Transformers: Prime/Characters: Difference between revisions

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== {{color|red|Autobots}} ==

 

* [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]]

* [[The Noseless]]

* [[Transforming Mecha]]

 

=== {{color|red|Optimus Prime/Orion Pax}} ===

 

 

 

The leader of the Autobots and the last of the Primes. Originally a data clerk named Orion Pax, he formed a friendship with a charismatic gladiator and civil rights leader named Megatronus, and being such a close ally put him on the map to being recognized by the Cybertronian council. Upon becoming Optimus Prime, he and the newly christened Megatron cut ties, becoming fierce rivals with wildly different ideologies. Optimus is a highly accomplished warrior honed by years of conflict, though his natural disposition is a gentle pacifist.

** [[Badass Baritone]]

** [[Badass Bureaucrat]]: A data clerk when he was Orion Pax.

* [[Berserk Button]]: Do not harm humans in his presence, and certainly don't gloat about it. He set out to straight-up ''kill'' Megatron when this happened. It was probably the last straw in a series of injustices, but still.

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: It is very, very hard to get Optimus legitimately angry at you. [[Unstoppable Rage|This is a good thing for all concerned.]]

* [[Big Good]]

* [[The Captain]]

* [[The Comically Serious]]

'''Optimus:''' No. }}

* [[Cool Mask]]: His faceplate.

* [[Last of His Kind]]: He's the last of the Primes.

* [[Martial Pacifist]]: Optimus's seen everything from comrades dying to atrocities being committed on myriad sentient species who had nothing to do with the war. As such, he always tries to strive for peace, since he's not only seen the alternative, but also wants to protect both humans and Cybertronians, regardless of allegiance. He is, however, not at all reluctant to lay down an ass-beating when it is to protect those weaker than him.

* [[The Messiah]]: Operates at about ten points up the idealism scale from everyone else in the show.

* [[Messianic Archetype]]: {{spoiler|Willingly goes to what he expects to be his death in order to save humanity from an ancient evil at the heart of our origins. Unlike most other Optimus Primes, he hasn't actually died yet, but he did lose his memories and identity for a while before regaining them.}}

* [[One-Man Army]]: He and Ratchet handily mow down an unending tide of zombie robots in the pilot.

* [[Papa Wolf]]

* [[Standardized Leader]]: Deliberately invoked, and somewhat deconstructed; it's explicitly stated that all Primes have a similar sort of [[The Stoic|calm]], [[No Sense of Humor|dignified]], [[Hurting Hero|slightly sad]] personality. Carrying the accumulated wisdom of all past Primes in your mind will do that.

* [[Team Dad]]

* [[Victory-Guided Amnesia]]: {{spoiler|In the finale of Season One, Optimus uses the Matrix of Leadership to put Unicron down at the cost of losing his memory of the Autobot-Decepticon war. Thankfully, he gets better.}}

* [[When She Smiles|When He Smiles]]: Optimus's smiles are rare and small but when he does smile, it lights up his entire face. One noteworthy moment was when he smiled at Raf when both of them were recovering from Megatron's attacks in "One Shall Rise, Part 1".

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Views Dreadwing as one.

* [[Would Not Shoot a Civilian]]

 

=== {{color|red|Arcee}} ===

 

 

 

A small and nimble fighter with experience as a scout and spy, Arcee is haunted by several events on the Cybertronian Civil War, including losing several partners and being tortured by Airachnid as a POW. She is nonetheless well-respected by her teammates and although she can be impulsive and leave on her own agenda, her first priority is the safety of the team. She is officially the guardian of Jack Darby, and after an initial annoyance with each other, have come to form a powerful bond.

* [[Breast Plate]]: Her chest armor.

* [[Broken Bird]]

* [[Cool Bike]]

* [[Cool Big Sis]]

* [[FemBot]]

* [[Fragile Speedster]]

* [[Good Old Fisticuffs]]: She has a small blaster, but prefers unarmed combat, even unscrewing a mook's head with her feet.

* [[The Lancer]]

* [[Tsundere]]: Particularly towards the kids.

* [[Vocal Evolution]]: A very minor version and more so related to how the show dove into her backstory than anything really dramatic or intentional (discussed in [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-prime-39/transformers-prime-wednesday-interview-with-sumalee-montano-174794/ this interview]). In the beginning of the series, Sumalee Montano played Arcee mostly as a "tough girl" kind of character, intense but vulnerable. Later on, she has a lot more of a dry wit and her vocal style changed accordingly.

* [[Weak but Skilled]]: The smallest and lightest of all Cybertronians on the show, and often has trouble damaging tougher enemies. She makes up for it by being fast enough to get the drop on Megatron, and skilled enough to take on enemies far outside her weight class for substantial periods of time. She noticeably fights much better in [[Bash Brothers|tandem with the other Autobots]].

 

=== {{color|red|Bumblebee}} ===

 

 

* [[Child Soldier]]: We don't know if he'd really count as a "child" exactly, but he is the youngest member on the team, revealed in the prequel novels as being among the last generation of Cybertronians to be born. In "Masters and Students", it's implied that Bee isn't officially recognized as warrior-class due to his young age.

* [[Cool Car]]: A fictional model of muscle car named the Urbana 500.

** He also tricks Airachnid into thinking he's immobilized, then punches her out.

* [[Cute Bruiser]]

* [[The Heart]]: When [[The Messiah|Optimus]] isn't doing his job for him, anyway.

* [[Intelligible Unintelligible]]: He speaks in some sort of machine language due to a damaged voice box. Raf and the Autobots can understand him just fine, but everyone else (viewers included) is out of luck. Raf acts as his [[Translator Buddy]] to the rest of the kids.

