List of Transformers: Prime characters

Transformers: Prime is a computer animated robot superhero television series produced by Hasbro Studios and animated by Polygon Pictures. It is based on the Transformers toy and entertainment franchise originally created in the 1980s by Hasbro out of Takara's robot toys. Most fictions in the franchise are about a race of giant, sentient robots that come from the fictional planet Cybertron and are able to change their appearance into cars, planes and other machinery. Like most pieces of Transformers fiction, Transformers: Prime focuses on the conflict between two warring factions of Transformer robots, the heroic Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the villainous Decepticons led by Megatron, who have brought their conflict to Earth and are fighting over deposits of Energon (the substance Transformers consume as fuel), as well as ancient relics and weaponry from Cybertron's past. The following is a list of characters that appear in the series:

Autobots

The Autobots are a group of good Cybertronians that had fought against the Decepticons in the Cybertronian War. The Autobot cast from the beginning remains the same, with the exception of occasional guest stars, for two thirds of the series until season 3 when the Autobots' numbers begin to increase. Among the known Autobots are:

Main Autobots

• Orion Pax / Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) - The noble and chivalrous leader of the Autobots. Before the Great War that made Cybertron uninhabitable, Optimus was a data clerk named Orion Pax, who worked in Cybertron's Hall of Records in Iacon City. When the war began, Primus made Orion Autobot leader by bestowing him with the Matrix of Leadership, which contained the collective wisdom of all previous Primes. In the series' first two seasons, Optimus Prime transforms into a red and blue long-nose truck resembling a Peterbilt 379 (based on his vehicle mode in the live-action Transformers films). In the third season, he is upgraded into a newly developed and taller body with thicker armor, new weaponry and a jet-pack for flight purposes, and he transforms into a heavily armored military assault truck. At the end of Predacons Rising, Prime returned the Matrix and the AllSpark to Cybertron's core by plunging himself and the two objects into the core, releasing thousands of new sparks, including his own. In, “Robots in Disguise (2015)”, Optimus’s spark was rescued from joining the Matrix by the original thirteen Primes. In the season 1 finale, Optimus was upgraded by the sparks of the original Primes, and fought alongside Bumblebee and his team to stop Megatronus. In season 2 Optimus lead an away team of Sideswipe, Drift, and Windblade to hunt Decepticons around the world. This was not an easy task however, because Optimus had to return the energy of the Original Primes, making him very weak, but his energy returned to his normal levels.
• Bumblebee (voiced by Will Friedle) - A young Autobot scout-turned-warrior who transforms into a yellow and black sports car called an "Urbana 500" (a fictional make and model) that is based on his Chevrolet Camaro vehicle mode in the live-action films. Bumblebee is the Autobot guardian of Raf Esquivel. The two have a very special connection. During the episode “One Shall Fall” Raf was seriously injured. Bee showed how much he cared for his human friend, and did everything in his power to save him. Raf Esquivel the only human character in the series able to understand his alternative speech patterns. He is the second most-focused Autobot on the show. For most of the series, Bumblebee is unable to speak properly because Megatron crushed his voice box during an interrogation attempt amidst the war when he was captured at Tyger Pax. Due to this, he is forced to communicate through a series of electronic sound effects. His voice is restored by the Decepticon-built Omega Lock in the series' final episode, Deadlock, where he kills Megatron. In Predacons Rising, he temporarily leads the Autobots while Optimus is in space searching for the AllSpark. In, “Robots in Disguise (2015)”, Bumblebee leads a new team of Autobot’s on earth. The first season had a running gag of Bee trying to come up with his own battle cry, all ending in failure. In the season finale, and for the rest of the series, Bumblebee used the cry, “Rev up and roll out!”
• Ratchet (voiced by Jeffrey Combs) - A veteran Autobot medic who transforms into a white and red ambulance resembling a Ford E-350. At first, he dislikes humans and is hostile towards Jack, Miko and Raf. However, this changes over the course of the series as he develops a friendship with Raf. Optimus Prime frequently refers to Ratchet as "Old Friend" since they knew each other long before the war started, when Optimus was still Orion Pax. His own catchphrase being “I needed that!” to anyone who breaks one of his researching tools. At the end of the series Ratchet stayed on earth to protect the humans, but returned to Cybertron in “Predacons Rising.” Ratchet returned in a few episodes of, “Robots in Disguise (2015)”, in the season 2 finale, working as a bounty hunter with a Minicon named Undertow. He returned to Cybertron with Optimus Prime and Windblade. In the series finale, he’s now serving as a temporary High Council member with Bulkhead, Windblade and Jazz.
• Bulkhead (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - A husky and cantankerous Autobot warrior and a devoted follower of Optimus Prime who transforms into a green SUV resembling a Lamborghini LM002 and is based on the Transformers: Animated character of the same name. When the war began, he joined the original Wreckers, but later left them to join Team Prime. On Earth, he serves as Miko Nakadai's Autobot guardian, and while he is often aggravated by Miko's reckless actions, they develop a strong friendship. In, “Robots in Disguise (2015)”, Bulkhead returned for the last 4 episodes of the series. He’s currently a temporary High Council member with Windblade, Jazz and Ratchet.
• Arcee (voiced by Sumalee Montano) - A courageous female Autobot who transforms into a blue motorcycle resembling a Kawasaki Ninja 250R. She is assigned to be Jack Darby's Autobot guardian at the start of the series, developing a close bond with him. Her main character arc in the series is coming to terms with the deaths of her previous battle partners, Tailgate and Cliffjumper, who were both killed by Decepticons. In the third season, Arcee becomes the commander of the Stealth Team, a sub-group of Team Prime, which also includes Bumblebee and Smokescreen.
• Wheeljack (voiced by James Horan) - Wheeljack is Bulkhead's best friend back on Cybertron, a former Wrecker, and pilot of a ship called the Jack-Hammer, whose robot mode design is based on the Generation 1 character of the same name and transforms into a white, green and red sports car resembling a Lancia Fenomenon Stratos. For the series' first two seasons, Wheeljack does not join Team Prime (preferring instead to travel around on his own), though he became a recurring character whenever Team Prime needed his help. He later re-joins the Wrecker sub-group of Team Prime during the third season after Starscream shoots down the Jack-Hammer and Ultra Magnus, his former Wrecker commanding officer, arrives on Earth.
• Smokescreen (voiced by Nolan North) - A young, impulsive and inexperienced Autobot who joins Team Prime in the series' second season; having found his way to Earth after escaping from a Decepticon prison ship. He always longed to fight on the battlefield as a proper soldier, which he never had the opportunity to do until joining Team Prime. He transforms into a sports car resembling a Lotus Exige, and his robot mode design is based on the Generation 1 version of his character. When he is first introduced, his color scheme is white, red and blue, but he changes his colors to blue and yellow in the third season. Smokescreen is often compared to G1 Hot Rod by fans. He is also the first Autobot to join the main cast since the series began.
• Ultra Magnus (voiced by Michael Ironside) - A strict and methodical commander who sticks closely to military protocol and becomes aggravated when others fail to respect his chain of command. As such, he disliked leading the Wreckers because many of their members were anarchic and reckless. When he arrives on Earth, he reforms the Wreckers with Wheeljack and Bulkhead as a sub-group of Team Prime. He transforms into the same type of long-nose truck as Optimus Prime did prior to his upgrade, except with a different color scheme of light blue.

