History HoYay / Transformers

** Transformers: The Last Knight features an [[Alas, Poor Yorick]] moment where Megatron holds Starscream's head.

* The IDW comics are very notable in this regard because they're the first Transformers medium to openly feature gay and bisexual characters/relationships, as well as acknowledge some of the gender oddities inherent in a species of living robots. These comics made it canon that gender is widely seen as irrelevant by most Transformers and that relationships between same-sex couples aren't seen as any different than heterosexual ones. In other words, in this continuity you're much more likely to see all those HoYay relationships become official. Aside from their take on Megatron's pairings described above there's also:

** Windblade and Starscream became a popular ship due to their banter in Season 1. The moment it ''exploded'' is when Slipstream got killed off by Bludgeon in “Parley.” This caused Windblade to seek revenge on the skull bot and succeeded in doing so in the three part opener of Season 3, with the help of Wheeljack and Teletran X.

* Animated: This may be the ONLY incarnation of Megatron and Starscream that doesn't have copious amounts whatever the fuck these two have been doing for 25 years. To compensate, they gave us a ''female Starscream clone'', Slipstream, who betrayed Screamer for Megatron.

* Rattrap from ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}: WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', despite his talk about the femmebots back home, seems to be laying it on pretty thick with the guys of his team; he has no problem with telling Cheetor just how he "tickles his joystick", tries to talk Silverbolt into going to a robot strip club with him, and even ''kisses Rhinox on the cheek after "saving" him from a fall''. He also gives Rhinox an ever so slight kiss on the lips during the season finale, when both are under the impression that they are going to die at the guns of the Nemesis. Rhinox doesn't seem to have a problem with it (the kiss, not the dying). He doesn't even give a nod to Airazor, and has nothing but contempt for Blackarachnia, the only two females in the series. He ''might'' be [[AnythingThatMoves bisexual]].

* There's also Rodimus and Drift taking a HandsOnApproach to learning swordplay and their relationship in general, and ''Remain in Light'' gives us Cyclonus's reaction to [[spoiler:Tailgate being terminally ill]] and [[spoiler:Pharma]] going full-blown {{Yandere}} on Ratchet. This is all the work of James Roberts in his book ''More Than Meets the Eye'', which has been [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "Gay Robots in Space" expressly because of the stuff described above. (Cyclonus/Tailgate eventually moves out of this into OfficialCouple and TheyDo, while Rodimus/Drift is abandoned in favour of confirming Drift and Ratchet's SnarkToSnarkCombat as a form of BelligerentSexualTension).

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersCyberverse'' gained one of the biggest LGBTQ+ fandoms in the franchise for how it’s able to depict HoYay (and LesYay) between multiple characters without feeling like it’s queerbaiting. It also helps that writer Mae Catt and Arcee’s voice actor are openly queer.

Since Cybertronians are a [[PurelyAestheticGender gender neutral species]] with [[MostWritersAreMale a suspiciously large percentage of characters considered male]], HoYay and FoeRomanceSubtext collapse into themselves in an explosion of pink energon, purple [[BigBad Big Bads]], and *ahem* ''brotherhood.''

* Animated: The fact that the first two SeasonFinale battles involved Optimus [[BoundAndGagged bound]] and at Megatron's mercy [[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/screen-captures/Transformers-Animated/16-Megatron-Rising-part-2/Transformers+Animated+Ep+16+++00333.jpg.html is]] [[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-images/screen-captures/Transformers-Animated/29-A-Bridge-Too-Close-Part-2/Transformers+Animated+Ep+29+00244.jpg.html fascinating]].

* Rattrap from ''{{Transformers}}: WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', despite his talk about the femmebots back home, seems to be laying it on pretty thick with the guys of his team; he has no problem with telling Cheetor just how he "tickles his joystick", tries to talk Silverbolt into going to a robot strip club with him, and even ''kisses Rhinox on the cheek after "saving" him from a fall''. He also gives Rhinox an ever so slight kiss on the lips during the season finale, when both are under the impression that they are going to die at the guns of the Nemesis. Rhinox doesn't seem to have a problem with it (the kiss, not the dying). He doesn't even give a nod to Airazor, and has nothing but contempt for Blackarachnia, the only two females in the series. He ''might'' be [[AnythingThatMoves bisexual]].
** Dinobot and Rattrap, as VitriolicBestBuds, sounded too much like an old married couple. And Rattrap became Horatio to Dinobot's Hamlet (he held Dinobot's slaggin' hand until raptors were extinct AGAIN) in the end. We know how [[AmbiguouslyGay ambiguous]] THEY were, raising eyebrows in the theatre part here. Plus the scrapped episode of "Dark Glass" in which Rattrap defies orders to go on a suicide mission to resurrect his personal Pred in the clone. Heck, when Dinobot is about to ShootYourMate Rattrap, the Japan dub has him utter "be gentle, I hear the first time hurts".

