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Embrace our new way of life, and reap its rewards! Or resist, and suffer the same fate of Britannia, as well as the Autobots and the Black Knights.

The main antagonists of the first two seasons. A militaristic and ruthless faction of Cybertronians who all sought to make Earth the first piece of an intergalactic empire.

* - denotes the presence of Mini-Cons

In General

Achilles' Heel: Disunity - the Decepticons may want the Black Knights and Autobots destroyed, but their numerous conflicting agendas continuously prevent them from achieving this goal, as they simply will not work together, and when they do unite, they don't coordinate well as a team. To summarize:
- Megatron is fighting solely to make himself ruler of Cybertron.
- Starscream wants to take Megatron's place as leader of the Decepticons and nominally has Skywarp and Thundercracker's backing.
- Soundwave is motivated by total loyalty to Megatron, as is Dreadwing (though to a lesser degree than Soundwave).
- Knockout and Shockwave are only part of the Decepticons because they get free rein to indulge their Mad Scientist tendencies.
- Breakdown believes in Authority Equals Asskicking and follows Megatron because the former miner bested him in battle.
- Airachnid only joined the Decepticons because Megatron gave her free range to torture and murder any Autobot she wanted to.
- Lastly, the Token Human, Suzaku, was deliberately misled into believing the Decepticons are much nicer than they really are and follows because Megatron offered to help him reform Britannia.
- Case in point: the only Decepticons who are almost always shown to dominate the Autobots and Black Knights in battle? Soundwave, Laserbeak, Frenzy, Rumble, and Ravage.
- It should be noted, though, that they are leagues better at managing this than Britannia, which has this problem to a lesser extent than the Decepticons, because Megatron absolutely refuses to tolerate insubordination and harshly punishes those who stray too far from his plan. By the end of R1, only Dreadwing ends up breaking from the Decepticons, as opposed to the mass defections from Britannia, because Megatron forced all of his other subordinates into compliance and willingly wrote off Dreadwing as a lost cause.
Aliens Are Bastards: Barring the occasional Noble Demon/Token Good Teammate, they're robot aliens from Cybertron and a very big threat to the Autobots and Black Knights, being a group of vile warmongers and conquerors.
Became Their Own Antithesis: Many of the Decepticons joined Megatron’s cause due to their disillusionment with the Autobot High Council on Cybertron. In Chapter 30, after Megatron disappears for a time, they end up forming their own council at Schneizel’s proposal, with Starscream as the head of the council. It ultimately doesn’t last, as Megatron kills Starscream and Schneizel two chapters later.
Call a Human a "Meatbag": Many Decepticons refer to humans as "meatbags" or something similar, especially in R2 when they drop any pretense of benevolence.
Cool Starship: The Decepticons' base is a massive starship called the Nemesis, which also happens to be the lobotomized mode-locked vehicle form of Trypticon.
Dwindling Party: Over the course of the story, their numbers are slowly picked off by the Autobots and Black Knights. By the end of Starscream and Schneizel's Damocles attack, Knock Out estimates that the Decepticons on Earth have lost over 2/3 of their original forces, making it much more difficult to carry out operations. And by the time the final battle of R2 ends, the only Decepticons left alive are Steve, Knock Out, Thundercracker, Sky-Byte, Predaking, Steeljaw, Slipstream, Airazor, Divebomb, and a handful of captured Vehicons.
The Empire: By the start of R2, they've created an empire on Earth by crushing Britannia and taking over their territory.
Evil Virtues: While their vileness and depravity definitely outweighs Britannia's, there are a few virtues about the Decepticons can be seen as more productive and even noble.
- Equality: Social standing, bloodline, and personal ambitions mean nothing to the Decepticons; only how well you can contribute to their cause. While they are similarly contemptuous of others species, if one proves their skill (Suzaku) or commitment (Schneizel), they will allow them into their ranks and are actually treated with a modicum of respect if they showcase real valor. While they do enslave human beings, they don't give a damn about things like race and culture. They just care about whether you put in hard day's work or not.
- Honesty: Downplayed — not that they never lie or twist certain truths, but unlike Britannia, they are completely upfront about being galactic warmongers and do not put up the pretense of wanting peace or to establish civil commune.
Eviler than Thou: It is very bluntly established that the Decepticons are worse than Britannia in every way that matters - they have no problems with killing their own, deliberately targeting innocents, and including horrendous monsters in their ranks. The Britannians may do most of the same, but even they will balk at deliberately killing their own (with the exception of the Numbers, of course). Fully cemented in Fall of Britannia when the Decepticons sack Pendragon and kill Charles!
Evil vs. Evil: As of Damocles Rises the Decepticons have been split in two factions: The rebels, led by Starscream and Schneizel, and the loyalists, composed of Megatron and his inner circle, Soundwave, Shockwave, Knock Out, Steeljaw, Fracture and Shin. The conflict is short-lived, with the rebels and Britannians all being killed in the following chapter.
False Flag Operation: This is how the Decepticons derail the Special Administrative Zone - they replace Euphemia with a Pretender the day prior to the Zone being declared open, and when the Autobots and Black Knights arrive, use said Pretender to turn the Zone into a Massacre. Additionally, Soundwave impersonates Charles and gives Bismarck orders to wipe out all elevens in the area, which he passes onto the rest of the Britannian Military, ensuring that even if the Black Knights win, Britannia will be seen as the villainous empire it really is.
Fantastic Racism: Save for a few like Dreadwing and Knock Out, most of the Decepticons show disdain and scorn towards organics, even calling them "meatbags" or any similar terms.
Foil: To the Autobots regarding their human allies - while the Autobots tend to be extremely friendly with the Black Knights (to the point that most of the named Autobots have human partners within the Black Knights), the Decepticons prefer to keep their relationship with their Britannian allies strictly professional.
Outside-Genre Foe: They're essentially Super Robot show villains in a Real Robot setting, but the story seems to favor them having the advantage. What are the chances of an Earth-based empire who's only dealt with human foes gonna do when alien, transforming robots step into the picture?
Pragmatic Villainy: After they start using humans as slave labor in R2, it's noted that they make sure that they get enough food and sleep; not out of benevolence, but because they need their slaves alive to get any use out of them.
- It's also noted that, unlike Britannia, they simply avoid areas that don't benefit them rather than destroying heritage sites for kicks.
The Psycho Rangers: Just like in Transformers Prime, many of the Decepticons are explicitly Evil Counterparts to Team Prime.
- Optimus and Megatron are both the leaders of their teams and possess mentor-student relationships with a human.
- In terms of body design and fighting style, Arcee and Starscream fulfill similar roles.
- Bulkhead and Breakdown are The Big Guys of their teams, and actually not too different.
- Ratchet and Knockout are The Medics, though one is more amoral than the other.
- Soundwave and Bumblebee are both silent and are more powerful than their positions initially let on.
- Lelouch and Suzaku are the proteges of their respective faction's leaders, and are their liaisons to their human allies. That being said, Lelouch isn't an official member of the group but is treated as one anyway, while Suzaku is the first human Decepticon but feels isolated among their ranks. When Suzaku defects, Schneizel takes his place, and fits the role better, as both are Britannian princes allied with Cybertronians who desire a new, better world order.
The Purge: Megatron taking back control of the Decepticons during the events of The Demon and Dragon Cometh counts as such. By the end of the chapter all members of Starscream and Schneizel's faction have been eliminated, leaving only Megatron loyalists left.
Purple Is Powerful: The Decepticons are the most powerful and dangerous threat in the story's setting, and the color purple is associated with them greatly. Examples:
- Their insignia is colored purple.
- Whenever Megatron uses Dark Energon or activates his Dark Geass, his optics turn bright purple.
- A number of them have purple paint jobs, like Shockwave, Skywarp and Fracture, or have purple highlights in their paint job, such as Slipstream, Airachnid, and the Constructicons.
- All of the Vehicon soldiers have purple and black paint jobs, and when the Dark Knights are formed, all of their Knightmares are given a similar paint job.
The Right of a Superior Species: Despite their alliance with Britannia, Decepticons sees humanity in general as little more than worms that they can easily punish and enslave.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Boy howdy! The only reason the Decepticons are united is because Megatron united them via force, and this is readily apparent all the time — many of their numbers fundamentally do not get along with one another. As for the Britannians, most Decepticons view them as allies of convenience at best. This finally bites them in the aft when Airachnid betrays Starscream and Cornelia, as not only does Starscream tell the Autobots where to find the Immobilizer, Cornelia is Geassed by Lelouch and gives up intel on all Decepticon and Britannian operations in Area 11.
Underwater Base: The end of Battle for the Ark sees the damaged Nemesis sink to the ocean and land in the exact same spot the Ark had been just moments ago.
Villain Has a Point: Several of the Decepticons note how the Britannians are massive Hypocrites, as they couldn't care less when they slaughter Numbers by the dozens but throw a fit when one of their own die. The Decepticons then double down and note that the Britannians aren't so different from the Black Knights in their eyes - both are squishy little weaklings trying to act tough.
Villainous Demotivator: Inverted. By the end of Divided They Fall, Megatron instructs Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Airachnid to put aside rivalries and work together; not because he wants them to be friends, but because he's sick and tired of their bickering getting in the way of wiping out the Autobots.
Villain Team-Up: The Decepticons willingly team up with Britannia to hunt down the Autobots and Black Knights until the end of R1, when the Decepticons overthrow Britannia and establish themselves as the new rulers of Earth.

Leadership

Megatron

See Code Prime Megatron for his profile.

Military Commanders

Starscream

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"You humans are so amusing. Once you obtain a taste of power, you automatically believe that you can rule your whole planet with it. Only to receive a cold reminder of what true power is."

Megatron's second in command and leader of the Seekers. He holds much disdain towards the Britannian soldiers, that is, unless they're as crafty as he is, but despite his snobbishness, he's a very cunning, skilled warrior and manipulator. However, his apparent loyalty to Megatron may be hiding his self-centered ambitions...

Adaptational Comic Relief: Since Megatron is not rendered comatose in this story as was the case in the first few episodes of Prime, Starscream doesn't get as much time to shine, and he's often fighting against opponents who are more than capable of matching him, making him less of a threat than he was in Prime.
Adaptational Wimp: Most iterations of Starscream have some form of resurrective immortality that allows them to come Back from the Dead, which helps seeing how he tends to die a lot. Here, he definitively lacks this power (Aligned never indicated if he had this power in that continuity), and his death to the Synthetic Rust Plague sticks.
Arch-Enemy: He's this for Jetfire, who hates his former friend for joining Megatron.
Asshole Victim: Given the fact that minus the Constructicons, all his lieutenants leave him to suffer a predictable demise at Megatron's hands, it's safe to say no one feels sorry for Starscream when he finally bites the dust (no pun intended). Although, the death is admitedly quite gruesome.
Batman Gambit: He's the one who told the JLF about the Sakuradite Conference at the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel, knowing that the Autobots would likely show up to rescue the trapped civilians. That being said, he still fails in defeating them because he vastly underestimates how strong the Autobots are.
Big Bad Wannabe: That's Starscream's entire character in a nutshell. An idiot that has no charisma or skills to back up his giant ego. It happened after Megatron's temporary demise at the hands of Metroplex and it happens again when he and Schneizel seize control of the Decepticons. Their reign is short-lived and ends with them meeting a brutal demise.
Big "NO!": He lets out one as he's disintegrated by Shockwave's rust plague.
Birds of a Feather: While Starscream utterly loathes humans, he is genuinely respectful to Schneizel, not only because the latter can get the job done, but also because he is essentially Starscream's human counterpart. Both want to lead their respective factions and are willing to go behind their current leaders' backs to amass the power and support needed to usurp them.
Boss's Unfavorite Employee: Out of all of his subordinates, Starscream is the one who Megatron has the least amount of patience for. Due to how his plans always coming up to backfire in his ass, and because of how he’s constantly trying to backstab Megatron.
Butt-Monkey: As typical for him (and his other incarnations), Starscream doesn't have a lot going for him in the luck department. Most of his activities in any field often result in either agony, humiliation, or agonizing humiliation. He also gets little respect among the Decepticons and Autobots because of his sycophantic and cowardly nature. Multiple characters have suggested that this is why Megatron still keeps him around despite his many failed attempts at seizing power, he gets some stress relief from pummeling him.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Gets the unfortunate distinction of being rusted to death by the rust plague, where even the apex armor couldn't protect him from it.
Dragon Ascendant: By the end of Damocles Rises, he and Schneizel have successfully taken over the Decepticon empire, with nearly half of the Autobots killed in the Damocles blast. Although he is unaware that Megatron survived since he is immortal.
Dirty Coward: Just like in canon, Starscream tends to go for cheap shots when in a fight and runs away if things get too rough for him. He's also not above begging if captured.
Evil Former Friend: Like other versions, Starscream was friends with Jetfire before the war on Cybertron, but betrayed him to join the Decepticons. Their friendship has long since been over and the two of them have no issues fighting each other by the time they meet again in R2.
Evil Gloating: As in the cartoon series, Starscream is a little too prone to this, which comes to its logical eventuality during the Battle of Narita where Tohdoh attacks Starscream mid-rant and flatly tells him "You Talk Too Much!"
Fantastic Racism: Even though most Decepticons have this, Starscream is a standout case. Schneizel, who is by all accounts his human contemporary, is the only human Starscream has any genuine respect for.
Foil:
- To Airachnid. the two of them are the least sympathetic of the Decepticons, share similar body-types, and have aerial alt-modes. As for differences:
  - Starscream's alt-mode is a jet while Airachnid's alt-mod is a helicopter.
  - Starscream desires to lead, while Airachnid is willing to follow as long as she can indulge in her sadism.
  - Starscream is a competent planner, but frequently has his schemes ruined by circumstances that could happen, but which he never expected. Airachnid, meanwhile, prefers to play things by ear, with most of her losses being due to a Spanner in the Works or five.
  - Airachnid left the Decepticons because she wasn't able to indulge in her sadism following the end of the war. Starscream remained so that he could try and become leader.
  - Starscream's actions are usually (but not always) Played for Laughs. Airachnid's actions, however, are always Played for Drama.
- Also to Schneizel. Both of them are notorious schemers using others for their own ends, and harbor ambitions of overthrowing their leaders to take their places. However, Starscream lets his ego get the better of him many times and his desire to overthrow Megatron is a secret to absolutely no one; while Schneizel feigns humility and keeps his goals a secret from everyone around him except Kanon.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Most of his fellow Decepticons, including the Seekers under his command, don't like him due to his treasonous tendencies, arrogance and general lack of competence in their eyes.
It's Personal: Starscream seems to have developed a grudge towards Tohdoh for the beatdown the human gave him at Narita. Even though Megatron insists that Suzaku will be the one to execute him when he's imprisoned, Starscream still manages to convince his leader that if the boy fails, the Seeker takes over.
Jerkass Has a Point: Starscream is probably the most disliked among his own side due to his scheming and backstabbing nature, but there are several times he raises valid points.
- While forcing Suzaku to try and kill Rai during Geass Ex Machina is an extreme Kick the Dog moment (and also likely a war crime), he's not wrong that Suzaku will eventually need to kill enemies because he is a soldier.
- He raises similar points at Yokosuka.
- During the aftermath of Narita, he's willing to advocate the total annihilation of all humans in Area 11 in order to destroy Zero's forces. While this is Disproportionate Retribution at its finest, he is correct that there are many Britannians siding with the Black Knights because of Shinjuku and the Hotel Jacking, and that they will continue to support the Black Knights so long as they lack faith in Cornelia to protect them.
  - He also immediately calls out Cornelia when she balks at this suggestion, pointing out that she was willing to slaughter innocents at Narita and would have done nothing to save the hostages at the Hotel Jacking if Euphie hadn't been among them.
- During Tropical Assault, Starscream notes the possibility that Euphemia taking Suzaku as her knight could be an attempt to dismantle the Decepticon ranks. As part of the reason Euphie chose Suzaku was to try and move him away from Megatron's influence, Starscream isn't wrong.
- After the Iacon Relic hunt, he's quick to point out that Nemesis Prime's boasting doesn't quite hold up to scrutiny on multiple levels. The Combaticons did similar things to him, and managed to retrieve part of a relic regardless. And if he did manage to kill 2 upper level warriors, then that might make them martyrs and only cause the enemy to seek vengeance rather than fear.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When he sees Grimlock arrive on the battlefield in A Different Kind of Engagement, Starscream immediately orders a full retreat, realizing the battle is lost.
A Lighter Shade of Black: For all of his many faults, he's still better than Airachnid, as the latter tends to indulge in carnage and slaughter entirely because she can and is bored, while Starscream is generally uninterested in doing so (and the one time he does stoop to that level, he at least offers a somewhat reasonable explanation).
Lean and Mean: Mentioned as the leanest of the Seeker trio and by far the meanest.
Locked Out of the Loop: When Megatron learns Lelouch's identity as Zero in Stolen Mask, he decides to keep this information from his first lieutenant, sharing it only with Soundwave, and later Shockwave. Justified since Megatron knows Starscream would likely try to do something rash like attack Ashford Academy. This is proven true when Starscream learns Zero's identity in School Festival Declaration.
Starscream: You discovered Zero's identity, and you chose not to tell me?! Your first lieutenant?!
Megatron: What would you have done with this information, Starscream?
Starscream: Why, I would have leveled that boy's residency and saw to his immediate termination!
Megatron: Exactly! You would have acted rashly without thinking of the consequence! True, you might have eliminated Zero, but Optimus and the Autobots would still live! Our enemies would still be a threat! It is best to wait and bide your time so that you may eliminate all your enemies in one stroke as opposed to drawing out countless battles!
Manipulative Bastard: When captured in Divided They Fall, Starscream manages to act pathetic enough for Arcee and Kallen to let their guard down, allowing him to injure the former and disable the Guren.
No-Sell: Like in canon he gets the Apex Armor during the hunt for the Iacon relics, which protects him from practically any weapon, including the Radiant Wave Surger and the Shinkiro's cannon.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: Starscream does have comedic moments from time to time, but there are also times when his actions also prove why he's a Decepticon.
- In Geass Ex Machina, when Rai is down and his Knightmare beyond repair, Starscream doesn't just want to kill him; he also wants Suzaku to do the deed.
- Shown again in Tropical Skirmish, when he happily agrees to Schneizel's plan for bombarding the Autobots and Black Knights, even though Suzaku will perish as well. Even when Euphemia runs out after him, Starscream shows no hesitation or remorse, simply stating it'd be one less pain in the neck for him.
- This is shown again in Fall of Britannia when he manages to kill Beatrice Franks, the former Knight of Two, during the invasion of Pendragon.
- Later again in Clash of Ice and Metal, he gets the Apex Armor and completely trashes Alpha Team, forcing them to simply blow up the ground he's on and send him into the ocean, essentially giving the Decepticons a victory.
Oh, Crap!: He's completely horrified when he sees Grimlock among the Autobot and Black Knight forces in A Different Kind of Engagement, remembering when the Dinobot leader beat him up back on Cybertron.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives an absolutely epic one to Suzaku in Island of Gods and Monsters, calling out the latter for ignoring his authority and repeatedly failing to follow orders, which really is a big problem for Suzaku. He then goes further and gives one to all of the assembled Britannians except Schneizel, laying into them over their bickering, infighting, and pointlessly obstructive behaviors, which are all major problems for Britannia.
Smug Snake: Downplayed - Starscream is capable of coming up with genuinely clever plans and manipulating others to act how he wants them to, but Megatron and Zero are in a totally different class. Megatron has mentally compared him favorably to Mao in this regard.
The Starscream: Averted. Megatron seems to have beaten this trope out of Starscream thanks to a much lower tolerance for treachery. But his discussion with Schneizel in Island of Gods and Monsters hints he may just be biding his time. Sure enough, Clash of Ice and Metal reveals that Starscream, along with Schneizel, is planning something behind Megatron's back.
Token Evil Teammate: To the Decepticons - Starscream generally advocates the most aggressive and cruel handling of a situation, ignoring both morals and pragmatism when he believes it would benefit him and his allies... well, when it benefits him, at any rate. That being said, Airachnid is straight-up worse than him in this regard.
Very Punchable Man: Both Autobots and Decepticons have joked that the only reason Megatron keeps Starscream around is to use him as stress relief, since it's so fun to punch him.
Villain Has a Point:
- While most of his criticisms are valid (since they are directed at his teammates), his Breaking Speech in Island of Gods and Monsters toward Suzaku definitely counts here - despite choosing to join the Decepticons, Suzaku refuses to acknowledge Starscream's authority and outright disobeyed a direct order, which is a legitimate dereliction of duty on Suzaku's part (granted, the last one was due to Lelouch's Geass).
- The rest of his rant is also valid, as while the Decepticons engage in a lot of bickering and backstabbing, Britannia also does so and has repeatedly allowed the Autobots and Black Knights to slip out of their grasp because of it (and unlike the Cons, Britannia doesn't actually do much to address this problem).
Would Hurt a Child: Starscream shows no hesitation when he holds Empress Tianzi hostage.
You Don't Look Like You: Jetfire comments on how lean he is when compared to back at Cybertron. Starscream blames it on humanity's vehicle design. This is a reference to Starscream's very different designs between War For Cybertron and Prime.

