Complete Transformers Animated Chronology
For millions of years, the planet Cybertron has been ravaged by the Great War, a ceaseless conflict between the heroic Autobots, led by the noble Optimus Prime, and the tyrannical Decepticons, under the command of the ruthless Megatron. Their battle for supremacy and control over the life-giving energy source, Energon, has spanned galaxies and millennia. The original 1984 animated series, produced by Sunbow and Marvel Productions with animation from Toei, brought this story to life and became a cultural phenomenon, forever defining the franchise in the public eye.
Since that landmark debut, the Transformers saga has been reimagined across a vast multiverse of continuities. Following the end of the original American run, Japan created its own exclusive sequels, before the franchise was completely re-envisioned with the CGI of *Beast Wars*. The 21st century brought new rebooted universes, often as co-productions between Hasbro and Takara, each representing a unique timeline with its own history and lore. This chronology serves as a data log, a guide through these branching realities, detailing how each story adds a new chapter to their unending legacy.
In-Universe: The heroic Guardians, led by Leader-1, defend the planet GoBotron from the evil Renegades, led by Cy-Kill. Though originally a rival toy line from Tonka, the GoBots' intellectual property was acquired by Hasbro in 1991. Subsequently, their universe was officially established as an alternate reality within the greater Transformers multiverse.
Connections: Aired concurrently with G1 and was its primary competitor. Followed by the movie *GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords*.
In-Universe: The original series that started it all. The Autobots and Decepticons crash-land on Earth and continue their war. *The Transformers: The Movie* (1986) jumps the story forward to 2005, introducing the planet-eater Unicron and passing leadership from Optimus Prime to Rodimus Prime. Season 3 picks up after the movie, revealing the Quintessons as the creators of the Transformer race.
Connections: The three-part finale, "The Rebirth," introduced Headmasters and Targetmasters to American audiences. This finale was ignored in Japan, which created its own continuation.
In-Universe: The Japanese continuation of G1. It introduces Headmasters not as Nebulans bonded to Transformers, but as small Cybertronians who built larger bodies called "Transtectors" to survive on the harsh planet Master. After Optimus Prime sacrifices himself again to stabilize Vector Sigma, Fortress Maximus takes command of the Autobots.
In-Universe: Follows *The Headmasters*. Human characters, imbued with the "Masterforce," merge with Transtectors to become Headmaster Juniors and Godmasters (the Japanese version of Powermasters). The most notable Godmaster is Ginrai, a Japanese trucker who merges with a Transtector identical to Optimus Prime's Powermaster body.
In-Universe: The final full Japanese G1 series, featuring the Supreme Commander Star Saber leading the Autobots against the Decepticon Emperor of Destruction, Deszaras. The series introduced many Japan-exclusive concepts like the Brainmasters, Brestforce, and Multiforce.
In-Universe: A single direct-to-video (OVA) episode that follows *Victory*. The new Autobot Commander, Dai Atlas, is appointed after Star Saber is critically injured by the mysterious nine Great Decepticon Generals, led by the insectoid Violenjiger. The story was completed through text and illustrations in Japan's *TV Magazine*.
In-Universe: Not a new story, but a rebroadcast of original G1 episodes. The show featured a new CGI opening sequence and computer-generated scene transitions using the "Cyber-Net Space-Cube" effect, but contained no new narrative content.
In-Universe: A revolutionary CGI series set centuries after G1. The Maximals (descendants of Autobots) and Predacons (descendants of Decepticons) crash on prehistoric Earth. The show firmly established itself as both a sequel and prequel to G1, with the crew of the original Ark making a key appearance.
Connections: The second season introduced the metallic "Transmetal" forms. In Japan, the broadcast gap was filled by two original anime series: *Beast Wars II* and *Beast Wars Neo*.
In-Universe: A Japanese-exclusive anime created to fill the broadcast gap. Set on the future planet Gaea, it follows Lio Convoy's Maximals battling Galvatron's Predacons over the mysterious Angolmois Energy. A theatrical movie, *Lio Convoy, Close Call!*, featured a team-up with Optimus Primal.
In-Universe: A sequel to *Beast Wars II*, following Big Convoy's team of young Maximals against Magmatron's Predacons. It's notable for revealing that the Angolmois Energy is the life-force of Unicron, who attempts to turn Cybertron into his new body.
In-Universe: The direct, and controversial, sequel to *Beast Wars*. The Maximals return to a desolate Cybertron ruled by Megatron and his drone Vehicon army. Guided by the Oracle, the Maximals are reformatted into "technorganic" bodies and fight a philosophical war to bring a balance of technology and nature to Cybertron.
