Transformers Characters
The Transformers franchise has exploded in popularity within the last decade. It is hard to believe that a line of small transforming toys, which first came out in 1984, has become such a cultural phenomenon.
The first film in the Transformers film franchise cemented the stars as A-list celebrities who became inseparable from their work on the series. In fact, the recent Transformers film franchise has grossed billions of dollars in the international box office, and continue to venture into new territory. There are rumors that another spin-off film based upon the origins of 
Optimus Prime, and a cross-over film between GI-Joe/Transformers are all in the works. What started as toys, turned into shows, movies, and everything in between. However, with the ever-expanding Transformers universe, it becomes tough to keep track of all of the characters.
In this article, we will be taking a look at all of the iconic characters that helped shape our childhood. This ranges from the noble and powerful Optimus Prime to the smallest mini-bots like Brawn. When you start recounting these robots in disguise, it’s only fair we start with the Autobot that leads the charge.
Autobots
OPTIMUS PRIME
Optimus Prime is the strongest Autobot as he leads the Autobots against the evil Decepticons on planet Cybertron and on Earth. He is driven to protect everyone’s safety and freedom as “freedom is the right of all sentient beings” and also strives for a peaceful co-existence with humans. With his courageous and moral nature, Optimus Prime has been killed many times, but as a true leader in the Transformers series, he has also been revived to help the Autobots prevail in the war. This character rallied all Primes through the belief that “All are One” and continuously battles to honor this motto. His notable alternate mode in Transformers is a Freightliner semi-truck.
BUMBLEBEE
Despite his small size, Bumblebee is one of the toughest Autobots. His drive to protect others and his immense bravery make him an honorable Autobot, especially to Optimus Prime. Bumblebee has a close alliance with humans and serves as a messenger and scout in the battle against the Decepticons. He is the underdog of the series which only emphasizes his power through courage and perseverance for good.
ULTRA MAGNUS
Ultra Magnus is a strong soldier to Optimus Prime and doesn’t desire the position of leader. He is equipped with exceptional fighting skills and is best at improvising. As a soldier, Ultra Magnus is always willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good.
RODIMUS PRIME
Rodimus Prime was initially known as Hot Rod. As Hot Rod, he was short-tempered but always meant well. He was a brave fighter and later became known as the Chosen One after defeating Unicron using the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. As Rodimus Prime, he is the same Hot Rod, but with different exteriors and physical abilities. A common association of Rodimus Prime is his partial contribution to Optimus Prime’s death which often causes him to feel guilty and to look down on himself.
IRONHIDE
Ironhide is a trustworthy officer for the Autobots. He is a guard and military strategy leader who is more slow, but resilient. Physically, Ironhide appears aggressive, but he is a kind robot who does prefer fighting without Optimus Prime.
HOUND
Hound is an Autobot scout who uses holographic projections as his weapon. He loves Earth and actually desires to be human.
GEARS
Gears is a small, yet tough Autobot. He is capable of enduring attacks and strains. Personality-wise, he is pessimistic and anti-social
BLASTER
Blaster is a daring Communications Specialist Autobot. He is often a leader in battle. Blaster is also captivated by Earth’s culture in music.
MIRAGE
Mirage is an Autobot who can become invisible which helps to sneak up on Decepticons. He is strong in fighting and intelligence. However, Mirage is unsure of the Autobot cause in the battle against Decepticons which makes it difficult to fully trust him.
HUFFER
Huffer is a pessimistic, yet reliable Autobot. His sensor-equipped build and strong, resistant exterior make him capable for testing materials used by Autobots.
SPRINGER
Springer is an optimistic Autobot. His large build is intimidating paired with the springs in his legs which allow for long-distance travel. Spring can transform into both a helicopter and car.
IMPACTOR
Impactor is the former leader of the Wreckers. He is strong on the battlefield as he is equipped with numerous weapons from missiles to harpoon.
TOPSPIN
Topspin is a thrill-seeker who is up for any challenge. He was part of the Wreckers and is the brother to Twin Twist. He was eventually killed by Megatron.
KUP
Kup is an older Autobot. With his age comes vast experience. He is brave and loyal to his comrades and always offers advice based on his past experiences.
BLUESTREAK
Bluestreak is an extremely fast Autobot. He uses speed to his advantage instead of mere strength. He also dislikes war.
