There have been characters of various ethicities incorporated into Transformers over the years: Spanish (G1 Cosmos), Australian (AEC Jetfire), Afro-American (Jazz and Blaster), Italian (Dino), British (the DOTM Wreckers), Russian (TFA Jetstorm), French (AEC Mudflap), German (TFA Blitzwing), Japanese (Drift) and even Chinese (the video-game fembots in TF PRIME).

So it should be okay to feature an Indian Transformer. We've had Apu from THE SIMPSONS, Raj from THE BIG BANG THEORY and other such Indian characters appearing in TV shows recently, so it can work.

The question is would it be acceptable? Is there a character (either previously done before, or an original one) for which the Indian ethnicity would fit, and in a manner that Indians would not find perhaps insulting?

 

Eh, it'll be the usual par for the course these days:

Many people would be offended if there was because it would be "racist", "a stereotype", etc.

Many people would be offended if there wasn't because it would be "racist" to NOT have more ethnicity included.

So, as usual, the situation is already fucked no matter what is or isn't done. People like to be offended by everything now... and be offended by opinions that offend the easily offended.

 

Like Sari in Animated?

 

would he turn into a Slurpee machine?

 

/thread.

 

Hell yeah can I voice him though?

Like I want him to either have a Robotic Elephant as his Robot Mode or to have Multiple arms.

Alternatively get the guy who plays Timir from Rules of Engagement to play him that'd be awesome.

 

I'm into this already since I'm like, half Indian.



He'll transform into that, and I'll sketch his bot mode out RIGHT NOW.

 

Thank you, come again.

 

Half the population would hate it. The other half wouldn't

 

Oh god no please, they will just stereotype the hell out of it, like they did with all the others OP mentioned.

 

Did they? I remember well that scene where Cosmos took a siesta and then played his Maraca's whilst fandangoing off to the bull fights, and that one where Jetfire threw some prawns on the barbie whilst cracking open a cold one.

 

I don't see what the issue is here...

Oh, wait, do mean an Indian Transformer like Jazz is a black Transformer? Eh, I don't know of any "Indian" archetypes in western culture that a character might fit into that wouldn't be patently offensive.

 

Hell I was kinda hoping this thread would be about Native Americans. I'd love to see a tf work into some of those thematic elements and mannerisms. or maybe a nod or two to the rich folklore. I remember hearing an idea once wherin The Trickster Spirit Coyote possessed a dead Decepticon shell, and used to it to cause mischief.

 

I'd love to have a character with an accent like that, all for it.  

Then again, people were seeing black-face in Skids & Mudflap. If its not done right, and carefully as hell, someone will cry racism.

 

I don't mind them using any accent imaginable as long as its a well rounded and a three dimensional character complete with motivations, character development and personality. Its these that I felt skids and mudflap really lacked and it seemed like in the face of the writers strike and struggling to give them personalities they thought "oh, they can sound like anything on the web, lets put on loads of silly piss taking voices for them". If they seemed to take a similar approach with an Indian or any other accent some people will just think it was tacky or borderline offensive.

 

Is it too hard to ask for an Autobot based on Michael Moore? 

 

I like this... he would be called Apache, and turn into.... an Apache. He'd have a nice Mohawk, and come with a slew of weapons(like daggers, a pipe that doubles as a rifle, and an ax). I see nothing wrong with this.

 

I had a peacock Transformer back in the 80's.

 

Might I suggest it would be safer not to give him any kind of specifically Indian alt. mode. Why can't he just turn into a car and happen to have developed a speech pattern that reflects the linguistic attributes of someone of Indian descent?