My Top 10 Favourite Autobots

About time I did the long-awaited sequel to last year's Decepticons list.

I counted down 10 of my favourite Decepticons, so it's time I did the Autobots, isn't it? I may be a Decepticon fan, but I DO like the Autobots too.

The Autobots are a faction full of cool designs, heroic warriors and fascinating characters that always make for awesome battles with the Decepticon faction. The franchise has something for everybody when it comes to Autobots from your Optimus Primes to your Arcees to your Wheeljacks to your Bumblebees and so much more. And like with the Decepticons, there's a lot of different bots to choose from, and all from different continuities too.

So which Autobots make the countdown? Which ones do I consider the ones worthy of carrying that iconic red symbol? Let's transform and roll out as we countdown my Top 10 Favourite Autobots...

Number 10: Bumblebee from Bumblebee

While I'm no fan of Bumblebee, I do at least have a soft spot for THIS Bumblebee.

While the Michael Bay movies made Bumblebee some glorified mascot who's borderline invincible and gets way too much screentime at the expense of the other Autobots (and I'll never understand why, what's so special about him?) and his radio-talk gimmick just got old real fast, Travis Knight managed to make Bumblebee a somewhat likeable and interesting character when he directed the scout's spin-off movie. Bumblebee actually made Bumblebee a real character by downplaying his mascot tendencies and portraying him as a scared and lonely Autobot in hiding who just wants companionship after finding himself stranded on an unfamiliar world with no idea if there are any other Autobots out there still. The movie makes Bumblebee pretty sympathetic and easy to feel sorry for as a result.

I also love the bond he develops with Charlie throughout the movie. Both are victims of loss and feel like outsiders, so it's no wonder they got on like a house on fire. Compare that to the Michael Bay movies where Sam barely treated him like a friend. These two really brought some joy to each other that both were in need of and it's so wholesome to watch. I also like how this Bumblebee isn't a murderous psychopath like he is in the Bay films. This Bumblebee only kills when necessary and the way he achieves this is pretty neat to watch for unlike the Bay films where he's just invincible and pretty much wins all the time, this Bumblebee fights strategically and uses the environment to his advantage. That to me is more impressive and interesting to watch than just winning with brute force alone. It shows this Bumblebee's an intelligent fighter and not a bot to be underestimated.

As much as I find Bumblebee to be overrated, I do like this incarnation of the character. He's adorable, he's sympathetic, he's a combat pragmatist and his bond with Charlie is one of the best Transformer/human bonds we've ever had in this franchise. This is the version that all Bumblebees should be more like...

Number 9: Hot Shot from Transformers Armada

Before the Michael Bay movies revived Bumblebee's popularity in the mainstream, this guy was the teen bot of my generation. First debuting in Transformers Armada, Hot Shot was a mainstay on the team all the way until Transformers Cybertron, and as we all know, the movies came out some time after and Bumblebee was back in the spotlight while poor Hot Shot was left forgotten about. Well I've never forgotten him.

I always liked Hot Shot for his slick car mode (seriously, no matter which show it is, his car modes always look pretty cool) and his striking red and yellow colour scheme. His design is pretty neat too with not many Autobots sharing a design like his, so Armada Hot Shot gets points for originality. I also like how unlike most characters in Armada, Hot Shot actually develops as a character. It's very noticeable how as the show goes in, he becomes less reckless and more mature and becomes a better warrior as a result. He even plays a mentor role to Sideswipe later in the series. I like to think Sideways double-crossing him and causing him to lose the Star Sabre was what fuelled this change in his character. That no doubt really weighs heavy on his mind and inspired him to be better. Hell, come Transformers Energon, his character development sticks and he's a much more mature and skilled warrior than in Armada. Too bad Cybertron undid that, but Cybertron wasn't actually meant to be a sequel to Armada and Energon originally, so that does explain it.

I also like his interesting backstory with Wheeljack where the two used to be friends, but Hot Shot was forced to abandon him and now Wheeljack wants revenge for what he perceives as a betrayal. That's a pretty deep backstory and I love it for it adds more layers to the character and even adds an air of tragedy to him as he lost one of his best friends as a result of this.

While people may prefer Bumblebee, I'll always prefer Hot Shot myself. Unlike Bumblebee, he was a character first and a mascot second and that makes him superior in my eyes. He looks cool, his backstory is interesting, he had a lot of awesome moments (especially when he got to wield the Star Sabre) and his development was one of the better aspects of Armada's otherwise lacklustre writing. I hope some day Hot Shot will return to the spotlight...

