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4%% Due to the nature of this trope, finding a proper image will be very tricky.
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10Please list characters by the media/incarnation that the darkhorse is most associated with. And let it be known, these characters have ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COYRxf13tIg The Touch]]''.
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12This page is for the EnsembleDarkhorse characters spanning all ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'', WesternAnimation/BeastWars, etc. media. Listed first are the characters who won fan voting in the Hall of Fame.
13
14Hall of Fame selection process: Each year, starting in 2010, several characters and real life humans associated with the series are inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame. One additional character is inducted, based on fan voting, out of 5 characters as choices. As the main characters are automatically inducted, and most of the choices are already on this page, this makes the winner a BreakoutCharacter among the Ensemble Darkhorse characters. For 2010 and 2011, the choices were four G1 characters (each lumped with their other incarnations, if any) and one WesternAnimation/BeastWars character.
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16* '''2010 winner: WesternAnimation/BeastWars' Dinobot''', beating other characters Soundwave, Grimlock, Shockwave and Jazz.
17** Dinobot is renowned for being one of the most complete and complex characters in all of Transformers history, from his VitriolicBestBuds fights with Rattrap, to his ProudWarriorRaceGuy and HonorBeforeReason conflicts, to his ShoutOutToShakespeare tendencies. His [[spoiler: [[ADeathInTheLimelight death]]]] episode "Code of Hero" is one of the most well received episodes ever, cementing this.
18* '''2011 winner: WesternAnimation/BeastWars' Waspinator''', beating other characters Grimlock, Shockwave, Jazz and Erector.[[note]]Soundwave, the only voting option to not return, was automatically inducted[[/note]]
19** He was slated to be killed off at the start of the second season, but due to the unlucky Predacon's popularity among fans, he was spared. Waspinator continued as a supporting character, played for [[TheChewToy increasingly painful]] and [[ButtMonkey humiliating comic relief]], and his personality continued to develop. He also became just the third character outside of G1 to get an alternate version into another continuity (Wasp in ''[[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Animated]]'').
20* '''2012 winner: G1's Wheeljack''', beating other characters Megatron (WesternAnimation/BeastWars), Sky Byte (''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise''), Arcee, and Rodimus.
21** Don't let the last two years fool you; the fans aren't too formulaic. This selection also included several more major characters, proving the fan voting options weren't just about ensemble darkhorses. Wheeljack's not just popular for being one of the original Autobots from 1984. He was the first Transformer to ever speak, and is also a lovably wacky MadScientist with a [[BrooklynRage Brooklyn accent]]. Even though some other popular 1984 'Bots, like Sideswipe, are basically [[FlatCharacter cardboard cutouts]], Wheeljack's got as much personality as Jazz, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Hound, Mirage, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet, and Optimus Prime.
22* '''2013 winners: Beast Wars' Megatron and G1's Ultra Magnus''':
23** And then the fans went and jumped back to the formula by voting for Megatron of the Beast Wars to get into the Hall of Fame. He's arguably one of the most ''successful'' bearers of the name Megatron, [[VerbalTic yeess...]]; where his namesake fumbled around with giant purple griffins and various gadgets, the Predacon of his name almost ''erased the Maximals from existance'' and was going to use the ''Nemesis'' to paradox humanity out of the picture, as well.
24** [[Memes/{{Transformers}} Ultra Magnus can't deal with theatrics now.]][[note]]Notably, the 2013 induction was the first to only feature fan-nominated inductees, and the only one that didn't induct any humans.[[/note]]
25* '''2014 winners: Arcee and [[IHaveManyNames Hot Rod/Rodimus Minor/Rodimus Prime/Rodimus Convoy]]'''
26* '''2015 winners: Prowl and [[CombiningMecha Predaking]]'''
27* '''2016 winners: [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Optimus Primal]] and Cosmos'''
28* '''2017 winners: Galvatron, [[Film/Transformers2007 Barricade]], and Trypticon'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''Titans Return'' toy[[/note]]
29* '''2018 winners: [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Blackarachnia]] and Battletrap'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''Generations'' toy[[/note]]
30* '''2019 winners: Skywarp and Omega Supreme'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''War for Cybertron: Siege'' toy[[/note]]
31* '''2020 winners: [[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime Knock Out]] and Sky Lynx'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''War for Cybertron: Earthrise'' toy[[/note]]
32* '''2021 winners: [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Inferno]] and Tigatron'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''War for Cybertron: Kingdom'' toy[[/note]]
33* '''2022 winners: [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Lugnut]] and Motormaster'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''Legacy'' toy[[/note]]
34* '''2023 winners: [[Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise Sky-Byte]] and Armada Optimus Prime'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''Legacy: Evolution'' toy[[/note]]
35----
36
37[[folder: ''Generation One'']]
38[[AC: General]]
39* Although it is connected to the various animated shows, most of the characters from the original G1 Franchise/{{Transformers}} have been brought back in some form or another. Most notably are the "Seekers", Thundercracker and Skywarp in particular. Part of the reason for their popularity is the fact that they can be easily churned out via simply repainting a line's Starscream (which often leads to the awkward event where a line will feature all three of the original Seekers even when only Starscream appears in the actual cartoon being made to promote the line.
