Enthusiasm for G1-style Transformers never seems to go out of style, and that’s due largely to their iconic character designs, and a hefty dose of nostalgia, courtesy of the 1980s cartoon series — but which are the coolest Transformers? The designers pulled out all the stops to create memorable and unique characters that still resonate with fans, nearly 40 years after the fact. It’s far too easy to point the finger at Megatron and Optimus Prime when it comes to picking cool Transformers, however. Others deserve a special mention for being standouts and fan favorites, thanks in large part to their own distinct personalities, individual traits, and special abilities.
The Transformer names do give a hint about what each character’s function is and clues about their appearance. The animated Transformers series has garnered such popularity for its depiction of these exciting machines, that it’s spawned an entire live-action movie franchise. Most of the coolest Transformers have been depicted in live-action, with many of them maintaining the best features of their G1-style counterparts. Megatron and Optimus Prime aren’t the only two that have gotten the star treatment, as Bumblebee has gotten his own movie, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts only adds to the roster of the coolest Transformers being given the live-action treatment.
20 Wheeljack
Wheeljack is one of the coolest Transformers for many reasons, including his iconic character design. As a Transformer, he’s quite unique in appearance compared to his fellow Autobots. His signature design style is the cheek protrusions that light up when he speaks, which is something few Transformers have. He’s also a renegade genius and a tinkerer, rather than a pretentious inventor.
This popular Autobot did a lot of cool things during his time, including building the Dinobots. Unfortunately, his creations would outlive him when the powers that be had his character slaughtered in the animated 1986 Transformers movie, in order to make room for a new line of children’s toys. Wheeljack made a few cameos in Bumblebee, and he returned for Transformers:Rise of the Beasts, this time being voiced by Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso).
19 Springer
The 1986 Transformers animated movie reshuffled the characters in an attempt to introduce new toys into the merchandising line, and Springer was one of the coolest Transformers. He was equal parts serious warrior, and wisecracking cool guy, with a sense of charisma that made him a standout. Unlike what the Transformer names suggest, Springer could transform into a helicopter, and a high-performance car, making him one of the few Autobot triple-changers in existence. However, it’s his courageous attitude and inspiring defiance in the face of adversity that made him such an audience favorite.
18 Jetfire
This hulking Transformer was a powerful force on the battlefield and one of the coolest Transformers, regardless of his affiliation. In the old days, Jetfire was a pal of Starscream, before the war between the Autobots and Decepticons took place. Both were scientists dedicated to their research, but the resulting war would pit them against each other as ideological rivals.
The Transformers: War For Cybertron series on Netflix gives a slightly different retelling of Jetfire’s origin story. There, he had started out as a full-fledge Decepticon, before switching sides when he realized how damaging Megatron’s goals would be to the planet. Jetfire got his live adaptation in the second film, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and he fights on the side of the humans and the Autobots, sacrificing his spark so that Optimus Prime can defeat Megatron and The Fallen.
17 Shockwave
Like Megatron, Shockwave was another Transformer capable of turning into a large blaster pistol, which was a hot selling point for kids in the 1980s and easily made him one of the coolest Transformers. However, unlike what the Transformer names suggest, he’s far more of a scientist and an overseer, as opposed to a battlefield combatant.
That being said, Shockwave is no pushover. He’s deadly in a fight, and he won’t hesitate to jump into action at a moment’s notice. He remained loyal to Megatron for millions of years, leading Cybertron in his absence whilst his leader lie dormant on Earth. Shockwave made his first live-action appearance in the third film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and his appearance was drastically changed to be much darker and grittier.
16 Alpha Trion
Every Luke Skywalker needs an Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Alpha Trion is the same kind of mentor to the Autobot leader Optimus Prime. The consciousness of this Autobot was absorbed into the Matrix of Leadership eons ago and now acts as a guiding voice for future leaders in need of the wisdom of the ancients.
Alpha Trion is one of the coolest Transformers for many reasons, not the least of which is his set of mystical abilities, which seem to transcend the technological groundings of the Transformers universe. He’s a wise old sage with a bevy of stories to tell, and “magic” powers that have helped the Autobots win the day, several times over.
15 Galvatron
This may seem like a bit of a cheat, given the fact that Galvatron is essentially a repurposed version of Megatron. He first debuted as a standalone character in the Transformers animated movie, when Unicron healed and reformatted Megatron’s broken body into a much more powerful henchman for his own use.
