The Standout Characters of Transformers Cartoons

[@hogunthegrim5464]

For the live-action movies, it is Barricade and to a lesser extent Blackout. The movie depictions of Barricade and Blackout became the definitive versions for all future depictions of the character. The original G1 Barricade was renamed to runner.

[@Michael-590]

My favourite is Ironhide, though I have to admit that Barricade is an awesome character.

[@megadong2398]

Barricade was so badass in the first movie.

[@russellharrell2747]

Barricade and frenzy got a double portion of personality set aside for the decepticons, with Blackout gaining a special place in my heart for how menacing he was. When he shows up for the final battle it’s like Oh Damn, that guy shot up a whole army base, a handful of GI Joes and a couple autobots don’t stand a chance. And the entire first part when he shows up was so well done.

[@bonic6254]

And for top Autobot, tied Sideswipe - lesser for personality but best / most interesting design; and Ironhide - in general

[@henryheavy8044]

Also crosshair

[@Andyjoe522]

I probably would have given the Cybertron spot to Vector Prime. His depiction in that show paved the way for future stories to expand upon the lore of the 13, and he even became the face of the official Transformers lore/Q&A page with Ask Vector Prime. He's also a very consistent presence throughout the show all the way through its run, and he's an incredibly charming grandpa-style character.

[@thomasanderson5615]

17:44 you should do a video about what your own transformers continuity would be like. I love hearing little snippets like this in your videos.

[@TheBlackShinigami]

For me it was Rat Trap for Beast Wars. I loved Dinobit and he is an amazing character but RatTrap was the right amount of annoying but also grows to be a true maximal as the series goes on and isn’t overshadowed by Cheetor even after his TM2 form. A really slept on good character

[@SpaceCase1214]

For Energon, I'd argue that Inferno is the standout, if only because his arc in the middle of the show was the best part of the show in its entirety.

[@justinarzola4584]

Rodimus in energon is a stand out for me.

[@unfailingfeline5215]

Whenever I think of Energon I always think of Scorponok first

[@R0-83-RT]

Not a bad choice, probably one of the better characters in Energon

[@brettwood1351]

Cyberverse. Clobber. Clobber. Clobber. Clobber was great, and I want a version where she and Lugnut are siblings. Iaconus was pretty cool to me too.

[@R0-83-RT]

My choices Beast Wars: Dinobot Beat Machines: Jetstorm Jetstorm being probably the most liked character in Beastmachines not from Beastwars secures the spot for me. R.I.D (2001): Scourge In my opinion Scourge is my favorite depiction of an evil Optimus troupe, and the fact that the character still is making appearances despite Nemesis Prime also existing, shows just how much of an impact Scourge left. Armada: Hotshot Energon: Alpha Q Not an Autobot or Decepticon, or even a traditional transformer, but nothing in the rules established the character had to be that. When I think of Energon Alpha Q is the stand out character being very plot relevant and unique. It was also interesting to see a new Quintesson. Cybertron: Vector Prime Outside of being an important character in the show itself, the character is the reason we have ask Vector Prime and a lot of the Transformers Multiverse mythos. Animated: Sari I think Sari deserves a special mention for being a human character fans really like. For the most part the human companions are tolerable, but Sari stands out as being unique, having her own development, and being quite useful. Transformers Prime: Knockout R.I.D 2015: Strong Arm

[@NekkidSnek420]

Sideways hands down. Such a unique character. Animated Swindle fits this bill for me as well.

[@brandoncsirbaugh]

Cheetor is mine. His toy was my first transformer and I still have it. His growth was amazing as a character, and he has a legacy in other series like Cyberverse. I will always be grateful for growing up with Beast Wars.

[@megagundamva2694]

Yeah i love Dinobot but Cheetor is MY BOI if i have a Cybertonian whos my Friend and partner Cheetor (BW to be specific Best version)

[@johngolles342]

I do like Tankor being the evil evolution of Rhinox, like I love it. However I feel like Strika is the breakout beast machines character, she’s appeared in animated, cyberverse, IDW2, whereas Tankor was only in IDW1 and was reimagined

[@myoldhandlewasmadewheniwas9]

Kinda shocked you picked override as "the" cybertron character when Vector Prime arguably had a greater impact through the franchise as the launchpad for the entire Prime mythology

[@R0-83-RT]

Vector Prime is my choice too.

[@Mia-gamin-616]

As much as like hotshot Starscream is by far the most memorable character of the show snd the one everyone remembers the most

[@hogunthegrim5464]

Prime Arcee is my definitive take on the character. She is not an overtly femme bot like the other depictions of Arcee. The Prime version of Arcee is a badass loner with a cool design and voice.

[@FairladyZ2005]

Same. Prime Arcee is my favorite Arcee.

[@TristenSarelvun]

I like Prime Arcee as a character, but not as Arcee. I much prefer the more traditional Arcee type and imagine, say, Chromia as being more like Prime Arcee. Just a personal preference, not "Boo can't use old names on new characters."