40** The popularity of the Seekers came out at its clearest when Hasbro, having killed the popular Transformers Classic line to focus solely on the BrokenBase Transformers live action movie, dumped the remaining Seeker figures (Dirge, Thrust, and Thundercracker) into an ultra-rare 2007 Botcon "Games of Deception" set. Needless to say, Transformer fans shat bricks over the fact that they were denied a chance to all the Classic versions of the Seekers, since Botcon sets are made in ultra-low quantity and the massive desire for the figures ensuring that the few that made it to the secondary market would sell for $100 and up PER FIGURE.
41*** Hasbro finally rectified this in 2010-2011 by releasing arguably better versions in the mainstream toylines. Dirge received his proper delta wings, instead of reusing Ramjet's; Thrust's wings were modified a bit; and Thundercracker's wing paint was redone to match the previously-reissued Starscream's.
42*** Skywarp remains pretty rare, though, since he was only released in a box set with Ultra Magnus, exclusive to Target.
43* Soundwave, who eventually became one of the few Transformers to survive all the way from [[{{Pilot}} "More Than Meets The Eye"]] to [[GrandFinale "The Rebirth"]] unchanged. His robotic but ''pretty'' vocoder-altered voice, his faceless look, the fact that he had a pretty dang articulate toy... Call him a snitch and the fanbase will eviscerate you. Even today, fans still adore his original, hilariously outdated alt-mode.
44* Soundwave's cassettes are sort of mini-Darkhorses, especially Ravage, who made it into both ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' and the ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries''.
45* Sideswipe is another example; he very rarely did more than be in the background or get any starring appearances in the cartoon or comics, but he's still one of the most popular characters. A likely factor is that he's a CoolCar (a Lamborghini), so his toys tend to be the best. Particularly, in his ''[[Film/TransformersFilmSeries film]]'' appearances, the fans clamored for more of him.
46** His popularity can be boiled down to three words: [[BadassBoast "Damn, I'm good!"]]
47** Try playing the game, ''VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron'', Sideswipe is only playable in the second Autobot chapter, but damn is he entertaining to play. Not because of any specific gameplay but his [[FunPersonified dialog]] and [[BloodKnight personality]] during the level make it extremely funny.
48* Erector. Only ever had one toy, and never appeared in fiction save for a Japanese magazine story, but he recently experienced such a [[{{Pun}} rise]] in popularity that the fans voted him into the final nominees for the ''Transformers: Hall of Fame'', competing with such insanely popular and famous characters as Grimlock, Jazz, Shockwave and Waspinator. Hasbro even wrote a completely new character bio for him, seemingly having embraced his sudden importance, but handled him as more than a simple dick joke. Considering his reputation started ''because'' of his name, this can fully well be seen as a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome for the character.
49* Nightbeat was just one of the small Headmasters released in the later years of the original line. Then Simon Furman got his hands on him, turning Nightbeat into an awesome DeadpanSnarker detective who was capable of defeating a Matrix powered Thunderwing via shooting a harpoon into his back and tossing him out the airlock. He eventually got seen as the secondary signature character for Furman besides Grimlock and eventually got a new toy in 2014.
50* Despite most Pretenders being obscure, there are two that stand out.
51** Bludgeon is a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Samurai Skeleton Tank Robot]] who, like most Decepticon leaders in the comics, was far more effective than Megatron. This popularity landed him a brand new Voyager class toy that skips the inner robot and goes straight from tank to skeletal samurai!
52** Thunderwing is also this for having some NobleDemon traits. Oh, and he also managed to hijack [[MacGuffin the Creation Matrix]]. This popularity also landed him a top spot in one of the newest [[VideoGame/TransformersPrimeTheGame Transformer games]], and a new toy.
53* [[LargeHam Straxus]] was a character created specifically for the Marvel Comics, a deranged tyrant who basically existed to be killed off by Blaster after he killed Blaster's best buddy. However, Simon Furman revived him and had him [[spoiler: retroactively [[HijackedByGanon hijack a lot of badass Megatron moments]].]] He eventually got a rather awesome Deluxe class toy in Generations.
54* Blaster himself is one of the most consistently beloved characters of Budiansky's run, with even fans who dislike the run as a whole rarely having anything bad to say about Blaster's storylines, which were on the whole far more ambitious and dark than most of the other issues. Budiansky himself [[CreatorsFavorite agrees with this assessment]], and it tends to be generally accepted that Budiansky's Blaster is by far the most interesting version of the character.