* [[Winged Humanoid]]

** [[Wings Do Nothing]]

 

=== {{color|red|Ratchet}} ===

 

 

 

The Autobot Medic, Ratchet is one of Optimus' close friends from before the war even began and has seen the change in his friend. Ratchet is the oldest of the group and generally less excitable and enthusiastic as his teammates or the human kids. Usually grouchy, he is still a good 'Bot at heart and doesn't like to see anyone hurt. He is also generally responsible for the mechanical equipment and he built the ground bridge that allows instantaneous travel around the world, though he admits that he has his limitations in that field.

{{hardline}}

 

** Later on, he tests synthetic energon on himself that leaves him with unexpected results.

* [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]]: In "Stronger, Faster", he was under the influence of experimental synthetic energon and started challenging every Cybertronian he saw to a fight, even calling Bumblebee a wimp for backing down on his offer. It came back to bite him when he tries to take on Megatron and nearly gets killed.

* [[Badass Bookworm]]

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Saves Arcee from some Vehicons in "Stronger, Faster" and saves Jack from Knock Out after he is cornered onboard the ''Nemesis''.

* [[Big Ol' Eyebrows]]

* [[Grumpy Old Man]]

* [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]]: Pulls this on a helpless Decepticon with a welding torch while under the influence of synthetic energon.

* [[Leeroy Jenkins]]: Whilst under the influence of the [[Psycho Serum]] in "Stronger, Faster". Ended up trying to solo ''Megatron'', with [[Curb Stomp Battle|predictable results]].

* [[The Medic]]

* [[Number Two]]: If Optimus requires an expert opinion on something or someone to coordinate a mission, it's usually Ratchet. While he may appoint one of the other, younger bots to be field leader on missions, they will still defer to Ratchet when he gives them instructions from within the base.

* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]: Whenever he enters combat, there's one in the wings.

"I'm here to offer a second opinion!" }}

* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: On the firing end of one to Optimus in "Stronger, Faster". Ratchet called Optimus soft for losing Cliffjumper and for passing up numerous opportunities to take out Megatron. Though Ratchet's judgment was indeed impaired at the time, it was implied he was saying what he would've normally held back.

* [[Running Gag]]: "(person's name here), I needed that!"

* [[The Smart Guy]]

 

=== {{color|red|Bulkhead}} ===

 

 

 

A former Wrecker, the Autobot special forces/black ops group, Bulkhead is a tough bruiser and built for combat. Admittedly not the smartest bot, he is so good at breaking things that he doesn't have much room for grace and finesse. Despite that, he is very friendly and partnered with Miko, who helps him develop both his gentle side and learn to unleash his power when necessary.

* [[Alien Arts Are Appreciated]]: He's a big metal fan. Also a big, metal fan, but that's beside the point.

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Slight shades of Type II every now and then.

** [[Badass in Distress]]: In "Armada", when he's trapped upon the ''Nemesis''. Though he actually rescues himself {{spoiler|by bringing down the Nemesis}} then driving off.

* [[Berserk Button]]: Don't ''ever'' even imply harming Miko in his presence.

** Also, Starscream {{spoiler|or rather, one of his clones}}, found out the ''hard way'' that Arcee is not the only one who will become dangerously angered over being reminded of who killed Cliffjumper. {{spoiler|It results in Bulkhead beating him to death}}.

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Despite his kind nature, he's extremely dangerous in combat. Case in point in "Armada" {{spoiler|where he beats a Starscream clone to death, and then proceeds to damage the ''Nemesis'' to the point of crash-landing.}}

* [[Big Fun]]

* [[The Big Guy]]

* [[Lantern Jaw of Justice]]

* [[Lightning Bruiser]]: While he doesn't have the speed or acceleration of Arcee and Bumblebee, in robot mode he can move surprisingly fast.

* [[One-Man Army]]: The core Autobot team's second-most-dangerous combatant. Stands to reason, him being a former Wrecker. Also the only bot (apart from Optimus Prime) to stand up to {{spoiler|Megatron while he's on Dark Energon}} and hold his own.

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Towards Miko, of course.

* [[Power Fist]]

* [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]]: "Operation Bumblebee, Part 2" has a great one after {{spoiler|Bulkhead manages to heft the giant even by Cybertronian standards Forge of Solus Prime.}}

* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]

* [[Stout Strength]]

* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?|Why Did It Have To Be Scraplets]]: Played slightly more seriously than most examples of this trope. Bulkhead's had some ''bad'' experiences with the little monsters and while most Cybertronians fear them, Bulkhead has the... [[Screams Like a Little Girl|girliest]] response.

 

=== {{color|red|Cliffjumper}} ===

 

 

 

A born fighter, Cliffjumper doesn't hesitate to get involved with a scuffle and is sometimes antsy when there aren't any 'Cons to scrap. He spent a good deal of time with Arcee, with some implications of a bond that extended beyond simple friends.

 

{{hardline}}

* [[The Big Guy]]: Fairly obvious.

* [[Boisterous Bruiser]]

* [[Half the Man He Used To Be]]: Courtesy of Megatron, while zombified.

* [[Horny Vikings]]: Has two such horns on his helmet—that apparently become horns on the grill of his alt mode, a '70s Dodge Charger. Of course, Cliffjumper has always had horns, but they're much more apparent here.

* [[Killed Off for Real]]

* [[Mauve Shirt]]

 

=== {{color|red|Wheeljack}} ===

 

 

 

Another former Wrecker and close friends with Bulkhead, Wheeljack is very smart and a quick thinker, but prefers to dive into combat head on. After the war, he wandered the universe in search of both old and new friends and got accustomed to that lifestyle, so much that he has hesitations about sticking around on Earth for too long. He intially starts with a disregard of Optimus as a "clean hands" military commander, but comes to gain respect for Optimus' skill and sense of honor.

* [[Adaptational Badass]]: And '''how'''. The original G1 character was a [[Mad Scientist]] type and not one to really get down and dirty. It's telling that his counterpart in [[Transformers Film Series|the movies]] (where any character not originally badass was made one) stuck rather close to the scientist role as well. It's like seeing a chess nerd from high school come to the reunion as a Delta Force member.