[@FairladyZ2005]

@@TristenSarelvun I could see her being named Chromia instead. The name really doesn't matter to me.

[@s.p.d.magentaranger1822]

Prime Arcee spoke to me at a time I really needed her, and she's stuck with me since. Prime Arcee is best Arcee.

[@matthewkuscienko4616]

While Transformers Animated had plenty of standout characters in it, for me personally, I would have to pick Sari. She was very unique for a human character, with the reveal that she is actually a robot herself later in the series being a twist that I don't know if anyone saw coming and is memorable for that alone.

[@s.p.d.magentaranger1822]

Yesssss! One of the better companions imo

[@gerryandersonisbest]

Knockout is DEFINITELY the standout from Prime. I'd like to that show's version of Dreadwing reappear somewhere at some point too as he was a personal favourite of mine.

[@ExaltedArchvile]

Gotta love how almost all of these stand-out characters you mentioned have toys in Legacy, as if Ben, Mark, and the guys had the same thoughts you did when it came to what characters come to mind when you think of their respective shows.

[@rorylumley4727]

In energon i do really like inferno. His incomplete reprograming decpticon programing and inability to control himself hit me hard as it reminded me of someone close to me.

[@Hyodazo]

I do like how you can tell the quality of the shows by how hard it is to pick a "stand-out" amongst the crowd. Personally my list would have been: Beast Wars: Dinobot RID 2001: Scourge. His impact on the entirety of Transformers is still felt to this day. Armada: Starscream. I still talk with people who don't know anything about Transformers but remember this EXACT interpretation of the character. Energon: Alpha Q. This is the first, and really only, character that comes to mind when I think of Energon (SuperLink in my case) Cybertron: Vector Prime. Again one of those characters who has been significant to the series for years. Shout outs to Flame Convoy(Scourge) for his genuinely interesting character arc with Lori. Animated: Lockdown. He absolutely stole every episode he was in. He was such an interesting villain that he got to show up as the villain of an entire movie. Prime: Knockout. RID 2015: Steeljaw. I had no interest in watching this show, then I saw a clip of Steeljaw and decided I needed to watch this show. Cyberverse: Shadowstriker. Shows not mentioned: Beast Wars II: Lio Convoy. I hate picking the main guy for this, but he's really the only one who has shown up in anything after his show. I wish Lio Junior, and by extension Magnaboss would pop up in something in the future. The Seacons also deserve recognition as being the best part of that show. Beast Wars Neo: Magmatron. He has some interesting character moments after the Predacons lose the "Main Villain" status to the Blendtrons and Unicron. Break would be a close second just due to being a pretty fun character, but I never see anyone mention him. Bayverse: Barricade. He is the only Decepticon that actually got to live in these movies, so he kept showing up and he got some very fun designs throughout the series. Huge shoutout to Nitro Zeus who managed to steal an entire movie and the heart of the fandom with maybe 35 seconds of screen time.

[@mindwipe8788]

RID 2001 Hot Shot was voiced by a Transformers voice actor veteran Michael McConnohie aka Tracks and Cosmos

[@capatialvinjohn2753]

Animated: BLITZWING!!!! RiD2015: THUNDERHOOF!!!!!

[@jorahtheexplorer3262]

Prime Ratchet - that voice, thaf personality really has redefined the character as well

[@inazumanfrash]

For Animated I think Sari was actually one of the few least grating human characters and she should have gotten a cute core class toy with a bs alt mode.

[@aircraftcarrierwo-class]

I agree with you on Animated, *so many* characters in that show had such an iconic portrayal. Bulkhead and Lockdown and Lugnut you already covered. I agree with you that Prowl's overall arc through the show makes him stand out the most I also always found the Animated version of Blitzwing to be the best version of Blitzwing, with his face gimmick and shattered personality reflecting his multiple alt-modes (and a cheeky shoutout to rival toytoon brand He-Man, via Man-E-Faces) And Ratchet, the grouchy war veteran combat medic. Ratchet's depiction in Animated was so iconic that it's become the De-Facto depiction of Ratchet in all following media including Prime and War for Cybertron. And _Sari!_ The kid-appeal audience surrogate character. How cool is it that she's not only helpful, but eventually becomes a direct part of the team in season 3? It's such a shame Animated was killed before it could finish, there's so much cool stuff they were going to do in season 4 that never saw the light of day.

[@justinarzola4584]

Blitzwing,lugnut,blackarachnia( way better than beast wars) and prowl were also great standout characters,i love animated.

[@larrychilders6599]

For Earthspark I have to say that honor has to go to Nightshade, because they are a blast and the best kind of introvert

[@maximaldinotrap]

For Armada I would say that Armada Starscream is up there with Hotshot. You can't really pick one over the other here tbh.

