Female Transformer

File:ArceeManga1.jpg

Arcee, the most famous female TF, poses for the boys. Way to set an example there.

Despite being robotic lifeforms with generally non-sexual methods of reproduction, the Transformer species has almost always been shown to include both male and female gender analogues, at least mentally if not physically. Female Transformers are usually portrayed as comparatively rare, but are considered an official part of the Transformers franchise in every continuity.

Appearence

The appearence of Female Transformers in most continuities would seem to suggest a level of "sexual" dimorphism is present in at least the more humanoid members of the Transformers species (the term sexual is used in a gender-based, rather than physical sense, see the reproduction link above for that whole kettle of robo-fish). In almost all cases female Transformers are portrayed as comparatively more gracile of form, and more rounded and curved in general, than their male counterparts. Often they have a more than passing resemblance to an attractive human female made of metal and wearing armor and kibble.

There are exceptions to this rule, and bulky, less overtly human-female-like characters have become more common, particularly among those who have toys. These are especially common in the Unicron Trilogy series and in latter expansions of the Generation 1 series out of Japan, when the characters are often assigned to pre-existing "male"-designed toys.

Romance

Despite their robotic nature and likely non-sexual means of reproduction, romance between male and female Transformers is a well-established factor in pretty much every continuity in which both appear (which is pretty much every continuity).

Regardless of the whys and wherefores many romantic male-female Transformer parings have appeared over the years, including:

• Beta - Alpha Trion
• Elita One (Aerial) - Optimus Prime (Orion Pax)
• Firestar - Inferno
• Chromia - Ironhide
• Moonracer - Powerglide
• Arcee - Hot Rod
• Arcee - Springer
• Arcee (she gets around)- Chromedome
• Esmeryl - Deathsaurus
• Clipper - Holi
• Rahge - Stampy
• Airazor - Tigatron
• Blackarachnia - Silverbolt
• Strika - Obsidian
• Botanica - Rattrap

Fiction

Generation 1 animated series

45-49. A bunch of Female Autobots from the G1 toon (and 50. Megatron's wind-up toy) .

Only female Autobots are ever seen in the show. Given the appearance of Beta back in the slave days under Quintesson rule it seems clear they were produced alongside the male Autobots as part of the Quintessons' domestic product line. There are no Decepticon females in American continuity, however.

Generation 1 Marvel Comic

No female Transformers are ever seen or referred to in the US stories. The UK stories specifically establish that the Transformers as having no gender naturally, and there, Arcee is created as the sole female Transformer in an attempt to placate human feminists (See her picture above for a hint of how well that went over).

(This continuity has, historically, been surprisingly alone in declaring Transformers to be naturally gender free.)

Transformers: Victory manga

Decepticon females make their rare appearance in official fiction as Esmeryl (Deathsaurus' wife) and Lyzack (Leozack's sister) both show up to show the Autobots just what it is Deathsaurus and his crew have been fighting for all this time: their poor female counterparts and countless children back home. This spares the Decepticons' lives in the final battle between the two forces.

Beast Wars

Blacharachnia and Airazor both engage in romances with male Maximals, the one blatantly and the other more subtle.

Over the course of the show Rattrap makes numerous innuendos, especially involving Silverbolt and Blackarchnia's relationship, that suggest that, at least by that era, there may have been something sex-like between Transformers. Aside from Rattraps comment aobut a bar on Cybertron where the serving bots walk around minus their torso-plates, several conversations had rattrap bringing up seemingly sexual remarks.

Example 1: Silverbolt was being questioned after returning from meeting with Blackarachnia:

Silverbolt: "...Scouting"

Rattrap: "Oh yea, scouting the enemy, find any new ...positions?"

Example 2: Cheetor and Blackacahnia are returning the pre-human children to their families and slverbolt cannot seem to locate them:

Rattrap: "Mabye they took a break."

Silverbolt: "If that innuendo were not below my contempt you would be forced to pay satisfaction!"

Beast Machines

Beast Machines' Technorganic reformatting raises even further questions about what it means to be a "female transformer". It is possible that the Technorganic female Transformers, being merged organic and technological life to a cellular level, might actually be physically female.

Dreamwave comic continuity

According to DK's Transformers: The Ultimate Guide, "Transformers are inherently non-gender specific, and only some quirk of their timelost origins can account for [female Transformers'] difference in appearance and attitude." Dreamwave was in the process of introducing more female Transformers and explicating their links to the Quintessons in this continuity when it went out of business.

Unicron Trilogy

The existance of female Transformers throughout the Unicron Trilogy is portrayed as somewhat uncommon (it is a fiction aimed at young boys, after all), but hardly remarkable. They just exist. There are examples of romantic interest between males and females in both Armada (Redline and Falcia in the Linkage comics), and Cybertron stories (most obviously Thunderblast's intense crush on Megatron). There are female Transformers in positions of very high power as well: in the Energon cartoon, Arcee is the leader of the entire Omnicon race, while in Cybertron, Override is the leader of the planet Velocitron.

IDW Comic continuity

Simon Furman has stated that he will not use female Transformers in the IDW continuity untill or unless he comes up with a reason/way for them to exist that makes logical sense to him. He did not rule out doing so however, as he said he had found a similar justification for the Pretenders, which lead to the Stormbringer miniseries.

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.