Top Five Rivalries in Transformers Fiction

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers. This list is written by Mindmaster with some help from D-Maximus Primal and Kurona and edited by Seibertron and myself.and I would like to thank him for having taken the time. These are his opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Top Five Rivalries in Transformers Fiction

A franchise rich with characters isn't complete if it didn't have intense rivalries. After all, who doesn't like watching two characters with an intense hatred for each other fight to the death? Mindmaster here (Seibertron staff allumni and fellow board member) and this week on our "Top Five" list, we're taking a look at the fiercest rivalries seen in the history of the brand!


5. Star Saber and Deathsaurus

For Star Saber and Deathsaurus, nothing says "bitter rivalry" like two childhood friends who swore themselves to differing factions (or at least, that's what happened in the Victory manga). Star Saber and Deathsaurus were kids with a friendship, but that changed many years later, as they became the leaders of their respective factions. While the "childhood friends" part was never explored in the anime, their rivalry was clear one. -Mindmaster


Transformers Victory Deathsaurus (Deszaras) Gallery


4. Arcee and Jhiaxus

If your robo-junk got cut off and you were forcibly experimented on to introduce gender to your species, you'd be pretty miffed yourself. Bent on gaining her vengeance, the being who would call herself Arcee devoted herself into hunting down ancient mad-scientist Jhiaxus, who was also responsible for IDW's equivalent of Micromasters and this universe's first combiner, the destructive Monstructor. This rivalry ended with Arcee finally getting the enjoyment of killing Jhiaxus (who was close enough to the Dead Universe to come back to life) again... and again... and again... and again... and again...
-Mindmaster




3. Animated Ratchet and Lockdown

Lockdown and Ratchet became rivals in the Transformers Animated Cartoon (which is also where Lockdown originates from). The way the story goes, Lockdown permanently scarred Ratchet during the war, both physically and psychologically. He also took his best medical tool, and then when they met again, Ratchet beat the scrap out of him out of Revenge, going so far as to rip the EMP right off Lockdown, along with Prime's grapplers. And then the Revenge of the Fallen line made their rivalry known in the toy bios and how weapons from one are compatible with the other, just like animated. And then Lockdown was the one to kill Ratchet in the live action movies, keeping their rivalry going into movies.
Not to mention the initial rivals were a war weary old medic against a ruthless spiky bounty hunter with no allegiance.
-D-Maximus




2. Depthcharge and Rampage

The rivalry of Depthcharge and Rampage is an intense one: after Rampage killed all save Depthcharge on Omicron Colony, Depthcharge became dangerously hellbent on tracking down the criminally insane murderer, apprehending him after killing and apparently eating Starbase Rugby's inhabitants. Fast forward (or rewind, technically speaking) to their debut in the Beast Wars cartoon, where while Rampage and Depthcharge nominally belonged Predacon and Maximal respectively, both tended to disobey their orders and go after each other. This bitter rivalry ended in the crossfire of the battle to stop Megatron from destroying the dormant Autobots, with Depthcharge piercing unstable Energon into Rampage's exposed spark, with the fiend cackling all the while, either embracing oblivion to end his tortuous life or because he was bat-s*** insane.
-Mindmaster


Transformers Beast Wars Metals Rampage Gallery


1. Optimus Prime and Megatron

Alright, you knew this was coming, and of course it would. This is not only the most iconic rivalry in Transformers lore but also one of the most iconic rivalries in pop culture. Optimus and Megatron have been at each other's throats for over thirty years since their debut in 1984, whether one was a fan of the other (Generation One's episode "War Dawn"), a librarian and a miner who shared views on the oppressive caste system (Prime's "One Shall Stand, Part One"), or even blood brothers (as established by the live-action films). This is a rivalry that will brew for many, many more years to come. -Mindmaster and William-James88


Transformers G1 1984 Megatron (Reissue) Gallery

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Megatron Gallery

Transformers Prime: First Edition Megatron Gallery


Honorable mentions

Armada's Hot Shot and Wheeljack

The rivalry of Hot Shot and Wheeljack is similar to that of the manga version of Victory's Star Saber and Deathsaurus, but with differences: imagine having been friends for a long time, but an ill-fated mission separated the both of you. Your friend tells you that he will come back to help, but never returns. On the verge of losing hope, someone finally comes to help, but it's not your friend, but someone completely unexpected: it's your enemy faction's leader, Megatron, who convinces you that your friend abandoned you! Having been rescued by Megatron and sworn fealty to the Decepticons, Wheeljack was emotionally torn apart by Hot Shot's "betrayal" (technically not true, as Hot Shot was prevented by his senior officers from going back and helping him), and swore to hunt down the Autobot and gain vengeance. Years later, both parties met again on the battlefield on Earth, as the war for the Mini-Cons raged on. Having discovered the Hot Shot was mentoring an even younger Side Swipe, the embittered Decepticon took this personally. Thankfully, unlike the rivalries previously listed, this one took a turn to Happy Ending Avenue: after both factions united to fight Unicron, Wheeljack seemed to forgive Hot Shot for abandoning him. -Mindmaster




The Wreckers and Squadron X

Another bitter rivalry comes in the form of the Wreckers and their Decepticon counterparts, Squadron X, depicted as flashbacks in IDW's wildly-popular-to-this-day miniseries, "Last Stand of the Wreckers". During the war, Wrecker leader at-that-time Impactor became dangerously obsessed in bringing down the ruthless Decepticons, with both groups engaging in a final clash on the planet Pova. Having dealing a humiliating defeat to Squadron X, Impactor was told the unthinkable; to prevent a political incident between the Autobots and the planet's inhabitants who declared neutrality, Impactor had to free their prisoners. In response, Impactor promptly executed each member of Squadron X, earning him a cozy cell on the ill-fated penal colony of Garrus-9. Impactor would later blame his lieutenant-now-Springer, who testified against him in his court martial, for not agreeing with Squadron X'a demise. -Mindmaster




Rung vs. Froid

One of the many ways in which IDW separates itself from other series in the franchise is by having many other forms of warfare and rivalry than simply punching and firing lasers at each other; and no finer is that represented than in the rivalry between the two psychologists Rung and Froid in MTMTE. Their story coming in right before the comic's multi-part finale, ample time is devoted to their history together - including plagiarism; diverging views on psychiatry methods; and a dark spot in Rung's very long career. Very different to your typical Transformers story, but it is nonetheless a rivalry that gives way to many story paths and even sheds light on the past of a certain Theoretician. So while this list contains battlefield tales that no doubt make for some amazing action, never forget the much more subtle and down-to-Cybertron battles concerning the psychological health that is just as important as the physical. -Kurona