As a property, Transformers has come a long way since the glorified toy commercial that was the original Generation 1 cartoon, and the character development done on various comics projects and in newer animated incarnations shows that the franchise has a lot of life in it. Avatar: The Last Airbender was a gamechanger when it arrived. It tackled heady topics like genocide and colonialism and showed characters growing and changing in a meaningful way.
Avatar's arrival on Netflix had reignited love from fans who watched it when it aired on Nickelodeon and simultaneously made it accessible to many who had never had the chance to watch it. These two series may seem unrelated, but some of the characters have undeniable similarities.
10 Ratchet And The Mechanist
Ratchet has long been a medic in most incarnations of Transformers, and Siege's appearance is no different. What is different is his history. As an engineer, his legacy is inventions and weapons of war. After growing disillusioned, he is now working to save those affected by his weapons and help repair a space bridge to prevent the Decepticons from using the Allspark for evil.
Like Ratchet, the Mechanist is an inventor whose inventions become twisted against him. When Fire Nation weapons are discovered in his locked workshop, he is forced to confront the damage the weapons he's created have done. To redeem himself, he takes up arms with the very weapons he was to give to the Fire Nation and drives them from his home with Aang and his friends' help.
9 Starscream And Zhao
Ever the schemer, Starscream is known for trying to usurp Megatron at every turn in previous incarnations of the robots in disguise. This time around, however, his zeal is first focused on becoming the leader of the Seekers. Zhao is also a schemer, trying to rise in the Fire Nation's ranks at any cost—including assassinating the son of the Fire Lord.
Starscream is lucky enough that his ambition and treachery do not end with him getting blown to pieces, but with a promotion. Once Jetfire has defected, he is promoted to the leader of the Seekers. Zhao's ambition is the end of him, going to far as to kill the moon spirit.
8 Jetfire And Iroh
Jetfire is the leader of the Decepticon Seekers, an elite unit of flying Cybertronians. However, his allegiance to the Decepticons ends at genocide, and he is chased from Megatron's presence and shot down, presumed dead. Iroh, too, had a breaking point where he could no longer support the Fire Nation's expansionist plans.
After losing his son in the siege of Ba Sing Se, Iroh is disgraced, and he distances himself from his brother, Ozai. His moral compass drives him toward compassion, perhaps best exhibited by how he talks to the crew when Zuko mistreats them. Iroh and Jetfire are both able to see that the cost of attaining absolute power is too great. They are both driven by an intrinsic need to do the morally right thing.
7 Impactor And Zuko
The impactor is a Decepticon who comes under the care of Ratchet after being pulled from the rubble of a battle. His impassioned speech to Optimus about the cost of war and why he fought gives the audience a glimpse of what Cybertron was like before the war. In the end, Impactor is swayed by protecting those who helped him and how little effort the Decepticons put into finding him.
Zuko starts with a singular goal: regaining his honor and his place in his family. When his sister shows up to bring him back to the Fire Nation as a prisoner, he understands that there will be no restoration of honor and breaks from his uncle, Iroh, and the Fire Nation. Zuko eventually joins with the only people who've helped him on his journey, Aang and his friends.
6 Elita-1 And Katara
Elita-1 is a strong-willed woman, not afraid to challenge the norm. She will push back on Optimus' plans if she disagrees with them, and she can hold her own in a fight. Her moral compass pushes her to do what she believes is right rather than what she wants to do.
Katara is also a strong female character who often finds herself keeping Aang and Sokka on task. The moments she shines are the times where she has to fight, however. When the Northern Water Tribe traditions prevent her from training as a waterbender, she refuses to bow to traditional pressures.
5 Shockwave And Jet
A mad scientist and interrogator, Shockwave shows an incredible disregard for life and free will. He tortures Ultra Magnus to get the location of Autobot Command and finds a way to use the Alpha Trion protocols to distribute a virus and reformat the Autobots.
Jet is not outright evil in the same way as Shockwave, but he does have a Machiavellian slant when first introduced. His plan to blow up the dam and flood an entire village shows a disregard for human life. However, both plans allow the people around them to realize that the ends do not justify their means.
4 Prowl And Sokka
Prowl has a very black and white view of things, changing from his appearance in the IDW comics. When Jetfire comes to his aid in the Sea of Rust, he is forced to reevaluate his position on the former Decepticon. Prowl's radical shift in perception feels similar to how Sokka changes when he realizes he is wrong.
One of Sokka's strengths as a character—other than his knack for physical comedy—is his ability to accept new experiences and grow from them. Sokka has many small moments of growth throughout the series, making it feel as though he is constantly learning to be better.
3 Mirage And Toph
While her personality is a whole lot more exciting than Mirage's, Toph also has the ability to hide in plain sight. Because of her diminutive stature and blindness, it is easy to underestimate her as her parents do until her father witnesses her earthbending skills himself.
2 Megatron And Fire Lord Ozai
Megatron is a despot whose war was for the sake of good at one point, as Ultra Magnus attempts to remind him. The message has gotten scrambled along the way, and he is now willing to go to terrible lengths to end the Autobot rebellion. Allowing Shockwave to torture his former compatriot and agreeing to a viral reformatting shows just how far he has fallen into madness.
Fire Lord Ozai is a conqueror who intends to rule the world, and he is not afraid to wipe out entire cultures to do so. Willing to follow whatever path will lead him to his ultimate goal, no matter how dark, the Fire Lord has continued a nearly century-long war and used cruelty to crush his opposition.
1 Optimus Prime And Aang
Optimus Prime is the ultimate good. He trusts those around him and believes that people do not want to cause harm. By not asking anything of those under his command that he is unwilling to do himself, Prime can truly inspire those around him.
Aang's charm is that he truly believes that people are good. Multiple times he saves Zuko, despite knowing that the favor would not be returned. Aang also wields great power in the Avatar state, but he is conscious of the consequences of that power and the potential for loss of life. He inspires those around him not because he is the Avatar but because he is good.