History YMMV / TransformersEnergon

* FanNickname: The Energon Optimus Prime toy is often referred to as Fatimus.

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency: There was a peculiar casting choice in the first Hungarian dub of the series. Six Shot, the supposed ''young'' brother of Shockblast, [[TheOtherDarrin discounting his debut episode]], was voiced by an actor in his late sixties. He sounded older than ''all'' other characters.

* BizarroEpisode:
** "Distribution." You'll be guessing until the very end ''who's real and who isn't.'' And what in the name of Primus is going on. [[spoiler: A 'simulation' that's a tournament-style matchup of every 'bot in the series, with robo-catgirl announcers. Some characters who are real walk in and out of things totally unconcerned with who's sitting across the room from them, seeing how they're usually trying to murder each other. Then turn out to not be real, making you wonder what the point of their being in the simulation was at all. Then whoever was just wondering if the guy who just walked out was or wasn't real... turns out to not be real]]. It was just... the most insanely random thing ''Transformers'' has ever done. Bad dubbing takes it from random to incomprehensible ''and'' insanely random. In Superlink, this was a 500th Episode special for the entire franchise, was non-canon, and was shown at a special time. In the dub, to make up for cutting an episode, they added it to the actual run of the show. ''Right in the middle of a DarkerAndEdgier arc that was basically all-out war.''

** Kicker. He hates Transformers for stupid reasons, [[{{Wangst}} constantly complains]], [[KickTheDog abuses the shit out of poor Ironhide]], is often TheLoad for the Autobots, and is treated like [[CreatorsPet God's gift to]] [[CharacterShilling the universe]]. It doesn't help that he's [[KarmaHoudini only ever called out once to absolutely no effect]]. Creator/BradSwaile, who provided the English dub voice for Kicker, has gone on record saying that [[OldShame he felt bad about playing him]] after he gained mainstream success with ''Manga/DeathNote.''

* TakeThatScrappy: A ''very'' subtle example, but Team Ironhide don't take kindly to Kicker abusing their idol. His RunningGag of kicking him in the shin ends after [[OhCrap receiving a lengthy]] DeathGlare (though Ironhide calls them off before anything else can be made of it). One episode had him targeted by the Decepticons for his Energon-sensing abilities. [[RootingForTheEmpire Some people probably wished they succeeded or kept that plan going.]]

* CompleteMonster: See [[YMMV/UnicronTrilogy here]].

* {{Macekre}}: Compared to ''Armada's'' rough but serviceable English dub, ''Energon's'' dub retains the same problems (unfinished animation and calling characters the wrong name) and adds a whole slew of new ones, including random dialogue changes that don't match with the action or create [[DubInducedPlotHole plot holes]], the latter being exacerbated by [[MissingEpisode skipping over a very plot-relevant episode and removing all references to it]]. Essentially, while the original show was very flawed (many of the show's writing issues, such as Kicker's inconsistent personality, Snow Cat and Demolishor's sudden TookALevelInDumbass after being revived, the constant abuse of {{padding}}, and the many [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot dropped plot and character beats]] were all products of the Japanese writers and persist even in the original ''Superlink'' release), it at least made some sense, but you can't say that about the dub. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking The dub also had a tendency to misspell episode titles.]]

* InformedWrongness: Kicker’s interactions with his father. When he was just a little kid, his father dragged him throughout space to mine for energon. This led to Kicker being put in dangerous situations and suffering from traumatic flashbacks in his teen years. The trauma is so bad that he freaked out on a mission in an asteroid belt, which made him recall drifting through an asteroid field as a kid. Unfortunately for him, other characters seem to think Kicker is being unfair to his father and just needs to let the past go. None of them realize he is suffering from being used as a tool by his father who rarely showed any paternal affection. Not to mention that Ironhide called Kicker a “wimp” when Kicker told him about an experience he had as a kid when he was nearly trapped in a cave-in. His father isn’t helping his case by continuing to utilize his son’s detection ability to help harvest more energon. Kicker rightfully wonders in one episode if Energon is all everyone seems to care about.

