History YMMV / Transformers

** Primus vs. Quintessons: Some fans prefer the Marvel Comics origin which says that Cybertron is a shell around an ancient god named Primus, with Unicron also being an ancient god. Primus created the Transformers as a means to fight Unicron some day. Others prefer the cartoon origin which says the Quintessons colonized a dead asteroid, building a mechanical factory planet on it, and building the Transformers as mere consumer goods to be sold to alien races. The machines eventually developed intelligence and ran their creators off to escape slavery. Unicron is also a giant WMD created by the monkey-like alien Primacron, merely an oversized robot that became too powerful for its creator to control. Fans of the former prefer its mythic scope and scale and the cosmic conflicts it inspires, and lambast the Quintesson origin as silly, boring, and mundane, while fans of the latter find Primus and his lore to be stuffy and self-important, and prefer the idea that the Transformers are just robots and don't need a cosmic purpose.

*** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRescueBots'' is filled with Bumblebee toys, including a large playset. Bumblebee only appears in three episodes as a guest. A lot of fans are bemoaning the oversaturation of Bumblebee, and wishing [[Anime/TransformersArmada Hot Shot]] would make a comeback. In fact, the creators of ''[[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Animated]]'' vyed for Hot Shot (in a main role, at least), but since execs wanted 'Bee instead, they had to [[LeeroyJenkins comp]][[MotorMouth romise]]. And for all his charm, he has a ''lot'' of screentime and is intentionally annoying.

** What was released as number 69 in Studio Series? A Devastator box set, because of course.

*** And the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Bronies]] also qualify -- the 2014 [=BotCon=] had several exclusive comic variant covers from IDW and other stuff that crossed between both series, like Soundwave and Dj PON-3 working together. On an old front, because both series had their first generation at about the same time, many fans of either work grew up practically considering the other series their fandom's DistaffCounterpart. Also helping is the MLP G1/FIM fic ''FanFic/TheElementsOfHarmonyAndTheSaviorOfWorlds'', which has the humans from the 80s' MLP not just helping to found modern Equestria, but also living on the same Earth as the G1 cartoon, the 80s' ''G.I. Joe'' toon, ''WesternAnimation/JemAndTheHolograms'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}'' (which were previously linked, mainly by a Geraldo Rivera parody named Hector Ramirez). The first chapter of "Side Stories of First Contact" has Prime meeting with Celestia, Luna and Twilight; a prequel fic, "Day of the Broken Fang", details what happened to Cobra (Serpentor attacked the Decepticons and got annihilated); most of the fic focuses on Cobra Commander escaping and the Autobots, Joes and Oktober Guard forming the Earth Defense Command.

** Transformers were initially devoid of female Autobots or Decepticons because Hasbro reasoned that boys wouldn't be interested in girl toys. Not only have there been female Transformers in nearly every continuity, but the devoted fan base of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic a certain cartoon based on another Hasbro franchise that was generally considered girly]] has most certainly disproved Hasbro's belief that focus on female characters would alienate the interest of boys.

** Administrivia/TropesAreTools: ...and created a well-loved and more memorable franchise, then later went on to produce its own toys.

** As mentioned under CreatorsPet below, Optimus Prime has become divisive in later years, mostly because of his {{Flanderization}} from a BadassBaritone FatherToHisMen to an IncorruptiblePurePureness robo-Jesus who has lost [[TheStoic his ability to emote]]. One group feels he should always be portrayed as the BigGood who would never do anything morally questionable in ''any'' situation, while others feel this simply makes him incredibly boring, especially since historically people have reacted [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks very vocally]] if he's either portrayed as anything other than a perfect leader or replaced by someone else who isn't as morally upstanding as Optimus is. Not helping matters is that even the G1 version had his morally questionable moments[[note]]Willing to bury the Dinobots alive because their initial reaction to sentience was to attack the Autobots, his clear intent to execute Megatron in the movie before Hot Rod intervened, etc.[[/note]] that are often ignored while the moral grayness of other versions is criticized for being DarkerAndEdgier and/or OutOfCharacter, and his tendency to [[DeathIsCheap "die" before eventually being brought back]] having become extremely predictable over time. In short, Optimus Prime is either an unreplaceable face of the franchise who some writers just don't understand, or a bunch of goodness tropes pretending to be a character that has become TheArtifact kept alive by NostalgiaFilter.