Galvatron broke away from Unicron following its demise and returned to lead the Decepticons. However, his mental state had deteriorated due to his injuries, making him highly unpredictable. Still, he was just as powerful as Megatron ever was, one of the coolest Transformers in general, and it can be argued that his experiences made him a completely different character. Galvatron appeared in the fourth live-action Transformers movie, Age of Extinction, which saw an epic battle between him and Optimus Prime.
14 Blitzwing
The only thing cooler than a standard Transformer is a triple-changer, and there are quite a few out there. Blitzwing is undoubtedly one of the coolest Transformers, due to the fact that he can transform into both a fighter jet and an armored tank. This allows him to deploy himself on the battlefield with maximum speed and stopping power, making him a dangerous ally.
He’s also thuggish and brutal, which fits well with his combat-centric design. Blitzwing also holds the dubious honor of being one of the few Decepticons to reject his own party, due to its self-destructiveness; a fact which earned him the ire of Galvatron himself. Blitzwing got quite the live-action makeover for 2018’s Bumblebee, and he continued his antagonistic streak in the film, being sent to Earth to kill him.
13 Soundwave
This Decepticon captured the hearts and minds of countless kids growing up with the original 1980s cartoon series, which resulted in Soundwave becoming one of the coolest Transformers. Soundwave is mysterious, ominous, and audiences never quite knows what’s running through his logic circuits at any given moment. A staunch defender of Megatron, Soundwave is loyal to the Decepticon cause, but he’s not above carving out a niche for himself.
Part of what made the cassette-wielding villain so great was that digitally processed voice; a haunting, harmonic symphony of chilling pitch shifts, and computerized reverberations. To date, every attempt to duplicate the iconic sound of the character’s voice has come up short. Soundwave was one of the first Decepticons featured in the live-action Transformers franchise, appearing in Michael Bay’s first film.
12 Kup
Every good show needs a wise old man, but Kup’s a little different. He’s no Gandalf the Grey. Rather, he’s more like Dirty Harry in his 60s. This gruff old curmudgeon hasn’t lost his battle skills over the years, meaning he’s still one of the coolest Transformers, but he’s sure packed on the mental pounds. When Kup’s not kicking Decepticons around the cosmos, he’s recounting war stories to anyone who will listen. His biggest fan remains Grimlock, which Kup considers to be more of an annoyance, than a blessing.
11 Devastator
On their own, the Constructicons aren’t a very interesting bunch. Though they’re Decepticons, they’ve never quite lost their blue-collar workman’s approach to life. However, that all changes when they unite to form the towering Devastator, one of the coolest Transformers. This robot lives up to the Transformers names as a hulking uber-Decepticon that can easily go toe-to-claw with all of the Dinobots, simultaneously, to say nothing of regular Autobots. He’s a major power player in Megatron’s Decepticon roster and has killed more than his fair share of Autobots.
10 Trypticon
Trypticon is one of the most formidable of the giant reptilian robots ever to have stomped its way through sci-fi, and arguably one of the coolest Transformers. This super-powerful city-sized Decepticon serves as the evil counterpart to the super-Autobot Metroplex, and the two share a mutual loathing of one another. Trypticon embodies terror incarnate, thanks to his frightening size and physical characteristics, to say nothing of his crushing strength and weaponry. When the Decepticons bust this baddie out for a fight, nothing but carnage is left in his wake.
9 Ironhide
Known for rushing into battle with a short fuse, Ironhide was the unofficial right hand of Optimus Prime, and the two shared a lot of similarities when it came to leadership. Nevertheless, Ironhide was more interested in striking first and asking questions later, something Prime was forced to keep in check.
The courageous Autobot met his end via the barrel of Megatron’s fusion cannon in the Transformers animated movie, but his legacy lived on. He was even referenced in season 3 of the cartoon series as a nod to the fans. To date, there hasn’t been an Ironhide quite like the original from the cartoon. Ironhide came back from the grave and onto the screen for Michael Bay’s Transformers and returns for Dark of the Moon, where he’s killed in live-action.
8 Bumblebee
Bumblebee is a very special Autobot, as he’s the only robotic character in the franchise who serves as a mechanism for the audience to get an insider’s perspective on what it means to be a Transformer, and is one of the coolest Transformers as a result. He’s one of the characters fans can most easily relate to, thanks to his innate solidarity and natural ability to make friends with human beings.
What Bumblebee lacks in size and physical strength, he makes up for with courage, and a solemn sense of duty to protect those who can’t fight for themselves. This often means his enemies underestimate them, which is a definite mistake that a few have come to regret. As the Transformers names suggest, Bumblebee is bright yellow, and he’s not only featured prominently in all the live-action films but his own central film, eponymously titled Bumblebee.
