http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Transformers.jpg

''MoreThanMeetsTheEye.''

''If you're looking for the first film in the recent live-action movie trilogy, see '''[[Film/{{Transformers}} (Film) Transformers]]'''. For the original animated film, see '''[[TransformersTheMovie Transformers The Movie]]''' (1986).''

A [[LongRunners long-running]] franchise consisting of dozens of toy lines, many AnimatedSeries, quite a few ComicBooks, and a couple of live-action movies. Reduced to its simplest terms, ''Transformers'' is the story of an eons-old battle between two factions of a race of [[TransformingMecha transforming robots]], usually called the Autobots and Decepticons, whose battles frequently take them to [[EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Earth]]. Originally, the Autobots primarily transformed into cars, while the Decepticons transformed primarily into military hardware (with both becoming innocuous items such as cassettes and cameras), though this became less distinct over time.

Considering its origins ''as'' a toy line, the show is highly MerchandiseDriven, each incarnation serving to pimp a line of transforming toys. The original toy line sold in America came about when Hasbro imported several disparate Japanese toy lines, primarily Takara's "Diaclone" and "Microchange". The piecemeal origins of the individual toys are largely responsible for the enormous disparity in scale and style of the early toys (the original Optimus Prime, for example, has a cockpit designed to hold a Diaclone action figure, while the original Jetfire's toy is easily recognizable as a Valkyrie from ''[[SuperDimensionFortressMacross Macross]]''). When brought together as a single toy line, they were given the ''Transformers'' brand and established the "sentient robot" aspect of the story.

After the original toy line, further incarnations were designed specifically for the mega-hit ''Transformers'' brand, creating a more internally-consistent style, though still with inappropriate [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Scale sizes between toys.]]

Recurring character archetypes of note across the various series include:

* '''Optimus Prime''': Leader of the Autobots. In the original continuity, he appeared to be the supreme leader of all Autobots by a sort of divine right. In later incarnations, he is often reduced to the role of a high-ranking military leader that answers to an Autobot High Council. In the third season of the original series, his successor was Rodimus Prime. A version of Rodimus (sans Prime) reappeared in ''Energon'', as an Autobot general of comparable rank to Optimus. In ''Beast Wars'', he was replaced by Optimus Primal, a sort of cousin, who transformed into an ape. In the latest series, ''Transformers: Animated'', Optimus Prime is actually a lower-ranked Autobot and "Prime" is actually a military title rather than a personal designation. Optimus Prime is often portrayed as a conflicted pacifist shouldering the burden of military leadership. His alternate form is usually an eighteen-wheeler truck cab of some kind, but a fire truck is also slowly gaining acceptance.
* '''Megatron''': Leader of the Decepticons. Often portrayed as quite mad, but usually brilliant as well. His original form was a Walther P38 pistol. This was back in the days when children were allowed to play with realistic firearm toys. Later characters with the same name transformed into a tyrannosaurus, a dragon, a tank, several kinds of space fighter jets, a "futuristic" (i.e. brightly-colored toy-style) pistol, and an attack helicopter. In ''Generation 1'', ''Robots In Disguise'', and all three Unicron Trilogy series, he was eventually upgraded and renamed "Galvatron".
* '''[[TheStarscream Starscream]]''': Megatron's lieutenant. Starscream is highly treacherous, and is quick to seize power when the opportunity arises (except in ''Energon'', where he is little more than a puppet). The only reason he is tolerated is because he is an excellent soldier and is otherwise afraid of confronting Megatron directly. In ''Armada'', he briefly became an Autobot, but was unable to overcome his own nature. Starscream always transforms into a jet fighter of some kind; the ''Beast Wars'' equivalent was the pterodactyl Terrorsaur, though the "spark" of the original would later possess the Predacon flyer Waspinator to annoy the Maximals and Predacons. Of course, this character has so many examples in this franchise he's his own trope.
* '''[[TheBumblebee Bumblebee]]''': A young, brightly-colored Autobot character with kid appeal, he's usually the closest with their human allies and/or has a childish, exuberant personality. Early in the original series, this slot was naturally filled by the original Bumblebee, who also showed up in the [[TransformersFilmSeries live-action movie]] and ''TransformersAnimated''. He's always bright yellow, and turns into a Volkswagen Beetle, a Camaro, or a generic but Beetle-esque hatchback. Other characters in this mold include Hotshot in the [[TransformersArmada Unicron Trilogy]], Cheetor in ''BeastWars'', and Hot Rod from the G1 movie who eventually makes good and becomes Rodimus Prime.
* '''Primus''': In the later series, the effective "god" of all Transformers: their individual [[OurSoulsAreDifferent sparks]] were split off from Primus. Primus actively serves as Optimus's superior in ''Robots In Disguise'' and ''Armada'', but is semi-mythical by ''Cybertron''. He originally showed up in the UK Marvel comics before being imported to the US line and, eventually, other continuities altogether. His name is often used as an UnusualEuphemism. In some continuities, he's linked to the Transformer-creating computer Vector Sigma, from ''Generation 1''.
* '''Unicron''': A [[PlanetEater planet-eating]] giant transformer, sort of a EldritchAbomination''/''{{Satan}}-esque counterpart to Primus. In ''Transformers: TheMovie'', he is destroyed by Rodimus Prime using the Matrix, though his disembodied head continues to work its evil machinations throughout the third season of ''Generation 1''. Unicron appears at the end of ''Armada'', and is destroyed again, but is resurrected in ''Energon'' by Alpha Q, in an attempt to recreate its home planet (in this incarnation, Unicron is able to recreate anything it has consumed). Supplementary materials to the Transformers universe suggest that Primus and Unicron are incarnations of rival gods. And it gets more complicated with the Transformer [[AlternateUniverse "Multi-Verse"]] storylines. [[CaptainErsatz He is totally not]] [[MarvelUniverse Galactus.]]

