Transformation Sequence / Live-Action TV

Transformation Sequence
Mediums: Anime & Manga - Live Action TV - Video Games - Western Animation

• Beetleborgs has the drawn characters leap from the comic book which opens up, then the kids, drawn up as a comic book page, standing side by side. The armor appears slowly, then the three Beetleborgs step forth, with the Koosh Explosions turning into real flashes of yellow light as the Borgs go from comic-booky to real life Metal Heroes. Later in the series, the pictures of the kids morph their chosen suits.
• The Boys (2019): Doppleganger transforms from male to female during sex with the Senator (though the latter is unaware, as he's been blindfolded).
• Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future: "POWER ON!" By pressing the team's distinctive phoenix insignia, Captain Power and his cohorts would activate the Power Suits which would transform from "patterned longjohns" worn under their uniforms, into actual plate armor with weaponry and personalized devices. Heavy damage to the Power Suit would make them fade back into their inactive shape.
• The Makai Knights of the GARO franchise are quite minimalistic in their sequences, which usually involves them swishing their weapons (swords/staffs/spears/bows and many others) into creating a hole in reality through which their Makai Knight armors would assemble in their body at split-second rates. Quite justifiable in that the enemy Horrors of the Makai Knights have no concept of chivalry at all.
• Genseishin Justirisers, the second of Toho and Konami's ChouSeiShin trilogy, didn't involve Power Glows in transformation sequence. It just uses lightning for changing the scene to Stock Footage.
  • When the transformation starts in a Stock Footage, the Justirisers appear in the form changed into only wearing the inner suit (bodysuit), formed by combining 'Justipower' and characteristic elements in their body, in the same pose which they did just before the transformation(When they shout transformation phrase). Next, they install a transformation device at belt located on their left chest. Then, pieces of Justiriser suit are slowly being equipped one by one. So viewer can watch Justirisers only wearing bodysuit during half of the transformation sequence.
  • High school girl is also no exception. (Yuka Sanada transforms into Riser Kageri)◊
• In the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove werewolves have a particularly gruesome transformation sequence. Their wolf body forms within their human form and slowly rips itself out. Then shakes off the remaining gore and eats it.
• In the The Incredible Hulk (1977), David Banner (Bill Bixby)'s transformations into The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) would usually be made specifically for each episode, but there were a few stock sequences that were sometimes used, involving multiple close-ups of Bill wearing colored contacts, his skin turning green, the shirt tearing on his back, and/or a full shot of the Hulk whipping off the remnants of the shirt. In later episodes, it would often happen almost entirely off-screen after the initial shot of Bill's glowing eyes, only the distinctive sound effect/music cue indicating anything was happening.
• Many, many, many Kamen Rider characters had this... until 1989. Actual sequences were common in the Showa era; even the enemies had transformation sequences, even if they amounted to little more than the camera zooming in on them, blurring a bit, and revealing the monster from its disguise. For the revival era (Kamen Rider Kuuga and onward) they were mostly phased out in favor of transformation special effects done on the fly. (By now, though, they're as elaborate as any full sequence.) Just about the only Heisei series to use honest-to-goodness stock footage Transformation Sequences is Kiva, and only then for form changes (and Dark Kiva.)
  • In several early Kamen Riders, the pre-change gestures were as epic as the sequences (also not so much nowadays; you may get the Transformation Trinket held in the air during the call of "Henshin.") and enemies sometimes stopped the henshin gestures by attacking during the middle of the gesture, or setting traps that would halt them. The first Rider's pose is very iconic and recognized in Japan, to the point that even the How Do I Shot Web? sequence in Doki Doki! PreCure has the new hero yell "Henshin!" and do the Rider-1 pose.
    • Likewise, episode 2 of Kamen Rider Gaim has Kota trying out several transformation poses in his bedroom, including Amazon and Super-1's. Interestingly, in Gaim, only the more idealistic Riders like Kota and (initially) his little brother-figure Mitzusane/Micchy bother with transformation poses; their more cynical rivals like Kaito and his minions just don the belt, say "Henshin", and change.
  • The "transformation chivalry" was humorously acknowledged in the first Kamen Rider Den-O movie: the Big Bad's minions attack Ryotaro as he attempts to transform, causing Momotaros to angrily shout "Bastards! You're not allowed to interrupt the transformation sequence!"