SUNSTREAKER
Sunstreaker is the twin brother of Sideswipe. He has a large ego which would seem to cause problems in war, but in actuality, Sunstreaker is very competent and ruthless in battle.
SIDESWIPE
Sideswipe is the twin brother of Sunstreaker. He is less cold and less skilled in combat compared to Sunstreaker. Sideswipe is guilty of being rash which often leads to injuries.
BLURR
Blurr is one of the fastest Autobots. He is known to be glorious and victorious. He also has a large ego to match his speed.
CLIFFJUMPER
Cliffjumper is one of Optimus Prime’s scouts. Despite his small size, he desires victory against the Decepticons. He uses his speed, recklessness and courageousness to battle enemies.
JETFIRE
After witnessing the violent motives of the Decepticons, Jetfire joined the Autobots. He is fast in flight and also believes that having the upper hand in technological power will allow the Autobots to win the battle.
BROADSIDE
Broadside is an unfortunate aircraft carrier and jet as he gets seasick and is afraid of heights. Despite these disadvantages of his, Broadside is an effective warrior for the Autobots.
SANDSTORM
Sandstorm is a risk-taker when it comes to war against Decepticons. As a helicopter and dune buggy, Sandstorm’s advantage lies in his maneuverability which makes him a tricky opponent.
WINDCHARGER
Windcharger has magnetic powers that allow him to move distant objects. In addition to this ability, he is fast in short distances which can be advantageous, but also limiting. To match his speed over short distances, Windcharger has a short attention span which can also be a disadvantage.
SKIDS
Skids was previously a scientist. This explains his analytical nature toward life on Earth. He gains a lot of knowledge about the new planet which can help Autobots adapt to the new environment; however, his revelations are often seen as less useful.
PERCEPTOR
Perceptor has a desire for knowledge and studies how Autobots can adapt to Earth. He is seen as very smart and kind-hearted as he strives to protect human life.
INFERNO
Inferno is a search and rescue Autobot. Although, he is sometimes distracted by battle. He has great strength which asserts him as an effective fire truck.
WRECK-GAR
Wreck-Gar is a brave Autobot who is also the leader of Junkions. Despite being made of scrapes, he is able to transform into a motorcycle and repair himself when needed.
TRAILCUTTER
Trailcutter is an alien robot from Cybertron. He joined the Autobots to battle the Decepticons and to protect Earth. His power comes in the form of an impenetrable force field.
BEACHCOMBER
Beachcomber is an Autobot that actually dislikes battle. He prefers exploring nature instead. Although he doesn’t have an interest in war, Beachcomber is effective in battle.
EMIRATE XAARON
Emirate Xaaron was the leader of the Autobot underground resistance movement. He uses his wisdom to impose power over others rather than physical strength.
TRACKS
Tracks is equipped with a variety of weapons. In addition to this advantage, Tracks can fly while he is a Chevrolet Corvette. Because of his vehicle form, he is often seen as narcissistic.
SIZZLE
Sizzle is drawn to danger but is often seen as an average warrior with no extreme skill. His vehicular mode is transforming into a turbo car.
FIZZLE
Fizzle is all talk. He creates elaborate strategies for victories. His vehicular mode is transforming into a buggy.
GUZZLE
Guzzle is a tough warrior who is all about combat. His vehicular mode is transforming into a tank.
COSMOS
Cosmos is a flying saucer in outer space. He serves as a communication satellite for the Autobot and uses his optic sensors to identify faraway items
ARCEE
Arcee is an alien, but also of the robot species of Cybertron. She is seen to have the need to protect Danierl Witwicky throughout the series. She was exceptional combat skills, especially with sharpshooting.
DINOBOTS
GRIMLOCK
Grimlock is the leader of the Dinobots. He can also transform into a tyrannosaurus rex. Grimlock believes that he is the strongest and most powerful robot which is why he feels that he should be the leader of Autobots instead of Optimus Prime. To fuel his ego, Grimlock likes to assert his power and also tends to look down on those who are weaker, especially humans.
SLAG
Slag is a Dinobot who can transform into a triceratops. He only takes orders from Grimlock. Slag is a very violent robot and is often disruptive with his comrades which explains his lack of strong connections with the other Autobots.
SWOOP
Swoop is a Dinobot who transforms into a pteranodon. He may be on the weaker side, but his intelligence and skills in flight are effective in instilling fear in his enemies. Despite his fearless appearance, Swoop is good and friendly in nature.
