Tentakil (G1)

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images. Specifics: beast mode; fictional appearances

Tentakil is a Decepticon Seacon from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Squidly deadly.

Tentakil (aka Tenta-Kil)^[1] may seem like a nice guy at first. Sure, he'll take you out for a night on the town: dinner, dancing, a movie... the whole shabang. Then maybe he'll compliment your chassis' color-scheme or tell you that you have the most stunning optics he's ever seen. Then, of course, one thing will lead to another, you'll ignore your better judgment, invite him back to your place and then BAM! He takes your head clean off. Decepticons. They're all alike.

Tentakil can combine with his fellow Seacons to form Piranacon.

Years later, he stopped hiding his cruelty from even Decepticons. Wonder what could have caused that?^[2]

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

When Shockwave's Earthbound Decepticons established their new undersea base, Seawing and the Seacons were summoned from Cybertron to work on the base's fortifications, as they were uniquely suited for underwater activity. They got more than they bargained for when the super-Decepticon Galvatron came a'calling. In the battle, Tentakil received a decisive blow to the head before he got any chance at all to strike at his opponent. In the end, even the combined might of Piranacon couldn't beat Galvatron, and the Seacons were left laying unconscious on the sea bed. Enemy Action!

At some point, the Aerialbots shot down Dreadwing over the ocean while he was carrying a vital power source. Optimus Prime and the Autobot Powermasters descended to retrieve it but were ambushed by Tentakil and the Seacons, who had the upper hand in their home environment. Tentakil managed to grab a hold of Getaway and began torturing with electrical shocks, only for the Autobot to turn the tables on him and hurl him away. Tentakil was then take out of the fight when the oblivious Slapdash accidentally back-handed him into unconsciousness. Prime then ordered Hi-Q and the other Nebulans to take the power source and return to the surface, but with that gone the Seacons decided that rather than press their advantage against the Autobots, they couldn't afford to let Hi-Test and Throttle drown and rescued them instead. Dreadwing Down!

See, he's got tentacles, and he kills. Get it?

After Shockwave was deposed, the new commander Ratbat kept the Seacons on retainer for another mission. The Seacons were commissioned to hunt down a sunken shipwreck in the water around the Decepticon undersea base, a wreck which supposedly contained two Autobot cassettes with valuable information encoded on them. They successfully obtained the treasure chest containing the cassettes and, despite a brief theft by the Autobot Blaster, managed to recapture the prize and return it to their leader. Club Con! Unfortunately for them, this led to a sequence of events whereby the treacherous Starscream acquired the power of the Underbase for himself, by first turning Ratbat's Decepticons against those of the visiting Scorponok, Cold War! and then luring the Autobots into a fight with both Decepticon camps in the Arctic. During this battle, Tentakil managed to sneak up on Perceptor and entangled his unsuspecting victim in his tentacles. The warring factions were forced to unite in order to stop Starscream from seizing ultimate power when they learned the whole set-up had been orchestrated by the treacherous Seeker. The Seacons attacked Starscream in unison in the waters around Manhattan, but were destroyed in a single energy discharge of his newly acquired cosmic power. Dark Star

Earthforce

Sometime later, Megatron traveled back in time and possessed the body of Seacon leader Snaptrap during the Underbase Saga, in an attempt to save them in the past to bolster his troops in the present. He failed due to the intervention of Prowl, and the Seacons met their fate as before. Flashback!

Transformers Comic-Magazin

The characteristics of Tentakil and the other "Small Targetmaster Seacons" were reviewed by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in a simulation watched by Goldbug. Memories of Bumblebee

Classics

After the Seacons were revived following their destruction at the hands of Starscream, Tentakil's cruelty and rage began to rise up more frequently. He was still furious at his temporary death, and very nearly left the Seacons altogether. Eventually, though, he chose to remain with the team. Seacons Timelines Profiles

When Bludgeon detected an apparent traitor in his organization, he assembled Snaptrap, Tentakil, and the Seacons to face the betrayer. Unfortunately, their target was Hun-Grrr, leader of the Terrorcons, and Terrorcons stick together. Literally. As Abominus formed inside the Decepticon armory, Tentakil and the others took aim at the giant's weak points, but were unable to break up the combination robot. The Seacons then switched tactics, forming their own giant warrior, Piranacon. Overbite remained separate from his fellows and, after the initial bout of grappling and melee, lept into the fray in his stormsurge cannon mode, blasting Abominus in the face with a foot-wide blast of corrosive fluid.