* [[Anti-Hero]]: He is of the "has no sense of subtlety" and "rebels against authority" type of anti-hero.

* [[Big Ol' Eyebrows]]

* [[Boisterous Bruiser]]

* [[Cool Mask]]

** [[Collapsible Helmet]]

* [[Cool Sword]]: His [[Dual-Wielding|two katanas]].

** [[Katanas Are Just Better]]

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]

* [[The Drifter]]

* [[Dual-Wielding]]

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Formerly, with Bulkhead. Still great buddies in the present day, but they've taken somewhat different courses in their lives.

* [[It's Personal]]: The reason he's chasing Dreadwing is because he killed Seaspray.

* [[MacGyvering]]: Apparently how he goes about inventing things. Hopefully, we'll get to see this in action now that he's staying on Earth.

* [[One-Man Army]]: Comes with the territory for Wreckers, it seems.

=== {{color|red|Tailgate}} ===

 

 

A partner of Arcee during the war on Cybertron, he was captured and killed in front of her by Airachnid.

 

{{hardline}}

* [[Posthumous Character]]

 

=== {{color|red|Seaspray}} ===

 

 

A Wrecker and friend to both Wheeljack and Bulkhead, he was killed by Dreadwing and incited Wheeljack to hunt down the 'Con.

{{hardline}}

* [[Adaptational Badass]]: Well, given this incarnation of Seaspray was a member of the Wreckers... granted we see none of this onscreen due to his being...

* [[Cool Ship]]: The same model as Wheeljack's ship.

* [[Posthumous Character]]

== {{color|purple|Decepticons}} ==

 

* [[Big Ol' Eyebrows]]

* [[Five-Bad Band]]: A continuously shifting one, though.

 

=== {{color|purple|Megatron/Megatronus/D-16}} ===

 

 

 

The leader of the Decepticons, he was originally a miner named D-16 who competed in the Gladiator Arena in Kaon. Proving popular with the crowd, he took the name "Megatronus" and later "Megatron", then started gathering followers as he talked about eliminating the caste system that prevented lower level individuals such as himself from becoming anything more than a miner. This got the attention of Iacon data clerk Orion Pax, who supported his cause and gave him the opportunity to address the Cybertronian council. But his demands of becoming a Prime showed his true colors and when Orion became Optimus Prime, Megatron vowed to take control of Cybertron itself, killing their world in the process.

{{hardline}}

 

* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: He's one of most powerful members of the cast, tied only with Optimus, if their fights with each other are any indication.

** [[Asskicking Equals Authority]]: His backstory is that he was a former gladiator on Cybertron who fought his way up to leading the Decepticons.

* [[Arch Enemy]]: To Optimus.

* [[Ax Crazy]]

* [[Bad Boss]]: Another tradition. He was fully willing to leave Breakdown to rot because he got captured by humans, and had Knock Out test a shield generator by shooting at him.

* [[Big Bad]]

* [[Classic Villain]]: Ambition and Wrath.

* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Gladiators fight ''dirty'' if they want to survive to the next match, after all.

* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: Considering that the only way he could find freedom from the back-breaking slavery of the mines was by ripping other robots limb-from-limb in the gladiatorial pits, Megatron never had a positive view on life to begin with.

* [[Death Glare]]: Delivers an unblinking (and nightmare-inducing) one to Starscream at the end of ''Rock Bottom''.

* [[Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?]]: As he claims, no one, not even Unicron the Chaos Bringer, commands him.

* [[Evil Former Friend]]: To Optimus. They used to be as close as brothers... and then the Council shot him down for position of Prime. Cue war.

* [[Evil Mentor]]: As Megatronus, to Orion Pax, before the beginning of the Great War. {{spoiler|It seems Megatron is quite eager to resume his mentoring when Optimus reverts back into Orion Pax and loses his memories of being a Prime, and more importantly, his enmity with Megatron}}.

* [[Evil Overlord]]

* [[Fallen Hero]]: The founder and former leader of the Cybertronian civil rights movement, desiring to be named the next Prime until a certain 'bot named Orion Pax inadvertently hijacked it from under him. It's possible that he had evil intentions from the start, but his ego descended the movement from civil rights to anarchy.

* [[Fangs Are Evil]]

* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]: The scars on his face show that his combat history is ''very'' evident.

* [[Guttural Growler]]

* [[Hearing Voices]]: After injecting himself with Dark Energon, Unicron speaks to him.

* [[Kaleidoscope Eyes]]

** [[Purple Eyes]]: When he's using Dark Energon.

** [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: Under normal conditions.

* [[Large Ham]]: Though downplayed from that of a certain [[Beast Wars|other]] Megatron, he still has his moments. He can pull it off and still come across as terrifying, though.

** [[Evil Is Hammy]]

* [[Tin Tyrant]]: His plating invokes this.

* [[Vocal Evolution]]: Frank Welker's return to the role prompted a newer version of the voice which is much less screechy, and more quiet and menacing. He even admitted that the classic Megatron voice did not allow much range, while this voice allows him to be both reserved and bombastic at different times.

* [[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]]: Completely averted for once. This Megatron has no tolerance for treachery, as Starscream and Airachnid find out.

* [[Wreathed in Flames]]: When using Dark Energon, he approaches this look, but he really goes into it when {{spoiler|Unicron takes control of him (probably a reference to The Fallen)}}.

 

=== {{color|purple|Starscream}} ===

 

 

 

Originally neutral in the civil war, Starscream found himself enticed by the power Megatron commanded and wished to acquire it for himself, rising in the ranks to eventually become Megatron's second-in-command. Trusted with a lot of the fine details of commanding and organizing the troops, Starscream is not quite satisfied with the delegated power he has and wants complete control. But he knows that he could never challenge Megatron on a physical level, so bides his time.