SLUDGE
Sludge is a Brontosaurus Dinobot. He is notable for his incredible strength that is almost comparable to that of Grimlock, Optimus Prime and Megatron. He is also fearless in battle, but gentle outside of the fighting scene.
SNARL
Snarl is a Stegosaurus Dinobot who likes to battle. He tends to be a loner-type and is often uncooperative which makes it difficult for others to work with him.
MINI BOTS
BRAWN
Brawn is a small, but tough mini-bot Autobot. He thrives in dangerous and challenging situations. A unique feature of Brawn is his resistance to artillery fire, but susceptibility to electromagnetic waves.
POWERGLIDE
Powerglide is one of the few Autobots that can fly. He uses this ability to show off to other Autobots. While he is not showing off, he uses concussion bombs and also shoots thermal beams against enemies.
SEASPRAY
Seaspray is an underwater Autobot who transforms into a robot on land. He is equipped with advantageous sonar radar and lasers that compensate for his lack of strength.
WARPATH
Warpath is a vain and loud-mouth robot. His durable exterior gives him an advantage in battle. He also boasts about his sharpshooting skills.
AUTOBOT CARS
SMOKESCREEN
As a robot, Smokescreen can shoot missiles. As a car, Smokescreen can emit magnetic smoke to impair enemies.
GRAPPLE
Grapple is an architect Autobot. He likes to build structures rather than fight and battle.
AERIALBOTS
SILVERBOT
Silverbot is the leader of Aerialbots. Although he is a Concorde jet, Silverbot is afraid of heights. He was selected by Optimus Prime to command troops.
SKYDIVE
Skydive is one of the best Aerialbots. He is talented in flight. However, he prefers studying and knowledge over fighting.
AIR RAID
Air Raid is an aggressive Aerialbot. He prefers collisions with enemies rather than shooting. Along with other Aerialbots, Air Raid forms Superion.
PEOPLE
COMBAT COLIN
Combat Colin was a part of the military but wanted to join the Action Force. After being denied, he and Semi-Automatic Steve partnered and became known as Colin’s Gang. Their crossover with the Transformers took place at a Transformers-only party where Colin and Steve were denied from.
SEMI-AUTOMATIC STEVE
Semi-Automatic Steve joined Combat Colin to form Colin’s Gang. The two featured a crossover with the Transformers where they were denied from a Transformers-only party.
SPARKPLUG WITWICKY
Sparkplug Witwicky is a mechanic and also father of Spike, Buster and Butch. His role with the Transformers is helping rescued Autobots against the Decepticons.
BUSTER WITWICKY
Buster Witciky is Spike Witciky’s younger brother. He is a son of Sparkplug Witwicky.
JESSE
Jesse is Buster Witcky’s girlfriend.
CIRCUIT BREAKER
Circuit Breaker was a woman named Josie Beller who became paralyzed by Shockwave. This injury led to cybernetic enhancements which gave her the ability to hunt down robots.
DEATH’S HEAD
Death’s Head was a cyborg bounty hunter who had fought Galvatron, Rodimus Prime and Bumblebee.
DONNY FINKLEBERG
Donny Finkleberg is guilty of encouraging Megatron to assert Decepticon power over humans and to convince people that Autobots were enemies.
G.B. BLACKROCK
G.B. Blackrock is one of the few who can distinguish Autobots from Decepticons. This makes him powerful especially when it comes to providing human assistance to his ally, the Autobots.
FLINT
Flint is the Executive Officer of the G.I. joe Team who asserted that Transformers were actually living beings.
BARONESS
The Baroness and Cobra paired up to search for a crashed spaceship which was contained deactivated robots that they both worked to reactivate and serve them.
MINDBENDER
Dr. Mindbender uses mind control and interrogation to gain insights on enemies. At one point, he had placed a listening device on a Decepticon which provided information on the Decepticon plan to destroy Earth.
SCARLETT
One of the first members of G.I. joe created to stop Cobra and the Baroness from taking advantage of the Transformers to serve them.
HEADMASTERS
FORTRESS MAXIMUS
Fortress Maximus is high in status and is often given the ability to command troops and to substitute as Autobot leader. Ultimately, Fortress Maximus desires peace and dislikes violence, but will fight when it is needed.
SCORPONOK
Scorponok was the leader of Decepticons Headmasters. He can transform into a robot or scorpion where he instills pain through electric shocks.