    • Similarly, Kamen Rider Decade has a scene where Yuusuke/Kuuga attempts to transform in order to fight Kaitou/Diend, only to be interrupted mid-pose when Kaitou points his own Transformation Trinket, a gun, at Yuusuke's face.
    • Subverted in Kamen Rider Double when the Arms Dopant fires a goo "bullet" that plugs up Shotaro's belt, preventing him from transforming.
    • The "chivalry" aspect was parodied in the net-exclusive comedy shorts produced for Double. Kirihiko asks Isaka why he didn't attack when Accel transformed into his Super Mode, Trial. Isaka responds that he was "obeying traffic laws"^note Trial's Transformation Trinket has a miniature traffic light on it, which changes from red to blue when activated.
  • The Darker and Edgier Heisei series like Kamen Rider Blade and Kamen Rider 555 tended to have transformation chivalry less frequently, with characters often walking or even fighting in mid-transformation. Debut appearances always played it straight, though; probably best illustrated in the first episode of Blade, where Kenzaki's belt orbits his body several times, trailing a "tail" of cards, before finally settling in place around his waist.
  • Transformation chivalry is enforced in some series by the Sphere of Power or other transformation effects being absolutely impenetrable, deflecting attacks and painfully repelling villains who attack in midmorph. The aforementioned Blade series was the first to do it: the card-shaped field of energy with his spade symbol on it that passes over him to change him (unless he's pissed. Then he charges straight through it instead of waiting.) is something you do not want to smack into facefirst.
  • Kamen Rider Decade and its Super Sentai counterpart Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger both feature variations on the theme, since both those shows focus on heroes who can use the powers of their precursors. When Decade changes into a past Rider, it's represented by that Rider's usual Transformation Special Effect, except that it's happening to a suited-up Decade rather than an untransformed human as normal. For the Gokaigers, the initial transformation into Gokaigers is a straight Transformation Sequence while their changes into past teams are more simple (usually: team emblem flies out of their Transformation Trinket, lands on their body, and their suit changes in a flash of light), except in the special episodes where they unlock a past team's true power by coming to understand that team; in these cases, they get honest-to-goodness Transformation Sequences based on the originals.
    • Gokaiger's past Ranger powers are the powers of the actual past sentai heroes, meaning few returning characters get to change and fight, so we don't get to see a lot of old morphs done with modern effects like Decade below does. However, we do get one for the Black Ranger of Choujin Sentai Jetman, because he is actually still dead. However, when the Gokaigers do the above-mentioned focus episode transformation sequences, we get some idea of what the old sequences would look like if made today.
  • Also, these series feature old-school characters with modern effects, and in Kamen Rider terms, modern rules, which means we get to see what several transformation sequences look like in "real life." Kamen Rider BLACK and Kamen Rider BLACK RX get to change side-by-side with real-space versions of their classic sequences, and it is awesome. (Mind you, in those actual series, when Kotaro would transform with no stock footage sequence it would simply be a flash of green.) Also, in The Movie of Decade, we get to see Shadow Moon's transformation for the first time ever (as in Kamen Rider BLACK proper, Nobuhiko was in this translucent cocoon-thing until emerging in Shadow Moon form once his powers matured.) Interestingly, Kamen Rider Kiva still has form change sequences when Kiva himself is doing them (Decade's Kiva changes, like all his changes, are real-space.)
  • And it is also seen in Saban's adaptation, Masked Rider. It's brand new, as Kamen Rider BLACK RX's change was nothing but the belt appearing and getting glowy, at which point the transformed Black RX would be seen in real-space (in fact, several old Riders' transformation sequences are elaborate belt-summoning and activations without showing the actual suit formation — the poses, not the actual change, was the ceremony.) but it looks very much like something you'd see in old-school KR. The form changes are RX stock. Also, Robo Rider gets to transform onscreen (no sequence) where Shadow Moon didn't.
  • Another adaptation, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight, gets a much fancier transformation than the Kamen Rider Ryuki original did, complete with the monster-repelling Sphere of Power seen in more recent Japanese KR series. No stock footage sequence, though — it's all real-space, like modern KR. However, one small part is stock footage: the closeup of the Advent Deck being inserted and spinning is the same every time. Of course, that didn't save 'em much time and money, as there were thirteen Riders^note More if we count all the Ventaran Riders. However, this doesn't affect the Advent Deck spin. and one Advent Master, and we only saw some characters change once.