{{hardline}}

 

* [[Ain't Too Proud to Beg]]: Type 2 during "Rock Bottom", courtesy of Megatron, who is tired of Starscream's crap, placing his cannon to his head and preparing to get rid of him. Luckily for Starscream, the Autobots show up and give Megatron other things to think about.

* [[Arm Cannon]]

* [[Evil Gloating]]: It actually gets him in trouble when fighting the Autobots, as he enjoys it too much without actually finishing the job of escape or destruction. Both Arcee and Bumblebee got back at him for that.

* [[Expressive Hair|Expressive Wings]]: In "Rock Bottom".

* [[Faux Affably Evil]]

* [[Genre Savvy]]: Works out that while he could leave Megatron to die in the rock pile, the Decepticon leader has survived much worse, meaning it was better for him to try saving him instead.

* [[Guttural Growler]]

* [[The Heavy]]: For most of season 1 until Megatron's return.

* [[Hero-Killer]]: He murdered Cliffjumper.

* [[He's Back]]: {{spoiler|Looks like that time he took off at the end of Season 1 has done him some good; "Orion Pax, Pt. 1" shows him managing to sneak back onboard the ''Nemesis'' to make off with some pilfered Energon Cubes, and along the way, brutally murder the two Vehicons guarding said Cubes.}}

* [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain]]: Ever since {{spoiler|losing his ability to transform thanks to MECH taking his T-Cog}}, Starscream is now little more than a bum that scavenges for energon scraps and sells information to Autobots in exchange for medical treatment.

** As of "Triangulation", not anymore. {{spoiler|He now has a set of indestructible armor that he used to pound Dreadwing and Optimus half to death, and both are easily among the strongest Cybertronians alive.}}

* [[Irony]]: {{spoiler|In "Operation Bumblebee, Part 2", Starscream mocked Bumblebee with his lost T-Cog and how being unable to transform must have been a terrible experience. Upon destroying it and being subjected to dissection by MECH following, he finds his own T-Cog missing.}}

* [[Kaleidoscope Eyes]]

* [[The Napoleon]]

* [[No One Could Survive That]]: {{spoiler|Optimus and Dreadwing both write him off as scrap after Dreadwing detonated a series of bombs that sent Starscream plummeting through the Antarctic ice. Of course, he ''was'' wearing the Apex Armor at the time.}}

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Starscream may have no sense of honor, but it appears he is not without a sense of ''gratitude'', as shown when he {{spoiler|repays Arcee's mercy towards him in Season 1 by sparing her life when he could have killed her instead.}}

* [[Psychotic Smirk]]: He rarely ''isn't'' doing it.

** [[Slasher Smile]]: A couple of those few times that he isn't doing it, it's because he's graduated to ''this'' instead.

* [[Puppy Dog Eyes]]: For a backstabbing psychopath, he's disturbingly effective at this. [http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j427/Flavenstein/tumblr_louffjOAON1qgjyu7o1_500.jpg Case in point.]

* [[Self-Stitching]]: In the beginning of "Triangulation" when he tries to {{spoiler|put the T-Cog he recovered from his clone into himself}}.

* [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock]]: {{spoiler|MECH stole his T-Cog and left him stuck in robot mode for a time}}.

* [[Smug Snake]]: A legitimately threatening antagonist, but still not ''nearly'' as smart, charismatic, or deadly as he thinks he is. Part of this is the rest of the Decepticons know it, and thus undermines the actual talents he has as a leader.

* [[The Sociopath]]

** By the end of the first season, he's seems genuinely humbled and willing to give up his treachery and declare his [[Undying Loyalty]] to Megatron, until {{spoiler|he is betrayed by Airachnid and captured by the Autobots, then nearly killed by Arcee which convinces him to ditch both sides}}.

* [[Take a Third Option]]: {{spoiler|After becoming a pariah to the Decepticons and not being welcomed into the Autobots as a form of revenge, Starscream basically says "screw the both of them" and decides to be part of ''neither'' faction}}.

* [[Tempting Fate]]: {{spoiler|Starscream probably shouldn't have gloated too much about his ability to transform to Bumblebee before he flew back to Silas.}}

* [[Torture Technician]]

* {{spoiler|[[Twin Telepathy]]: Of a sort. Starscream feels all of the pain his clones experience. This does not dissuade him from killing the last one before he could betray him.}}

=== {{color|purple|Soundwave}} ===

 

 

 

One of Megatron's early followers and a fellow gladiator of Kaon, Soundwave is absolutely loyal to Megatron, providing communication and technical skills that gives Megatron's strategies a precise edge. While capable of talking, he prefers to stay quiet and observant, talking only by repeating certain phrases back to explain his point. His extreme compentence and significant skill give any troops with delusions of grandeur (such as Starscream) second thoughts.

*** To further put this in perspective, it means Soundwave fared better against Wheeljack than ''Dreadwing'' did.

** It says something when somebody as ambitious and backstabbing as Starscream is scared of you. If you believe the prequel novels, this is for good reason- Soundwave only lost his fight with the then-gladiator Megatron because the fight was "first to wound" and he would likely have taken Megatron down with him.

* [[The Blank]]

* [[Combat Pragmatist]]: Calls in Laserbeak to stun Airachnid when she's about to get back up.

** And he's able to pick Wheeljack up with one of them and throw him around. ''By the head''.

* [[Cool Plane]]: A Predator drone, to be exact.

 

=== {{color|purple|Knock Out}} ===

 

 

 

A skilled Decepticon fighter and doctor, Knock Out is very particular about his specifications and appearance, chosing a muscle car alt mode because he prefered the look. Regardless, he is perfectly capable of mixing it up in a fight and provides a precision strike while his close friend and partner Breakdown provides the muscle.

 

* [[Affably Evil]]

* [[Agent Peacock]]

* [[The Medic]]

* [[Minor Injury Overreaction]]: He does ''not'' take damage to his appearance kindly.