In-Universe: Originally *Car Robots* in Japan, this was the first full reboot for the franchise, creating a self-contained universe. It pits vehicular Autobots against bestial Predacons, later joined by a new group of Decepticons led by the powerful Scourge. The series finale revolves around the activation of the ancient city-bot, Fortress Maximus.
In-Universe: A new reboot co-produced by Hasbro and Takara. The story revolves around the race to collect Mini-Cons (Microns in Japan), a third faction of small Transformers that can "powerlink" with larger robots. The English dub is infamous for its rushed production, leading to numerous animation and translation errors.
In-Universe: Set ten years after *Armada*, Autobots and humans work together to mine for Energon. The series introduces the "Spark of Combination" (called "Superlink" in Japan), allowing Autobots to combine their bodies into more powerful forms, as they fight the new threat of the robotic Terrorcons.
In-Universe: Originally a separate reboot in Japan called *Galaxy Force*, this series was rewritten for its English release to become the finale of the Unicron Trilogy. A black hole created by Unicron's destruction threatens the universe, forcing the Autobots to search for the four ancient Cyber Planet Keys to stop it.
In-Universe: A standalone series with a unique, highly stylized art style from Derrick J. Wyatt (*Teen Titans*). The story centers on a small crew of Autobots, led by academy washout Optimus Prime, who find the Allspark and crash-land in a futuristic Detroit. The show is known for its deep-cut homages to all eras of Transformers lore.
In-Universe: A CGI series that served as the flagship of the "Aligned" continuity, which sought to unify various parts of the franchise. Featuring the return of Peter Cullen and Frank Welker as Optimus and Megatron, the story follows Team Prime protecting Earth and its three teenage human allies (Jack, Miko, and Raf) from the Decepticons' attempts to exploit Dark Energon, the blood of Unicron.
In-Universe: Set in the same continuity as *Prime* but aimed at a younger audience. It is the longest-running Transformers series at 104 episodes. A team of Autobot rescuers partners with the Burns family to protect the technologically advanced island of Griffin Rock.
In-Universe: A direct sequel to *Transformers: Prime*. Bumblebee is tasked with leading a new, ragtag team of Autobots (including Strongarm, Sideswipe, and the Dinobot Grimlock) on Earth to recapture a prison ship full of escaped Decepticon criminals.
In-Universe: An animated web series created by Machinima for the go90 streaming service. On a post-war Cybertron, the return of ancient combiner technology threatens a fragile peace between the Autobots, Decepticons, and a new colony world.
In-Universe: The second part of the trilogy. It's notable for featuring Peter Cullen and Judd Nelson reprising their respective G1 roles as Optimus Prime and Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime for the first time in an animated series in over 30 years.
In-Universe: The finale of the trilogy sees the return of Megatronus, one of the original Thirteen Primes, who seeks to use the power of the Enigma of Combination and the Matrix of Leadership for his own nefarious purposes.
In-Universe: In this series, Bumblebee arrives on Earth with amnesia. With the help of his friend, Windblade, he must replay his corrupted memories of the Great War to rediscover his mission and piece together the events that led him to Earth.
In-Universe: A Netflix original anime-influenced series presented in three chapters (*Siege*, *Earthrise*, *Kingdom*). It provides a dark and mature retelling of the final days of the war on Cybertron, the Autobots' journey on the Ark, and their eventual crash-landing on a prehistoric Earth alongside the Maximals and Predacons.
In-Universe: The first pure comedy series in the franchise. After a mysterious cloud of Energon descends on a shopping mall, everyday objects spring to life as mischievous tribes of miniature converting robots called BotBots.
In-Universe: Set in a world where the Great War on Earth is over, this series introduces the "Terrans," the first generation of Transformers to be born on Earth. They are adopted by the human Malto family and must discover their own identity and purpose alongside iconic heroes like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.
As this chronology shows, while each series is a new beginning, they are all interconnected by the core tenets of the Transformers mythos. A fascinating piece of trivia is how concepts from one continuity often "bleed" into others; the once-Japanese exclusive idea of a "Headmaster" was central to the *Prime Wars Trilogy*, and the planet-eater Unicron, first introduced in the 1986 movie, became the titular villain of an entire trilogy of shows nearly two decades later. These echoes across the multiverse demonstrate that certain legends, like the Matrix of Leadership or the power of Combiners, are fundamental to the Transformers' identity, no matter the timeline.
The journey is far from over. Just as the Transformers themselves can reformat and evolve, so too does their story. From animated series to blockbuster films and comic books, the war for Cybertron continues to be fought on new fronts, captivating new generations of fans. The franchise's ability to constantly reinvent itself ensures that the struggle between Autobots and Decepticons will continue to unfold in exciting and unexpected ways. The spark of this epic saga still burns brightly, promising that as long as there are stories to tell, we will be there to watch them, 'Til All Are One.
