ARE THERE OTHER TRANSFORMERS APART FROM AUTOBOTS AND DECEPTICONS?

The Transformers franchise has been rolling out since 1984, with Hasbro and Takara's robots in disguise taking many different forms over the years. The most popular of these characters include the likes of Autobot leader Optimus Prime, as well as several other different Cybertronians. Beyond the Autobots and Decepticons, however, there are several other groups of Transformers that more casual fans might be unaware of.

Ever since the days of Generation 1, the main Transformers allegiances have hosted various subgroups. These all had their own gimmicks, with some of them even combining to form even more powerful and gigantic robots. Likewise, new entries in the franchise have added their own subgroups and factions, with one series even replacing the Autobots and Decepticons entirely.

The Autobots are the Main Heroes of the Transformers Franchise

Debuting with the franchise itself, the Autobots are the protagonists of the Transformers franchise. Though the members of the group have constantly changed over the years, the group is almost always led by Optimus Prime. This noble Autobot warrior longs to end the continuing battles and destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons. He and his troops believe that freedom is the right of all sentient beings. In most cases, Prime or other leaders carry the Autobot Matrix of Leadership in their bodies, with this mystical object being a receptacle for eons of Transformer history.

As their name might suggest, the Autobots largely have alternate modes that are automotive in nature. For the most part, these are Earth vehicles, though some have retained their Cybertronian modes. Likewise, Autobots such as Powerglide and the former Decepticon Jetfire/Skyfire have aerial alternate modes. Autobots are a peace-loving group and wish to co-exist peacefully with humans and other species throughout the galaxy, though they're constantly forced into battle with their evil counterparts.

The Decepticons are the Most Ruthless, Villainous Transformers

In most continuities, the Autobots are opposed by the Decepticons. As their name might suggest, this group embraces evil, tyranny and all manner of deceptive techniques in order to achieve their goals. For the most part, said goals include domination of the Transformers' home planet of Cybertron and conquest of other worlds. Leading the Decepticons is usually Megatron, who himself is constantly betrayed by the scheming, conniving Starscream.

The Decepticons have somewhat more varied alternate modes than the Autobots. Many of them take on aerial alt-modes such as jets and helicopters, though this isn't a hard rule. Other transformations included gadgetry and devices, most notably the cassette player form of Megatron's loyal lieutenant, Soundwave. In the original G1 continuity, the Decepticons can also fly in robot mode, which is an ability that the Autobots lacked.

The Maximals are the Autobots' Descendants in Beast Wars

The 1990s series Beast Wars: Transformers proved that from beast to 'bot, the action was still hot. Giving the Transformers organic beast modes for their alternate modes, the radical reinvention also introduced two new factions. The heroes of the series were the Maximals, who mostly transformed into mammals such as gorillas, rhinos and rats. They were led by a somewhat familiar face(plate), as the Maximals' field commander was the bestial Optimus Primal.

The Maximals were revealed to be the descendants of the Autobots, with Optimus Primal obviously inspired by Optimus Prime. They've since appeared in other continuities, including the live-action movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. This universe had a similar idea with the Maximals, though with one major change. Whereas their Beast Wars equivalents were much smaller than the Autobots, the movie Maximals were the same size as the Autobots and eschewed organic beast mode.

The Predacons Terrorized the Maximals In Beast Wars and Other Continuities

The villains of Beast Wars were the Predacons, who were named after a subgroup of Decepticons from eons beforehand. The Predacons were the Decepticons' descendants and lived in relative squalor following their ancestors' defeat at the hands of the Autobots. Inspired to follow his predecessor's message and change the past, a Predacon named Megatron went back to prehistoric Earth to assassinate the Autobots who had crash-landed there.

The Predacons in Beast Wars mostly had beast modes of insects, arachnids and reptiles, as shown by Megatron's T. Rex form. Another Megatron and his group of Predacons (including the shark Transformer Sky-Byte) were the villains in the continuity of Transformers: Robots in Disguise, though they fought the Autobots and were contemporaries of the Decepticons. Transformers: Prime also introduced a version of the group that were all dragon-based Transformers. The name Predaking was once again associated with them, though he was a dragon Transformer as well instead of being the combined form of a Gestalt.