Soundwave

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Soundwave, superior. Autobots and humans, inferior."

Megatron's communications officer and his most loyal Decepticon, having fought him to a standstill. He has the ability to access others' communications, whether by his own power, or his team of Mini-Cons.

Adaptational Badass: In homage to Transformers: Generation 1, Geass ex Machina not only increases his Mini-Con arsenal with Ravage but Battle for Narita increases it again with Rumble and Frenzy! They were referenced earlier in Stolen Mask.
Almighty Janitor: His primary role is communications, but make no mistake, Soundwave is every bit as deadly and feared as Megatron and just as capable of assuming leadership if the situation calls for it.
Attack Drone: His alt mode is a UAV, most resembling a "Predator B" drone.
Benevolent Boss: He at least treats his Mini-Cons decently enough and they in turn are pretty loyal to him.
Beware the Quiet Ones: He is probably the second most dangerous Decepticon after Megatron himself.
The Blank: Has a computer monitor where a face ought to be, though that just might be his "face" altogether.
Combat Pragmatist: Soundwave will dispatch his drones for battle and strike at any opportunity given.
Combat Tentacles: The tentacles that he uses to download information can also be used as weapons, as Kallen in the Guren found out.
Communications Officer: His primary role.
Death by Adaptation: Bulkhead blows him apart during the final battle.
The Dreaded: Is the most dangerous Decepticon next to Megatron, due to his fighting skills, his tactical mindset and his army of Mini-Cons. And as the eyes and ears of the Decepticons, he can overhear any communication on Earth, even between the Black Knights and Autobots.
Drone Deployer: Along with Laserbeak from the chest like in the canon, Ravage is launched from the back, and Rumble & Frenzy from the right & left sides respectively.
Elective Mute: He can talk, he simply chooses not to.
Evil Counterpart: To Bumblebee. Both are close confidants with their leaders and both are known for being mutes (though only Soundwave's case is voluntary). They are also much more battle-competent than their respective team roles would suggest, except unlike Bee who prefers to be in the thick of combat, Soundwave usually has his Mini-cons handle most of the fighting.
The Faceless: If he has one, it's probably hidden behind his computer monitor.
Genius Bruiser: Soundwave is as cunning and as hardened a combatant as Megatron (both were once gladiators in Kaon). He is also the Decepticons' Communications Officer and is just as effective in that capacity.
Invincible Villain: As in Prime, but slightly Downplayed here, as Kallen manages to get a Curb-Stomp Cushion when fighting him at Narita, showing that Soundwave is Not So Invincible After All, but only barely.
Non-Action Guy: Justified - Soundwave normally does not fight, but only because his primary duties consist of being a communications officer. The few times he does fight, he practically demolishes everything that gets in his way. Even Kallen in the Guren is put on the defense.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Soundwave is all about efficiency. He'll never start gloating, he'll never engage in acts of cruelty for the sake of cruelty, and he'll never act outside the scope of his mission.
Not So Above It All:
- While Soundwave is searching for information about Zero and the Autobots in Diverging and Intersecting Paths, Skywarp asks how many hits contain the phrase "These guys are awesome!". Soundwave actually humors him by revealing that 1,203,407 hits fit that criterion.
- When he's captured and interrogated by the Autobots and Black Knights, Soundwave plays a Dubstep-esque remix of Lelouch's questioning after canceling out the young revolutionary's Geass with his Geass Canceler and displays a smiling emoji on his facial monitor as the cherry on top.
Not So Stoic: Soundwave doesn't show any emotion, but it's saying a lot when something surprises him:
- He's completely shocked in School Festival Declaration when he sees Megatron first use his Dark Geass on a Vehicon trooper, literally scaring him to death. He gets over it quickly when Megatron uses it on V.V. moments later.
- He's caught off-guard when Zero announced his return in the beginning of R2.
Power Nullifier: It's revealed in Red Triage that Soundwave is one of many Decepticons who's equipped with a Geass Canceller.
The Quiet One: It's easy to forget, but Soundwave can speak. But unlike Bee, who's voicebox was damaged, Soundwave just chooses not to. He later speaks in Facade of Blood, disguising his voice as Charles' and ordering the Knights of the Round and the Britannian military to attack the SAZ. Come The Calm Before The Storm and he uses his natural voice like in Prime.
Silent Snarker: He never says a word, but doesn't need to for an occasional quip (especially at Starscream's expense).
Undying Loyalty: To Megatron. Even after his disappearance, he kept hard at work trying to rescue him, ignoring the feelings of the majority of the other Decepticon leadership. This even extends to shutting himself down when he's captured by the Autobots and Black Knights rather than give any information about his master's plan as further proof of his loyalty.
Villainous Friendship: With Megatron, who he is loyal to.
Voice Changeling: Soundwave tricks the Britannians into joining in the SAZ massacre, by impersonating Charles' voice.

Laserbeak

Soundwave's surveillance and attack drone, who rests on his chest when not in use.

Attack Drone: Easily the most drone-like of Soundwave's Mini-cons.
Death by Adaptation: He gets blown apart by Ironhide during the final battle.
Detachment Combat: Folds out of Soundwave's chest when needed.
Feathered Fiend: No feathers (being a machine) and resembles an origami bird.
Hologram: Capable of deploying a few, most notably of Megatron and Starscream during a meeting in Area 11's Britannian Palace in Messenger from Kyoto.
The Voiceless: Just like its master, Laserbeak never talks.

Ravage

The most dangerous of Soundwave's deployers. He's usually stored in Soundwave's back.

Breath Weapon: Fires Energon blasts from his mouth.
Deadly Lunge: Prevents Mao from escaping after one too many failures. He later does this to a member of the Geass Order in Fall of Britannia, tearing out his throat in the process.
Detachment Combat: Folds out of Soundwave's back when needed.
Panthera Awesome: Just like in G1, his robot mode is based on a certain jungle cat.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Is the most dangerous of Soundwave's Mini-Cons, capable of short-range and long-range attacks, and is strong and fast.
Stealth Expert: Ravage is unsurprisingly very stealthy when it wants to, fitting for a mechanical jungle cat.
The Voiceless: Just like its master, Ravage never talks.

Rumble

"Time to shake things up a bit!"

The most destructive member of Soundwave's deployers, he resides on Soundwave's right side.

Detachment Combat: Folds out of Soundwave's right side when needed.
Half the Man He Used to Be: Windblade cuts him in half when he gets distracted due to Soundwave getting knocked out.
Meaningful Name: Rumble makes earthquakes.
Rumble: Get ready to crumble, before Rumble!
Pintsized Powerhouse: Rumble's earthquake powers definitely make him hard to approach for his size.
Purple Is Powerful: Definitely fits with his color scheme and his pile-drivers.

Frenzy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dghnles_14439257_29ac_4643_8753_66247565d2a8.png

"Ah yeah, time to dance!"

Soundwave's fastest deployer, who rests on Soundwave's left side.

Blood Knight: Is rather excited to fight against the Autobots during Narita and is disappointed that Soundwave cut the fight short to bring Shockwave to Earth.
Detachment Combat: Folds out of Soundwave's left side when needed.
Off with His Head!: He gets his head decapitated by Sayoko.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: His color scheme and his allegiance is proof enough.
Sadist: Somewhat. In The Patch Paradox, he suggested drilling into Suzaku's head to locate the latter's missing memory due to Lelouch's Geass. He's notably disappointed when Shockwave dissuades him.

Dreadwing

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_7315.png

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"You know nothing of loyalty or honor."

A Seeker and one of the few Decepticons who have a strong sense of honor. He usually goes on missions with his human comrade and fellow Decepticon recruit Suzaku Kururugi, and also serves as Princess Euphemia's guard by his own choice, eventually developing a friendship with both humans.

Adaptational Early Appearance: While Dreadwing didn't appear in Transformers: Prime until the second season, here, he arrives to the Nemesis shortly after Lelouch's debut to the world as Zero.
Adaptational Heroism: He joins the Autobots after the SAZ Massacre, and dies an Autobot.
Anti-Villain: He's only in it out of loyalty and won't go out of his way to Kick the Dog.
Bash Brothers: He is often as Suzaku's side in many different missions, leading to mutual trust and respect between the two. In Battle at Kyushu, Dreadwing outright calls Suzaku "brother" when they're surrounded.
Blue Is Heroic: Even before his Heel–Face Turn to the Autobots and Black Knight, Dreadwing has always been one of the more virtuous and enlightened Decepticons.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In canon, Dreadwing attempted to kill Starscream for desecrating Skyquake's body, only to be killed by Megatron in turn. Here, he sacrifices himself to kill Airachnid and her Insecticons.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Much like in canon, Dreadwing cared for his deceased brother Skyquake, and dedicates his services to his twin's memory. He also comes to care greatly for Suzaku and Euphemia, fighting alongside Suzaku whenever on they're on the field together, and even volunteering to be Euphie's bodyguard. His relationship with them culminates in Dreadwing calling Suzaku his brother during the battle of Kyushu and swearing loyalty to Euphie when he learns the truth of what happened to Cybertron. Later, Dreadwing and Suzaku end up defecting to the Autobots and Black Knights when Megatron instigates the SAZ Massacre and kidnaps Euphie.
Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being a Decepticon, Dreadwing's sense of honor has him disagreeing with many of the Britannian Empire's actions, as well as some of his fellow Decepticons, multiple times in the story.
- Takes a moment of silence to honor those killed in the Shinjuku massacre.
- Cornelia's decision to reenact the Shinjuku massacre at Saitama to draw out Zero and the Autobots does not sit well with him.
- He also does not agree with Britannia's discrimination policies.
- He will never mock anyone who has lost family, because he knows full well the pain of losing a brother due to the death of his twin Skyquake.
- Airachnid in general, especially when he learns about her butchering many people in Shinjuku just because she was bored.
- He's completely shocked and disgusted to learn how Suzaku killed his own father.
- In Battle at Kyushu Dreadwing is shocked when he finds out that Megatron destroyed Cybertron with Dark Energon. This leads him to working with Euphemia and Suzaku against Megatron, something he never did in canon. He's also shocked when he learns that Megatron used the Cortical Psychic Patch on Suzaku.
- In School Festival Declaration, he instantly dislikes Luciano Bradley when he arrives to Area 11, feeling his stomach turn the moment he sets eyes on him.
- In Facade of Blood, he is utterly horrified by the massacre at the SAZ, and enraged when he learns that Megatron used a Pretender to impersonate Euphie. This is the final straw that causes him to defect to the Autobots and Black Knights.
Evil Counterpart: Dreadwing takes up a mentorship role with Suzaku similar to what Optimus and Lelouch have. However, he doesn't voice any objections to Megatron steering the boy down a darker path out of loyalty.
Evil Virtues: Honesty, Honor, Loyalty, Resourcefulness.
Expy: Apart from his already existing comparisons to Dinobot, his relationship with Euphemia evokes Armada Starscream while also bringing to mind his Heroic Sacrifice.
Genius Bruiser: Smart, well-spoken, cunning, and liable to kick your skidplate in seconds.
Hate at First Sight: Upon meeting Luciano Bradley.
Heel–Face Turn: Decides to turn against Megatron in Battle at Kyushu when Euphie reveals that Megatron is responsible for Cybertron becoming uninhabitable. By Facade of Blood he fully joins the Autobot-Black Knight Alliance, with Setting the Stage further cementing it with the revelation that Megatron killed his brother Skyquake.
Heroic Sacrifice: Blows up the Kamine Island Energon deposit to ensure the Insecticons on the island will be destroyed, and hopefully taking out Airachnid with them. Notably, he didn't actually intend for it to be a sacrifice, but Airachnid damaged his T-cog to the point he couldn't transform, leaving him with no way to escape the blast.
Hypocrite: Kallen points out that however well-intentioned his actions are, he's willingly siding with a dictator who doomed his own planet while attempting to conquer it.
It Has Been an Honor: In his final moments, he contacts Cornelia, Euphemia and Suzaku, thanking them for being his friends and expressing his honor and privilege to know them and fight alongside them.
It's Personal: Vows to kill Megatron without a moment's hesitation after learning of Euphemia being kidnapped and replaced with a Pretender to attack the SAZ. It becomes even more personal when Dreadwing learns Megatron was responsible for Skyquake's death.
Locked Out of the Loop: It's implied that there are details of what happened to his brother that he is unaware of. Optimus tries to tell him the full story, but gets interrupted. He finally learns in Setting the Stage that Skyquake was poisoned with Dark Energon by Megatron when he tried to prevent Cybertron's destruction, to the point that Ratchet had to Mercy Kill him.
Master Swordsman: He's shown to be an excellent swordsman, capable of matching Wheeljack and even Optimus Prime.
Mortal Wound Reveal: A variation - when Dreadwing goes to destroy the energon deposit on Kamine Island to destroy Airachnid's Insecticon swarm, he finds out while attempting to transform that Airachnid damaged his T-Cog, leaving him stuck in robot-mode. Said wound isn't fatal by itself, but it means he won't be able to escape the tunnel when he detonates the energon supply, forcing him to make a Heroic Sacrifice.
Neutrality Backlash: He tries to circumvent defecting to the Autobots and staying with the Decepticons by swearing loyalty to Princess Euphemia. However, he quickly learns that Megatron will accept no compromises when he has Euphemia kidnapped and replaced with a pretender to turn the SAZ into a massacre, which leads him to defect to the Autobots.
Noble Demon: Dreadwing may be a Decepticon, but he is also honorable and reasonable, and lacks the sadism his fellow bots display. It's deconstructed though as Megatron uses Dreadwing's status as this to help manipulate Suzaku.
Recurring Element: The standard Iron117Prime Noble Demon character that makes a Heel–Face Turn by the end of his character arc.
Shipper on Deck: Is present when Euphie and Suzaku confess their feelings to each other in Battle at Kyushu during the battle of Kyushu. When Euphie kisses Suzaku on the cheek two chapters later, Dreadwing has a smirk on his face, indicating that he supports the two as a couple.
Skyward Scream: Releases one in Facade of Blood when Ratchet confirms Megatron destroyed Cybertron, in addition to learning of Euphemia's kidnapping and Megatron's hand in the SAZ Massacre.
Sticky Bomb: Fond of attaching bombs to his enemies. Ironhide turns that against him in Battle for Narita, though thankfully, Dreadwing survives.
Take a Third Option: When Euphemia reveals the truth about Megatron's evil, instead of staying with the Decepticons or going over to the Autobots, Dreadwing instead chooses to ally with Euphemia. Come Facade of Blood, he ends up going over to the Autobots once it becomes apparent that eliminating all opposition is Megatron's endgame.
Token Good Teammate: Unquestionably the most honorable of Megatron's elite, Dreadwing becomes something of a senior partner to Suzaku, and even Cornelia, Euphemia, and Nonette admit in a conversation that he's probably the one Decepticon they can really trust.
Undying Loyalty: To Megatron like in canon, at first. After he learns that Megatron was responsible for the destruction of Cybertron, he switches his loyalty to Euphemia, culminating in his defection to the Autobots and Black Knights. It's reinforced as well once he becomes an Autobot, as he proposes and subjects himself to the Core Override protocol, which never comes into usage before his death.
Unplanned Manual Detonation: Ends up sacrificing himself to detonate a bomb that will destroy the Insecticon Hive on Kamine Island. Notably, this isn't due to the fuse not working, but rather because his T-Cog was damaged by Airachnid, meaning he won't be able to fly away, and its directly stated that he would not be able to Outrun the Fireball.
Warrior Poet: An introspective, thoughtful, and honorable warrior who is possibly the only Decepticon to ever qualify for this trope. After Cornelia was handed her first defeat by Optimus Prime, he has a feeling that she would forsake logic for her pride.
You Killed My Father: Dreadwing learns in Setting the Stage that Megatron poisoned his brother Skyquake with Dark Energon to the point that Ratchet had to euthanize him. Dreadwing doesn't blame Ratchet, but Megatron, the true culprit behind Skyquake's death.
Your Head A-Splode: When Dreadwing joins the Autobots, he has Ratchet place a bomb in his head that the Autobots can use to kill him in case he ever goes back to the Decepticons.