** To a lesser extend, some fans do think that Optimus Prime has slowly become this in modern times, and feel that Optimus Prime as a character overstayed his welcome and didn't have much to offer characterization-wise outside of being the typical stoic, wise Autobot leader that everyone respects who can do nothing wrong.

* GrowingTheBeard: The series as a whole settled into its own around 1985, when the second wave of toys started up and introduced massively improved mechanics and fan favorite characters like the Dinobots and Constructicons. It was also around this time that Simon Furman started writing for the Marvel comic, which led to the creation of much of the franchise's mythos and characterization.

* ArchivePanic: Particularly for long-time fans when they discover the nine year gap between G1 and ''Beast Wars'' [[Anime/TransformersHeadmasters wasn't]] ''[[Anime/TransformersHeadmasters quite]]'' [[Anime/TransformersSuperGodMasterforce as empty]] [[Anime/TransformersVictory as they]] [[Manga/TransformersZone thought]].

** In general, his star has really risen since the first Michael Bay movie, and leading to complaints about TF fiction echoing those about the toyline - you'll hear more than one fan, while not hating the little guy, saying that it's been an endless rehash of the same thing for ages and it's time someone else got to shine.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: One of the most infamous fandoms for this - the Website/TFWiki were first to describe the behaviour, and term, of DarthWiki/RuinedFOREVER. The fandom's full of differing opinions so now all changes are met with criticism by a certain group, and the changes back are met with criticism by other groups. It's gotten to the point of parody, and beyond, so now there are tons of fans making fun of this mindset mixed in with those who actually do dislike the changes, leading to a severe case of PoesLaw.

** ''Kiss Players'' is infamous for how ungodly ''not'' kid friendly it is. To give an idea of how bad it was, ''Kiss Players'' is a ''Sailor Moon''-esque MagicalGirl manga. Wiki/TFWikiDotNet compares it to '''Manga/ShadowStar'''. The writer/artist of the manga has explicitly said he [[{{Troll}} deliberately designed the comic to shock people for kicks]].

** There's an unmade transformer called [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Buffalo_Dump Buffalo Dump]]. I wonder if [[WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd James Rolfe]] knows about this guy?

* MorePopularSpinOff: The toys that would become the ''Transformers'' were spinoffs of the Microman or as it was called in the West Micronauts. Creating the Diaclone and Micro Change lines which in turn was retold by Hasbro into ''Transformers'' we know today. ''Transformers'' has eclipsed all the previous toy lines in the public consciousness and popularity.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: One of the most infamous fandoms for this, they even named DarthWiki/RuinedFOREVER. The fandom's full of differing opinions so now all changes are met with criticism by a certain group, and the changes back are met with criticism by other groups. It's gotten to the point of parody, and beyond, so now there are tons of fans making fun of this mindset mixed in with those who actually do dislike the changes, leading to a severe case of PoesLaw.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The obscure-for-a-reason manga Kiss Players was basically pure concentrated {{Squick}} created purely for shock value. However, its plot is something that could've been amazing if taken seriously: Galvatron's cells infect machines and turning them into techno-organic {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, the Earth Defense Command creates artificial Transformers to fight them, but pilots also infected by Galvatron's cells are needed to power them up to their fullest. Enter... random people who happened to have them take hold instead of anyone you'd logically pick for this, including someone so timid as to make Shinji Ikari look like Jack Bauer by comparison, someone so psychotic as to make Hannibal Lecter look like Shinji Ikari by comparison, and others - thankfully we've got the truly heroic Marissa Faireborn along. All led by someone who seems to mean well, and is downright motherly to her troops… but more and more clearly has ulterior motives. What’s down that stairwell that only Commander Amao has access to? And who’s that mysterious girl that sometimes appears? The first to find out ends up in a Vat Of Science Goo being experimented on! It all just deserves better than to be nothing but licensed TrollFic.