Mini-Cons are Some of the Smallest Transformers

Introduced in Transformers: Armada, Mini-Cons were a separate faction from the Autobots and Decepticons. These Transformers were much smaller (hence their name), but could grant larger Cybertronians immense power if they combined with them. Armada also had three legendary Mini-Con weapons: the Star Saber, Skyboom Shield and Reqiuem Blaster.

After Transformers: Armada, the Mini-Cons were largely phased out of the remaining "Unicron Trilogy." Since then, they've been absent from the franchise as a whole. This is despite their once prominent role, with the diminutive Transformers revealed to be created by Unicron. Mini-Cons also speak in a unique language that's different from actual Cybertronians, though those bonded to them have no problem understanding these beeps and clicks. More vocal versions were finally introduced in the 2015 version of Transformers: Robots in Disguise.

The Quintessons Once Enslaved the Transformers

Quintessons aren't actually Transformers, though in some continuities, they created them. Introduced in The Transformers: The Movie, these alien slave masters are known for having five faces, each with a corresponding persona. It was later revealed that they actually created the Cybetronian race in that continuity, splitting their creations into military hardware and consumer goods (the future Decepticons and Autobots).

The Quintessons maintain a loyal legion of mindless Transformers, namely the Allicons and Sharkticons. These aquatic enforcers execute those that the Quintessons find to be "guilty." Transformers: Energon introduced a character named Alpha Quintesson (or Alpha Q), but he was ultimately a somewhat "benevolent" anti-villain who wanted to restore his world. Likewise, Quintessa was a similar being from the movie Transformers: The Last Knight, and she shared her name with the Quintessons' home planet.

The Combiners are Some of the Mightiest Transformer Factions

Ever since the days of Generation 1, some of the most powerful (and popular) Transformers were the various Combiner groups. Also referred to as "Gestalts" among the fandom, these groups are made up of multiple members and can combine into a singular, gigantic robot. Both the Autobots and Decepticons have their own groups of Combiners, with each one comprising the mightiest of their respective faction.

The most iconic Combiner group is that of the Constructicons, who transform into construction vehicles such as cranes and cement mixers. Their combined form is the powerful Devastator, who's made up of six members instead of simply five, as in the other groups. Those other teams are sometimes referred to as "Scramble City" Combiners (after the Transformers anime OVA of the same name), as they can switch their limbs around in a way where four of the five members are interchangeable.

Dinobots

Introduced in Generation 1, the original Dinobots were a subgroup of Autobots. Their alternate modes were fittingly that of prehistoric beasts, with the cartoon and Marvel Transformers comic books having differing origins for their characterizations. Though they varied between simplistic brutes and more complex warriors, they're almost always the roughest customers among the Autobots. This is particularly the case with their leader, Grimlock, who regularly clashes with Optimus Prime.

Beast Wars: Transformers had a former Predacon named Dinobot that joined the Maximals, though he was far more erudite than Grimlock's old crew. The toyline for sequel series Beast Machines: Transformers made the Dinobots into a separate faction of Maximals with their own emblem. This was mostly something for said toyline, as none of these characters showed up in the show. This iteration was led by T-Wrecks, whose design was based on the original Ultra class toy for Beast Wars Megatron. The group made a major comeback in Transformers: Animated, with the members being new versions of Grimlock, Swoop and Snarl (who was really the classic Triceratops Slag, but renamed due to the controversy behind that word).

Mutants

A forgotten group of Transformers debuted at the tail end of the Beast Wars toyline. Dubbed the "Mutants," these were Transformers (former Maximals, to be exact) who malfunctioned due to contamination from Megatron's Transformation Virus. Beforehand, the Mutants were "Fuzors" whose alternate modes combined two animals into one. The virus, however, gave them two organic beast modes, with their robot modes (beyond a few critical limbs and parts) rendered inaccessible.

The Mutants never showed up in the Beast Wars cartoon, but their toys and comic book appearances portrayed them as now being a separate faction that opposed Maximals and Predacons. Thus, they rejected their former status as robots and tried to achieve a fully organic existence. The Transformers Virus was a major plot point in Beast Machines, but the Mutants were not present there. There was a similar character in the form of Noble/Savage, a.k.a. The Beast Changer. This "Transformer" was completely organic and transformed from a dragon to a humanoid wolf.