Sky-Byte

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Surrender, and you'll live. I am a shark of my word."

A strong and honorable Decepticon that transforms into a shark.

Affably Evil: He's surprisingly nice to other Decepticons when not fighting, he even helps Knock Out fix his paint job just because he wanted to help.
Alien Arts Are Appreciated: As per usual and mentioned below, recited a Haiku before battling the Black Knights and even credits the poet.
Blood Knight: Has some hints of this trope, as he compliments Wizard for giving him such a good fight and asks if any other members of the Autobot Black Knight alliance are as good as him.
Broken Pedestal: He is horrified to learn that after all the Decepticons have done and sacrificed for him, Megatron plans on eradicating the free wills of the Decepticons, along with every other sentient being in the universe, the complete opposite of the Megatron from back then, who advocated revolution and equality among all Cybertronians.
Canon Immigrant: First appeared in the 2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon.
Composite Character: He has the Noble Demon traits from his 2001 RID counterpart, and is a warrior like in Cyberverse .
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Dreadwing. Both are Noble Demons loyal to Megatron, but otherwise, they are very different. Dreadwing is a fairly generic Decepticon while Sky-Byte is a somewhat animalistic Sharkticon. Dreadwing leans toward being The Stoic while Sky-Byte is more emotive. Dreadwing uses an aerial alt-mode while Sky-Byte uses an aquatic one.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- He is disgusted by V.V.'s psychopathic nature, especially when the power of his new body as Nemesis Prime goes to his head and he attacks several soldiers unprovoked. He outright admits that while he rarely questions Megatron's orders, he feels he must protest his decision in this case and agrees with Knock Out that something must be done about him, suggesting he be contained in-between missions for the safety of others.
- He barely holds back his fury overhearing the Constructicons discuss their dissatisfaction with Megatron's rule and their choice to side with Starscream and Schneizel, calling them cowards.
- Just like Steeljaw, Thundercracker and Slipstream, even he thinks Megatron's plan to enact Neo Ragnarök and remove the free will of every sentient being and turn them into extensions of his will is going too far.
Fantastic Racism: On the receiving end due to being a Sharkticon, a creation of the Quintessons. That Megatron didn't care at all about it is one of the reasons he chose to join the Decepticons.
Furry Reminder: After getting roasted by boiling water while in his alt-mode during Clash of Ice and Metal, he actually spends a few minutes flipping around like a fish out of water.
Graceful Loser: After he receives word that the Autobots and Black Knights have secured the relic, he calls off his forces because he knows there is no point fighting anymore. He also tells his enemies to help themselves to the Energon and tells them where they can find the slaves, stating they deserve a reward for their victory, and tells them he looks forward to facing them again before retreating.
Heel–Face Turn: After the Decepticons' defeat and Megatron's death, he joins the Autobots and happily accepts the Dinobots' invitation to join their team.
Homefield Advantage: He's certainly at an advantage while underwater. Luckily for the Black Knights, Ultra Magnus has experience fighting Sharkticons in their own domain.
If It Swims, It Flies: Despite being a shark, he can levitate on the air as if he was swimming underwater.
Noble Demon: Offers Anticlea a chance to surrender when he confronts her, and he doesn't kill any of her soldiers.
Only Sane Man: He's the only one who keeps the Seekers, Combaticons and Squadron X from fighting each other before they face off against the Autobots and Black Knights.
Recurring Element: Takes over the standard Noble Demon role from the deceased Dreadwing in R2, later showing displeasure with Megatron's Neo Ragnarök plan.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Takes Dreadwing's role as the Token Good Teammate of the Decepticons in R2, seeing how the former defected over to the Autobots before dying.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: He doesn't like to kill if he can avoid it.
Threatening Shark: Downplayed. He's a Decepticon and his alternate mode is a shark, but he's also polite and eloquent to his enemies and tries to avoid killing.
Warrior Poet: He even recites a Haiku before engaging in combat, to the confusion of his opponents and allies.

The Seekers

An elite team of flying Cybertronians from before the war, currently Starscream's personal squad.

Thundercracker

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Leave it to you Autobots to be so predictable."

A Seeker and scientist who is often seen with Skywarp and Starscream.

Adaptational Jerkass: In Transformers: War for Cybertron, Thundercracker was the least evil of the seekers and mostly interested in studying life in Cybertron's lower levels. Here, he just as much of a Jerkass as Starscream. He undergoes Character Rerailment in R2 and becomes more like his War self.
Big, Thin, Short Trio: According to Word of God, Thundercracker is the largest and bulkiest of the Seeker trio, (based on artwork by winddragon24).
Brains and Brawn: He's the brains to Skywarp's brawn.
Decomposite Character: His sympathetic traits from Generation 1 are given to Dreadwing (who was originally supposed to be Thundercracker in Prime).
Even Evil Has Standards:
- Downplayed; while he would have preferred a more subtle alternative to the SAZ Massacre, he's not complaining about the results.
- When he meets Empress Tianzi for the first time in The Brightness Falls, even he felt some pity for the girl who had no control over her life thanks to the High Eunuchs (who are essentially a collection of Starscreams).
- In the above chapter, Thundercracker suggested to Xingke, Kaguya, and Sayoko to escort Empress Tianzi back to the palace lest the Eunuchs worry about her absence along with Starscream making the situation worse.
- He states in his head that he hates politics.
- In Damocles Rises, he helps smuggle Odysseus, Carine and Laila out of Decepticon custody, only sticking around to find out Megatron's end goal.
- In The Calm Before The Storm, he jumps ship with Steeljaw, Slipstream, and Sky-Byte after learning of Megatron's plans for Neo Ragnarök, wanting to maintain his free will.
Forgot Flanders Could Do That: As R2 slowly comes to a close, while he is still a bit of an antagonist, his actions towards somewhat doubting Starscream's cause return for a bit. Not only is his War self being hinted at, but it's also one to the original bio of his supposed G1 counterpart (someone who doubted the Decepticon cause; IDW managed to use this personality aspect in All Hail Megatron).
Heel–Face Turn: After Megatron is killed and the Decepticons are defeated, he surrenders to the Autobots, but Ultra Magnus offers a hand to him, wanting to make amends and start anew. The blue Seeker willingly accepts, and come One Shall Rise, he's helping the Autobots rebuild the world, leading a labor program with some captured and surrendered Vehicons to help with the task.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- Points out that Suzaku's poor mental health is a potential handicap to his fighting abilities.
- He also notes that when Suzaku was chosen to be Euphemia's knight, he may not actually have felt he had a choice in the matter, due to his Extreme Doormat tendencies. There's also the fact that defying a royal decree would presumably carry harsh punishments in Britannia.
- In his mind, he notes that if Starscream was made the head of a planet or even a country, he'd run it into the ground in record time.
Only Sane Man: Between Skywarp's lack of intelligence, and Starscream's overconfidence and constant failures, Thundercracker may be the only Seeker that has some sense and tries to see the problem in a situation.
Power Nullifier: Clash of Ice and Metal reveals that Thundercracker is one of several Decepticons besides Devastator that has been equipped with the Geass Canceller, which he uses to release Starscream from Lelouch's control, in addition to unknowingly removing Lelouch's "Live" command from Suzaku.
Sole Survivor: Downplayed. He, alongside Knock Out, are the only two Decepticons from R1 who survive to the end of R2.
Those Two Guys: For most of R1 he's always accompanied by Skywarp, while in R2, after Skywarp gets killed, he has this dynamic with Slipstream.

Skywarp

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Yeah, we know who you are. A bunch of humans that we can squash without even thinking about it."

A Seeker who's often around Thundercracker and Starscream.

Beware the Silly Ones: Skywarp may not be the smartest, and he's the most amused by even the simplest things, but he's still a capable fighter on his own.
Big, Thin, Short Trio: According to Word of God, Skywarp is the shortest of the Seeker trio, (based on artwork by winddragon24).
Book Dumb: Is described as "remarkably unintelligent".
Brains and Brawn: The brawn to Thudercracker's brains.
Cool Plane: Like his cohorts, this is what he transforms into.
Dumb Muscle: Neither Starscream nor Thundercracker have a high opinion of his intelligence. Even the Autobots know he's not that smart.
Killed Off for Real: Wizard destroys him and most of his fellow Seekers with the Agravain's Hadron Cannons and his squad's concentrated firepower.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: An example of being reminded that he's a Decepticon? Guinevere's defiance nosedived the hard way, at the cost of a few disintegrated nobles.
Out of Focus: Unlike Starscream and later Thundercracker, Skywarp never receives much individual focus and mainly serves as part of their trio until he's killed and his role as the third Seeker is given to Slipstream.

Slipstream

^{Click here to see her Alt-mode}

"You may be faster than me, but I'm the more ruthless warrior!"

A female member of the Seekers.

Arch-Enemy: Has this dynamic with Windblade.
Dark Action Girl: First seen female Seeker and just as ruthless as Starscream.
Dirty Coward: Though she is opposed to Megatron's Neo Ragnarök plan, which will cause her and everyone else to lose their free will, and helps sabotage Darkmount's fusion cannons, she doesn't stick around to help her fellow defectors Thundercracker and Sky-Bute aid the Autobots in battle. Instead she chooses to leave Earth entirely to find somewhere to lay low, not wanting to die in battle or get imprisoned if the Autobots win.
Embarrassing Nickname: Windblade calls her 'Slippy' to annoy her.
Even Evil Has Standards: She clearly draws the line at removing the free will of all sentient beings, including herself, as Megatron intends to do with Neo Ragnarök.
Know When to Fold 'Em: Had a target lock on Windblade in Nerves of Steel, only to find that Silverbolt, Jetfire, and Air Raid had beaten Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp, and they had their guns trained on her. She promptly retreated.
One-Steve Limit: As the author is also using the Mini-Cons Jetstorm and Slipstream from the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon and the Decepticon Slipstream in R2, the former is renamed Safeguard to avoid confusion.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When the final battle begins she decides to leave Earth behind and find a place to call her own, not wishing to be a prisoner or dead after the war ends.
Smurfette Principle: In terms of the Seekers, she's their only female member. After the deaths of both Airachnid and Glowstrike she becomes the only remaining female Decepticon.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Slipstream leaves both Sky-Byte and Thundercracker behind before the final battle, making it out alive.

Scientific Development

The Decepticon branch devoted to scientific advancement, without concern for the well-being of test subjects.

Shockwave

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_9806.png

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Your continued attempt at defiance is most illogical."

One of Megatron's top lieutenants and his most eminent scientist.

Adaptational Early Appearance: In the Prime cartoon he doesn't appear until about halfway through the second season and only in flashbacks before appearing properly in season 3. Here he appears not long after the Battle of Narita.
Adaptational Job Change:
- Takes Knock Out's canon role in experimenting on a human... much to Mao's horror.
- He also takes the Geass Order's canon role as being the one to turn Jeremiah into a cyborg. He's also the one to create the Geass Canceller.
- He takes up the role of MECH in the creation of Nemesis Prime.
Arch-Enemy: Shockwave's established as this for Grimlock, due to the experiments he performed on the latter and his team.
Arm Cannon: A huge one in place of his left arm. And of course, the cannon is permanently attached in place, as opposed to being a transformable weapon. Since this story uses the Aligned continuity as the main Transformers setting, it stands to reason that the cannon is meant to replace his left arm, after it was eaten by Grimlock on Cybertron.
Badass Bookworm: Shockwave is as combat-capable as Dreadwing or Soundwave, but his greatest contributions to the Decepticons will always be in his skills as a scientist.
Cyber Cyclops: No face, just a big, red-eye.
Death by Adaptation: Unlike in canon, he does not survive the final battle.
The Dreaded: He's up there with Megatron and Soundwave as one of the most feared Decepticons ever, given his position as Megatron's top scientist, his unethical experiments, and his complete Lack of Empathy to those he subjects his work to. Even Lloyd and Rakshata look nervous when they hear about him from Fixit. After being killed multiple times thanks to his experiments, V.V. was downright terrified of him.
Eye Scream: Jeremiah stabs him in the optic during the final battle which causes him to fall off the Predacon, allowing Alice and Grimlock to finish him off.
For Science!: Part of his logic in following Megatron's plans to their end is that he lives to learn new things. And when all minds become one, then logically, he will have gained all knowledge in the universe. So losing his free will is an acceptable drawback to fulfilling his lifelong goal.
Genius Bruiser: Shockwave's alternate mode is a heavy tank and his robot mode is a hulking brute with a cannon for one his arms. He's also the chief scientist of Decepticons and arguably one of the most intelligent characters in the story.
Karmic Death: He's finished off by his former test subject Grimlock, with Alice and Jeremiah, who were also victims of his experiments, doing some damage themselves.
Mad Libs Catchphrase: Every chapter he appears in has him talk of logic once or twice.
Mad Scientist: Shockwave is responsible for many of the Decepticons' scientific achievements, all of which were attained without regard for moral or ethical boundaries.
Non-Action Guy: As of the ending of R1, Shockwave is the only Decepticon that has not been in a battle yet. Justified as his first duty to the Decepticons is as a scientist, and most of his experiments revolved around learning more about Geass for Megatron. He eventually steps on the battlefield in Spark of Darkness.
Not So Above It All: In The Fires of Rage, Shockwave, of all people, gets a dig in at V.V.'s immaturity when the latter questions the purpose of locating a single Autobot (Grimlock to be exact).
Shockwave: "Once again, you continue to underestimate the Autobots. Ironic how your continuing falters are logical, given your perpetual immaturity."
Not So Stoic: Like with Soundwave above, Shockwave is in complete shock when he sees Megatron use his Dark Geass in School Festival Declaration, killing a Vehicon trooper by literally scaring him to death. He too gets over it moments later when Megatron uses it on V.V.
- Downplayed in the beginning of R2. While he's completely surprised learning that Zero is still alive, he still maintains his stoic expression.
Pragmatic Villainy: Shockwave shoots down Skywarp's suggestion about allowing Luciano Bradley to join the Decepticons, citing the latter to be too similar to Airachnid in sadistic tendencies, making them both unpredictable.
Purple Is Powerful: Colored purple and he's just as tough and skilled in combat as he's intelligent and without morals.
Tank Goodness: His Alt-mode is a Cybertronian heavy tank.
The Spock: Aside from Megatron, Shockwave's loyalty is foremost to logic.
Villainous Friendship: Megatron has this with Shockwave as well as Soundwave. He's excited and surprised when his top scientist returns to the Decepticons in Messenger from Kyoto, and he even lets Soundwave tell Shockwave about Zero's true identity.

Knock Out

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Hey, watch the paint job!"

A skilled Decepticon fighter and doctor. He's fussy about keeping his paint job safe, taking great lengths to ensure nothing damages or dirties it.

Affably Evil: Knock Out is capable of being polite and gracious, and will compliment you on your prowess or physical appearance if he actually finds them to his liking. That said, will happily take you apart piece by piece if ordered or if you so much as scratch his paint job.
Berserk Button: He doesn't exactly appreciate having his paint job messed up.
Birds of a Feather: He gets along surprisingly well with Lloyd, both being rather eccentric scientists obsessed with experimenting.
Combat Medic: Compared to Ratchet, Knock Out is more willing to be out in the crossfire (provided he feels he can protect his paint job).
Commonality Connection: Both Knock Out and Lloyd share a common interest in technological creations.
Cool Car: His alt-mode, which is the reason why he chose it rather than a flight-capable vehicle.
Deadpan Snarker: Has a tendency to throw out sarcastic quips now and then, especially towards Starscream.
Dr. Jerk: Knock Out is the Decepticon's primary physician, but is condescending of others and quite vain about his appearance.
The Dandy: Knock Out is not only obsessed with his appearance, but also pays attention to that of other people's. It's how he struck up a friendship with Lloyd after admiring the Lancelot's battle prowess and 'lustrous finish'.
Even Evil Has Standards: It's revealed in Setting the Stage that while Knock Out supported the SAZ Massacre, he is disturbed by the level of violence and death that was caused there, preferring a more subtle method of doing it.
Heel–Face Turn: After being captured by the Autobots and Black Knights, Suzaku and Lloyd convince him to defect from the Decepticons after hearing his reasons for being a Decepticon in the first place, as well as the promise to continue working on the Lancelot.
Force and Finesse: The finesse to Breakdown's force, opting to use precision-based weapons such as his electrostaff.
I Fight for the Strongest Side!: As he says so himself, he only joined the Decepticons out of self-preservation and they looked like the most likely to win at the time. This is why he remains on Megatron's side when Starscream and Schneizel launch their coup. And after being captured he's successfully persuaded to defect from the Decepticons.
Narcissist: Textbook example. He's condescending of others, self-absorbed, and massively in love with his paint job. Lelouch exploits this for all it's worth.
Revenge: Defied, as he himself states that revenge is overrated. Despite acknowledging that Breakdown was his friend he has no interest in avenging his death by going on a killing spree against the Autobots and Black Knights since he would be picking a fight he knows he can't win. Though, even when he is convinced to defect to the Autobots, he states he probably won't be "buddy-buddy" with Rai, the one who killed Breakdown.
Stock Scream: He ends up screaming like a certain cartoon character after the bomb he was forced to dispose of blows up in Red Triage.
Villain Respect:
- He has stated that he likes Zero due to him having a flare for dramatics.
- Also, while the Prime may lead the enemy, he respects Optimus for actually getting things done.
Villainous Friendship:
- Despite their difference in personalities, he genuinely considers Breakdown his friend. Even after he is convinced to defect to the Autobots, he notes that he probably won't be "buddy-buddy" with Rai, the one who killed Breakdown.
- When Britannia was still in power, he and Lloyd hit it off over working on the Lancelot together, fawning over its paint job and battle prowess. Said friendship played a part in his Heel–Face Turn, with Lloyd promising him a chance to work on the more advanced Lancelot Albion.
Watch the Paint Job: It's practically his Catchphrase, his Berserk Button and later a flaw Lelouch has Chiba exploit.