55* And in yet another case of "Decepticon leader who's better than [[GeneralFailure Megatron]]," we have [[CyberCyclops Shockwave]]. In the cartoon, he was just a dull YesMan, essentially a poor man's Soundwave. In the comics, he was the Big Bad for most of Budiansky's run, and his reason for [[TheStarscream constantly and successfully usurping Megatron]]? It's because he simply deems it logical, whilst also averting the StrawVulcan trope in actually ''being'' logical.
56* [[HulkSpeak Me Grimlock!]] It helps that he is regarded as Creator/SimonFurman's signature character in the comics. It wasn't always that way, though, particularly in the Marvel US comics; although he had a couple of [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments of Awesome]] (helping to take down Megatron in issue 8, and Trypticon in issue 27), he degenerated into a {{Jerkass}} BadBoss that was later [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into a variation of his season 3 cartoon self, before getting blasted by Starscream. Furman's takeover of the US book came just as the Classic Pretenders (including Grimlock) hit the shelves, allowing Furman to show the Grimlock he'd written in the UK book, creating the foundation for all future G1-based portrayals.
57** The Dinobots as a group in general, whenever new incarnations of the whole team appear, they're usually met with a lot of fanfare. As for why? In a few words:
58--> '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDUfeAKcW3Q Chris McFeely]]''': "Robots are cool. Dinosaurs are cool. Rebellious anti-heroes are cool. Ergo, is there anything cooler than rebellious anti-hero robot dinosaurs?"
59* [[VerbalTic Heh heh]], the Battlechargers, Runabout and Runamuck, have a decent fan following due to being some of the only Decepticons who are genuine friends. Not to mention the [[MemeticMutation fandom meme]] that has them associated with ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead''. Uh huh huh huh.
60** It's become an AscendedMeme as Runabout and Runamuck are deliberately drawn visual {{Shout Out}}s to Beavis and Butthead, respectively, for the ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' [[AllThereInTheManual source book]]. [[http://billforster.deviantart.com/art/Runabout-and-Runamuck-176356248 Yes, really]].
61* Galvatron in the Marvel UK run of the Generation 1 comic. An outright [[TheJuggernaut nigh unstoppable]] badass whose [[SavedByTheFans popularity]] effectively gave him JokerImmunity up until the Time War storyline, where he was finally KilledOffForReal.
62* Black Shadow is a surprisingly popular character, despite appearing in very little fiction (he originated in Japan in 1989, but didn't appear in any western fiction until the IDW continuity, where he still had a very minor role, and he didn't get a toy in the west until 2011). Part of his appeal is his function is the highly unusual "Space Gangster," coupled with being a more robotic retool of the already popular Thunderwing.
63* Speaking of Japanese-exclusive Generation 1 characters, [[Anime/TransformersVictory Star Saber]] has become a fan favorite on both sides of the Pacific by standing out among other Autobot leaders as a Badass Robot Samurai and MasterSwordsman who turns into a space fighter (being effectively the ''Transformers'' version of [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Sanger Zonvolt]]). The fact that he is basically the closest the franchise has gotten to a proper SuperRobot only serves to make him stand out more. He is popular enough among the fandom that James Roberts's portrayal of him in ''More Than Meets the Eye'' as a EgocentricallyReligious [[TheFundamentalist Fundamentalist]] KnightTemplar caused considerable outcry and became one of the few unanimously despised elements of his otherwise fan favorite run (not helped by the fact it stemmed from him being given the RonTheDeathEater treatment in Roberts's fan circle). On a more positive note, his popularity led to him becoming the first Japanese-only character to receive a Masterpiece figure and the second Transformers project on [=HasLab=] alongside his combining partner Victory Leo for the ''Legacy'' line (the first project being GreaterScopeVillain Unicron), as well as making it to the semifinals of the ''Power of the Primes'' Fan Poll (where he lost to Optimus Primal),
64* ComicBook/DeathsHead, the eccentric ''[[InsistentTerminology Freelance Peacekeeping Agent]]'' from the Creator/MarvelUK comics was one of first Ensemble Darkhorses of the franchise. Made the jump (with a little [[Series/DoctorWho Gallifreyan assistance]]) from those comics into ''mainstream Franchise/MarvelUniverse'', up to and including getting multiple comic series. Admittedly, many of those series were of [[TheNineties 90's successor]], but can't have everything, [[VerbalTic right?]] The original proved popular enough to be brought BackFromTheDead at least twice and is now finally getting an official action figure of his own. Happy endings, yes?
65* Banzai-Tron is far and away the most popular Action Master (at least, until Krok became more notable in ''More than Meets the Eye''), surprising given that Action Masters are [[AudienceAlienatingEra generally reviled]]. An interesting look and a neat bio were all well and good, including the incredibly badass motto of "To the victor go the profits," but what really sealed it was the fancomic ''Transformers: Chronicles'', where he was basically [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Kenshiro]] as a Decepticon. Since then, he's received far more toys than any other Action Master, including a convention-exclusive, a retail figure, and a high-end ''Alternity'' release. Perhaps his most notable showing is in ''Transformers Ultimates'', a non-transforming licensed line where he managed to show up in the ''first wave'', and his accessories include parts clearly based on that old fancomic.
