This article shows a list of characters from The Transformers television series that aired during the debut of the American and Japanese Transformers media franchise from 1984 to 1991.
Autobots The Autobots (also known as Cybertrons in Japan) are the heroes in the Transformers toyline and related spin-off comics and cartoons. Their main leader is Optimus Prime, but other "Primes" have also commanded the Autobots such as Rodimus Prime. They are constantly at war with the evil Decepticons. In the American cartoon line, the Autobots are the descendants of a line of robots created as consumer goods by the Quintessons.
Main characters Name Alternate mode First and last appearances Voiced by Status Orion Pax/Optimus Prime 1984 Freightliner FLT cab-over More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) The Rebirth (Part 3) Optimus Prime: Peter CullenOrion Pax: Laurie Faso Alive (Died again in Headmasters) Optimus Prime is the Autobots' stalwart leader and among the strongest and most courageous of all Cybertronians. Most continuities depict Optimus as having once been an unimportant miner or guard named Orion Pax who, in recognition of his honor and bravery, is mystically chosen by the Matrix of Leadership to become a messianic warrior-commander known as a "Prime," after which he adopts the moniker "Optimus." Having accepted this mantle, Optimus feels that his purpose is to protect all life, including Earth life. When in vehicle mode, Optimus is often accompanied by a large trailer, which itself can transform into a command unit equipped with a versatile mechanic and artillery robot, and from this he can deploy a small scout car known as Roller. Injury to one of these modules is often felt by Optimus himself. Optimus has been killed and revived numerous times throughout the franchise, often via self-sacrifice, and his prior relationship with Megatron is often a plot point or element of their shared background. Bumblebee 1970 Volkswagen Beetle sedan More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) He was rebuilt and turned into Goldbug in "The Return of Optimus Prime" Part 2, and last appeared in "The Rebirth" Part 3 (as an animation error.) Dan Gilvezan Alive, Reformed as Goldbug Small, eager, and brave, Bumblebee acts as a messenger, scout, and spy, daring to go where others cannot and will not. He is the most energy efficient, has the best vision of all Autobots, and is able to go underwater for reconnaissance and salvage missions. Although he is usually the physically weakest Autobot, his stealth more than compensates for this inadequacy, and he offsets his underdog status with courage and scrappiness. This battle-tested robot was the first Autobot to ally with the humans. He is a very close ally to humans, Spike Witwicky, often seen as an underdog and not the biggest bot; he has more courage than any soldier from Cybertron. As the most trusted lieutenant of Optimus, he will do whatever it takes to protect Earth and its people. While he often idolizes the bigger Autobots, especially Optimus Prime and Prowl, and occasionally feels inferior to them, Bumblebee is simultaneously unusually adept at forming friendships with humans, such as Spike Witwicky. In "The Return of Optimus Prime" Part 2, Bumblebee was rebuilt and renamed Goldbug after being severely damaged in battle. In later adaptations, Bumblebee is often depicted as mute, able to communicate only via beeps and whistles or through the use of pre-recorded radio clips, though his voice box operates normally in the G1 series. Cliffjumper 1980 Porsche 924 Carrera GT More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Five Faces of Darkness (Part 1) in a flashback from The Transformers: The Movie Casey Kasem Alive "Let me at 'em" is Cliffjumper's motto. His eagerness and daring have no equal. He is driven by a desire to win the battle against the Decepticons. Finds Earth terrain a hindrance. One of the fastest of all Autobots, and often uses his speed to draw fire away from others. Shoots "glass gas", which makes metal as brittle as glass. His recklessness often leads to actual blowouts and situations too dangerous for him to handle. Wheeljack 1976 Lancia Stratos turbo More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Found dead by Arcee in The Transformers: The Movie Christopher Collins Dead (Alive in Headmasters and Victory) Wheeljack is the mad scientist of the Autobot faction. Always inventing new weapons and gadgets, he is the Dinobots' primary creator in the G1 series and among their most ardent supporters. Adept at driving while in car mode, he is sometimes depicted as performing stunts or showing off. Wheeljack can fly using solid-fuel rockets in arms, and shoots magnetic inducer, shrapnel-needle, and gyro-inhibitor shells from his shoulder cannons. He is sometimes his own worst enemy and is often injured while experimenting with new weapons.