* {{Macekre}}: Compared to ''Armada's'' rough but serviceable English dub, ''Energon's'' dub retains the same problems (unfinished animation and calling characters the wrong name) and adds a whole slew of new ones, including random dialogue changes that don't match with the action or create [[DubInducedPlotHole plot holes]], the latter being exacerbated by [[MissingEpisode skipping over a very plot-relevant episode and removing all references to it]]. Essentially, while the original show was very flawed (many of the issues, like Kicker's inconsistent personality, Snow Cat and Demolishor's sudden TookALevelInDumbass after being revived, the poor pacing and the many [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot dropped plot points]] being products of the Japanese staff), it at least made some sense, but you can't say that about the dub. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking The dub also had a tendency to misspell episode titles.]]
%% * MemeticLoser: Ironhide in general is this. His toy is even worse in the regard, generally considered to be among the crummiest designs for a Transformer, ''ever'', so much so that it ''blanketed'' store shelves as a "shelfwarmer" for being too ridiculous-looking to buy and many a trans-fan can remember seeing wave upon wave of it in stores like [[Franchise/TheMatrix Agent Smith.]]

* {{Macekre}}: Compared to ''Armada's'' rough but serviceable English dub, ''Energon's'' dub retains the same problems (unfinished animation and calling characters the wrong name) and adds a whole slew of new ones, including random dialogue changes that don't match with the action or create [[DubInducedPlotHole plot holes]], the latter being exacerbated by [[MissingEpisode skipping over a very plot-relevant episode and removing all references to it]]. Essentially, while the original show was very flawed (many of the issues, like Kicker's inconsistent personality, Snow Cat and Demolishor's sudden TookALevelInDumbass after being revived, or the repetitiveness of the story being products of the Japanese staff), it at least made some sense, but you can't say that about the dub. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking The dub also had a tendency to misspell episode titles.]]

* {{Macekre}}: Compared to ''Armada's'' rough but serviceable English dub, ''Energon's'' dub retains the same problems (unfinished animation and calling characters the wrong name) and adds a whole slew of new ones, including random dialogue changes that don't match with the action or create [[DubInducedPlotHole plot holes]], the latter being exacerbated by [[MissingEpisode skipping over a very plot-relevant episode and removing all references to it]]. Essentially, while the original show was very flawed (many of the issues, like Kicker's inconsistent personality or Snow Cat and Demolishor's sudden CharacterDerailment into being stupid mooks being products of the Japanese staff), it at least made sense, but you can't say that about the dub. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking The dub also had a tendency to misspell episode titles.]]

** Team Ironhide's introduction hinted to an amusing vitriolic relationship over Kicker pushing around their idol -- probably the nearest anyone got to calling him out on his treatment of Ironhide. However, they never interacted after their first episode and Team Ironhide were killed off shortly afterwards.[[TookALevelInKindness Thankfully, Kicker had the decency to lay off Ironhide afterwards]].

** Wing Dagger loses his best friend to Shockblast and then tries to avenge his fallen comrade, performing a HeroicSacrifice. His quest of vengence is almost never brought up when he is resurrected -- he has one revenge battle and captures him in his first appearance as Wing Saber, but nothing is made of it after Shockblast inevitably escapes.
** Kicker wasn't just a {{Jerkass}} in the beginning: when Kicker developed his energon sensing powers as a child, his father had the bright idea to use Kicker as a living energon detector. For years, he dragged his ''young'', '''pre-teen''' son around space, where he had to deal with a few mining accidents that nearly cost him his life. The Autobots saw no problems with putting him to work like this, and so Kicker grew resentful of both them and his father. Rather than have him grow to trust Team Prime in a [[CharacterDevelopment charactery]]-[[BuffySpeak developy]] way, the whole "there's a reason he's this way" thing was just forgotten early on and he spends the rest of the series being rude for no discernible reason. It takes until mid-season for everyone else to similarly forget that they ''don't like it when he's like this.'' Only one episode has the Decepticons realizing how useful his powers would be and attempt to go after him. While it did fail, they apparently never thought to just keep at it and try again.
** The Decepticons never powerlink throughout the series (one gag even implies they are unable to). Despite showing this ability in the previous series, a series that revolves prominently around powerlinks refuses to look into it, often making their battles with the Autobots rather one-sided due to this heavy advantage. Heck, for some REALLY good wasted plot there could have been an EnemyMine situation where some decepticons and autobots have to pair together for powerlinx. Also Optimus Prime forsake his previously Powerlinx capable body from the last season for his [[FanNickname Fatimus Prime body]] meaning he can't powerlinx either. And they even had a Powerlinx-capable Optimus toy, so presumably the show version can do it too... he just never does.

%% * AuthorsSavingThrow: Kicker is characterized radically differently in the Dreamwave comic, and is much more likeable there.

* HarsherInHindsight: Cybertron gets completely engulfed in toxic energon gas that is poisonous to Transformers, during a story set in 2020. Reeeeally bad timing for the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic to hit.

