Narrator

The narrator, an atheist, pushes his evolutionary agenda over Primus.

From time to time, the narrator will take the time to tell the audience more of what they need to know to understand the events happening in a given piece of fiction. There is no reason to believe what he is saying is ever not true, so his words are treated as canon. The narrator often has the distinct privilege of being the first to reveal the first facts regarding the strange and alien robotic creatures known as Transformers even before we see them in action.

Occasionally, a character from the story will take on narration duties and directly tell the audience certain things. It is often unclear when or why the character took the time to record such messages. Perhaps it is some kind of diary, or memoir dictated after the character's adventures have ended. In any case, these narrations can't quite be automatically accepted as absolutely true, since they presumably depend on the knowledge of the character narrating, and his trustworthiness in relaying the events to the audience accurately.

Sometimes the historical record in the form of recorded data tracks are used to supply narration for a story, indicating the adventure happened some time in the past. These, too, are only as accurate as the data that was used to create the historical record.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity family

Marvel The Transformers comics

The narrator could be counted on to provide bits of necessary information to the reader at any point in a comic story.

The narrator opened the series by briefly describing the planet Cybertron in orbit around Alpha Centauri, the robotic life that evolved there, and the thriving civilization they created there, and the actions of Megatron and his Decepticons that led to a devastating civil war. The Transformers He would go on providing pertinent information at various points throughout the series.

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Victor Caroli (English), Gregg Berger (English, "Transformers 40th Anniversary Event"), Issei Masamune (Japanese), Chen Chun (Chinese), Arnim André (German, Atlantis, Arise!), Albert Augier (European French), Francis Lax (European French, Autobot Spike, Atlantis, Arise! and season 3 & 4), Unknown (European French, "The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2"), Jean-Claude Michel (French, The Movie), Michel Barbey (European French, The Rebirth episodes), Gabriele Carrara (Italian, first TV series dub), Giuliano Santi (Italian, first The Movie dub), Toni Orlandi (Italian, second dub), Stefano Alessandroni (Italian, 40th Anniversary Event dub), Sílvio Navas (Portuguese), Mauro Castro (Portuguese, DVD dub), Válter Santos (Portuguese, The Movie Fox Kids dub)

The narrator introduced the audience to the intelligent robotic life on Cybertron, how they were separated into two factions, and how one faction, the Decepticons, were intent on destroying the peaceful Autobots. This caused a global war of good vs. evil that drained the planet's resources and caused desperate energy shortages felt on both sides. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1 He would go on providing pertinent information at various points throughout the series.

The narrator bridged the gap in time between the second season of the television series and The Transformers: The Movie, explaining that the year was now 2005. In some versions (notably the European version), the opening credits were replaced with a scrolling text ("Star Wars style") which provided backstory, accompanied by narration. In some versions (notably the European version), the film ended with the narrator reassuring the audience that Optimus Prime would return.

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Issei Masamune (Japanese), Rik Thomas (English, Omni Productions dub), Mario Brusa (Italian)

He never, ever shut up.

Super-God Masterforce cartoon

Voice actor: Keiichi Noda (Japanese), Rik Thomas (English, Omni Productions dub), Orlando Mezzabotta (Italian)

Victory cartoon

Voice actor: Masashi Hironaka (Japanese), Rik Thomas (English, Omni Productions dub)

Zone cartoon

Voice actor: Keiichi Noda (Japanese)

Beast Wars cartoon

Voice actor: Banana Ice (Japanese)

Beast Wars II cartoon

Voice actor: Tetsuo Komura (Japanese)

Beast Wars Neo cartoon

Voice actor: Monster Maezuka (Japanese)

Robotmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Kenji Utsumi (Japanese)

Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity

Voice actor: Jim Conrad (English), Show Hayami (Galaxy Force, Japanese), Lu Jianyi (Armada, Chinese), Arto Nieminen (Armada, Finnish), Fredrik Beckmann (Armada, Swedish), Michael Brennicke (Armada, German), Wolf Frass (Cybertron, German), Michel Dodane (Armada, French), Sergio Fiorentini (Armada, Italian), Salvador Serrano (Armada, Castilian Spanish), Dario de Castro (Armada, Brazilian Portuguese)

The narrator introduced the audience to Transformers, explaining how, eons ago, they were sent out by a "unique digital entity" as explorers. He explained the conflict caused by Mini-Cons on one of the planets they settled called Cybertron. First Encounter He would go on providing pertinent information at various points throughout Armada, Energon, and Cybertron.

Rad White narrated information during the opening credits in some episodes of Armada.

In Transformers: Super Link, the Japanese release of Energon, Alpha Q would narrate over the previews at the end of each episode. A running gag involved him telling viewers not to miss each episode, as "something cool might happen!"; this was paid off in the preview for the final episode, in which he declared that "something cool finally happened!"

Universe cartoon

The entirety of Action Blast 1 is a narration by Optimus Prime.

Live-action film continuity family

Voice actor: Peter Cullen Optimus Prime (English) and Anthony Hopkins Sir Edmund Burton (English), Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Li Lihong (Chinese)

Cyber Missions

Episodes of Cyber Missions were typically introduced by the historical data tracks of the incident recorded by Optimus Prime.

Aligned continuity family

An aerial Vehicon served as the narrator for an installment of Decepticon's Storytime Theater. Decepticon's Storytime Theater - The Story of Stumble Bee

Prime Wars Trilogy cartoons

Voice actor: Victor Caroli (English)

The narrator recounted the events of Combiner Wars before the events of Titans Return, probably because most people tried to forget Combiner Wars happened. Aftermath and Rebirth He later recapped the events of Titans Return before the events of Power of the Primes.

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Voice actor: Robert Belgrade (English)

Throughout The Transformers: Call of the Future, the narrator filled in backstory elements and character information, as well as explaining events presently taking place.

War for Cybertron

Voice actor: Steve Blum (English), Patrick Borg (French), David García Vázquez (Spain-Spanish), Jacek Lecznar (Polish)

The narrator described what happened previously and what was about to happen before each chapter of the game in the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC versions of War for Cybertron, in a voice homaging Victor Caroli's narration of the G1 cartoon. It is possible this narrator was actually Shockwave, archiving the events as they unfold.

Transformers: Galactic Trials

Voice actor: Bill Millsap (English)

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Narrator (ナレーター narēta), narration (ナレーション narēshon)