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This is a list of characters in the Beast Wars franchise, which is part of the larger Transformers franchise from Hasbro. This includes characters appearing in an animated series, comics or video games. This does not include characters only appearing in collector's club or convention-related comics (from 3H or Fun Publications), or toy-only characters. Appearances within the Beast Wars Sourcebook are not counted as appearances within IDW fiction for purposes of this table, as the Beast Wars Sourcebook was an attempt to include all characters from all Beast Wars fiction.

Optimus Primal (voiced by Garry Chalk) is the commander of the Axalon crew, and the main character of both Beast Wars and Beast Machines. His beast mode is a gorilla. Optimus starts off the series as a charismatic and competent leader, but also young and inexperienced. As the series goes on, he proves to be highly competent with a strict form of honor, though he is somewhat irreverent and is perfectly willing to bend the law. A running gag throughout the series is his penchant for stuffy and long speeches, something that Rattrap and even Megatron mock him for. In “Other Voices”, he goes on a risky mission to destroy the Vok Planet Buster. He succeeds, only to be killed thanks to a booby trap rigged by Megatron. However, in "The Coming of the Fuzors", Rhinox implants his spark in a blank protoform, reviving him in a Transmetal body. After Megatron fatally wounded Optimus Prime, threatening to erase the Maximals from existence, Optimus Primal takes his namesake's spark into his body, transforming him into the highly powerful Optimal Optimus. During the finale, he attacks the Nemesis after it fires on and kills Tigerhawk, before boarding it and battling Megatron. He defeats Megatron, and he and the Maximals tie him to an Autobots shuttle. Before they depart the planet, Optimus memorializes his dead friends and declares the Beast Wars over.

In the Japanese-only sequel series Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers, as part of its special Beast Wars II: Lio Convoy's Close Call!, Optimus Primal is transported to the present by Magnaboss to help Lio Convoy defeat Majin Zarak; saving him from his imminent death in the "Other Voices" two-parter at the end of the first season. The two descendants of Optimus Prime combine their Energon Matrix powers, achieving levels of strength neither had on their own before, as they launch a combined attack against Zarak which destroys him completely. Ultimately, Primal has to return to his own time once the battle; both because he didn't want to abandon his team still stranded in the past when they still needed him and because the time gate used to bring him there held a fatal flaw (the time tunnel had to be closed or else it would send out shockwaves through time and space which could affect the entire universe). As he and Lio Convoy part ways, Primal expresses pride on Lio Convoy for also living up to their ancestor and hope sthat they will see each other again someday and somehow.

In Beast Machines, Optimus becomes a more spiritual character, seeing visions from and communicating with the Oracle. He slowly becomes fanatical, becoming convinced that he must make Cybertron completely organic, resulting in him and Cheetor coming into conflict multiple times. Optimus is killed in a battle with Tankor and Megatron when he causes a storm of plasma energy. His spirit comes to the realization that he has become a fanatic and that his true purpose is to create a balance between the technological and the organic. After apologizing to his friends, Optimus chooses to remain on Cybertron rather than pass on, and is revived by the Oracle. Optimus then leads his companions on a quest to liberate the sparks Megatron had taken. After several failed attempts, he manipulates Megatron into allowing him to learn the location of the sparks. Optimus and the Maximals seemingly defeat Megatron, only for Megatron to return, leading his drones to extract the sparks of all except Optimus. Optimus battles Megatron, who absorbs the sparks of every Cybertronian and attempts to reformat Cybertron's core. Optimus distracts Megatron and knocks them both into the core, killing them but restoring the sparks to life. Optimus's spirit speaks to Cheetor one last time, before joining with the Matrix.