Minor Autobots

• Cliffjumper (voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the first appearance, Frank Welker as a Terrorcon, and Billy Brown in later flashbacks) - A brash and talkative Autobot warrior and Arcee's partner on Earth who transformed into a red muscle car resembling a Dodge Challenger, decorated with bull horns on the hood. In the series' first episode, Darkness Rising, Part 1, he is captured by a group of Vehicons and killed by Starscream. Megatron then uses Cliffjumper's dead body to demonstrate the effects of Dark Energon, which turns the body into a mindless and aggressive zombie, which is later destroyed.
• Tailgate (voiced by Josh Keaton) - Arcee's original battle partner on Cybertron. He is killed by the Decepticon Airachnid during the war, who forced Arcee to watch helplessly. This severely traumatized her, as she vowed revenge on Airachnid thereafter. While Tailgate's face is never fully shown, his body (recycled from Cliffjumper's CGI model) appears briefly in Arcee's flashbacks.
• Seaspray - Seaspray was a former wrecker and friend of Bulkhead and Wheeljack. After the war, Seaspray escaped Cybertron in his ship. Wheeljack later found him and the two were going to meet, but his ship was destroyed by a proximity bomb placed there by Dreadwing, which took his life. He was later avenged when Dreadwing was killed in the season 2 finale. Seaspray is never shown, but his ship appears in Wheeljack's flashback.

Decepticons

The Decepticons are a group of evil Cybertronians that fought against the Autobots in the Cybertronian War. Led by Megatron and sub-commanded by Starscream the Decepticons are treacherous, warmongering, and power-hungry. Whereas the Autobots are the same 5 Autobots for two-thirds of the series, the Decepticons are ever changing with troops being killed at the hands of either the Autobots or their own kind for betrayal. Among the Decepticons are several sub-groups such as Vehicons, Insecticons, Terrorcons, and Predacons. Among the known Decepticons are:

Main Decepticons

• Megatron (voiced by Frank Welker) - The tyrannical leader of the Decepticons and captain of the warship Nemesis. He transforms into a silver and purple Cybertronian jet, which is based on his vehicle form in the first live-action Transformers film. Before the war, Megatron, originally naming himself Megatronus, fought as a gladiator in the city of Kaon, and was close friends with Orion Pax. However, while introducing his aggressive, radical ideals to the Cybertronian High Council, they rejected him but made Orion a Prime after hearing his more benign words. Megatronus' grudge against Optimus began here, and he soon became a brutal warlord, shortening his name to Megatron. He rarely engages in battle, but when he does he is a fearsome warrior; even seen taking on all of the Autobots, minus Optimus, with ease. In season 1, he attempts to harness Dark Energon to fuel his plans, but is ultimately forced to join his enemies to stop a greater threat in Unicron. From season 2 onwards, he shifts his goals towards collecting Iacon relics that had been sent to Earth and rebuilding the Omega Lock in order to cyberform Earth. In season 3, he commissioned a Predacon army once Shockwave rejoined his ranks, but was forced to scrap the project after Predaking rebelled. In the season 3 finale, though he had successfully built a new Omega Lock, he was killed by Bumblebee. He returns in the TV movie, Predacons Rising after a vengeful Unicron possessed his corpse in an attempt to destroy Cybertron. After Megatron was eventually freed from Unicron's control, he realizes the error of his ways, disbanded the Decepticons, and retreated to parts unknown to start a new life.
• Starscream (voiced by Steven Blum) - Once Sky Commander of the Autobot Energon Seeker army back on Cybertron, Starscream is Megatron's second-in-command who transforms into a silver fighter jet resembling an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Like most incarnations of the character, he is cowardly, self-serving, treacherous, vain, sarcastic, and longs to overthrow Megatron as the Decepticon leader. Starscream becomes the leader after Megatron's "demise", but begrudgingly returns to his original position after his resurrection. After being exposed as a traitor and briefly captured by the Autobots, Starscream leaves the Decepticon ranks and tries to live independently, but continuously finds himself in awkward and life-threatening situations, such as losing the ability to transform after his T-cog is stolen by M.E.C.H. He eventually convinces Megatron to allow him back into the Decepticon ranks by offering him the Omega Keys (four ancient relics that, when inserted into the Omega Lock, are able to make Cybertron habitable again), which he stole from the Autobots, and vowing to never again try to seize leadership from him. Despite this, he became a somewhat comic relief character during season 3, with his main arc consisting of torturing Predaking and crippling the Decepticon forces with his foolish actions to avoid making a Predacon army. In the third season's final episode, Deadlock, when Megatron is killed by Bumblebee, Starscream escapes to Cybertron with Shockwave. In the TV movie Predacons Rising, he and Shockwave become the new leaders of the Decepticons and try to make a new Predacon army, with the newest creations being Skylynx and Darksteel. However, Unicron returns to Cybertron in possession of Megatron's body. After Unicron raises an army of undead Predacons, Starscream flies away in horror, leaving Shockwave to fend for himself once again. Though Starscream tries to escape from Cybertron with the Nemesis, he's betrayed by Knock Out. At the film's climax, after a resurrected Megatron disbands the Decepticons and leaves Cybertron to start a new life, Starscream seeks to take leadership of the Decepticons once more, but is confronted by Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel, who seek revenge for the abuse at his hand. The sequel series, Robots in Disguise, reveals that Starscream managed to survive and stumbled upon a weapons cache that enabled him to kill Darksteel and Skylynx. He is later defeated by Team Bee, the Mini-Cons, and Optimus Prime, where he eventually fell comatose and was loaded onto Optimus's ship for transport back to Cybertron.
• Soundwave (voiced by Frank Welker) - An expert spy and hacker who transforms into a blue UAV drone aircraft resembling an MQ-9 Reaper. For most of the series he never speaks, preferring instead to record and play back things said and done around him. His only spoken line of dialogue is in the third-season episode Minus One, in which he says, "Soundwave Superior, Autobots Inferior" (a quote from The Transformers: The Movie spoken with his movie incarnation's voice). He is armed with a pair of probing tentacles, has the ability to open ground and space bridges anywhere, and commands a bird-like surveillance drone named Laserbeak, which detaches from his chest. He also briefly possessed the Resonance Blaster, a small gun-like device that fired devastating soundwaves. Megatron's most loyal follower, he's the only one of the warlord's inner circle that didn't even attempt to disobey him; going so far as to battle Airachnid in One Shall Rise, Part 3 when she gave the order to leave Megaton behind. Soundwave ends up trapped in the Shadowzone in the series' final episode Deadlock by the human children. Soundwave returns from the Shadowzone in the tenth episode of the second season of the sequel series Transformers: Robots in Disguise. He escapes, trapping Bumblebee in the Shadowzone. Then, he quickly immobilizes most of the Autobots before getting tricked by Fixit and the humans into letting Bumblebee back in. The Autobots corner Soundwave and throw him back into the Shadowzone, stopping him to call more decepticons to rise an army. However, he returns in the final season, as a major antagonist with a new body. In "Collateral Damage", he tries to return Megatron from his exile but his plan failed when he was defeated by Bumblebee and his team along with Optimus Prime who was upgraded with Hi-Test.
• Knock Out (voiced by Daran Norris) - A Decepticon medic who transforms into a red sports car loosely resembling an Aston Martin DBS V12. Extremely vain, narcissistic, and quite sarcastic, he takes great pride in his appearance; to the point where he becomes enraged whenever his vehicle form's paint job is damaged in any way. Although he often compliments himself for his skills as a medic, he rarely shows consideration for his patients. Knock Out also has a good relationship with Breakdown, his partner and assistant. However, when Breakdown is killed by Airachnid, he becomes vulnerable upon hearing about his partner's death. Later, in the episode The Human Factor, where Silas uses Breakdown's body as an exo-suit to keep himself alive, Knock Out gets revenge on the human for torturing his partner in the past by returning the favor in his laboratory. In the final episode of the third season, Deadlock, Knock Out tries to retreat from the Nemesis during the Decepticons' final battle with the Autobots, but to no avail. After Megatron is killed by Bumblebee, he watches the resurrection of Cybertron and tries to join Team Prime, but he's rendered unconscious by Miko (wearing the Apex Armor) and thrown into a cell with the remaining Decepticons. During the events of the series finale, Predacons Rising, Knock Out successfully defects to Team Prime and the Autobots.