[@elrick44]

Y'know... I'm surprised they didn't try to use the Junkions play pattern in Legacy to try to make ShadowStriker. Would be easy to do asymmetry through swapped parts

[@sidestreamGLX]

Peter Spellos did an awesome job on Skybyte 👍

[@HORRIOR1]

For me the standout character for Animated will always be Blitzwing. Not much character growth, but it is rare to get a competent and intimidating comic relief villain, with a split personality to boot.

[@ardrethshadow9338]

Almost ironic how a lot of the characters on the list wound up with new figures in the legacy line. And it has to be due to how they stand out in their respective series. Granted, we have some wins like how Override came out versus some devisive ones like Knock Out and kinda sorta Prowl to an extent (mainly due to how they kind of lose a bit of their identities when they get G1-ified). Even Strong Arm who, while I am glad to see getting recognition, I think I was the most disappointed in seeing out of all of that Hasbro Pulse stream because they took away that STRONG bulked frame of hers and made her into... An Elita-1 retool cosplaying as a Strong Arm bobble head. My musings aside, I can for sure agree with everything on this list. And as the legacy line helps prove, a lot of these characters have stood out in their own right in their own respective series enough to where they get a new toy made. So kind of going with that list, my own sort of "honorable mentions" would be from my personal favorites. If we're talking entirely new characters that aren't related to earlier series, I'd like to give a spot to Airachnid from Prime, for one. Her whole relationship with Arcee and how menacing she could be made her stand out to me. It's too bad they REALLY dropped the ball on her when it came to toys. And leaving her in limbo by the end of Prime season 3. So I'm just supposed to accept she's stuck in space forever feasting on her insecticon minions? Another (and this one is probably a guilty pleasure of mine) would by Thunderblast from Cybertron. Yes, I know. But she and Override stuck out to me a lot as being very notable female characters on their respective sides. Plus they were at odds with each other, which led to some amusing moments. And then I just found her to be kind of a fun character and unique in the sense she will immediately just go with whoever's holding power at that moment, whether it be Megatron, Starscream, whoever. I even went out of my way to make a custom for her out of ER Elita-1. Last, I'd probably add Tidal Wave/Mirage to the list. Mostly Tidal Wave, though. As you've said in past videos, he was a force to be reckoned with, and they made it known. Especially when it came to the PS2 game. And I'm clearly not the only one who's been waiting to see if they'll ever make something for him. The Legacy Armada Megatron gives some hope, though. As for when he turns into Mirage, I think it's mostly due to how much I like the way the toy looks. Even with that silly boat kibble hanging off his hips or those silly panels on his arms. It had a sort of G1 Cyclonus feel to the head and the boat mode kinda looked good to me. I'd still have preferred him to stay as Tidal Wave, though.

[@S0M3GUY778]

Beast Machines in my opinion it was Jetstorm. His maniacal insanity made him a treat to watch, and the idea of Jetstorm's personality being an unhinged and unhindered Silverbolt had huge potential that was kinda squandered.

[@bigstve61345]

Personally for Cyberverse I would go with whirl. Just because he was so goofy and completely different then how he normally is

[@larrychilders6599]

I mean in most depictions he is goofy, just a different brand of goofy

[@krimsonklaww611]

Knockout is the type of guy who backstabs Starscream as soon as Starscream backstabs Megatron. Like, "are you INSANE?! I can't kill Megatron! I can kill YOU just fine, but not MEGATRON!"

[@darthwinsor]

I feel like Energon Shockblast deserves mention since he was so absolutely horrifying in terms of villain transformers. The guy is a cold blooded murderer and I would not be surprised if he has the highest kill count in the entire series with how many generic Autobots he scrapped in his brief stint in the show. It was also interesting seeing his dynamic with other Decepticons as he absolutely could not work with anyone but he did make some attempts. Another fun part about him is his rivalry with Wing Saber that I do wish some more could have been done with, given how Wing Saber's whole character arc was getting Shockblast back behind bars. Not only that, I remember being absolutely shocked when he was destroyed by the Megatron controlled Unicron, and how Megatron could not have been bothered about one of his most deadly but incontrollable men being killed.

[@windsweeper8002]

Beast Wars: Megatron, Air Razor and Inferno Robots in Disguise: Scourge and Skybite Armada: Starscream Energon: Scorponok, Hot Shot Cybertron: Vector Prime Animated: Prowl, Megatron, Ratchet and Lugnut. Rodimus had the best cameo ever and it was great to hear Judd Nelson voice him again. Prime: Smokescreen. What Hot Rod should have been. Arcee, Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave, Starscream, Knock Out. Robots in Disguise: Steeljaw, Megatronus, Scorponok and Strongarm. Love the Stunticons especially the banter between Dragstrip and Wildbreak. Combiner Wars: Megatron, Hot Rod. Great to hear Judd Nelson reprise the role. Cyberverse: Hot Rod and Dead End. The Seekers. Earthspark: Megatron 07 Movie: Barricade and Bumblebee DOTM: Sentinel Prime AOE: Lockdown though his voice is terrible. Galvatron Last Knight: Nemesis Prime, Quintessa, Hot Rod Bumblebee: Shatter, Soundwave after 34 years they finally replicated his iconic G1 voice perfectly. ROTB: Mirage

[@elizabethfranklin7788]

Got to say I agree on most. Though my heart absolutely disagree’s on Cyberverse, as I’d give it to Slipstream. Shadow Striker is amazing though so it’s still a great choice.