Decepticons
SOUNDWAVE
Soundwave is one of Megatron’s most trusted partners. Because of this strong alliance, other Decepticons despise Soundwave which often leads to conflicts within the Decepticons. He has incredible hearing abilities which allow him to gain information to advance not only his team but his status as well, which makes him a very powerful and intelligent robot. Soundwave is often portrayed as a microcassette recorder, and in-vehicle mode, as a jet or a truck.
MEGATRON
Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons and is expectedly the opposite of Optimus Prime. While Optimus Prime believes in safety, freedom and nobility, Megatron believes in “Peace through Tyranny” and utilizes his terrorizing power and ruthlessness to fight the Autobots.
As a natural leader, Megatron aims to lead his comrades to prevail over Autobots and to claim all of Earth’s resources no matter the cost. Despite his villainous character, Megatron actually sees himself as good.
GALVATRON
Galvatron is the recreation of Megatron after being injured by Optimus Prime. Upon recreation, Galvatron overtook Starscream who was temporarily the leader of the Decepticons by killing Starscream. As the returned leader, he sought after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership.
SHOCKWAVE
Shockwave is portrayed as a smart and, therefore, powerful Decepticon. He uses logic and analysis to strategize against Autobots. Because of his logical and strategic nature, Shockwave was the leader of Decepticons on occasion, but his role was ultimately returned to Megatron. As a laser gun, Shockwave uses lethal energy waves to his advantage.
LAZERBEAK
Lazerbeak is Soundwave’s minion. As a close robot to Soundwave, he is able to gain Autobot secrets and pass them along to Megatron. Lazerbeak also likes to hunt his enemies.
STARSCREAM
Starscream uses speed and ruthlessness in his favor as a Decepticon. He believes that speed can help them win over the Autobots instead of just strength and power. This mindset is often opposed by Megatron. To set himself apart from Megatron even more, Starscream is known to not be as loyal, compared to Soundwave, which leads Megatron to be distrustful of Starscream. This relationship unsurprisingly supports Starscream’s desire to replace Megatron as leader of Decepticons.
RAVAGE
Ravage is one of Soundwave’s minions. He is also very loyal to Megatron. His strength is his craftiness with creating strategies to battle. This Decepticon excels independently and at night.
THUNDERCRACKER
Although a Decepticon, Thundercracker is not totally on board with the Decepticon’s cause which ultimately impedes on his effectiveness in battle. He is a sidekick to Starscream and also teams up with Skywarp. As a hovercraft, his speed is his strength. In addition to speed, Thundercracker uses deafening sound waves to deabilitate humans. Thundercracker is also opportunistic when it comes to overtaking Megatron as leader.
SCOURGE
Previously known as Thundercracker before his injury during battle. Scourge and some of his comrades are skilled in tracking down Autobots.
SKYWARP
Skywarp operates under Starscream and because of his lack of intelligence, he often requires supervision. Despite this feature, Skywarp is very loyal and favorable to Megatron. An advantage that Skywarp has is his ability to teleport and his sneakiness which allows him to attack Autobots unexpectedly.
BUZZSAW
Buzzsaw is one of Soundwave’s cassette minions. He is detailed when it comes to missions and can be cruel and destructive in nature.
RUMBLE
Rumble is a small, but mean Decepticon. He is short-tempered and acts tough to compensate for his size. He looks up to Megatron.
FRENZY
Frenzy is one of Soundwave’s cassettes. He is known to crave destruction, chaos and violence and to spread fear amongst others. Despite this personality, Frenzy is physically weak, but his logical thinking compensates.
RATBAT
Ratbat serves as a spy for the Decepticons who thrives in the dark. He wanted to lead the Decepticons to victory but was unable to because of his death.
CYCLONUS
Cyclonus was created by Unicron from the remains of Bombshell or Skywarp. He is known to be strong and loyal which makes him an advantage in battle for the Decepticons.
STRAXUS
Straxus ruled most of Cybertron. He led the Decepticons to melt Autobots and to use the material to form new Decepticons. Straxus is feared by many, even by his own soldiers.
UNICRON
Unicron, also known as The Lord of Chaos, is a transformer deity. He strives to capture other planets given his powerful and intelligent abilities. Unicron has the ability to transform into planet mode where he travels space or robot mode where he battles.
TWIN TWIST
Twin Twist is a Jumpstarter and can transform extremely quick. He is drawn to violence and fighting as he feels the need to prove himself as capable of destruction.