    • Interestingly, the "chivalry" was justified in Ryuki: The Mirror Monsters that attacked the people would run away back to the Mirror World after they finished eating or the Riders fended them off in the real world. Since they have no intention of coming back out until they feed again, the Riders had all the time they needed to perform their poses and transform. Even when Rider vs. Rider battles happened, the transformation was still justified, as the Riders just wanted to have an actual fight and power up their Contract Monsters. The only exception was when Ouja bruised Shinji's arm before their second real fight, and even then that was because he just wanted to be a dick.
  • In Episode 26 of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Poppy Pipopapo, uses the Gashacon Bugvisor II/Buggle Driver II & the Toki Meki Crisis Gashat to transform herself into a magical girl-like Rider, Kamen Rider Poppy, which the transformation contains elements from other Magical Girl series made by Toei Animation, owned and operated by Toei Company, like Sailor Moon, and the Pretty Cure/Glitter Force series.
  • Kamen Rider Saber is the first Rider in a long time with a legitimate transformation sequence, taking place in a green screen location and everything. That said, the characters still redo the transformation poses each time rather than using stock footage, and on-the-fly henshin sequences with no green screen backgrounds started to be used in the fifth episode.
• Kitchen Nightmares — in the UK show at least — has Gordon Ramsay "transform" from normal everyman into Super-Badass-Chef-Ready-to-Save-the-Fucking-Day by stripping out of his civilian clothes into a brand-spanking new chef's coat. Estrogen rises predictably.
• KITT's Super Pursuit Mode in the last season of Knight Rider and KI3T in general (with a frequently used "Attack Mode" as well as the ability to mimic other vehicles) in the 2008 TV movie and show.
• Manimal, starring Simon MacCorkindale. Though he could transform into any animal, there were transformation sequences only for three animals. And they never explained why he always returned to human form fully clothed despite the transformation sequence's clear depiction of his clothes ripping.
• George's werewolf transformation in Being Human, heavily influenced by An American Werewolf in London.
• The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nóg, the ancient Irish Power Rangers, likewise had one for each character.
• Power Rangers: In the earlier seasons, the usage of Stock Footage became quickly grating, as the rangers would look the same at the beginning of the sequence, regardless of what clothes they'd been wearing beforehand or changes in their hairstyle. In later seasons, it became standard to use clever tricks to downplay this; many seasons have the Rangers wearing uniforms or otherwise having a Limited Wardrobe before the (full) sequence begins. In several other seasons, the sequence is cut such that their pre-transformation clothing is hidden during the sequence using close-ups and visual effects.
  • Occasionally, a shorter Stock Footage-free Transformation Sequence was used instead, which, with a very few exceptions, used a much blander and more generic special effect. As seen in "Countdown to Destruction" as well as several other times throughout the various series, the actual transformation is in fact instantaneous and consists of nothing more than a small explosion or just some glowing masking the shift — the drawn-out sequence is purely for the audience's amusement. We see this in action for the first time in Power Rangers Zeo, where three Rangers dramatically run up and change in-scene. By now you're used to it, several in-scene changes in an episode and the "real morph" saved for the big final battle with the monster, but back then, this was after four years, at a time when it just wasn't done, and there was a lot of shockingness in it, especially because they did use some of the Transformation Sequence's effects.
  • By now, another thing that's different for every season is the "insta-morph" gleam (though it looked the same from Power Rangers Turbo through Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue.) The demorph usually looks like the insta-morph in reverse, and there's even a pose and command for it (cross arms in front of you, say "power down!" and then pull arms apart and downward. This has largely stayed the same over the years, though there are many instances of the arm motions being omitted.)
  • The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers transformation sequences weren't very elaborate... so in "Once a Ranger" a new, snazzier sequence was made for Adam (the second MMPR Black Ranger) so he wouldn't be the only one without.
    • Adam's old morph was Screwed by the Lawyers. At the time, Disney had rights issues with MMPR, so they were forced to scrap the old sequence entirely (with an unfortunately generic song played along with it, as they couldn't get the MMPR music either).