Number 8: Warpath from Transformers: War for Cybertron

I love this guy. He's fun to play as in the game and he's just a riot with his overenthusiastic personality.

Warpath stands out to me is among the most unique Autobots ever created. I mean, when's the last time you saw an Autobot that turns into a TANK for Primus's sake? That's usually an alt-mode for Decepticons, but here we are with an Autobot that turns into a tank. Not only is it unique to see this for an Autobot, but it also fits Warpath's personality to a tee. He's a pretty explosive guy who yells "BOOM!" and "POW!" a lot, so why not give him an explosive alt-mode? I wonder how many times he's been confused for a Decepticon because of his choice of vehicle mode...

I love the design of Warpath too with his heavily armoured body, red colour scheme and iconic gun chest. It's a design that distinctively tells you who this is and if any other Transformers were to duplicate it, we'd know where it came from. The War for Cybertron games really gave Warpath a great look here by staying true to his G1 design but also fitting in with the design aesthetics of the games by depicting him with a bulkier and more heavily-armoured appearance. He genuinely LOOKS powerful, and that's how Warpath should look. While Warpath isn't the most complex character ever and lord knows the media he appears in doesn't give him much personality beyond "Loves to blow stuff up" (what is he, the Cybertronian version of Michael Bay?), I feel in his case it's all Warpath needs, and it makes him a lot of fun in my eyes. He's fun to play as in the games and his personality and tank form make him stand out from all the other Autobots. You can have all your Bumblebees or your Ironhides or your Jazzes and such, but there is only ONE Warpath.

Strong, powerful, overly battle-hungry and a total riot, Warpath easily blasted his way to the Number 8 spot on this list. BOOM! POW!

Number 7: Smokescreen from Transformers Prime

Initially, I didn't think much to this guy, but over time, he's grown on me and I genuinely feel I was way too harsh on him back then. At least nowadays, I can see Smokescreen for the well-developed character he actually is.

While the Prime incarnation arguably has more in common with Hot Rod than any incarnation of Smokescreen out there, I still like how the show handled this guy. His design is the best of all the Smokescreens we've had in this franchise with a very slick looking robot mode, an awesome alt-form and a gorgeous white and blue colour-scheme that made him look cool anytime he was onscreen. While he changed into a blue and yellow colour scheme in Season 3, it's not as good as his white and blue colours in my eyes. He looked better in white and blue. The designers really made this guy look so cool in the show and no Smokescreen will ever top this guy in terms of design.

But looks aren't everything of course. What makes this guy one of my favourite Autobots was how he was handled. Interestingly, he's pretty much a deconstruction of the Chosen One trope. As someone who HATES this trope, I'm always happy to see it deconstructed. Smokescreen started off thinking he was destined for greatness and wanting to get out on the battlefield, but when reality hit him and he saw that war is no game, he began to take things more seriously and became a more responsible Autobot. And then there's the fact Optimus offered him a chance to be a Prime and he didn't take it, knowing he couldn't handle that kind of responsibility. That was unbelievably grown-up of him to acknowledge that and admit that he's not Prime material. The only problem is due to Prime being cut short due to budget problems, that bit of development felt a little rushed, but I still think it helped Smokescreen's character a lot. Going from a hot-shot rookie who thinks he's destined for greatness to a more responsible soldier who knows his limits, that's a solid arc in my eyes. I also admire Smokescreen for doing the one thing that his teammates don't often do: use the resources they have. Seriously, this guy was the only one smart enough to exploit the Phase Shifter at every available opportunity and it showed what a smart guy he could be. He makes use of what they got and uses the Phase Shifter creatively and pragmatically, and that's what makes him admirable. You gotta love heroes who fight smart and win using brainpower rather than brawn.

Smokescreen was fantastic and I don't know why I ever hated him back in the day. He was well-written, well-developed, a smart guy on the battlefield and a worthy soldier to fight alongside Optimus Prime. He was truly destined for greatness, and he definitely earned it...

Number 6: Windblade from Transformers: Robots in Disguise

A fem-bot that turns into a plane and wields a sword? YES PLEASE! :D

Windblade is a unique entry on this list, namely for the fact she is LITERALLY a fan-character. No, I'm not making this up, she was LIITERALLY created by the fans and made an official character! Hasbro held a poll back in 2013 where fans could create a new character. They were given several options on how this character would come to life and the winning design and character was what we see here: a female Autobot that turns into a jet, wields a sword and has a valiant personality. The Japanese motif wasn't the fan's idea though.