And besides all of these, there are usually other members that fit into the FiveManBand / FiveBadBand mold. Of the Autobots there is also usually a Ratchet (TheSmartGuy / TheMedic), a Jetfire (HeelFaceTurn member), and/or an Ironhide (TheBigGuy). For the Decepticons there is often a Soundwave (EvilGenius), Shockwave (TheWildCard) and/or a Devastator (TheBrute).
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The ''Transformers'' franchise has known the following incarnations in [[WesternAnimation television]], {{anime}}, {{film}}, and comics:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Note: Descriptions here are to be kept brief; for detailed information, see the individual series pages. Please do not apply formatting to the bulleted titles, as this screws up the indexing. ]]


!!Generation 1 continuity family

* [[TransformersGeneration1 Generation 1]], originally just called ''The Transformers'', premiered in 1984. It ran for three series, and featured the Autobots in the midst of a war against the Decepticons. Members of both sides crashed on prehistoric Earth and remained in stasis until they were revived by an erupting volcano in 1984. To blend in with their surroundings, they took on the forms of common Earth vehicles and other machines.
* [[TransformersTheMovie Transformers: The Movie]] opened in 1986, between the second and third series of the cartoon. The timeline [[TimeSkip jumped]] to [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture to futuristic 2005]] and Optimus Prime and [[KillEmAll most of the original Autobots]] were killed off, passing the torch to a new generation led by Rodimus Prime. The movie featured the voice talents of Judd Nelson, [[StarTrek Leonard Nimoy]], Robert Stack (Of UnsolvedMysteries fame) and [[MontyPython Eric Idle]], as well as the last screen performance of [[CitizenKane Orson Welles]] (as Unicron, a Transformer the size of a planet; the irony did not go unnoticed).
* ''Scramble City'', an {{OAV}} released only in Japan and using primarily footage from the animated movie. It introduced the movie characters, as the movie itself wouldn't be imported for several more years.
* TransformersHeadmasters, an {{anime}} {{continuation}} that ignores the last season of ''[=G1=]''.
* TransformersSuperGodMasterforce, another anime, continuing on from ''Headmasters''.
* TransformersVictory, a third anime, continuing from ''Masterforce''.
* TransformersZone, which was basically a series of illustrated text stories. Followed by ''Return of Convoy'' and ''Operation Combination''.
* Kiss Players, which [[{{Discontinuity}} we don't like to talk about]]. It was a short-running manga and RadioDrama in which the Autobots derived their power from kisses from scantily-clad, [[OlderThanTheyLook underage-looking]] [[{{Lolicon}} girls]], while a Megatron-like character sought to consume said girls with his phallic prehensile tongue.
* Generation 2: A comic and a manga which follow on from where the comics left off, ignoring a fair chunk of established continuity. There was also a cartoon entitled ''Transformers: Generation 2'', but it was simply selected ''G1'' episodes with some {{CGI}} added.

