One of the coolest elements of the Transformers, beyond the robots-in-disguise factor, is just how many of them there are. For instance, the combiners—special groups of Autobots and Decepticons that can merge into a single form—only serve to up the ante with more powerful forms. After all, if there’s anything cooler than a giant robot, it’s an even bigger giant robot.
The combiners worked for a generation of fans that were already being trained to fall in love with transforming robots, but they also made sense in-universe. Their might took the Cybertronian civil war to another level, creating a new arms race. Yet as many of them were created, it became clear that some combiners were more powerful than others.
Computron Is A Genius, For Better And Worse
Near the end of the Generation One cartoon, combiners slowly became more common. In one episode, the Technobots were created as a result of Grimlock gaining super-intelligence. Realizing the Autobots needed help against the Terrorcons, Grimlock built the Technobots, and granted them his newfound intelligence, though it was generally only accessible while they were combined as Computron.
Computron immediately made an impact as one of the strongest new forces for the Autobots, defeating the Terrorcons’ combined form, Abominus, on his own. He’s incredibly powerful, and unlike many other combiners, doesn’t struggle to merge his personalities when he becomes Computron. Still, he ranks last because sometimes he loses himself trying to come up with the optimum answer for a situation.
Devastator Was The First Of The Combiners
Devastator is the original combiner, coming from an era when there weren’t nearly as many different gimmicks for the Transformers. He’s the result of all the Constructicons forming into one, and joined the Decepticons after Megatron used the Robosmasher to completely reprogram them all. In their earliest appearance, they dominated even the Dinobots, one of the strongest forces the Autobots had.
In fact, early on Devastator was one of the biggest challenges for the team. He was constantly pushing the Autobots to their limits, and forcing them to come up with creative ways to cancel his transformation. His real weakness comes from being outpaced later in the series, as more combiners appeared that were more powerful than he was.
Superion Helped The Autobots Defend Against The Other Combiners
Superion answered multiple problems the Autobots had, all at once. For one, the Aerialbots allowed them to challenge the Decepticons’ aerial superiority, and for another, it finally gave them a combiner to fight back with. Created by Cybertron, Superion helped to fight back against the Decepticons’ newly created Menasor, though he lost their first encounter.
Superion was an important member of the Autobots for years, raining down destruction on the Decepticons not just in Generation One, but in Transformers Headmasters as well. Much like the Decepticon combiners though, Superion struggles to keep his personalities in check while in battle, even though the Aerialbots have a competent leader. Still, he was able to prove to the Autobots that creating more combiners would only help the team.
Menasor Has Defeated Decepticon And Autobot Enemies
The second of the Decepticon combiners, Menasor was the result of the Stunticons coming together. Originally, he was meant to take away the Autobots’ land domination that they’d built up over several years. They made their first appearance in a battle against the Aerialbots’ Superion, defeating him with his raw destructive power.
Repeatedly, Menasor proved to be one of the most powerful Decepticon combiners. They even helped fight back against Starscream’s own Decepticon combiner, Bruticus, taking him out with a single punch. Honestly, their biggest weakness is their inability to truly remain united on one task for long, but with their overwhelming power it’s rarely a problem.
Victorion Wields Control Over Gravity Itself
Victorion is a unique combiner that was created on accident. She comes from a group of explorers known as the Torchbearers, who combined after being exposed to the Enigma of Combination. Like many of the later combiners, Victorion never struggles with balancing the different personalities inside her, already making her a threat to many of her rivals.
One of the many Autobots created in the IDW comics, Victorion is gifted with some impressive abilities. Her main weapon is the giant sword she uses to cleave her enemies in half, but she also wields control over gravity, which she’s used in many encounters against the Decepticons. That said, she has lost to a handful of Decepticons, including Monstructor and Predaking.
Predaking Is Just As Dangerous United Or As The Predacons
Predaking is one of the most deadly Decepticons that ever lived. While the other combiners struggle to maintain their focus in battle, Predaking has no such issue, as all the Predacons remain laser-focused on a single goal. They enjoy hunting down Autobots, using their superior size and firepower to make short work of any they encounter.
Predaking is one of the few examples of a combiner that’s just as much of a threat while separated as he is combined, as the Predacons are terrifying even as individual units. As Predaking, even other powerful combiners like Victorion have struggled to hold their own against him. Still, his enthusiasm means he has a habit of challenging more powerful opponents he can’t beat.
Liokaiser Was Key In The Later Battles Against The Autobots
While Liokaiser is part of the hilariously named Decepticon group the Breastforce, he’s not a joke by any means. On the contrary, he’s one of the best agents for the Decepticons in their battle against the Transformers during Transformers Victory, one of the Transformers anime that never made it out of Japan. Originally, the Breastforce operated separately to aid Deathsaurus in his battles against Star Saber, but once they came together they unveiled their true power.
Liokaiser was the first Decepticon to not only match Star Saber, but crush him in battle. Following that victory, Liokaiser wracked up a string of other victories against the Autobots, thanks to his strength and ability to become invincible. Liokaiser might’ve lived up to his potential more than any other Decepticon combiner.
Volcanicus Combined The Ferocious Dinobots Together
In the Generation One series, the Dinobots were one of the only teams of Transformers that didn’t combine. It helped them to stand out, but it was a weakness in the series. Often, they were dominated by some of the strongest Decepticons, particularly when they were capable of transformers.
However, in the Power of the Primes series, fans were treated to the first version of a Dinobot combiner. He retains the Dinobots’ incredible ferociousness, but also has their brutish sense of strategy. However, that doesn’t really matter when boasting the level of power he does.
God Ginrai Is A Combiner That Stands On His Own
The Transformers anime is often underdiscussed as major eras of Transformers history go. However, it shouldn’t be surprised that an Optimus Prime descendant is one of the most powerful Autobots of all time. Introduced in Transformers Masterforce, Ginrai starts as a simple truck driver that discovers he has a connection to the Autobots as an Autobot Godmaster.
By using the power of a transtector, Ginrai is able to tap into Optimus Prime’s legendary power. However, what makes him truly dangerous is he’s able to combine with his truck trailer and his drone Godbomber to become the even more powerful God Ginrai. Unlike other combiners, God Ginrai isn’t held back by having multiple personalities fighting for control. He’s even able to lay waste to other combiners when he gets serious, thanks to the power of his God Fire Guts attack, which transformers him into a giant fireball.
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Optimus Maximus Merges Optimus With His Greatest Allies
There have been multiple versions of Optimus Prime, and several of them have been combiners in the past. However, most of them have often merged with weapons or drones, meaning they’ve never had to deal with being traditional combiner. That changed when the Enigma of Combination forced Prime to merge with Ironhide, Mirage, Prowl, and Sunstreaker.
This isn’t a combination that’s appeared often, but considering it has the power of the Autobot leader behind it, it’s not surprising it’s considered the strongest. He was able to embarrass Devastator in a battle, and in the Prime Wars mythology, Optimus Maximus is considered the ultimate weapon against the Decepticon combiners. Considering he also lacks the weakness of multiple minds fighting for control since everyone respects Prime, if anything, it feels like he should appear more often.