Characters / Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015), Steeljaw's Pack

Steeljaw

Steeljaw

Voiced by: Troy Baker (English), Carlos Hernández (Latin American Spanish), Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese)

First Appearance: "Trust Exercises"

"Savour the daylight. Things are about to get rather dark."

• Adaptational Villainy: Every other incarnation of Steeljaw has always been depicted as a member of the Autobots. Whereas here, not only is this incarnation a Decepticon, he's the Big Bad of the entire series.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: He has mounted attacks on the scrapyard in the episodes Lockout and Misdirection, with the aim of freeing the Decepticons imprisoned there.
• Ambition Is Evil: Steeljaw is ambitious; he wants power, glory, and control for himself. According to his Teletoon bio, that's why he was sentenced to jail, for stirring a revolt to overthrow the government and take power for himself.
• Anti-Villain: However ruthless and evil his actions are, he genuinely does believe that he's truly fighting for a new homeland for all Decepticon-kind. The pain and anger in his voice said it all as he attacked Megatronus for not living up to his end of the bargain and attempting to destroy Earth.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: While this trope did not apply to him for the majority of his screentime, given that several other Decepticons proved to be more formidable and capable in combat, he finally plays it straight after obtaining the Decepticon hunters from the Alchemor's weapon storage, and proving himself capable of easily curbstomping Glowstrike and Saberhorn. As a result, the Decepticon army is quick to switch allegiance from Glowstrike to him once they witness his show of force.
• Bad Boss: His plans for a utopia of Decepticons under his leadership can easily find members excluded if they fail him:
  • In True Colours, he abandons Minitron to the Autobots after his repeated failures.
  • In Sideways, he threatens Clampdown with extreme physical violence should he turn on them.
  • As his plans keep going awry during Lockout, he becomes increasingly hostile to his pack.
• Bare-Handed Blade Block: Parries a few sword strikes from Sideswipe in this manner in True Colors.
• Big Bad: Zig-zagged. Steeljaw is the most dangerous of the Alchemor's prisoners, and is competent enough when left to his own devices, but he's often overshadowed and forced to act on behalf of bigger threats like Megatronus, Soundwave, and the High Council. Without these larger threats, Steeljaw is able to play the role straight in the second season, where he plays Glowstrike like a fiddle until he betrays her to usurp command of her Decepticon army.
• Big Bad Ensemble: With Soundwave and Motormaster in the Combiner Force season.
• The Big Bad Wolf: He looks the part, and even acts it too in his debut episode, what with lying about his true nature whilst posing as a more benevolent figure. His lies don't hold up when put under scrutiny.
• Blatant Lies:
  • In his debut episode, Steeljaw tries to bluff Strongarm, claiming that he's a guard who was aboard the Alchemor — she's not so sure:
  Strongarm: Then why would you have a Decepticon logo?
  Steeljaw: Ahehehe, you're very well trained, asking excellent questions. The logo is meant to confuse the other GWARRR
  • When that fails, he tries using half-truths, admitting that he lied earlier, so he could start a new life on Earth peacefully. Though as Sideswipe points out, Steeljaw gets "unpeaceful" with him and Strongarm pretty quick.
  • In True Colors he tries to claim that Grimlock was always really a Decepticon who had tricked his allies into trusting him and then joined up with him willingly. Sideswipe doesn't buy it, and moments later it's revealed Grimlock was being controlled against his will by Minitron.
  Steeljaw: Aww, is it so hard to believe the Dinobot would choose me over all of you?
  Sideswipe: Yeah. It kinda is.
• The Bus Came Back: He returns in Season 3 episode Exiles, with Thunderhoof, Underbite, Clampdown, and Quillfire.
• Captured on Purpose: He lets the Autobots take him into custody in Misdirection in order to bust out several of the Decepticons in stasis.
• Consummate Liar: As shown in his first appearance, Steeljaw is adept at spinning halfway-convincing lies on the spot.
• Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Unlike Megatron, who was more proactive and tended to rush into a battle, Steeljaw puts a stronger emphasis on taking his time and staying in the shadows until an opportunity presents itself. Also, Megatron was a warrior from his years as a gladiator, Steeljaw isn't stronger than an average Decepticon but makes up for it with his cunning.
• Curbstomp Battle: Armed with two Decepticon hunters, he easily knocks out Glowstrike and Saberhorn with one hit each, despite Saberhorn having previously been shown to be a highly capable combatant. This act solidifies his status as the new leader of Glowstrike's Decepticons.
• Dark Messiah: Paints himself as the savior of the Decepticons.
• Demoted to Dragon: More often than not, he's reduced to being The Dragon to a more powerful Big Bad, like Megatronus in season 1, Glowstrike in season 2, and Soundwave in season 3. He tries to be a Dragon with an Agenda, but only ever succeeded with Glowstrike.
• Empowered Badass Normal: Once he gains possession of three Decepticon hunters, he becomes this, easily capable of overwhelming Bumblebee, Optimus, and several Fixit-type Minicons at once.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Soundwave reveals in Collateral Damage that he will summon Megatron, even if it means eradicating all life on Earth. Steeljaw was not happy with his scheme, as the former declares he wants Earth to be a hospitable planet for Decepticons, not a barren wasteland. Soundwave immediately disregards his argument and suggests to find another planet to rule, which results in the wolf Decepticon to attack Soundwave, only to bail out in defeat.
• Expy: A silky-voiced, charismatic, manipulative and ambitious Decepticon who is not as powerful as the big-name regulars, but still manages to muster a siable following and become a significant threat. In other words, not unlike Predacon Megatron.
• Faux Affably Evil: He has the charisma to sway fellow Cons to his side, but make no mistake, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It becomes even more apparent in Sideways, when he calls Clampdown "friend" and waxes on about how useful he is to the cause while simultaneously threatening to make him eat his own claws if he sides against them.
• Fighting for a Homeland: Steeljaw has claimed Earth as the new Decepticon homeworld after having lost Cybertron to the Autobots.
• The Heavy: More often than not, he's relegated to doing the grunt work for a more powerful Big Bad like Megatronus or the High Council.
• Hidden Depths: When Megatronus threatened to psychically force Clampdown to rip off his own arm for Steeljaw's stalling, Steeljaw did show some degree of concern for his teammate by conceding to the wishes of Megatronus to get him to stop and save Clampdown from being mutilated. This is especially surprising considering how Clampdown is nowhere near the most valuable soldier to Steeljaw and Steeljaw himself threatened Clampdown with extreme violence in a previous episode.
