Drift (Transformers)

Deadlock/Drift

Cover of The Transformers: Spotlight - Drift by IDW Publishing
Decepticon, later Autobot
Information
Sub-group	Deluxe Vehicles, Speed Stars
Function	Samurai
Rank	2
Motto	"We're going about this the wrong way, all of us! After countless centuries of fighting ... the Autobots are a step away from what we were when all this started. And the Decepticons have become something worse than any of us could have imagined."
Series	Transformers: Generation 1
Japanese voice actor	Tomoaki Maeno (Q Transformers: Mystery of Convoy)

Drift is the name of three different fictional characters in the Transformers franchise. For trademark reasons, toys related to the character are marketed under the name Autobot Drift.

Drift is the name of the Mini-Con Dirt Boss in the Japanese version of Transformers: Armada.

According to his bio, Drift once served Megatron under the name Deadlock and was one of the most-feared warriors on Cybertron. Then one day, he looked back at the horrors he had inflicted upon his foes. Since then, he has dedicated his life to hunting down Decepticons all over the galaxy. His alternate Earth mode in the comics is a Nissan Silvia S15; the toy version appears to be a cross between a Silvia, a Honda S2000 and a Mitsubishi FTO.

Drift is one of the characters featured in IDW Publishing's comic book series The Transformers: Spotlight, first published in 2009. He also has a 4-part prequel mini-series titled Transformers: Drift, published in 2010. He was created by comic writer Shane McCarthy.

The 4-part prequel mini-series Transformers: Drift begins with Drift as an unaligned robot living on Cybertron before Megatron's rise to power. Recruiting warriors to form his army, Megatron discovers Drift, who has skillfully killed several Autobots after they accidentally kill one of his friends. Megatron renames Drift "Deadlock", then sends him to lead a small band of his forces.

In issue #1, Drift meets a Cybertronian named Wing, who is a member of an "unaligned faction" that lives on a world thought uninhabited. Wing takes Drift to Dai Atlas, who is angered that a "Decepticon" is among them and threatens to never let Drift leave. Wing then steps forward, putting his own reputation on the line and stands up to Dai Atlas. Wing begins training Drift in an as-yet-unnamed Cybertronian martial arts style. The techniques appear very reminiscent of what the Autobots call "Diffusion", a style of combat designed to stop an opponent without causing serious irreparable damage (similar to Earth's T'ai chi ch'uan (which is designed to use an attacker's energy against them) mixed with Kendo). It is unknown how long Drift trains, but he apparently becomes very skilled in the use of his short swords and hand-to-hand combat. Previously, Drift had discovered he had an innate ability with firearms, but he is discouraged from their use by Wing.