66* Nightbird only appears in a single episode of the original cartoon, but her popularity from being a robot ninja ActionGirl has given her several toys in later years.
67
68[[AC: 2005 IDW Continuity]]
69* Most of the characters from ''ComicBook/TheTransformersLastStandOfTheWreckers'' became this, but the biggest example is [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee Ironfist]]. He even got incarnations in both ''Animated'' and the Aligned Universe complete with their own exclusive toys!
70* Even those who didn't much care for Mike Costa's run on IDW's Transformers ongoing seemed to like one character: [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Bob_%28IDW%29 Bob the Insecticon]], a spiky yet adorable abomination of science who becomes Sunstreaker's pet. When Bob showed up in the fourth issue of James Roberts' ongoing, which followed Costa's, a number of fans were rather excited to see that he was still around.
71* Many, ''many'' characters in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' are adored by the fandom, to the point where it's basically a bunch of Ensemble Darkhorses crammed together on a ship.
72** Whirl, for both his hilarious [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkassery]] and the sheer scope of his [[CrazyIsCool Crazy Awesomeness]].
73** Cyclonus also has a share of fans, in part because he matches Whirl's badassness on the field and his {{Tsundere}} personality.
74** Swerve. He's gone from being used in past continuities as a filler character with no real distinct personality, to being a very chatty mischievous smartass with a BoisterousBruiser personality packed into a minibot body.
75** Roberts' original character Rung, the Autobot psychologist, is also gaining a fangirl posse, due mainly to his {{adorkabl|e}}y gangly and goggle-eyed design and his equally Adorkable and slightly naive personality. It helps that he's a bit of a ParodySue, what with his frequent ButtMonkey moments.
76** Also in this vein, we have original character [[DefectorFromDecadence Ambulon]], himself a bit of a TakeThat to the whole "Ex-Decepticons are cooler" notion that became so unpopular with Drift. His life frankly sucks, he's not that well-liked InUniverse, and to top it all off, his altmode is a ''leg''... Naturally, he's very popular with the fandom, [[spoiler:though unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save him.]]
77** Brainstorm. [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/My_First_Blaster Can't]] [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Metafictional_bomb imagine]] [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Malevolent_Counterintuitive_Pathogen why]]...
78** Surprisingly, ''Drift'' of all 'bots [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap has become this]]. It's kind of amazing that a former CreatorsPet has become popular among many of his haters due to having a good writer behind him. It doesn't hurt that he's become a hell of a DeadpanSnarker. Having had a spiritual reawakening that makes him "offensively upbeat" and [[TakeThatScrappy that Ratchet absolutely hates him]] gives him some extra points too.
79** Getaway [[VerbalTic *BOMP*]] became a huge hit with the fans after his introduction scenes in issue 20. Though he would later on become a HateSink due to his manipulative and treacherous actions and egotistical demeanor.
80** The entire [[EvilIsCool Decepticon Justice Division]] gets this treatment due to their badass designs and frequent CreepyAwesome moments, but among their number, Tarn, Kaon, and Vos are particularly popular. Tarn himself would go on to receive both a Flame Toys and ''Ultimates'' figure before eventually getting his first proper figure for the second year of the ''Legacy'' line. He would also make the jump to ''Cyberverse'', initially as an army of SuperSoldiers that resembled him before finally appearing in person as the BigBad of the FinaleMovie.
81** Misfire, the hilariously incompetent {{Cloudcuckoolander}} has become popular with fans thanks to his many funny moments.
82** Nautica isn't as important as the other two fembots introduced in Dark Cybertron, as they go onto be the leads in [[ComicBook/TheTransformersWindblade Windblade]] while she's put in MTMTE's ensemble cast. Yet she remains the most popular for her {{Adorkable}}, endearing personality, and for easily blending in with the comedy dynamics of her series.
83
84[[AC: 2019 IDW Continuity]]
85* Flamewar, formerly an obscure Arcee redeco exclusive to [[Franchise/TransformersTimelines Collectors' Club fiction]], is upgraded in this series to a recurring antagonist; between her new, non-recolor design, her dynamic with Shadow Striker and her [[TheGadfly newly mischievous personality]], her popularity has been massively boosted to the point that some are calling for her to join the Transformers franchise's stock female antagonists like [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Blackarachnia]], [[WesternAnimation/BeastMachines Strika]] and [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated Slipstream]]. Tellingly, she's also [[CreatorsFavorite Ruckley's favorite character to write]]. She would go on to receive a figure in the ''Shattered Glass Collection'', which while representing her MirrorUniverse counterpart is all but identical to her regular self.
86* Red Wing, one of many Seekers, thanks to being an OnlySaneMan among Decepticon attack forces and having genuine common sense, such as knowing to retreat when he knows he's outmatched against the magnetic-power Windcharger, and also sticking to the reconnaissance mission protocol of seek, find and report that he and two others got sent in, which the other two ignore in favor of attacking, resulting in one of them getting horribly killed; both instances found Red Wing escaping unscathed and into the good graces of many a reader.
