Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime (オプティマス・プライム, Oputimasu Puraimu) is the leader of the Autobots, its awe-inspiring forces and the last of the Dynasty of Primes of Cybertron. Selfless and endlessly courageous, he is the complete opposite of his mortal enemy Megatron. Originally a mere civilian and archivist, named Orion Pax (オライオン・パックス, Oraion Pakkusu), he was chosen by the Matrix of Leadership to command, which carries within him, the first in a number of heavy burdens he has been forced to bear. Another is his bringing of the Transformers' conflict to Earth. Every casualty, human or Cybertronian, weighs heavily on his spark. He does not show this side to his soldiers, and he never succumbs to despair. The Autobots need a decisive, charismatic leader, and that is what he gives them. It was that leadership which turned the tide of the Great War.

On the battlefield, there are only few who rival Optimus Prime's prowess. He is easily the strongest of any Autobot his size, and his ion blaster and his energon-axe are deadly weapons. He would sacrifice his life to protect his fellow Autobots or those under their care, and does so on a regular basis. His compassion for other sentient beings is his only real weakness, and one the Decepticons have taken advantage of time and again... though it's also the source of his strength!

In some of the cases, he can combine with his fellow Autobots to form Ultra Prime or Optimus Maximus.

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."
 * —Optimus Prime's most common bio quote.

Appearance & Biography

 * Voice actor (Optimus Prime): Peter Cullen (English), Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Francis Lax (French), Hubert Gagnon (Canadian French), Willi Röbke (German), Diego Reggente (Italian), Lei Changxi (Chinese),Darcy Pedrosa (Portuguese), Edgar Wald (Latin American), Vlastimir Đuza Stojiljković (Serbian), Gunnar Ernblad (Swedish)


 * Voice actor (Orion Pax): Laurie Faso (English), Not Known (Japanese)

Biography
Optimus Prime is the heroic leader of the Autobots. He is both brave and compassionate, inspiring greatness in those who follow him. Optimus has a strong sense of justice and righteousness and has dedicated himself to the protection of all sentient life; he will battle his foes with unyielding resolve to uphold his belief. Even the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, begrudgingly admits his respect for Optimus Prime.

Once a simple data clerk, Optimus Prime was chosen, to his surprise, to become the leader of the Autobots. Optimus Prime believes that freedom is the right of all sentient beings. He uses his strength and bravery to rally his heroic Autobots to wage their battle against the evil forces of the Decepticons.

Vehicle Mode
His vehicle mode on Cybertron was a Cybertronian Truck, when arriving to Earth he adapts the Earth vehicle mode of a tractor trailer.

Personality
Optimus is depicted as a brave, powerful, wise and compassionate leader who puts his talent to use improving the universe around him. Optimus is portrayed as having a strong sense of justice and righteousness and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth. Every casualty, human, Cybertronian or any other life forms, weighs heavily on his spark. He does not show this side to his soldiers, and he never succumbs to despair. The Autobots need a decisive, charismatic leader, and that is what he gives them. It was that leadership which turned the tide of the Great War. He would sacrifice his life to protect his fellow Autobots or those under their care, and does so on a regular basis. His compassion for other sentient beings is his only real weakness, and one the Decepticons have taken advantage of time and again... though it's also the source of his strength!

Friends/Allies

 * Zeta Prime
 * Bumblebee
 * Bulkhead
 * Ratchet
 * Ironhide
 * Jazz
 * Warpath
 * Rodimus
 * Dinobots
 * Grimlock
 * Swoop
 * Snarl
 * Sludge
 * Slug
 * other Autobots

Rivals

 * Megatron

Enemies

 * Decepticons
 * Megatron
 * Scraplets
 * Unicron

Abilities
Optimus has the abilities Dash and Warcry.

Weapons
Optimus Prime carries an Ion Blaster and his energon-axe.

History
Optimus Prime began his life as an Autobot named Orion Pax during the Golden Age of Cybertron nine million years ago. Orion Pax was an archivist in the Iacon Hall of Records and Archives, and friend to Ariel: a fellow archivist, and his best friend Dion: a dock-worker at a storage yard who had the simple job of unloading and storing shipments of energy that came from a power plant up-river. Shortly one day, the trio encountered an unfamiliar group of seven strange robots arrived from no where (they were caught time-traveling by accident), and Orion, wondering if they were new here, introduced himself and his friends. At that moment, all attentions turned as the Archives were attacked by Decepticons. Both Ariel and Orion rushed to protect the archives. Before long, Orion and Ariel were found severely injured by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons.