• Hostage Situation: He takes Denny hostage in Lockout and threatened to kill him when Fixit was stalling on releasing the Decepticons in stasis. He later does this again to Denny, Russel, and Fixit in Misdirection so he can free some of the captive Decepticons.
• I Gave My Word: During the final two episodes of the series, Steeljaw declares that he will assist the Bee Team to defeat the High Council, because of an Enemy Mine situation. He was not lying this time.
• I'll Kill You!: He yells this to the retreating Bumblebee after he is trapped in the floor of the Alchemor. Given that it's the last thing he says before the cryo-gas bomb detonates, it also doubles as Parting-from-Consciousness Words.
  Steeljaw: This isn't over! I will tear you to ribbons, Bumblebee!
• In Name Only: The name Steeljaw has always been associated with one of the Autobot Blaster's mini-cassettes. Said character is also a lion.
• Jack of All Stats: In comparison to the rest of his Decepticon comrades, he's this. Underbite is much more powerful than he is. Fracture is much more skilled of a fighter. And Thunderhoof has much more experience in being a criminal leader/mastermind and is arguably stronger than he is. Out of everyone in Steeljaw's original pack, only Clampdown has no real outright advantages over him. However, the fact that Steeljaw is well-rounded in all categories of strength, speed, skill, and leadership abilities makes the other Decepticons defer to him as their boss.
• Klingon Promotion:
  • A non-fatal example, but he apparently pulls this on Scorponok in Misdirection by arranging to meet both the latter and Crazybolt at an abandoned movie theater, with the promise of bringing them "elite warriors". Prior to the arranged meeting time, he fakes being injured and leaves a trail of energon to the meeting spot before allowing himself to be Captured on Purpose by the Autobots. Following the trail, the Autobots take advantage of Scorponok and Crazybolt's confusion about Steeljaw being a no-show to ambush and defeat them. Freeing himself once inside the scrapyard, Steeljaw releases several captive Decepticons and brings them back to Glowstrike, ostensibly claiming that Scorponok has betrayed her. With Scorponok out of the picture, Steeljaw is, according to Saberhorn, poised to take his place as part of Glowstrike's command team.
  • His next move, which he relates to the Decepticons he freed, is to also do this to Glowstrike and take over her faction of Decepticons.
• Knight of Cerebus: Established right from the get-go in Trust Exercises, especially if you compare the comical undertones of Hammerstrike to Steeljaw's interactions with Strongarm. Team Bumblebee concludes that he's planning something big and places him on the top of their "most-wanted" list.
• The Leader: Of his own pack of Decepticons. In the second season finale, he becomes this to the Decepticon army stationed in the Alchemor after dethroning Glowstrike.
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: For all his charisma, cunning, and competence, it's pretty clear the main reason he's a threat at all, is because the really dangerous and/or powerful Decepticons (e.g. Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave and Starscream) aren't present. Predictably, when he tries his luck against Soundwave in Combiner Force, he gets his tailgate handed to him by the experienced war veteran.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: His goal is to make Earth a Decepticon homeworld, though it's pretty clear he just wants to conquer the Earth and establish himself as leader of the Decepticons.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: On any other given day, Steeljaw has the workings of a credible Big Bad but he unfortunately runs afoul of being regularly upstaged by bigger threats like Megatronus, Soundwave, and the High Council. He only ever averts this trope in Season Two by usurping Glowstrike.
• Smash the Symbol: Before we find him he slashed his Decepticon insignia which he says served a dual purpose, both to separate himself from the Decepticons and to disable the tracker device the Autobots have on him. He also does this to any Decepticon he recruits.
• The Starscream: On his first mission for Scorponok and Glowstrike, he manages to trick Scorponok into being captured by the Autobots and lie that he was going to betray Glowstrike, earning himself a promotion that he no doubt plans on continuing. In the second season finale, after gaining possession of the Decepticon hunters stored on the Alchemor, he formally usurps control of the Decepticon army from Glowstrike.
• Super Mode: After equipping himself with three Decepticon hunters, he gains a giant sword and heavy armor.
• Tail Slap: Can use his tail in this manner, and a blow from that is strong enough to send Bumblebee flying.
• The Nose Knows: His first appearance on screen has him leaping into a wooded area after Bumblebee's team has just left. Scraping some dirt from the ground and sniffing it, he can apparently tell they were Autobots just from the smell.
• Villainous Breakdown:
  • He has an epic one over the course of Lockout when his plans go to ruin.
  • Has another one in Battlegrounds, Part 2, when he realizes that Megatronus plans to destroy Earth in spite of promising to let him rule it.
  • The third was near the end of "Decepticon Island, Part II."
  • Another occurred in Collateral Damage, when Soundwave revealed his plan to decimate the Earth, in order to summon Megatron. Since Steeljaw wants to rule the world, not destroy it, it's pretty obvious why he was a little ticked.
• Villain Team-Up: In the second season, he allies with Glowstrike to continue his original goal of creating a Decepticon army. The third season shows that he and Soundwave are in the league with Cybertronian benefactors, which was subverted in a blink of an eye in Collateral Damage: Soundwave declares that he cares less about life on Earth and more about Megatron's return, which angers Steeljaw.
• Villainous Valor: It's admirable how Steeljaw uses his limited resources to create a competent threat. From building a team, to single-handedly distracting the entire Autobot squad to free said team. Even in episode 26 when he goes up against Megatronus even after his Pack opts to run, and the powerful con displayed how he could toss Steeljaw with his mind. Steeljaw just gets back up and goes at him a second time.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Wants to create a planet and safe refuge for all Decepticons… with him at the top of the pyramid, of course.
• Wolf Man: Possesses several lupine-like characteristics, prominently in his head, limbs, and tail.
• You Have Failed Me: A non-fatal example, but he takes this view towards Minitron, who he abandons to the Autobots after being displeased at Minitron only managing to retrieve one stasis pod, and leading the Autobots straight to Steeljaw's location.