The Generation One ''Transformers'' comics series were well respected compared to the "original" G1 continuity.
* The original [[MarvelComics Marvel]] comic came before the first episode (indeed, the first animated appearance of the Transformers was a TV commercial for the comic). The comic creators created many of the names, character bios, and concepts now considered integral to the franchise (such as Primus).
* The US ''Transformers'' was a monthly comic, written initially by Bob Budiansky, which would run 88 issues. The {{backstory}} was more detailed (for instance, the volcano was "Mount St. Hilary", a topical reference to the Mount St. Helens eruption), but the stories would eventually go off in different directions (instead of skipping forward to 2005, the comics received time-travelling versions of the new characters). It also occasionally featured Marvel characters like Comicbook/{{Spider-Man}}, which has [[MissingEpisode thwarted attempts to reprint some issues]].
* In the UK, ''Transformers'' was a weekly comic at half-size, meaning new material was required to fill in the gaps. Despite being {{filler}}, these tended to be longer, arc-based stories with better characterization. In general, they're considered superior to the US version. Simon Furman, writer of the UK version, eventually took over the US comic, and still works in Transformerdom today. This run would eventually end at 332 issues.
* The ''Transformers: Generation 2'' comic was also written by Furman. It moved to a more cosmic stage, with a galaxy-spanning Cybertronian Empire, the mysterious, all-devouring Swarm, and the shadowy machinations of the ancestor of all Decepticons. It only lasted 12 issues.
* Later, {{Dreamwave}} [[ContinuityReboot reboot]]ed the continuity, with the first Transformers series to use "Generation One" in the name. This title focused on the modern era. The Decepticons were defeated, only to have the Autobots lost when the spaceship built to carry them home exploded. Years later, the Autobots and the Decepticons slowly reappear and the war begins anew. Dreamwave also did ''The War Within'', a prequel series long before they came to Earth. Unfortunately, these series only lasted a few years before the company folded.
* Afterwards, IDW picked up the license and did a complete reboot, starting with the ''Infiltration'' miniseries. Here, the Autobots and Decepticons are scattered across the galaxy, having already reduced Cybertron to a lifeless husk. The "Robots in Disguise" angle is for once stressed, with both sides fighting over less-advanced worlds while keeping their presence a secret (until it's too late, in the Decepticons' case). On Earth, however, the discovery of a potent form of Energon is throwing the usual rules of warfare out the window. These comics are still ongoing, in a "series of miniseries" format.

!!Beast Era

The Beast Era is a break from the usual presentation, featuring Transformers with animal altmodes instead of vehicles, and Maximals and Predacons replacing Autobots and Decepticons. It is in continuity with the Generation 1 family, but the toys and fiction are distinct enough to be considered on their own.

* BeastWars (1996) was animated in CGI and produced by MainframeEntertainment, famous for the first CGI television show, ''{{ReBoot}}''. At first, ''BeastWars'' was controversial simply for the change into transforming into animals. (This culminated in the '[[TheyChangedItNowItSucks Trukk Not Munky]]' [[MemeticMutation meme]].) But over time, the depth and direction of the story was praised, and the series as a whole is currently very well-regarded. Treating the events of Generation One in BroadStrokes as historical legend, it featured a determined Maximal crew fighting a rogue band of Predacon criminals on what turned out to be [[spoiler:prehistoric Earth (a PlanetOfTheApesEnding halfway through the series)]]. It also introduced several plot points that would go on to greatly influence future fiction, notably [[OurSoulsAreDifferent sparks]].
* BeastMachines (2000), the direct sequel series to ''Beast Wars'', was animated by the same company, and saw a return to Cybertron, but was received poorly by most. It had a massive change of the writing staff, and it shows; the characterization of established characters, "[[ContemplateOurNavels spiritual]]" aspects and themes of nature vs. technology didn't play well with the previous series. It's part of the {{discontinuity}} of many fans, and one of the voice actors that worked on the series referred to it on one occasion as "the bad thing that happened". Still, the series had its good points -- the aforementioned spiritual themes were deeper than anything the franchise had seen before -- and the general hatred has died down with time.
* BeastWarsII, a traditionally animated show set far into the future of ''Beast Machines'' but broadcast in Japan between the first and second series of ''BeastWars'' to fill the gap while the second series was being dubbed.
* Beast Wars Neo, which continued after ''Beast Wars II'' and was broadcast between the end of ''Beast Wars II'' and the start of the second series of ''Beast Wars''. There are fandubbed episodes of this series and Beast Wars II at [[http://www.tfcog.net/ TFCog.net]]. They're pretty good.

