The Autobots fight to defend Detroit from Megatron and his clones of Omega Supreme.
Tropes:
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Prowl being able to manifest as a ghost after his death indicates that rather than simply going offline, the Ninja-bot became one with the Allspark.
- Book Ends: In the series premiere, Prowl told Optimus that I Work Alone and was promptly lethally injured by his own reckless decision, his life only saved by the power of the Allspark. The series ends with Prowl knowingly performing a Heroic Sacrifice by laying down his life for the Allspark to save everyone, with his final act after death being to save Optimus.
- Cruel Mercy: After defeating Megatron, Optimus refuses to kill him, even for Prowl or for everything he's done, because it would be the easy way out. Rather fittingly, these are the show's final spoken words.Optimus: That would be the easy way out, Megatron. You don't deserve it.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Team Optimus along with their allies return to Cybertron with Megatron and his team in cuffs, and are hailed as heroes. However, Prowl is dead, and had the show continued, the remaining Decepticons would've continued to be a problem.
- Face Death with Dignity: Prowl smiles at Jazz before performing his Heroic Sacrifice.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When his and Jazz's efforts to summon the remaining fragments of the Allspark fail, Prowl sacrifices his spark to restore the Allspark instead.
- Killed Off for Real:
- Starscream is finally offed once and for all when Prowl and Jazz pull out his Allspark fragment. Possibly subverted, as a deleted scene would've had Slipstream revive him with part of her own fragment at the end of the episode, though the canonicity of that scene is debatable.
- Prowl sacrifices his Spark to restore the Allspark and contain the explosion of the Lugnut Supremes.
- Little "No": Optimus's response when he learns that Prowl gave up his life to restore the Allspark.
- Lost in Translation: In the Japanese dub, Megatron already knows Optimus's name so to maintain the status quo of Optimus and Megatron being arch-enemies as in every other incarnation of the franchise. As a result, the My Name Is Inigo Montoya lines lose narrative impact (as their dynamic in Animated is akin to David Versus Goliath respectively; Megatron wouldn't bother acknowledging an inferior opponent) and come off more as Megatron deliberately insulting Optimus as combat trash talk.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Subverted; Optimus spares Megatron not to maintain moral high ground, but because death would be the easy way out, and Megatron doesn't deserve that.
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: A nearby Starscream misses every shot as Prowl and Jazz, who are sitting, summon the remaining Allspark fragments. Justified, as he likely couldn't concentrate since his fragment was being pulled out of his head and there's probably some sort of mystical excuse for why Prowl and Jazz couldn't be harmed or disturbed in their meditation.
- My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Megatron finally learns the name of the bot that has been screwing up his plans, and he takes to it.Megatron: You're a persistent little Autobot.
Optimus: My name is OPTIMUS PRIME!
[later]
Megatron: If I cannot save my clones, at least I have the satisfaction of destroying you, Optimus Prime!
Optimus: So you can remember my name.
[later]
Megatron: You have interfered with me for the last time, Optimus Prime! - Taking You with Me: Megatron tries to trap Optimus in the explosion of the last Lugnut Supreme, but Prowl, having become one with the Allspark, manifests himself and teleports Optimus away. Less fortunately, Megatron (barely) survives the explosion as well.
- The End... Or Is It?: A deleted scene of Starscream being revived by Slipstream would've been the second-to-last scene in the episode, giving off this impression.
- Villainous Breakdown:
- Megatron, frustrated that his plans are yet again being interfered with by the Autobots and Starscream, becomes increasingly unhinged over the course of the episode.
- Starscream naturally begins freaking out when Prowl and Jazz start telekinetically pulling the Allspark fragment from his head.
- Worthy Opponent: Megatron finally calling Optimus by his real name and forsaking his plans in favor of destroying Prime shows that he now recognizes the Autobot as this.
