Relatives

"You, Artist! Make me shinier!"

Throughout the Transformers multiverse are many Transformers who consider themselves family and refer to each other as such. The most common case is when two Transformers regard each other as siblings. Transformers even occasionally express familial relationships with non-Transformers.

Given that Transformers are not organic life and likely do not reproduce sexually, the origin, distinction, and exact meaning of many of these terms is frequently unclear.

Notably, a lot of Japanese-originated continuities have significant amounts of sibling relationships.

Possible explanations

Early on in the letters page of the Marvel Transformers comic, Soundwave asserted that Transformers have no relatives.<ref>Soundwaves, issue 32</ref> He later clarified that Transformer "brothers" are considered such due to being "vastly similar" in some respect, being "built to exactly the same specifications",<ref>Soundwaves, issue 37</ref> and/or having "an almost total similarity in bodywork design."<ref>Soundwaves, issue 51</ref>

The Dreamwave More Than Meets The Eye guide provides a partial possible answer. According to the guide, when a spark naturally splits as it's being introduced to a protoform, it creates two robots who are "brothers", (or twins), such as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. When such a spark division is artificially induced, the less balanced and self-reliant pair created are referred to as "clones". (This definition of "brother" may or may not apply to RID Prime and Magnus, whose brotherhood was said to result from the special circumstance of having been created simultaneously by Alpha Trion).

However, the "Beast Era" widened the issue of reproduction with Rattrap referring to his "great-aunt" Arcee and in general the practice of Maximals and Predacons referring to the Autobots and Decepticons as their respective "ancestors", as well as themselves as being their "descendants", implying a direct genetic (for want of a better term) lineage. Various sources of debatable canonicity suggest that Optimus Primal is specifically descended from Optimus Prime, usually through the phrase "his ancestor Optimus Prime". In the absence of sexual reproduction, the use and meaning of these genealogical references is difficult to explain. One possible explanation might be a situation such as when Airazor is brought to life. Her spark and protoform are heavily damaged, and Cheetor allows some of his parts to be used as replacements while Rhinox guides the procedure. The Spark To compare to human procedures, this is something like assisting with childbirth and donating blood or organs. It seems unlikely that this happened enough to cause two large societies to consider themselves "descendants" of two other large ancient societies.

Other family designations exist as well. Wheelie has "parents" who were lost in his crash on Quintessa, according to some background material. The Mini-Con Twirl very specifically calls Falcia her "mother" (which Falcia hates) and seems to treat Redline like a father, since the two's spark frame energies went into constructing her physical form. Linkage Part 7 In the Armada cartoon, Side Swipe refers to Hot Shot as his brother after Hot Shot saves his life, suggesting at least an understanding of the concept; on the other hand, the Armada cartoon is originally Japanese, and in Japan, 'brother' and 'sister' can be used as terms of affection or respect to an unrelated person. The Unicron Trilogy universe has also used the term "cousin" for certain Transformers on occasion. The Victory manga from the Japanese Generation 1 era features Decepticon wives and children. Even the live-action movie features an Optimus and Megatron who are brothers, and it is mentioned in the related Nintendo DS game that Megatron "took the spark" of their father.

The case of Hydra and Buster from Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity is rare as they were originally human siblings before being converted into Transformers by Devil Z. Battle to the Death!! God Ginrai VS Darkwings RebornThe Birth of the Super Life-Forms Similar things happen to the case of Primus and Unicron, who were originally astral being before they got trapped in planetoids and converted their "vessels" into planet-size Transformers. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide

In the Dreamwave Generation One continuity, Getaway remarks that his proto-hatcher would have been proud of him for making the most wanted list. The Age of Wrath #2

The 2005 IDW continuity has Ratchet mentioning that his "batch proto-initiator told me there'd be moments like this...", when he was wondering if he should take the humans and investigate the bunker in Nebraska. Infiltration #3 Later, Minimus Ambus described Dominus Ambus as his "spark-brother" and confirmed that they were members of the House of Ambus. House of Ambus

In Transformers Animated, Ironhide mentions that Brawn is "his brother from another batch proto-initiator..." Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II

Notable siblings

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Generation 1 / Beast Era

Can you guess which is which?

• Aquafend and Jetstorm in Wings Universe Generation 2: Redux
• Arcee and Galvatron in the 2005 IDW continuity Origin Myths
• Blaster and Bluster in IDW continuity
• Blaster, Toaster, and Karmen in the Marvel UK continuity<ref>Darn 'n' Blast, issues 310 and 316</ref>
• Blot and Blip<ref>{{#if: I think Blip would be really ticked off if I killed his brother. |"I think Blip would be really ticked off if I killed his brother."—|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/282262789031075840 |John Barber|John Barber}}{{#if: Twitter |, Twitter|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2012 |, 2012{{#if: 12 |/{{#switch:{{#len:12}}|1=012|12}}{{#if: 21|/{{#switch:{{#len:21}}|1=021|21}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/282262789031075840 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/282262789031075840%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/282262789031075840%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/282262789031075840%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://twitter.com/TheJohnBarber/status/282262789031075840%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
• Bonecrusher and Gravedigger Unearthed Future
• Cataclysm and the Cub are fission-brothers. Presumably, here "fission" refers to budding.
• Dreadwind and Darkwing in the 2005 IDW continuity<ref>"The Transformers" #7</ref>
• Electro and Volt<ref name="G2annual"/>
• The Thirteen refer to each other as siblings and are all the creation of Primus
• Fastlane and Cloudraker
• Frenzy and Rumble
• Gearhead and Greasepit
• Hot Foot and Piranha<ref name="G2annual">Crossword clues in the The Official Transformers: Generation 2 Annual</ref>
• Minimus Ambus and Dominus Ambus in the 2005 IDW continuity.
• Oiler and Slide in the 2005 IDW continuity. To Walk Among the Chosen
• Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus in the Dreamwave Generation One continuity. It might also be true for the Japanese version of the cartoon continuity. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4
• Pounce and Wingspan
• Powerbomb and Dropshot in Beast Wars: Uprising. Derailment
• Primus and Unicron and Gaea
• Rack, Ruin, and a third brother are triplets in IDW continuity. Omega's Conundrum
• Rampage and Dinobot II were referred to as half brothers by Megatron because Dinobot contains part of Rampage's spark. Feral Scream Part 1
• Rampage and Trans-Mutate in Beast Wars: Uprising. The Inexorable March
• Roulette, Shadow Striker, and an unnamed third sister
• Ruckus and Ground Hog in Of Masters and Mayhem.<ref>TFSS Grabuge profile card</ref>
• Runamuck and Runabout.<ref>Pulse page for Runamuck</ref>
• Rumbler and Sprocket are twin brothers in the Wings Universe continuity. A Team Effort
• Sideswipe and Sunstreaker
• Shockwave and Soundwave in Transformers vs. G.I. Joe continuity
• Shockwave and Sixshot Ask Vector Prime
• Shouki and Yukikaze
• Skyburst and Stormclash An Uneventful Night
• Springarm, Wheelarch, and Valve<ref>Macabre's profile in the hardcover edition of The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers</ref>
• Starscream and Sunstorm in the Dreamwave Generation One continuity
• Steeljaw and Sharpclaw Last Bot Standing #2
• Sunder and Sceptre Speak, Memory! (Part 2)
• Topspin and Twin Twist
• Tracks and Needlenose in the 2005 IDW continuity. The Transgressors
• Vanquish and Fireshot in the 2005 IDW continuity. Windblade vol. 2 #6
• Eject and Rewind Decepticon Directive

Japanese continuity

• Clampdown and Deep Cover
• Decibel and Legout
• DJ, Motorarm, and Gimlet
• Fortress Maximus and Grand Maximus
• BWII Galvatron and Megastorm
• Hydra and Buster
• Leozack and Lyzack in the Victory manga
• Shouki and Yukikaze
• Sixliner and Sixtrain
• Sideswipe and Red Alert (via TV Magazine story page)

Car Robots / Robots in Disguise

• Gas Skunk, Dark Scream, and Slapper (only in Japanese toy catalogs)
• Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus
• X-Brawn, Prowl, and Side Burn — the Autobot Brothers

Unicron Trilogy

• Flashbang and Failsafe
• Hardtop and Swindle
• Inferno and Rodimus (toy bios only)
• Jetfire and Overcast
• Landmine and Landquake
• Leader-1 and Clench might be brothers Clench's More Than Meets The Eye profile
• Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus
• Shockblast and Six Shot
• Signal Flare and Offshoot
• Superion Maximus and Dauntless Maximus
• Thrust and Sunstorm
• Undermine and Repugnus