!!Robots In Disguise
* [[TransformersRobotsInDisguise Robots in Disguise]] (2002) rebooted the series continuity, with the Autobots facing off against their perennial rivals, the Predacons (The Decepticons in this continuity are a group of Autobots subverted by the Predacons). The first Japanese Transformers series to have major Western distribution, the series was somewhat unpopular with fans who expected the seriousness of the American-penned ''Beast Wars'', instead of the borderline-self parody and younger target demographic that ''[=RiD=]'' actually brought to the table. Nevertheless, a few characters remain fan favorites (Optimus Prime's EvilTwin/clone Scourge and the hapless but loveable Sky-Byte, among others). ''[=RiD=]'' is also notable due to several episodes of the series being pulled from American airwaves after the September 11th attacks, as they featured footage of collapsing buildings.

!!The Unicron Trilogy
'''The Unicron Trilogy''' (2003-2006) was also a reboot of Generation One, but was more faithful to the original story, and was intended as a full saga with an expansive toy line. It featured three anime series that were dubbed into English and aired on CartoonNetwork.
* TransformersArmada
* TransformersEnergon
* TransformersCybertron

''Armada'' restored much of the original mystique, as the world's smallest armada (Autobots: 3, Decepticons: 4) duke it out to dominate a race of smaller transforming robots, the Minicons. The Minicons can link up to their larger counterparts to give them power upgrades, having obvious Merchandise potential. ''Transformers: Energon'' and ''Transformers: Cybertron'' are sequels to this series, the three are retroactively referred to as the ''Unicron Trilogy'', concerning the reboot of the Generation One Movie villain Unicron and a new take on his presence. This incarnation is probably the most philosophical entry in the franchise; one particularly stirring scene in ''Transformers: Energon'' reveals that Megatron has no understanding of the concept of death as it applies to humans -- the transformer "[[TheLifestream spark]]" (soul) can't be destroyed.

Of note is that ''Cybertron'' was not intended as a sequel to ''Energon'', the original Japanese ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'', took place in its own universe. Hasbro designer Aaron Archer had intended it to continue the earlier shows, so this is a case of conflicting sources. Interestingly enough, recent material released in Japan seems to have retconned ''Galaxy Force'' into the same universe as ''Armada'' and ''Energon''.

{{Dreamwave}} also did a Unicron Trilogy comic. ''Armada'' focused on the plight of the Mini-Cons as born to serve the larger robots, then did an abrupt turn into the characters fending off Unicron. ''Energon'' had several ongoing plotlines, all of which were cut off when Dreamwave went bankrupt.