  • The record for most sequences in one season — MMPR Season 3. We've got civilian to ninja suit, civilian to Ranger (all new ones!), ninja suit to Ranger, Rangers to Metallic Armor mode, and then the five Alien Rangers.
  • Then there's Justin's transformations in Power Rangers Turbo, which have a little bit added compared to the others to show him growing to adult size.
  • Like everything else in Power Rangers, nothing is safe from lampshading by RPM. Not even morph sequences.
    Ziggy: Sometimes when I morph, I can't help but notice this gigantic explosion right behind me for no apparent reason.
    • Taken to its logical extreme by Flynn in the same episode, where he clears up a plot-induced fault in his morpher (energy buildup) and simultaneously ramps "one of Ziggy's runoff explosions" up, catching Tenaya and a whole squad of mooks in the blast!
  • Surprisingly subverted in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. In the time it takes for the rangers to suit up, the bad guys flee the scene to set up an ambush.
  • Power Rangers gets extra trope mileage thanks to the Humongous Mecha. Entrance, transformation and combination for a triple trope score combo!
• Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003-2004) showcased several different transformations managed via digital effects. The results ranged from Moon's clumsy and cringeworthy transform (the first created by the production team) to Dark Mercury's showstopper (the final transform created, after the team had gained months of experience with their tools).
  • As with its animated counterpart, we see only one or two instances of de-transformation, and these also appear to be simple acts of will.
  • Additionally, we get to see one transformation — Minako to Venus — from the "outside", as an eyewitness on the scene would. Instead of all the fancy effects, it's an instantaneous, blink-and-you'll-miss-it change that she performs while running, thus validating years of fan speculation.
  • A later sequence, however, has Ami transforming. Unlike Minako, however, she gets a blue glowy thing.
  • They also fondly parodied the trope in one of the supplemental shorts: Mamoru becomes "Tuxedo Mask" just by putting on a tuxedo, top hat and mask, but the one time he does it on camera, it gets all the same fancy shots, edits, and sound effects as the girls' magical transformations.
    • Tuxedo Power!
• Masters of low-budget kid shows, Sid and Marty Krofft had a few of these. "Activate Electra-Change!" turned Lori and Judy into Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, and a magic horn turned the junky Schlep Car into Wonderbug. (Wonderbug's sequence was actually cheaper-looking during the actual show than it was in the opening, which was quite a feat)
• A Filmation production of Shazam!! from the 1970s had the magic-word-and-lightning transformation between Billy Batson and Captain Marvel. It was usually paired with a similar show, The Secrets of Isis, which had its own transformation sequence.
  • In a case of typical Filmation cheapness, the detransform from Captain Marvel back to Billy was handled by simply running the transform footage ''backwards'', even though that meant the sequence ended with a lightning bolt unstriking Billy.
• Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad gets a hybrid of the real-space scenes and the stock footage sequences. Sam striking the 'power chord' on his guitar is half new footage (constant angle-changing for drama. The alternate angle is stock footage.) as is his transforming into energy and flying into the computer. The energy entering the Servo form on the screen and Servo flying into action is stock footage, as well as Servo's 'decompressing' into his proper size. (The original series, Denkō Chōjin Gridman, is a Spiritual Successor of the Ultra Series, so decompression replaces the heroic Make My Monster Grow to building size.)
• In a more mundane version, in T. and T. Once an Episode private detective T.S. Turner (Mr. T) goes to his locker at the boxing gym to transform from a Badass in a Nice Suit to an intimidating street tough.
• On Teen Wolf, when the Alpha twins Aiden and Ethan to perform their Fusion Dance to transform into a giant "Super Alpha". Both strip off all the clothes on their upper bodies. One of them drops to his hands and knees. The standing twin then slams his fist literally into the kneeling twin's back. Their bodies are then pulled together, complete with bones visibly shifting around as they become one.
• Too Many Cooks has parts parodying Manimal with the grandma, and two superheroes with Wonder Woman-style transformations, which humorously go on overly-long, with them switching from heroic and civilian forms multiple times. The Killer doesn't wait for them to finish.