CARNIVAC
Carnivac can transform into robot or wolf form. He is known to be brutal and unpredictable which makes him dangerous to everyone. He was also the leader of the Mayhem Attack Squad.
MULTICHANGERS
ASTROTRAIN
As a loyal Decepticon, Astrotrain is a military transport. He has a unique ability to transform between robot, train and space shuttle. During battle, Astrotrain takes advantage of his opponent’s panic and fear to reign superior.
BLITZWING
Blitzwing can also transform into a jet and a tank in order to transport materials. He is known to be one of Megatron’s most powerful advantages.
OCTANE
Octane is a Multichanger Decepticon between robot, Boeing 747 and tanker truck. He enjoys injury and damage to others and is seen as a bully even to comrades. He is equipped with a flamethrower and deflect-shield.
PREDACONS
RAZORCLAW
Razorclaw is the leader of the Predacons. He can transform into a lion which explains his patient nature. Razorclaw prefers to wait for the right time to attack opponents as it preserves energy. After waiting for the right time to strike, Razorclaw uses his abilities to leap and claw to defeat enemies. Forms part of the Predaking.
RAMPAGE
Rampage is known to be violent. His short temper helps to fuel his strength in battle. Forms part of the Predaking.
TANTRUM
Tantrum is a short-tempered bull Predacon. He uses forceful techniques during fight. He is the Predaking’s left leg.
HEADSTRONG
Headstrong is known to be arrogant and stubborn. His mindset is that he is always right and that he doesn’t need to listen to anyone else.
INSECTICONS
BOMBSHELL
Bombshell is the leader of Insecticons. He is intelligent and is able to hypnotize and control minds through his cerebro shells.
SHRAPNEL
Shrapnel is identified by his battle cry and his feed off of enemy cries. As a robot, Shrapnel ejects lightning bolts. As an insect, he uses his antennae to control electrical devices
KICKBACK
Kickback is a grasshopper Insecticon. He uses powerful kicks and his clever personality to attack opponents.
CONSTRUCTICONS
SCRAPPER
Scrapper is the leader of the Constructicons. His strength lies in planning the design of anything the Constructicons build. He forms the right leg of the Combiner Devastator.
SCAVENGER
Scavenger is one of the Constructicons that searches for materials to be used by Decepticons. To Megatron, he is particularly useful for finding valuable resources like fuel. Scavenger also forms the right arm of the Combiner Devastator.
MIXMASTER
Mixmaster has the ability to combine given resources and create any new material. This is a huge benefit to Decepticons. He is also the left leg of the Combiner Devastator.
LONG HAUL
Long haul is a dump truck that also forms that lower torso of the Combiner Devastator. He has an important role in construction, especially with energy-recovery installations.
HOOK
Hook is a perfectionist Constructicon. This is helpful as a repair robot for Decepticons. Hook is able to transform into a crane, and he is also the head and chest of the Combiner Devastator.
BONECRUSHER
Bonecrusher is drawn to destruction. His strength is in demolishing and as a bulldozer. He is also the left arm of the Combiner Devastator.
STUNTICONS
MOTORMASTER
Motormaster is the leader of the Stunticons. He is known to be the rival of Optimus Prime as he strives to destroy him in attempts to be the “King of the Road.” His strong exterior makes him no match for any other robot except for his rival. He also forms the head and body of Menasor.
DRAG STRIP
Drag Strip is a competitive Stunticon. His pride from victories fuels his competitive nature which causes him to be disliked by many. He forms the left arm of Menasor.
COMBATICONS
VORTEX
Vortex is a Combaticon helicopter that uses torturous flights to obtain information from enemies. He forms the left arm of Bruticus Maximus.
SEEKERS
THRUST
Thrust is a Seeker who uses his presence to scare enemies. He doesn’t believe in strategies to sneak on enemies. Thrust is equipped with powerful acceleration abilities in flight.
DIRGE
Dirge finds power in instilling fear in others; however, he is quite fearful himself which makes him a weaker Decepticon.
RAMJET
Ramjet is known to cause collisions all around. He also had a plan to go against Megatron and to destroy Earth, but before he could carry out, Megatron found out and destroyed Ramjet.
