History Franchise / Transformers

* HoldYourHippogriffs: Plenty of human proverbs RecycledInSpace:

The [[TransformingMecha Robots in Disguise]]. The Battle Changers, the Triple Changers, the Targetmasters, the Headmasters, the Micromasters, the Mass Shifters. Those that are More than Meets the Eye.

* ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'' (2023) is a direct sequel to ''Bumblebee'' that also functions as a tribute to ''Beast Wars'', seeing two humans form an alliance with the Autobots and Maximals as they go up against the Terrorcons. Post-release, Creator/StevenCapleJr clarified that he considers the first three Bay films as canon to ROTB and the last two as an AlternateContinuity.

* ''[[Toys/TransformersStudioSeries Studio Series]]'': A toyline that began in 2018 that celebrates the decade's worth of movies with extremely movie-accurate figures of pretty much every major character, many of whom haven't had a new toy in a while.

*** ''ComicBook/TransformersGhostbusters'' (2019): Set in and canonical to [[ComicBook/GhostbustersIDWComics IDW's Ghostbusters comics]], a rookie Autobot scientist is recruited into [[Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}} the paranormal investigators from New York]] while pursuing Starscream's ghost.[[/index]]

** [[index]]''WesternAnimation/TransformersWarForCybertronTrilogy''

The Robots in Disguise. The Battle Changers, the Triple Changers, the Targetmasters, the Headmasters, the Micromasters, the Mass Shifters. Those that are More than Meets the Eye.

'''[[TropeCodifier The]]''' {{Transforming Mecha}}.

* The ''WebAnimation/TransformersKreO'' animated shorts use stop-motion without dialogue for one-minute gags. These were later replaced by the Think Like A Kreon shorts, which used a wider variety of Kre-O figures besides Transformers.

* CatchPhrase:
** "Autobots! Transform and roll out!", among others.
** [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated "Decepticons, transform and RISE UP!"]]

* InsistentTerminology: Despite being ''Transform''ers, the instructions never tell you how to "transform" them; instead they tell you how to "convert" them to robots, vehicles, beasts, etc. [[WritingAroundTrademarks This is because if they used the term "transform" so informally, the franchise name would be considered descriptive and would be impossible to defend legally as a trademark.]] This has not, however, stopped them from making Optimus's CatchPhrase, "Transform, and roll out!"

* Anime/TransformersArmada
* Anime/TransformersEnergon
* Anime/TransformersCybertron

* VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron is a video game that dives into the basic history of the Autobot[=/=]Decepticon war and meant to be a stepping stone showing how that war finds its way to Earth. It takes major mythology points from various sources and re-presents them to the audience, setting up the greater franchise (such as why Starscream is TheStarscream and how come [[BondVillainStupidity Megatron doesn't just shoot him]]). It was built from the [[Creator/EpicGames Unreal engine]] and was released on PC, UsefulNotes/XBox360,[[strike:UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}]], UsefulNotes/{{DS}}, and [=PS3=] in July 2010.

** ''Energon Universe'', a 2023-present continuity produced by [[Creator/RobertKirkman Skybound Entertainment]] and published by Creator/ImageComics featuring Transformers and Joes as well as original material.

* InNameOnly: Quite literally. The toy makers often reused character names over the years for the purposes of maintaining the trademark on those names, even across very different looking bots with very different personalities. More modern continuities try to be more consistent or at least go with the most popular incarnation of a particular character.

* ''WebOriginal/EchoesAndFragments'' (2016) A {{Crossover}} story with ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie''.

Several times, Hasbro has attempted to put transforming toys related to other lines under the ''Transformers'' umbrella. It didn't work out so well for the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', but the MarvelUniverse and ''Franchise/StarWars'' ones have been better received. Takara also has gotten in on this, with the Creator/{{Disney}} [[https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers_Disney_Label Label]] (yeah, we dunno what possesed Takara either).

* ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'' (2023) is a direct sequel to ''Bumblebee'' that also functions as a tribute to ''Beast Wars'', seeing two humans form an alliance with the Autobots and Maximals as they go up against the Terrorcons.

* ''Film/TransformersTheLastKnight'' (2017), the final film directed by Bay. It was intended to be the launchpad for a full-on SharedUniverse of films in the Bay continuity, but due to poor financial and critical reception, it ended up becoming the last of the original series of films. It follows ''Age of Extinction’s'' plot of having the Autobots on the run, now with Optimus Prime having gone missing and a new, gigantic threat to Earth on the rise.