While Megatron and his troops set about pillaging and conquering, the seven robots Orion had met earlier carried his body away, in hopes of finding someone to repair him. They came upon the Cybertronian machinesmiths led by the master archivist Alpha Trion, who reluctantly decided to subject Orion and Ariel to a new reconstruction process he had developed, which would rebuild the Autobots' frail bodies into battle-hardy configurations so that they could battle the Decepticons on even footing. Thus it was that they became and rebuilt into Optimus Prime: the new leader of the Autobots who was also given the Matrix of Leadership, which Alpha Trion had kept safe since Megatron had killed its previous holder, and Elita One: the female Autobot commander respectively. Optimus Prime confronted Megatron, introducing himself as the Decepticon's "worst nightmare". A mighty battle ensued, which came to an end when the warehouse's fuel stockpiles were blown up by the five enigmatic Autobots, who disappeared.

In the waning days of the great war for Cybertron, Optimus spotted a little yellow Autobot in trouble, and defeated the surrounding drone forces. Ratchet arrived on the scene, and Optimus helped up the Autobot scout, who revealed his name was Bumblebee. Bumblebee informed Optimus that the Decepticons had taken control of communication relays, so that the only way to contact Optimus was by messenger. He also informed Optimus that their leader, Zeta Prime, was dead. Optimus suspected Megatron's hand, and was informed by Bumblebee that the Autobot High Council had gone into hiding because of this. Optimus believed that the Council would emerge during a safer time, and formed a team with Bumblebee and Ratchet.

They drove to the Decagon, where they found Ironhide and Bulkhead, battling the forces of Starscream. After assisting him in defeating Starscream's army, they confronted Starscream himself within the Decagon. After the trio combated and drove off Starscream, a hologram of Zeta Prime's face appeared in the center of the room, stating that he is being held in the Kaon prison complex. Optimus took Bumblebee and Sideswipe to the Kaon prison, allowing themselves to be captured so that they could infiltrate the facility. The Decepticons prepared to execute them, but Air Raid lent a hand so they could escape, though he himself was captured. While sneaking through the corridors, the three managed to free Air Raid, Arcee, and others. They continued through the hallways, and finally located the room where Zeta is being held, only to face Soundwave. The Decepticon cowered behind a force field, sending Frenzy, Rumble, and Laserbeak out to fight for him, only venturing out to administer needed repairs to his minions. As Soundwave's energy became low, he attempted to drain Zeta Prime, only to be interrupted by Optimus, who took a shot meant for Zeta. Though Soundwave and his minions retreated, the damage was done, and Zeta Prime died before Optimus could free him.

Optimus brought Zeta's corpse to the site of the hiding High Council, where he lay the dead body in the center of the room. Optimus stated that the Autobots craved their guidance, but the Council stated that their mission was to choose the Primes, not to lead them. They then question Optimus still rejects his calling, told him that they many Primes fall to the Decepticons' pride and greed, and that his courage and wisedom had changed the lives around him. Optimus was then told that Megatron had corrupted the core of Cybertron, and that he was the one that could remove this blight. He took this burden and responsibility, then was declared by the Council that he was now Optimus Prime, and was told that he is, the last Prime.

For a new mission, Optimus selected Ironhide and Warpath, and the team ventured to the entrance of the core, where a corrupted Omega Supreme was being tortured. After a prolonged battle, the Autobots defeated the torturers and freed Omega Supreme from the Dark Energon influence. Omega Supreme escaped, and the Autobots found some space slugs to use as steeds. One long journey later, they reached the core and defeated a corrupted slug. Unfortunately the core itself had become contaminated, and informed Optimus as much. The only solution was for the core to reboot, which would take millions of years, during which the planet would be unusable, and Optimus realized that the Autobots would have to leave their home. Before shutting down, the core revealed the Matrix of Leadership, which it installed inside Optimus Prime's chest.

Optimus arrived back at Iacon, where he was shocked to find a massive cannon installed in the Dark Energon space station began firing all over the city. Optimus Prime coordinated many of the Autobot campaigns. He dispatched Bulkhead, Ironhide and Bumblebee to retrieve a datacore of information about Trypticon from Kaon. He later coordinated the evac measures for Cybertron, personally guarding a supply convoy while Bumblebee ran point and ensuring the safe launch of an airlift whiel the Aerialbots prevented Seekers from taking potshots at it.