Anyhow, Windblade has been a staple of the franchise since then, appearing in comics, Cyberverse, the Combiner Wars trilogy and more. The only exposure I've had to Windblade so far is the Robots in Disguise 2015 version, so that's why she's on the list. I loved the way the show characterized her, depicting her as this confident, strong and brave Autobot who throws nicknames to her comrades (namely calling Sideswipe "Slick") and is no slouch in a fight. Sadly, she didn't appear in the show anywhere near as much as she should've (seriously, she should've at least been a permanent member of Team Bee), but when she did appear, it was always cool to see her. I also like how her first episode had her take a lesson in humility when she was called out for being reckless and nearly endangering humans, and she took the lesson onboard. She was in danger of falling into a typical Mary-Sue kind of role, but no, the writers had her make mistakes, she got called out for them, was actually depicted as in the wrong instead of the people criticizing her, and she developed from that and got better. That was great and I'm so glad the writers handled her that way. Sadly, there's not a whole lot more else to this Windblade other than she looks faithful to her original design and had a strong first impression. Still, as mediocre as Robots in Disguise 2015 was, it was still a good introduction to Windblade for me and I hope to see her more often. Cyberverse would be a good place to see more Windblade...

Awesomely designed, brilliantly created by the fans, well-handled in RiD despite not enough appearances, Windblade blew away all the competition around her and easily secured her spot on this list...

Number 5: Elita from Transformers One

This robo-chick doesn't mess around, and I kind of love her for it.

Elita (or Elita-1) has been in the franchise since the G1 era, but has had little exposure outside of it. Even in Animated, she was less "Elita-1" and more just a re-invented Blackarachnia, which made little sense to me. The two characters aren't the same, so why even connect them as such? Transformers One is so far Elita's biggest exposure outside of G1, and they brought her into the mainstream pretty well, I'd say.

The movie depicts Elita is a tough, no-nonsense boss of the miners who has no time to play around and takes her job ridiculously seriously. So seriously that she's more upset about being fired over one accident than the fact she and her crew were nearly killed. While Elita ran the risk of being unlikeable in the early stages of the movie, they thankfully handled her brilliantly and had her undergo a change just as Orion, D-16 and B-127 did in the movie. When Elita's optics are opened to the truth and that Cybertron was built on a lie, no longer does she care about her shattered record or that she was fired. She sees there's more to life than her job as a miner and that there are bigger things out there that are more important. As a result, she's as devoted to stopping Sentinel and revealing the truth about him as much as Orion is, thus showing she's more selfless than she may have seemed. What makes it better is that she never once feels the need to spell out that development either, it's shown through her actions and how she talks to Orion in the later half of the movie compared to how she talked to him at the start.

Speaking of talks, the pep-talk she gave Orion was also an example of how far she's come in a short amount of time. While some of it may have seemed back-handed, she does acknowledge that Orion is worthy of being a leader and that nobody can inspire others like he can, which was mature and observant of her to notice. She could've easily just put Orion down to make herself look better, but no. She was wise enough to see that Orion has his strengths too, and that helps in rousing together a bunch of soldiers to stop Sentinel and his forces. Considering Elita is usually Optimus's girlfriend in some continuities, I hope we get to see them hook up should Transformers One ever get a sequel...

Overall, they really nailed it with Elita in the movie. Her design is faithful to what came before, her personality is great, her development was well done, and they gave her the voice of Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's always a plus. XD I hope thanks to Transformers One, Elita will become more of a mainstay in the franchise and continue to appear in other media going forward...

Number 4: Jetfire (any universe)

I can't name a specific incarnation of Jetfire as my favourite. He's one of those TF characters I like in general, not just one version, though I always have a soft spot for Armada Jetfire as he was my first.

My first Jetfire.

Much like a majority of the characters in Armada, Jetfire didn't have much of a personality aside from being Optimus's faithful second-in-command, but he always stood out to me for his awesome design, his unique status as an Autobot with a space ship mode and his awesome ability to combine with Optimus. That was one of the coolest things to come out of Armada.