Go-Bots

• Racer-Bot ALPHA and Racer-Bot BETA

Live-action film series

• Arcee, Chromia, and Elita-One<ref>Internal to the Revenge of the Fallen film itself, both Chromia and Elita-1 are simply treated as components of Arcee instead of siblings.</ref>
• Ironhide mentions that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are relatives and are "quite the pair".
• After Megatron is killed, Optimus Prime regretfully says to the body, "You left me no choice, brother."
• The original Primes are referred to as brothers.<ref name="ROTFadapt">Revenge of the Fallen #3, Revenge of the Fallen</ref>

Twins

• Long Haul and Onslaught
• Tread and Trample
• Skids and Mudflap — The Twins

Transformers Animated

• Jetstorm and Jetfire
• Scrapper and Mixmaster are both "brothers and friends".<ref>{{#if: (Are Scrapper and Mixmaster brothers or friends?) Both! |"(Are Scrapper and Mixmaster brothers or friends?) Both!"—|}}{{#if: https://archive.is/17zs0 |Derrick J. Wyatt|Derrick J. Wyatt}}{{#if: Spring.me |, Spring.me|}}{{#if: |, ""|}}{{#if: 2010 |, 2010{{#if: 06 |/{{#switch:{{#len:06}}|1=006|06}}{{#if: 04|/{{#switch:{{#len:04}}|1=004|04}}|}}}}|}}{{#if: https://archive.is/17zs0 ||}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.is/17zs0%7C7%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.is/17zs0%7C8%7C11}}%7Cweb.archive= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.is/17zs0%7C7%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#switch:{{#sub:https://archive.is/17zs0%7C8%7C10}}%7Carchive.is= (archive link)|}}{{#if: | (dead link)}}</ref>
• Huffer and Pipes

Shattered Glass

• Jazz, Ricochet, and maybe Stepper Journey's Eve
• Sideswipe and Sunstreaker

Prime

• Skyquake and Dreadwing
• Sideswipe and Sunstreaker

EarthSpark

• The Terrans all consider and refer to themselves with sibling terms.
• The Chaos Terrans also consider and refer to themselves with sibling terms.
• Swindle and Hardtop. House Rules

Parents and children

Generation 1 / Beast Era

"Stampy, eat your roast carrot before it gets chilled."

• Ultra Magnus Jr. is the son of Ultra Magnus. Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
• Big Junior is the son of Blue Big Convoy. Transformers Legends (comic)
• Buzz Saw and Venin were the sons of Waspinator. Transformers Legends (comic)
• Colada's father is mentioned. A Battle Fought Alone
• Every member of the Dinoforce has children in the Victory manga.
• Jaguar is the son of Ravage in Beast Wars Metals manga continuity.
• Kitte Shūshū and Z Grill are Stampy's parents. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/10
• Lio Junior is the "son" of Lio Convoy.<ref>Lio Junior was created by the influence of pure energy upon Lio Convoy’s Energon Matrix.</ref>
• Longrack's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-...well, a LOT of his ancestors are mentioned. A Battle Fought Alone<ref>Most of the main Maximals in the Beast Wars Neo comic have families because they spring from whole races of rabbits, cobras, giraffes, etc. They were evolved into Transformers from actual organic animals in this story.</ref>
• Ma-Grrr is (presumably) the mother of Hun-Gurrr. At Fight's End
• Minor is the son of Optimus Primal. Transformers Legends (comic)
• Optimus Prime may have a mother.<ref>

  

  Dear Son: Don't forget to close the fridge door.

In an advertisement for Pepsi Convoy that shows him in a refrigerator (along with Destron Pizza), a note attached to a nearby piece of tupperware reads:

Dear Convoy

Warm it before you eat

Mom

Although the ad itself is for Pepsi Convoy, he is a separate character, and it can be assumed that the note was left for Convoy/Optimus Prime himself.</ref>

• Quickswitch is Sixshot's son.<ref>Quickswitch's commercial</ref>
• Serpent O.R. is the son of Megatron (or so he claims and nobody questions him on it) in the G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers continuity.
• Soundwave is the father of his Mini-Cassettes in Transformers vs. G.I. Joe. Black Cybertron
• Speeder is the son of Dai Atlas.
• Wheelie's parents are mentioned in "The Story of Wheelie, the Wild Boy of Quintesson".