* ''Film/TransformersTheLastKnight'' (2017), the final film directed by Bay. It was intended to be the launchpad for a full-on SharedUniverse of films in the Bay continuity, but due to poor financial and critical reception, it ended up becoming the last of the original series of films.

* The sequel, ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' (2009) continues directly from the first movie, it delves deeper into Transformer mythology.
* The third film, ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'' (2011) follows a new revelation dealing with further Transformer involvement in human history, with a story that arcs back to a SecretHistory involving the first moon landing in 1969 and finding the lost warrior and Optimus' mentor Sentinel Prime.
* ''Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction'' (2014), intended to be the start of a new trilogy with a new MythArc to it. The art design was changed dramatically (with completely new appearances for returning characters like Optimus and Bumblebee). The movie deals with a human conspiracy targeting Autobots and Decepticons alike, with a new enemy tied into Cybertronian origins setting its sights on Earth.
* ''Film/TransformersTheLastKnight'' (2017), the final film directed by Bay, follows up where the last film left off with Cade Yeager learning that he and Viviane Wembly are destined to save the world from the coming of a threat from Cybertron’s past. It was intended to be the launchpad for a full-on SharedUniverse of films in the Bay continuity, but due to poor financial and critical reception, it ended up becoming the last of the original series of films.
* ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'' (2018) is a shake-up to the status quo. Though initially set to be within the main continuity, the poor reception of ''The Last Knight '' resulted in the film being retooled into a LighterAndSofter reboot with Travis Knight in the director’s chair. The story is now set in the 1980’s with Bumblebee, now sporting his G1 alternate mode, forming a friendship with teen girl Charlie Watson while hiding on Earth from the Decepticons. Though a reboot, it still carries over several aspects from the mythology of Bay’s movies, such as the presence of Sector 7 and Bumblebee’s muteness and eventually assuming a Camaro as his alt mode.
* ''Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts'' (2023) is an upcoming installment of the series, taking place in the year 1994. Directed by Stephen Carple, Jr., this film will see two new human allies from New York City--archeologist Elena (Domonique Fishback) and her credit-stealing boss Noah (Anthony Ramos)--wind up in the conflict between the Autobots and the Decepticons, only for the [[WesternAnimation/BeastWars Maximals and Predacons]] to join the fray. Optimus Prime (Creator/PeterCullen), Bumblebee, Mirage (Creator/PeteDavidson), and Arcee will appear, as will Optimus Primal (Creator/RonPerlman), Cheetor, Rhinox, and Airazor (Creator/MichelleYeoh). Also joining the fray are the Terorrcons, which will feature Scourge and Nightbird.

-> ''"Autobots, Roll out!"''

** Averted in one of the G1 animated episodes. The Decepticons have captured the Autobots with the exception of Wheeljack. Wheeljack manages to infiltrate their holding cell, discovers his buddies are tied up, depowered, soaking wet (bad thing for robots), and with their carbine-shaped weapons piled sloppily in the corner. He then proceeds to go GunsAkimbo--pointing AT THE AUTOBOTS. "My friend's weapons! Hmm. Okay, Sideswipe's flare gun should dry off your circuits, and Bluestreak's bolts should give you all an instant recharge!" It's amazing the first thing Optimus didn't do was FacePalm: "It's a wonder the Decepticons didn't just kill us outright, but vector sigma, am I the only one that knows that guns are supposed to be for killing?"

** They have also had issues in consistently getting the scale of characters and even planets right. A character that starts off as a car that people can comfortably sit in suddenly becoming a robot that a human is only at ankle-height to is commonplace, as is it suddenly losing twenty feet of height a scene/figure or two later. There's a reason why the Website/TFWikiDotNet's summation of scale in the Transformers series is this trope's page quote.

* MorphicResonance: All Transformers have parts of their bodies correspond to at least one alternate mode they convert into. As an example of this, Optimus Prime’s chest is the from of his truck mode. Some even have wings regardless if they transform into cars (in cases like Autobot Prowl) or aircraft, essentially making them {{WingedHumanoid}}s.

* DubPronunciationChange: Most Italian dubs of the franchise have Energon pronounced as "Ener-gone" instead of "Ener-john" and the latter part of Ultra Magnus's name pronounced as "Man-yous" instead of "Mag-noose". The dub of ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is the only time where both terms keep the English pronounces.