Transformers: Armada | HD | Episode 10 | The Complete Series | Underground
300A new Mini-con appears and the Autobots and Decepticons go after it. The signal comes from a large city. In order to obtain the new Mini-con the two races will have to go underground. The Decepticons send their Minis to investigate the tunnels. The kids together with their Mini-cons do the same. During their quest they get into a derelict subway station. Here they find a Mini-con panel which is walled up in the ceiling (meanwhile somebody watches them). They succeed in pulling the panel out and decide to return to the ’Bots as soon as possible. While going through a tunnel the kids spot somebody (seemingly a 'Con) chasing them. They run away but are faced with the Decepticons' Minis. The kids seek safety in flight again. Now they are in a strange natural tunnel. Rad sends Lazerbeak to Optimus Prime for help. However, the Decepticons find their shelter well before the Autobots have time to get there. Suddenly an unknown Transformer comes to children's aid and fights the Decepticons. Just in this time the tunnel collapses and buries both the kids, the Minis and their defender. When Optimus Prime and his guys come at last it seems to them that it's all over. Cyclonus takes the new Mini-con, and the 'Cons warp out. But it appears very soon that everybody is alive. The mysterious Transformer turns out to be an Autobot warrior named Smokescreen. All the 'Bots are happy to see their old chap again.
Transformers: Armada was written and produced in Japan, with creative input from America (the Japanese originally envisioned the series as set in the G1 continuity, but this idea was discarded by Hasbro, who also mandated the inclusion of Unicron, who had not been in the original story treatment for the series). However, the show premiered on Cartoon Network's Toonami in America before its original Japanese counterpart had aired - the result of an unreasonable production schedule set by the network, which caused the series to be rushed out of production. Consequently, Armada features a lot of unfinished animation (which would go on to be perfected for the completed Japanese episodes), and a hastily produced dub which features many errors in naming such as Sureshock being repeatedly called "Grindor" in multiple episodes, Hot Shot being called "Hot Rod", and Optimus's Mini-Con partner Sparkplug being called "Leader-1" (the same name as Megatron's Mini-Con), as well as transliteration and nonsensical dialogue which does not match the action onscreen.
When Armada was released on DVD in Japan, each of the thirteen volumes came with a four-page mini-manga and an exclusive repainted Mini-Con figure. The manga, titled Tales of the Microns: Linkage, feature these repaints in an original story which served to fill in many of the blank spots and plot holes in the animated series.
Despite Transformers: Armada being made by a Japanese studio, it premiered first in the United States. The series premiered on Cartoon Network on August 23, 2002 at 4 P.M. with a 90-minute movie special, consisting of the first three episodes. Following its premiere, new episodes started coming out on August 30, airing every Friday at 6:30 P.M.
In the December issue of Japanese magazine Animage, it was announced that the anime would start airing in Japan on January 10, 2003 on TV Tokyo, with new episodes coming out every Friday at 6 P.M.