Character Specific Rivalries

[Dan]

I've been re-watching some of the original cartoon and thinking about the specific rivalries explored. One thing I notice is that, in Transformers, there is a lack of one-to-one correspondence between personal rivals, as was common in other 80s toy lines.

Of course, there's Optimus Prime versus Megatron, but later on things get more complicated, with Rodimus Prime versus Galvatron, Ultra Magnus versus Galvatron, and Ultra Magnus versus Cyclonus.

The same is true of sub-groups and gestalts. Yes we have Dinobots versus Constructicons, but we also have Devastator versus Omega Supreme.

Within G1 but beyond the cartoon, there's other patterns too. The box art always suggested to me Dinobots versus Insecticons, which I think would have been interesting to see in-story.

So, my questions then are, what are your favourite rivalries, and what neglected rivalries would you have liked to see, in G1 or other continuities?

[Paulbot]

Ratchet and Lockdown from Animated, kinda repeated in the movies

Bulkhead and Breakdown in Prime

Always saw G1 Bumblebee and Ravage as rivals, because they were both the small spies I guess

Blaster and Soundwave are usually set up as rivals and fought to the death in Japan

Many teams have a rival team combines definitely (Stunticons and Aerialbots, Combaticons and Protectobots, Technobots and Terrorcons) but also smaller teams (Triggerbots vs Triggercons, Sparkabots vs Firecons)

Apparently Sky Lynx was meant to be Predaking’s rival but don’t think that ever happened anywhere.

Same team rivals are interesting too, like Scourge and SkyByte in RID

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Any time you get two factional citybots they'll generally be Rivals.

Apparently Sky Lynx was meant to be Predaking’s rival but don’t think that ever happened anywhere. Ehh, the G1 cartoon sort of showed it, but mostly in the same way that the Devastator-Dinobots rivalry was shown - they were just the main 2 Big Hitters around.

The rivalry I would have liked to see is Dinobots VS Predacons, with the Dinos having the edge in strength, size, and armor but the Predacons having greater speed and agility, plus their combined form. Monsterbots VS Insecticons could have been interesting too.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

The rivalry I would have liked to see is Dinobots VS Predacons, with the Dinos having the edge in strength, size, and armor but the Predacons having greater speed and agility, plus their combined form. Monsterbots VS Insecticons could have been interesting too.
Dinobots VS Predacons was explored( more like touched on actually) in the UK comic, I specifically remember one section called "What's in a name," which had a major Divebomb/Swoop focus. And the rest of the Dinobots rocked up towards the end.
Even though they were generations apart, I reckon the Monsterbots VS the Horrorcons would have been a nice match up.

[GoktimusPrime]

Ultra Magnus vs Galvatron is my favourite rivalry.

Neglected rivalries that I'd like to see more of include...
+ Blaster vs Straxus
+ Jazz vs Starscream (battle of the second-in-commands)
+ Wreckers vs Mayhems
+ Dinobots vs Dino Force
+ Powerdasher vs Reflector
+ Autobot vs Decepticon Triple Changers
+ Hubcap vs Wheelie (the '86 Mini-Bot who deserved more media coverage vs the one who didn't :p)
+ Autobot Clones vs Decepticon Clones
+ Triggerbots vs Triggercons
+ Sparkabots vs Firecons
+ Xaaron vs Tarn (one who can't transform vs one who's addicted to transforming)
+ Thunder Clash vs Skyquake
+ Pyro vs Clench

I'm just gonna stop at G1 cos I'll be here all day if I went any further. :p

[Dan]

Sorry everyone I’m only responding now. Shortly after my post I found OzFormers unavailable for some days and then forgot about checking back till today.




Always saw G1 Bumblebee and Ravage as rivals, because they were both the small spies I guess

Blaster and Soundwave are usually set up as rivals and fought to the death in Japan

Many teams have a rival team combines definitely (Stunticons and Aerialbots, Combaticons and Protectobots, Technobots and Terrorcons) but also smaller teams (Triggerbots vs Triggercons, Sparkabots vs Firecons)

Apparently Sky Lynx was meant to be Predakings rival but dont think that ever happened anywhere.

I too saw Bumblebee and Ravage as rivals. It shows in a few episodes and left a sufficient impression to be emulated in the Bayverse. Also, as a kid I got the impression of a rivalry between Brawn and Rumble.



Blaster versus Soundwave is a highlight of one of my favourite episodes, Autobop. Lacking a Blaster toy, however, I always pitched Soundwave against Perceptor, and this happens briefly in that episode involving Transformers as playthings for a giant alien child.



Most of those Scramble City teams had clear rivals, though interestingly the cartoon sometimes mixed and matched that. That episode in the desert with the ridiculous mobile griffon fortress had Aerialbots taking on Combaticons.