!!Live-Action continuity family
A [[LiveActionAdaptation live-action film]] franchise consisting of two movies and a third film on the way (each directed by MichaelBay) and plenty of expanded universe comic books.
* Film/{{Transformers}} (2007) introduces the new continuity, featuring an origin of the Transformers in a mystical artifact known as the All Spark. The hype of the movie was enormous, with many fans upset over the stylistic changes (dubbed [[FanNickname "Bayformers"]]). Critically, those praising the movie liked it for being a sit back and enjoy "RuleOfCool" feature. Those criticizing it were mostly for the same reasons, though some of the hate was more of Michael Bay then the movie itself. The plot was patterned like a mix between a disaster film and an AlienInvasion. It made a lot of money, bringing in the current fans and even the nostalgic crowd; a sequel was guaranteed days before it opened. Part of the film's success comes from a general respect to the franchise, the impressive CGI for the title robots and the casting of the original voice actor for Optimus Prime, [[CueCullen Peter Cullen.]]
* The sequel (2009) '''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen''' continues directly from the first movie, delving deeper into the Transformer mythology. Because of the first film's success, many new robots were introduced and it has broken records both financially and with computer graphics (a rumor has spread around that in rendering Devastator it melted one of ILM's computers). Critical response was mostly negative but the general public seemed to love it.
* IDW has done prequel, adaptation, and sequel comics for the movie and is also working on comics tied into ''Revenge of the Fallen.'' TitanMagazines also does a series based on the movie, with issues that fit around IDW's, much as Marvel UK did for Marvel US.

!!Transformers Animated
* TransformersAnimated had its pilot in late 2007 to ride the popularity of the movie, and was the first American-written series since ''Beast Machines'', seven years earlier. Despite severe fan reactions to the character designs and animation style, the show's story and scripting (and a healthy respect to the saga as a whole) have won over many converts in short order. It is set in its own continuity, but besides this it is actually much closer plot-wise to Generation One than any of the other adaptations. Like its predecessors, it featured the Autobots facing the Decepticons on Earth.

!!Transformers: Shattered Glass
* This Official Fanclub-specific comic/toy series takes place in a MirrorUniverse where the Autobots are evil and the Decepticons are good; Optimus is a megalomaniac, Starscream is a loyal officer, Ravage is the embodiment of {{Lolcats}}, etc. It started out as an April Fool's joke gone horribly wrong, then came the official, grimly serious comic that accompianied the [=BotCon=] exclusive line of toys, and finally a still-going series of Fanclub-exclusive text stories that strike a balance between the two extremes of silly and serious. The fans so far have gobbled it up, making it one of the very few franchises bearing the Transformers name that ''isn't'' subjected to FanDumb. It remains to be seen how long its popularity will last, especially considering it's not leaving the confines of the Fanclub elite any time soon, but suffice it to say that it'll be riding that victory wave for as long as it can.
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A standard gimmick across most Transformers incarnations is the scene-change effect: the emblem of the side featured in the previous scene pulls back, then flips over to reveal the symbol of the side to be featured in the next scene. It has been parodied in many instances in modern media.