Season 1 Members

Underbite

Underbite

Voiced by: Liam O'Brien (English), Kōsuke Gotō (Japanese)

First Appearance: "Pilot (Part 1)"

"Yeah, transformin' into a car'll make a huge difference. Hello? I ATE A WHOLE CITY!"

• Big Eater: Loves to munch metal. Though it serves an actual purpose for a Chompazoid like him, since his strength increases the more he eats.
• Boisterous Bruiser: A loud, cocky bodybuilder who can bite as much as he can bark.
• The Brute: He's one of the more powerful Cons based on his brute strength alone, to the point where it takes Optimus Prime himself physically manifesting on Earth to defeat him in the pilot. When he's rescued in True Colours, Steeljaw's explicit purpose for him is the muscle.
• The Bus Came Back: He was Put on a Bus throughout Season 2, but returns in Season 3 episode Exiles, alongside Steeljaw, Thunderhoof, Clampdown, and Quillfire.
• Evil Smells Bad: Grimlock goads Underbite into wrecking the stasis cell he's trapped in. How does he do it?
  Grimlock: Hey, aren't you Underbite, the 'Con who ate that city?
  Underbite: Finally! What gave it away? The muscles?
  Grimlock: The smell.
• Healing Factor: Powering himself up seems to grant him one, as a sword wound Drift inflicts on his face instantly closes.
• Irony: Underbite is based off of gorgonopsids, which were the very first saber-toothed predators and, as a consequence, would appear to have a pronounced case of overbite.
• Living Lie Detector: In Lockout, he claims to be to tell that Fixit is lying simply by sniffing him.
• Meaningful Name: He has an underbite, other Chompazoids lack this characteristic.
• Meet My Good Friends Lefty and Righty: He calls his arms Thundercruncher (right) and Boltsmasher (left)...and then kisses them.
• Offscreen Villainy: While all of the Cons in this series were locked up for this reason, Underbite's crime is the most notable, and the most mentioned (mainly by himself). He apparently devoured the entirety of Nuon City on Cybertron, something that it seems, very few people are even aware of. Given Simacore's reaction when Grimlock later brings it up, he probably really did do it.
• Out of Focus: The Starter Villain of Season 1 and The Brute of the Five-Man Band, Steeljaw is unable to release him in season 2 and his only mention is when Grimlock is asked a question about Nuon City. However he returns in season 3.
• 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, he is actually a gorgonopsid, an extinct protomammal with a doglike appearance.
• Power-Up Food: Metal. Any metal.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He gets mad whenever people fail to recognize him as the fabled devourer of Nuon City.
• Starter Villain: The first Decepticon the team faces off against.
• Villain Decay: In the two-part pilot, Underbite was so powerful, it literally took a Deus ex Machina in the form of Optimus to take him down. After joining Steeljaw's Pack, he seems to have shrunk in size and Grimlock can fight him on relatively equal footing, as opposed to the Curb-Stomp Battle he dished out in the pilot.
• Weaksauce Weakness: While eating metal powers him up, eating plastic has the exact opposite effect, rendering him nauseous and weak. Grimlock exploits this in their third confrontation, after Underbite has thrown in his lot with Steeljaw's gang.