Breakdown

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"I ain't one of those philosophy jargons or whatever. But let me tell you something; you wanna get far in life, you gotta be strong! Cause at the end of the day, it's the strongest that get all the perks."

A long-time rival to Bulkhead and Knock Out's assistant.

Arch-Enemy: To Bulkhead. He also develops a grudge against Rai.
The Brute: He's a brute force fighter, and while not reaching the level of Dumb Muscle, clearly doesn't have the same intellectual interests/prowess of his compatriots.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: His main form of attacking is to turn his hand into a hammer, fitting for his personality.
Cool Car: His military truck alt-mode.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In the Prime episode "Crossfire", Breakdown was brutally dismembered by Airachnid. Here, he is killed by Rai during the Black Rebellion.
Eye Scream: Loses his eye to Rai during the Battle of Narita.
Eyepatch of Power: Like in canon to replace his lost eye, which Rai stabbed at Narita.
Force and Finesse: The force to Knock Out's finesse, preferring to smash the opposition with his hammer.
I Fight for the Strongest Side!: Mentions to Suzaku in United We Stand that he joined the Decepticons after losing to Megatron - one of the few bots he lost to.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Villainous version. Philosophy isn't his thing, but he does try to teach Suzaku that strength is the way to get through in life, and not to hesitate in battle. However, said attempt just helps feed the doubts Suzaku had about the Decepticons.
Your Head A-Splode: Rai blows his head off with his Radiant Wave Surger in Rise of the Decepticons, killing him.

Combaticons

A team of powerful and skilled Decepticons that are capable of combining into one Decepticon.

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wfc14.jpg

From left to right: Onslaught, Brawl, Vortex, Swindle and Blast Off.

Badass Crew: They are considered to be amongst Megatron's toughest servants, and that's just individually.
Character Death: Kallen and Rai use a supercharged Radiant Wave Surger blast in their Combining Mecha to destroy Bruticus in "Damocles Rises", obliterating all of them in one hit.
Combining Mecha: All five of them can combine to form Bruticus.
Evil Counterpart: They could very well be seen as this for Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords, fighting them in Nerves of Steel. The five humans prove to be a match for them.
The Voiceless: During their introduction, besides Onslaught, none of them speaks before they combine into Bruticus.

Onslaught

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"It's time to show these humans what real power looks like."

The strategic and cunning leader of the Combaticons.

The Leader: Leader of the Combaticons.
Leader Forms the Head: He makes up Bruticus' chest and head.
The Rival: Begins seeing Tohdoh as one after their clash in Nerves of Steel.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He and Barricade enjoy making fun of Starscream and don't like being considered his inferiors.
Weapon Specialization: He fights with an energon axe.

Brawl

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Not much of a challenge, are ya?"

The rage-fueled member of the Combaticons that revels in destruction. Makes up Bruticus' left leg.

Blood Knight: He absolutely loves fighting and causing destruction.
The Brute: His role among the Combaticons, being the least thoughtful and most eager to fight.
Shoulder Cannon: Has two cannons on his shoulders.
Tank Goodness: He transforms into a tank.

Swindle

"I swear, I make conning an art form."

A member of the Combaticons who sees war as an opportunity to make a profit. Makes up Bruticus' right leg.

Affably Evil: He's actually rather polite and even compliments Urabe before continuing to attack him.
Con Man: As if his name was a hint. He's the Combaticons resident dealer and swindler.
Even Evil Has Standards: He found the humans' enjoyment of watching 'interfacing videos' disgusting. He would have mentioned the methods, but thankfully, Blast Off put a stop to that.
Meaningful Name: A con man named Swindle? Really hit the nail in the head there, huh?

Vortex

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/falltex_7.png

"Not bad for a human."

A ruthless interrogator that is a member of the Combaticons. Makes up Bruticus' left arm.

An Arm and a Leg: Due to being the arm of Bruticus that's holding the Red Energon when Urabe destroys it in Broken Walls, Vortex is the most damaged of the Combaticons, losing his right arm and left leg. They're later replaced by the end of the chapter.
Adaptation Dye-Job: He was ocher and red in Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. Now he is dark blue.
The Generic Guy: In contrast to the other Combaticons, Vortex's personality quirks are not as prominent and he usually serves as Blast Off's partner.

Blast Off

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"End of the line for you!"

A member of the Combaticons with a love for speed. Makes up Bruticus' right arm.

Adaptation Deviation: Instead of a space shuttle alt-mode, he's a dark brown jet based off The Transformers: Combiner Wars.
Even Evil Has Standards: In A Different Kind of Engagement, when Swindle was about to list off the methods humans interface with each other in online videos...
Blast Off: "Too much information, Swindle! Don't go and put that stuff in my head!"
Hero Killer: Ends up killing Air Raid during their aerial battle.
Speed Demon: He's even called this by the Autobots, being obsessed with speed and being the fastest.
Super-Speed: He's easily the fastest of the Combaticons while on the air. Grounding him is a sure way to annoy him.

Bruticus

Bruticus

"Bruticus, online!"

A massive Decepticon that's the combined form of the Combaticons, the first combiner created by Shockwave.

The Brute: As indicated by his name, Bruticus is a gigantic Transformer with incredible strength and not a great deal of intellect.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Utterly annihilates the Britannian Pacific Fleet.
Early-Bird Cameo: Appears in the first chapter of R1 when Bumblebee is navigating through the Ark, before appearing fully in the first chapter of R2.
Fire-Breathing Weapon: His right arm is armed with a flamethrower.
Helicopter Blender: The propellers on his left arm, which is Vortex, can be used to defend against attacks, and chop up his enemies as well.
Hero Killer: During Broken Walls, he kills Zi Dien by slashing his Knightmare with Vortex's rotors.
Humongous Mecha: Is the combined form of all five Combaticons, and towers over other Cybertronians.
Kung-Fu Sonic Boom: He has a powerful punch called the Sonic Pain Wave Attack.
Terse Talker: Whenever he speaks, his sentences are simple and short.

Constructicons

The Decepticons' foremost designers, engineers, and builders. Currently stationed in the capital.

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ee60db91b8a0c6658a0371da8af540bd.jpg

From left to right: Scavenger, Mixmaster, Long Haul, Scrapper, Bonecrusher, and Hook.

Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Their biggest rationale for siding with Starscream and Scheizel is that they're the only ones who can hope to properly maintain Damocles, meaning the two of them will have to play ball with their demands. It doesn't save them when they don't immediately try to rejoin Megatron and it gets them ripped to shreds by Predaking.
Combining Mecha: All six of them can combine to form Devastator.
Composite Character: Are primarily their G1 selves but have a Vortex Grinder like in the film series.
The Engineer: As indicated by their name, they are the Decepticons' foremost construction team, having built Darkmount on a surprisingly short amount of time. And Shockwave's logs from The Fires of Rage note that they're 62 percent complete with the construction of Damocles.
The Resenter: The Demon and Dragon Cometh reveals they always felt this way towards the Combaticons, who they felt got all the real missions and glory while they were stuck just being workers building weapons, and they're actually happy they all got killed off since it means they won't hog the spotlight anymore.
Secondary Color Nemesis: They all have their G1 green and purple color scheme.
The Starscream: Ultimately, they willingly side with Starscream and Schneizel's coup, believing that Megatron hadn't been giving them their proper dues and that they can strongarm the pair into giving them just that. This costs them their lives when they choose to fight Megatron rather than return to his service once he reveals he's alive, which ends with Megatron unleashing Predaking upon them and their messy deaths at the dragon's claws and teeth.
The Voiceless: During their introduction, none of them are seen speaking, and only do so once they have combined into Devastator.

Mixmaster

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"I do like killing Autobots, but I'm not just a killing machine."

The leader of the Constructicons. His vehicle mode is a cement mixer.

Acid Attack: His right arm can produce a barrel that shoots acid strong enough to melt Knightmares.
Adaptational Job Change: Instead of the left leg, Mixmaster makes up Devastator's chest piece alongside Scavenger.
Dramatic Irony: He declares that with the Combaticons and Bruticus dead, the Constructicons are now the most powerful Decepticon force left. He has no idea that Megatron has finally had Predaking awakened, and the draconic Transformer proves he is the true most powerful Decepticon force left over the Constructicons' corpses.
Dude, Where's My Respect?:
- Had this in mind when Soundwave dismissed him aiding in digging the Iacon Artifact, believing that Devastator is the only value the Constructicons has to the Communication Officer.
- It turns out he has similar thoughts about Megatron putting the Constructicons (in his mind) second to the Combaticons, believing their leader only sees them foremost useful as builders.
Half the Man He Used to Be: How he dies, courtesy of Predaking's jaws.
The Leader: He leads the Constructicons.
Meaningful Name: His name is Mixmaster and his alt mode is a cement mixer.

Scrapper

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A member of the Constructicons. His vehicle mode is a wheel loader.

Demoted to Dragon: In most incarnations, he leads the Constructicons. Here, that position goes to Mixmaster.

Bonecrusher

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A member of the Constructicons with a love of demolition and destruction. His vehicle mode is a bulldozer.

The Brute: While he might not be the biggest or heaviest among the Constructicons, he's certainly the most eager to fight and destroy stuff.
Composite Character: He has his Movie incarnation's back-mounted third arm, as revealed in the R2 chapter Red Triage.
Hero Killer: After forcibly separated from Devastator, his falling form destroys the Zetland, with Tink inside it.
This Is a Drill: His arms convert into drills for digging or fighting.

Long Haul

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A member of the Constructicons. His alt mode is a dump truck.

Adaptational Job Change: Long Haul takes Mixmaster's place as Devastator's left leg, instead of forming the lower torso.
Defiant to the End: The only one of the Constructicons to try and desperately hold his ground against Predaking once Devastator is destroyed, grabbing him by the face and trying to use his mighty strength to his advantage, but he only puts himself in the perfect position to get blown away by the dragon's Breath Weapon.

Scavenger

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A member of the Constructicons. His vehicle mode is a load shovel.

Adaptational Job Change: Scavenger, who normally forms Devastator's right arm, becomes part of his torso in the story with Mixmaster.
The Big Guy: He's described as the largest of the Constructicons, a reason why he forms the torso of Devastator with Mixmaster.
Composite Character: He has his movie self's wheeled robot mode configuration.
No Body Left Behind: Predaking's fire blast that blows Devastator apart blew him into nothing more than burning scraps.

Hook

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A member of the Constructicons.

Adaptational Job Change: Hook normally forms the upper chest and head of Devastator. Here, he becomes Devastator's right arm.
Grappling-Hook Pistol: As his name suggests, his main weapon in robot mode is a grappling hook.
Hooks and Crooks: His vehicle mode is a crane truck with a hook.

Devastator

Devastator

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/442c301d70a5850021b3c1f3e6a0e46f.jpg

"Devastator, online!"

The combined form of the Constructicons and one of the most powerful Decepticons.

The Brute: Like Bruticus, Devastator is a nigh-unstoppable force of destruction with relatively little intellect.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Completely annihilates the Britannian forces attacking in the first chapter of R2, and manages to kill Bismarck and Dorothea. Ironically, he get subjected to this by Predaking's debut.
Hoist by His Own Petard: With Predaking being too tough for the Vortex Grinder to destroy, the weapon allowed the Predacon to blast the gestalt's core, forcefully separating him and killing Scavenger in the process.
Humongous Mecha: He towers over Bruticus.
Lightning Bruiser: Reacts and moves surprisingly fast for someone so massive.
Oh, Crap!: Has this reaction when he realizes that not only is Predaking's head not getting mulched by his Vortex Grinder, but that he's charging up his Breath Weapon to blast right into it.
"No! Disengage! Dis...!"
Power Nullifier: He's equipped with the Geass Canceler, allowing him to negate Bismarck's power and kill him.
Terse Talker: Like Bruticus, his sentences are usually short and simple.
This Is a Drill: His right hand can turn into a drill, which he uses to kill Dorothea.
Weapons That Suck: Devastator's Vortex Grinder, which is located at his chest, pulls enemies into it and be wrecked to pieces. Not so great when your enemy is tough enough to avoid getting mulched, though, and especially when it gives them a perfect shot to a vulnerable spot.
The Worf Effect: He's consistently shown to be one of the strongest powerhouses on the Decepticon's side. In the end, he gets ripped apart brutally by Predaking and his components slaughtered by the Predacon to show off just how powerful Megatron's newest powerhouse truly is.

Squadron X

The Decepticon version of the Wreckers, an elite team of warriors.

In General

Arch-Enemy: Being their Evil Counterpart, Squadron X understandably has an enmity with the Wreckers.
Bit Character: At least during their introduction, they're all only briefly mentioned.
Composite Character: A notable example. While their name and role as the Wreckers' opposite number are drawn from the IDW G1 comics, their lineup is completely new. The inclusion of Blackout is drawn from the Transformers: Animated Decepticon Heavy Brigade who also opposed the Wreckers.
Elite Mooks: As the Evil Counterpart of the Wreckers, they're the Decepticons' heavy assault squad, and certainly prove to be a cut above the Vehicons.
Even Evil Has Standards: They have enough sense to know that even though V.V. was integrated into the body of Nemesis Prime, having the strength of the original Optimus Prime does not mean equality.
Evil Counterpart: They were assembled to oppose the Wreckers.
Quirky Miniboss Squad: They are a rather quirky bunch, to the annoyance of their commander Barricade.
Total Party Kill: They're picked off one by one throughout R2. First, Headlock, Quake and Groundpounder get destroyed at the Battle for the Ark, next, Overload and Blackout are killed during the Tox-En mission, and finally, Demolishor, Lugnut, Blitzwing and Barricade are destroyed during the attack on New Kaon, rendering the team defunct.

Barricade

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"I punched your hole! Squadron X, move in!"

A Decepticon scout and the leader of Squadron X.

The Bad Guys Are Cops: His vehicle mode is a police car, much like in the Michael Bay film series.
Character Death: He dies fighting Drift.
Evil Counterpart: With Prowl, simply on the principle of them both adopting police vehicle alt modes.
The Leader: Leads the Decepticon task force, Squadron X.
Off with His Head!: He gets decapitated by Drift in Damocles Rises.
Only Sane Man: As Squadron X's leader, it was his job to keep his men in line, no matter how much their antics grate his hard drive.
Surrounded by Idiots: More than once he has shown exasperation at the antics of his subordinates.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Like Onslaught, Barricade isn't very enthusiastic at working with Starscream and can't help but make fun of the Decepticons' second-in-command.

Blackout

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

One of the most powerful Decepticons.

Adaptational Villainy: In the comics for Prime, he conversed with Snarl on how he resented the war efforts carried out by the Decepticons. Here, he's pretty much another Decepticon goon.
The Brute: One of the biggest Decepticons, enough to crush a Britannian air transport with little effort.
Character Death: In Toxic Nemesis Ironhide twists off his head.
Composite Character: Combines his role from the Aligned continuity with the appearance from his live-action incarnation.
The Dragon: Seems to be Barricade's second-in-command.
Helicopter Blender: Can turn one of his arms into a rotor blade to slice at his opponents.
Off with His Head!: Had his head twisted off by Ironhide.
The Quiet One: He's easily the least talkative member of Squadron X.

Blitzwing

^{Click here to see his first Alt-mode}

^{Click here to see his second Alt-mode}

"The name is Blitzwing, insect! Remember it! Because it's the last thing you're gonna hear before I... express my feelings in song!"

A Decepticon triple-changer with three different personalities.

Ax-Crazy: When you have three distinct personalities inhabiting one body, you get this.
Rai: What is wrong with that guy?
Canon Immigrant: A direct import of his Animated self.
Character Death: In Damocles Rises Nonette kicks him into the path of one of New Kaon's wall-mounted heavy cannons.
Even Evil Has Standards: Even his crazy personality thinks Springload is crazier than him.
Elemental Powers: Two out of three of his personalities have one.
- An Ice Person: Icy has ice weapons.
- Playing with Fire: Hothead has fire powers.
Freudian Trio: His personalities are this.
- The Kirk: Random, albeit an insane version.
- The McCoy: Hothead.
- The Spock: Icy.
Giggling Villain: Random is constantly laughing.
Goggles Do Nothing: He has goggles on his helmet that are never used.
Go Out with a Smile: His Random persona goes out laughing before he's obliterated by a heavy cannon in Damocles Rises.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Say anything that sets him off and he'll switch to Hothead.
Mood-Swinger: Thanks to his multiple personalities he goes from cold, to bloodthirsty, and then giggling very easily.
Recurring Element: It's more downplayed, but one-half of his existing ice abilities fills in the standard ice-powered character consistent with Iron117Prime's fanfics.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The passionately aggressive Hothead is the red to the stoic Icy's blue. They are even literally red and blue respectively.
Shoulder Cannons: He has cannons in his shoulders.
Slasher Smile: Random's default expression is a manic grin.
Split Personality: Switches between cold and calculating, hot-headed, and random laughing loon.

