The Energon Pub

Long story short: I've never seen a single Transformers series episode. I'm looking to catch up. I'd like to track down anything that's in English (all I speak, and subtitles give me a headache). Barring 'Rescue Bots' since its description came off as more small-child oriented, which I'm to assume leads to less story/lore involved. I have a small list made below. I ask if anyone sees that I've missed or mistaken anything since I created it based off a wiki listing while trying to dodge spinoffs that went awry with lore or foreign series.

The Transformers
Transformers: The Headmasters (was done in English or just subtitled? Wiki wasn't clear)
Beast Wars: Transformers
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001)
Unicron Trilogy (Transformers Armada, Energon and Cybertron)
Transformers: Prime

Cheers!

Your first mistake was omitting Rescue Bots. I may personally find it incredibly boring, but it's the opposite of Playskool and many fans enjoy it for its storytelling. So undo this immediately!

Secondly, there's a list of everything on TFWiki, but if you don't like those people, that's okay, 'cause I'll do everything. You've essentially got most of the western series except Beast Machines, Animated, and Robots in Disguise (2015).

Here's the full list of western crap:

1. The Transformers (1984 - 1987)
2. Beast Wars: Transformers (1996 - 1999)
3. Beast Machines: Transformers (1999 - 2000) Sequel Series to "Beast Wars"
4. Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 - 2002) English Dub of Japan's "Car Robots"
5. Transformers: Armada (2002 - 2003)
6. Transformers: Energon (2004 - 2005) Painful Sequel Series to "Armada"
7. Transformers: Cybertron (2005 - 2007) Supposed Sequel Series to "Energon"
8. Transformers: Animated (2007 - 2009)
9. Transformers: Prime (2010 - 2013)
10. Transformers: Rescue Bots (2011 - present) Spin-off to "Prime" and "Robots in Disguise (2015)"
11. Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 - present) Sequel Series to "Prime"

Here's another list of all the other Japanese crap:

1. Basically most of the above with different names and dubbing, so screw that.
2. Transformers: The Headmasters (1987 - 1988) Sequel Series to "The Transformers"
3. Transformers: Super-God Masterforce (1988 - 1989) Sequel Series to "The Headmasters"
4. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (1989) Sequel Series to "Super-God Masterforce"
5. Transformers: Zone (1990) Sequel Series Episode to "Victory".....I think. It's a thing that exists, at least
6. Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (1998 - 1999) Spin-off to "Beast Wars"
7. Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (1999 - 2000) Sequel Series to "Beast Wars II"
8. The Car Robots thing I told you about before
9. Triple Combination: Transformers Go! (2013 - 2014) Exists because Japan didn't get season three of "Prime"

The western and Japanese fiction aren't particularly influenced by one another. Japan does their thing and the west does their own, if that helps. Here are the continuities if you want.

G1 Cartoon Continuity (1984 - 1987)
The Transfromers (1984 - 1987)

Beast Era (1996 - 2000)
Beast Wars: Transformers (1996 - 1999)
Beast Machines: Transformers (1999 - 2000)

Robots in Disguise (2001) continuity
Robots in Disguise (2001)

The Unicron Trilogy (2002 - 2006)
Transformers: Armada (2002 - 2003)
Transformers: Energon (2004 - 2005)
Transformers: Cybertron (2005 - 2006)

Animated Continuity (2007 - 2009)
Transformers Animated (2007 - 2009)

Aligned Cartoon Continuity (2010 - present)
Transformers: Prime (2010 - 2013)
Transformers: Rescue Bots (2011 - present)
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 - present)

For Japan, all these are pretty much the same with few exceptions, but Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory, and Zone are their G1 Cartoon Continuity and they also have Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo in their Beast Era. Then there's Go! because, again, no Prime Season 3.

Hope this helps, I need a nap now.

Here's everything officially released in English, with subtitle-only releases indicated:

1. The Transformers
2. The Transformers: The Movie (goes between Seasons 2 and 3 of The Transformers)
3. Headmasters (subtitles only, but officially released through Shout Factory on DVD)
4. Super God Masterforce (subtitles only, but officially released through Shout Factory on DVD)
5. Victory (subtitles only, but officially released through Shout Factory on DVD)
6. Beast Wars
7. Beast Machines
8. Robots in Disguise - this is a show from 2001. No official DVD release in the US.
9. Armada
10. Energon
11. Cybertron
12. Animated
13. Transformers Prime
14. Transformers Prime: Predacons Rising (epilogue movie for Prime)
15. Rescue Bots (Truly a kids show)
16. Robots in Disguise - not to be confused with the other series from '01, this is a sequel series to Transformers Prime. Season 2 just finished airing earlier this month, Season 1 is available on DVD and Netflix.

There are also very well done subtitles available for Micron Densetsu (the Japanese release of Armada, which has some cleaned up animation/dialogue) and Beast Wars II from Karyuudo fan subs. I'd also recommend tracking down some subtitles for Superlink (the Japanese version of Energon) if you watch that because the english dub is not only 'meh' in quality, it is very hard to follow as well.

You are both very beautiful individuals. This is an amazing help, and I honestly expected to wait longer for responses!

@PrymeStriker With the detail and organization put into that, I'd offer to marry you, but I don't feel that it'd show my true appreciation. So rather, I most sincerely offer enslavement. Seriously, though, thank you.

@ScottyP Much appreciated! Would have missed a number, like 'Predacons Rising'. Also your note of 'Robots in Diguise' 2001 not being on DVD is a rather significant addition. Unfortunately I can't stand movies where I can't understand what's being said (aka foreign languages) given the confusion it creates, and subtitles always distract me from the visuals and what's actually going on (I don't read overly fast). Still, I'll be saving those subtitled ones for a possible watch at a later date.

Now I'm assuming I can find most of these on DVD. If RiD 2001 isn't, however, where might I acquire or at least be able to view that series? My main goal is to see all of these, but I'd also like to own my own copies if possible.

Thank you again, and cheers!

LoEM_1942 wrote:Now I'm assuming I can find most of these on DVD. If RiD 2001 isn't, however, where might I acquire or at least be able to view that series? My main goal is to see all of these, but I'd also like to own my own copies if possible.

Thank you again, and cheers!

Just about the entire catalog of Transformers media is available on DVD (even Blu-Ray in the case of Transformers: Prime) thanks to Shout Factory. They've been re-releasing the catalog very slowly over the past several years. I'm not sure the status of Rescue Bots on DVD since I don't follow it.

There are some foreign (assuming you're in the US?) RiD 2001 DVD releases, I think. Maybe an Australian one? As for where to watch it, it wouldn't shock me if it's just sitting around on Youtube or a similar site.