  Knock Out was first announced as a new character in September 2010 by Hasbro, with Daran Norris as his voice actor.[1] At BotCon 2011, it was revealed that Lugnut was Knock Out's original name which was changed to sound more "sexy."[2] During the BotCon 2011 panel, when questioned by a fan, the writers implied that Knock Out is homosexual and that the Decepticons follow a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy but claimed that actually there was a glitch in the AllSpark during his creation.[2][3] Regarding the creation of Knock Out and how his design and personality developed, lead designer Jose Lopez stated in the art book Transformers: Art of Prime:When we started designing [Knock Out], the only directive was to make him a fast car, a foil for Bumblebee. I remember looking at rims and saying "just pimp him out." We gave him lots of red and gold. That made him feel more extravagant. I remember thinking that he'd be attractive in bot mode. Then the studio said that he's the sexiest bot they'd ever seen. That's where his vanity came from.[4] Daran Norris was nominated for Best Male Vocal Performance in a TV Series in a Supporting Role – Action/Drama at the 2013 BTVA Voice Acting Awards.[5]
• Breakdown (voiced by Adam Baldwin) - A powerful and brutish Decepticon warrior who transforms into a blue military truck resembling an Oshkosh Sandcat equipped with a missile turret on the roof. He is Knock Out's assistant/partner and shares a long rivalry with Bulkhead. In the episode Crossfire, Megatron orders Breakdown and Dreadwing to kill Airachnid for plotting to overthrow him, but Airachnid immobilizes Dreadwing, then overpowers and kills Breakdown by slicing his body into pieces. His remains are later found by M.E.C.H., who later use his body parts to create a life-support system and battle suit for Silas, who was dying after the events of Nemesis Prime. When Silas is captured and brought to the Decepticon warship, infected with a mixture of Synthetic and Dark Energon that turned him into a vampiric Terrorcon thirsting for Energon, he frees Airachnid from her stasis to feed on her Energon. After that, she kills Silas; leaving Breakdown a corpse once more.
• Shockwave (voiced by David Sobolov) - An emotionless one-eyed Decepticon, Megatron's first lieutenant on scientific endeavors, and the creator of the Predacons, whose vehicle mode is a purple Cybertronian tank resembling his third live-action Transformers film counterpart. Despite being introduced in the series' second season, Shockwave only appeared in Arcee's flashbacks to the war and did not become part of the series' main story until the third season. During Season 3, Shockwave creates Predaking, the ultimate Autobot hunter to deal with said Autobots. Shockwave then creates an entire Predacon army for Megatron, but is forced to destroy them on Megatron's orders upon Predaking's evolution and acquiring the ability to transform. After this, Shockwave creates a second Omega Lock to revive Cybertron and cyberform Earth. However, after Megatron is killed by Bumblebee, Shockwave is forced to flee to Cybertron with Starscream. In the TV movie Predacons Rising, Shockwave and Starscream become the new leaders of the Decepticons and attempt to create a new Predacon army in order to conquer Cybertron and destroy the Autobots for good. However, Unicron later returns to the planet in possession of Megatron's body. He then raises an undead army of Predacons with Dark Energon. After this, Starscream flees in horror and Shockwave is forced to fight the Predacons alone and is apparently mauled and overwhelmed by them. He survives this, and is last seen speaking to Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel (the first two new Predacons he created earlier before the film), convincing them to battle their Terrorcon counterparts. Shockwave's ultimate fate is unknown.
• Dreadwing (voiced by Tony Todd) - A devoted follower of Megatron, who has a penchant for planting explosives around the battlefield to surprise his enemies. He transforms into a blue and yellow fighter jet resembling an F-35 Lightning II, and shares the same body template as his twin brother, Skyquake. In Season 2, Dreadwing comes to Earth after sensing Skyquake's death from across the galaxy and joins Megatron's crew on the Nemesis; replacing both Starscream and Airachnid as second-in-command. In the episode Triangulation, he briefly joins forces with Optimus Prime in battling Starscream, who acquires the Apex Armor. Though they were successful in defeating Starscream, Dreadwing vows to terminate Optimus, when they would next meet. When Starscream rejoins the Decepticons, Dreadwing learns of his attempt to start a Terrorcon army by reviving Skyquake's corpse with Dark Energon. Because of this, Dreadwing no longer believes in the Decepticon cause and betrays them by giving the Forge of Solus Prime to the Autobots. After doing so, he returns to the Nemesis and attempts to kill Starscream for what he did to Skyquake. However, Megatron steps in and orders Dreadwing to stand down, but when he refuses to do so, Megatron is forced to kill Dreadwing with his own cannon, blasting a hole through his chest.
• Airachnid (voiced by Gina Torres) - A devious female Decepticon, who traumatized Arcee during the war for Cybertron by killing her partner Tailgate right in front of her. She transforms into a black helicopter resembling an RAH-66 Comanche, though while she is in robot mode, the helicopter's rotors can unfold and extend into long legs akin to those of a spider. She can also shoot spider webs from her wrists, produce a highly corrosive acid, and telepathically control Insecticons. When the war ended, Airachnid left Cybertron and explored the galaxy on her own, collecting the severed heads of various alien species, but she becomes stranded on Earth when her ship crashes. She briefly rejoins the Decepticons, replacing Starscream as second-in-command. But later, Megatron orders Dreadwing and Breakdown to kill her for plotting to overthrow him. Airachnid eventually finds out about this and escapes, defeating Dreadwing and killing Breakdown in the process. As retribution, she later raises an Insecticon army and orders them to kill Megatron. However, she ends up captured in a stasis pod by the Autobots while the Insecticons are left to follow Megatron instead. After the Autobot base is destroyed, Airachnid is taken to the Nemesis' cargo hold until Season 3, when Silas in Breakdown's body frees her. After killing Silas, Airachnid regains control of the Insecticons and attempts to destroy the Decepticons once and for all. But before she can do so, Soundwave opens a space bridge portal, which sends her and her forces to one of Cybertron's moons. When last seen, Airachnid is revealed to have been infected with Synthetic and Dark Energon by Silas and turned into a vampiric Terrorcon. Airachnid's ultimate fate is unknown.