Lugnut

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"For the glory of Megatron!"

A powerful Decepticon that is devoted to Megatron, often proclaiming his master's greatness at the top of his voicebox.

Berserk Button: Even speaking ill of Megatron is more than enough to enrage him.
The Big Guy: The muscle of Squadron X. He's strong enough to throw Bulkhead around, something only Breakdown previously managed to do.
Character Death: In Damocles Rises Lugnut gets killed in a team effort by Chromia and Bulkhead.
Composite Character: Combines his Aligned and Animated incarnations.
Cyber Cyclops: Characterized by his single red eye.
Evil Is Hammy: This guy really chews out the scenery during his rants over how Megatron is the coolest thing in the universe.
Eye Scream: Chromia shoots him in the eye, alowing Bulkhead to finish him off.
Hoist by His Own Petard: Bulkhead kills him with his own axe.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: It's impossible to find a single line of dialogue where Lugnut is not praising Megatron, well, at least until Toxic Nemesis, where he, alongside other members of Squadron X call V.V. out on how his manchild attitude got him defeated by the Bots. Earlier than that, he expressed unease with the idea of V.V. being given control over Nemesis Prime's body. It is really telling how much V.V.'s personality can make even the most fanatical Decepticon questioning Megatron's decision-making.
Undying Loyalty: Is utterly loyal to Megatron, with majority of his dialogue being related to praising his glorious leader.

Headlock

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Ugh, ya bums, that was six seconds away from a record. Work harder!"

An elderly Minicon. His alt-mode is a forklift.

Evil Old Folks: A Decepticon and his age is very advanced by Cybertronian standards.
The Friend Nobody Likes: At least Barricade isn't very amused at his complaining.
Grumpy Old Man: Him in a nutshell.
Killed Off for Real: Undertone impales him in his spark chamber.
Miniature Senior Citizens: He's a Minicon and very old, so it fits him.

Quake

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Good luck with that. We're Squadron X, some of the best of the best Cons out there!"

A powerful, warlike Decepticon.

Flat Character: He doesn't show much personality in comparison to the other members of Squadron X before he's killed.
Irony: Quake's last moments are during an earthquake created by the Ark's engines when the ship takes off.
Killed Off for Real: Gets caught by the blast of the Ark's restarted engines, along with Groundpounder.
Lightning Bruiser: Surprisingly fast for his tank mode.
Tank Goodness: Transforms into a purple Cybertronian tank.

Demolishor

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"We're all Decepticons here. So, let's get on with the mission."

A Decepticon who fought during the early days of the Autobot/Decepticon war, and one of Megatron's most faithful troops.

Character Death: Gets a hole blown into him by Warpath in Damocles Rises.
Shoulder Cannon: He's equipped with those.
Tank Goodness: Transforms into an anti-aircraft tank.
Villain Respect: Shows one to Nonette when she mentioned that she faced tougher odds.

Overload

"Please, please, keep your rousing applause until after the show is complete."

A Decepticon spy and saboteur who fancies himself as a great thespian.

Character Death: He gets killed off in Toxic Nemesis when he triggers Wheeljack's booby trap, earning a hole to his chest and some Tox-En fragments.
Cultured Warrior: Comes with being a thespian.
Evil Is Hammy: Is quite melodramatic before and during fights.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He volunteered to open up the Iacon Relic as the task is best suited for 'lead role', only to trigger a trap. He even lampshades this as he goes offline.
Super-Toughness: He's an incredibly resilient opponent, as Nonette figured out firsthand in her fight against him. Not surprising since he turns into a tank. Unfortunately that doesn't save him from Tox-En.
Tank Goodness: Transforms into a dark blue Cybertronian tank.
Worthy Opponent: He at least sees Nonette as a worthy "supporting character".

Groundpounder

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Time to bring the heat."

A former gladiator who fought in Kaon's utterly brutal matches.

Death by Irony: Groundpounder got pounded to the ground when the Ark took off.
Elemental Punch: Groundpounder can ignite his fists into flames, delivering more powerful attacks toward his opponents.
Flat Character: Doesn't show much personality besides liking to punch stuff and he's unceremoniously killed alongside Quake.
Killed Off for Real: Gets caught by the blast of the Ark's restarted engines, along with Quake.
Killer Gorilla: His size and proportions bring to mind a gorilla.
Red Baron: Nicknamed the "Beast from Kaon", and the "Pulverizer of the Pits".

Ground Forces

Vehicons

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Vehicon_Prime_9606.png

^{Click here to see their ground alt-mode}

^{Click here to see their space alt-mode}

^{Click here to see the Seeker Vehicons}

^{Click here to see the Helicopter Vehicon}

^{Click here to see the Tank Vehicon}

The basic Decepticon foot soldiers.

Adaptational Early Appearance: The Seeker Vehicons appear in the Transformers: Prime Season 2 finale episode Darkest Hour. Here, they make their debut in Fall of Britannia, after being mentioned to have arrived at the Nemesis in Facade of Blood.
Adaptation Expansion: Canon only had three variations of Vehicon appear: land vehicons (turn into cars), air vehicons (turn into jets) and Seeker vehicons (turn into Cybertronian planes). Here, they get two additional variants: a close-air support variant (which transforms into a helicopter) and a heavy assault variant (which transforms into a tank).
Cannon Fodder: Pretty much only function to fill out the Decepticon ranks, but they lack any real durability and get taken down (in droves) by the Autobots with almost ridiculous ease. They fare far better against the Black Knight's Knightmares, though, due to experience and naturally being far tougher than most earthly materials. In Fall of Britannia, they decimated the Britannian Empire's troops to nonexistence.
Cool Car: The ground-based variant's alt mode.
Cool Plane: The space-faring variant's alt mode.
Future Copter: Come Fall of Britannia, and the Vehicons' ranks grow with troops that transform into Cybertronian helicopters.
Mooks: Their role is to be Cannon Fodder for the Autobots and elite Black Knights to cut through. Note the elite marker, though — if the Vehicons are fighting Black Knight Red Shirts, though, they'll usually win.
No Name Given: Being nothing but shock troops, none of them appear to have actual names.
Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: On Cybertron, they were nothing more than rank and file soldiers who could easily be wiped out in droves against named Autobots. On Earth, just one of them can easily defeat a squadron of Knightmare Frames, and even elite pilots have a difficult time fighting them.
Tank Goodness: Fall of Britannia adds Vehicons that transform into tanks.
Zerg Rush: They might not be very strong by Cybertronian standards, but they're numerous and can easily overwhelm the opposition.

Insecticons

Vicious insect-themed Cybertronians that once served as the Decepticons' Elite Mooks. A colony ended up on Kamine Island after Shockwave's space bridge generator went crazy.

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/prime_insecticon.jpg

^{Click here to see their Alt-mode}

Elite Mooks: Served as this to the Decepticons before Cybertron went dark.
Horde of Alien Locusts: A robotic, literal variant, as they eat absolutely everything they can find, and their leader, at least, has a locust alt-mode.
I'm a Humanitarian: They will eat other Cybertronians if they are hungry enough.
Insectoid Aliens: A robotic variant, but they all seem to have beetle alt-modes.
Mechanical Insects: In addition to the ones shown in Transformers: Prime, the Insecticons' ranks also include Bruisers, Swarmers, and Spitters, which were all seen in Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.
To Serve Man: One Insecticon actually eats an unlucky Sutherland pilot in Fall of Britannia.
Walking Spoiler: The presence of the colony on Kamine Island is a big spoiler for Isle of Gods and Monsters.

Kickback

"Hmm, that is good, good, good. Give me more! More! More!"

An Insecticon and the leader of the colony found on Kamine Island.

Bloodlust: Or rather, Energon-lust. When Bumblebee bleeds Energon during their fight on Kamine Island, Kickback is quick to lap it up and savor it, wishing for more from the Autobot scout.
I'm a Humanitarian: Kickback has no problem feasting on other Cybertronians if he's hungry enough. His colony is the same.
Large and in Charge: Inverted. He's shorter and less bulky than the Insecticons he leads, being based on a locust rather than a beetle.
The Leader: Of the Insecticons on Kamine Island.
Mythology Gag: Kickback's speech pattern is lifted from Shrapnel.
The Remnant: Of the talking Insecticons that Shockwave recruited, he and his colony are the only ones known to have escaped Cybertron.
Verbal Tic: Always repeats the last word in a sentence three times.
Walking Spoiler: The presence of Kickback and his clan on Earth is a big spoiler for Isle of Gods and Monsters.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Gets killed off in the same chapter he's introduced.
Your Head A-Splode: Gets his head blown off by Bumblebee when they fight on Kamine Island in the aforementioned chapter.

Hardshell

"True power is strength, true power is ruthlessness, terror absolute!"

One of the most ferocious Insecticons and current leader of the hive in R1.

Adaptational Intelligence: While Hardshell showed to be more intelligent than most of the other Insecticons in ''Transformers: Prime'', he was mostly still a brute that relied on strength. Here, he originally relied on combat strategies and weaponry to fight his battles and proved to be immune to the frequency Insecticons use to communicate with and control each other. After getting trounced on Cybertron by Grimlock, Hardshell forsook tactics, adopted his current body, and began relying more on strength so he can be a match for Grimlock when they next meet. He still has his intelligence though, and cannot be easily controlled by Airachnid.
Combat Pragmatist: Hardshell, unlike his brethren, prefers using heavy weaponry and ordinance as well as advanced combat strategy rather than his natural Insecticon strength in battle. He later forgoes this and chooses to develop his natural abilities.
Composite Character: Hardshell takes his intelligence and personality from Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, but his alt-mode and fighting style come from Transformers: Prime.
Curb-Stomp Battle: During the Black Rebellion, he's able to throw Bumblebee and Ratchet around like ragdolls and destroys Cecile's Sutherland. He even destroys the Florence, a Knightmare piloted by Monica, a Knight of the Round. If it wasn't for Shirley and Nina knocking him into space with the bomb-rigged Ganymede, Hardshell would have won the fight.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: Hardshell met his end in Season 2 of Transformers Prime when Miko killed him using Wheeljack's ship. In the story, he meets his end when he's consumed in a nuclear explosion in space during the Battle of Tokyo, courtesy of Nina's bomb attached to the Ganymede.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Hardshell has an assortment of scars covering his body, implied to have been gained when Grimlock defeated him.
I Have Your Wife: A friend variant. He kidnaps Milly, Rivalz, and Nina in Setting the Stage under Megatron's command in order to have more leverage against the Black Knights along with Euphemia and Cornelia, since some of them (namely Lelouch and Suzaku) are on the Student Council.
Irony: After losing to Grimlock, Hardshell gave up on tactics and weaponry in favor of brute strength to better match the Dinobot the next time they meet. He's killed by those very things long before he has a chance to face Grimlock again.
Knuckle Cracking: He rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck right before he faces off against Bumblebee, Ratchet, Cecile and Monica.
The Leader: Becomes this for the Insecticons following Kickback's death.
No Kill like Overkill: He is killed by being caught in a nuclear explosion from Nina's bomb, while he happens to be right next to it.
Oh, Crap!: Can only react in horror in his final moments when he sees the nuclear bomb attached to the Ganymede.
Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Downplayed; in Transformers Prime, he stated he had a history of killing several Wreckers, making Bulkhead and Wheeljack targets for him. He never encounters either of them in R1, nor does he mention any Wreckers, and he fights Bumblebee instead.
Tough Beetles: His alt-mode is a rhinoceros beetle and he's incredibly tough, capable of throwing other Cybertronians around like rag dolls.
You Don't Look Like You: Airachnid takes notice that Hardshell's current appearance (based on a Rhinoceros Beetle) differs greatly over his old appearance (based on a boll weevil) back on Cybertron. This was intentional on Hardshell's part, as he wanted to take a form that can put up a fight against Grimlock.

Saberhorn

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Tally ho!"

An Insecticon pirate.

Big Creepy-Crawlies: His robot and alternate modes are based on rhinoceros beetles.
Blood Knight: Wishes to face the Autobots and Black Knights, hoping that they will be a challenge.
Dual Wielding: Wields two swords in battle.
Go Out with a Smile: In Damocles Rises Saberhorn does this after being defeated by Alice, knowing that he fought against a worthy adversary.
Villain Respect:
- Gives this to Guilford, leading them to exchange greetings.
- He acknowledges Alice's reasons for fighting before he dies in battle.
Worthy Opponent: He sees this to Guilford in Sword of the Past - Shield of the Present. He does the same for Alice before she impales his spark chamber, gracefully accepting defeat.

Scorponok

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A scorpion-like Insecticon, who arrived on Earth following the Decepticon conquest.

Beware My Stinger Tail: As expected from a scorpion, his tail can do this. He even demonstrates with some hapless Sutherland pilot.
Character Death: He gets pulverised by Grimlock in Damocles Rises.
Composite Character: He has his movie self's tunneling ability.
Scary Scorpions: It's even in his name.
Team Member in the Adaptation: Normally Scorponok isn't a member of the Insecticons, but here he's introduced alongside Saberhorn and Glowstrike.
Tunnel King: Since he's incapable of flying, he can tunnel through the ground at surprising speed instead.

Glowstrike

^{Click here to see her Alt-mode}

A cold and aloof female Insecticon.

Big Creepy-Crawlies: Is ostensibly based on a firefly, though the author instead pegs her as a ladybug.
Character Death: In Sword of the Past - Shield of the Present she gets killed off by Monica.
Meaningful Name: Her alt-mode is based on a Firefly, an insect known for its glowing abdomen.
Off with His Head!: Meets her end via a decapitation strike.
Only Sane Man: Unlike Saberhorn and Scorponok, she's the only one concerned with Airachnid's growing mental instability.

The Dark Knights

A group of Geass Order agents and captured Britannians that have been conscripted to fight for the Decepticons, serving as an Evil Counterpart to the Black Knights.

In General

Evil Counterpart: To the Black Knights - both are human forces aiding one of the Cybertronian factions, but while the Black Knights are a primarily Japanese group that willingly aids the Autobots, the Dark Knights are a primarily Britannian force of Decepticon Slave Mooks that are forced to fight via an Explosive Leash.
Explosive Leash: Their Knightmares are rigged to explode to prevent them from trying to escape. Knockout is the one who has the controls for said leash.
Foil: One to the Black Knights - the Black Knights are voluntary allies of the Autobots, while the Dark Knights are Slave Mook Battle Thralls for the Decepticons. Additionally, the members of the Dark Knights are far more mentally screwed up than the Black Knights, who have learned to lean on each other for emotional support.
Shout-Out: As a group of b-list characters who are criminals in a sense and forced to complete missions via Explosive Leash, the Dark Knights are a clear reference to the Suicide Squad. Right down to life expectancy and willingness to resign.

Gino

The former Knight of Three. Later rescued by the Black Knights and Autobots.

See his folder on this page

Anya

The former Knight of Six, currently possessed by Empress Marianne.

See her folder on this page

Pollux and Castor

Twin sons of Britannia, conscripted after Area 9 fell to Squadron X. Killed in battle against Grimlock.

See their folder on this page

Orange

The former leader of the Purist Faction, modified and brainwashed to serve the Decepticon cause.

See Jeremiah's folder here

The Headmasters

Speed, Land, Order, Power, Refrain, and Nebiros

The most elite members of the Geass Order, modified by Shockwave to command specialized Knightmares.

For information regarding Refrain/Mao, see the bottom of this page. For information regarding Nebiros and the rest, see the bottom of this page.

Adaptational Name Change: They're referred to as The Irregulars in their home series (the girls of the group, at least).
Canon Immigrant: Speed, Order, Land, and Power originate from Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally.
Elite Mooks: Serve as this compared to the rest of the Dark Knights.
Mythology Gag: A Mao is a part of their lineup, as was the case in Nightmare of Nunnally.
Shout-Out: All of their Knightmares are based off of Mobile Suits from Gundam Wing.

The Dark Pawns

The Dark Pawns are specialized drones with the skills and abilities of past elite Knights of the Round digitally loaded into them. Thanks to Dark Energon, Megatron can control them completely.

All Your Powers Combined: They have the talents of all Knights of the Round combined loaded into each Pawn.
Mooks: What they amount to against the Alliance.
Took a Level in Badass: Thanks to Shockwave creating a synthetic Red Energon formula to operate them, the latest Dark Pawns are faster, can fly easier and be even more effective against their enemies.

The Dark Queen (SPOILERS!)

The Dark Queen

Primary Knightmare: Dark Excalibur

The Dark Queen is made from Marianne's preserved corpse cybernetically merged with Charles' Excalibur Knightmare, animated by Dark Energon, retaining Marianne's skills and knowledge, but under Megatron's total control.

Corrupted Character Copy: Downplayed. Despite being powered by Dark Energon, much of the Dark Queen's fighting prowess comes from Marianne's preserved corpse, making it a twisted version of the Powermaster/Godmaster concept.
Elite Mooks: Serves as the top soldier/weapon of the Dark Knights.
Expy: Being powered by the soul of Lelouch's dead mother? Megatron essentially created an EVA Unit that doesn't require a proper human pilot.
Human Resources: Made with Marianne's preserved corpse.
Killed Off for Real: Gets killed off by the combined effort of Oiagros, Orpheus, and Cera in Light and Darkness.

Steeljaw's Pack

A group of Decepticons answering directly to the newcomer Steeljaw. Ostensibly serving as a place for soldiers who failed Megatron to atone, membership is denoted by a slashed Decepticon symbol.

In General

Animal-Motif Team: As in RID, all members of the pack have an animal motif. The current lineup of the pack you met in Steeljaw (wolf), Thunderhoof (deer), Airachnid (spider), Quillfire (porcupine), and Underbite (gorgonopsid/mole). Fracture (bike) is the only one that doesn't fit the theme.
- They are later joined by Sky-Byte (shark) for the duration of the Akito arc.
Dwindling Party: They are slowly picked off throughout R2. Airachnid and Quillfire are the first to die at Castle Weisswolf, followed by Underbite and Thunderhoof during the Damocles' initial attack, then Fracture gets crushed by Sludge on Horai Island, leaving only Steeljaw and Fracture's Mini-Cons left.
Team Member in the Adaptation: In the RID cartoon, the original lineup of the group consisted of Steeljaw, Thunderhoof, Minitron, Underbite, Fracture (and their Mini-Cons Airazor and Divebomb), and Clampdown. Here, although the lineup remains the same with Steeljaw as leader, Minitron and Clampdown are replaced by Airachnid and Quillfire (who was part of the second and third lineup of the group in the cartoon).