Miscellaneous Subgroups and Factions

There are various other subgroups that aren't Combiners and also lack separate faction symbols. One example is that of the Insecticons, who are Decepticons with bug-based alternate modes. Their ranks in G1 included Sharpnel, Bombshell and Kickback, though the toyline also had "Deluxe Insecticons" that weren't featured or promoted in the cartoons for legal reasons. While they were mostly loyal to Megatron, the Insecticons many times had their own goals as they ravaged for crops and sustenance. They also possessed the power to clone themselves into a veritable swarm.

The Throttlebots were a group whose gimmick only really existed in the toyline, as they automatically transformed when pulled back while in vehicle mode. This concept wasn't applicable in the fiction, and the team's biggest claim to fame is that it included Goldbug, a rebuilt version of the battle-damaged Autobot Bumblebee. The Junkions were a group of Autobot-affiliated Transformers who lived on the Planet of Junk. Mostly transforming into motorcycles, these warriors constantly watched television transmissions from Earth, allowing them to "talk TV." Their leader was Wreck-Gar, and his bride Nancy was apparently named after former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Vehicons

The Vehicons were the villains in Beast Machines: Transformers, though they were led by the Predacon Megatron. After unleashing a virus that rendered Cybertron's citizens inert, Megatron used their bodies to create mindless Vehicon drones. They were controlled through the network that Megatron himself was connected to, though he later utilized the sparks of former Maximals and Predacons to create the sentient Vehicon generals.

Transformers: Prime and the "Aligned Continity" introduced their own take on the team, with these Vehicons having alternate modes such as cars, jets and other vehicles. Also known as Eradicons, they were again fairly mindless drones that made up the cannon fodder for Megatron's army. Some of them even had designs blatantly based on the "Seeker jet" Decepticons such as Starscream.

G2 Cybertronians

Introduced in Marvel's Transformers: Generation 2 comic books, the "Generation 2" Transformers were their own allegiance. Though these robots were descended from the Decepticons, they did away with faction loyalty and opposed both the Autobots and the Decepticons. The leader of the group was Jhiaxus, a powerful Cybertronian who transformed into a futuristic jet.

Obviously, the G2 Cybertronians haven't shown up as a faction since their introduction, with a recent Transformers: Legacy toy for Jhiaxus being the closest representation of them. They notably reproduced in a unique and odd way: instead of building new Transformers, these G2 characters were able to create new warriors through asexual "budding" that saw new metallic frames spawn from their own.

Terrorcons (non-Combiner)

While they share their name with a Generation 1 Combiner team, the Terrorcons are sometimes portrayed as their own group. This began in Transformers: Energon, which was the second entry in the "Unicron Trilogy" of anime. There, they were led by Scorponok and Alpha-Q, though they also later work alongside Megatron. This meant that they were ostensibly Decepticons, even having the same insignia. One of the Terrorcons was Battle Ravage, the first new modern version of the Soundwave's loyal minion, Ravage.

Conversely, their status as mindless drones with beast modes made them the bestial equivalents to the Vehicons. The Terrorcons are also the villains in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, though once again, they were basically just Decepticons. Their ranks included Battletrap, Nightbird, Scourge and several drones, with the latter being beast Transformers based on Scorponok. This was something of an homage to the interpretation from the anime.

Heralds of Unicron

Sometimes, those who serve under the Chaos Bringer Unicron are considered their own faction. Initial home video material for The Transformers: The Movie erroneously described the rebuilt Decepticons as "the Unicrons," but they were still members of their former faction. In Rise of the Beasts, Scourge acted as Unicron's herald, meaning that he and the other Terrorcons are likewise a Unicron-based faction.

Another group of Unicron's minions were the Blendtrons. These characters were introduced in the Japanese-exclusive anime Beast Wars Neo: Transformers, which featured Unicron as its ultimate antagonist. The Blendtrons were named due to their designs being based on Fuzor toys that weren't adapted in the main Beast Wars cartoon. Thus, their mishmash of beast modes made them the perfect enemies to fight under the devilish Unicron.

2023-12-15T02:23:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd