Female Transformer
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 (Ariel) - Optimus Prime (Orion Pax)
- Firestar - Inferno
- Chromia - Ironhide
- Moonracer - Powerglide
- Arcee - Hot Rod
- Arcee - Springer
- Arcee (she gets around)- Chromedome
- Nancy - Wreck-Gar
- Esmeryl - Deathsaurus
- Clipper - Holi
- Rahge - Stampy
- Airazor - Tigatron
- Blackarachnia - Silverbolt
- Obsidian - Strika
- Botanica - Rattrap
- Downshift has a female "life partner" whose name has yet to be revealed.
San Diego once had plans to marry Discharge, apparently directly inspired by that aspect of human culture. Whether there was an actual romantic relationship involved is unknown.
Fiction
Generation 1 animated series
This continuity makes female Transformers out to be a rarity, once thought extinct. 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.
Wreck-Gar has a "Junkion lady" companion in one episode. Just how relationships function in this isolated, media-based Transformers society is unclear, although it's notable that Wreck-Gar and his lady friend "slept" sitting up next to eachother on giant thrones between television broadcast cycles.
(It's also worth noting that the lady's character model is actually that of a female Lithone, another mechanical race, but whether this is meaningful in any way or simple model recycling is uncertain.)
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
Decepticon females make their first (yet still to this day very 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. This certainly casts an odd light on the matter of Transformer reproduction (and on the manga author).
Meanwhile, in the animated series, the Micromaster Holi is shown to have a girlfriend on the planet Micro, Clipper. There doesn't seem to be much special about her, aside from her being fairly competant and not subservient to guys at all. However, she is predominantly pink, so, well, baby steps.
Beast Wars
Blackarachnia and Airazor both engage in romances with male Maximals, the former blatantly and the latter far more subtly.
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. He also makes rferences to a bar on Cybertron where the wait-staff go "without their torso-plates on"... whch frankly sounds like it'd be really messy.
Beast Wars II
Scylla is the impetus for a big ridiculous love triangle of hilarity and embarrassment in both the animated and manga continuities. She is in love with the squid-bot Scuba, who wants nothing to do with her. Meanwhile, the Maximal Bighorn is in love with Scylla, who wants nothing to do with him.
It's also worth noting that non-Transformer female robot Artemis harbors a crush on both Scuba (poor guy) and Starscream.
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.
Rattrap and Botanica end up in a romantic relationship towards the end of Beast Machines ("So, I'm a tree-hugger!" Rattrap remarks). What this means for his bar-hopping days is never explored.
The Vehicon Strika is referred to as the "consort" of Obsidian, and has been serving by his side, seemingly as an equal, for centuries. Some have taken this to mean the two have a romantic interest in each other, but the show itself does not offer any hints to this.
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 slightly uncommon (it is a fiction aimed at young boys, after all), but hardly remarkable. They just exist, as do "males", and no special attention is called to them.
There are examples and hints of romantic interest between males and females in both Armada (Redline and Falcia in the Linkage comics, plus Nightscream's eagerness to appease and defend his bulk partner Airazor), and Cybertron stories (most obviously Thunderblast's intense infatuation with Megatron, Ransack's secret crush on Override, plus Downshift reportedly has an unnamed female "life partner" lost somewhere on Earth). This too is treated as a fairly common event.
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. So far, the Unicron Trilogy is the only Transformers continuity to give female Transformers that level of responsibility.
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.
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