Steeljaw

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"You want revenge, redemption, and more power? Then stick with me, and I'll grant it all to you and then some."

A wolf-themed Decepticon who transforms into a wolf snout-like off-road vehicle. Patient, ruthless, and charismatic, Megatron sees the potential in him as a squad commander, but sees a little too much of Starscream in him as well.

Adaptational Explanation: In the RID cartoon, the reason for him slashing his Decepticon insignia, as well as all of his recruits, was to disable the tracking chip installed into them when they were prisoners so the Autobots couldn't track them. Here, he does it because he and every member of his Pack have failed Megatron in some way, so they mark themselves as a sign they accept their failure and are willing to atone for it. At least, that's the reason he gives (an illusion of) Megatron when trying to get in his good graces.
Ambition Is Evil: Wants more out of life, and that means he's ready to do all kinds of tricks to get higher in the ranks or to fulfill grander goals.
Animal Motifs: Pretty obviously he's based on The Big Bad Wolf.
Consummate Liar: As shown in "A Measure of Trust", Steeljaw is adept at spinning halfway-convincing lies on the spot.
Dark Lord on Life Support: As the sole remaining active Decepticon after the battle of Darkmount, he's last seen at the end of R2 being tended too by others on life support.
Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being a Consummate Liar who intends to get more power, he's horrified upon learning the true nature of Neo Ragnarök from Megatron himself in The Calm Before The Storm, immediately attacking him afterwards before jumping ship with Sky-Byte, Thundercracker and Slipstream, who also want to maintain their individuality. He also feels shocked and betrayed over Shin agreeing with Megatron's plan.
Faux Affably Evil: He might be good at pretending he's reasonable and well-meaning, but he's quite literally a wolf in Transformers' clothing.
Hidden Agenda Villain: While he is aligned with the Decepticons, considering he offers Thunderhoof a chance at "revenge, redemption, and more power" while implying he's working with Airachnid, it's possible he has his own goal separate from Megatron's.
Smash the Symbol: He slashed both his and Thunderhoof's Decepticon insignias, saying it's necessary.
The Starscream: The Calm Before the Storm reveals that he did intend to usurp Megatron's leadership. Unfortunately for him, Megatron had long suspected that and he threatens him into either compliance or death.
Villainous Breakdown: In Black Bishop's Gambit, Steeljaw lets loose an angry rant when he was outsmarted by Zero at the end of the battle, literally howling in rage.
Steeljaw: THIS ISN'T OVER! I WILL TEAR YOU TO RIBBONS, ZERO! YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE YOU CALL A FRIEND AND COMRADE! THAT CASTLE SHALL BE YOUR TOMB!
Villain Has a Point: While nobody would be happy about trapping Nunnally and Cera with Megatron in the Sword of Akasha, Steeljaw did have a The Needs of the Many point that it was risky to go after 2 people while risking all the universe. Something Optimus concedes in a way because he orders Arcee and Kallen to destroy the Artifical Thought Elevator if they don't return soon.
Villain Team-Up: Recognizing the latter's obsession with death and killing, Steeljaw strikes a rapport with Shin Hyūga Shaing, who admires the destruction the Decepticons unleashed upon Britannia.
Wild Card: While still loyal to the decepticon cause, Steeljaw seems to have his own ambitions within the ranks too. Hence his great excitement to lead the work against the EU and his spying on Starscream and Schnitzel's secret plans.
Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Unlike most Decepticons that have red eyes, Steeljaw's yellow eyes signify his way with words and cunning personality.
You Remind Me of X: Euphemia notes that Steeljaw's way of talking somehow reminds her of her half-brother Schneizel - especially when it comes to convincing people.
- Could also double as an Actor Allusion, seeing as both Steeljaw and Schneizel are voiced by Troy Baker.

Airachnid

^{Click here to see her spider mode}

^{Click here to see her Alt-mode}

"You asked me why I do what I do? I already told you it was my personal hobby. I kill, I butcher, I dismember, I skin alive, that's just who I am."

An Ex-Decepticon Interrogator who enjoys making her victims squirm. Her sadistic personality makes enemies out of anyone hapless enough to cross paths with her, to the point that even after rejoining the Decepticons, some folks are rubbed the wrong way by her.

Actor Allusion: She's played by Ryōka Yuzuki in the Japanese dub of Prime, and she's an antagonist facing off against a character voiced by Ami Koshimizu. Definitely no redemption for her though.
An Arm and a Leg: Loses her right arm (including the spider ones) when she's caught in an explosion caused by Dreadwing in Rise of the Decepticons. She later has all of her arms destroyed by Arcee and Kallen in Siege of Castle Weisswolf before the latter finishes her off.
Arch-Enemy: She's wound up on many characters' shit list ever since appearing in the story.
- To Arcee as per canon, for killing her former partner Tailgate.
- Airachnid also becomes this to Kallen over time, going out of her way to try and kill the red-head both for fun and due to the many times Kallen has shown her up.
- She later becomes one for Suzaku due to her slaughtering people in the ghettos and kidnapping and nearly killing Euphemia. Her last appearance at the end of R1 has her crying out for his blood due to his role in the injuries she sustained when he and Dreadwing rescued Cornelia and Euphemia. The grudge has gotten very deep and personal, that Airachnid is a Decepticon that Suzaku, who's usually a believer in Thou Shalt Not Kill even after joining the Autobots/Black Knights, actually wants to kill Airachnid.
- Euphemia and Cornelia. She hates the former's idealism and took great pleasure in tormenting her by showing her the broadcast of the SAZ massacre as well as the destruction of Pendragon, while Euphemia was her captive. Predictably, this makes Cornelia despise her with a passion, in addition to suffering similar torment at Airachnid's hands. After Airachnid was left marred by Dreadwing's Heroic Sacrifice while rescuing Euphemia and Cornelia, her hatred for the sisters has skyrocketed and six months later, she still scours the globe to avenge herself upon them. She even killed their mother Victoria for her grudge. She's caused so much grief for the two, that Euphie, who's usually a kind person and hates killing, wouldn't mind if the Spider-Con was snuffed out for good.
Armor-Piercing Question: She loves handing these out to her enemies both to rile them up, and to break them down. In particular, she asks Suzaku a series of questions that blatantly point out that he’s working for the wrong side, and she also asks Cornelia about why her sister hasn’t been disposed of despite Britannia’s "Survival of the Fittest" mentality, as well what would she do if the Emperor ordered her death.
At Least I Admit It: She's a vicious killer... but she also mocks Britannians for thinking of themselves as being better. While holding Cornelia captive as Pendragon is conquered, she biliously points out how Britannia had done the same thing to the people's they conquered.
Dark Action Girl: Oh, very much so - she consistently gives Arcee and Kallen a run for their money in the combat department.
Darker and Edgier: Downplayed - Airachnid is actually exactly as villainous as she was in canon; it's just that her crimes are shown in more detail here.
Deadly Euphemism: Promises to 'take care of' Euphemia after trapping Cornelia in one half of the Harbinger. Guess what happens in Facade of Blood, under Megatron's orders?
Defiant to the End: Before she’s about to have her spark snuffed out by Kallen and Arcee, Airachnid spats at them for thinking their bloodlust towards her is any different from her own and that she’ll see them both in hell.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In canon, she's Put on a Bus to Hell when Soundwave strands her and her Insecticon horde on one of Cybertron's moons after Airachnid became an energon vampire while fighting CYLAS, and presumably starves once she runs out of insecticons to feast upon. Here, Kallen blows her up with a Radiant Wave Surger at the conclusion of The Siege of Castle Weisswolf.
The Dreaded: On account of her sadism and cruelty.
Even Evil Has Standards: A surprising one for Airachnid of all people, but she does seem annoyed over the fact that the Britannians blame the Japanese for the (supposed) deaths of Lelouch and Nunnally when it was Britannia themselves that put them in that situation when Charles exiled them and then ordered the invasion despite knowing they would be killed. She brings this up to Cornelia in ''Divided They Fall'', with Cornelia, predictably, putting the blame on the Japanese.
Eyepatch of Power: She has a huge patch on the right side of her face, which was blown off by Dreadwing on Kamine Island.
Eye Scream: Loses an optic on Kamine Island when Dreadwing detonates an Energon deposit, catching her in the explosion.
For the Evulz: By and large her motivation - she doesn't care about the Decepticon cause, she just enjoys hurting people. She also enjoys forcing a captive Euphemia to watch the SAZ Massacre.
Hannibal Lecture: Throws one at Suzaku for siding with the Cons and Britannia. She very bluntly tells him that he is being deceived and ultimately chose the wrong side to stand with.
Hated by All: She's hated by practically everyone she comes across, and even Megatron and Steeljaw only tolerate her due to seeing her as useful.
Hate Sink: Big-time! She has absolutely no sympathetic traits, tortures Arcee, and later on massacres dozens of Japanese civilians solely for fun. There is absolutely no way to view her with anything other than a mix of hatred, disgust, and horror.
Hook Hand: After losing her right arm on Kamine Island, she has it replaced with a hook weapon.
Hope Crusher: Airachnid enjoys dashing people's hopes and dreams, as part of being a Sadist. She especially enjoys forcing Euphemia to watch the SAZ turn into a massacre, and then mocking her pain. She even states in Tropical Skirmish that she despises idealism and hope.
It's Personal: Develops a mutual grudge against Kallen for blowing up her ship - while she was inside, no less - and scarring her face in a later battle. Later adds Suzaku to the list after he saves Euphemia and Cornelia on Kamine Island and deals her the most grievous wounds she's ever had to endure up to that point.
I Work Alone: Airachnid does not like to work with others. As opposed to the normal usage of this trope, though, this is mostly because working alone gives her the freedom to indulge in her sadism as she sees fit.
Jerkass Has a Point: Taunts Cornelia in Divided They Fall by telling her that Britannia is responsible for Lelouch and Nunnally's (apparent) deaths, then backs it up by noting that the two were actually doing fine in Japan (albeit having had a rocky start) before the nation was invaded.
Kick the Dog: Her treatment of Euphemia after taking her prisoner.
Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Tormenting Cornelia every chance she gets. While she's a far worse person than Cornelia is, that doesn't mean Cornelia doesn't deserve it.
Knight of Cerebus: Whenever Airachnid shows up, the story gets a lot darker. Airachnid lacks any sympathetic traits (even Megatron and Soundwave have their Villainous Friendship), and unlike the Seekers, her actions are always treated with total seriousness.
Laser-Guided Karma: After spending most of the saga tormenting them, Airachnid finally gets taken down by the combined efforts of her arch-enemies Arcee and Kallen.
Arcee: Good riddance.
Licking the Blade: Does this in The Brightness Falls when she kills off the entire House of Lords, licking the blood dripping from one of her spider legs.
More Despicable Minion: Even when compared to Megatron, she's completely devoid of redeeming qualities and is even more personally hated than other Decepticons. Even when working with Starscream and Steeljaw, she's always seen as the worst.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: In addition to Starscream, Airachnid also traps Cornelia in the Harbinger, simply because she found the princess to be annoying. This allows Lelouch to Geass his half-sister, which not only reveals that Cornelia would willingly switch sides if she knew that Lelouch is alive but also allows him to obtain intelligence on all Britannian military operations in Japan.
Not So Similar: Throws a "Not So Different" Remark at Kallen and Arcee just before the former kills her. Literally the entire rest of the story shows that while all three individuals can obsess over revenge, Kallen and Arcee never let it get to them and are capable of having healthy relationships with others, while Airachnid is a Sadist who has a Lack of Empathy and can't bond with anyone or anything.
Not So Stoic: Even Airachnid starts to experience true terror for the first time when she, Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp end up being surrounded by zombified Knightmares along with their similarly undead Vehicon escort.
Recurring Element: The second Iron117Prime villainess to be themed after a spider.
Revenge by Proxy: Kills Cornelia and Euphemia's mother in the first chapter of R2 after she refuses to tell her where they are.
Sadist: Killing things is just a fraction of the fun for her - what she really enjoys is making her victims squirm.
Sanity Slippage: As noted by Glowstrike in the first chapter of R2, getting gravely injured by Dreadwing and Suzaku on Kamine Island clearly took a toll on her mind, as her drive for revenge causes her to grow more unstable and reckless by the day. By the time of The Origins of Geass, the only thing on her mind now is getting back at those who humiliated her, namely Suzaku, Kallen, and Arcee, regardless of who stands in her way.
Smash the Symbol: Like with Steeljaw and Thunderhoof, Airachnid slashes her Decepticon insignia to signify her allegiance to Steeljaw's pack.
The Smurfette Principle: Is the only female Decepticon in R1. She's joined in R2 by Glowstrike and Slipstream.
- She's also the only female among Steeljaw's pack.
Spanner in the Works: She becomes this to Megatron as her multiple attempts in breaking Suzaku's psyche leads him to understand that his newfound allegiance to the Decepticons might be the wrong choice.
Spider People: She's basically a robotic spider.
Team Member in the Adaptation: Becomes part of Steeljaw's pack, which she never met in their respective series.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: While this is an issue all of the Decepticons have, Airachnid takes this to another level entirely - she actively betrays and manipulates her own teammates so as to make herself look better and has deliberately tried to kill them more than once.
The Starscream: Manages to be a bigger example than this story's version of the Trope Namer. Airachnid really wants to be in charge (if only so that she can indulge in her sadism as she sees fit) and goes out of her way to humiliate her allies (specifically Cornelia and Starscream) so that she looks better in comparison and can get promoted. She joins forces with Steeljaw in R2, having goals of their own.
Token Evil Teammate: Even worse than Starscream in this regard after she's reintegrated into their ranks - while Starscream has a Chronic Backstabbing Disorder and can be quite a Jerkass on the best of days, Airachnid, by and large, enjoys hunting, murdering and butchering people as a pastime. There's a reason she is considered the worst of the Decepticons. Additionally, during the mission to acquire the Immobilizer, Starscream does actually intend to return the weapon to Megatron, with his only intended backstabbing being to try and humiliate Airachnid and Cornelia while doing so. Airachnid, in contrast, wants the weapon so she can go rogue again.
- As mentioned before, it's rather telling that Starscream is morally better than her.
Token Flyer: Amongst Steejaw's pack, she's the only one who has a flying alt-mode.
Villain Has a Point: She is not incorrect when she tells Suzaku he chose the wrong side to stand with. This is deliberate - she wants to shatter Suzaku's idealism and know that making an irrefutable point will force him to acknowledge this.

Thunderhoof

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Eyy Yoo!"

A Decepticon in charge of the Fuji Energon Mine. Well... was in charge of the Fuji Mine.

Animal Motifs: The Marvelous Deer, thanks to his antlers and hooves on his feet. His Verbal Tic is a bit trickier to pin down, but is likely based off of an elk bugle.
Brooklyn Rage: Speaks in a mobster accent and has a temper.
Character Death: He gets killed off by Grindcore.
Flat "What": Has this reaction when he learns the Fuji mine is rigged to blow.
Thunderhoof: Saywha?
Horned Humanoid: His deer-like antlers.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Grindcore impales his chest and face with his own antlers in Damocles Rises.
Pay Evil unto Evil: Dropping three people in a vat of melting metal normally would be horrifying, but the people he killed (Milly's mother, Kallen's stepmother, and the Black King) were pretty horrible anyway.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Runs for his life when he realizes the Autobots and Black Knights rigged the Mt. Fuji mine to blow. He didn't make it, but Steeljaw digs him out shortly afterward.
Verbal Tic: "Eyy Yoo!" Going off of his Animal Motifs, it's supposed to be an elk bugle.

Fracture *

Fracture

$https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rid2015fracturepromorender.jpg$

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

A Decepticon bounty hunter, and one of Megatron's fiercest soldiers.

An Arm and a Leg: One of his arms is ripped off by a berserk Ayano in To Divide and Unite.
Badass Biker: His vehicle mode is a motorcycle and he's pretty good at it.
Blade Below the Shoulder: Two so he could dual wield.
Bounty Hunter: Yes.
Character Death: Gets crushed by Sludge right before Fracture can kill Drift.
Drone Deployer: His Minicon partners, Airazor and Divebomb, deploy from his shoulder armor to fight.
Purple Is Powerful: Dark purple and one of Megatron's most dangerous soldiers.
Second Episode Introduction: Debuts in the second chapter of R2 alongside his Mini-Cons.
Spikes of Villainy: He sure is spiky.

Airazor

One of two Mini-Cons under Fracture's command.

Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Airazor and Divebomb barely come up to a full-sized Cybertronians knees, but they are more than capable of damaging and fighting them.
Spider People: Looks like a centaur-like spider.
Undying Loyalty: Both him and Divebomb are incredibly loyal to Fracture, going back to his side if he finds himself in trouble.

Divebomb

One of two Mini-Cons under Fracture's command.

Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Airazor and Divebomb barely come up to a full-sized Cybertronians knees, but they are more than capable of damaging and fighting them.
Top-Heavy Guy: His arms and claws are much longer than his legs and the rest of his body.
Undying Loyalty: Both him and Airazor are incredibly loyal to Fracture, going back to his side if he finds himself in trouble.

Underbite

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Any of you heard of Nuon City? No? That's because I ate it!"

A Decepticon Chompazoid that consumes all types of metals to enhance his physical strength.