Minor Decepticons

• Skyquake (voiced by Richard Green) - The identical twin brother of Dreadwing and a devoted follower of Megatron. He was entombed in stasis on Earth for centuries before Starscream re-awakens him in the episode Masters and Students. He transforms into a green, silver, and red fighter jet resembling an F-35 Lightning II, and shares the same body template as Dreadwing. He is shot down by Bumblebee and Agent Fowler in a fight with Optimus Prime, and the Autobots bury his remains. In the episode Shadowzone, Starscream tries to revive Skyquake as a Terrorcon zombie using Dark Energon, but a ground bridge malfunction leaves the zombie trapped and wandering aimlessly in a parallel dimension.
• Makeshift (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - A Decepticon spy with the rare ability to take any form, provided that he has information on whoever or whatever he was impersonating. His true form is never seen in its entirety, as all that is shown is a silhouette cast in shadows. In Con Job, Starscream sends Makeshift to discover the location of the Autobot base, but the real Wheeljack arrives and foils Starscream's plan. Makeshift discovers the base's location, but is killed in an explosion caused by one of Wheeljack's grenades before he can report back to Starscream.

Vehicons

The Vehicons are a legion of identical Decepticon foot soldiers that make up the bulk of Megatron's army. Some transform into sports cars resembling the EcoJet Concept, and others (sometimes referred to as "Seekers") transform into Cybertronian fighter jets. They all generally share a uniform color scheme of black and purple, while a squadron of Seekers led by Starscream have a different color scheme of black and grey. Vehicons are adaptable to several different situations. Unlike the Vehicons from Transformers: Beast Machines, they are not mindless and are shown to have individual personalities. When the war ends, most of the Vehicons join the Autobots while those loyal to Megatron are held prisoner on the Nemesis and killed by the Autobots during Starscream's attack.[6]

Each type of Vehicon are split into different classes:

• Ground Force Vehicons - The type of Vehicons that transform into cars and specialize in ground attacks.
• Air Force Vehicons - The type of Vehicons that transform into jets and specialize in aerial attacks. Unlike the Ground Force Vehicons, these Vehicons use their vehicle modes much more often; arguably more than their robot modes.
  • Seekers - A silver and black repaint of the jet Vehicons under Starscream's command. Like Jet Vehicons, these ones also specialize in air attacks, though they only seem to respond to Starscream's commands.
• Decepticon Miners - Vehicons who specialize in mining Energon. They are not often seen and are not very capable fighters like the other Vehicons; even being described as the lowest class of Decepticon.

Insecticons

The Insecticons are Decepticons that can transform into giant, mechanical insects bound by a single mind. The generic Insecticon soldiers serve as the alternative infantry for the Decepticons. Every Insecticon that appears in the series shares a uniform alternate mode: a giant insect with a black, silver and teal color scheme. The Insecticons in this series are much more feral and primitive than their Generation 1 namesakes, and while some are capable of speech and rational thought, the majority behave like predatory animals and react violently to the sight of anything they recognize as an Autobot.

• Hardshell (voiced by David Kaye) - A member of Megatron's Insecticon hive who is capable of speech. He has a habit of bragging about his achievements and prides himself on being the fiercest and most powerful Insecticon in the hive. He has a slightly different color scheme than the other Insecticons, being mostly black with yellow stripe patterns resembling claw marks across his body. He almost kills Bulkhead in a fight over an Iacon relic, prompting Wheeljack and Miko to track him down and get revenge. After defeating Wheeljack in a one-on-one fight, Hardshell is killed when Miko launches a pair of missiles from the Jackhammer at him. Hardshell's body was brought back to the Nemesis, where an Insecticon told Megatron that a "human girl" killed him, leaving him astonished.
• Bombshock (voiced by Steven Blum) - An Insecticon that took part in the hunt for Predacon fossils. He is killed off-screen by Airachnid after she became a Terrorcon Vampire.

