TOM 5 was the seventh host of Toonami and the sixth incarnation of TOM after TOM 3.5. TOM 5 was voiced by veteran voice actor Steve Blum. This version of TOM remained in service for over 6 years, from April 27, 2013 to November 30, 2019, when he was killed by the Forge Commander in episode 4 of The Forge. His matrix was then uploaded into the TOM 6 body by SARA.
The backstory of how TOM 3.5 became TOM 5 has yet to be revealed and most likely will remain that way.
Appearance
TOM 5's design is considerably trimmed down compared to his previous incarnations, appearing much more streamlined and economical. He lost the muscle definition from his third body but retains overall human proportions. He retained the lights on his forearm but his Nuclear-Reactor returned to his left pectoral. He also had thrusters built into his back similar to TOM 4. Instead of the blue and white color scheme that most TOM incarnations had in the past, TOM 5's body was bluish gray and silver.
After the events of Countdown, TOM 5's body became heavily battle scarred. There was a huge burn mark and a crack over his visor, as well as a few scratches on his helmet. In addition his right chest-plate became slightly exposed and his left arm was burnt.
History
TOM 5 was announced during MomoCon 2013, and he assumed the position as host of Toonami on April 27, 2013. TOM 5's debut brought with it the return of SARA, a new Absolution, and an entire revamp of the block. However, the switch from TOM 3.5 to TOM 5 has never been explained.
During the events of The Intruder II, TOM 5 was forced to amputate his left arm after the Intruder's attack rendered it useless. He was then forced to sacrifice the Absolution in order to destroy the Intruder once and for all. After landing on Shogo 162, the restored SARA used the abandoned facility to produce a new arm for him. The arm was noticeably more archaic and bulky compared to his original design, although it functioned in the same manner.
During the comic book Trapped, TOM was able to leave the Vindication and explore Shogo 162. He discovered an abandoned settlement and crashed ship. He was given a new body by the occupant of the crashed ship and was tasked with battling a giant monster. TOM used a giant robot that he named "BIG TOM" to battle the Trabogog, the giant monster that was plaguing the planet. After the battle, TOM returned to the crashed ship but discovered only the skeletal remains of the occupant. TOM immediately returned to his original body and questioned if it was all a dream. Upon returning to the Vindication, TOM told SARA about his experience and SARA discovered his memory database had been injected with foreign code containing memories from a warrior who settled on Shogo 162 10,000 years ago. TOM ended the conversation by stating that he's "just happy to be home."
During The Intruder III, TOM 5 and SARA discovered that the Vindication was not a remote broadcasting station but instead a massive space vessel which they used to escape the imploding Shogo 162. With their new crew member Georgia, they began broadcasting Toonami while traveling through space aboard the Vindication.
During Countdown, TOM 5 was sent to the future where his body was severely damaged by an infected Future SARA and her murderous Future Clydes. Ultimately, he was sent back to his own time and was able to stop the countdown to the destruction of the Vindication. Though visibly damaged, TOM remained functional enough to continue as captain of the Vindication and host of Toonami.
TOM 5 met his end in episode 4 of The Forge, where he struggled to get the other TOMs onto the Vindication, before being shot dead by the Commander of the Forge. Luckily, SARA uploaded his matrix into a new body, creating the TOM 6 body.
Speeches
- Main Article: TOM 5's Speeches
Like his predecessors, TOM 5 often delivered motivational, introspective speeches interspersed with clips from Toonami's shows. In total, TOM 5 delivered 9 Toonami speeches:
Video Game Reviews
- Main Article: Video Game Reviews
As host of Toonami, TOM 5 delivered a total of 72 video game reviews.
| Game | Review | Console | Rating | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bioshock Infinite |  |
XBOX 360 | (9/10) | April 27, 2013 |
| Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon |  |
XBOX 360 | (10/10) | May 25, 2013 |
| Metro Last Light |  |
XBOX 360 | (8/10) | June 15, 2013 |
| The Last Of Us |  |
PlayStation 3 | (10/10) | June 29, 2013 |
| Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection[n 1] |  |
PlayStation 3 | (9.5/10) | August 3, 2013 |
| Pikmin 3 |  |
Wii U | (9/10) | August 31, 2013 |
| Dragon's Crown |  |
PlayStation 3 | (8/10) | September 7, 2013 |
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist |  |
XBOX 360 | (8/10) | September 28, 2013 |
| Puppeteer |  |
PlayStation 3 | (7.5/10) | October 26, 2013 |
| Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag |  |
XBOX ONE | ARRRRRR! | November 9, 2013 |
| Dead Rising 3 |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | February 8, 2014 |
| Strider |  |
XBOX ONE | (9/10) | March 29, 2014 |
| Titanfall |  |
XBOX ONE | (9/10) | April 5, 2014 |
| Child of Light |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | June 7, 2014 |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | June 14, 2014 |
| Watch Dogs |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | July 26, 2014 |
| Valiant Hearts: The Great War |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | September 13, 2014 |
| Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | October 18, 2014 |
| Assassin's Creed Rogue |  |
PlayStation 3 | (8.5/10) | January 10, 2015 |
| Dying Light |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | February 28, 2015 |
| The Order: 1886 |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7/10) | March 14, 2015 |
| Dragonball Xenoverse |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | April 4, 2015 |
| Far Cry 4: Valley of the Yetis (DLC) |  |
PlayStation 4 |
(7.5/10) | May 2, 2015 |
| Ori and the Blind Forest |  |
XBOX ONE | (9/10) | May 9, 2015 |