87
88[[AC: ''War For Cybertron Trilogy'']]
89* Impactor won himself some fans as a representative for the common grunts who make up the Decepticon army.
90* Soundblaster gained a few fans for being made a separate character from Soundwave, as a self-serving crime boss with CloneAngst. His appearance here is the basis for later versions of Soundblaster in ''ComicBook/Transformers2019'' and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersCyberverse''.
91[[/folder]]
92
93[[folder: ''Beast Era'']]
94* Take a look at who the Hall of Fame winners are.
95* Megatron's Rubber Ducky. No lines, not interaction with anyone else, but one of the 3 fully loyal Predacons. And the only one of those three (the others being Inferno and Scorponok) to get ''transmetallized''.
96** [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rubber_Ducky The Rubber Ducky]] has his own page on the wiki.
97* Inferno, largely due to his LargeHam qualities. He would eventually make it to the Hall of Fame in 2021.
98** The fact he was a [[KillItWithFire fire ant]] with [[PsychoForHire a few screws loose]] didn't hurt.
99* In WesternAnimation/BeastMachines, this role was taken by Jetstorm due to his gleefully evil, sarcastic, arrogant personality. A keen sense of wit and the fact that his [[Creator/BrianDrummond voice actor]] played him as a LargeHam didn't hurt, either.
100* Rampage and Depth Charge. The former for being an immortal psychopath who is basically the ''Transformers'' take on [[Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs Hannibal Lecter]], the latter for being the only one badass enough to take him on. They are drawn to each other like matter and antimatter, and are about as safe to be around when it happens. Put them in a scene together and watch the awesome.
101* Of the toy-only characters who didn't make it into the show, Razorbeast is quite popular with fans. This is largely due to Simon Furman's usage of him in IDW's ''Beast Wars'' comics, where he's portrayed as a snarky and stern yet kind-hearted GuileHero. (And the fact that [[Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir Will Smith was looking for him since October]].)
102* Particularly among female fans, Terrorsaur seems to be oddly popular, considering that he rarely got any focus and wound up dying at the start of the second season. It likely owes to him being TheStarscream, and his somewhat effeminate character design.
103* While the Japanese ''Beast Wars II/Neo'' anime filler series received much criticism, the characters of Lio Convoy and Magmatron were well-received by fans, so much so that the former got ''many'' toy representations to himself while the latter was imported to the states via ''Beast Machines''. Both of them even made it to the Legacy Toyline, with Lio Convoy (under the name of Leo Prime) in Legacy Evolution and Magmatron in Legacy United as the line's Commander Class.
104[[/folder]]
105
106[[folder: ''Robots In Disguise'' (2001)]]
107* Mirage. Being a cool F1 car that is a lone sniper helps a lot.
108* Scourge, the evil clone of Optimus Prime. These days other evil clones of Optimus Prime are typically called Nemesis Prime, but Scourge is still immensely loved as one of the few of them to have an actual personality.
109* Sky-Byte for being a hilarious IneffectualSympatheticVillain with equally spread moments of badassery and kind gestures alongside his funny moments. It also helps that his color scheme and character were received ''far more positively'' than that of the mold's first iteration, Transmetal II Cybershark. Much like with the later ''Animated'' Swindle, the grief from the fandom after the passing of his original voice actor, Peter Spellos, took everyone ''hard''.
110[[/folder]]
111
112[[folder: ''Unicron Trilogy'']]
113[[AC: ''Armada'']]
114* Starscream. This incarnation of him was easily the show's most popular character, to the point where he has received toys in both the ''Thrilling 30'' and ''Legacy'' MilestoneCelebration toylines. Unlike the typical [[TheStarscream treacherous]] versions of him, this version was the most honorable, often compared to Beast Wars Dinobot. His relationship to Alexis and the Minicons really help highlight his popularity.
115* Sideways, the mysterious PlayingBothSides servant of Unicron, with his own EldritchAbomination tendencies. That later media played up the idea of all the various characters in the franchise to have name Sideways may be the same guy hopping between universes also helped his cool factor.
116* Demolishor. A rare example of not-overtly villainous Decepticon grunt in ''Armada'' who early on the SequelSeries ''Energon'' exhibits conflicting loyalties between both sides that he gained from living in an era without the war, [[spoiler:and losing that is considered to be one of the worst mistakes the show made]].
117* While Tidal Wave is only known for a few things, it's for these ''exact same reasons'' that the fans love him; he towers over other Transformers, he splits into several ''marine vehicles'' (aquatic Transformers have become infamous for being rare in the franchise), and he can ''combine with Megatron/Galvatron''. It says a lot that fans ''immediately'' sought out his new Titan Class toy once ''Legacy: United'' made the reveal.