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]

* [[Shock and Awe]]: One of his weapons is an electrostaff.

* [[Sissy Villain]]

* [[The Starscream]]: To a lesser extent than the [[Trope Namer]]. In "Sick Mind", he agreed to take the critically injured Megatron off life support in return for being made Starscream's second-in-command. Soundwave wouldn't let them go through with it.

* [[Swiss Army Weapon]]: He can change his hands into many surgical-themed weapons.

* [[This Is a Drill]]: One of the many, ''[[Swiss Army Weapon|many]]'' things he can turn his arm into.

 

=== {{color|purple|Breakdown}} ===

 

 

 

A long time rival to Bulkhead, Breakdown is a tough bot whose loyalty to the Decepticons stems mostly from allowing him more opportunities to fight. When it comes to the actual Decepticon cause, he stands out as an enigma who doesn't care too much about it. A close friend of Knock Out's, they form a dangerous team and like to go off on their own agendas.

 

* [[Anti-Villain]]: There are hints that Breakdown is a Decepticon because of opportunity only and has his own sense of loyalty and honor, even having a certain degree of respect for Bulkhead as his [[The Rival|rival]].

* [[Arch Enemy]]: To Bulkhead. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by Miko.

* [[Benevolent Boss]]: To his subordinates. In "Orion Pax, Part 2", when Fowler posing as a Vehicon gives his fake report, Breakdown says to keep up the good work and comments about how the job can be thankless.

* [[The Brute]]

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: In "Operation: Breakdown"; after Bulkhead saves him from MECH, he is clearly grateful to the Autobot warrior, and was visibly reluctant to turn on him when given a direct order to do so by Starsceam.

* [[Eyepatch of Power]]: After getting one of his optics ripped out by MECH.

* [[Four-Fingered Hands]]

* [[Grand Theft Me]]: {{spoiler|Looks like Silas seems primed to appropriate Breakdown's corpse as a new body, given the irreversible damage to his own.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]: When MECH discovers him, he's been completely sliced to pieces by Airachnid}}.

* [[Leeroy Jenkins]]: He enjoys rushing into a fight, even against Starscream's orders, he helped stage an ambush against the Autobots with Knock Out in "Speed Metal." {{spoiler|It's ultimately what got him killed by ignoring Dreadwing's advice}}.

 

=== {{color|purple|Airachnid}} ===

 

 

 

During the war on Cybertron, Airachnid basically operated as a third party, holding no allegiences. As the Decepticons are all for wanton destruction, she allies with them just so she can continue her sick games. After capturing and torturing Arcee, they have a rivalry that has only grown with each encounter.

* [[The Beast Master|The Beastmistress]]: She can control [[The Juggernaut|Insecticons]] and later found an entire hive of them.

* [[Black Helicopter]]: Gains one as an alt-mode in "Crisscross".

* [[Collector of the Strange]]

* [[Combat Stilettos]]

* [[Dangerous Deserter]]: Implied to be this after the War For Cybertron. {{spoiler|Becomes one again following the events of "Crossfire" - [[The Beast Master|with emphasis on the 'dangerous']].}}

* [[Dark Action Girl]]

* [[The Dragon]]: She was gunning for second-in-command and bringing her in direct confrontation with Starscream and even inspiring him {{spoiler|to cut ties with the Decepticons}}. Which is nothing short of amazing, since she partly caused Starscream's loss, which royally pissed off Megatron at the time. {{spoiler|However, when she tells everyone to run off and leave the Earth (and by extension Megatron) to die, Soundwave effortlessly defeats her and prevents her attempt to usurp authority, which is later the reason Megatron decides she wasn't worth the hassle}}.

* [[Egomaniac Hunter]]

* [[Expy]]: Of Blackarachnia and Lockdown.

* [[Faux Affably Evil]]

* [[Femme Fatalons]]

* [[Hand Blast]]: She uses her blasters and webs this way.

* [[Hero-Killer]]: She killed Tailgate.

* [[Robo-Family]]: It's implied that she and the Insecticons have a familiar connection. [[All There in the Manual]] states that most Cybertronians descends from one of the Thirteen Original Primes and each has acquired a unique characteristic. Arachnid and the Insecticons are likely from the unnamed [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Prime Beast Prime] lineage.

* [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]]: In "Crisscross", she calls off her rematch with Arcee and Jack and runs for it when [[Big Damn Heroes|Fowler's forces]] show up.

* [[Sixth Ranger]]

** {{spoiler|[[Sixth Ranger Traitor]]}}

* [[Smug Snake]]: Like Starscream, she's a legitimately threatening and dangerous antagonist. But unlike Starscream, she seems to be forgetful of her limitations; specifically, that she is far from being amongst the top tier of the Decepticon hierarchy in terms of power. Soundwave [[Curb Stomp Battle|quickly reminds her of this fact]].

* [[Spider Limbs]]

* [[The Starscream]]: Since {{spoiler|the [[Trope Namer]] defected}}, she has been trying to seep more power from Megatron. During "One Shall Rise, Part 3" she attempts to take command of the Decepticons and tells the troops they may as well forget about Megatron and abandon the Earth. Her attempt to usurp authority is swiftly prevented and dealt with by Soundwave.

** In an earlier example, {{spoiler|she pulls this off with Starscream, ironically}}. Megatron wasn't too happy about it though.

* [[This Is a Drill]]: She can arrange her legs into one of these, letting her tunnel through the ground with astonishing speed.

* [[Torture Technician]]

* [[Villain Team-Up]]: With Silas in "Crisscross".

 

=== {{color|purple|Skyquake}} ===

 

 

 

Part of the Seekers, an elite Decepticon force, Skyquake is completely loyal and obedient to Megatron. Once sent to assassinate Optimus, he was later placed on Earth as a sleeper agent for when the time came to revive him.

 

* [[Berserk Button]]: Being told to bow by people who aren't Megatron.