* Tracks/Raoul. In both of Tracks' feature episodes ("Make Tracks" and "Auto-Bop"), Raoul is very heavily featured. In the former episode, when Raoul is captured by Megatron, Tracks personally threatens the ''leader of the Decepticon military.'' In both episodes, Raoul risks life and limb to save or otherwise help Tracks. The icing on the Ho Yay cake? Picture all of Tracks and Raoul's scenes playing out between a man and a woman. [[IncrediblyLamePun The Ho Yay practically jumps up and kisses you on the mouth.]]

* With the page image, notice the kids at the bottom holding hands. They're Cain (the one with the green hair) and Akira (brown hair) from ''Manga/TransformersZone'', and are both quite male, and Akira doesn't usually look this feminine, and ''neither'' probably look as girly to the 1989 Japan as to us (especially the "hotpants," once standard 80s shorts length, and Cain's hair - it's [[AnimeHair anime]], it's [[EightiesHair '89]], 'nuff said.) ''Literally all'' toy-company-produced promotional materials have them holding hands affectionately, and in the OVA, they're very HoYay-tastic, with Akira practically landing in Cain's lap at one point, and both looking at each other, seeing how close they are, blushing, and... not moving away. In the end credits, there's more hand-holding. The only reason the idea that this could be unintended subtext and not an OfficialCouple stands up at ''all'' is the fact that it's ''Franchise/{{Transformers}},'' and [[MerchandiseDriven cartoons that exist to sell toys to 6-to-10-year-old boys]] Do Not Work That Way. Shippers ''must'' be making too much of it and it ''must'' be ''completely platonic'' blushing and repeated affectionate touching and running through fields of flowers hand-in-hand -- it must be!

[[folder:Transformers Zone]].

[[folder: Robots in Disguise 2001]].

[[folder:All IDW]].

** Soundwave's rescue of Megatron in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie The Movie]]'' sees him refuse to abandon his leader and BridalCarry him away from the battlefield. It's genuinely tough not to take this act of supreme loyalty as being borne of affection.

** Optimus forcing an unconscious Megatron to his gun-mode really sticks to the mind of the fans.
---> '''Youtube comment''': optimus transformed megatron againts his will. haha that would be classified as transformer rape.

* Rewind and Chromedome, who were initially portrayed as "best friends", with Rewind constantly running after Chromedome like a devoted puppydog, defending him to others, and even cradling his head in his lap when Chromedome is injured at one point. Subverted (as much as an AudienceReaction can be) when they were confirmed in a later issue to not only be in a relationship but to also be ''married'', meaning this was intentional HomoeroticSubtext and not accidental HoYay. People were only surprised because they didn't think IDW would actually go through with it.

** Windblade and Starscream became a popular ship due to their FoeYay banter in Season 1. The moment it ''exploded'' is when Slipstream got killed off by Bludgeon in “Parley.” This caused Windblade to seek revenge on the skull bot and succeeded in doing so in the three part opener of Season 3, with the help of Wheeljack and Teletran X.

* Let’s just say that Thunderhoof and Steeljaw is a very dysfunctional couple.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersCyberverse''is the most explicit in the romantic subtext to their relationship in the franchise. For starters, their dynamic is that of a divorced couple whenever they interact outside of fighting. Additionally, Optimus still wants to patch things up with Megatron through many peace treaty talks they had over the years of the war. The cherry on top to this is how Megatron spent his last moments dying in Optimus’ arms. Cue all the shippers being devastated.

* Transformers Cyberverse gained one of the biggest LGBTQ+ fandoms in the franchise for how it’s able to depict the HoYay (and LesYay) between multiple characters without feeling like it’s queerbaiting. It also helps that writer Mae Catt and Arcee’s voice actor are openly queer.
** Similar to Optimus and Megatron, Wheeljack and Shockwave have a dynamic similar to a divorced couple. What adds fuel to the ship is that they’ve both created the small spider like robots utilized by Shockwave from Seasons 1 to 3. Technically, they’re the little spider bots’ dads!

** Windblade and Starscream became a popular ship due to their FoeYay banter in Season 1. The moment it ''exploded'' is when Slipstream got killed off by Bludgeon in “Parley.” This caused Windblade to seek revenge on the skull bot and succeed in doing so in the three part opener of Season 3 (with the help of Wheeljack and Teletran X).