[@matiasmarcelotoledop]

These are my stand out characthers in every series -Beast Wars: Dinobot and Waspinator -Beast Machines: Strika and Tankor -RID: Sky-byte and Scourge -Armada: Starscream and Hot Shot -Energon:none -Cybertron:none -Animated: Bulkhead and Lockdown -Prime: Knock Out -RID2015: Strongarm -Cyberverse: Shadow Stiker -Earthspark: Twitch

[@ajerjavec4723]

For me in Cyberverse thunder howl and wild wheel are interesting. The first is a knight who turns into a wolf the second is an auto bot who thought he was abandoned join the Deceptacon’s and has a cowboy aesthetic. How are those two not awesome

[@ShadowWingTronix]

I can see not doing Botbots because it's a bunch of shorts but the two Rescue Bots shows I don't see as side shows even though they were made for younger kids. For Rescue Bots I'd go with Heatwave as he has the biggest character arc, learning that even at war his job is still important and to accept humans. His interactions with Cade are also fun to watch as they both have to get over themselves. For Academy...Whirl is best girl, don't bother trying to convince me otherwise. The heck with IDW G1 Whirl, she is best girl and needs to take over the name or at least get a return down the line.

[@samurexatlas7373]

I personally like Lockdown most from Animated, and Airachnid from Prime. Earthspark, I feel it's gonna be Jawbreaker or Nightshade in the end, because New Dinobot and possibly neurodivergent owl bot. I'm not sure if they're on the spectrum but the tech love is good regardless. Yes, it's about the tech love not the pronouns, they're robots why bind their pronouns.

[@Saturnlock]

I would honestly argue that Tarantulas is more of a standout solely for the reason that he has actually reappeared in media a fair bit. Earthspark is the prime example, but Iirc, he was also a deception in some comic runs. For Earthspark though, I would really love to say Nightshade, because Nightshade is my favorite Terran and I really want to see more of them. Both because they're a really cool and interesting character and because non-binary representation is epic. However, I think the most likely answer is Twitch. If anyone is going to stand out from Earthspark, it kind of has to be Twitch. She's already kinda being set up as the "main character" of sorts. And the arc she's on right now lends credence to her being a proper standout.

[@SideswipePrime606]

For me? Beast Wars: Yeah, Dinobot. Can't be anyone else imo. Beast Machines: Megatron Car Robots/RID2001: Gelshark/Sky Byte. I haven't seen the dub, but I LOVE his Japanese voice. Armada: Starscream Energon: Rodimus Cybertron: Override or Vector Prime Animated: Prowl (Megatron and Lockdown are VERY close seconds here.) Prime: Knock Out RID15: Given my username. You'd think Sideswipe, but I gotta go with Strongarm. Cyberverse: Shadowstriker (Grimlock is a very close second) Earthspark: Twitch

[@walterlopez5054]

I would argue that Strika is the more iconic character from Beast Machines. As for Earthspark. Having watched the available episodes, Twitch is likely the Breakout character. Or possibly Nightshade, mostly due to the controversy around Them.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Here’s mine: Sunbow (only counting characters original to the toon): Alpha Trion Beast Wars: Cheetor (I mean, yes, Dinobot is the best-written, but who’s shown up the most?) Beast Machines: Strika RID 2001: Scourge (for being the “Nemesis Prime” with an actual personality) Armada: Demolishor Energon: Inferno (they tried) Cybertron: Scattorshot Animated: Bulkhead Prime: Knock Out RID 2015: Strongarm Cyberverse: Swoop EarthSpark: Twitch and Thrash (cheating a bit, but they belong together)

[@CappnRob]

For Beast Wars, besides Dinobot, I think the other big stand outs would be Waspinator and BlackArachnia. Waspinator was so popular he got spared post-toy retirement, and BlackArachnia is one of the original Big Bad Bitches of Transformers, if not the original one as G1 lacked female characters on the whole. For Beast Machines, agreed on Tankor. Tankor's story and aesthetics are definitive of Beast Machines. My second pick would probably be Botanica though, yeah. My third pick would be Cheetor, specifically in the context of having the Little Yellow Buddy Guy succeed the Big Bot Leader Guy. It's something technically done before with Hot Rod in G1, but I think Cheetor actually realized it in a much more successful and positively memorable manner (as opposed to just making Gen Xers whinge about Judd Nelson replacing Optimus Prime on the internet rofl). For RiD, besides Sky-Byte I am gonna likely say it's Side-Burn, for me. The dumb red sports car gag was memorable, and while his archetype is nothing new being the hot blooded rookie kid guy, he brings enough new to the table to separate him from Bumblebee, Hot Rod, Cheetor, Hot Shot and the like. There's also Team Bullet Train, I think they made a good name for themselves too despite being minor characters. None of these guys do compare to Sky-Byte though, lol. For Animated, I actually do think Bulkhead, Lugnut, and Lockdown get the topmost spots even more than Prowl. Prowl is good too for sure, but those three guys are the ones I always immediately think of when it comes to Animated Originals. For Prime, he's not a series original but Starscream in Prime I thnk really perfectly embraced what "old but new" can be for a character. All the classic character vibes, with a totally new and different take on it. Instead of comedic, he's menacing, even though he's every bit as cowardly and oppurtunistic. And Steve Blum did a great job with his voice too.

[@lightyearpig12]

I think for right now, I consider Nightshade to be the big standout character of EarthSpark for being the first intentionally LGBT+ character in a Transformers cartoon and also that they're a nerdy theater kid.

[@vine1313]

For Cybertron I would have said Vector Prime. It was the first time I can remember, and I could be very wrong, that at least in the American media, another Prime came to help Optimus.

[@ryandevine8603]

Beast war: agree RID: I think Scourge this redefining on nemesis prime as a freak accident character I just always loved. Armada: I think scavenger he just was a character I loved the double agent thing was great I loved it as a kid. Energon: Rodimus Cybertron: Scourge his redemption arc just love. Animated: prowel Prime: knockout. Haven’t seen enough of the other shows to know but those would be my picks up to that point

[@soundblaster1987reviews]

RID Ultra Magnus is basically just Animated Sentinel in Godbomber's body.

[@dragonkings01]

I think you did good, agree with almost all your pics. Only changes to me personally are Bulkhead for animated and DEVIL GIGATRON/Gigatron for Car Wars… one of those rare instances I saw most of japanese anime before the American version dropped…and think GIGATRON is such a cooler name..instead of just slapping on Megatron/ Galvatron again

[@Bunny-Soup]

For me Armada Starscream will always be the most memorable character.

[@epicbanana3669]

for me personally, it goes like this Beast Wars: yeah... it's Dinobot. Of course it's Dinobot Beast Machines: Jetstorm. Or Strika. It's between those two RiD 2001: Sky-Byte indeed. Though honourable mention of Scourge. Armada: Sideways. The OG "same guy in every continuity" version of Sideways is my favourite Transformer ever. Energon: haven't watched, but I guess Omega Supreme looks pretty cool. Cybertron: Sideways. See above reason. If that's cheating, then while he's still fun, I'd instead go with Vector Prime. Our first proper Prime (if you don't count Liege in G2) Animated: This is a tough one. Ultimately, I guess I have to go with Bulkhead. Prime: Soundwave. But second place is of course Knock Out RiD 2015: I guess I kinda liked this depiction of Starscream Cyberverse: So many good ones! Tarn, Swoop, Shadow Striker, Shockwave! I'm going Soundwave because he's so fun Earth Spark: Tarantulas. If you count the "same guy in every continuity" thing, then he's Sideways, so he's my favourite. If you don't, He's my new favourite Transformer. But I can't stress how tough a choice this was already, given Shockwave, Nightshade and Breakdown.

[@Michael-590]

Rhinox is my favourite character from Beast Wars. He may not like it, but he repeatedly proves himself a miracle worker when it comes to building devices and leading others when needed. Moreover, he had a very strong moral code and respect for organic life. His character assassination in Beast Machines is a major reason why I heavily dislike the show. Beast era aside, my favourites from other generations are probably Scourge from RiD 2001, Jetfire from Armada, either Wing Saber or Defense Red Alert from Cybertron 2005, Blitzwing from Animated, and Dreadwing from Prime.

[@RialVestro]