For more information, you might want to consult [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page the ''Transformers'' wiki]]. Its informality is similar to that of TV Tropes.
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!!Tropes Across The Entire Franchise:
* AdaptationDistillation (''BeastWars'' changed a lot of the structure but kept the same basic conflict. ''Animated'' may be heading this way, with almost every character and concept an update of something from a previous series.)
* AlienAmongUs (Alien robots, but aliens nonetheless, the series has many elements of this plot.)
* AlienInvasion (Technically, almost every series, but the 2007 movie and the IDW comics focus most on this trope.)
* AllThereInTheManual: Many characters have all or most of their characterization provided in toy bios or profiles.
* AlternateContinuity (Currently, 5 different "main" continuity lines. [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:Continuities.png When you go into the comics, on the other hand,]] talk about ContinuitySnarl.)
* AncientKeeper
* AssKickingPose
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance (Not surprising, since they can choose their alternate forms, but each invariably picks a vehicle that suits them very well.)
* AuthorCatchphrase (Furmanisms)
* [[{{ptitlek3dpejg9vq2s}} Autobots, Rock Out!]] (the TropeNamer)
* BigBad (Mostly Megatrons, but the Marvel comics gave Shockwave and other Cybertronians chances to gloat.)
* BewareTheNiceOnes (Rhinox in ''Beast Wars'' and Bulkhead of ''Animated'' are both fairly gentle, if large transformers, but are also the ones to avoid getting angry.)
* BigDamnHeroes (Take your pick of series or characters. Inverted in the 2007 movie when Starscream shows up and beats up Ratchet and Ironhide, stopping their protection of Sam in what could be called a "Big Damn Villains" moment.)
* BrokenAesop IDW's series "All Hail Megatron", featuring new writer Shane McCarthy replacing longtime scribe Simon Furman, spends a hefty portion of the book having the Autobots realize that "acceptable losses" in their war against the Decepticons to save Earth as a whole was wrong and that all life should be saved. The character Sideswipe in particular delivered a speech about how it was "their duty to value the sanctity of life, all life". However, at the end of the series, Sideswipe happens upon longtime human companion Hunter O'Nion who's been dissected by the Decepticons and is hooked up on life support, and rather than practicing what he preaches and find Ratchet or human doctors to save him, pulls the plug and lets him flatline. Yeah.
** If you look carefully at the scene, Hunter is missing an arm and both legs, and has numerous tubes and wires attached to him. And according to Transformers Continuum, Hunter's mind is gone after all the torture Bombshell put him through. There's nothing left for the Autobots to save.
* BrotherChuck (Happens to many characters who aren't killed off when their toy is discontinued.)
* TheBumblebee (TropeNamer)
* ButtMonkey (''Beast Wars''' Waspinator)
* CanonImmigrant (The Transformer "Spark" concept introduced in ''BeastWars'' has continued and become a vital part of Transformers mythology.)
* CatchPhrase ("Autobots! Transform and roll out!", among others.)
* TheChewToy (Four words: "Why universe hate Waspinator?!?")
* TheCollectorOfTheStrange (Autobot Pipes collects interesting human knick-knacks.)
* CoolCar (Kind of a given, but the live action movie had to use real cars. Barricade in the 2007 movie is a Ford Mustang, Jazz is a Pontiac Solstice, Bumblebee is a 1976 Chevy Camaro ''who later becomes a 2008 Camaro'', ''Revenge of the Fallen'' is showcasing a one-of-a-kind Concept Corvette that will not actually reach consumers.)
* CopycatCover (''Transmorphers'', whose title also copied the classic font and was released just after the 2007 movie.)
* CueCullen (TropeNamer, after the announcement that Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime, would be reprising that role in the [[TransformersFilmSeries live-action movies]].
* ContinuitySnarl
* CyberCyclops (Shockwave)
* DeathIsCheap: Let's just say "destroyed" doesn't necessarily mean "dead" and leave it at that.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu (When Unicron is a robot EldritchAbomination, they come across this trope in order to win.)
* DroppedABridgeOnHim (Nearly all of the cast from the first two seasons is killed off during the movie, as well as Optimus and Starscream [[DeathIsCheap albeit temporarily.]])
** ''BeastWars'' was sometimes almost careless with how they killed certain characters; a few times they were intended to be dead but Hasbro insisted they bring them back.
* DuelingShows (TransformersGeneration1 vs. ''The [[ChallengeOfTheGoBots Go-Bots]]'')
* DumbMuscle (The Dinobots, especially Sludge.)
** Devastator in the original, Tidal Wave in ''Armada''
* EldritchAbomination (Unicron)