118
119[[AC: ''Cybertron'']]
120* Since his first appearance [[AllThereInTheManual a fan club story]], Cannonball became this for being a freaking SpacePirate, since then he's gotten a few cameos, and even got a new retooling and starring role as the BigBad in the 2014 Botcon story.
121* Scourge, the MightMakesRight leader of the Jungle Planet. Somewhat like Dinobot above, though he changes into a dragon.
122* Signal Lancer, who is a minor joke character at best and doesn't even get named in the English dub, became famous and even a tad memetic when, in the show's final episode, he dramatically revealed his robot mode and left his spot to find his great destiny. His disguise was a mundane stoplight in the middle of the desert.
123* Scattershot and Vector Prime maintain strong popularity after the show: the first appearing in VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron and the second for being one of the Thirteen original primes and a powerful [[spoiler:sacrifice]].
124* Jetfire. [[AwesomeAussie It's the accent]].
125* What is probably the most ''liberal'' take on the character of Metroplex, as aside from a few superficial similarities the only thing this version shares with the original is the status of being an Autobot of ''GARGANTUAN'' proportions. But let's face it, he is several times larger than the average transformer and can change from a large construction vehicle to a giant scottish-accented robot who wields an equally large staff ''topped with a sawblade''. There's a reason he was the Titan-class figure for the first year of ''Legacy''.
126* Override, the leader of Velocitron, is fairly popular as a notable female character in a time in the franchise that was otherwise a drought of female Transformers. Her surrogate CoolBigSis relationship with Lori also helped. Almost two decades later, she'd receive a very screen-accurate updated toy as part the MilestoneCelebration ''Legacy'' toyline in 2022.
127[[/folder]]
128
129[[folder: ''Transformers Film Series'']]
130* Dispensor, the Mountain Dew vending machine turned into a homicidal robot by the power of the Allspark, despite being ProductPlacement, not being ''named'', and barely appearing for more than a few seconds. Dispensor eventually got his own (short flash) game, where he infiltrates human facilities WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes style and [[TakeOverTheWorld takes over the world]] in the name of Mountain Dew. He also got a toy, although, tragically, it doesn't transform and isn't poseable.
131** As of Takara's ''Age of Extinction'' lead-in toyline, Dispensor has graduated to full Transformer-dom (even if it is now as a delivery truck for a BlandNameProduct ShoutOut to both MTMTE and TV Tropes itself, "[[MoodWhiplash Mood Wiplash (sic)]]").
132* Scalpel, the German-accented MadDoctor.
133* Ejector the evil toaster, who is also an AscendedMeme (he originally appeared in a Mountain Dew commercial for the first film). He too has a toy.
134* Jolt from ROTF has a large fanbase due to his minimal screentime.
135* DOTM introduced a large background Decepticon named Devcon, who resembles the Cloverfield Monster.
136* Most of the Decepticons from the first film (barring maybe Frenzy) are very, very popular.
137** Bonecrusher is this for [[MemeticMutation hating everything.]]
138** Blackout managed to stand out from the mostly characterless Decepticon minions featured in every movie. His EstablishingCharacterMoment of destroying the military base was a SignatureScene for the first film and helped establish how dangerous he was. Long after his debut he'd still occasionally receive toys and was even brought into the Animated and Aligned continuities.
139** Barricade, the police car Decepticon is easily the most popular of the film-verse bad guys. In the video game adaptations, he's voiced by '''Creator/KeithDavid''', and plays a memorable SenseiForScoundrels in the well received DS versions. He's easily the most recurring Decepticon after Megatron, appearing in the first, third, and fifth movies and he's been adapted into various other media with even his G1 related appearances drawing from the movie. In 2017 he got into the hall of fame being the first movie creation to do so.
140* Laserbeak, the coldblooded assassin who works for Soundwave.
141* Flatline quickly became this in the ExtendedUniverse comic book tie-ins. Essentially the Decepticon equivalent to [[MadDoctor Josef Mengele]], he's arguably more vile than his universe's [[BigBad Megatron]] - Which is saying something. A ''lot'' of fans want to see a toy of him that turns into a hearse.
142* The Wreckers (Roadbuster, Topspin, and Leadfoot). They're a trio of [[{{Jerkass}} jerkasses]] that change into heavily modified NASCAR stock cars covered in firepower.
143* To a lesser degree there's also Glenn from the first film, due to Anthony Anderson's hilarious performance.
144* '''Hound'''. Of the new Autobots in the fourth film, Hound is incredibly popular for his boisterous personality and some of the best lines. "I'm a fat ballerina!" reached meme status. Being voiced by Creator/JohnGoodman certainly adds to his personality.
145* Nitro Zeus is, by far, the most popular of the new Decepticons in ''The Last Knight''. It helps that he resembles Shockwave and has a little more personality than the rest. Also, he's the only new Con to make it to the final battle with Megatron and Barricade.
146* Burke, TheBigGuy of Lennox's squad in the first movie, is never even referred to by name onscreen and only has a few minutes of screentime. Nonetheless, he has a notable fanbase.