7 Grimlock
Big, dumb, and lumbering, Grimlock lacks grey matter, but all he really needs is a good set of killer jaws, which is how he managed to become one of the coolest Transformers. As the leader of the prehistorically inspired Dinobots, Grimlock is equal parts comic relief and cheer-vehicle, all rolled into one big robotic T-Rex.
His aggressive nature has made him a renegade against the Autobots on several occasions, and he’s hard to keep in line, but Grimlock is one Transformer that will make any Decepticon think twice before engaging in a fight. His near-invulnerability in dinosaur mode makes him a strong ally on the battlefield, provided he’s given plenty of space, and he got to show off his skills in battle in the fourth live-action Transformers movie, Age of Extinction, before appearing again in Transformers: The Last Knight.
6 Arcee
Originally the Smurfette of the Transformers universe, Arcee gave audiences their first real glimpse into life as a female Cybertronian, and is subsequently one of the coolest Transformers. Her biggest strength is her compassion towards organic life, especially human beings. Out of all the Transformer names, Arcee’s is the one of the closest to suggesting what she transforms into.
While she could have easily served as nothing but a convenient love interest for Springer or Hot Rod, Arcee managed to remain a strong and focused female warrior who wouldn’t hesitate to throw herself into the line of fire for her friends. Comics and TV shows have presented different iterations of the character with unique backstories over the years, but the original Arcee was a landmark character for the franchise, as a whole. Arcee got the live-action treatment in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and is voiced by Liza Koshy (Work It).
5 Cyclonus
Reborn by Unicron from the dead corpse of the Insecticon Bombshell, Cyclonus would go on to serve as a fearsome second in command to Galvatron, and the reunited Decepticon army. Physically imposing and ultimately cruel, Cyclonus rarely met an opponent he would back down from and is, therefore, one of the coolest Transformers. It is this steeled cold-heartedness that makes Cyclonus such a memorable, fascinating character. When allied with his cohort Scourge and the Sweeps, Cyclonus becomes a deadly enemy with a powerful armada at his back.
4 Omega Supreme
The Autobot answer to the Constructicons and Devastator is undoubtedly the towering Omega Supreme, a Guardian robot who was originally in charge of protecting Cybertron’s Crystal City and one of the coolest Transformers. He formed a close relationship with the Constructicons in the early days before they were reprogrammed to follow Megatron’s bidding. They became Omega Supreme’s chief enemy, and the feud continued for millennia. Omega Supreme functions both as a tremendously powerful player on the battlefield, as well as a transportation vehicle if need be.
3 Ravage
Ravage might not say much, or anything at all, but he’s one of the coolest Transformers in the franchise, thanks largely to the fact that he’s a vicious robotic panther, as the Transformer names suggest. When not in use, he remains stowed away in Soundwave’s chest as a cassette and can be dispatched into battle with the push of a button.
He’s easily the coolest of Soundwave’s minions, given his inherent animal aggression. He can be used to attack smaller Autobots, capture prey, or complete reconnaissance missions in an undetected state. When cornered, Ravage won’t hesitate to strike, and with a design as cool as his, that’s good news for fans.
2 Hot Rod
Audiences remain divided as to whether Hot Rod was a worthy successor for the mantle of Autobot leader, following Prime’s demise, and the Autobot even doubted himself throughout the third season of the cartoon series. Still, he was one of the coolest Transformers around, for many reasons. First, his rebellious nature and boyish charm made him a charismatic standout, but his ability to transform into a sleek exotic sports car is what really sold him to fans. When he became Rodimus Prime, he kept much of the look from his bipedal form but seemed more grown-up and mature in comparison to his “younger” self.
1 Unicron
The ultimate Transformer, Unicron is easily one of the coolest Transformers in the franchise. When he debuted in 1986’s animated Transformers feature film, it was unlike anything audiences had ever seen before, and gave both Autobots and Decepticons reason to fear his name. When he’s not devouring entire planets to sustain his endless hunger, Unicron can transform into a demonic bipedal robot that can mangle anything thrown his way.
He’s such a cool character, that even after his defeat at the hands of Rodimus Prime and the Matrix of Leadership, his severed head still struck fear into Cybertronians as it orbited the planet. Unicron was teased as a villain in the live-action Transformers movie The Last Knight and took on the role of puppet master for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, pulling the strings of the Terrorcons led by Scourge.