* [[Big Ol' Eyebrows]]

* [[The Brute]]: Megatron's former heavy muscle.

* [[Cool Plane]]: His Earth mode is scanned from Fowler's jet, which is based on the F-35 Lightning II.

* [[The Dreaded]]: One of the most notorious warriors of the Autobot-Decepticon war, and still capable of smacking around a Prime in single combat.

* [[Gatling Good]]: His weapon of choice is a ''[[Predator]]''-style minigun.

* [[Helping Hands]]: After being zombified and losing his forearm, it turns out to move ''much'' faster than the rest of him.

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: Though [[Kaleidoscope Eyes|they turn pink after he becomes a zombie.]]

* [[Robo-Family]]: Dreadwing is his twin brother, both being born from a split Spark.

* [[Undying Loyalty]]: To Megatron.

* [[Zombie Gait]]: He moves much more slowly after his death and zombification.

 

=== {{color|purple|Dreadwing}} ===

 

 

 

A Seeker as well and sharing a split spark with Skyquake, Dreadwing is similarly loyal to Megatron and came to Earth to seek revenge for his brothers' death. A powerful Decepticon warrior, he quickly rose through the ranks as First Lieutenant. Unique among Decepticons is that Dreadwing possesses a strong sense of honor, and his word is his ''absolute'' bond, even to his enemies. Though Dreadwing may hate Optimus Prime for the death of his brother, they ''deeply'' respect each other and have formed alliances for common causes of honor.

* [[Backup Twin]]: Skyquake's twin brother, identical in appearance, but with a different voice actor.

* [[Badass]]: He is the only Decepticon besides Megatron to go against Optimus Prime and not only hold his own, but ato lso survive the encounter.

* [[Big Ol' Eyebrows]]

* [[Booby Trap]]: He's a big fan of these.

* [[Hero-Killer]]: Revealed to have slagged Seaspray.

* [[I Gave My Word]]: And he'll keep it, ''even to an Autobot.''

* [[Master Swordsman]]

* [[My Master, Right or Wrong]]

* [[Palette Swap]]: Of his twin brother Skyquake. [[Lampshade Hanging|The 'Bots point this out when they get an aerial view of him.]]

* [[Pragmatic Villainy]]: While this can also be attributed to his honorable nature, he won't [[Kick the Dog]] if it won't benefit his faction either. Case in point; in Triangulation he {{spoiler|eventually agrees not to fight Optimus, after the Apex Armor has been lost to Starscream}}, after Optimus points out to do so would result in nothing good for either side.

 

=== {{color|purple|Vehicons}} (or {{color|purple|Eradicons}}) ===

 

 

The basic Decepticon footsoldiers, they are basically a faceless mass who can be tough, but don't possess a lot of skill to properly challenge the Autobots despite their greater numbers. They come in three varieties, Miners who have two visors and are clearly smaller and lighter armed, Sports Cars who are more heavily armed and form the bulk of their forces, and the Aerial Fighters who transform into jets.

* [[Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy]]: Not to say that they miss ''every'' time.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: {{spoiler|A few of them beat up Orion Pax and keep doing so despite his pleas for mercy. It didn't end well for them}}.

* [[No Mouth]]

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]

 

=== {{color|purple|Makeshift}} ===

 

 

A rare "shifter" Cybertronian, Makeshift is able to easily and quickly impersonate other Cybertronians in both appearance and voice. This makes him an excellent spy and infiltrator.

With the use of Dark Energon, any Cybertronian corpse can be reanimated into these mindless abominations.

 

* [[Non-Human Undead]]

* [[Night of the Living Mooks]]

 

=== {{color|purple|Insecticons}} ===

 

Basically Cybertronian animals, Insecticons are largely allied with the Decepticons and are often placed in stasis pods until they are awakened. They appear to be savage beasts incapable of higher thought process, but they reveal themselves able to speak later.

* [[The Berserker]]: They are more like animals than the regular characters and when pointed to attack something, just one Insecticon is able to give ''Megatron'' a hard time.

** And then {{spoiler|Airachnid finds an ''army'' of them...}}

** In fairness, there is some details that justify it to a degree. Arcee is a light-fighter who trades strength and firepower for speed and mobility, and during "Crossfire", Megatron's fusion cannon was disabled as the fight commenced {{spoiler|though he did shoot it once at point blank range, but that only served to knock it back}}. Come "Armada," Megatron's cannon was unrestrained and the Insecticons go down much easier in their flying beetle form than in their bipedal form.

* [[Disney Villain Death]]: The Insecticon left behind as a sentry in Kaon, which dies when {{spoiler|it gets its limbs chewed off by Scraplets and falls into the bowels of Vector Sigma's chamber.}}

* [[Meteor Move]]: {{spoiler|Airachnid}}'s Insecticon pulls a uniquely vicious variation of this move on Megatron: It launches Megs into the air, flies after him and bloodily rips a chunk of his shoulder off with its mandibles ''in mid air,'' then strikes him once more and opens fire as he hits the floor.

* [[More Teeth Than the Osmond Family]]

* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: The eyes of an Insecticon are bright red.

* [[Suddenly Voiced]]: At the end of "Armada" {{spoiler|the remaining Insecticons swear loyalty to Megatron in actual speech instead of their usual shrieks}}.

 

=== {{color|purple|Hardshell}} ===

 

 

An intelligent Insecticon that Megatron selects to hunt down one of the Iacon relics.

* [[Badass]]: He's able to fight Bulkhead one-on-one and not be killed when the big guy is going at full power. And {{spoiler|he seems to have survived being exposed to Tox-En and being dumped into a volcano}}.

* [[The Brute]]: {{spoiler|Whether or not he will keep this post is unclear, given that we're not sure if he survived.}}

* [[Disney Villain Death]]: Bulkhead manages to deal with him by {{spoiler|1=knocking him into a volcanic crater. Unfortunately for Bulkhead, Hardshell manages to climbout just in time to shoot him in the back as he's GroundBridging out}}.