Skylynx versus Predaking is depicted in Five Faces of Darkness and then later in the Quintesson Journal (there was some trash-talking involving "you shabby Predacons"). :)


Any time you get two factional citybots they'll generally be Rivals.

The rivalry I would have liked to see is Dinobots VS Predacons, with the Dinos having the edge in strength, size, and armor but the Predacons having greater speed and agility, plus their combined form.



Some of those citybot clashes were fun. Would have been cool to see a 'tag-team' fight involving Metroplex, Maximus, Trypticon and Scorponok.



Dinobots versus Predacons would have been great. Shame that the toys themselves were a reversal of the more apt sizes you describe.




I reckon the Monsterbots VS the Horrorcons would have been a nice match up.



Oh, I got the impression they were contemporaries, at least in the catalogues. I’ve barely seen any Headmasters cartoon though. Seeing them clash would be fun.




Ultra Magnus vs Galvatron is my favourite rivalry.

Neglected rivalries that I'd like to see more of include...

+ Jazz vs Starscream (battle of the second-in-commands)

+ Powerdasher vs Reflector


+ Autobot vs Decepticon Triple Changers

+ Hubcap vs Wheelie (the '86 Mini-Bot who deserved more media coverage vs the one who didn't :p)

I'm just gonna stop at G1 cos I'll be here all day if I went any further. :p

Magnus versus Galvatron is a thing in the movie but I’m having difficulty thinking of times it is seen in Season 3, but it makes sense, especially toy-wise.



Speaking of big bots, I’d have liked to see a rivalry between the scientific Shockwave and Skyfire-Jetfire (which I understand was a thing in European toy advertising).



I was about to say Jazz and Starscream briefly clash in the season one intro, but the seeker is actually Skywarp. Jazz and Starscream would have been great, not just as the original second-in-commands, but for their vastly different temperaments.



They could maybe have sold more mail-order toys if they’d promoted a Reflector versus Powerdasher concept, though I wonder how the camera would cope with the futuristic whatever-it-is.



Interesting how, by the time the Autobot Triple Changers come along, they’re not even identified as a distinct thing in the cartoon, they just happen to have extra modes.



Hey, did Hubcap even feature in the cartoon at all? Outback and Pipes got a bit of attention, while Swerve and Tailgate really needed more than they did, as well as Hubcap.



You do well to refer to all of G1, I barely extend my comments beyond 1987. :)


[Tranceblade]

Apparently Sky Lynx was meant to be Predaking’s rival but don’t think that ever happened anywhere. Eventually that rivalry would become Raiden + Predaking, during Headmasters

[Dan]

Trains and wild animals are natural enemies. ;)

[mikeyc7m]

G1 Jazz v Starscream makes so much sense and yet we didn't see it!
Prowl v Barricade would be cool, they generally belong to different eras though.
The cassettes facing off didn't happen enough, tiny chaos in a corner while the big bots fight.
There is a bit of synergy with HotRod and Wildrider, perhaps they could be a story of friends falling out.

[Kranix]

For young me, Jazz vs Starscream was a big one. I even had a Transformers book that featured this rivalry on the cover.

For some reason Sideswipe vs Skywarp always fitted for me as well. The battle of the second tier characters :D

[DarkAxalonSyde]

You know, Starscream and Skyfire/Jetfire is a weirdly underutilized rivalry. There's so many iterations of those two, yet only a couple have ever really touched upon the idea of there being a feud between them, despite it being an obvious match up.


Trains and wild animals are natural enemies. ;)

Ay, like Decepticons and Gigantions.
And Autobots and Gigantions.
And Cyber Ninjas and Gigantions.
And Gigantions and other Gigantions.
Damn Gigantions, they rrrruined Gigantion.

[Paulbot]

Back in the 80s I collected two combiner groups: the Stunticons and the Protectobots.

I found it odd that both in the cartoon and the comics, pitted the Aerialbots vs the Stuncticons, and the Combaticons vs the Protectobots.

Nowadays I do get it: Cars vs Jets (hey just like the 1984 toys but reversed!) and War machines vs Peace machines. (A military space shuttle? Sure why not?)

But as a kid I saw the Stunticons and Protectobots as the everyday vehicles you would see around a city. Meanwhile the Aerialbots and Combaticons were mostly all military vehicles bar Silverbolt (and Blast-Off again).

I also do wonder if the Aerialbots and Stunticons were released earlier as toys? Like a wave one release we'd see these days but I don't think that happened in 1986? Those teams got the origin stories in the cartoon and the comics. The Combaticons got their cartoon origin too, but the Protectobots just showed up one day in the cartoon and comics.