5 Classic Transformers Anime No One Remembers

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The Transformers franchise has been popular since it began in the mid-1980s. However, many people primarily remember the Western versions, despite the fact that it originally started as a collaboration between Western and Japanese animators. Combining both approaches, Transformers has consistently remained in production and on screens ever since.

Many fans are familiar with popular Transformers anime like Robots in Disguise and Armada, but there are actually a lot more series out there. A lot of these older Transformers shows never made it to Western television, so many fans never even knew they existed. Even though they’re now available, their age means they probably won’t become mainstream favorites.

Transformers Headmasters Changes The Storyline Of Generation 1

After the initial Transformers cartoon series finished, Takara decided to create a new series to continue the franchise. Ignoring the ending of the original series – a three-part story called “The Reunion” – Japan instead released Transformers: The Headmasters. Produced by Toei Animation, this series premiered in July 1987 and consisted of 35 episodes.

The battle between the Autobots and Decepticons continued in Transformers: The Headmasters. The story begins with Galvatron launching a surprise attack on Cybertron, hoping to seize control of the powerful computer known as Vector Sigma. He’s aided by a new threat: the Headmasters, Transformers who abandoned Cybertron long ago and crash-landed on the planet Master. To survive on this harsh world, they built massive robotic bodies called Transtectors, which they pilot by transforming into heads and merging with them.

The previous season of Transformers brought Prime back to life, but Headmasters quickly killed him off again, having him sacrifice himself to save Cybertron. This put Rodimus Prime back in command, and he teamed up with a few noble Headmasters to battle the Decepticons. Soon after, a new threat emerged, replacing Galvatron after his loss and continuing the fight against the Autobots.

While Headmasters was a little more lighthearted than previous Transformers shows, it did introduce some important characters who became mainstays of the franchise. It also marked a fresh start for the Transformers, allowing the series to move forward without being tied to many of the original characters.

Transformers Super-God Masterforce Makes The Humans Into Vital Cast Members

Following Transformers: The Headmasters, which spent its episodes developing its own unique world, you might expect the next series to be a direct continuation. However, Transformers: Super-God Masterforce took a surprising turn. Released just a month after The Headmasters finished, Super-God Masterforce largely abandoned the previous characters and storylines, opting for a completely fresh start.

Years of peace on Earth are disrupted when Decepticons reappear and start causing chaos. To counter this threat, the Autobots reveal a secret defense: the Pretenders. These Transformers have the unique ability to shrink their heads and bodies into human-like forms, then reassemble into their full robotic size when needed. The series follows the battles between Autobots Metalhawk and God Ginrai and the Decepticon Zarak, but Super-God Masterforce offers more than just action with the Pretenders.

I was so excited when Transformers: Headmasters introduced Masterforce! It was a clever way to keep the show appealing to kids. Basically, humans could combine with these Transtector bodies and become Autobots themselves – which was awesome! While a lot of the humans using this power were adults, they also included these younger characters called ‘Headmaster Juniors’ – it was a really cool way to get kids like me involved in the action and make us feel like we could be heroes too!

While Transformers: Super-God Masterforce is a bit more serious than The Headmasters, it doesn’t stray far from lighter tones. The show explores an interesting idea – how humans cope with being caught in an ancient war – but it’s often undercut by the addition of younger characters who provide comic relief, preventing the series from becoming too intense for its target audience.

Transformers Victory Creates An All-New Cast

Following the two-year run of the Transformers series, Takara concluded the story with Transformers Victory. Similar to previous installments, the show featured a completely new cast of characters. Set several years later, the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons had expanded to encompass the entire galaxy. Throughout the universe, various civilizations joined forces with the Autobots as part of the Galactic Peace Alliance to fight against the Decepticons.

Though God Ginrai, the main character from Masterforce, still appears, the story now focuses on Star Saber, the new Autobot Supreme Commander. He fights against Deathsaurus, the new Decepticon leader who has taken over after Zarak’s defeat, with assistance from the Autobot Brainmasters. The action quickly moves to Earth, where Star Saber and his team continue their battle.

With Transformers Victory, the Transformers anime truly hits its stride. The Headmasters spent a lot of time phasing out the original Transformers, and Super-God Masterforce introduced so many new ideas that it sometimes lost the feel of the series. Transformers Victory goes back to basics, focusing on the classic Autobot vs. Decepticon conflict with a fresh cast of characters.

It’s especially disappointing that Transformers Victory was the last Transformers animated series for quite some time. Takara shifted its focus from Transformers to the Brave Saga franchise, effectively putting the Transformers series on hold. Despite this, the show ended on a relatively positive note with some enjoyable animation.

Transformers Zone Should’ve Started An Entirely New Transformers Era

Transformers Zone was the final animated Transformers series created during the original run of shows. Unlike previous Transformers series which were full television seasons with many episodes, Transformers Zone was released as a single, standalone episode. This was due to declining toy sales, which impacted funding for the show.

Although it was released as an OVA, Transformers Zone clearly intended to be a full TV series, and this first episode feels like a traditional series opener. It introduces a new conflict with a fresh cast of Autobots and Decepticons, largely sidelining the older characters. The story begins with a new Decepticon leader, Violen Jiger, resurrecting nine incredibly powerful Decepticons from the past – known as the “nine great demon generals” – who plan to conquer the universe by harnessing the potent Zone energy found on planets.

Star Saber is quickly taken out of action in the animated series when the Decepticons destroy a planet he’s trying to evacuate. He does survive, but is then replaced by Dai Atlas, a new kind of Autobot called a Powered Master. Dai Atlas, along with his teammate Sonic Bomber, are the only Autobots strong enough to fight the Nine Great Demon Generals, thanks to powerful new armor that makes them almost unbeatable.

This show had the potential to be something big, but it was cancelled after just one episode and quickly faded from memory. Thankfully, the story received a conclusion in a manga released for fans. More importantly, it ultimately paved the way for the fantastic Brave Saga series.

Beast Wars Neo Offers A Beast Wars Without The CGI

I was so excited when Transformers took a wild turn in the ’90s with Beast Wars! It was amazing seeing the robots transform into animals instead of just vehicles. And it wasn’t just the American series that took off – Japan really embraced it too! They not only aired Beast Wars over there, but they created two series of their own. The first, Beast Wars II, was totally original – it wasn’t a continuation of the American Beast Wars at all. It was so popular, they followed it up with another series called Beast Wars Neo in 1998!

Watching Beast Wars Neo felt like meeting a whole new team of heroes and villains. The main character, Big Convoy, was a Prime unlike any I’d seen before – he really preferred to work solo! The series started with him unexpectedly having to train a group of rookies, all while he was searching for Lio Convoy and his crew from Beast Wars II. But they weren’t alone for long, as a new Predacon team, led by the vengeful Magmatron – who clearly hadn’t forgotten his past defeats by Big Convoy – was determined to stop them.

Similar to other Transformers anime, Beast Wars Neo is noticeably more lighthearted and funny than the Transformers shows made in the West. However, the series balances this with serious moments, especially when it reintroduces a well-known villain later on. It’s unfortunate that this show never aired in the United States, because its differences from the original Beast Wars would likely have been confusing for young viewers.

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2026-02-21 02:45