Predacons

The Predacons are a race of ancient Cybertronian dragons that have been long extinct as of the series' beginning. With Shockwave using their fossil remains, he created an army of Predacon clones. One such batch was sent to Earth to fight the Autobots positioned there and remained on the planet to await further instructions. However, the Predacons ended up fossilized over time while indirectly becoming the basis for the many mythical creatures found in Earth's various mythologies. By present day, the Decepticons began searching the world for Predacon fossils so that Shockwave could clone a Predacon army. However, their first Predacon, Predaking, becomes intelligent and transforms, prompting Megatron to destroy the clones and cause Predaking's betrayal. In the TV Movie Predacons Rising, two more Predacons named Skylynx and Darksteel are created while Unicron raises an army of undead Predacons. At the climax of the series, the Predacons proved easily stronger than the Decepticons, but were capable of peacefully co-existing alongside the Autobots, unlike the Decepticons.

• Predaking (voiced by Peter Mensah[7]) - The leader of the Predacons, who transforms into a black and orange mechanical dragon that resembles depictions of such creatures in European folklore. Throughout the beginning of season 3, he's forced to suffer under Starscream, who constantly berated and beat him. In Chain of Command, Predaking finds a Predacon fossil that enables him to regain some of his memories when he has a vision of another Predacon. At the end of Plus One, it is shown that his intelligence is evolving; demonstrating it by accessing the Decepticon communication network to learn more about his Predacon brethren on Earth. In Evolution, Predaking demonstrates his ability to transform and gains the power of speech. This causes Megatron to fear Predaking betraying and leading the newly created Predacon army against him, so he tricks the Autobots into destroying the Predacon cloning laboratory. In Synthesis, Predaking finds out the truth and tries to kill Megatron, but is thrown out of the ship. In Deadlock, Predaking is seen clinging to the Nemesis, but retreats to live on Cybertron when the planet is restored. In the TV movie Predacons Rising Predaking has taken up residence in an area filled with deceased Predacon remains. He is approached by the Autobots, who want him to join them in finding the new Predacons, Skylynx and Darksteel, but he declines and heads out by himself. After an encounter with Unicron possessing Megatron's corpse, Predaking finds Skylynx and Darksteel, and they team up with the Autobots to stop Unicron's Terrorcon-Predacon army. Afterward, Predaking and his brothers find Starscream and enact their revenge on him. Predaking was not killed with Darksteel and Skylynx, so it is most likely that he’s still alive, living in the wild areas of Cybertron.
• Skylynx (voiced by Nolan North) - One of the two new Predacons that appeared in Predacons Rising, Skylynx transforms into a red, white, and black mechanical dragon. He was cloned by Starscream and Shockwave as he was planned to be a part of a new Predacon army. But after Predaking defeats him and Darksteel in combat, they swear allegiance to him. He and the other Predacons take part in the fight against Unicron and his reanimated Predacons. They all survive and are last seen hunting down Starscream. Skylynx seems to be very prideful and arrogant of his abilities, but is also strong as he is able to incapacitate Ultra Magnus very quickly. The sequel series, Robots in Disguise, reveals that Starscream managed to survive and stumbled upon a weapons cache that enabled him to kill Skylynx and Darksteel. Like many characters from the aligned continuity, Skylynx gets his from a G1 character, in order to keep the trademark on his name.
• Darksteel (voiced by Steven Blum) - One of the two new Predacons that appeared in Predacons Rising, Darksteel transforms into a blue, gray, and orange "Ursagryph" (a hybrid of a falcon and a bear, as described by Lenny Panzica at the 2013 American International Toy Fair). He was cloned by Starscream and Shockwave and was planned to be a part of new Predacon army to be used against the Autobots. But after Predaking defeats him and Skylynx in combat, they swear allegiance to him. He and the other Predacons took part in the fight against Unicron and his reanimated Predacons. They all survived the fight, and are last seen hunting down Starscream. Darksteel does not appear to be very intelligent, though he seems to have a dark sense of humor. The sequel series, Robots in Disguise, reveals that Starscream managed to survive and stumbled upon a weapons cache that enabled him to kill Darksteel and Skylynx. Darksteel’s name was a Decepticon name, from the “Dark of the Moon” toyline.
• Terrorcon Predacons - An army of undead Predacons brought to life by Unicron's Dark Energon powers who are loyal to him rather than Predaking. The Terrorcon Predacons are tasked with destroying Primus, the core of Cybertron. Thanks to the living Predacons' intervention and Optimus Prime exorcising Unicron from Megatron, the Terrorcon Predacon bodies were rendered inert.