However, other Jetfires have considerably more character and interesting history to them, namely the G1, Movie and Netflix incarnations. You see, Jetfire has the unique backstory of being an Autobot that actually started off as a Decepticon first. While characters such as Drift would also use that backstory, it pretty much started with Jetfire (or at least was one of the earliest examples. I don't know if there were any earlier ones). The Netflix show did the best job on showing this since we actually see Jetfire AS a Decepticon for some of the show before he has his heel-turn. The way they handled said heel-turn was...clunky at best. He's shown as pretty evil and sadistic at first, and then suddenly halfway through Season 1 he's just...not anymore and he turns on the Decepticons. Still, at least he HAD any development. A character having development or an arc in that show is miraculous in and of itself. XD I also feel that Jetfire's design in the Netflix show, which in turn was based on his War for Cybertron: Siege toy is the best design of all the Jetfires. He just looks so powerful and imposing and I love it!

Speaking of his Siege toy, I have it myself. I can barely stop displaying him because it's so cool. :D

Jetfire's one of those Autobots that they often nail in terms of design (the movie version's a rare exception of a bad Jetfire design) and his status as a Decepticon-turned-Autobot is always an interesting one that makes the character stand out from the crowd. Hopefully we'll get to see Jetfire in a big role again some day, like maybe a main Autobot in a future cartoon or something. I'd be all for that...

Number 3: Ratchet from Transformers Prime

This guy was a hoot and I always loved it whenever he was onscreen.

Ratchet is an iconic character in the franchise and one of the most recurring Autobots alongside Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee and more. In nearly every continuity, there's always a Ratchet (and even if there isn't, there's a medic who's likely there to fill in Ratchet's role), so it feels like any Autobot team out there is never complete without him. While there are many Ratchets out there, I picked this guy as my favourite of the bunch. I honestly feel that all Ratchets should follow Prime's example on how to handle him.

While Animated pretty much originated the "grumpy medic" persona for Ratchet, I feel Prime executed the idea the best by making this Ratchet one of those characters who could be grumpy AND hilarious at the same time. Seriously, he wouldn't have been anywhere near as funny if he wasn't grumpy. Throughout Prime, he's nearly always complaining, but it never feels overbearing due to how they would use it sparingly and Jeffery Combs's unrivalled performance helped make his material come off as funnier than it would've done if anybody else had done it.

Speaking of hilarious, we can never forget his hilarious catchphrase, can we:

Never gets old, I tell ya. That should be EVERY Ratchet's catchphrase if you ask me. XD

At the same time, this Ratchet isn't just a grumpy old miser. In fact, his grumpy exterior hides a troubled an insecure side to him in where he feels he could've done better in order to fix Bumblebee's voice. This Ratchet has a fallible side to him in where he doesn't like to feel like a let-down, or that he's failed his comrades, which never fails to be relatable. I also like this guy's loyalty to Optimus and how he truly does feel like a close friend to the guy that he really can rely on. If any Autobot is unquestionably the most loyal to Optimus, it's Ratchet, hands down. And much like Smokescreen above, Ratchet is one of the most developed characters in Transformers: Prime. Over time, he comes to let go of his Cybertronian pride and see the value in humanity and how even they can have their uses, and he even forms a genuine bond with Raf. Not as much as Bumblebee of course, but you get what I mean. It really is nice to see the grumpy medic become more mellow over time and gain an interest in something he once didn't care for. It's pretty sweet, honestly.

I love this incarnation of Ratchet. He was funny, he was wise, he was loyal, he was multi-layered and he was excellently portrayed by Jeffery Combs. He needed all of that in order to become a great character, and one of the best Autobots in the franchise...

Number 2: Orion Pax/Optimus Prime from Transformers One

It wouldn't be an Autobot list without at least one incarnation of Optimus Prime. Of all the Optimuses that are deserving of a spot on this list, it's easily this one for I genuinely feel this has been THE best depiction of Optimus Prime yet. I used to feel that way about Prime Optimus, but after seeing Transformers One last year, I've now changed my mind to this guy. Most incarnations of Optimus Prime nowadays kinda lean too heavily on the "stoic, world-weary leader" character to the point some people feel Optimus nowadays is a little boring. Animated and Earthspark are even considered breaths of fresh air as they offer new takes on the character and give him more of a personality. One continues this trend, albeit more justified since this is a younger incarnation of Optimus before he became Optimus Prime as we know him.

One tells the story of Orion Pax and D-16 and showcases how they became Optimus and Megatron respectively. In the movie, Orion Pax is depicted as an idealistic and inquisitive character who loves studying the world around him and wants nothing more than to make a difference for Cybertron and its citizens. He knows he is more than meets the eye and that they can solve their Energon problem if they find the Matrix of Leadership, and that mining all the time isn't going to solve anything. It was honestly pretty endearing seeing the bot who would later become the Autobot leader we know and love depicted as this wide-eyed miner who seeks more in life, helped even further by Chris Hemsworth's acting. Seriously, I'm still blown away at how good he was! Also, the movie shows that even before becoming Optimus, he has some of his noble traits like his tendency to stick his neck out for others or how he can be inspiring with his rousing speeches. Even Elita acknowledges that's a strength of his.

