Transformation Name Announcement

Kevin: What's with the shouting names thing anyway?
Ben: It strikes fear into my enemies.
Kevin: . . . You go right on believing that, bud.

—Ben 10: Ultimate Alien

What's the most stylish way to end a Transformation Sequence, a shapeshift, or a mode change? For some heroes, it's simply to shout the name of their new form right as the Stock Footage ends. Humongous Mecha of the transforming or combining variety are susceptible to this habit, as are Magical Girls with long, sparkly transformations (roughly all the modern ones).

Alternatively, the name of the form can be the activation word for the transformation, or at least part of it. Again, Super Robots do this often, simply because it's easy to Hand Wave or at least (if you're more current) poke fun at it, and because it's style.

For another variation, the hero himself needn't announce his form change, but his commander, his spotter, or a piece of machinery can do it for him.

Compare Calling Your Attacks, By the Power of Greyskull, Invocation and In the Name of the Moon. May be part of Transformation Sequence, Shapeshifting and/or Super Mode. In some cases, comes with a side of nekketsu.

Examples of Transformation Name Announcement include:

Anime and Manga

Magical Girl

Mecha

  • GaoGaiGar. All of them, both transforming and combining, heroes and villains. Indeed, many of the Braves are this way.
    • The dragon bros. don't always do this, though. And it's very odd when Volfogg does it, as he's often working alone and has no one to announce it to.
  • Tekkaman Blade's titular character did this nearly every time. In Tekkaman Blade II, Tekkamen Vesna, Sommer and Hiver carry on the tradition.
  • Getter Robo, every single incarnation up til Armageddon. "Change, Getter-1! Switch on!"
    • Then again Ryoma compensated by holding his "Getter" part of the phrase for four freaking seconds.
    • Three words: "CHANGE GETTER EMPEROR!!!" Also known as "the voice that quakes the universe itself."
    • In the case of Getter Robo though, this is what they do at the start of the transformation, justifying it. Afterall, they're combining at several miles per hour, if they don't know exactly which form they're supposed to be combining into, its very likely they'll crash and burn, a lesson more than a few Getter Test Pilots learned fatally.
  • Zoids New Century Zero. "Liger Zero, CAS complete!"
  • Voltron. Also the original: "Let's GoLion!"
  • "From now on, this mech's name is... GURREN-LAGANN!" The first time for each new robot, the present Hot Blooded hero would name it.
    • The pilots of every iteration of the mech tend to give a Rousing Speech whenever the thing gets bigger...and it's usually accompanied by explosions. Viral (Gurren Lagann), the orbital Mugann fleet (Arc Gurren Lagann), the face of that weird battleship thing (Super Galactic Gurren Lagann), and then a galaxy (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.)
  • In Transformers, a few incarnations will use "[name], transform!" as their transformation word.
  • Combattler V and Voltes V both shout the robot's name when it finishes forming.
    • So is Daimos. In Super Robot Wars Advance, this gets spoofed by Gai Daigoji (if he survives), whereas after Kazuya roars Daimos' name, Gai yells out "AESTEEE!!! VALIIIISSS!!!", much to Akito's confusion.
      • Naturally, since Gai knows about it, you'd better believe Gekiganger 3 has an example. In this case, it happens in The Movie when Ken brings out the Gekiganger V- he does some poses and shouts "GEKIGANGAAAA... V!" in a similar fashion to Combattler V.
  • Both Hiroshi and Kenji of Steel/Koutetsushin Jeeg would strike a pose and shout "Koutetsu Jeeg!" once all the Parts were together.
  • For a Super Robot show, Gravion somehow averts this most of the time... until Sandman himself announces the mecha's name after it finishes combining, which shocks Raven. His reply when asked why? "I've always wanted to do that at least once."
    • Well, only averted for the main Choujuu Gasshin. "Elgo Form!" should count. Also, at the end of Sol Gravion's combination the pilots shout its name.
  • The Commandos in Transformers: Robots in Disguise always cap off their combination sequence with "Ruination, awaken!"
  • Happens in Gunbuster episode 5 after the combination sequence. "GUN...BUS...TEEERRRR!"
    • And not to forget Diebuster, for both Buster Machine Number Seven and Diebuster itself. Number Seven's is particularly long, as it gives it's weapons class *and* attached unit.