Humans

Main

• Jackson "Jack" Darby (voiced by Josh Keaton) - A 16-year-old high school student and burger joint employee. He is brought into the Autobot-Decepticon conflict after accidentally getting caught in a fight between Arcee and two Vehicons. He is initially reluctant to get involved with the Transformers, but comes to accept them as friends and allies as he forms a close bond with his Autobot guardian, Arcee. Of the three kids, he is the most responsible. Jack has also been entrusted with various tasks such as the Key to Vector Sigma which restored Optimus' mind and often endangering himself to save his friends. He bears a resemblance to Spike Witwicky in the original series and Sam in the live-action movie.
• Miko Nakadai (voiced by Tania Gunadi) - A 15-year-old foreign exchange student from Tokyo, Japan. She is loud and reckless, often following the Autobots into dangerous situations without thinking and showing little regard for her own safety. She has a strong friendship with her Autobot guardian Bulkhead. In season 3, she gains control of Starscream's Apex Armor and becomes a human member of the Wreckers. Her name means "priestess" or "shrine maiden" in Japanese. Apparently it's a tribute to Sari Sumdac from Transformers Animated, because like this one, she shares the same hairstyle.
• Rafael "Raf" Esquivel (voiced by Andy Pessoa) - A shy twelve-year-old Hispanic-American boy who has an extensive knowledge of computers and machinery, thus him enrolling in high school early. He comes from a large family who mostly ignores him, so he spends a lot of time with his Autobot guardian Bumblebee, being the only human character in the series who can understand Bumblebee's speech impediment.
• Special Agt. William Fowler (voiced by Ernie Hudson) - A government agent in Unit: E and former US Army Ranger who serves as a liaison between the Autobots and the United States government. He usually only calls or appears at the Autobot base when the Transformers do something that threatens national security, but over the course of the series he steadily comes to value them as trusted comrades. He is also a skilled pilot, able to fly both helicopters and fighter jets, and he occasionally provides air support for the ground-based Autobots. Fowler also seems to have feelings for June Darby, Jack's mother, who even calls him "Bill", much to Jack's concern.
• Nurse June Darby (voiced by Markie Post[8]) - Jack's mother who works as an emergency room nurse. For a large portion of the first season, June is completely unaware of the existence of the Transformers, believing that Arcee is an ordinary motorcycle. She finds out the truth in the episode "Crisscross" when she is kidnapped by M.E.C.H. and Airachnid in a plot to capture Arcee and kill Jack. Afterwards, though sympathetic to the Autobots, June argues against actions that may put Jack and the others in danger.

M.E.C.H.

M.E.C.H. was a terrorist organization that focused on utilizing advanced machinery to start a New World Order. In their first appearance in "Convoy", M.E.C.H. attempted to steal a powerful nuclear device, but are stopped by the Autobots. They then primarily focus on the capture and dissection of any Cybertronian they can find so they can research their inner workings and create an army of their own Transformers as part of "Project: Chimera". The organization is decimated when Silas kills all M.E.C.H. members present when he awoke in Breakdown's body and finally terminated when he is killed by Airachnid.

• Col. Leland Bishop / Silas / C.Y.L.A.S. (voiced by Clancy Brown) - A member of the Special Operations branch of the US Military, but went rogue after being discharged for building Project: Damocles, a satellite-based laser weapon system, and went on to found and lead M.E.C.H into carry out his other ideas of weaponry under the stage-name Silas. In "Nemesis Prime", Silas and M.E.C.H. created the eponymous Nemesis Prime (a man-made Optimus Prime clone). He was later crushed by his creation when the roof of M.E.C.H.'s hideout collapses. To keep him alive, M.E.C.H. scientists built a life support system from Breakdown's parts which Silas dubbed C.Y.L.A.S. (short for CYbernetic Life Augmented by Symbiosis). He terminated the M.E.C.H. members present upon them serving their purpose and approaches Megatron, wishing to join the Decepticons by providing them with Project: Damocles. But after the satellite is destroyed, C.Y.L.A.S. finds himself a test subject in Knock Out's experiments with Synthetic Energon. When Starscream and Knock Out attempt to mix Synthetic Energon with Dark Energon, it turns C.Y.L.A.S. into a vampiric Terrorcon that infected others after feeding off of their Energon. Though he attempted to feed on Airachnid after he freed her, infecting her during the fight, she manages to kill him, though he thanks her for putting him out of his misery.
• M.E.C.H. Surgeon (voiced by Josh Keaton) - A high-ranking scientist who oversaw and managed M.E.C.H.'s experiments. He had a unique uniform resembling a lab coat. Upon awakening in Breakdown's body, Silas killed the Surgeon and the M.E.C.H. members present after they served their purpose.
• M.E.C.H. Agents - M.E.C.H. employed dozens of personnel that serve as both foot soldiers and scientists. Regardless of occupation, they all wore a matching green uniform with masks covering their faces. Silas was the only member of M.E.C.H. who didn't wear a mask. Agent Fowler voiced a suspicion to General Bryce that some M.E.C.H. agents may be treacherous members of the U.S. military (the reason why they wear masks) and suggested an investigation be conducted into this. After many missions, the survivors are killed by Silas after they resurrect him in Breakdown's body.

Minor

• Sierra (voiced by Alexandra Krosney) - A girl who goes to Jack's high school, where she is the head cheerleader. While Jack has romantic feelings for Sierra, she rarely notices him. That is until after offering her ride home on Arcee once.
• Vince (voiced by Brad Raider) - An obnoxious bully who attends the same school as Jack, Miko, RAF, and Sierra. He often harasses Jack, usually for owning a motorcycle instead of a car.
• General Bryce (voiced by Robert Forster) - Agent Fowler's superior and a representative of the United States government. Bryce at first distrusted the Autobots, believing that there was nothing stopping them from turning on humanity. Eventually, after the sudden appearance of Optimus Prime in "Grill", Bryce readily trusts the Autobots, understanding that they would never hurt humanity.