* Transformers Cyberverse gained one of the biggest LGBTQ+ fandoms in the franchise for how it’s able to depict the HoYay (and LesYay) between multiple characters without feeling like it’s queer baiting. It also helps that writer Mae Catt and Arcee’s voice actor are openly queer.

** It’s pretty much impossible to discuss Season 3 of ''Cyberverse'' without discussing perhaps the most popular ship in the entire show: Soundwave/Hot Rod. At first, they butted heads over leadership multiple times in the episode, “The Prisoner.” However, after Hot Rod punched Soundwave in the face during one fight, the latter decides to cooperate with him throughout the arc. It then culminates in a friendship between them, as they were able to get both of their sides to fight for their freedom from the Quintessons. Eventually, in, “The Perfect Decepticon,” what caused Soundwave to perform his HeroicSacrifice? It was seeing Hot Rod having the crap beaten out of him by Tarn.

*** It even helps that Hot Rod’s voice actor Travis Artz supports the ship through sharing fanart of them on his Instagram.

** Megatron and Starscream are unconscious in a volcano for 99% of this series, but Megatron and Dinobot are ready to serve you with hours of "prideful boyfriends who can't stop arguing" action. Megatron's [[ReplacementGoldfish repeated attempts]] at cloning Dinobot and their arguments. Seriously, after Dinobot defects to the Maximals Megatron's repeated attempts at cloning him really come across as someone trying to fill the void that Dinobot left.

%%* Sometimes the fans don't even bother with the canon characters and just randomly slash minor characters or [[OCStandIn OC Stand Ins]]. Some combinations include Tracks/Raoul, Cosmos/Beachcomber, and Hubcap/Jackpot, [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters among others.]]

It's rare for archenemies to escape some level of FoeYay, though Starscream usually monopolizes Megatron's bloodlust.

* Not to mention the FoeYay between Bulkhead and Breakdown. Bulkhead is even convinced to help [[SaveTheVillain rescue Breakdown]] so that he can have a [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou rematch of an earlier fight]]! And Breakdown even hesitates to fight Bulkhead after being rescued, despite having his loyalties to the Decepticons questioned.

* Windblade and her bodyguard Chromia have a lot of Les Yay going on. Some of it is just the result of Chromia having to spend so long around Windblade because of her job. However things like them sparring together and Chromia being willing to sacrifice her own reputation and life just to help out Windblade, make it clear things between them go beyond merely working together. Notably, Chromia ends up having some obvious sexual tension with Ironhide and Windblade has a lot of FoeYay with Starscream. Can anyone else sense a LoveTriangle?

Since Cybertronians are a [[PurelyAestheticGender gender neutral species]] with [[MostWritersAreMale a suspiciously large percentage of characters considered male]], HoYay and FoeYay collapse into themselves in an explosion of pink energon, purple [[BigBad Big Bads]], and *ahem* ''brotherhood.''

-->'''Starscream''': She's not so hot.
-->'''Megatron''': She's hot enough to replace you whenever I choose!
-->'''Megatron''': (witnessing Nightbird's fight with the Autobots) TERRIFIC!! [[KickTheDog You're definitely on my replacement list, Starscream. She's everything I've always wanted]].
-->'''Starscream (outraged)''': REPLACE ''ME''!? '''''NEVER!''''' (punches Megatron)

* There's also Rodimus and Drift taking a HandsOnApproach to learning swordplay and their relationship in general, and ''Remain in Light'' gives us Cyclonus's reaction to [[spoiler:Tailgate being terminally ill]] and [[spoiler:Pharma]] going full-blown {{Yandere}} on Ratchet. This is all the work of James Roberts in his book ''More Than Meets the Eye'', which has been [[FandomNickname nicknamed]] "Gay Robots in Space" expressly because of the stuff described above. (Cyclonus/Tailgate eventually moves out of this into OfficialCouple and TheyDo, while Rodimus/Drift is abandoned in favour of confirming Drift and Ratchet's SnarkToSnarkCombat as a form of BelligerentSexualTension).

** Evidently parodied in ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}!'' [[http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=213 here]], with Starscream... [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw having Apache Chief's power]], apparently.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', [[ThoseTwoBadGuys Blitzwing and Lugnut]] have quite a lot going for them.

* The IDW comics are very notable in this regard because they're the first Transformers medium to openly feature gay and bisexual characters/relationships, as well as acknowledge some of the gender oddities inherent in a species of living robots. These comics made it canon that gender is widely seen as irrelevant by most Transformers and that relationships between same-sex couples aren't seen as any different than heterosexual ones. In other words, in this continuity you're much more likely to see all those Ho Yay relationships become official. Aside from their take on Megatron's pairings described above there's also:

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'':