Thunderhoof

Thunderhoof

Voiced by: Frank Stallone (English), Eduardo Fonseca (Latin American Spanish), Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese)

First Appearance: "As the Kospego Commands!"

"I ran some of the biggest criminal enterprises on Cybertron. Half you cops were on my payroll."

• Authority Equals Asskicking: He openly admits that he's more used to letting his minions fight for him, but he's tough enough to knock out Grimlock and take on Bumblebee and Sideswipe at once.
  Thunderhoof: Usually, I let underlings do the dirty work, but that don't mean I don't remember how to do it myself!
• Brooklyn Rage: Speaks in a mobster accent and has a temper.
• The Brute: A downplayed example compared to the more powerful Underbite but he's still clearly one of the more physically powerful Decepticons in the show considering he was shown to be capable of grappling against Grimlock on a few occasions and even getting the better of him at times.
• The Bus Came Back: He returns in Season 3 episode Exiles, along with Underbite, Clampdown, Quillfire, and Steeljaw.
• Character Catchphrase: Expect him to utter a loud "Eyy-yo!" whenever he's surprised, angry or annoyed.
• Diminishing Villain Threat: Like Underbite, it's also zig-zagged. At times, he's portrayed as being able to take on Grimlock, and even overpower him on occasion. In other instances, Thunderhoof is easily defeated by Sideswipe and/or Strongarm. He's still fairly powerful, but you wouldn't know it without comparing his debut and subsequent appearances.
• The Don: He was a powerful crime lord on Cybertron, claiming that half of the planet's police force was secretly on his payroll.
• The Dragon: He's Steeljaw's first long-term recruit and right-hand bot. Considering he was a big time crime lord in Cybertron, he considers this a major downgrade and often butts heads with Steeljaw over it, but knows better than outright challenge his leadership.
• Evil Only Has to Win Once: Invokes this when Sideswipe brings up his previous defeats at the hands of the Autobots.
  Thunderhoof: Let me give you punks some wisdom I picked up as a boss on Cybertron. It ain't who wins the most fights, just who wins the last one!
• God Guise: Pretends to be a mythical creature called the "Kospego", which happens to have antlers just like his, and dupes a bunch of gullible humans into helping him build a space bridge.
• Jerkass: As befits a crime boss. His aggressive persona contrasts Steeljaw's charisma.
• Jerkass Gods: Exploited. He tricks some humans into thinking he is the mythical creature, the "Kospego", threatening to break them if they don't build him a space bridge.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Posed as a godlike being to humans and forced them, with the threat of death, to build him a Spacebridge. At the end of the season, a godlike being forces him and the rest of Steeljaw's pack to build Spacebridge-like device using similar threats.
• The Marvelous Deer: Evoked by his prominent antlers and cloven hooves.
• Never My Fault: When taken out of stasis in season 2, Thunderhoof is angry at Steeljaw and blames both him and Megatronus for getting him locked up in the first place. It was Thunderhoof who chose to abandon Steeljaw in the fight against Megatronus and ultimately got himself tangled up with the Autobots and sent back to prison.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes are bright red, and he is very dangerous to say the least.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Thunderhoof hates Clampdown with passion for ratting him out to the Autobots to save his own hide, an event that took place prior to the series. Thunderhoof attempts to settle the score in Sideways, to the point that he disregards the fact that his allies are fighting the Autobots in favor of simply going after Clampdown.
• Shockwave Stomp
• Smash the Symbol: Steeljaw slashes his Decepticon insignia to remove the tracker in it.
• The Starscream: Played with. Thunderhoof and Steeljaw don't always see eye-to-eye, but he knows better than to challenge Steeljaw.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Though Steeljaw convinces him to work with Clampdown, he still shows nothing but hatred and disdain for him; When they are paired up in "Lockdown," Thunderhoof constantly insults Clampdown.
  • Season 3 redirects this trope between Steeljaw and himself, as Thunderhoof refuses to take part in Steeljaw's mission any longer, though the stag Decepticon still hates Clampdown. This lasted short as Steeljaw forcefully persuades the mob boss. Clampdown attempts to break up the argument peacefully, to no avail.
  • In the episode Breathing Room, Thunderhoof and Steeljaw get into another argument over the former's method of dealing with the Autobots. Thunderhoof goes so far as to physically shove Steeljaw, the two almost coming to blows afterward until Quillfire talked them down.

