The Best Optimus Prime Fights In Transformers, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Optimus Prime’s most memorable fights require a mix of tactics and combat skills, showcasing his craftiness.
• Optimus Prime proves his mettle as a warrior and leader in battles against formidable opponents like Scourge and Unicron.
• From fighting Galvatron in Unicron’s body to battling Megatron in Transformers One, Prime’s rivalry origins are iconic.

Optimus Prime has etched his name into pop culture folklore as an iconic leader with many memorable quotes and moments of inspiration. But since the Transformers series has gained popularity, he has also developed a reputation as a capable warrior with many memorable fights against his foes. The leader of the Autobots very much lives up to his lineage as a Prime because of his courage and incredible fighting ability.

What makes Optimus Prime stand out isn’t just his ability to fight, however. He’s an incredible leader who is almost always up against the odds and overcomes them in many different ways. Ranking his most memorable fights throughout the Transformers franchise can go many ways.

8 Transformers Prime: Optimus Prime vs Dreadwing

A Demonstration of His Craftiness

One of the rare occasions Optimus fights a Decepticon that isn’t Megatron. In Transformers Prime, Dreadwing, who is the new second-in-command to Megatron after Starscream’s exile leads a search party of Decepticons to Antarctica looking for an Iacon Relic. Here, he runs into Optimus Prime, who is also looking for the relic on his own.

The two foes battle it out to a stalemate until Optimus Prime finds a crafty way to defeat Dreadwing by triggering an avalanche that buries him in the snow. It’s an interesting scenario, where Optimus Prime has to rely more on his tact than raw combat ability to defeat a foe who isn’t Megatron or someone stronger.

7 Transformers – Rise of the Beasts: Optimus Prime vs Scourge

And Shows Him the True Power of a Prime

This is one of the few times outside the Bayverse where we get to see Optimus Prime in action in a live-action film. Scourge is an absolute menace in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and turns out to be an incredibly challenging opponent.

Optimus Prime eventually defeats him comfortably in the final fight of the film by shoving Scourge into a lava waterfall. Until this fight, Scourge appears to be an insurmountable challenge even for Optimus in a one-on-one fight. Turns out, Optimus was holding back, something he isn’t willing to do this time because Scourge has hurt too many people he cares about.

6 Transformers Energon: Optimus Supreme vs Unicron

Optimus Fuses With Omega Supreme

Transformers: Energon is a direct sequel to the Transformers: Armada anime series released in 2002. In this series, transformers seem to have the ability to fuse their bodies and form a more powerful transformer. And with the threat of Unicron in his original body looming, Optimus Prime has no choice but to do exactly this. He fuses with Omega Supreme, an ancient and powerful transformer to become Optimus Supreme.

Even this power-up is not enough to take on Unicron and all hope appears to be lost until the rest of the Autobots decide to defy Optimus’ orders to stay back and join the fight and turn the tables. While the anime itself wasn’t very popular, this long battle against Unicron was certainly one of Optimus Prime’s most epic fights.

5 Transformers – Revenge of the Fallen: Optimus Prime vs Megatron, Starscream and Grindor

Optimus Takes on the Three Strongest Decepticons Alone

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Optimus Prime’s most heroic fight appears in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Right after he rescues Sam Witwicky from Megatron, Starscream, and Grindor. An epic battle ensues where Optimus takes on the three Decepticons alone in a forest.

In this fight, he kills Grindor, completely overpowers Megatron and Starscream, and is only defeated after Megatron stabs him in the back while he is searching for Sam, letting his guard down. This fight is easily Optimus Prime’s best moment in the Bayverse.

4 Transformers Prime Beast Hunters – Predacon Rising: Optimus Prime vs Unicron

Optimus Fights a God (In Megatron’s Body)

• Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacon Rising

In the 2013 film Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacon Rising, Unicron revived Megatron and possessed his body while torturing his mind. Unicron’s intention is to destroy the recently restored planet Cybertron using Megatron’s body.

Optimus fights Unicron, who appears to have enhanced Megatron’s body and made it much stronger but tricks the evil God into thinking an empty container is the allspark. Unicron’s anti-spark is pulled into the container, sealing him inside it and freeing Megatron, who has a change of heart about his leadership methods, having experienced Unicron’s oppression.

3 Transformers Armada: Optimus Prime vs Galvatron

He Fights Galvatron as the Leader of All Cybertronians

The Transformers series finally received the anime treatment in 2002 in the form of Transformers: Armada, to plenty of fanfare. In Transformers: Armada, Optimus Prime is forced to fight Galvatron (Who is essentially Megatron after he renamed himself) while inside Unicron’s body. After they eliminate the threat of Unicron, Galvatron still holds a grudge against Optimus Prime, challenging him to a deciding battle.

The battle, which is seemingly a stalemate ends up releasing so much energy that it reawakens Unicron, which leads to Galvatron realizing the mistake he just made in his hatred towards Optimus and the Autobots.

2 Transformers One: Optimus Prime vs Megatron

The Birth of a Rivalry

Transformers One (2024)Takes us back to the origins, where it all began on Cybertron. The final fight in the film is canonically the first official fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron. This is where the rivalry began. And the fight lives up to its hype.

Optimus and Megatron have only just risen to power and discovered their abilities, both as warriors as well as leaders. And the fight has it all. Both of them use all their weapons and transform creatively in battle. But what makes this fight epic is the stakes at hand and the emotional tension between the two former best friends.

1 The Transformers The Movie: Optimus Prime vs Megatron

One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall

• The Transformers: The Movie

This one is Optimus Prime’s most famous fight against Megatron. In Transformers: The Movie which was released in theaters in 1986, the Decepticons have conquered Cybertron and are wreaking havoc in Autobot City on Earth, killing several Autobots in the process. Push has come to shove, and Optimus Prime has to fight Megatron in a penultimate battle to stop the Decepticon violence.

Optimus engages Megatron in battle after defeating several Decepticons despite knowing the odds are stacked against him and puts up a valiant effort which leads to both Optimus and Megatron being mortally wounded. The outcome of this fight left so many kids feeling sad about Optimus’ fate that Hasbro had to bring him back in a later season of the original Generation One animated series.