The enraged behemoth continued fighting back, knocking Piranacon to the floor. Nautilator slipped free from the combination form and joined Overbite behind Abominus. The smaller warriors were beneath Abominus's notice until they concentrated their firepower on his lower leg, bringing him down. As Overbite and Nautilator reconnected with Piranacon, the latter shifted into weapons mode and further disabled Abominus with a blast from his torpedo cannon. One final swipe from Piranacon's coral blade, and Abominus was finished. Tentakil lingered behind the others as they disassembled and met with Bludgeon, relishing in the kill.

Believing the imminent battle with Megatron's Decepticon forces was compromised, Bludgeon summoned the Seacons to his command centre to prep for the attack. Bludgeon was so enthralled with analyzing the attack pattern of Megatron's incoming ships that he failed to notice the Seacons merge once more. The real traitors, they formed Piranacon and used Tentakil in his mass compression cannon mode to obliterate Bludgeon before alerting Megatron's forces that the area was secure. At Fight's End

As the universe was obliterated, Tentakil was aboard the Talon which was pulled into an alternate universe. The Talon crashed on prehistoric Earth, much to Megatron's displeasure, and both Tentakil and Nautilator were sent outside to secure the area. The pair spotted a herd of buffalo, but before they could open fire, they were both incapacitated by energon radiation. Moments later, the herd trampled them to pieces. Shattered Time

Regeneration One

We have to get out of here. If we don't they'll tear us to pieces, and that is really going to exacerbate things for all of us!

During his time alone on Earth, Megatron retrieved and reanimated the bodies of the Decepticons that had fallen in the Underbase battles, lobotomizing them for good measure so that they would unquestioningly follow orders. Pressed into service as part of this zombie army in 2012, Tentakil was part of a detachment ordered to chase down Kup and the Wreckers, but Kup managed to take him down with a well-placed shot. Loose Ends, Part 2 He and the other zombified Cybertronians were offlined permanently after Circuit Smasher frizzle-fried the Ark's computer, Auntie. Loose Ends, Part 5 After Megatron's defeat, all of the deactivated zombies were piled into a large pit by the Autobots and obliterated from orbit. Natural Selection, Part One

Ladybird Books continuity

During a patrol of the Nebulan Ocean, Tentakil lured Highbrow close enough to the surface of the water to grab him. The squid's magnetic tentacles eventually overwhelmed Highbrow, and he was captured on behalf of the Decepticons. Autobot Hostage

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

In the form of Piranacon, Tentakil and the Seacons battled Predaking in the Gladiator Zone before joining Serpent O.R.'s new army of Decepticons. The Art of War #2 Staying in their combined form, they subsequently helped their new leader capture a team of Autobots and Joes, then attacked an Autobot peace ceremony. The Art of War #3 After Piranacon, Predaking, and Menasor took out Omega Supreme, the Seacon combiner was taken down when Sixshot accidentally crashed into his head. The Art of War #4

Hearts of Steel

Like his fellow Seacons, Tentakil was woke from his slumber on the bottom of the ocean by an Elder God's servants and brought to their underground city. Infestation 2: The Transformers #1

2005 IDW continuity

• First Appearance: Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #12

Tentakil was among a group of Decepticons who conquered Temptoria following the end of the war. When the crew of the Lost Light arrived looking for the Circle of Light, Tentakil found himself on the wrong end of Drift's swords. Before & After After the battle he was captured and imprisoned in the Lost Light's brig. Under Cold Blue Stars Once the ship had returned to Cybertron, Tentakil and the others were broken out by Ravage to interrupt the trial of Megatron, but failed and were subdued again. Predestination: A Beginner's Guide