Big Eater: As quoted above, he consumes any metal in his path that will make him stronger.
Boisterous Bruiser: A loud, cocky bodybuilder who can bite as much as he can bark.
Character Death: Killed in a team effort by Grindcore and Hercules.
Not the Fall That Kills You…: In the R2 chapter Damocles Rises Grindcore sends Underbite flying towards Hercules, who then kicks the Chompazoid to the Ark, causing him to fall to his death afterwards.
Person of Mass Destruction: If his claims of devouring the entirety of Nuon City hold any water, he certainly qualifies as this.
Prehistoric Monster: While Underbite resembles a giant dog or mole, he actually resembles a gorgonopsid, an extinct protomammal with a dog-like appearance.
Purple Is Powerful: Like Fracture, Underbite is colored purple and is a very dangerous creature to face.
Second Episode Introduction: Debuts in the second chapter of R2.

Quillfire

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"You cannot stop the Decepticons' glorious reign! Anarchy for all!"

A Decepticon anarchist.

Character Death: Fried by Rai's Radiant Wave Surger in The Siege of Castle Weisswolf, causing him to explode.
Death by Irony: Quillfire aligns himself with the Decepticons to start a revolution. Then he dies in someone else's revolution.
Even Evil Has Standards: Quillfire may enjoy causing violence, but when he's suddenly on the receiving end of a berserk Ayano's attack (via influence from Geass), even he makes his retreat in To Divide and Unite.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Quillfire's not exactly a favorite among the Decepticons due to his behavior as an anarchist. That said, Swindle points out that he's better than Springload.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The rampage of Akito and the Japanese trio affected by his Geass effect is so terrifying that even the normally violent Quillfire outright calls them demons.
Spike Shooter: Can shoot his quills at random.
Terrorists Without a Cause: Outside of his hatred for authority, Quillfire's "revolution" seems more concerned with random, pointless violence than anything else.

Other Decepticons

Makeshift

"I'm the best at what I do, so consider it done."

A "shifter", a rare breed of Cybertronian capable of taking on any form that is the same mass and size as themselves. He is also capable of mimicking the voice of whoever he poses as, making him an excellent spy and infiltrator.

The Faceless: Subverted. While Makeshift's true form was only seen in shadow in canon, here, his true body, which is based on art by Airachnid1301, is seen in full. He even transforms back into his natural form in front of the Autobots and the Black Knights when Bulkhead and Lelouch expose him.
He Knows Too Much: Just like in canon, Makeshift is killed in order to keep the Ark's location a secret.
Master of Disguise: His general shtick, as a shifter.
Oh, Crap!: His final reaction before he dies is a small "Oh no" when he sees Wheeljack's grenade strapped to him.
Small Role, Big Impact: While his role is mostly the same like in canon (poses as Wheeljack, infiltrates the Autobots, and gets killed to keep the base a secret), Megatron uses his remains to create a Pretender in Princess Euphemia's image in order to start the massacre at the Special Administrative Zone after kidnapping the real Euphie.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: He's a shifter who can transform himself into any Cybertronian, perfectly mimicking their shape and vocal processors.
Why Am I Ticking?: He dies from Wheeljack's detonating bomb strapped to his chassis courtesy of the Autobots and Black Knights.

Springload

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Thieves! They've come to steal the sacred treasure of Doradus! But the sacred treasures are mine to claim and mine alone!"

A frog-like Decepticon obsessed with the treasure of Doradus.

Amphibian Assault: A dangerous, frog-like Transformer with a long and prehensile tongue.
Amphibian at Large: His alt-mode is a car sized robotic frog.
Ax-Crazy: The Decepticons note that even Blitzwing is sane compared to him. And Blitzwing is in agreement with them.
Random Blitzwing: When someone's crazier than me, you know they're off their rocker!
Beware the Silly Ones: He might be an utter loon obsessed with a city of gold, but he's still a dangerous Decepticon, and he's the one who kills Yoshida.
Character Death: Is electrocuted during Tunnel Vision.
Fatal Flaw: His obsession with finding Doradus — during the race for the Iacon Relics, Bee and Arcee claim to have found the city to lure him away from Knock Out, then pretend to be the Spirits of Doradus and claim he is unworthy of its treasures, with his efforts to claim otherwise buying them enough time to overpower and kill him.
The Friend Nobody Likes: He is very disliked by fellow Decepticons due to his sheer craziness. Even they think Quillfire is easier to work with.
High-Voltage Death: Sayoko drops a metal rod on his tongue to impale it within an active rail lie, electrocuting him.
Hollywood Acid: Secretes it from his outer armor and tongue; it's strong enough to burn through other Cybertronians' plating and can easily melt an Akatsuki.
Talkative Loon: He always rambles about El Doradus, which only confuses his opponents and teammates.

Skyquake

^{Click here to see his theoretical Alt-mode}

Dreadwing's split-spark twin brother, an elite member of the Seekers that was loyal to Megatron.

Dies Differently in Adaptation: Skyquake died fighting Optimus Prime and Bumblebee on Earth in the Transformers: Prime episode Masters and Students. Here, he died years ago on Cybertron. Setting the Stage reveals the full story: Skyquake actually tried to stop Megatron from poisoning Cybertron's core, only for Megatron to attack him and leave him to die. By the time Optimus and his team found him, his body was corrupted beyond repair by Dark Energon exposure, forcing Ratchet to euthanize him.
Even Evil Has Standards: Setting the Stage reveals that he tried to stop Megatron from poisoning Cybertron with Dark Energon, knowing that it would destroy the planet. He paid for it with his life.
Mercy Kill: Ratchet had to euthanize him because of his fatal Dark Energon exposure.
Posthumous Character: Is only mentioned throughout the story, as he is long dead.
Robo Family: Like in canon, he and Dreadwing are brothers.
Undying Loyalty: Was fiercely loyal to Megatron when he was alive, much like his twin Dreadwing. That is until he learned of Megatron's plans to poison Cybertron's core.

Trypticon / The Nemesis

Trypticon / The Nemesis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wfc_one_shall_stand_trailer.jpg

^{Click here to see his Alt-mode}

"Though I can no longer assume my true form, I am far from powerless!"

A colossal Decepticon warrior that was originally an orbital station. After being defeated by the Autobots, Megatron turned his body into the Decepticon warship, the Nemesis.

Adaptation Expansion: Ratchet and Lelouch theorize that the reason he's searching for the Iacon Relics when infused with Dark Energon is that he hopes that one of them can restore his robot form. This was never explained in canon besides Megatron having made it his mission to find them.
And I Must Scream: Flying Mind indicates that he was fully conscious while stuck in warship form.
Death by Adaptation: As his body was used to form the Nemesis, the comatose Trypticon survives the canon show intact for the most part. He meets his end during the final battle when Smokescreen destroys the Nemesis in order to destroy the Terrorcon Driller.
The Dreaded: Had this reputation along with Airachnid among the Autobots for a very good reason. When Ratchet shows footage of its colossal size and relentless destruction to the Black Knights, they are shocked and terrified by what they see.
Fate Worse than Death: Has spent the last 50 years as a warship for the Decepticons, unable to move or speak, after failing to defeat the Autobots. It definitely explains why he traps both Autobots and Decepticons in stasis when he regains consciousness as he looks for the relics.
Hero Killer: When Ratchet tells the Black Knights about Trypticon, he mentions that the massive monster killed more Autobots than anyone else in the Decepticons.
Humongous Mecha: Was one of the largest Cybertronians in existence before becoming a vessel for the Decepticons.
Kaiju: His robot mode was a giant T-rex.
Killed Off for Real: Due to being in stasis as the Nemesis, Trypticon meets his end when Smokescreen destroys said ship along with the Terrorcon Driller during the final battle, wiping out his consciousness for good.
Mode Lock: Was forced into robot mode during the War for Cybertron after the Aerial Bots destroyed his T-Cog. Because of the damage he suffered before being converted by Megatron, Trypticon's transformation into the Nemesis is a permanent change, something that was established in Fall of Cybertron. The author has said that Trypticon can potentially be repaired and transform again, but Megatron chooses not to as punishment for failing to defeat the Autobots in the first place. It's theorized that his desire to return to robot form is why he seeks out the Iacon relics.
Omnicidal Maniac: Is all too willing to destroy all of Earth just to get to the Relics and restore his robot form.
Small Role, Big Impact: Though he only regains consciousness for one chapter before being shut down again, his fast decoding of the Iacon Relic database allows the Black Knights and Autobots to copy the data when they infiltrate the Nemesis, setting in motion the events of the Iacon Relic Arc.
Weapon of Mass Destruction: Was this for the Decepticons before being converted. Even after being turned into the Nemesis, Trypticon still has powerful weapons, including a laser cannon that's used to completely wipe Pendragon off the map.
You Have Failed Me: The reason Megatron turned Trypticon into the Nemesis was because he failed to destroy the Autobots on Cybertron.

Nemesis Prime

"I just wanted for you all to feel the utter despair of the one that you all admire so much, being the one to ultimately snuff you out! My hate for all of you cannot be put to words! I am your destroyer! I am the foe to all Autobots and Black Knights! I am… your nemesis… Nemesis Prime!"

A clone identical to Optimus created by Shockwave.

Adaptational Backstory Change: In the Prime canon, Nemesis Prime was created by MECH by taking a full body scan of Optimus and examining Breakdown's body components. Here, it is created by Shockwave based solely on the schematic and framework of Optimus's design.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Instead of the heavily desaturated version of Optimus Prime's own red and blue colors, this version of Nemesis is colored in his traditional black and red scheme.
Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: He wields an axe identical to Optimus'; only his has a darker, blood-red glow to it. He also fights in a more brutish and unrefined manner.
Deconstructed Character Archetype: Serves as one towards the various Nemesis Prime incarnations throughout the Transformers franchise. V.V. donning the look of Optimus is intended to intimidate the other Decepticons by virtue of resembling him, but his ineffectiveness in combat, not to mention his really bad losing streak, only comes off as someone trying to be Prime. While he tries to serve as a "dark mirror" of sorts towards Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader's convictions and hardened experiences only get rebuked without any way for him to react.
Evil Counterpart: He will be Optimus' counterpart in the Decepticons.
Evil Sounds Deep: His voice sounded like a dark reflection of Optimus' on the outside while having V.V.'s voice on the inside.
Expy:
- His attempt to attack Megatron brings to mind Scourge, an Optimus Prime clone from Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
- His Restraining Bolt is reminiscent of Megatron's torturing of Rampage in Beast Wars.
The Ghost: He was mentioned in The Fires of Rage as a project that Shockwave is currently developing. Valley of Kings and Titans reveals that it is nearing completion. Sure enough, Ghosts reveals that it is finished, making a very brief appearance where he is sent by Shockwave to the Equator to search for the Iacon Relic found there. He makes his full appearance in Toxic Nemesis.
Hybrid Power: With Transformers CNA (Cybernucleic Acid) as his basis, he'd be no more than a shell. However, as part of Shockwave's genius, this is powered by a combination of all three Energon types. Regular Energon so it can actually function properly. Synthetic Energon to improve performance. And finally, Dark Energon as a failsafe to insure loyalty to Megatron.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: As per his traditional colors and allegiance.
Walking Spoiler: It's difficult to talk about his personality, skill set, and role within the story without revealing that he's actually V.V.

The Pretender (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Princess Euphemia li Britannia (Pretender)

Built from Makeshift's chassis, the Pretender took on the guise of Princess Euphemia li Britannia. Her mission is to impersonate the real princess and start a massacre at the Special Administrative Zone.

Arm Cannon: Like most Cybertronians, the Pretender is equipped with this. In fact, both arms are equipped with them.
Capture and Replicate: The Decepticons kidnap the real Princess Euphemia so the Pretender can be implanted and take her place.
Evil Sounds Deep: When you have Megatron as your puppeteer.
Extendable Arms: Her right arm is one, which Lelouch/Zero finds out first-hand when it pins him to a wall. It's not known if it also applies with the left.
Frame-Up: Her mission is to replace Euphemia and cause a scene to show the world Britannia's true colors.
Half the Man He Used to Be: Gets torn to pieces by Lelouch, via the Gawain's Slash Harkens.
Homage: She serves as one to both the Optimus Prime clone created and voice-controlled by Megatron and the Pretender drone "Alice", who seduced Sam and served as a wedge in his and Mikaela's relationship.
Small Role, Big Impact: Though she only lasts for one chapter before being completely destroyed, it alone sets the stage for the first story's climax.
Static Stun Gun: Her left arm converts to something akin to one, which she uses to knock out Suzaku.
Walking Spoiler: You can't discuss a lot without revealing the role it had in the SAZ massacre.

Suzaku Kururugi

Primary Knightmare: Lancelot, Lancelot Albion, Silver King

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_678.png

"Any gains by contemptible means aren't worth anything."

One of Lelouch's best friends, a young yet troubled soldier in the Britannian army, and the pilot of the Lancelot Knightmare. He aims to try to reform the arrogant empire from within, and amidst the imperial army’s scuffles with Optimus Prime and the Autobots, he also joins the Decepticons with Megatron offering to aid him in his goal. Come R2, he became part of the Autobot-Black Knight Alliance's Zero Squad.