At the same time, as this is a younger Optimus, he's a lot more flawed as a person (or bot) and isn't as perfect as other incarnations of the character. Orion's biggest flaw is how he had a tendency to act on his own self-interests and drag others along on his schemes, not really thinking about how they think or feel about the situation, and he also wasn't that great at reading the room sometimes. This plays at least a small part in D-16's eventual fall to Megatron, which adds that extra layer of tragedy to their story as, in a way, Orion's somewhat responsible for creating Megatron (although Sentinel is easily the biggest culprit still, it's not all Orion's fault). That's such an interesting and fascinating new way to depict the relationship of the two faction leaders, as well as adding more layers to this version of Optimus to make him less of a perfect hero. It's a lot better than the garbage way he was handled in the Bay films where all he did was butcher Decepticons like a serial killer while hypocritically preaching about how "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings". This Optimus is flawed in a way that makes him still feel like Optimus, is what I'm saying.

This Optimus is the prime (pun intended) example of what Optimus Prime as a character should be like. For all Transformers media going forward, this is the Optimus they should take cues from. He was endearing, he was complex, he was flawed in a way that made him interesting and he's overall still a faithful take on the character we all know and love. This Optimus is truly worthy of carrying the title of "Prime"...

And my Number 1 Favourite Autobot is...Arcee from Transformers Prime

Given my love of girls who can kick ass, this was a no-brainer.

First appearing in The Transformers: The Movie, Arcee has been an iconic part of the franchise and a mainstay ever since. She's famous and noteworthy for being the first "female" Transformer to appear in the franchise and her creation alone sparked all kinds of creativity for the franchise going forward as it showed not all Transformers are male. Many other female characters came into the fray such as Chromia, Elita-1, Moonracer, Flamewar, Shadow Striker, Slipstream, Airachnid, Blackarachnia, Airazor, Windblade and much more. Arcee has been in many continuities, but of all of them, Prime easily take the top spot for me.

While she may look more like Chromia than Arcee in this incarnation, Arcee proves that it doesn't matter what colour you are as long as you're a great character, and this Arcee IS a great character! She's sassy, she's feisty, she's a total badass throughout the whole show and she always leaves an impression anytime she's onscreen. I love everything about this Arcee from her personality to her appearance and especially Sumalee Montano's unmatched performance as her. No matter how many Acrees we get in this franchise, to me, Sumalee IS Arcee. I would also enjoy seeing her when I was watching Transformers: Prime and she never disappointed. Watching her take down Decepticons many times her size was impressive to watch and I always got a laugh out of her snippy quips. Seriously, people have made videos devoted to her being a sass queen, that's how great she is. XD

But of course, her backstory is one of the crowning examples of how great she is. Arcee is an emotionally wounded warrior with a chip on her shoulder, and we see why in the episode "Predatory". She was captured and tortured by Airachnid, and then was forced to watch her partner die in front of her, all while powerless to help him. Meeting Cliffjumper later down the line helped to repair that damage, but then Cliffjumper got killed and that made Arcee distant again. But meeting Jack Darby repaired that damage too, and thankfully Jack hasn't died on her watch, so that's a plus. Her backstory added so much depth to her character and explained her attitude to elegantly. It's no wonder she became who she is today with two dead partners hanging over her and it's no wonder she's constantly trying to kill Airachnid. In the end, she trapped her nemesis in an Insecticon pod and that was closure for her, which does give her a noticeable change in attitude where she's not so cold or aloof anymore. Hell, in Season 3 she even helps Wheeljack get over his issues with Ultra Magnus, which shows how she's become more mature from her experiences. She was so well-written, let me tell you.

This Arcee is the complex package for me. Badass, complex, brilliantly designed, expertly voice-acted and well-written, all of this is why Arcee is undoubtedly my Number 1 Favourite Autobot...

And that's it for this post. I hope you enjoyed it and I invite you all to share your thoughts down below. Who are your favourite Autobots and from which continuities? I'd love to know.

Next week, we're still talking about Transformers as I review the War for Cybertron Netflix cartoon. See you then media fans!