2019 IDW continuity

Tentakil and his friend Nautilator were among the patrons seen at Swindle's establishment. Swindle's He joined the Decepticons, but remained a regular at Swindle's. Tentakil was seen fighting in an arena with Crasher during his downtime. And losing. Swindle's II Later on, Tentakil had to be rushed out of Swindle's when the owner was expecting some private guests to arrive. Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part Two

He later exchanged fire with Ultra Magnus during the last battle with the Autobots at Darkmount. Fate of Cybertron

Commercial appearances

Disclaimer: Seacons are no longer new.

Tentakil and the Seacons attacked a M.A.R.S. Industries submarine deep underwater. They then combined into Piranacon to wreak havoc in a city. Seacons commercial

Games

Transformers Legends

Using a storm as cover, Tentakil and the other Seacons attempted to steal oil from an off-shore oil platform. Upon arrival, they were confronted by Waverider and Seaspray. Once the weather subsided, the Seacons were forced to retreat as Autobot reinforcements could now come to aid defend the platform. Deadly Depths

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Tentakil participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him!

He was a "Super Rare" character who could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 10 cores of this character. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers Roleplaying Game

Tentakil was a member of the Seacons. Decepticon Directive

Toys

The Transformers

Slightly less delicious-looking than Nautilator.

• Tentakil (Seacon, 1988)

• Team ID number: SE5
• Accessories: left & right slime lasers, tripod rifle, connector, weapon stand base

Released in the fifth year of the original Transformers toyline (fourth year in the European line), Tentakil transforms into a robotic squid with two leg-like lower tentacles. His two slime lasers can be mounted on each side of his beast mode noggin. He also has a third 50,000-volt lightning rifle Targetmaster mode,^[3] which can be mounted on the weapon stand formed from the tripod rifle and other accessories.

As a "Scramble City"-style combiner, he can form an arm or leg to any compatible robot combination, or the hand-held cannon to any combiner equipped with Piranacon's unique fists (minus the whole tripod-rifle assembly, of course), though his nominal placement is as the left leg to Piranacon.

This toy was concurrently sold in Takara's Super-God Masterforce line as the drone-unit Tentakil, and was later redecoed to make Scylla.

• More information on Tentakil at TFU.info

• Piranacon (Giftset, 1988)

• Accessories: left & right slime lasers, tripod rifle, connector, weapon stand base

Tentakil was also available in the Seacon box set, along with his teammates Snaptrap, Overbite, Seawing, and Toys. Nautilator was not included. All of the toys were identical to their individual releases.

Timelines

Trick or treat.

• Piranacon (Seacon giftset, 2008)

• Accessories: left & right rifles, large rifle, connector, weapon stand base

A redeco of the Generation 1 mold above, Timelines Tentakil was available exclusively as part of a Transformers Collectors' Club box set containing all six Seacons in new color schemes. He is once again depicted as the left leg of the combined super robot. He is also the only member of the team to not have a Decepticon faction symbol.

His Targetmaster mode is now dubbed a Mass-Compression Cannon.

This toy was originally intended as a Walmart exclusive set of Energon-series Terrorcons, but was shelved due to a lack of retailer interest. The team were going to be called the "Piranhacons", with their combined form as "Piranhaking", but this other Tentakil's name would have remained "Tentakil".

• More information on Timelines Tentakil at TFU.info

Transformers (2010)

• Decepticon Piranacon (Seacon giftset, 2010)

• Accessories: left & right rifles, large rifle, connector, weapon stand base

All six Seacons were released as a "shared exclusive" for several online toy merchants (BigBadToyStore in particular), in... well, close to its original colors. Unlike the previous 1988 version gift set, the set now includes all the Seacons: Snaptrap, Overbite, Seawing, Skalor, Tentakil, and Nautilator.

Tentakil is one of the few figures with minimal immediately-noticeable changes, with his thighs now a brighter greenish-aqua plastic. The stickers, now pre-applied, also appear to have been remastered after a fashion, as new highlights and gradients have been added to almost all stickers, as well as just being remarkably crisp and vibrant in general. Previous screwed-on connectors have been changed to riveted points.

Just like the previous use of the mold set, certain degradations of the mold are very obvious, although the 5mm holes and pegs have been readjusted somewhat from the much degraded state they were in on the Timelines release. The pegs and holes on all figures still are not exact fits in all cases, however.

The set is packaged in a way reminiscent of the Hasbro Masterpiece-style transparent display box. The toys are fully combined in Piranacon mode, holding Overbite's Targetmaster mode in his right hand and Snaptrap's newly-chromed incendiary sword in the left. The set also includes seven metallic-finish bio cards (the seventh being for Piranacon).

• More information on 2010 Tentakil at TFU.info

Kre-O

• Decepticon Piranacon (Micro-Changer Combiner, 2013)

• Set number: A4475
• Pieces: 95
• Known designers: Ed Masiello (Hasbro)

Kre-O Micro-Changer Kreon Tentakil can be rebuilt from a robot into a squid. Like, something more like a "proper" squid, not so much the biped monster-thing. He can also contribute his bricks to form Piranacon: most of him forms Piranacon's left leg.

Tentakil was only available as part of the Piranacon combiner set, along with Overbite, Snaptrap, and Nautilator, sold in the second wave of Combiner sets.

• More information on Tentakil at TFU.info

Generations Selects

My name is Jugemu Jugemu Gokō-no Surikire Kaijarisuigyo-no Suigyōmatsu Unraimatsu Fūraimatsu Kuunerutokoro-ni Sumutokoro Yaburakōji-no Burakōji Paipopaipo Paipo-no Shūringan Shūringan-no Gūrindai Gūrindai-no Ponpokopī-no Ponpokonā-no Chōkyūmei-no Chōsuke. Not so, I'm Tentakil. It's shorter than Jugemu.

• Seacons Tentakil (Deluxe, 2020)

• Release date: March 28, 2020
• Hasbro ID number: TT-GS08
• Accessories: laser guns, cleaver, combiner hand/gun mode handle, hand gap filler/gun

A TakaraTomy-initiated addition to the Generations Selects series, "Seacons Tentakil" is an extensive, and we mean extensive (as in, "barely any original parts left and those are mostly structural and thus retains the same basic transformation") retooling of Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Moonracer, transforming once again into a bipedal squid-monster, though this time with way-stumpier leg-tentacles.

Just as with his original toy, it is able to form any limb for any Combiner Wars-style super robot, with its nominal place as the left leg to King Poseidon, plus it also retains his artillery mode, which can again be used as a hand-held cannon by compatible combiners. Like the other Generations Selects Seacons, Tentakil has newly-tooled combiner hands with individually-posable fingers, which also form the base of the Targetmaster-style gun mode, with the handle being a Combiner Wars styled port that plugs in to the hand provided in this set. The hand can be plugged onto the back of the feet in the combined mode for extra stability, whilst Turtler's feet components are at the front. It also has a new multi-bladed cleaver/scythe-thing, which combines with the other Seacons' melee weapons to form King Poseidon's oversized trident-sword.

Tentakil was released as a TakaraTomy Mall exclusive in Japan, as part of the third of three mini-waves of Seacons alongside Ovebite. The Seacons were also available via Hasbro Pulse and other online retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

This mold was later retooled as Skyulle. The original iteration of the mold was also used to make Novastar, Greenlight, and Lancer.

Notes

• Check out that commercial animation character model!
• For unknown reasons, Tentakil's colors in the Marvel comics consisted of shades of blue and gray/silver instead of his toy's more, ah, flamboyant scheme.
• Dreamwave's More than Meets the Eye entry for Tentakill says he's an octopus. Ooooooookay.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Tentakil (テンタキル Tentakiru)
• French: Tentacule (Canada)
• Italian: Piovra

References