As there is a lot of hype surrounding the movie — Transformers: Age of Extinction, temptations of collecting some Transformers merchandise for some are irresistible. A young couple in Qingdao city, eastern Chinas Shandong Province has spent nearly 200,000 yuan (US$32,215) in Transformers robot collection since 2002. The young couple has collected over 380 robots, including Bumblebee and Soundwave, Jazz and Thundercracker, Ultra Magnus and Megatron, Optimus Prime, and Unicron.
Another Megatron List of Transformers Characters
Easily the most prominent and recognizable action figure franchise from the 80s Transformers has vast lore of reboots comics video games and films that includes an abundance of transforming robot characters. From the original 80s cartoon to the upcoming War for Cybertron Trilogy airing on Netflix in 2020, each series includes a cast of Autobot and Decepticon robots with their personalities, powers, and struggles. While this wealth of world-building contributes to and extends the Transformers legacy, it may be intimidating for a new fan to jump into. This article builds off of a previous Transformers characters list and adds in some more niche characters to round out any fan’s knowledge of these part-robot, part-vehicle, all-lovable alien characters.
The Autobots
The Autobots are one of the two primary factions within the Transformers franchise, but they used to be the sole faction. Way back at the beginning of Cybertron’s, or the Transformers’ home planet, history, the creator-god Primus created the Transformers alien species. The Transformers called themselves Autobots and were primarily functional, civilian-like robots who could transform into practical vehicles such as cars, trucks, and rescue vehicles. However, as their society complexified and a class system settled in with the more elegant Autobots at the top and manual laboring and gladiator-like combat machines at the bottom, tensions arose and war occurred. One the one side, the Autobots fought to defend Cybertron’s peace and way of living. On the other, the Decepticons wanted to create an aggressive Cybertron-based empire.
Thus, while Autobots are usually considered the ‘good guys’ in most Transformers series, they are not a ubiquitous peace-keeping force. It is their compassionate nature, desire to protect the weak, and love for all sentient beings that keeps the Autobots in check with their values and proper defenders of Cybertron.
Here’s a list of some of the more niche or forgotten Autobots who still contribute wholeheartedly to the Autobot cause.
Trailbreaker
One of the original robots featured in the 1984 cartoon as well as one of the original robots on Optimus Prime’s team, Trailbreaker is a perfect example of the Autobots’ tendency to be energon-bleeding hearts. Always cheerful and agreeable, Trailbreaker is the main form of defense of the Ark crew with his impenetrable force field and magnawheel. However, his joking and good humor also act as a cover for his low self-esteem based on his high fuel consumption rate. Trailbreaker often feels that his high demand is not worth wasting the team’s limited resources on. However, he is one of the most beloved robots among the crew due to the amount of care he puts into supporting his team on and off the battlegrounds.
Elita-One
Although it might be difficult to reconcile the idea of gender with an alien robot race that can also transform into vehicles, Elita-One is one of the main female Autobots in the series. Outside of essentially being the female counterpart of Optimus Prime, Elita has a rich backstory and a considerable amount of power, making her one of the coolest Transformers, period. Before the war, Elita was a manual laborer called Ariel who became a renowned Autobot resistance leader and head of the only all-female Autobots team. With her chassis the vibrant pink color of energon (or the Transformers’ food and blood), ability to stop time through the creation of a fifty-foot force field and two discrete combiner (or giant robot) forms called Elita-Infin1te and Orthia, Elita-One is not an Autobot to mess around with.
Chromia
Chromia is the first female transformer to appear on the screen and it’s a distinction well earned. A ruthlessly capable infiltrator, Chromia’s skill set lies within sabotage and body guarding, making her a vital member of Elita-One’s team. Although she isn’t the most warm-hearted Autobot and is more likely to escape an emotional scene through strategically-placed bombs, Chromia is a fiercely protective and loyal bot that will not only get the job done but will do it so efficiently that it’s like the job never existed in the first place.
Firestar
Firestar, also known as Novastar, is both practical and proud, which makes her a tad unpopular with those jealous of her success rate with stealing Decepticon energon cubes. In fact, Firestar is adept at a wide array of things and she’s sure to let any bot know it. Despite her slightly snobby attitude, due to her fiery passion and undeniable efficiency, Firestar is an admired presence in Elita-One’s team.
Moonracer
Moonracer is like the little sister of Elita-One’s team with her bubbly and infectious cheer. Despite being on a team where most of the bots are serious and pragmatic, Moonracer maintains a rather light-hearted and at times clumsy optimism. However, she is not a one-dimensional airhead either. Frequently she worries that her allies and enemies don’t take her seriously enough, even though multiple people have acknowledged the fact that she is the best sharpshooter in the galaxy—perhaps even in the entire universe.