Fracture

Fracture

Voiced by: Kevin Pollak (English), Anri Katsu (Japanese)

First Appearance: "Hunting Season"

"It's always about a bounty!"

• Bare-Handed Blade Block: Does this to stop a sword attack from Sideswipe, then uses his taser to knock out the Autobot.
• Benevolent Boss: Towards his Minicons: Airazor and Divebomb. The three of them clearly have an affable relationship together, evident when the Minicons rush to help their 'boss' whenever he's knocked out in a fight, and Fracture listens to their appeals for retreat.
• Blade Below the Shoulder: Two of them.

• Combat Pragmatist: What he claims is his main advantage over his rival, Drift— this bot fights dirty. Flash grenades, hidden explosives, taking hostages, the works. He also shows zero compunctions about outright murdering Drift's Minicons.
• Consummate Liar: Fracture is a good liar. When he uses Airazor to bluff Russel to open the door by holographically disguising him as Hank, he made sure to do his research, and successfully bluffs his way in.
• Cool Bike: Transforms into one; first of the hover variety, then later scans a chopper-style motorcycle as his Earth mode.
• Detachment Combat: His Minicon partners, Airazor and Divebomb, detach from his shoulder armour to fight.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Divebomb and Airazor are clearly very devoted to Fracture and his safety matters more to them than the mission. In return, Fracture seems to treat them quite well (minus a punch in Airazor's face and that's only after he had been knocked out by Cyclones earlier).
• The Evil Genius: Fracture is one of the more cunning members of Steeljaw's pack, utilizing trickery and subterfuge as often as skill and force. It's best highlighted when he infiltrates the Scrapyard using one of his Mini-Cons to imitate Hank, as well as citing his research.
• Expy: He resembles a more child-friendly version of Lockdown.
• Foil: To Drift. Both are Minicon deployers and bounty hunters. However, whereas Drift subscribes to honorable conduct, Fracture will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. He is also noticeably more emotional and personable than the stern Drift.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Fracture was competent enough that Steeljaw entrusted him with solo missions, such as capturing Fixit in the Season 1 finale while the Autobots came after them. Word of God is that this was also why Steeljaw passed on bringing him back in Combiner Force. He was too independent and thus, unreliable as a teammate.
• Knight of Cerebus: While Steeljaw is the first enemy in the show to have a coherent evil plan, Fracture is the first foe the team fights who hasn't been in stasis for the past few millennia, who fights with a deadly, militaristic precision that our rookie heroes just can't match. He and his Minicons manage to single-handedly incapacitate almost the whole team with ease, and it takes a lot just to make him retreat.
• No-Nonsense Nemesis: While Steeljaw's pack all tend to have comical tendencies, Fracture is a serious and focused threat.
• Only Sane Man: The most levelheaded member of Steeljaw's pack.
• Ornamental Weapon: Has a giant rifle on his back that he never used. It also serves as the exhaust pipe to his Alt Mode.
• Out of Focus: After being one of the main villains of Season 1, Fracture and his minicons are completely absent in season 2 outside of Russel having a piece of Fracture's armor to put in his trophy case. In season 3 they are the only ones of Steeljaw's original pack not to return.
• Pet the Dog: It doesn't prevent him from attacking him, but Fracture isn't the one engaging in combat during his first appearance and actually warns Drift to back off. He also seems to treat his Minicons better than some other Decepticon Deployers, to the point they genuinely like him.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Airazor and Divebomb barely come up to a full-sized Cybertronians knees, but they are more than capable damaging and fighting them.

