Devil Z (pronounced "Zed") (Debiru-Zetto, romanized) is the fictional antagonist in Transformers: Super-God Masterforce, one of the Transformers animated series, released exclusively in Japan in 1988. His voice is performed by Hidekatsu Shibata.
The origins of the self-styled "Decepticon God" Devil Z are shrouded in mystery – seemingly lacking in any corporeal form, he exists purely as a pulsating globe of iridescent energy, and is only ever identified as a "super-energy being" hailing from the far reaches of the galaxy. Precisely how he came to be involved in the Transformer war is left untold, but after learning of the sentient robots and humankind, he formulated a scheme that would combine the two to orchestrate the creation of the ultimate super-robot lifeform.
Devil Z stole a set of eight Transtectors – lifeless Transformer bodies, one of which was intended to be used by legendary Autobot leader, Optimus Prime – from a region of space known as the G Nebula, rich in the energy known as "Tenchokon" (the power of the heavens), and transported them across space to Earth, where the seven smaller ones were scattered across the planet, while the largest plunged into a deep ocean trench. Devil Z lay in waiting on Earth, biding his time as the hidden Transtectors soaked up "Chichokon," the power of the Earth. The final stage in Devil Z's plan was to have human beings merge with the Transtectors, thus adding "Jinchokon," the power of man, to the equation, and giving the resultant lifeforms – the Godmasters – power over the three "Chokon Powers," the primal energies of the universe.
In the year 2011, when the current Decepticon leader, Scorponok, was defeated and had his Transtector, MegaZarak, destroyed by Fortress Maximus; Devil Z saw his opportunity. Scorponok had a new body constructed for himself, dubbed BlackZarak, but before he was able to connect to it, Devil Z captured him by unspecified means and succeeded in brainwashing him; putting him, and by extension the entire Decepticon army, under his control. BlackZarak returned to the main Decepticon force, battling the Autobots in space, until Devil Z would require him.
The final step in Devil Z's plan for the Transtectors came when two humans named Lord Giga and Lady Mega discovered the largest Transtector, and merged with it, creating Overlord. Coming into the service of Devil Z, they were instructed to locate the remaining Transtectors, and soon found two, which became bonded to a pair of German brothers named Buster and Hydra. Seeking to bolster his forces until more Godmasters could be created, Devil Z used his powers to liberate the three Decepticon Pretenders who had been sealed away on Earth for thousands of years by their Autobot counterparts. Their awakening and subsequent rampage drew the Autobot Pretenders out of hiding, and the conflict began to escalate as both sides recruited three human teenagers into their ranks, become Headmasters through the power of the Masterforce.
Devil Z united his two sets of minions in the search for the Transtectors, but what Devil Z had failed to realise was that all the Transtectors he had stolen had been intended for Autobot use. Consequently, the human beings who merged with them all allied with the Autobots, thwarting his attempt to increase his army. Failure did not sit well with Devil Z, who summoned BlackZarak back to Earth, only to have him forced back into space by God Ginrai, mightiest of the Autobot Godmasters. However, during this additional stay in space, BlackZarak mastered localised gravity manipulation, allowing him to create black holes which he used to teleport himself directly to Earth, where he and the other Decepticons rampaged.
When the Autobots invaded the Decepticon base, an outraged Devil Z played his trump card, merging himself with BlackZarak, putting himself in control of the Decepticon's body, but with vastly enhanced powers. During the fusion, Devil Z professed that he was assuming his "true form," and the image of a bizarre, embryonic creature was briefly seen before the villain completed the combination. Subsequently, the BlackZarak/Devil Z hybrid used its powers to wreak havoc across the Earth, planning to completely extermine mankind. His contempt for flesh was even shared by Buster and Hydra, who abandoned their humanity when they requested that Devil Z merge them entirely with their Transtectors so that they could become purely robotic lifeforms.
In truth, however, it soon became apparent that rather than simply loathe mankind, Devil Z genuinely feared the untapped potential for Jinchokon power that lay within mankind, and sought to exterminate it by destroying humanity. This was a creed that Overlord could not accept; although Mega and Giga had willingly served Devil Z, and supported the decimation of the planet, rather than seek to erase their humanity as Buster and Hydra had done, they celebrated the power of the flesh, seeking to prove its worth to Devil Z by battling God Ginrai had to hand with their own strength and willpower, rather than through the use of weapons. Devil Z did not accept this, and when Overlord moved against him, he purged Giga and Mega from the Transtector, and brought it - along with those of the Decepticon Headmaster Juniors and the Godmaster Doubleclouder – to life. Devil Z then squared off against God Ginrai for the final battle, in which God Ginrai successfully decapitated BlackZarak's body, only to have it assume a new transformation - the form of a twin-headed hydra, which he was able to destroy with the power of his God Fire Guts. Devil Z was released from within BlackZarak, and issued empty threats toward God Ginrai, who, boosted by the Chokon Power of his fellow Autobots, destroyed the villain with his almighty Final Fire Guts attack.
With the destruction of Devil Z, the Godmasters' current state of life ceased, and their human partners were separated from them. Instead, through their partnerships, the Transtectors had evolved into true super-robot lifeforms, who then departed Earth, pursuing the remaining Decepticons back to the larger battle in space.