History EnsembleDarkhorse / Transformers

* Speaking of Japanese-exclusive Generation 1 characters, [[Anime/TransformersVictory Star Saber]] has become a fan favorite on both sides of the Pacific by standing out among other Autobot leaders as a Badass Robot Samurai and MasterSwordsman who turns into a space fighter (being effectively the ''Transformers'' version of [[VideoGame/SuperRobotWars Sanger Zonvolt]]). The fact that he is basically the closest the franchise has gotten to a proper SuperRobot only serves to make him stand out more. He is popular enough among the fandom that James Roberts's portrayal of him in ''More Than Meets the Eye'' as a EgocentricallyReligious [[TheFundamentalist Fundamentalist]] KnightTemplar caused considerable outcry and became one of the few unanimously despised elements of his otherwise fan favorite run (not helped by the fact it stemmed from him being given the RonTheDeathEater treatment in Roberts's fan circle). On a more positive note, his popularity led to him becoming the first Japanese-only character to receive a Masterpiece figure and the second Transformers project on [=HasLab=] alongside his combining partner Victory Leo for the ''Legacy'' line (the first project being GreaterScopeVillain Unicron), as well as making it to the semifinals of the ''Power of the Primes'' Fan Poll (where he lost to Optimus Primal),

* While the Japanese ''Beast Wars II/Neo'' anime filler series received much criticism, the characters of Lio Convoy and Magmatron were well-received by fans, so much so that the former got ''many'' toy representations to himself while the latter was imported to the states via ''Beast Machines''. Both of them even made it to the ''Legacy'' toyline, with Lio Convoy (under the name of Leo Prime) a Voyager in ''Legacy: Evolution'' and Magmatron in ''Legacy: United'' as the line's Commander Class.

* While Tidal Wave is only known for a few things, it's for these ''exact same reasons'' that the fans love him; he towers over other Transformers, he splits into several ''marine vehicles'' (aquatic Transformers have become infamous for being rare in the franchise), and he can ''combine with Megatron/Galvatron''. It says a lot that fans ''immediately'' sought out his new Titan Class toy once ''Legacy: United'' made the reveal.

* What is probably the most ''liberal'' take on the character of Metroplex, as aside from a few superficial similarities the only thing this version shares with the original is the status of being an Autobot of ''GARGANTUAN'' proportions. But let's face it, he is several times larger than the average transformer and can change from a large construction vehicle to a giant scottish-accented robot who wields an equally large staff ''topped with a sawblade''. There's a reason he was the Titan-class figure for the first year of ''Legacy''.

** Barricade, the police car Decepticon is easily the most popular of the film-verse bad guys. In the video game adaptations, he's voiced by '''Creator/KeithDavid''', and plays a memorable SenseiForScoundrels in the well received DS versions. He's easily the most recurring Decepticon after Megatron, appearing in the first, third, and fifth movies and he's been adapted into various other media with even his G1 related appearances drawing from the movie. In 2017 he got into the hall of fame being the first movie creation to do so.

* Transit, a Decepticon who fights Optimus Prime in ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts''' original opening sequence, has amassed a big following for the novelty of a Decepticon who turns into a public transport bus and putting up a good fight against the Autobot leader. Despite being entirely cut from the final film, many have clamored for Hasbro to make a toy of him.

* Strongarm, the [[ByTheBookCop By The Book]] rookie Cop assigned to Bumblebee's team. Also praised for her more masculinely hulking body frame, a breakaway from the traditional female Transformer design. As such, the fact she got a toy in the cross-franchise Legacy toyline drew great fanfare from the fandom.

* While the Japanese ''Beast Wars II/Neo'' anime filler series received much criticism, the characters of Lio Convoy and Magmatron were well-received by fans, so much so that the former got ''many'' toy representations to himself while the latter was imported to the states via ''Beast Machines''. Both of them even made it to the Legacy Toyline, with Lio Convoy (under the name of Leo Prime) in Legacy Evolution and Magmatron in Legacy United as the line's Commander Class.

* While the Japanese ''Beast Wars II/Neo'' anime filler series received much criticism, the characters of Lio Convoy and Magmatron were well-received by fans, so much so that the former got ''many'' toy representations to himself while the latter was imported to the states via ''Beast Machines''.

* Soundwave's cassettes are sort of mini-Darkhorses, especially Ravage, who made it into both WesternAnimation/BeastWars and the Film/TransformersFilmSeries.
* Sideswipe is another example; he very rarely did more than be in the background or get any starring appearances in the cartoon or comics, but he's still one of the most popular characters. A likely factor is that he's a CoolCar (a Lamborghini), so his toys tend to be the best. Particularly, in his ''[[Film/{{Transformers}} film]]'' appearances, the fans clamored for more of him.

* Salvage, who can only be best described as a combination between Boulder and ''Animated'' Wreck-Gar. Not only does he have one of the most unique alternate forms in the franchise (A ''recycling truck'' transformer? That's ''rare''), his chipper demeanor and his fascination with junk make him very endearing. It also helps that he is ''far'' more patient than Blurr, and as such is much more effective as a Rescue Bot.

* '''2017 winners: Galvatron, [[Film/{{Transformers}} Barricade]], and Trypticon'''[[note]]Toy of the Year for his ''Titans Return'' toy[[/note]]

* [[CulturedBadass Abominus]], who defeats [[DumbMuscle Computron]] with interpretive dance while politely critiquing his [[HulkSpeak diction]], hit the ground running for the title of "Best Gestalt Ever." Then we learned that his components are what make him a CulturedBadass-- Hun-Gurr is a Renaissance mech, Rippersnapper is a famous actor, Cutthroat is a captain of industry, Blot is a psychologist, and Sinnertwin is a children's entertainer, complete with cute hand puppet. It helps that he looks ''[[http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/c/ce/SGAbominus_Bio.jpg fantastic]]''.

* Blaster himself is one of the most consistently beloved characters of Budiansky's run, with even fans who dislike the run as a whole rarely having anything bad to say about Blaster's storylines, which were on the whole far more ambitious and dark than most of the other issues. Budiansky himself [[CreatorsFavorite agrees with this assessment]], and it tends to be generally agreed that Budiansky's Blaster is by far the most interesting version of the character.

* Sky-Byte for being a hilarious IneffectualSympatheticVillain.

* Soundblaster gained a few fans for being made a separate character from Soundwave, as a self-serving crime boss with CloningBlues. His appearance here is the basis for later versions of Soundblaster in ''ComicBook/Transformers2019'' and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersCyberverse''.