• Robot Hair: Just like Sideswipe, he has a helmet that looks like hair. In his case, it looks like a mohawk.
• Self-Destruct Mechanism: His spaceship is equipped with one, and he threatens to use it to kill Jetstorm and Slipstream after they hijack the vessel.
• Shock and Awe: He has a taser in his hand that he uses to incapacitate Sideswipe.
• Smash the Symbol: After he joins Steeljaw's group, he is seen sporting Steeljaw's signature slash marks over his Decepticon insignia. Since he's not a prisoner of the Alchemor and therefore has no tracker device implanted, this was merely cosmetic.
• Spikes of Villainy: As is common with Decepticons in more modern TF continuities, he's pretty spiky.
• Suddenly Voiced: Inverted with Divebomb and Airazor. In Fracture's debut episode, they are just as talkative as Drift's Minicons. In subsequent appearances after joining Steeljaw's pack, they become The Voiceless apart from Airazor very briefly speaking in Hank's voice while impersonating her as part of Fracture's plan to infiltrate the scrapyard during the Season 1 finale.
• Token Minority: He, Divebomb, and Airazor are the only Decepticons on the main cast without animal characteristics (and the only ones on the show at all aside from Headlock, Overload, and Soundwave). Airazor is even more exclusive than the others - his robot mode is non-humanoid, due to having four legs and no neck, but doesn't recall any specific animal very strongly.
• Undying Loyalty: Given Fracture's status as a Benevolent Boss, it's no surprise that Airazor and Divebomb feel this towards him.
• Use Your Head: Fracture does this in melee combat with Drift to knock the latter down. Bumblebee saving Drift from Fracture here leads to Drift initiating a life debt to Bumblebee.
• Villain Decay: Despite being, hands down, the most skilled fighter in Steeljaw's gang, subsequent episodes portray him nowhere near as dangerous as he was in his debut. For context, he was able to easily outmaneuver Sideswipe and taze him unconscious. The second time around, Sideswipe beat him by merely shoving a tire into his blade and he just stands there dumbfounded, until Sideswipe knocks him out. For someone who was able to give the entire Bee Team trouble, he probably should've stayed solo.
• Villainous Friendship: With his Minicons. Divebomb and Airazor are always ready to praise their boss and assist him. Either it's one-sided or reciprocal is up to debate. He also seems to get along well with Underbite as well.

Clampdown

Clampdown

Voiced by: Jim Cummings (English), Setsuji Satoh (Japanese)

First Appearance: "Sideways"

• An Arm and a Leg: Megatronus almost forces him to inflict this on himself when Steeljaw attempts to challenge Megatronus' demands. He is narrowly saved from autoamputee status because Steeljaw relented.
• Blackmail Backfire: His attempt to blackmail a member of the Autobot High Council is what landed him on the Alchemor.
• The Bus Came Back: He was one of those who came back in Season 3 episode Exiles. The others being Steeljaw, Thunderhoof, Underbite, and Quillfire.
• Cool Car: His alt-mode is a compact hatchback coupe based on a Ford Focus.
• Cower Power: He is quick to hide behind Steeljaw, Fracture, and Underbite when he discovers that Thunderhoof is out for his blood.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While calling him dangerous would be a stretch, Clampdown is quick-witted. When Denny and Russell throw him and Thunderhoof through a bunch of Home Alone-esque traps, Clampdown reacts quick enough to subvert a trap and turn the tables on the humans, recapturing Denny.
• Dirty Coward: His shining trait — Clampdown will sell out anyone to save his own hide. Autobots, fellow Decepticons, both at the same time. The only way Steeljaw is ultimately able to keep him in line is with the threat of extreme violence.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Type 3. As a snitch and blackmailer, none of the other Cons trust him, and Thunderhoof, a victim of Clampdown's cowardice, utterly loathes him.
  Thunderhoof: That lowlife's the reason I wound up on that prison ship!
• Giant Enemy Crab: Quite literally — he's even had other bots joke about it before.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: He's easily the weakest member of Steeljaw's pack, and also the least malicious.
• Never Heard That One Before: Crab jokes based on his appearance.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: While he doesn't exactly hit hard, his claws are extremely powerful in spite of his comparatively small stature
• The Rat: His defining character trait.
• Smash the Symbol: Steeljaw slashes Clampdown's Decepticon insignia upon formally inducting the latter into his group.
• Took a Level in Badass: He's much less cowardly in subsequent appearances.

Minitron

Minitron

First Appearance: "True Colors"

• Dirty Coward: When he returns to Steeljaw with only one stasis pod, Steeljaw's first (and correct) assumption is he encountered the Autobots, then ran away. Steeljaw even calls Minitron's justification (excuse) for failure "cowardly". Given he was in control of Grimlock at the time, by far the strongest bot of the group who could easily be capable of curb stomping them all if he wanted to, Minitron definitely doesn't come across as making the best of arguments in his favour.
• Mind Manipulation: Has the ability to inflict this on any Cybertronian he latches on to.
• Puppeteer Parasite: He's minute in size, and is capable of taking control of other Cybertronians by biting them.
• The Voiceless: He is the first Decepticon on the show who does not have a voice of his own. When possessing another robot, he speaks in their voice with an additional flanging effect.

Season 2 Members

Bisk

Bisk

Voiced by: Khary Payton (English), Setsuji Satoh (Japanese)

First Apparance: "More Than Meets the Eye"

"Whoo-hoo! Four more Autobot takedowns, and I will OWN the record!"