Arcee
The most popular and recognizable of the female Autobots, Arcee is a streamlined force to be reckoned with. A regular cast member ever since her debut in The Transformers: The Movie, Arcee is one of the deadliest warriors in the franchise, extremely agile and swift in hand-to-hand combat, and is not that shabby at sharpshooting as well. However, her greatest skill lies in her deep and fierce compassion and protectiveness of those weaker than her. In some timelines she is a Headmaster protecting the humans on Earth, in other timelines she’s like the big sister in Elita-One’s team. But in any timeline, Arcee is the hero of not only the Transformers franchise but also of our hearts.
Greenlight and Lancer
The final two members of Elita-One’s team, Greenlight and Lancer used to be unflatteringly known as “Unnamed Green Female Autobot” and “Unnamed Orange Female Autobot” until 2010, where they were given actual names. They both were promising scientists back on Cybertron, with Lancer even thinking of applying to be an Elite Guard, before the war came and abruptly changed all their plans. Due to their late name assignments, Greenlight and Lancer do not have a particularly complex backstory. However, due to their place in Elita-One’s specialized task force, fans should expect to see these two green and orange Autobots taking on more prominent roles in future series.
The Decepticons
While the post-schism Autobots had more civilian-like roles and vehicular forms, the Decepticons are largely combat-based robots with roots in the lower classes. Their leader Megatron was himself the star gladiator from the Cybertron State Games, and thus many of the Decepticons are significantly larger than the Autobots, have more weaponry and raw strength, and tend to have a more black and white thought process. They want to conquer Cybertron and defeat the Autobots. They want ultimate power at all costs. They want honor, glory, and battle. Thus, they are usually the bad guys, although, just like the Autobot, they are not an inherently malignant force.
Dreadwing
Dreadwing is a good example of a Decepticon who is not single-mindedly chasing a bloody dream of power. The captain of an army of Seekers and an explosives expert, Dreadwing is intensely loyal to his lord Megatron as well as his twin brother Skyquake. However, his loyalty doesn’t supersede his sense of integrity as well. As a level-headed tactician, Dreadwing is not above fighting with Autobots or even saving their hides if it means securing a net positive outcome for the Decepticons or living to battle another day. His sense of honor has even been noted by Megatron himself, showing that his reputation not only encompasses his strength and abilities but his respectability as well.
Skyquake
While his brother Dreadwing can differentiate shades of grey in his fights, Skyquake is much more simply motivated. His loyalty to Megatron and his orders is so great, he will complete any order given to him no matter how much time it takes or whoever gets in his way. In fact, Skyquake is so fastidious in his loyalty that he will lash out at anyone disloyal to the cause up to and including his superior officers. Thus, while he and his brother are both honor-bound to Megatron and the Decepticon cause, Skyquake has a more Lawful Good mentality about it—and it’s ultimately what kills him.
Knock Out
A racer boy with a racer boy’s heart, Knock Out is concerned with only two things: racing fast and looking good while doing it. It is perhaps due to these two main priorities that Knock Out is one of the fence riders in the Transformers franchise. Despite being introduced as a Decepticon in the Transformers: Prime universe, like in the original series he eventually defects and becomes an Autobot instead, more concerned with preserving his paint job than getting in scraps that might leave him all scraped up.
Scorponok
Able to transform from his robot mode into a scorpion and then an entire city, Scorponok is not a true Decepticon. Created by Lord Zarak from the planet Nebulous, Scorponok is rather an ally of the Decepticons with a sharp mind and an obvious brute power. Although in the original series it’s uncertain whether Scorponok possesses true sentience or merely a puppet animated by Zarak’s powers, Scorponok is undeniably an intimidating warrior.
Nightbird
Similar to Scorponok, Nightbird is a robot who fell into Decepticon hands rather than being a native to Cybertron. Created by a human to prove the advancement of Earth technology, Nightbird is a robotic ninja warrior who was stolen and augmented by Decepticons to steal energon from the Autobots. Despite having her plans foiled by Optimus Prime and his crew and being put in storage by her creator, Nightbird’s allegiance to those who enhanced her consciousness is evident through her fierce battling skills and eventual escape to join the Decepticon forces.
