Amen Brother! In the movie, before Optimus Prime's big fight with Megatron, he says "Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost". Unfortunately, his own life was factored into that cost... G1 Optimus Prime was the sort of person who'd sacrifice his life to save his friends. That's why, in my mind, he's one of the greatest heroes in fiction. Like Jesus, he didn't pass the risk or responsibility onto others, but took it on himself. His other most heroic act was in the season 3 episode "Dark Awakening"; which showed that even after death and brief resurrection, he'd still do it the same all over again.
Yeah, Japanese animes man.. They're traps, particularly if you're a parent who lived outside Japan in the 1980-90s. You see the video cover in the shop, and you think "Oh that looks like a fun sci-fi adventure cartoon. My son/daughter would love this!", only to realise later that you've exposed your child to scenes of violent death and murder.
I remember when my dad brought home a copy of Guyver from the video shop, and it wasn't long after I first saw TFTM. Man, the imagery from that anime disturbed the heck out of me.