** Primus vs. Quintessons: Some fans prefer the Marvel Comics origin which says that Cybertron is a shell around an ancient god named Primus, with Unicron also being an ancient god. Primus created the Transformers as a means to fight Unicron some day. Others prefer the cartoon origin which says the Quintessons colonized a dead asteroid, building a mechanical factory planet on it, and building the Transformers as mere consumer goods to be sold to alien races. The machines eventually developed intelligence and ran their creators off to escape slavery. Unicron is also a giant WMD created by Primacron, merely an oversized robot that became too powerful for its creator to control -- it's susceptible to the Matrix because Primacron owned it at the time and built in the weakness as a failsafe. Fans of the former prefer its mythic scope and scale and the cosmic conflicts it inspires, and lambast the Quintesson origin as silly, boring, and mundane, while fans of the latter find Primus and his lore to be stuffy and self-important, and prefer the idea that the Transformers are just robots and don't need a cosmic purpose.

** Despite Springer being a [[LovableRogue Han Solo esque]] DeadpanSnarker, the very first triple changer, and having a good dynamic with [[BreakoutCharacter Arcee]], he's been pretty much DemotedToExtra since Generation 1.

-->'''[[Wiki/TFWikiDotNet TF Wiki]]''' "Remember that scene from the movie that made you cry and traumatised you as a kid? Well now you can display me doing just that!"

* In general, his star has really risen since the first Michael Bay movie, leading to complaints about TF fiction echoing those about the toyline - you'll hear more than one fan, while not hating the little guy, saying that it's been an endless rehash of the same thing for ages and it's time someone else got to shine.

** Action Masters. The last wave of G1, they were widely blamed for killing the franchise (the line was on its last legs long before then, so this is admittedly unlikely), and their mere status as "[[OxymoronicBeing Transformers that don't transform]]" largely guaranteed they'd be disliked simply for abandoning the franchise's main gimmick. However, they have picked up some pretty strong defenders who argue that Action Masters had their own charm (they were some of the more posable toys of the era), and the Action Master ''characters'' seem to be well-liked enough. The concept was also VindicatedByHistory somewhat when other sublines showed that "remove transformation to focus the budget on making one really awesome robot mode" was actually a concept that could work really well.

* In general, his star has really risen since the first Michael Bay movie, leading to complaints about TF fiction echoing those about the toyline - you'll hear more than one fan, while not hating the little guy, saying that it's been an endless rehash of the same thing for ages and it's time someone else got to shine.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: ''Kiss Players'' is infamous for how ungodly ''not'' kid friendly it is. To give an idea of how bad it was, ''Kiss Players'' is a ''Sailor Moon''-esque MagicalGirl manga. Wiki/TFWikiDotNet compares it to '''{{Manga/Narutaru}}'''. The writer/artist of the manga has explicitly said he [[{{Troll}} deliberately designed the comic to shock people for kicks]].

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Some have noted that Warpath would perfectly fit into the live-action films, due to his love of explosions and action.

** "Third Party" Transformers toys made by unlicensed companies. Not the typical bootleg toys, mind you -- new toys designed to mimic or update franchise characters, add-on sets for existing toys, etc. The mentality behind these is "if they won't make it officially, WE will!". This can range anywhere from unofficial Masterpiece toys(we have seen 3P toys based on Mirage and various other characters that have yet to see official toys, and Shockwave had TWO unofficial updates before the official release!), IDW characters or designs that may not get official toys, or "artist interpretation" designs. The fandom is highly split on this issue because of the legality(these toys are being made with no license or permission) with some taking a strong pro-corporate stance and others going with the "if Hasbro won't make it, I'll buy from someone who will" line of thought. Hasbro themselves have been unusually quiet on the issue, taking no real legal action against these companies(granted, many of them are located in China which could make things difficult, and some new designs are so different that Hasbro may have little legal ground -- considering they themselves often do unauthorized homages in their toy lines), failing to go after online stores that carry them, etc, with a sort of "we're okay with add-on kits that require buying our toys" quiet approval of that part of the market. However, Takara HAS gone after online retailers, at least in Asia, and the management of Botcon was very strict about not allowing ANY such toys at the conventions (including threats to confiscate any toys people bring, even personal copies -- which they may have no actual legal authority to do).

*** Beginning with MP-27 Ironhide, Takara's design philosophy on Masterpieces have torn the fandom asunder. Basically, Takara has begun making the figures look as animation-accurate as possible. While you wouldn't think that this would be contentious, detractors lament the fact that in doing so they make the figures look flat and dull, with large portions of completely undetailed plastic. Others like the "straight from the screen" look.

** Mikaela. Some wished she was the main human protagonist, next to Lennox, since she was less whiny, more assertive and just more competent than Sam. On the other hand she doesn't have quite enough of those moments so it still feels like she's just there to show Sam is a [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday heterosexual]].