Creators as parents

• Alpha Trion is ("more than almost like a") father to Optimus Prime and Elita One in the cartoon continuity.
• Grimlock is "father" to the Technobots in the cartoon continuity.<ref>Nosecone's line "Are...are you my father?" Grimlock's New Brain</ref>
• The Titan Navitas refers to Windblade as "Caminus' sparkling". The term "sparkling" has been used in some parts of the fandom to refer to the idea of a Transformer child. This marks the first use of the term in official fiction; Windblade, like all Camiens, was born from the hot spot carried within her Titan. Race Against the Light

Unicron Trilogy

• Sideways calls out his mother when he's about to be blasted. City
• Starscream calls out his mother right before being pummeled into a planet by a moon wielding Primus. Titans

Live-action film series

• As was mentioned above, the live-action movie Optimus and Megatron had a father, whom Megatron presumably killed.
• Jetfire alleges that he has a mother and a father. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• Hound has a father who never called him. Transformers: The Last Knight

Transformers Animated

• In the Japanese dub of the Animated cartoon, Bulkhead frequently calls for his mother when he's in distress.
  • He also mentioned his mom after crashing into two security drones. Animated Comic issue 3

Aligned

• Scuzzard's mama-bot told him not to play with his food, advice which he generally disregards. Bumblebee Versus Scuzzard

Cousins

Shattered Glass

• Crasher and Blurr

Beast Era

• Scuba and Ikard

Unicron Trilogy

• Bulkhead and Quickstrike
• Overhaul and Brushguard
• Skywarp and Starscream
• Swindle and Zapmaster

Aligned

• Fixit, Toolbox and Cinch

Other relatives

G1/Beast era

• Headstrong and his descendant.<ref name="pred_dofp" />
• Rampage and his descendant.<ref name="pred_dofp">See "Items of note" in Dawn of Future's Past</ref>
• Rattrap calls Arcee his "great-aunt".<ref>Rattrap said "What in the name of my great-aunt Arcee is going on!?" This is an in-joke referring to Susan Blu, who was not only voice director on Beast Wars, but the voice of Arcee in the original Transformers cartoon series and Transmutate in the Beast Wars cartoon. Transmutate</ref>
• Scuba once mentioned his grandmother. Galvatron Rampages
• Diver has learned several life lessons from his grandfather, such as to put safety first and run if necessary Bighorn's Rage and not to steal. Recover the Bonds Lost!
• Tantrum and his descendant.<ref name="pred_dofp" />
• Windbreaker was noted to be a relative of Windcharger. Windbreaker bio
• Optimus Prime supposedly has a grandma <ref>The Latin Spanish American dub of G1 features a scene where Megatron insults Optimus Prime’s grandma</ref>

2001 Robots in Disguise

• Art Fire and Fire Convoy are relatives.
• Midnight Express may believe "Grandpa" is his Grandfather (both he and the Predacons actually seem to believe it's alive). Secret Weapon: D-5
• In the Spanish dub, after Sky-Byte is cheered on by humans, he states through inner monologue that not even his granny has supported him like this. Sky-Byte Saves the Day

Animated

• Kup has a nephew.<ref>Who, if a real grenade was below Kup, would have been sent a box of his struts. Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II</ref>

Revenge of the Fallen

• The original Primes had descendants, including Optimus Prime and Sentinel Prime.<ref name="ROTFadapt"/>

Prime

• Arcee mentioned Bumblebee is related to her, or at least her "family" in the figurative sense of the word. Darkness Rising, Part 1
• Dreadwing is the twin to Skyquake. It is described as a "Split Spark" leading to Dreadwing knowing of his brother's death.
• Optimus Prime once considered Megatron his brother.
• The Thirteen ended up leaving behind a few descendants, some of which forming certain of the many variations seen in the Cybertronian race. Shifters like Makeshift are supposedly descended from Amalgamous Prime. Exiles And Optimus Prime is implied to be a descendant of Prima due to possessing a "Primian" polarity. Transformers Vault

Ask Vector Prime

• Vector Prime considered Adaptus and Mortilus to be "uncles", although owing to the complex origins of the Thirteen he was most likely speaking metaphorically.

Aligned

• Medix has a large extended family, including Ratchet (uncle), Apax (great-aunt), Torquesteer (grandfather), and Wrench (second cousin). Tyrannosaurus Wrecked

Age of The Primes marketing material

• Every Transformer could trace their "Energon bloodline" back to a member of the Thirteen. Age of the Primes reveal cinematic

See also

• Familial relationships
• Clones

Footnote

<references />