I agree when it comes to Beast Wars and even Beast Machines everyone is a stand out character. Practically everyone from both those series have outlived the Beast Era in one way or another. I don't think any other series has ever done that and it's partly why I love the Beast Era so much. For Energon I would have said Wing Dagger/Wing Saber. He was one of the only new characters who had any sort of back story to him, and a really well written and tragic back story. They also ruined the character in Cybertron by making him just another RID Ultra Magnus type character and getting rid of everything from Energon that actually made him interesting and unique. For Animated, I would have picked Blitzwing. Prowl is not a bad choice, he defiantly stands out but we've only just recently gotten a new figure based on that version of the character. Blitzwing was the first character to branch outside of Animated. He's even retroactively changed the G1 version as the first Generations Blitzwing we got who is more G1 focused still got that face swapping gimmick from Animated. He's a character who stands out more because of his Animated depiction than the G1 incarnation. He's also a character that is so well liked that even I love the Animated Blitzwing despite the fact he's still playing into that trope of everyone with DID being a villain. He's written to be a more comical type of character rather than a scary threat like other DID villains are so he doesn't bother as much. And yes it SUCKS when most depictions of DID in movies and on TV are of villains, it makes it really hard to seek help when you're constantly afraid of yourself and how other people are going to react to you if you try to talk to anyone about it. Either people are going to be afraid or they're not going to think it's even a real mental disorder. But Blitzwing gets away with it cause he makes me laugh more than anything. RID2015, none of the Autobots really stood out to me... I don't dislike any of the, Strongarm is a fine character. And by the way, I actually think Strongarm pulls off the strong female body type better than Strika did because Strongarm still comes off as an obviously feminine character. Strika, you look at her and if you didn't know she was a female character nothing about her design really gives that impression. Later depictions after Beast Machines put lip stick on her despite the fact she doesn't actually have a real mouth to try to convey the female character a bit better. And I think Alpha Strike in Cyberverse finally got the right idea with the changes they made to the design there. But Strongarm got the strong female body type correct right out of the gate. Anyway, there are some Decepticons I feel are more deserving of being the stand out characters from that series. Fracture who I didn't even realize was a reused name. I thought he was completely original but apparently Fracture was the name they gave to the Go-Bots character Crasher for trade mark reasons. That being said when I look at her I don't see Fracture, I see Crasher. When I hear the name Fracture I'm immediately going to think of the motorcycle from RID2015 not the female Go-Bot. I'd also mention Overload who I did know was a reused name but again, he is actually more of a real character in this series than any of the past Overloads. They also made him an actor which I thought was a really interesting character trait, especially for a Decepticon cause we generally think of the Decepticons as being gladiators and war machines not theater performers. It also gave us a little taste of Cybertronian culture that we really don't get to see very often which I loved about this character. The third most stand out character that comes to mind is Cyberwarp. She only appears in 2 episodes at the end of the series but she has a real character arc and growth in that short amount of screen time. She ends up being the reason that the Autobots were able to defeat Galvatronus because she basically decided to go against Cyclonus and made them lose control of their combined form. It's actually disappointing to me that her only real toy is from the Galvatronus combiner figure which I have, I don't even know which arm is suppose to be her cause I'm color blind and Skyjack looks EXACTLY the same except they do have unique head sculpts in robot mode. It's not often that a member of a Combiner team can actually stand out as a unique character to the point where she over shadows the combiner itself. I really wish she had been introduced earlier in the series so the rest of the team could have gotten some characterization too. I mean Cyclonus and Cyberwarp are the only ones who ever speak because they only had 2 episodes to introduce and develop who they were. Honestly just based on the character development and how little she was on screen to still end up being as memorable as she was, literally everything was going against her here but she still managed to pull through, Cyberwarp really should take this.

[@RialVestro]