* EquivalentExchange (When using TimeTravel in the Marvel comics.)
* ExecutiveMeddling (Tons and tons and tons, relating to marketing and the usual reasons. Recent example: the GrandFinale to Simon Furman's MythArc comic series was cut from 12 issues to 4 so that IDW could publish ''All Hail Megatron'' instead.)
* {{Expy}} (Kicker from ''Energon'' is basically ''GaoGaiGar'''s Mamoru with added {{Wangst}}.)
* FetishFuel (Inevitable for a franchise about both transformations and robots; it even has [[FetishFuel/{{Transformers}} its own page]].)
* FiveEpisodePilot
* {{Flanderization}} (Grimlock, who, in the original cartoon, goes from a "Brawn over Brains" thug to a mentally-challenged child between season 2 and TheMovie.)
* FunSize (Galvatron)
* {{Hammerspace}} (It's been an accepted HandWave that transformers have this to explain Robots changing size from what would logically fit into their alternate form, most famously Megatron and Soundwave from G1. Also, exactly how big individual Transformers are varies radically based on the needs of the plot. [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Scale Scale in Transformers is, not to put too fine a point on it, screwed.]])
* HangingJudge (The Quintesson judge would actually often find the defendant innocent. Too bad that the Quintessons throw you to the Sharkticons either way.)
* HatePlague (The TropeNamer. It first appeared in the Generation 1 cartoon, and reappeared in a more virulent form in ''Beast Machines''.)
* HoldYourHippogriffs: Plenty of human proverbs RecycledInSpace:
** "You can stuff it up your [[strike:ass]] exhaust pipe."
** "Do you ever think you could be [[strike:destined]] programmed for something bigger?"
** "[[strike:Mind]] Processor over matter."
** "He eats [[strike:babies]] protoforms!"
** "I've got one foot in the [[strike:grave]] scrap heap."
* HumongousMecha
* IdiosyncraticWipes
* {{Introdump}}
* JustAMachine
* JustHereForGodzilla (Fans generally only want to see [[RuleOfCool giant robots turning into cars and beating each other up]]. Everything else is window dressing and human characters tend to be [[TheScrappy automatic Scrappies]].
* KillEmAll (The [[TransformersGeneration1 Original Movie]] was deliberately plotted to kill off as many characters/toys as possible, traumatizing kids who expected a continuation of the [[NeverSayDie TV show]].)
* LightsOffTheirEyes - Whenever a Transformer [[strike:[[NeverSayDie dies]]]] "goes off-line".
* LiveActionAdaptation (The 2007 movie)
* MartyrWithoutACause (Optimus Prime)
* {{Masquerade}}
* MeaningfulName
* TheMerch
** OfficialCosplayGear
* MerchandiseDriven (...but, as the entry on that page states, Transformers fans generally embrace the merchandising aspects.)
* TheMovie (Twice, 1986 and 2007)
* TheMultiverse (The franchise spans many different universes, sometimes implied, sometimes explicitly.)
* NameTron (Megatron, Cybertron, Galvatron, etc.)
* NeverSayDie (Depending on franchise. The characters in ''Generation 1'', for instance, freely used the words 'die', 'dead', and 'kill', but other series have used 'destroyed', 'sent to oblivion', '[[UnusualEuphemism offline]]', and so on.)
** Can't forget [[{{BeastWars}} "We're all gonna die..."]]
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot (Just being a Transformer makes you a giant, alien, transforming, robot. Then there's the ones that are also things like ninja, dinosaurs, bounty hunters, and wolves.)
* NinetyPercentOfYourBrain (The book ''Project Brain Drain'')
* NonLethalWarfare (Mostly)
* NoOneShouldSurviveThat
* NotQuiteDead
* ObfuscatingStupidity (In most of the comics, Grimlock acts like this. He still talks in the caveman dialect of his animated counterpart, but is one of the Autobots' most brilliant leaders, often coming off as a sort of brutally cunning Josef Stalin to Prime's FDR (or Prime's Churchill, if you're reading Marvel UK).)
* OmnicidalManiac (Unicron)
* OnlyOneName
* PhlebotinumMuncher (Energon)
* ThePikachuEffect (The fight between Megatron and Optimus Prime in the first movie.)
* PlanetEater (Yet again, Unicron)
* PlanetOfHats (''Cybertron'' revolves around five planets. Cybertron and Earth are both hatless, but on the Speed Planet, all anyone cares about is racing, on the Jungle Planet, everyone is obsessed with strength, and on the Giant Planet, the only thing anyone does is build stuff.)
** A robot planet full of robots is hatless?
** Just as much as a human planet full of humans.
* PraetorianGuard (The Wreckers, for Emirate Xaaron.)
* ThePoochie (New character Drift. Lengthy explanation is on the trope page.)
* PromotedFanboy (Benson Yee, frequent convention visitor and operator of a popular [[http://www.bwtf.com Transformers web site]]. He was approached on ''Generation One'' expertise for ''BeastWars'' and received a "Consultant" credit on certain episodes.)