147* The socialite who is attacked by her steering wheel when it is brought to life by the [=AllSpark=] in the same scene as Dispenser's creation. It's mainly due to her resemblance to Creator/MeganFox.
148* Transit, a Decepticon who fights Optimus Prime in ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts''' original opening sequence, has amassed a big following for the novelty of a Decepticon who turns into a public transport bus and putting up a good fight against the Autobot leader. Despite being entirely cut from the final film, many have clamored for Hasbro to make a toy of him.
149[[/folder]]
150
151[[folder: ''Transformers Animated'']]
152* Who became one of the most popular ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' characters after his ten second appearance in the pilot episode? Not [[TheStoic Prowl]], not [[HotBlooded Bumblebee]], not [[BigBad Megatron]]... it's the wacky, SplitPersonality villain Blitzwing. The fact that he's made appearances in almost every one of the ''The Arrival'' tie-in comics may show that the writers are listening to the fandom.
153** To be fair, he does ''[[EstablishingCharacterMoment a lot]]'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dNJrP2gBSI in those ten seconds.]]
154*** It helps that every following appearance is either [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilarious]], [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome]], or both.
155* I am Wreck-Gar! I am widely liked for my humorous attitude and being voiced by Music/WeirdAlYankovic despite only appearing twice, and I DARE to be stupid!
156* The Animated version of Waspinator took our favorite little CosmicPlaything and made him a legitimate threat.
157-->-- [[DarkReprise Wazzzpinator cannot go offline. Wazzzpinator haz planzz.....]]
158* [[BountyHunter Lockdown]] proved to be an exceedingly popular original creation even if he was only in three episodes. A combination of Creator/LanceHenriksen's voice, a cool design, and a creepy MO of stealing other Transformers' body parts to add to his own, made him especially memorable. Lockdown would go on to be added into the G1 continuity and was modified to become the villain of the fourth live action movie.
159* A human example can be found in Captain Fanzone, the badass police captain who's BornInTheWrongCentury and gives some of the show's funniest moments.
160-->"[[MemeticMutation This is why I hate machines!]]"
161* A case could be made for Lugnut, quite possibly the most gloriously loyal Decepticon to date. He received a Generations-styled figure in 2010 and would eventually make it into the Hall of Fame in 2022 (as a tribute to Derrick J. Wyatt, the art director of ''Animated'', who had passed away the previous year).
162* Amongst the non-Decepticon villains, Meltdown seems to be the most popular due to being a terrifying KnightOfCerebus who can actually hold his own against the Autobots rather than being a joke villain like Angry Archer or Professor Princess. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And he can dance]]!
163* Swindle only appears in two episodes, but he’s a deliciously smarmy but lovable salesman played to absolute perfection by the late Creator/FredWillard in a role he was made for.
164* Slipstream, the first canonical [[TheSmurfettePrinciple female Seeker]], who unlike her creator and clone brethren managed to avoid falling into Autobot custody by the end of the series.
165* Alternate mode example: Megatron being a twin-rotor attack chopper. Since most G1-based Megatrons before and after had mostly been tanks or "Cybertronian jets", many look fondly to this break in tradition, given that it allows the Decepticon leader an aerial vehicle mode that doesn't have to be excused as being "Cybertronian/alien", but carrying the tankiness and firepower of the tank [[RealLifeWritesThePlot he's had to generally be]] since Generation 2. Enough that many were happy to see the Megatron of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersEarthspark'' adopt a different but still twin-rotor armored aircraft.
166[[/folder]]
167
168[[folder: ''Aligned Universe'']]
169[[AC: ''War For Cybertron[=/=]Fall Of Cybertron'']]
170* Metroplex, the HumongousMecha Autobot ''city''. The fact he gets to [[spoiler:slam Megatron into the ground, four times, in fact]], probably helps.
171
172[[AC: ''Transformers Prime'']]
173* At least half of all the named characters, namely Wheeljack, Knock Out, Breakdown, Dreadwing, Cliffjumper, Vogel, Shockwave, Ultra Magnus, and Airachnid.
174
175[[AC: ''Transformers Rescue Bots'']]
176* The ''entire main cast'' counts as this due to their strong bonds with each other, but the most prominent amongst them is Blades. The big guy is pretty much a child with the voice of an adult and the body of a giant, and his cute demeanor and tendency to reference popular culture do little to dissuade opinions.
177* Salvage, who can only be best described as a combination of Boulder and ''Animated'' Wreck-Gar. Not only does he have one of the most unique alternate forms in the franchise (A ''recycling truck'' transformer? That's ''rare''), but his chipper demeanor and his fascination with junk make him very endearing. It also helps that he is ''far'' more patient than Blurr, and as such is much more effective as a Rescue Bot.
178* Quickshadow, the show's sole fembot. Her character and vehicle mode is very much James Bond, and the fact that she is one of the most competent Cybertronians in the series is very much a high point. And let's not forget the almost ''endless'' variety of gadgets she has built into her frame.