Believing that the space station was offline and deactivated, he ordered all Autobots to evacuate the planet. Megatron announced that everyone must stay or face destruction, and re-continued the massive cannon firing, when its orbital weapon systems wher brought online and began annihilating the ships, as well as the Autobot ranks again. Optimus Prime sent his Air Commander Jetfire and the Aerialbots up to Trypticon Station itself to shut down the cannon with other Autobot fliers. They succeeded, and the Trypticon station fell to Cybertron and crashed into Iacon after the Aerialbot assault. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Ironhide discovered that "Trypticon" wasn't a space station at all: it was transformed into a giant tremendous Decepticon warbot. Optimus and his team had raced out to meet it to the blast site, fighting through numerous Decepticon embankments to reach the monster. Trypticon himself proved to be an implaccable foe, and Optimus coordinated both ground-based flanking attacks and strafing runs by the Aerialbots. Eventually, the mighty menace went down, and Optimus Prime saluted Trypticon on his way to extinction. They managed to defeat the heavily-armed menace, who plunged into a pool of energon. The Autobots celebrated their victory, but noticed that they have to evacuate as well. Optimus revealed a massive starship they would use called the Ark, a ship still under construction that would allow them to take a part of Cybertron with them across the galaxy.

During the early days of the war on Cybertron, Optimus Prime came to the aid of Getaway, Joyride and Slapdash, saving them right as the Decepticons Dreadwind and Darkwing were on the verge of destroying them.

As the Ark neared completion, Optimus was alerted to the fact that Grimlock's team had deserted their post and the Decepticons were consequently attacking with giant Warp Cannons. He made haste back to Autobot City where he sent Sideswipe, Jazz and Cliffjumper off in search of the Lightning Strike Coalition Force before joining Warpath in fending off the Decepticons attacking the nerve center. When it turned out they didn't have enough energon for the defences, Optimus and Perceptor decided to divert some of the energon from Ark. With Perceptor's help, Optimus got an old artillery piece working and reached the neutron cannon which he used to take out some of the attackers before running out of energon. At that point he was drawn to the city core, where he managed to awaken Metroplex. Optimus guided the giant in destroying the Warp Cannons, but the last of them felled Metroplex, forcing Optimus to go inside it himself.

He didn't get very far before encountering Starscream and the Combaticons who took him prisoner. Dragged before Megatron, Optimus was only saved by the timely reactivation of Metroplex. Once Megatron was a messy stain on the ground, Prime strongly recommended Starscream and the others leave. Some time later, Jazz and Cliffjumper reported that they'd found a massive energon lake, and Optimus organized a transport to pick it up. During a Decepticon attack on Trypticon's crash site, Optimus was contacted by Autobots guarding the site who said that Megatron was alive. His request for confirmation was given by none other than Megatron himself, who killed the Autobots who contacted Prime. Recognizing that the Decepticons would only try to retrieve Trypticon's power core if their energon levels were dangerously low, Optimus offered a ceasefire to share what was left, but Megatron rejected his offer, still believing that Optimus and the Autobots were responsible for Cybertron's death.

When he was contacted by Grimlock's team who reported Shockwave's experiments, Optimus ordered them back to base, only for Grimlock to ignore him. The Ark was eventually launched thanks to a last-minute sacrifice by Metroplex, but didn't get far before the Decepticons caught up in the Nemesis and attacked it. Optimus headed to the engine room to assist with the defenses there, only to encounter Megatron himself. As the two fought, Bumblebee threw himself in front of a shot meant for Optimus, and the young bot's sacrifice sent an enraged Optimus back into battle against his nemesis. The pair's fight wasn't yet finished when both they and their ships were sucked into the space bridge portal.

Over the following five million years, Optimus Prime led the Autobots in a steady war of attrition that gradually drained Cybertron of almost all of its energy. In order to continue the fight, Prime arranged for an interstellar expedition to search for energy on other planets. Loading his best and brightest aboard a huge spacecraft, Prime was the last to board, but was stopped by a cry from Elita One, who came running up to the launch platform. Prime told her that he would return for her as soon as he could, but Elita was intent on joining Prime on the mission. No debate was to be had, however, as a Decepticon attack on the platform caused an explosion that seemingly destroyed Elita. Crestfallen, Prime boarded the spacecraft and ordered a take-off, unaware that Elita had, in fact, survived.

The Autobots' spacecraft had a troubled flight. After navigating a treacherous asteroid field, the ship was caught in a tractor beam from a Decepticon space cruiser that had been shadowing them, under the command of Megatron himself. Megatron's forces swarmed the Autobot ship, and the two leaders grappled until the G-force of the nearby planet Earth took hold of the craft, and dragged it down. Although Prime tried valiantly to pull the ship up, it collided with a mountain so violently that all the Autobots and Decepticons were knocked into stasis.

Trivia

 * Gladiatorial Combat
 * Space Bridge