Other

  • In the Pokémon anime, the first aspect of an evolution a Pokémon tries out is generally its voice. Pokémon cries being what they are...
    • In the Pokémon games, you get the cry directly after an evolution as well, but there, the cries consists of roars and similar things.
  • Digimon :In the English version they instead call out what form they will take, which makes sense for those that can take different forms at the same level but brings questions to those didn't know they can evolve in the first place.
    • Actually the Digimon call out the form they have just taken after the evolution takes place
  • Bleach: A zanpakutou releases into shikai as a result of the shinigami calling out a release activation phrase that ends with the announcement of the zanpakutou's true name, at which point the zanpakutou transforms into its true form.
    • When a zanpakutou releases into bankai, the shinigami simply announces "Bankai" and then enters the Transformation Sequence. Once the transformation has ended, the shinigami concludes with the zanpakutou's new name which sums up the nature their weapon (and any changes that have occurred to the shinigami's own appearance) has revealed as a result of entering bankai. Shinigami who have achieved bankai are also able to activate their shikai silently (but rarely do). With bankai, silent activation seems to be impossible, but announcing the name of the transformed zanpakutou is entirely optional.
    • Arrancar have their own zanpakutou and releases, which operate in the same manner as a shinigami's shikai. Despite their zanpakutou not being empathic weapons like those of shinigami.
  • Mega Man NT Warrior gave this to Megaman for Style Changes and Soul Unisons.
  • Used as an affirmation of identity in Solty Rei when Eirene keeps calling Solty by her original name of Dike: "MY NAME IS SOLTY REVANT!!!" *Full-strength Power Fist*.

Live Action TV

Video Games

Web Comics

Web Original

Western Animation

  • "By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!"
  • As of Alien Force, Ben 10 has started applying this to his transformations.
    • Kinda cool, at first, that he's taken the time to give names to every one of them. But later on, when he's trying to do things like sneak out of his house from his parents, you wonder if he really has to yell them out every single time.
      • As of the episode "Hero Time", we learn that he doesn't. When his Berserk Button is pressed by Captain Nemesis kidnapping his girlfriend, he transforms into Humongousaur, and then into Ultimate Humongousaur, and doesn't say anything. Also note that earlier on, he had mocked a rival for trying to imitate him on this account, calling the practice stupid. He might not be doing it consciously.
        • Except that, now that the Omnitrix/Ultimatrix has reverted to "sometimes it turns Ben into the wrong alien" mode, he yells out the wrong name and then corrects himself. Which was also lampshaded in that same episode.
    • Word of God stated numerous times that the reason why they have Ben do this is so the younger fans will know the names of all the alien transformations.
  • The result of two guys watching too much of this: Mecha Shiva, Mecha Shiva, Mecha Shiva!
  • Darkwolf lets off an epic one of these in Fire and Ice while holding off Mooks.
  • He-Man: "I have the power!"
  • She-Ra: "I am She-Ra!"
  • The entire Rivera family in El Tigre calls out their hero or villain name upon transforming from their civilian identities:
    • El Tigre! White Pantera! Puma Loco! Plata Peligrosa!
  • Powdered! Toast! MAN!
  1. ↑ There's also "Top gear, in!" and "over top gear, in!" and others for other formations.
  2. ↑ Dekaranger had "S.P.D.! [each of them says their names]! Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger!"
  3. ↑ Magiranger went like "Overflowing courage becoming magic! Mahou Sentai Magiranger!"
  4. ↑ Boukenger had "Endless adventure spirits! Go Go Sentai Boukenger!"
  5. ↑ In Gekiranger, it was "Our burning power is a proof of justice! Juken Sentai Gekiranger!"
  6. ↑ Shinkenger, going forth!
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