* InformedWrongness: Kicker’s interactions with his father. When he was just a little kid, his father dragged him throughout space to mine for energon. This led to Kicker being put in dangerous situations and suffering from traumatic flashbacks in his teen years. The trauma is so bad that he freaked out on a mission in an asteroid belt, which made him recall drifting through an asteroid field as a kid. Unfortunately for him, other characters seem to think Kicker is being unfair to his father and just needs to let the past go. None of them realize he is suffering from being used as a tool by his father who rarely showed any paternal affection. Not to mention that Ironhide called Kicker a “wimp” when Kicker told him about an experience he had as a kid when he was nearly trapped in a cave-in. His father isn’t helping his case by continuing to utilize his son’s detection ability to help harvest more energon. Kicker rightfully wonders in one episode if energon is all everyone seems to care about.

* {{Macekre}}: Compared to ''Armada's'' rough but serviceable English dub, ''Energon's'' dub retains the same problems (unfinished animation and calling characters the wrong name) and adds a whole slew of new ones, including random dialogue changes that don't match with the action or create [[DubInducedPlotHole plot holes]], the latter being exacerbated by [[MissingEpisode skipping over a very plot-relevant episode and removing all references to it]]. Essentially, while the original show was very flawed, it at least made sense, but you can't say that about the dub. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking The dub also had a tendency to misspell episode titles.]]

* SpecialEffectsFailure: The show's CGI is rather problematic. Characters have rather stiff movements (even ''walking'' can be a challenge for the more bulky ones), [[DullSurprise no emotion beyond "mouth open, mouth closed"]], and [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:Scorponok_blacklines.jpg the outlines on the CG models were often not rescaled for certain shots]]. It was such a problem that when a Transformer had to actually emote, hand-drawn animation was used instead. Made even worse in the dub, where oftentimes, the CGI was outright incomplete and replaced with other shots to hide this fact rather unsuccessfully.
* TakeThatScrappy: A ''very'' subtle example, but Team Ironhide don't take kindly to Kicker abusing their idol. His RunningGag of kicking him in the shin ends after [[OhCrap receiving a lengthy]] DeathGlare (though Ironhide calls them off before anything else can be made of it). One episode had him targeted by the Decepticons for his Energon-sensing abilites. [[RootingForTheEmpire Some people probably wished they succeeded or kept that plan going.]]

** Team Ironhide's introduction hinted to an amusing vitriolic relationship over Kicker pushing around their idol -- probably the nearest anyone got to calling him out on his treatment of Ironhide. However they never interacted after their first episode and Team Ironhide were killed off shortly afterwards.[[TookALevelInKindness Thankfully, Kicker had the decency to lay off Ironhide afterwards]].

* {{Macekre}}: Compared to ''Armada's'' rough but serviceable English dub, ''Energon's'' dub retains the same problems (unfinished animation and calling characters the wrong name) and adds a whole slew of new ones, including random dialogue changes that don't match with with the action or create [[DubInducedPlotHole plot holes]], the latter being exacerbated by [[MissingEpisode skipping over a very plot-relevant episode and removing all references to it]]. Essentially, while the original show was very flawed, it at least made sense, but you can't say that about the dub. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking The dub also had a tendency to misspell episode titles.]]

** Starscream is reborn as a confused, and angry spirit/being, up until Megatron gets hold of his mind and makes him loyal. [[YesMan He remains that way]] without his NobleDemon characteristics that made him famous in Armada. Even if you interpret him as a different character as a consequence of the amnesia or incomplete revival, it's still a conspicuously wasted plot point. And then the pendulum swings the opposite way entirely in ''Anime/TransformersCybertron'', where he becomes a more [[TheStarscream traditional]], yet VERY competent Starscream. Let's not forget how close he was to the kids last series, especially Alexis. They're still around this time, but do we get to see him interact with them and a possible subplot emerge from this? Nope.

%% * AccidentalInnuendo: Alpha Q...''hehehe!'' Needless to say, the famously snarky Wiki/TFWikiDotNet had a [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Alpha_Q field day]] with his page.

* InformedWrongness: Kicker’s interactions with his father. When he was just a little kid, his father dragged him throughout space to mine for energon. This led to Kicker being put in dangerous situations and suffering from traumatic flashbacks in his teen years. The trauma is so bad that he freaked out on a mission in an asteroid belt, which made him recall drifting through an asteroid field as a kid. Unfortunately for him, other characters seem to think Kicker is being unfair to his father and just needs to let the past go. None of them realize he is suffering from being used as a tool by his father who rarely showed any paternal affection. His father isn’t helping his case by continuing to utilize his son’s detection ability to help harvest more energon. Kicker rightfully wonders in one episode if energon is all everyone seems to care about.