Others

These characters do not fit in the category of Autobot, Decepticon, and their subgroups:

• Unicron (voiced by John Noble) - An ancient and powerful being who is the source of Dark Energon, a form of Energon with the ability to revive the bodies of dead Transformers as mindless zombie Terrorcons. After Primus and the original thirteen Transformers defeated him, Unicron drifted through space in a state of hibernation for millions of years; with his body attracting rocks and debris that eventually formed the planet Earth and his spark chamber becoming its core. He is mentioned several times throughout the first season, but doesn't make his first appearance until the season finale, forming an army of avatars based on his original body from rocks and soil. When he awakens, Unicron threatens to devastate Earth with natural disasters, but the Autobots successfully defeat him with the Matrix of Leadership, which deactivates him. Unicron returns in the movie Predacons Rising, possessing Megatron's body to destroy Primus with an army of undead Predacons. When Unicron tried to kill Optimus Prime and devour the AllSpark, his energy form is sucked into the empty AllSpark container, finally defeating him once and for all.
• Terrorcons (voiced by Frank Welker) - The Terrorcons are the bodies of dead Transformers revived as mindless zombies by Dark Energon. The corpses of Cliffjumper and Skyquake, a mass burial ground full of dead Transformers in the episode Darkness Rising Pt. 3, and later many of Cybertron's fallen inhabitants in Darkness Rising Pt. 5 have all been converted into Terrorcons. In season 1, the term "Terrorcon" is never used, as the terms "undead" and "zombies" are used instead. However, the name was used in the series' toy line for an action figure of the zombified Cliffjumper. The name is first used in the series itself in Loose Cannons when Arcee mentions Starscream's attempt to revive Skyquake as a "Terrorcon". In Thirst, after Silas is injected with a combination of Synthetic and Dark Energon, he's transformed into a Terrorcon Energon vampire capable of turning other Cybertronians into Terrorcons like him after he's drained their Energon (or simply making contact with them). Due to placing a shard of Dark Energon into his own Spark chamber, Megatron gained the ability to control the otherwise uncontrollable Terrorcons; barring the Energon vampire Terrorcons due to the Synthetic Energon disrupting his connection with them.
• Scraplets - A race of metal eating robots that work in swarms and can consume any Cybertronian in mere seconds. They are feared pests on Cybertron, to the point where they were trapped in pods that were launched off-world in an effort to get rid of them. One such pod landed on Earth and became frozen in a block of ice until it was eventually discovered by the Autobots. Ignorant of its cargo, they brought it back to their base, where the Scraplets thawed out and nearly destroyed the Autobots and their technology. With the aid of their human allies, the Autobots were able to lure the Scraplets through a ground-bridge portal back to the Arctic, where the freezing cold temperatures froze them solid. Other Scraplets appeared on Cybertron during Jack and Arcee's search for Vector Sigma and attempted to devour the mystical supercomputer. Jack was able to distract them by drawing their attention to an Insecticon guard, whom they quickly consumed.
• Alpha Trion (voiced by George Takei) - One of the first Thirteen Transformers created by Primus, Alpha Trion was the Master archivist who ran Cybertron's Hall of Records in the city of Iacon before the war. He also served as a mentor to young Orion Pax and led him on his journey to becoming the last Prime. Smokescreen was assigned as Alpha Trion's personal bodyguard during the final days of the war for Cybertron, where they developed a strong friendship, but they lost contact after Smokescreen was captured by Decepticons during a raid on the Hall of Records. Alpha Trion then took several ancient relics from the Vaults of Iacon (including the Star Saber, the Omega Keys, and several others) and sent them to Earth so Optimus could find them. Though his fate afterwards was not revealed, while Optimus was dying during the initial episodes of season 3, he spoke with Alpha Trion in the Allspark, revealing that he had perished at some point after the War. He invited Optimus to join him, but Smokescreen revived the Autobot leader.
• Primus - An ancient and powerful being who is the source of Energon, the blood and fuel that flows through the bodies of all living Transformers. After defeating Unicron with the help of the original thirteen Transformers, the thirteen Primes, Primus' spark chamber became the planet Cybertron's core, creating the lives of all Transformers through the Well of AllSparks. When the war for Cybertron began, he made Orion Pax Autobot leader by bequeathing him the Matrix of Leadership before drifting into a state of hibernation. He is mentioned several times in the three-part first season finale "One Shall Rise", and last two seasons until he fully awakens in the penultimate episode, "Deadlock." However, much like his counterpart, he does not have any lines nor does he ever display any physical form.

References

1. "Exclusive: Transformers Prime Voice Cast Revealed Which Includes The Rock". TFormers. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
2. "Botcon 2011 Transformers Prime Panel". Transformers News. 5 June 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
3. Is Knockout Gay?. Peanutchan. YouTube. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
4. Sorenson, Jim (31 December 2013). Transformers: Art of Prime. IDW Publishing. ISBN 978-1613777909.
5. "BTVA Voice Acting Awards 2013". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
6. "Vehicons / Decepticon Troopers on TFW2005". Transformers World 2005.
7. "EXCLUSIVE Red Carpet Interviews with Cast & Creative Team of TRANSFORMERS PRIME: BEAST HUNTERS". Retrieved 4 October 2014.
8. "June on TFW2005". Transformers World 2005. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.