• The Twilight Zone (1959) pulled off an impressive transformation scene despite limited special effects in The Howling Man. A man walks down a pillar-lined hallway as the camera follows alongside him. As he passes behind each pillar, he gets more and more demonic (ending with a cliche horns and tail). It's cut so that it appears to be one long take, but there's no effects on screen at any point. This technique is also used for the Wolf Man transformation in the 1935 film Werewolf of London.
• The many and varied Ultra Series usually involve a man-to-ultra transformation. The majority of hosts stick their items in the air and rises out of a bright background from the lower left of the screen, while other Ultras like Ultraseven and Ultraman Max have more elaborate transformation sequences where the host's body becomes slowly covered in ultra armor. While the majority of hosts from Kotaro Higashi onward shouted the name of their Ultra, there are a few exceptions such as Shin Hayata and Daigo Madoka who remained silent, and others like Dan Moroboshi who instead shouted out something different (Dan shouts "Dyuwah!").
  • In Ultraman Ace, Ultraman Ace was unique in that he had two hosts as compared to the usual one. To transform, Seiji Hokuto and Yuko Minami jumped in the air and flipped multiple times, then they would bump their respective rings together to transform into Ace. Later in the series when Yuko returned to the moon, Seiji gained both possession of both rings and simply fist-bumped himself to transform.
  • Ultraman Ginga has the most elaborate transformations of the entire franchise, having toys as it's main gimmick. To transform, Hikaru pulls out his Ginga Spark and takes out the doll of the Ultra/Kaiju he wants to transform into, then he places the doll's left foot on the Spark's tip which then creates a hexagram around Hikaru, allowing him to UltraLive into his doll. Other people could also use weaker Ginga Light Sparks/Dark Dummy Sparks to transform, going through the same transformation as Hikaru. Most notably, Ginga was one of the very first times Kaiju got rises of their own.
  • Most Ultras have short and sweet transformation sequences, but the post-Bandai purchase series like Ginga mentioned above, as well as Ultraman Orb and Ultraman Geed, show lengthier ones. Due to Geed and Orb's Multiform Balance though, they can transform into new forms mid-fight, and although often we see their human alter egos stop and perform the whole sequence, shots of the Ultra fighting in the middle of the transformation show instantaneous change, thus avoiding the Transformation Is a Free Action problem.
  • Ultraman Zearth (created for a Denser and Wackier Self-Parody movie) and Ultraman Nice (an infomercial character) had some ridiculous transformations. In the former, Katsuto Asahi transformed by brushing his teeth with the Pikari Brush, while in the latter Ginga Yumeboshi ate a chocolate from his Nice Dreamer to transform.
• VR Troopers gets them, with the VRT actors' faces beneath what's mostly the Metal Heroes' original Japanese transformations. Holding up the Virtualizer pendants is new.
  • Speaking of the Metal Heroes franchise, the Space Sheriff Trilogy makes it perfectly clear that the Transformation Sequence is for our benefit. After an instant "flash of light, morphed now!" change, we'd get "[Hero name] takes 0.0[small number] seconds to equip his suit. Let's take another look at the [morph command] process." and then the changing sequence, which is a flashback.
  • Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie shows that the Gokaigers actually morph even faster than a Space Sheriff. Tokumei Sentai Go Busters clocks in slower at a full half-second. (Mind you, their morph seems to take much longer than this — the in-scene morph is used much more often than their stock footage one, and it actually does take several seconds.)
• The original Fox series Werewolf (1987) featured a sequence very similar to (if somewhat hairier than) the Incredible Hulk series, with a bleeding pentagram on Eric Cord's palm replacing the glowing eyes as the initial indicator. The original villain Janos Skorzeny's transformation involved pulling the flesh of his face off, revealing a fur-covered face beneath, which would then grow a snout and fangs.
• The 1970s Wonder Woman series iconically featured the character spinning in place as she changed from Diana Prince to Wonder Woman. The original version of this sequence showed her spinning and rapidly changing into Wonder Woman (still holding her old clothes and needing to dispose of them). Later in the season, as this effect was more expensive to shoot, this was replaced by Diana spinning in place as an optical effect played over her, changing her into Wonder Woman instantly (and not requiring her to deal with her civilian clothes). Here's six solid minutes of every single transformation from the first season, and ten minutes each for the second and third seasons.