• Advertised Extra: He was one of the first Decepticons to appear in a preview clip. The preview clip is the sum total of his screentime in the first season.
• Alien Arts Are Appreciated: When fighting Bumblebee at a Rear Axel concert, both take pause in their melee to appreciate their surroundings. Bumblebee was a fan of the music whilst Bisk liked the atmosphere and light show presentation saying it was like being in a video game.
• Bare-Handed Blade Block: Does this to repel Sideswipe and Grimlock's melee attacks.
• Breath Weapon: Has one that is strong enough to knock Grimlock backwards.
• Cool Car: His alt-mode is a futuristic muscle car based on a mid-1960s Pontiac GTO.
• Detachment Combat: In the second season, he is partnered with the Cyclone Minicons Hammer and Anvil, who store on his forearms and can be launched into combat.
• Giant Enemy Crab: Has a distinctly crustacean look, including eye stalks and snapping claws.
• Offstage Villainy: Fixit never pulls up his entry in the Alchemor's database, so it's not known what he was arrested for.
• Punny Name: A lobster character named Bisk isn't funny enough?
• Strong as They Need to Be: In his first appearance Bisk's mouth laser was strong enough to send Autobots flying. In his third he fires it point blank into Bumblebee's face and all it does is disorientate him.
• Surrounded by Idiots: Has this opinion on the Minicons he has to work with.
• Villain Decay: Downplayed; In his first appearance, he was able to hold his own against all four of Team Bee's field operatives. In "Bumblebee's Night Off," he is defeated in single combat by Bumblebee (though Bisk did have Bumblebee against the ropes before a Heroic Second Wind set in).
• Villain Team-Up: He is freed by Steeljaw and joins him and the other deceptions in the second season.

Springload

Springload

Voiced by: John Steven Rocha (English), Nobuo Tobita (Japanese)

First Appearance: "Rumble in the Jungle"

• Amphibian Assault: A dangerous, frog-like Transformer with a long tongue.
• Ax-Crazy: The first thing he does when meeting someone (or something) new is to ask them to take him Doradus. When they inevitably fail, he begins assaulting them.
• City of Gold: He searching for one, though it may not exist and it certainly isn't on Earth. However the Bee Team find the Sphere of Doradus, which is said to contain a map to Doradus. So maybe Springload is right about Doradus.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: His obsession with finding the lost city of Doradas is such that he doesn't even realize he's on a completely different planet, and he's easily tricked into thinking that Bumblebee and Strongarm are vengeful ghosts. Even Quillfire can tell he's nuts.
• Expy: Possibly of Inferno from Beast Wars. Both are animal-based Cloud Cuckoolander Transformers on the side of the antagonists. Both have a single-minded obsession with a particular goal(Inferno with serving his Colony/Queen and Springload with finding the land of Doradus). And of course, both of them, despite having a reputation of being crazy or unhinged, are extremely dangerous to any hero who chooses to fight them up close.
• Hollywood Acid: Secretes it from his outer armour and tongue; it's strong enough to burn through other Cybertronians' plating.
• Idiot Ball: Despite Quillfire tricking him into working with him by stating that he knows where Doradus is, Springload falls for the same trick again when Steeljaw frees him and promises to take him to Doradus if he accomplishes a few tasks for him.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Comes off this way in his final appearance, especially after seeing the main cast reduced to his madness and learning that Doradas may actually exist, but the only known has been destroyed with none the wiser.
• It's All About Me: He believes he's the only one worthy of finding Doradas, and that anyone standing in his way must be destroyed. In One Of Our Mini-Cons Is Missing he decides Quillfire was deceiving him during their team up, after he said the spirits were angry with Springload's performance, as the spirits would never say such things of Springload.
• Talkative Loon: Obsessed with some ancient Cybertronian city that probably doesn't exist, he constantly jibbers to himself about finding it, along with the perceived "worthiness" of himself or other beings.
• Villain Team-Up:
  • Briefly joins Quillfire in One Of Our Mini-Cons Is Missing when the latter lies about knowing the way to Doradas. It doesn't last, and they are soon captured.
  • He is freed by Steeljaw and joins him and the other deceptions in the second season.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: He's entirely absent from the season 2 finale.
  • He reappears in season 3 episode Sphere of Influence, only to be captured again.

Quillfire

Quillfire

Voiced by: Andy Milder (English), Daisuke Kishio (Japanese)

First Appearance: "Adventures in Bumblebee-Sitting!"

"I also dreamed... of a parade for the heroes of the revolution! Everyone was wearing hats."