| Wolfenstein: The Old Blood |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | June 6, 2015 |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt |  |
PlayStation 4 | (9.5/10) | July 4, 2015 |
| J-Stars Victory VS + |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7/10) | August 15, 2015 |
| Shovel Knight |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | September 5, 2015 |
| Volume |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | October 10, 2015 |
| Galak-Z |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | January 16, 2016 |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider |  |
XBOX ONE | (9/10) | February 6, 2016 |
| Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | March 19, 2016 |
| Salt and Sanctuary |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | April 23, 2016 |
| Tom Clancy's The Division |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | May 7, 2016 |
| Stories: The Path of Destinies |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | June 16, 2016 |
| DOOM |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | July 23, 2016 |
| Song of the Deep |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | August 13, 2016 |
| Hyper Light Drifter |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | September 3, 2016 |
| Jotun |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | December 10, 2016 |
| The Last Guardian |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | January 14, 2017 |
| DragonBall Xenoverse 2 |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | February 11, 2017 |
| Resident Evil 7: Biohazard |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | April 22, 2017 |
| Nioh |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | April 29, 2017 |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild |  |
Nintendo Switch | (9/10) | May 27, 2017 |
| Injustice 2 |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | June 17, 2017 |
| Prey |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | June 24, 2017 |
| Rime |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | July 8, 2017 |
| Nex Machina |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | July 15, 2017 |
| The Flame in the Flood |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | August 19, 2017 |
| Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | September 9, 2017 |
| Uncharted: The Lost Legacy |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | September 16, 2017 |
| Gundam Versus |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) | December 2, 2017 |
| Cuphead |  |
XBOX ONE | (9/10) | December 9, 2017 |
| Battle Chef Brigade |  |
Nintendo Switch | (8.5/10) | December 16, 2017 |
| Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus |  |
PlayStation 4 | (9/10) | December 30, 2017 |
| JYDGE |  |
Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 XBOX ONE |
(7.5/10) | January 27, 2018 |
| Nier: Automata (JPN ver. w/ ENG sub) |  |
PlayStation 4 | (9/10) | March 31, 2018[n 2] |
| Nier: Automata (ENG ver.) |  |
PlayStation 4 | (9/10) | April 7, 2018[n 2] |
| The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human |  |
PC (STEAM) | (8/10) | April 21, 2018 |
| Far Cry 5 |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | June 9, 2018 |
| Moonlighter |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | July 21, 2018 |
| Hollow Knight |  |
Nintendo Switch | (9/10) | August 18, 2018 |
| Dead Cells |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | September 1, 2018 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | September 29, 2018 |
| Assassin's Creed: Odyssey |  |
PlayStation 4 | (9/10) | November 17, 2018 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 |  |
PlayStation 4 | (9/10) | December 8, 2018 |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate |  |
Nintendo Switch | (9/10) | January 5, 2019 |
| Sundered: Eldritch Edition |  |
XBOX ONE | (8/10) | February 23, 2019 |
| Metro Exodus |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8/10) | June 15, 2019 |
| Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night |  |
PlayStation 4 | (8.5/10) | August 10, 2019 |
| 198X |  |
PlayStation 4 | (7.5/10) Incomplete |
August 31, 2019 |
| Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda |  |
Nintendo Switch | (8.5/10) | September 28, 2019 |
| Untitled Goose Game |  |
Nintendo Switch | (8/10) | November 2, 2019 |
Trivia
- TOM 5 was the longest serving host so far in the block's history.
- For April Fools 2018, the Toonami bumpers involving TOM featured a Japanese voice actor, Masa Kanome, speaking Japanese dialogue with English subtitles.[1]
- During the April 4, 2020 Toonami Open, TOM spoke about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, feeling sorry he couldn't find a way to bring the viewers to the Forge for their safety. Also commenting that TOM and SARA don't even use toilet paper, so there wouldn't be any for viewers to use aboard the Vindication. [2]
- On June 6th, 2020, TOM 5 made a cameo in the opening of the block where his successor replayed the "Equality" speech. The speech was re-aired, not only to promote the launch of Run The Jewels' latest album "RTJ 4" but, because of the rise in racial discrimination and violence that was making headlines at the time.
Gallery
_(Adult_Swim-themed).jpg "TOM 5's Memorial Bump (2013-2019) (Adult Swim-themed).jpg (22 KB)")
Notes
- ↑ This collection includes Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid (which was previously reviewed on Toonami), Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions (which was previously reviewed on Toonami), Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 This review had dual audio and is based on the North American version of the game, with the ✕ (Cross) button as confirm and ◯ (Circle) button as cancel. The English version was aired the week after the Japanese version of the review aired on April Fools Day.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "For those of you #Toonami fans who have been asking... ". twitter.com/Clarknova1. April 2, 2018. https://twitter.com/Clarknova1/status/980972091536216064.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j7osRuSxxI
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