticon Godmasters, Buster and Hydra. Ginrai arrived to save them, and Minerva and the Juniors became fast friends with him, Enter on the Stage! The Name of the Savior Is Ginrai! later travelling to Athenia to see him appointed Supreme Commander of the Autobots. The Battle Begins! The United Earth-Space Troops
The creepiest smiles ever. Yikes.

The Juniors' relationship with Ginrai grew closer with the creation of Godbomber, a drone piloted by Minerva, Shūta that combined with Ginrai and allowed him to defeat Overlord and BlackZarak. God Ginrai's Amazing Super-God Combination! When Shūta were captured by the Decepticons, however, Minerva had to pilot Godbomber alone and crashed it through the walls of Overlord's base mode in order to save her friends. As their injuries were bandaged back at the Autobot base, Minerva was embarrassed by the two boys' jokes about how she was like a mother to them. The Earth Family of Good and Evil

Minerva and the Juniors accompanied Ginrai into battle aboard Godbomber for several further conflicts, including the recruitment of the final Godmaster, Clouder, who Minerva welcomed into the Autobot ranks with a big home-cooked meal. Decepticons' Great Counterattack! In the final battle against BlackZarak, now fused with Decepticon emperor Devil Z, the villain turned on his fellow Decepticons, leading them to unite with the Autobots in defeating him. Minerva and all the other Transformers united their energies in the “Perfect Transformer Attack,” which obliterated both villains. The death of Devil Z caused the bond between the humans and their Transtectors to be broken, and Minerva became a normal kid again as her now-living Transtector and those of all the other Autobots headed into space to continue the fight against the Decepticons. The Birth of the Super Lifeforms
Classics
That neckline says otherwise!

Minerva, the daughter of a French mother and a Japanese father, was chosen out of the Japanese Self Defense Core to be part of Project: Transtector. For a while she piloted a battle armor suit fashioned from Transformer scrap found around the globe, until the project ended when most of its subjects collapsed under psychological stress. Minerva survived seemingly unscathed, except for that one time she stole a starfighter and followed "visions" directly to the Autobot, Nightbeat, and began dating his head. Minerva's Classics profile

She ended up joining Muzzle and Nightbeat's team, which also included Siren and Quig, Lug, and the disgruntled Dinobots Sludge and Slag. While traveling the universe, they set their ship down on the planet Azure for repairs. If "setting the ship down for repairs" means "getting shot down in high orbit and crashing it into the only repair bay equipped to fix it".
If "Cheap Shots" were the Beatles, I'd be its Yoko Ono!

Nightbeat found that he was a person of interest to a potential client, a sentient ship named Amory, but not before Minerva and the others battled her hired "thugs". Amory required the services of Nightbeat and his team in finding her pilot, Phyrion. Minerva and the other humans pored over the evidence, but they could find no lead. Ultimately, the entire arrangement was revealed to be a setup put together by the Decepticons Ruckus and Needlenose, who had assembled an alleged "new Mayhem Attack Squad" by promising payment to Octopunch and Stranglehold for their assistance. Ruckus wasn't very smart, however, and had brought his hostage with him. The Decepticons were brutalized and Phyrion was returned to Amory. Regretting her involvement, Amory paid the Autobots for her services.

Despite their short run-in with good luck, Minerva and the rest of the crew were still stranded on Azure without a working ship. In the meantime, surely someone was in need of a detective… Cheap Shots
Toys
Super-God Masterforce
I was once a man!

Minelba [sic] (Headmaster Junior, 1988)
Japanese ID number: C-303
Accessories: Transtector, seat/helmet, left & right "Shock Blasters", "Shock Gun"

Minerva's Transtector is referred to as an ambulance, but let's be honest - it's a Porsche 959 with an emergency rescue color scheme that wouldn't likely be very useful in transporting patients around. The roof is hinged and can be opened to reveal an interior cockpit that Minerva herself can sit inside of; the prominent hinge itself is rather cleverly disguised as a lightbar, something that Minerva's American mold-partner, Nightbeat, lacks. Her Shock Blasters plug in just above the vehicle's headlights, while her larger Shock Gun can be plugged onto the roof.

In robot mode, Minerva's cockpit seat becomes a helmet, into which the small Shock Blasters plug as antennae. Like all Headmaster toys, Minerva has a flip-down panel on her chest which covers a spring-loaded mini-Tech-Spec-meter which gives readings for Speed, Strength and Intelligence. The tumblers are activated when Minerva (or any other Headmaster unit) is plugged into the neck socket. Minerva has her robot mode face plainly visible on her back because, as a smaller Headmaster toy, she lacks the flip down panel that covers the face featured on larger Headmasters. As another consequence of being a smaller Headmaster, Minerva's chest cavity was apparently too small for 3 individual tumblers. As a result, all Headmaster heads inserted will display her pre-molded (and painted) Speed, Strength, and Intelligence readings (7, 5, 8) on one large sliding plate.