Also you didn't really talk about Rescue Bots but I do think they have some stand out characters of their own who deserve mentioning just as much as any other series. From the original Rescue Bots we have High Tide who I think could be a Titan class figure. Let's be more specific here. High Tide himself is actually the same size as any other Autobot however he's capable of combining with his ship giving him a Mega Bot mode that's about the same size as Omega Supreme. We've also got Salvage who is disapointing that he was never in Rescue Bots Academy considering him and Blurr were the first students in the Academy. The school itself was originally built during the run of the original series specifically to train Blurr and Salvage. At the end of the series it was implied that they were to become teachers at the Rescue Bots Academy under the supervision of Heatwave training the next generation of recruits. Some how when the spin off came out they completely forgot that Blurr and Salvage existed. But I really liked Salvage as a character and even made a custom G1 version of him using the Generations Junkion mold. Finally there is Quickshadow who is fan theory bait. The reason I say that is because it's mentioned in her introduction that Quickshadow is not actually her real name but one of many aliases the character has used. We're never told what her real name is or given any examples of what her other aliases are. However there is another character played by the same actress who's also known to have multiple aliases and thanks to a crossover in the comics can even be said to exist in the same universe. Essentially, we know from the comics that there is a Decepicon named Octus who literally transforms into a Dalek. The 7th Doctor has literally been to Cybetron. Death's Head is a character that has interacted with both Transformers and Doctor Who. We also know for a fact that there are Transformers such as Astrotrain who are literally bigger on the inside which means Cybertron shares technology with Gallifrey. There is president for the idea that Quickshadow is actually River Song, not just because they're both played by Alex Kingston but given all the evidence that Transformers and Doctor Who literally co-exist in the same universe. River Song's consciousness was uploaded into a computer so it's not too hard to believe that her consciousness could also be moved into a Cybertronian body to create Quickshadow. Even ignoring all the fan theory bait linking her to Doctor Who, if you just take it at face value as she's depicted in Rescue Bots alone she's still a very stand out character. Honestly I think all three of these characters stand out more than the main cast does. From Rescue Bots Academy, it's Whirl, no question about it. She was instantly my favorite character from the very first episode. A lot of the personality traits she had that I loved about her I'm also seeing in Twitch in the new Earthspark series. In fact I'm kind of convinced that Twitch is just RBA Whirl with a different name and paint job. She even stands out more than the original Whirl who I have never liked. The original version of Whirl I just see as Shockwave because he has that same uni-eye head design and I think it makes Shockwave feel less unique when he's not the only Transformer who looks like that. It also doesn't help that I'm color blind so Whirl's color scheme doesn't exactly make him stand out as a different character either. The only indication that he's not Shockwave is that he's an Autobot. And I'm obviously not the only person who thought that Whirl was Shockwave either because Cloud Shockwave was repainted from the IDW Whirl design. RBA Whirl however is uniquely her own character though, there's no way to confuse her with anyone else. At least there wasn't till Twitch but I think they gave her a different name and color scheme to separate her more from the IDW version of Whirl. Cause Twitch does have a very similar personality and design to RBA Whirl. I love them both for exactly the same reasons. She instantly comes off as a very friendly, loyal, supportive, and protective character. Even when she disagrees with someone she's still going to protect that person. I wish there were more people in real life like RBA Whirl/ES Twitch. I kind of wish they just kept the same color scheme and name cause Twitch is basically the same character. I don't really care about the IDW version, if you say Whirl I'm instantly going to think of RBA not IDW. Apparently some of the comic book fans who had grown attached to the IDW version were upset with the gender change and I think that's why they opted to make Twitch instead of Whirl in Earthspark so the IDW fans would view her as an original character rather than a gender swap. But she kind of already was an original character, she wasn't a gender swapped Whirl, she was a name slap who honestly had nothing to do with IDW Whirl other than sharing a name. And with Earthspark, it's hard to say when the series is still ongoing but all of the Terrans so far have been pretty stand out. I don't think any of the legacy characters are going to be remembered for this show, even the ones they're doing new things with but the Terrans all seem to be new unique original characters who I could very easily see surviving beyond this series.

[@stevebazin127]

Sideswipe and Strongarm are the Jake and Amy of Transformers

[@johnosbourn4312]

My favorite characters from Beast Wars are Rattrap, Rhinox, and Waspinator.

[@moltenamber85]

2:22 Not for everyone. I, for example, jump to Blackarachnia first. But that’s just me, I guess.

[@johngolles342]

Legacy Hotshot rocks, best figure of him imo

[@EvilPowerStealsOn]

G1: Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Ironhide, Jazz, Mirage, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Hot Rod, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Rumble, Devastator, Galvatron, Cyclonus Jpn G1: Ginrai, Metalhawk, Go Shooter, Minerva, Star Saber, Six Shot, Overlord, Cancer, Deathsaurus, Liokaiser Beast Wars: Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Dinobot, Rhinox, Rattrap, Megatron, Waspinator, Inferno, Blackarachnia, Tarantulas RiD '01: Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Rail Racer, Sky-Byte, Scourge Armada: Hot Shot, Jetfire, Smokescreen, Megatron, Starscream, Thrust, Sideways Energon: Inferno, Scorponok Cybertron: Vector Prime, Scattershot, Override, Crosswise, Metroplex, Signal Lancer, Ransack, Crumplezone, Scourge, Thunderblast Animated: Bulkhead, Prowl, Ratchet, Wreck-Gar, Megatron, Lugnut, Blitzwing, Shockwave, Lockdown Prime: Arcee, Ratchet, Knock Out, Starscream, Soundwave, Steve

[@FairladyZ2005]

Is it weird to say Robot Bots Academy Hot Shot is my favorite Hot Shot? I just think he finally came into his own and was no longer being a Hot Rod or Bumblebee wannabe at last as a rescuer and triple changer. I also like the team dynamic he developed with the others.

[@ryanmason2502]

Depth Charge from BW. Greatest last line ever.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

I agree that Cyberverse had the best Hot Rod and Soundwave. It's version of Grimlock is tied with Animated for me as well. When to comes to Animated, I agree that it's really hard for me to say which character stand out the most.

[@Faizrider]

Yeah when you said Beast Machines i always think of Tankor first and formost.

[@Michael-590]

Me too, though not in a good way, since Rhinox is my favourite Beast Wars character and I hate how they ruined his strong moral nature in Beast Machines.

[@KingNanoA]

You forgot Slipstream from Animated and Blackarachnia as a big one for Beast Wars.

[@robrice7246]

18:35 Unless you take the Evo-Fusion approach.