* [[Distinctive Appearances]]: To make him stand out from the regular rank and file Insecticons he has many large gashes in his armor and across his face.

=== The ''Nemesis'' ===

 

 

The Decepticon Warship gained a mind of its own when Megatron used the very unpredictable Dark Energon to repair its systems.

 

* [[All There in the Manual]]: It isn't really mentioned in the episode "Flying Mind", but this isn't exactly the first time the ''Nemesis'' has been ''alive'' in this universe. {{spoiler|It used to be Trypticon}}.

* [[Anti-Mutiny]]: It was very single-minded about completing Project: Iacon and put the Decepticons in stasis when they tried to retake control of it.

 

=== Jack Darby ===

 

 

The main human protagonist, he was living a quiet life in a remote Nevada town until he accidently stumbled into a fight between Arcee and a couple of Vehicons. Young but level-headed, he often tends to be the voice of reason among humans and Autobots alike. He has no real exceptional skills to offer, but is ready and willing to step up to any challenge that has been presented.

* [[Audience Surrogate]]

* [[Badass Normal]]: Despite being a small, squishy human, he is able to use bravery and his wits to remain relevant in an engagement. As for specific examples:

** His tenacity and reliable nature is the reason {{spoiler|Optimus chose him to hold the Key to Vector Sigma, knowing that Jack could handle the responsibility implied. It basically makes him an honorary Prime}}.

* [[Cool Big Sis|Cool Big Bro]]: Sometimes takes the role for Raf and Miko.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]

* [[Disappeared Dad]]

* [[Groin Attack]]: Does this to Silas in one of the comics.

* [[Heroes Want Redheads]]/[[All Guys Want Cheerleaders]]: His main [[Love Interest]] is a schoolmate of his named Sierra, the redheaded captain of the cheerleading squad.

 

=== Miko Nakadai ===

 

 

An exchange student from Japan seeking to escape the boredom of a regimented schedule, she was initially wondering if Jasper, Nevada was really the place to escape ''from'' boredom. She loves being a part of this intergalactic war and desperately wants to join in on anything and everything related to it. She idolizes Bulkhead and sees him as the coolest bot on the team, often encouraging him to take more initiative.

 

* [[An Axe to Grind]]: Goes for the nearest fire axe whenever she's in a combat situation, whether the enemies be Decepticons or MECH mercenaries.

* [[Break the Cutie]]: She is pretty well traumatized by the end of "Rock Bottom," though it doesn't seem to affect later episodes.

* [[Eyes of Gold]]

* [[Expressive Hair]]: Noticeable in "Operation Bumblebee Part 1" when her pigtails visibly droop when they try to cheer Bumblebee up by turning on the TV just in time to see a commercial for the car Bumblebee takes his altmode from (he was stuck in a [[Shapeshifter Mode Lock]] at the time).

* [[Genki Girl]]: She rationalizes this in the fourth episode as a result of strict upbringing. First chance she got, she took the exchange student gig for greener pastures. Nevada wasn't the best choice for that, but it worked out pretty well.

* [[Girlish Pigtails]]: That [[Expressive Hair|stand on end]] when she's startled.

* [[Ink Suit Actor]]: She's basically a CGI model of her voice actress.

* [[Jumped At the Call]]: "Dude, what are you ''waiting'' for?! Go with!"

* [[Leeroy Jenkins]]: They should seriously consider putting a leash on the girl.

* [[The McCoy]]

* [[Naive Newcomer]]

* [[Plucky Comic Relief]]

* [[Plucky Girl]]: Even if she's trapped in a cave and suffocating from the lack of fresh air, she ''does not'' quit.

 

=== Rafael "Raf" Esquivel ===

'''Raf''': ''Twelve... and a quarter.'' }}

 

 

The youngest of the human kids, he was present when Bumblebee came to aid Arcee against a group of Vehicons. Abnormally smart for his young age, he is still very young and easily overwhelmed. He grew up in a large family who rarely have time to listen to him, which is why he bonds so closely with the normally quiet Bumblebee.

* [[Adorably Precocious Child]]: At times, Raf really shows his young age. In "Darkness Rising" his first scene was him playing with a toy car and making engine noises. In "Scrapheap", he talked about wanting to see snow and later was wandering around the base pretending he was in a blizzard.

* [[Adorkable]]

* [[Anime Hair]]: Primus only knows how he keeps it like that.

* [[Awesome Backpack]]

** "Out Of His Head" deserves a mention for sheer badass. Raf attempts to take on Bumblebee, possessed by freaking '''Megatron''' while Megs is attempting to resurrect himself. Raf leaps onto the cable connecting Bumblebee to Megatron's body to try and rip it off. It doesn't actually work, but let's just repeat that Raf was willing to take on ''Megatron'' to save his friend. Dude's got bearings.

** In "Triage", he {{spoiler|creates a computer virus that beams ''the entirety of the Iacon Database'' from the Nemesis' computer to the Autobot base's computer, giving the Autobots an edge against the Decepticons}}.

 

=== Special Agent William Fowler ===

 

 

A human liason to the Autobots, Fowler's job is to monitor their activity and report back on issues of interest. Their agreement is to let the Autobots handle Decepticon activity, but at various points he has called on their help dealing with the dangerous MECH organization. Often grouchy, regardless he has a good deal of respect for Optimus, his team and the human kids, and has grown to trust them to make the right calls.

* [[Badass Normal]]: He may just be a human, but he's able to withstand Decepticon torture for an unknown amount of time without cracking, not to mention dogfight Laserbeak in a Huey helicopter. He can also fly a jet without a flight suit, thanks to a cabin-pressure stabilizer that Rachet has built into the cockpit to keep his organs from exploding.

** In "Nemesis Prime", he chooses to go into a battleground between Optimus and Nemesis Prime, sneaks into the MECH base (including knocking out at least three sentries), and fistfights Silas (while admitting he's out-of-shape) to buy Optimus time against his doppelganger.