Storyboards for The Transformers: The Movie suggest Wheeljack was originally intended to survive the movie, but his corpse is clearly shown in the final product. Due to this somewhat late change and the delay in Japan's release of The Transformers: The Movie, the developed-in-parallel Japanese-only seasons show Wheeljack as alive. This contradiction was later handwaved by Japanese-only supplemental material by reference to time travel. Prowl 1980 Nissan 280ZX police More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Killed by a Constructicon in The Transformers: The Movie. Michael Bell Dead (Alive in Headmasters) Prowl is the Autobot military strategist and will keep at a task for as long as it takes. Striving to find reason and logic in everything, he is a listener, not a talker. He relies on having the most sophisticated logic center of all Autobots to analyze and advise on complex combat situations almost instantaneously. The unexpected can sometimes throw him off guard. Prowl fires wire-guided incendiary missiles and high-corrosive acid pellets. Like Wheeljack, Prowl survived The Transformers: The Movie" in a roundabout way, with his post-movie appearance in Japanese-only media being explained away by the same time travel events. Jazz 1976 Porsche 935 More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Call of the Primitives Scatman Crothers, Wally Burr ("Kremzeek!" episode only) Alive Jazz loves Earth culture and music. Always looking to learn more, his knowledge of Earth makes him an indispensable right-hand man to Optimus Prime, to whom he often serves as second (though sometimes this role is delegated to Ironside, Ratchet, or Ultra Magnus instead, depending on the episode or continuity). Cool, stylish, and daring, he can be prone to distraction at times. Nevertheless, Jazz frequently takes on dangerous missions befitting his versatility and competence. Equipped with a photon rifle, a flamethrower, a full-spectrum beacon, and 180 dB stereo speakers. Creates dazzling, disorienting sound and light shows. Sideswipe 1982 Lamborghini Countach LP500S Appears in "More Than Meets the Eye" (Part 1). First speaks in More Than Meets the Eye (Part 2). Masquerade Michael Bell Alive Sideswipe is nearly the equal of his twin brother, Sunstreaker, in the combat arts but less cold-blooded, acting somewhat like a stereotypical jock. He relishes a fight to the finish with an opponent and is not above relying on underhanded tactics when necessary. Sideswipe's arms act as powerful pile drivers, and he can fly for up to two minutes with his detachable rocket backpack, which can also be lent to other Autobots, including Optimus Prime. His rash actions often lead to self-injury, but he takes such things in stride. Fires flares visible for 18 miles. Ratchet 1980 Nissan Vanette ambulance More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) Killed by Starscream in The Transformers: The Movie. Don Messick, Wally Burr ("Masquerade" episode only) Dead Ratchet was the best tool-and-die man on Cybertron and is the Autobots' chief medical officer. In his workbay on Earth, he can make anything from a pin to a missile, and he has demonstrated the ability to return injured Autobots from near-death to working order so long as he has the right parts. Has laser scalpels, arc-welders, electron microscopes, circuit sensors, and fluid dispensers at his disposal. Ratchet likes to party, though sometimes his having a good time interferes with his effectiveness; later adaptations have sometimes inverted his demeanor, depicting him instead as more of a grumpy doctor type who likes to sarcastically back-talk his patients. Ironhide 1980 Nissan Vanette More Than Meets the Eye (Part 1) The Transformers: The Movie (Killed by Megatron offscreen with a point-blank blast to the head from his fusion cannon) Peter Cullen Dead "Go chew on a microchip" is Ironhide's slogan. Prefers action to words. Oldest, toughest, most battle-tested Autobot, and frequent bodyguard to Optimus Prime. In charge of guarding anything of importance. Gruff, but kind. Trithyllium-steel skin makes him nearly invulnerable to attack. Shoots a variety of liquids from supercooled nitrogen to superheated lead. Has a sonar, a radar, and a radio wave detector. Slowest and most resilient of the group. SkyfireVF-1S Super Valkyrie, Cybertronian jet fighter Fire in the Sky Dark Awakening Gregg Berger Unknown, presumably deadSwiftest Autobot. Daring in battle. Believes victory will come via technological advancement. Uses twin scramjet modules and liquid hydrogen fuel tanks to escape Earth's gravity. Flies halfway around the world in 30 minutes. Carries four particle-beam cannons and heat-seeking photon missiles. Prone to mechanical failures due to advanced technology. He and Starscream were scientists who had left Cybertron to explore a prehistoric earth, where he got lost during a windstorm and became separated from Starscream and crashed into the earth's icy surface, where he remains frozen for four million years. He was discovered frozen in the ice by Decepticon Rumble and Starscream four million years later and was reactivated by the Decepticons. He originally joined the Decepticons, but soon became an Autobot after he discovered that the Decepticons were indeed evil. Skyfire was among the fleet avenging the falsely reported deaths of the Autobots by Optimus Prime in Dark Awakening. He was shot down by the Quintessons and never seen again. Blaster Boombox Dinobot Island (Part 1) The return of Optimus Prime (part 2) Buster Jones Alive (Reformed as Twincast in Headmasters) He loves to talk in rhythm and beat and rarely has a bad attitude. Blaster is the nemesis of Soundwave. He won't stop recording good beats, even if everyone else (except Jazz) asks him to stop. Has speakers on his legs that can produce sound waves to destabilize others, most noticeably Soundwave. Perceptor Simple Microscope Dinobot Island (Part 2) The Face of Nijika Paul Eiding Alive He is one of the scientists for the Autobots. Seemingly not taken seriously by others. In microscope mode, he can see as far as deep space and can see some of the smallest objects naked to the Autobot eye. In bot mode, he has a built-in laser cannon. He has much dignity and is considered one of the smartest of the Autobots.