[@MikeD974]

When I think of armada I'd say demolisher stands out to me

[@pcwway2dawn]

BW Dinobot, BM Megatron, RID Skybyte, Arm Starscream, En Scorpinok, Cyb Scourge, Ani Sentinel Prime, Prime Knock Out, RID2015 Strong arm, Cyb McAdams

[@darealnickcage4329]

I mean IDW was so afraid to do dinobot dirty they up and created drift instead lmao

[@Bots_Obsession]

RID01 and doesn't even MENTION Scourge. Smh did my boy dirty

[@dylanphilpott8698]

Just do blue prime hot shot cool as hell retains goggles because as a kid who had no clue who he was (missed unicron trilogy) his goggles/visor were sick

[@Ranma_Leopard]

For me beast wars was dinobot & waspinator. Prime for me was arcee and knockout

[@JK-or7wp]

Beast Machines I’d say Strika since she has been reused so many times (although yes Tankor had a better story)

[@juliuslabao2223]

Windblade's character portrayal in most of her appearances don't change much, so she's out. I would've chosen Swoop for Cyberverse, she's an oddball in a group that values brawn over brains. Shadowstriker's fall and redemption made her a stand out more than Swoop though. I wissh we'd get a Nautica character in the future.

[@samwatson-tayler2805]

I 100% give Armada to Starscream.

[@justinarzola4584]

Hot shot was the main standout, demolisher and sideways count too.

[@akiraman008]

Tbh my pick for energon would be either scorponok and Inferno

[@bioniclefan117]

Armada starscream was my pick for standout character

[@megagundamva2694]

for Beast machines JETSTORM easy

[@dankmemes4744]

As the one energon fan, im disappointed shockblast wasn’t even brought up

[@justinarzola4584]

Tbh i never thought much about energon shockwave,he dosen't leave much impression compared to prime or G1.

[@ExaltedArchvile]

In all honesty? I'm shocked there hasn't been a cartoon that's implemented Barricade or Blackout since they were such stand out characters in the first movie. Barricade especially because he has so much untapped potential as the Decepticon Enforcer.

[@Andyjoe522]

Blackout did appear in one episode of Animated season 3, but that's about it as far as I'm aware for those two.

[@DaPopeANata]

I would love to see Barricade show up in Earthspark.

[@woutergrob8587]

Cybertron: Signal Lancer

[@Dothraki-hs4sg]

Barricade from 2007 is another Breakout character

[@autobotzapof0002]

I still like snowcat and demolisher

[@zoesoundglave3897]

for animated there is really only one choice: Sari

[@russellharrell2747]

I thought Waspinator was the most lovable loser of the Beast Wars. The guy is always hilarious. Jet storm was definitely the guy I loved seeing on screen in Beast Machines the most, by far. I agree with skybite, he’s the heart of RID. Starscream is Armada for me. The rest of unicron trilogy sucks so I don’t really care. Lugnut was cool tho. Everybody in animated? Knockout for sure in Prime. And I’m done.

[@froggyl7472]

Armada has to be Starscream, it’s literally the only thing people talk about regarding Armada.

[@mattr75]

Beast Wars: Waspinator stole the show Beast Machines: easily goes to Obsidian and Strika. RID: tied between SkyByte and Scourge Armada: Sideways and Starscream Energon: I must concede to Ironhide Cybertron: Vector Prime Animated: Lockdown and Lugnut Prime: Tie between Knockout, Arcee, and Ratchet RID 2015: Steeljaw Cyberverse: Shadow Striker did stand out

[@jolemaire6629]

beast wars and animated are so good caracter wiss that the restof the tf cartoons becomes backnoise

[@harrisonwhaley7872]

Armada prediction: Alexis

[@KRBrickBot]

Does Energon Ironhide like buttered toast?

[@TotallyNormalUK]

I still disagree with Strongarm. Even in that picture, you showed she has a curvy figure. Obviously, not to the same extent as Prime Arcee but still having one none the less. If anything, her new toy is too small. She's a pickup truck like 07 Ironhide. Strongarm should be just tall as Ironhide is not shorter than him.

[@alfredlim8373]

Ah..what about G1 that the first American TF cartoon? Who is the standout character in that show?

[@skybite]

Because SkyByte rules all!

[@tobibimbola543]

which prowl g1 animated since g1 prowls a cop

[@alwaysabiggafish3305]

He was talking about animated

[@thatRANDOMBOT]

Beast machines it is obsidian and strika

[@Reddotzebra]

For me it's Starscream, in every show he turns up in, he steals the show. He's a cowardly, backstabbing, piece of shit, and I love him for it. Except in that one series where he's temporarily kind of not, and I still love him for it. Edit: Ok yes, Knockout does steal the show from Starscream, you're right.

[@mayoral_fabrication]

For me cyberverse would be McAdams

[@saorlathesurly]

Age of Extinction Hound is not Bulkhead.

[@cpubigdipper9145]

Actually, i like Beast Machines Silverbolt.

[@jeebus2313]

I'd love to see Knockout in another show but I think they would have to bring Daran Norris back for it to work. His performance made Knockout and it wouldn't feel right without him.