** Then there's Don Figueroa, who built his own meter-tall custom Transformers from scratch before becoming a fan-favorite artist and toy designer.
*** And [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Fandom#Fans_gone_official even more promoted fans]] beyond that.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad (Before making an appearance in TheMovie, The Fallen created one of these in the ''War Within'' comic series. Decepticon mystics Bludgeon, Bugly, and Mindwipe made a very effective one, too.)
* RefugeInCool (The entire franchise is all about this.)
* RetCon (G1 presented the Transformer origin as being created by a squid-robotic race called the Quintessons as slave labor. Most later incarnations, including G1 versions, have ignored that origin story in favor of the Primus-God version.)
* RhymesOnADime (Wheelie and Blaster.)
* RuinedFOREVER (a wiki for Transformers is the TropeNamer, mocking the way fans react as though [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks every change will]] [[UnpleasableFanbase destroy the franchise]])
* RobotBuddy (Reversal: the Transformers have ''human'' buddies.)
* RobotWar
* RunningGag: Optimus Prime has a terrible habit of dying to the point where it's not even considered a spoiler to say he does. Dirge and afew of the Seekers overall seem to share this trait.
* RunningTheAsylum (Arguably, it's one of the few series that has benefited from it.)
* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale (Space travel varies depending on needs of the plot. Cybertron appears to sometimes be in the same solar system as Earth.)
** Also, partly due to the TimeDissonance described below, the ''Transformers'' backstory typically has Optimus and Megatron chasing each other around the galaxy for literally ''millions of years'' before crash-landing on Earth.
* TheScrappy (Wheelie and most of the human characters.)
* SeriesContinuityError (Cybertron is sometimes a tiny planet with buildings jutting out into space in G1 to resembling Coruscant in the Beast Era and everything in between.)
* SigilSpam (Nearly every incarnation of ''Transformers'' abuses the faction symbols to some degree)
* SignatureStyle (Simon Furman has a series of phrases that make their way into virtually every comic he writes, referred to as [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Furmanism Furmanisms]]. The most famous is either "'''like some vast, predatory bird'''" or "It never ends!")
* TheStarscream (TropeNamer)
* {{Steampunk}} (The ''Hearts of Steel'' miniseries)
* TakeThat (The comics feature a lot of jabs against the mostly-forgotten competitor to the original, ''ChallengeOfTheGoBots''.)
* TankGoodness (A bunch of Decepticons.)
* TelescopingRobot (Highly prevalent in ''[[TransformersGeneration1 G1]]'', where the 30-foot tall Soundwave became a stereo, amongst plenty of other examples. Later installments avoid this for the most part, simply consenting to [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Scale change size off camera]]. Not to be confused with the Cybertronians that turn ''into'' telescopes.)
* TimeDissonance (Transformers are immortal unless killed, and see time differently.)
* TransformingMecha (The entire concept.)
* TruceZone (Maccadam's Old Oil House )
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture (The later seasons of ''Generation 1'' and ''Energon'' are both obviously set in the near-future (G1 after TheMovie is explicitly set in 2006). ''Cybertron'', despite being explicitly set in the same continuity ten years after ''Energon'', appears to be contemporary.)
* TwentyMinutesWithJerks (An endemic problem with the franchise is that the first installment - the 2007 film, ''Armada,'' ''Infiltration'' - will sometimes focus excessively on the less-than-likable PunyHumans and ease into the robots. ''Infiltration'' is a case of this backfiring spectacularly, with the humans' development inspiring enough annoyance and boredom that the next arc, ''Stormbringer,'' was advertised as "Nothing but ROBOTS on CYBERTRON!")
* UnpleasableFanbase (Even they are aware of it, having a better sense of humor than [[BrokenBase most fandoms]]. Such phrases as "Ruined Forever!" and "Trukk Not Munky!" are evidence of this)
* UnusualEuphemism (The word 'slag' seems to be a Transformer equivalent to the human word 'shit/crap'. ''TransformersAnimated'' has fun with this, featuring such gems as "You'll have to pry it from my cold, offline servo!")
* VerbalTic (''BeastWars'' Megatron, yeeees. And BAM! KAZOWIE! Warpath. I am Wreck-Gar!)
* VillainDecay (Usually dealt with by upgrading the villains to new forms (with new toys, naturally). ''Animated'' intentionally made the Decepticons ''much'' more powerful than the heroes, and used them sparingly, filling in the gaps with human supervillains.)
* WhoWantsToLiveForever (Subverted, as the Transformers have a lifespan where they are effectively immortal, but this doesn't seem to bother them in the least. They can and do die in combat, naturally.)
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