179* Rounding things off is High Tide. One of the few transformers with an aquatic alternate mode (and in another case of rare vehicle modes he transforms into a ''submarine'') with the accent to match, his crusty attitude makes him very memorable... once you get past his DrillSergeantNasty phase. He also combines with a ''gargantuan'' ship to form an equally titanic robot mode, which quickly elevates the scale of the episodes whenever he appears on the screen. And to top it all off, he is voiced by Creator/MichaelBell, in his first ''Transformers'' cartoon role since the original 80s classic.
180
181[[AC: ''Robots in Disguise'' (2015)]]
182* With his debut Fracture was praised as one of the more interesting new Decepticons with his cool appearance, high skill level, and minicons. Many positively compare him to past Darkhorse bounty hunter Lockdown. It's especially notable because of all the Pack, Fracture's easily the least important falling out of the series post-season 1.
183* Thunderhoof also quickly became popular for his voice, design, and crime boss occupation, which helped him stand out from some of the other 'Cons. [[CrackPairing His shippings with Steeljaw may have also helped.]]
184* Strongarm, the [[ByTheBookCop By The Book]] rookie Cop assigned to Bumblebee's team. Also praised for her more masculinely hulking body frame, a breakaway from the traditional female Transformer design. As such, the fact she got a toy in the cross-franchise Legacy toyline drew great fanfare from the fandom.
185* While Steeljaw has his fair share of detractors, his design, voice, and personality make him a very memorable Decepticon. It also helps that, unlike Starscream, he is ''more'' than capable of pulling off his schemes solo. The fact that the ''Last Bot Standing'' comic book series features him as the BigBad should also probably bring more people around.
186
187[[AC: ''Transformers Rescue Bots Academy'']]
188* Whirl, the sole female of the main five recruits, simply for being endearingly energetic and her soft demeanor around other beings. It also helps that she is almost as dorky as ''Rescue Bots'' Blades if not more so.
189[[/folder]]
190
191[[folder:''Transformers: Cyberverse'']]
192* Maccadam, due to being [[NiceGuy incredibly friendly]], managing to effortlessly intimidate [[TheDreaded Megatron]], and later revealed to be Alchemist Prime, one of the Thirteen.
193* Thundercracker, for being an amusing IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
194* Swoop, the GenderFlip[=ped=] GadgeteerGenius of the Dinobots. Being the only other Dinobot, aside from Grimlock, who doesn't speak in the faux-caveman speech helps also.
195* While the first season rarely delved into his character, Soundwave's antics in season 2 and beyond quickly endeared him to fans, bolstered by the fact that he is one of the most genuinely ''competent'' Decepticons in the series. It says a lot that his death in the final finale movie ends up as one of the franchise's biggest [=TearJerker=]s.
196* Although there ''were'' pre-existing characters with the names, the ''Cyberverse'' incarnations of Clobber and Shadow Striker's personalities and designs (not to mention the latter's TragicBackstory) instantly gave them decently-sized fanbases. This is also true for many characters in similar positions, namely Cheetor, Astrotrain, Rack'N'Ruin, Slipstream, Lockdown, Gnaw, Pereptor, Whirl, Hot Rod, Drift, the Dweller, and Dead End. This can also be applied to entire factions and subgroups, including the Dinobots, Quintesson Army, and the Mercenaries. Shadow Striker in particular was popular enough to earn a doppelganger in IDW's 2019 comic series, while she later received a toy in the Legacy line to seal the deal.
197* Despite ''barely'' making significant appearances in the series, the characters of Meteorfire, Iaconus, Teletraan-X, Wild Wheel, Thunderhowl, Hammerbyte, and Croaton instantly landed fans for their personalities, abilities, designs, and concepts. The fact that they were fresh faces for the franchise meant that one of the show's biggest gripes - namely the non-union voice talents - was allowed some leeway when it came to these characters.
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder: ''Transformers Shattered Glass'']]
201* Ravage is one of the biggest examples of this. He was originally just a joke in ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' about how a MirrorUniverse Ravage would be a MotorMouth {{Keet}} instead of a silent assassin. Then his creator started up a Website/{{Twitter}} feed in which he was portrayed as the living incarnation of WebOriginal/LOLCats. Eventually, the little guy became so popular, he was made canon and received a toy at Botcon 2010!
202* [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness It has occurred to me that this page is dreadfully absent of the cunning and debonair Grimlock]], [[VerbalTic wot]]?
203[[/folder]]
204
205[[folder: ''Transformers: [=EarthSpark=]'']]
206* The Terrans have all received unanimous praise for being well-written characters with loveable personalities and unique alternate modes (a Cybertronian drone, a motorcycle, a special agent communications van, an ''owl'', and a ''Stygimoloch''), but fans immediately praised Nightshade for their status as an officially canon non-binary Transformer in mainstream fiction. While this has mired the series in controversy, Nightshade's own personal quirks still make them a lovable character, especially their semi-dramatic forms of speech.
207[[/folder]]

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