* [[Da Chief]]

** To be fair, working with Team Prime '''is''' an incredibly stressful job at the best of times and said "new incidents" have a chance of extreme collateral damage.

* [[The Men in Black]]

* [[Non Sequitur Thud]]: Tends to do this after electrical shocks. Usually mentions his grandmother. Even ends up referencing [[LOLcats]] at one point.

* [[Ranger]]: Mentions he was one during his fistfight with Silas in "Nemesis Prime".

* [[Running Gag]]: The vehicles he's piloting/riding in tend to get scanned by Decepticons who desperately need an Earth alternate-mode ''a lot''.

** Also, he has a habit of getting shocked and then [[Non Sequitur Thud|saying random things]].

=== June Darby ===

 

 

Jack's mom, she works as a nurse at the local hospital and has raised Jack ever since his father left. Because of that, she raised Jack to be very responsible in his schoolwork, job and friendships, but is still very concerned for his safety. She was initially kept out of the loop, not fully realizing where Jack's motorcycle came from, but eventually came to see the full scope of events her son is involved with.

=== Sierra ===

 

 

A classmate of Jack (and by extension, Miko and Raf), she didn't really pay him much mind until he talked with her while on his motorcycle. Unaware of Jack's involvement with alien robots, they've had a few hiccups as they grow closer together.

 

=== Silas ===

 

The leader of the advanced technological rogues calling themselves MECH, he is a steely individual with the scars to prove his life experiences. He was resolving to make guerilla attacks to acquire advanced military hardware, at least until his first encounter with the Cybertronians. Now his ultimate goal is to unlock their technological secrets and use it for his own nefarious purposes.

 

* [[Affably Evil]]: Quite polite and friendly in a brisk, military sort of way.

* [[Alias]]

* [[Genius Bruiser]]: As the commander of (or, at least, a high-ranking officer in) a high-tech terrorist group, it would be more of a surprise if he ''wasn't'' this. Finally gets to demonstrate his CQC chops in "Nemesis Prime".

* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]

* [[Know When to Fold'Em]]: Quite willing to back off and process the intel he's collected once the original mission is no longer viable. No meaningless sacrifices here.

* [[Large and In Charge]]: He's noticeably burlier than the normal MECH grunts.

* [[Right-Wing Militia Fanatic]]: He's certainly borrowed at least some of the aesthetic and ideology, though it's still too soon to say just how far it goes.

* [[Teeth-Clenched Teamwork]]: During his alliance with Starscream. Silas clearly doesn't see Starscream as an equal, or even as an actual ally, and doesn't really try to hide this.

 

=== Vince ===

 

 

Jasper, Nevada's resident [[Jerkass]], Vince is a bully who takes part in illegal street races. Has his eye on Sierra, much to the annoyance of Jack.

 

=== General Bryce ===

 

 

Agent Fowler's superior and good friend.

 

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: Is the next up in the chain of command, and although he may be skeptical of the Autobots' good intentions he is friendly with Agent Fowler, calling him "Bill."

 

=== Vogel ===

 

 

A construction worker who appears in "Tunnel Vision" and plays a fairly major part towards the end of the episode.

 

=== Unicron ===

 

An ancient evil, a mechanical god of sorts who possesses a rivalry with his counterpart Primus. Defeated eons ago, his influence continues to the present day and is a force that couldn't care less about the Autobot/Decepticon conflict.

 

* [[Abusive Precursors]]: {{spoiler|As Optimus puts it he is, metaphorically speaking, the parent of humanity and all life on Earth. He agrees with Optimus on this, and then declares us all parasites unworthy of living.}}

* [[Badass Boast]]: '''Unicron is power incarnate.''' among others.

* [[Bigger Bad]]

* [[Mook Maker]]: {{spoiler|Since Unicron is the Earth itself, he's capable of spawning apparently infinite stone copies of his original body from the ground. That's right, the whole damn PLANET is his Mook Maker, and all the mooks ARE Unicron.}}

* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]: As is tradition.

* [[Robo-Family]]: [[All There in the Manual|Not mentioned in-series]] but he's the brother of Primus.

* [[Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale]]: For once in this franchise, averted. {{spoiler|Unicron is ''Earth itself'', making him truly planet-sized for the first time.}}

* [[Spikes of Villainy]]: All over his body.

An ancient god of Creation, he is a deity and ancestor of all Cybertronians. Locked in a perpetual stalemate with his counterpart Unicron, defeated him by creating the Thirteen Primes. Once peace was established he merged with the core of Cybertron, giving life to the planet by providing an abundance of energon. The war corrupted his core, forcing him to shut down for millions of years to repair the damage and he bestowed the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus for safekeeping.

 

* [[Cain and Abel]]: With Unicron

* [[Genius Loci]]: As is tradition.

* [[God Is Good]]

* [[Robo-Family]]: Is Unicron's brother.

 

=== The Thirteen Original Primes ===

 

Powerful creations of Primus who tipped the balance in the battle against Unicron. They are responsible for the creation of Cybertronian society and their unique qualities can be seen among their descendants.

* [[Robo-Family]]: Certain members of The Thirteen ended up having a few descendants. Prima's lineage includes those with a "Primian polarity", among whom Optimus is included and Amalgamous Prime's descendants became known as "shifters", which includes Makeshift.

* [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]]: Vector Prime's disgust with Liege Maximo plotting against the other Primes was too much for him, so he left reality for a pocket dimension.

* [[The Trickster]]: Amalgamous Prime.

 

 

=== Nemesis Prime ===

 

A great breakthrough for MECH research, Nemesis Prime is a near perfect copy of Optimus Prime and controlled by a human interface.

* [[The Undead]]: While not a character that's brought back from the dead, its appearance certainly seems to try and invoke this, mainly due to the rusting appearance and darker colours.