Hawk is the human guise and common name for the character Metalhawk, the leader of the Autobot Pretenders in the anime Transformers: Super God Masterforce. His story begins thousands of years before the main events of the series, approximately eight millennia ago, when he commanded a starship of Autobot Pretenders in pursuit of a group of Decepticon Pretenders to neolithic-era Earth. The pursuit ended with both factions crashing on the primitive planet. To survive and hide while continuing their mission, Metalhawk and his team used their advanced Pretender abilities in a unique way. Unlike other depictions of Pretenders, this process did not simply involve wearing an outer organic shell; instead, it fundamentally restructured their robotic bodies at a cellular level, allowing them to take on fully functional, human-sized forms that were biologically indistinguishable from the native people. In this human identity, he became known as Hawk.

As a character, Hawk is defined by his deep respect, admiration, and compassion for humanity. After integrating into early human societies, he and his fellow Autobots were impressed by the goodness and potential of the primitive species. For countless centuries, they lived among humans, subtly guiding their cultural and social evolution while maintaining a quiet vigil for any sign of their ancient Decepticon enemies. This long history has made him patient, wise, and deeply committed to the protection of Earth. As a leader, he is calm, responsible, and strategic, though he is also humble enough to recognize when a different kind of leadership is required. He is not driven by ego or a desire for command, but by a genuine sense of duty to the planet and people he has come to call his own.

Hawk’s primary motivation throughout the series is the defense of Earth and its inhabitants from the newly awakened Decepticon forces, now empowered by a mysterious and powerful entity known as Devil Z. After the Decepticon Pretenders are liberated from the ancient prisons where the Autobots had sealed them, Hawk is forced to abandon his peaceful human life and bring his team out of hiding. His mission evolves from passive observation to active combat. He also takes on the crucial role of a mentor to the next generation of Earth's defenders. Recognizing the need for more firepower and the potential within humans to fight for their own world, he bestows the power of the Masterforce upon three young people: Shuta, Cab, and Minerva. He gives them special devices called Master Bracelets and teaches them how to use the command "Masterforce" to don exo-suits and pilot lifeless Transtector bodies, thus creating the Autobot Headmaster Juniors. This act demonstrates his belief in humanity's inherent strength and his willingness to share the responsibility of protecting the planet.

Within the Autobot hierarchy, Hawk serves as the Space Commander and the initial field leader of the Autobot forces on Earth. His core team includes his fellow Pretenders: Lander, Diver, and Phoenix. However, his most significant relationships are with the human characters he mentors. He acts as a wise and supportive guardian to the young Headmaster Juniors, Shuta, Cab, and Minerva, who look up to him as a hero and role model. His most pivotal relationship, however, is with Ginrai, a human truck driver who becomes a powerful Godmaster. As the series progresses and the threats become more severe, particularly with the arrival of the Decepticon Godmasters, Hawk makes the difficult but selfless decision to step down as the primary commander. Recognizing Ginrai's immense power and unique potential to combat these new enemies, Hawk formally requests that Ginrai take his place as the leader of the Autobot forces. This act of willingly ceding command is a testament to his lack of personal ambition and his singular focus on achieving victory for the greater good.

Throughout the narrative, Hawk undergoes a significant arc from a hidden guardian to an active warrior, and finally to a supportive elder statesman. He begins as a being of peace, integrated into human society, and is reluctantly drawn back into a war he thought was over. He then takes on the responsibility of building a new army, recruiting and training young humans to become Transformers themselves. His development culminates not in a personal power upgrade, but in a profound act of humility: passing the torch to Ginrai and accepting a supporting role. While he is no longer the primary combatant, his wisdom and experience remain invaluable to the Autobot cause.

As a Pretender, Hawk possesses several notable abilities. In his default human-sized form, he is indistinguishable from a normal person, capable of living among them without detection. When he chooses to reveal his true nature as a Cybertronian, he can transform into his robot mode, an armored warrior of standard Transformer stature. In this mode, his left hand can retract to launch knock-out gas, and his standard weaponry includes a Jet Rifle and a Titanium Saber for melee combat. He also possesses the ability to transform his body into an alternate vehicular mode, a supersonic Cybertronian jet capable of flying from Earth to the Moon and back in just fifteen minutes. These combined abilities of infiltration, combat, and high-speed travel make him a versatile and effective commander.