Ace Custom: He's the pilot of the Lancelot, the first seventh-generation Knightmare Frame. After the Lancelot is wrecked by Megatron, he upgrades to the Lancelot Albion, made from a Cybertronian protoform.
Achilles' Heel: Suzaku will always try to talk down his enemies, leaving him vulnerable to those who will take that opportunity to get in a cheap shot.
Actor Allusion: Japanese side. Prior to the port battle in Chapter 18, the Black Knights and Autobots discussed how, despite Suzaku's allegiance to the Decepticons, there is still chance for him to switch sides, and they bring up that other Autobots were former Decepticons and vice versa. Suzaku's Japanese VA previously played a ''Transformers'' character well-known for consistently switching sides.
Adaptational Jerkass: Canon!Suzaku does have Never My Fault issues regarding his service in the Britannian Army, but he also has It's All My Fault issues regarding his Patricide and Japan's subsequent servitude to Britannia. Here, though, both of those also fall under Never My Fault.
Animals Hate Him: R2 reveals that all cats apparently bite him, not just Arthur.
Arch-Enemy: Throughout his tenure as a soldier, he considers a select few Cybertronians as his greatest enemies through one rivalry was misguided on his part:
- Megatron. The seeds were planted when Megatron forced him into continuing to serve the Decepticons by threatening Lelouch and Nunnally and was fully cemented when the Decepticons caused the SAZ Massacre, which is what finally prompted Suzaku to throw in his lot with the Autobots. Everything he's learned about Megatron since then has only caused him to hate the former gladiator more and more, leading to Suzaku declaring that Megatron's existence is a mistake when they finally confront each other again, and then trying to kill him.
- Airachnid is one for him as well, as she mocked him and his ideals, killed innocent Japanese for fun, kidnapped and tormented Euphemia, and was responsible for Dreadwing's death. Suzaku hates Airachnid to the point that he admits in A Measure of Trust that he would want nothing more than to kill her himself. His only regret was that he didn't get to finish her off. Arcee acknowledges that she'd still be satisfied if Suzaku did the deed.
- Through one sided on Suzaku's part at first, he considered Optimus the most dangerous threat to the world and someone who is incredibly misguided as the Autobot Leader fought against the young boy's "crusade" to reform the Britannian Empire, despite being grateful to the Prime for saving him from the Purebloods. But after the events that took place in the SAZ, he finally understood the truth that Optimus wasn't the misguided one he thought he was but is everything that a real hero should be and someone who is strong enough to be gentle, unlike Britannia or Megatron. Suzaku began to see Optimus as a father after the time they had together.
The Atoner: By the end of R1, Suzaku finally attempts to find true redemption for killing his father by joining the Autobots and the Black Knights to help them liberate the Earth from the Decepticons.
Berserk Button: As is usually the case, anyone so much as insulting Euphemia is guaranteed to slam Suzaku's buttons hard.
Beta Couple: With Euphemia.
Blind Obedience: Suzaku's loyalty to Britannia is slowly devolving into this, as he refuses to acknowledge the many valid points his opponents have, while not really having any way to refute those points.
Character Development: Come R2, Suzaku has managed to cast aside his Death Seeker tendencies as he actually has a cause and people to live for. "Clash of Ice and Metal" sees Thundercracker's Geass Canceller strip Suzaku of his "Live" command, and Lelouch and the Autobots and Black Knights all agree that it doesn't need to be given to him again.
Combining Mecha: Thanks to the Forge of Solus Prime, Suzaku's Lancelot is now able to combine with Lelouch's Shinkiro, forming the Silver King.
Cool Plane: His Lancelot Albion's alt-mode is a white Cybertronian jet.
Cursed with Awesome: In the time skip, Cera offered him the chance to be rid of Lelouch's Geass Command to live, but Suzaku declines, knowing that his ingrained instinct to throw himself at any chance to die is a hindrance. So he instead asks the immortal if she can help him control it as a way to make up for his past mistakes. Come A Measure of Trust, Suzaku manages to swipe the Spark Extractor right from out of Megatron's hand and escape.
Death Seeker: Suzaku is constantly allowing himself to accept the most dangerous tasks and missions, with borderline suicidal intent, as repentance for murdering his father. As spelled out by Mao, Suzaku is little more than a guilt-ridden child hoping to be redeemed/punished. It culminates at the climax of his and Lelouch's argument after the SAZ Massacre, with Suzaku screaming for Lelouch to just let him die already. In Setting the Stage, he briefly volunteered for a bomb to be planted in the Lancelot in case he betrays the Autobot/Black Knight cause before Kallen shuts this option down while Kaguya suggests utilizing a tracer instead. His death wish is ingrained so deep, that when Suzaku learns of Lelouch using his Geass on him to "live", he turns down Cera's offer to have it removed, feeling that it's the only way to keep him from throwing his life away. After Thundercracker unknowingly removes the "Live" Command with his Geass Canceller in Clash of Ice and Metal, Lelouch told him that doesn't need it anymore, now that he has things to actually live for.
Deconstruction: Suzaku tears apart many different tropes and character archetypes.
- Black-and-White Morality: Suzaku's unwillingness to acknowledge the grey side of conflict is not portrayed as healthy, and his refusal to accept this leads him down a darker path.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Suzaku often puts himself at a disadvantage when charging into battle because, while his Lancelot may be a capable melee Knightmare, it's meant to be very well-rounded, and thus is at a disadvantage in close-quarters combat against a truly melee-oriented mech (such as the Guren).
- Undying Loyalty: Suzaku is extremely loyal to those close to him, particularly Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphemia. Problem is, it makes them obvious weak points for others to exploit. When Megatron uses the Cortical Psychic Patch on him and pretends to just learn about his relationship to Lelouch and Nunnally along with their former identities, he uses it to blackmail Suzaku into following his orders to the letter, regardless of whatever moral compunctions he may have. Should Suzaku refuse, Megatron threatens to reveal their existence to the Emperor, knowing Suzaku is horrified at the concept. As such, Suzaku can only agree to further dirty his hands if it means protecting them.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Yes, Suzaku is a very talented pilot, but talent will only take you so far against an opponent who has literal millennia of experience over you.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Suzaku's idealism is commendable, but it prevents him from recognizing the legitimate grievances his enemies have against Britannia, or how immoral his allies are. Furthermore, it also leaves him vulnerable to Megatron's manipulation.
- As in canon, he's a deconstruction of the standard Gundam protagonist, being an Ace Pilot kid/teen who pilots an Ace Custom mech. Here, though, not only is he working for a definitively villainous group, he's also siding with a truly irredeemable manipulator who deliberately tries to twist him into a darker person. Suzaku's own naïvety prevents him from recognizing this until someone forces him to face the truth.
Didn't Think This Through:
- A big problem with Suzaku's plan to help the rest of Japan - while Suzaku does have a plan for achieving his goals (advance high enough in the Britannian military to obtain the clout needed to help lessen their oppression), he did not invest any time to consider what would happen next. For instance, he failed to consider that virtually everyone in Britannia will oppose his attempts at reform due to his background, and that should he achieve said reforms, nothing is stopping the average citizen from ignoring them. This comes out in full force when he ends up joining the Decepticons so that Megatron could assist him in reforming Britannia, only for Suzaku to realize in The Patch Paradox that Megatron fundamentally isn't interested in reforming the system - he likes it as is.
- He tries to get around Megatron's Blackmail by telling Euphemia on an encrypted channel that Lelouch and Nunnally are alive and at Ashford so that she might be able to save them if Megatron reveals them to Charles. He never considers that Megatron might be listening in on the conversation (though Suzaku can be forgiven in this one instance, as Megatron had Soundwave hack the transmission and never gave any indication to Suzaku that he heard it).
Dirty Coward: He doesn't want to admit it, but deep down he simply cannot bring himself to face his problems or his mistakes, and tries to get around them, which leads to a lot of people calling him out on it. Kallen even flat out tells him to his face, that his Death Seeker tendencies is not redemption, but is instead a sign of how much of a coward he really is.
Everyone Has Standards: While he already hated Megatron plenty enough by that point, Suzaku is further disgusted by the Decepticons when he finds out that instead of letting Jeremiah rest in peace, they instead kidnapped him, turned him into a cyborg assassin, and brainwashed him. It's all but stated that Suzaku views killing him again as a Mercy Kill more than anything else.
Evil Is Not a Toy: His foolishness in using both Britannia and the Decepticons as a means in earning redemption comes back to bite him in the ass real hard especially when Megatron expresses annoyance about his motives via interrogation by Cortical Psychic Patch.
Expy: Once Suzaku starts doubting the greater cause of his allegiance with the Decepticons, his character arc mirrors that of Cancer. Both draw lines against killing their downed opponents, don't support their sides' more atrocious schemes, and defect once their side crosses the penultimate line. To make things a bit more interesting, even their relationships with their factions' female members is turned over its head; Mega genuinely cares for Cancer while Suzaku has nothing but hatred for Airachnid.
Fatal Flaw: Several.
- Naivety. Suzaku tends to only see the best in people unless he blatantly observes otherwise, meaning he is prone to manipulation by others like Megatron. It also means he's inclined to ignore facts that don't fit into his worldview, such as believing he can change things by working his way up the ranks as an Honorary Britannian without realizing that people will fight him every step of the way because of his background.
- Unflinching morals. Suzaku will never turn against the system because he finds doing so immoral, but it also means he can't recognize that said system is corrupt, and that others oppose it for legitimate reasons.
- Inability to make long term plans for his goals. While Suzaku has a goal in mind (allow the Japanese to be on equal footing with Britannia) and an idea to achieve it (advance high enough in the military that he can enact changes to lessen the Fantastic Racism), he hasn't planned anything further than that. Because of this, he's at a loss on what to do when Megatron asks him what his long term plans are, allowing the Decepticon Leader to gain his allegiance by offering to use his power to help Suzaku accomplish his goals.
- Inability to accept responsibility for his own actions. He never accepts his fault in murdering his father, nor his later actions during his time as a Britannian officer. This reaches the point of suicide; he would rather die and take Zero, the Black Knights, and the Autobots with him than admit that he's wrong.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: While his decision to kill his father in the past because the latter ordered Japan to fight to the last man earns him some sympathy and makes his actions understandable, Ironhide points out that this does not excuse his actions as a member of the Britannian Army or the Decepticons. This is compounded by the fact he refuses to accept responsibility for these crimes.
Heel–Face Turn: After spending a great deal of the story with the Britannian military and the Decepticons, Suzaku finally comes to his senses and joins up with the Autobots and Black Knights in Facade of Blood alongside Dreadwing after the Decepticons turn the SAZ into a massacre and kidnap Euphemia.
Heel Realization: It takes about eighteen chapters, but Suzaku is finally beginning to question whether he really chose the correct side. Compounded in Cheering Mao, when he hears Euphemia's own reservations on which side they chose.
- This realization is fully cemented in The Patch Paradox following an intense interrogation by Megatron resulting in his secrets being spilled out to the Decepticon who uses them to blackmail him into compliance. While the Decepticons are satisfied, Suzaku hides his horrified and regretful reaction from them.
- The realization finally kicks in for good in Facade of Blood, where Suzaku finally breaks down after Megatron turns the SAZ into a bloodbath using a Pretender disguised as Euphie. It ends with him (reluctantly) deciding to join the Black Knights.
Hypocrite:
- Suzaku calling the Black Knights terrorists rings hollow in United We Stand when he (begrudgingly) sides with Airachnid, who is infinitely more evil than any of the named members of the Black Knights. Loses this somewhat in Nunnally Held Hostage, where he gets very, very angry when confronting Megatron over letting Airachnid back into the Decepticons.
- Kallen points out in Island of Gods and Monsters that Suzaku may want to stop unnecessary violence, but his efforts to do so require supporting factions who consider killing others for fun/racism to be perfectly acceptable and have discrimination against different ethnicities as government policy.
- As much as he preaches that he can change Britannia from within, not even he truly believes it to be possible. When Megatron blackmails him with revealing Lelouch and Nunnally's survival to the Emperor should Suzaku not give him results, he outlines how Suzaku shouldn't have any reason to fear that happening if he truly thought Britannia could change, and that because he fears what Charles could do to them, he is admitting they can't change.
Internal Reformist: Suzaku is attempting to reform Britannia from within, but is hampered by both his own naivety and the fact that most Britannians do not share his interests. Megatron notes in The Patch Paradox that Suzaku doesn't actually believe that Britannia can be reformed, otherwise Suzaku would have no problems with the Con revealing Lelouch and Nunnally's survival to Charles.
It's All My Fault: Paradoxically, he shares this with Never My Fault. It's indicated the reason Suzaku doesn't owe up to killing his father when talking to others is because he hasn't forgiven himself for committing the deed, with all the problems that has caused.
It's Personal: Suzaku develops an extremely personal grudge against Megatron for not only messing with his head and manipulating him into joining the Decepticons, but also for kidnapping Euphemia and causing a massacre at the SAZ, and keeping him in the dark about Lelouch's identity as Zero. After Dreadwing dies, Suzaku vows that he will make Megatron pay if it's the last thing he does.
- Suzaku also develops a grudge against Airachnid for slaughtering innocent people in the ghettos and being allowed back in the Decepticons, kidnapping and nearly killing Euphemia, and being responsible for Dreadwing's death.
I Reject Your Reality: As the story progresses, Suzaku flat out seems to be incapable of understanding that the Autobots and Black Knights may be correct about him choosing the wrong side in this conflict. Given Suzaku's Self-Made Orphan and Death Seeker issues, it's likely he's troubled by the possibility that he's sacrificing his life for an unworthy cause and is desperate to try and convince himself he chose the right path.
Neutrality Backlash: He tries to circumvent between staying with Britannia and defecting to the Black Knights, by swearing loyalty to Princess Euphemia. Unfortunately, he finds out the hard way that Megatron will accept no compromises, by having Euphemia kidnapped and replaced with a pretender to turn the SAZ into a massacre, forcing him to accept that he never had a chance to change Britannia.
Never My Fault: One of Suzaku's biggest problems, as spelled out by Ironhide in Tropical Skirmish, is that he absolutely refuses to acknowledge and accept his own mistakes.
- Beyond never accepting responsibility for killing his father, he also refuses to acknowledge his own crimes as a member of the Britannian Military. Kallen bringing this up on Kamine Island frays his friendship with Dreadwing, as the latter believes a soldier must accept responsibility for his actions.
- Even after the total disaster that is the SAZ meeting, Suzaku's thought process still shifts to blaming the Autobots and Black Knights for what's happened because they resorted to violence against Britannia and the Decepticons. Fortunately, Lelouch manages to talk some sense into him that brings the former friends back to working together.
Official Couple: With Euphemia.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Suzaku is generally against killing to an absurd degree, fully believing that Thou Shall Not Kill. It speaks volumes about how much he hates Airachnid that he is significantly less willing to follow said rule. The final battle of R1 really emphasizes this by not only killing several Britannian soldiers in a rage after they badmouth him and Euphemia, but by outright trying to kill Megatron while calling the latter's existence a mistake, showing just how angry Suzaku is over Megatron ruining Euphie's SAZ so that it would kickstart the Black Rebellion just to distract the world from Megatron's conquest of Britannia. And in the second chapter of R2, Suzaku flat out says that he would enjoy nothing more than to snuff out Airachnid's spark for everything she did to him, Dreadwing, and Euphie, much to the surprise of his fellow Autobots and Black Knights.
Secretly Selfish: Like in canon, his goal of reforming Britannia is more about atoning for his murder of his father, and subconsciously looking for a way to die. Megatron, of all people, helps him realize this.
Self-Made Orphan: Suzaku murdered his own father when the latter wanted to have Japan fight to the last man against Britannia, as he didn't want everyone to die in senseless violence. This took a big toll on his psyche, leaving him with Death Seeker tendencies as he feels that he needs to die to make up for the honor he lost slaying his father.
Self-Serving Memory: This shows up in Chapter 28, Island of Gods and Monsters. To whit: Suzaku claims that the only reason Britannia has to resort to such brutal measures is because of the extreme measures taken by the Black Knights, completely ignoring Clovis' decision to kill everyone in Shinjuku, Cornelia trying to repeat this at Saitama, Starscream wanting to destroy the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel after using it as bait to draw out the Autobots, and finally, Airachnid's rampage through the ghettos. Granted, the last one is something he still has not, and never will forgive Airachnid for.
Shadow Archetype: Suzaku had been steadily becoming one for Optimus, representing the possible result of Optimus refusing to acknowledge any morals except his own. Thankfully, Suzaku starts to avert this by the conclusion of R1 after finally joining the Autobots-Black Knights alliance.
Significant Wardrobe Shift: In R2, Suzaku's Black Knight uniform resembled that of a Knight of the Round, only it was black instead of white, and it bore the Autobot-Black Knight insignia on its chest.
Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Suzaku working alongside Megatron has not done him any favors. Thankfully, he snaps out of it in Facade of Blood.
Sunk Cost Fallacy: This, along with being a Death Seeker, is why Suzaku keeps supporting Britannia even after their evils become clear to him. If he stops or defects now, all the sacrifices he made, up to and including killing his father, will have been meaningless. For Suzaku, the only options going forward are to either achieve his goal of reforming Britannia from within or die trying.
Took a Level in Badass: By the time of R2, his piloting skills have improved to the point where he's outgrown the 'unskilled' part of Unskilled, but Strong, and has a vastly superior Knightmare made from a Cybertronian Protoform, with a whole new set of bells and whistles. Best showcased by the fact that alongside Lelouch and Kallen, the trio very nearly kill Megatron!
Toxic Friend Influence: While "friend" is a big stretch, it's clear that Megatron is encouraging Suzaku's negative traits, in contrast to Optimus' friendship with Lelouch. In particular, Suzaku's faith in Britannia and, to a significantly lesser extent, the Decepticons, is starting to border on Blind Obedience and Black-and-White Insanity, while his actions are beginning to verge on Knight Templar territory. Which is exactly what Megatron wants.
Transforming Mecha: Thanks to his Lancelot Albion being forged from a Cybertronian protoform, its alt-mode is a white Cybertronian jet capable of high speeds.
Unstoppable Rage: He does not take kindly to five Britannian soldiers insulting Euphemia in Fall of Britannia, killing them in a fit of rage. Thankfully, Ironhide manages to calm him down.
You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: He's shocked and angered when he learns that Airachnid has rejoined the Decepticons, having learned of her murderous, sadistic personality and her ghetto massacres.

Schneizel el Britannia

The former Second Prince and Prime Minister of Britannia.

See his folder on this page

Kanon Maldini

Schneizel's right-hand man.

See his folder on this page

Shin Hyuga Shaing

The Grandmaster of Euro-Britannia's Order of St. Michael. Described by Steeljaw as a Decepticon in human skin.

See his folder on this page

The Driller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/driller_chicago_dotm.jpg

A massive Cybertronian Lifeform that was hidden underneath Chernobyl.

Adaptational Backstory Change: The Michael Bay films implied that Shockwave brought the creature with him to Earth when he left Cybertron. Here, after he subjected it to genetic experimentation as a potential Decepticon weapon, Autobot forces raided Shockwave's facility, captured the Driller while it was in stasis, and ejected it into space with the other Iacon Relics, which most likely landed on Earth afterwards.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Bigger than Grimlock is practically an understatement.
Back from the Dead: In One Shall Stand it gets resurrected as a Terrorcon.
Canon Immigrant: It's an entity that comes from the Michael Bay film series rather than the Aligned Continuity.
The Juggernaut: It's so powerful that not even Grimlock was able to defeat it, forcing him to retreat. Being resurrected as a Terrorcon makes it even more tough to beat, to the point that the Autobots end up sacrificing the Nemesis in order to bring it down for good.
Killed Off for Real: After being resurrected as a Terrorcon, it finally dies when Smokescreen detonates the Nemesis, taking it out with it in One Shall Fall.
Lightning Bruiser: Its one of the biggest entities in the world, but its also really fast, and one of the most powerful weapons in the Decepticon arsenal.
Mechanical Animals: It's a Cybertronian lifeform, but it behaves more like an animal than a sentient being.
Sand Worm: It's a mechanical being that resembles a giant worm, and as its name implies, it can drill through the ground really fast.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Downplayed, as its not really evil, just more like a robotic animal, but it was hidden underneath Chernobyl before Shockwave woke it up.
Walking Spoiler: Not much can be talked about it without spoiling the events of the chapter Ghosts.
Your Head A-Splode: In Light and Darkness Grimlock has Alice drop him inside the beast, incinerating it from the inside with his T-Rex mode's plasma breath and causing its head to explode.

Steve (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

ST-3V3/Steve

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/idwrid5_steve.jpg

^{Click here to see his appearance as of The Calm Before The Storm}

Image courtesy of OptimusHunter29.

"I'm sure you don't recognize me but... we did meet. You had a chance to execute me, but you told me to walk away and rethink my life. So, I did."

A Vehicon who has defected from the Decepticons.

Chekhov's Gunman: He makes his return thirty chapters after The Renewed Revolution, having underwent a Heel–Face Turn.
Good Costume Switch: By The Calm before the Storm, Steve has changed his paintjob from dark purple to blue and changed his insignia to the Autobots' one, signifying his change in allegiance.
Mook–Face Turn: Lelouch sparing the Vehicon's life helped allow him to desert.
Never Given a Name: He, like the rest of the Vehicons, were never given proper names and are only known by identification numbers. Kallen just decides to call him Steve.
Carine: Steve? You're naming an alien robot, Steve?
Small Role, Big Impact: Thanks to Lelouch Geassing him to rethink his choices in The Renewed Revolution, he (and Thundercracker) helped Odysseus, Carine, and Laila escape from Decepticon custody.
Villain Respect: Zig-zagged as he had changed sides to the Autobots, but he was in awe of Lelouch's speech.
Walking Spoiler: Not much can be talked about him without spoiling the events of the chapter Damocles Rises.

Characters / Code Prime: Decepticons

Edit Locked

Leadership

Military Commanders

Starscream

Soundwave

Laserbeak

Ravage

Rumble

Frenzy

Dreadwing

Sky-Byte

The Seekers

Thundercracker

Skywarp

Slipstream

Scientific Development

Shockwave

Knock Out

Breakdown

Combaticons

Onslaught

Brawl

Swindle

Vortex

Blast Off

Bruticus

Constructicons

Mixmaster

Scrapper

Bonecrusher

Long Haul

Scavenger

Hook

Devastator

Squadron X

Barricade

Blackout

Blitzwing

Lugnut

Headlock

Quake

Demolishor

Overload

Groundpounder

Ground Forces

Vehicons

Insecticons

Kickback

Hardshell

Saberhorn

Scorponok

Glowstrike

The Dark Knights

Speed, Land, Order, Power, Refrain, and Nebiros

The Dark Queen

Primary Knightmare: Dark Excalibur

Steeljaw's Pack

Steeljaw

Airachnid

Thunderhoof

Fracture

Airazor

Divebomb

Underbite

Quillfire

Other Decepticons

Makeshift

Springload

Skyquake

Trypticon / The Nemesis

Nemesis Prime

Princess Euphemia li Britannia (Pretender)

Suzaku Kururugi

Primary Knightmare: Lancelot, Lancelot Albion, Silver King

ST-3V3/Steve

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