• Blasting It Out of Their Hands: Throws one of his quills at Strongarm to disarm her in this manner.
• Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: Conducts himself in this general fashion, though substituting bombs with venomous quills. He claims that any form of authority whatsoever is "oppression", and runs around trying to free all the animals at the zoo because he mistakes them for fellow revolutionaries who've been imprisoned by the "oppressors".
• The Bus Came Back: He comes back in Season 3 episode Exiles, accompanied by Steeljaw, Thunderhoof, Underbite, and Clampdown.
• Detachment Combat: After falling in with Glowstrike and her crew, he starts working with the minicons Back and Forth.
• Dirty Coward: When it comes down to it, he's more concerned with his own welfare than anything else.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: He is defeated when he attempts to shoot his quills at Bumblebee inside a bounce house, only for Bumblebee to dodge and bounce him into the trajectory of said quills, which impale him and wind up knocking him out.
• Laughably Evil: His sharp and toxic quills would make him very dangerous.. if he wasn't so inept. In his first appearance for example, he tries to convince a herd of elephants to rebel against their "human oppressors" by... talking to them behind their rears, he only manages to start a stampede by pulling the tail of one elephant.
• Oh, Crap!: Has a brief moment of this when he realizes that he is about to get impaled by his own quills.
• Spike Shooter: The effects of each quill are randomized.
• Terrorists Without a Cause: Outside of his hatred for authority, Quillfire's "revolution" seems more concerned with random, pointless violence than anything else.
• Unpredictable Results: His quills affect each target differently, although the only effects we see are a Stupidity-Inducing Attack that makes Bumblebee act more childish and one that induces unconsciousness in Quillfire himself.
• Villain Team-Up:
  • Manages to recruit Springload in One of Our Mini-Cons Is Missing after claiming to know the way to Doradas. It doesn't last, and they are captured again by the end of the episode.
  • He is freed by Steeljaw and joins him and the other deceptions in the second season.
• Zorro Mark: Marks his territory by using one of his quills to carve a symbol resembling his own spiky back into the walls.

Groundpounder

Groundpounder

Voiced by: John DiMaggio (English), Tetsu Inada (Japanese)

First Appearance: "The Champ"

• Added Alliterative Appeal: All of his moves have alliterative names. There's another element of Theme Naming, in that all but one (the Bearhug Bodyslam) is named after a city on Cybertron.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Loud and prone to showboating during matches.
• Calling Your Attacks: Yells out his various wrestling moves.
• Elemental Punch: Of the fire variety.
• Five Moves of Doom: According to Fixit, Groundpounder has a sequence of moves that goes Gygax Gouger - Hydrax Hammerfist - Praxus Piledriver. It doesn't seem to be a finishing sequence, though.
• Icy Blue Eyes: One of the few Decepticons to possess this trait.
• It's Personal: Furious at Grimlock for defeating him in their first encounter, Groundpounder is quick to lay into the Dinobot the next time they meet aboard the Alchemor.
• Killer Gorilla: Groundpounder's long arms, thick body, and short legs give him simian proportions.
• Neck Lift: In their second encounter, he easily lifts Grimlock in T-rex mode with his giant hand.
• Shoulders of Doom: His excavator-mode treads protrude from his shoulders. A lot.
• Theme Naming: His attacks are all alliterative and all but one is named for a Cybertronian city.
• Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Nobody seems to question the talking ape robot with the burning hand. The promoter guy at least rationalizes that there's a pilot inside Groundpounder operating him, and that Headlock is remote-controlled.
• Villain Team-Up: He is freed by Steeljaw and joins him and the other deceptions in the second season.

Overload

Overload

Voiced by: Dave Fennoy

First Appearance: "Overloaded (Part 1)"

"You once called me shameless and overdramatic! How dare you, sir!?"

• Attack Its Weak Point: He's nearly invulnerable thanks to heavy armor, but one good hit to the face will take him out. He is defeated again in this manner in the second season finale.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Downplayed. He severely injured Bumblebee in their previous encounter. He can vaguely recall Bumblebee but can't put his finger on when they met ^note he angrily accuses Bumblebee of calling him overdramatic, which to Bumblebee responds that was not him. This changes after Bumblebee defeats him.
• Deep Cover Agent: His acting skills made this the perfect role for him during the War for Cybertron, as the Decepticons' top spy.
• Detachment Combat: His Minicon partners, Backtrack and Ransack, detach from his arms to fight.
• Icy Blue Eyes: One of the few numbers of Decepticons of this characteristic.
• It's All About Me: Refers to himself as an experienced actor with quality stagecraft, and if his vanity didn't give it away, he doesn't like to share the spotlight either.
• Large Ham: He tends to make overly bombastic and grandiose speeches and considers himself as a great thespian.
• Made of Iron: He's incredibly tough everywhere except his face.
• Not in the Face!: Given his acting ambitions, it's no surprise he values his face. In the second season finale, he shouts this before a good solid hit there from Windblade knocks him out.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He shows up out of the blue looking for Optimus Prime and when finds he isn't home, he decides to attack a nearby city to draw him out.
• Shoulder Cannon: He has a retractable pair of these.
• Villain Team-Up:
  • He forms this with Backtrack and Ransack, which lasts until Bumblebee convinces them that they have nothing in common with him, at which point they turn on him, leading to his re-capture.
  • Following the events of Misdirection, he joins Steeljaw's pack.