** Action Masters. From their debut till today, they are still derided for being Transformers who don't Transform, the very antithesis of the brand. Since the debut, however, there has been a bit of fan softening about them, as they provided posable figures whose character models were closer matches for the cartoon than their original toys. The In-universe Justifications; the original one being that Nucleon was injected into them, making them more powerful at the expense of their alt-modes, and the ReimaginingTheArtifact in the IDW version (there called Monoformers, bots who forego their Transformation Cog either due to religious reasons or just damage) have been met with approval, or at least acceptance. The new-characters created for the line all have their own fans, and even get new toys retooled into them today... ''all'' these new toys, however, are able to Transform.

** Upon the reveal at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con, the majority did not take the fact that Combiner Wars Scattershot was not only a(nother) remold of Silverbolt, but that even Computron's torso seemed more like a recolor of Superion rather than a retool (Unlike Galvatronus, which at least received a new head).[[note]]The fact that he was displayed in his Computron form with other figures as limbs didn't help.[[/note]]While others are hopeful that the figure displayed is an ObviousBeta and that the real figure will be displayed with a torso mode that looks more like Computron or are turning towards Takara as their only hope in getting a "proper" Scattershot.
*** We are getting a proper Computron in a box set, although the solo Scattorshot was still released with only minor changes, with the combined mode being named Betatron and using only existing random limbs.

** The Thirteen as a concept are known to spark debates. Fans enjoy them for their cosmic importance and grandeur, their beautiful character designs, and the mythic scale they add to Cybertron and its origins. Detractors grumble about the {{Continuity Snarl}}s associated with them, and find the lore and stories attached to them to be decidedly underwhelming. That they tend to show up a ''lot'' from the beginning of Aligned onward only makes the debate louder. (And let's not even get into the idea of Optimus being one of them...)

** RIRFIB and FIRRIB: what colors are Rumble and Frenzy? Due to switching them for the cartoon Rumble (whose toy was red) became blue and Frenzy (whose toy was blue) became the red one. The Japanese dub of G1 switched the character names so they would match their toys, and since then the debate has taken off reaching memetic levels and producing countless jokes. Different comic series, books, video games, all assign colors to them and there's no set consistency. The Tfwiki has a humorous [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/FIRRIB article]] on it. One of the few consensus on the matter is that ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW made a mistake by making Rumble Red and Frenzy Blue and then changing it around for no reason before changing it back, confusing everyone.

** "Third Party" Transformers toys made by unlicensed companies. Not the typical bootleg toys, mind you -- new toys designed to mimic or update franchise characters, add-on sets for existing toys, etc. The mentality behind these is "if they won't make it officially, WE will!". This can range anywhere from unofficial Masterpiece toys(we have seen 3P toys based on Mirage and various other characters that have yet to see official toys, and Shockwave had TWO unofficial updates before the official release!), IDW characters or designs that may not get official toys, or "artist interpretation" designs. The fandom is highly split on this issue because of the legality(these toys are being made with no license or permission) with some taking a strong pro-corporate stance and others going with the "if Hasbro won't make it, I'll buy from someone who will" line of thought. Hasbro themselves have been unusually quiet on the issue, taking no real legal action against these companies(granted, many of them are located in China which could make things difficult, and some new designs are so different that Hasbro may have little legal ground -- considering they themselves often do unauthorized homages in their toy lines), failing to go after online stores that carry them, etc, with a sort of "we're okay with add-on kits that require buying our toys" quiet approval of that part of the market. However, Takara HAS gone after online retailers, at least in Asia, and the management of Botcon was very strict about not allowing ANY such toys at the conventions(including threats to confiscate any toys people bring, even personal copies -- which they may have no actual legal authority to do).

** Let's face it, Creator/PeterCullen ''is'' Optimus Prime, unless the character is portrayed as younger like in ''Animated'' or ''Beast Wars''.

* CantUnhearIt: Let's face it, Creator/PeterCullen ''is'' Optimus Prime.

* MorePopularSpinOff: The toys that would become the ''Transformers'' were spinoffs of the Microman or as it was called in the West ComicBook/Micronauts. Creating the Diaclone and Micro Change lines which in turn was retold by Hasbro into ''Transformers'' we know today. ''Transformers'' has eclipsed all the previous toy lines in the public consciousness