As noted above, Minerva shares a mold with the American Headmaster Nightbeat, but it is unclear which character came first in the design process.

More information on Minerva at TFU.info

Not-Beat.

Minerva Night Beat (Headmaster Junior, 1988)
Accessories: Transtector, seat/helmet, left & right Shock Blasters, Shock Gun

Essentially just a Japanese release of Hasbro's Nightbeat toy, this version of the Minerva toy was only available by mail order, for the price of 1800 yen and four Robot Points. It is unknown if this version of the toy came in a simple mailer box or in Hasbro packaging.

Merchandise
I will NOT make the Knee Test!
Super Collection Figure

Minerva (2001)

A PVC figurine of Minerva, based on her robot mode character model, was available in the second "act" of Takara's Super Collection Figure line. Like all the figures in the act, it was available as both a standard full-color figure, and as a colorless clear plastic version, one of each in a case of twelve blind-packed PVCs.

Metalhawk & Minerva (2001)

A second Minerva figurine was released in the fifth, Masterforce-centric act of the line, this time as an unarmored human in her school uniform. Only available packaged with the act's Metalhawk figurine, it was available in both full-color and metallic silver "pewter" versions, again at a ratio of one each per case of twelve. In eight out of every ten cases, the pewter version of the figures came packaged with the right arm of the BlackZarak "Build-A-Figure".

Gutto Kuru Figure Collection

Minelba [sic] (2012)
Accessories: Helmet, smiling face, gleeful face, angry face, 4 pairs of hands

A posable figure of Minerva in her Headmaster Junior armor was made by CM's Corporation as part of their Gutto Kuru Figure Collection. She comes with a removable helmet and several swappable faces, and the robot face molded onto her backpack can be compressed and hidden to leave room for her long hair.

Minelba Special Color Ver. (Wonder Festival Summer 2012 exclusive, 2012)
Accessories: Helmet, smiling face, gleeful face, angry face, Hi-Q head

A recolor of Minerva in the blue and yellow of her American counterparts Nightbeat and Muzzle was available exclusively at the Summer Wonder Festival 2012 convention in Japan. In addition to the regular figure's accessories, this exclusive comes with an extra head based on Hasbro Powermaster Hi-Q, which can be attached to CM's separately-sold Ginrai figurine.

Notes

Upon her release, Minerva was the first female Transformer toy. Many years later, though, her position would be retroactively usurped when Freezon was retconned into being female.
Minerva's name is consistently mis-anglicized as "Minelba" in every English instance of the name on Japanese packaging and bio material. There is essentially no difference between the "L" and "R" sounds in Japanese, and at the time it was standard practice to substitute "ba" for the "va" sound (though this has changed in later years).
According to her supplementary bio card, Minerva was 15 years old, making her the oldest Autobot Headmaster Junior.
Minerva's precise nationality is a bit ambiguous. Her mother is stated to be French, but whether her ambassador father is Japanese or from the Republic of Mont Porte is not made explicitly clear in the cartoon. Her father is, at least, explained to be Mont Porte's ambassador to Japan, which would suggest he is a Mont Porte native, but some sources, including The Ark II, have claimed that he is Japanese (by way of describing Minerva as "half-French, half-Japanese").

Probably buddies with Ariel Paradron-Type.

Although Minerva's Transtector doesn't have room to ferry patients like a real ambulance would (which is what it's referred to being as), it would qualify as a fly-car due to it having a faster response time to emergencies (and saving ambulance resources if the situation is minor).
Minerva's living transtector was the only one of the Headmaster Junior trio to return in the Victory cartoon. Conversely, while Shūta and Cab returned in the pages of the Victory manga, Minerva did not beyond one flashback. According to writer Masumi Kaneda, the reason for this was because the manga would then have been "buried in female characters".[1] Besides the obvious sexism, there was all of one regular female character; the three others (Illumina, Esmeral, and Lyzack) only briefly appeared in one issue.
Minerva's color scheme was used for the DVD-exclusive "White Version" redeco of Cybertron Thunderblast. It made her look quite like Override.

Foreign names

English: Nightbeat (Omni Productions dub)
Italian: Phantom
Russian: Vetochka (Веточка, "Tree Branch")
Spanish: Cher (America)
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