Very excited to have “The Three Paths You Take Upon the Death of Your Beloved Sister” out today at SMT!! 🖤🖤🖤

Same here, since I saw the Elita Episode during the original run, but since the movie didn't get a theatrical release in Germany back in the day, I didn't see it until several years later.

And yes, that whole plugging into Elita to share his life-force with her is rather suggestive. Optimus even sighs, when he does it.

That was Elita-1. Arcee was introduced in the 1986 movie. They look kind of similar, since they're both pink. I got them mixed up for a long time as well, but they're different characters.

Hasbro Transformers 'Til All Are Loved Valentine's Day 2-pack Optimus Prime & Elita-1. Available early 2027.

Arcee and Optimus were never a couple as far as I'm aware.

And note that my action figures kiss though most of them aren't built for it. Transformers are really hard to make kiss, because they're bulky and the size differences can be substantial. Masters of the Universe figures work better though making two men kiss is difficult because of the bulky bodies

PS: A different canon relationship has never sank anybody's ship, since fans tend to be very good at just ignoring canon relationships they don't like.

Finally - and this goes for all media companies - it's okay to have your characters get together and be happy. Good people in a healthy relationship are not boring and a committed relationship does not mean the end of adventures. There are still villains to fight and tyrannies to overthrow.

Nonetheless, it's ridiculous that we're getting an Optimus Prime and Elita-1 Valentine's Day set and still don't have a Adam/He-Man and Teela Valentine's Day set, even though fans have been clamouring for one for years.

And yes, Optimus and Elita are a couple on my shelf, while Arcee is with Hot Rod (I don't have a Springer, though I just bought a Greenlight, so maybe Arcee will ditch Hot Rod for her) and Chromia with Ironhide.

So in short, it's a cute set and I'm happy that Optimus and Elita get to be happy in toy form at least, even if they don't get to be together in media. I may well buy the set, because this is a more G1 accurate Elita than the one I have standing next to my Optimus Prime.

Besides, if Optimus Prime's only romantic/potential romantic relationships in his very long life are Elita and Dee-16/Megatron (yes, there is Ariel, but Ariel will become Elita), what does it say about his judgment when both become fascists, Megatron worse than Elita.

But even if they don't want to upset the Optimus/Megatron shippers or the "They're robots. They don't fall in love and have sex" people, that still doesn't mean they have to character assassinate Elita.

Plus, Megatron is obsessed with Optimus and has never had a canon romantic relationship with anybody to my knowledge, though I have seen people ship him with Soundwave (yes, I can see it) or Starscream (won't work. They'd murder each other).

There is a large part of the Transformers fanbase that ships Optimus Prime and Megatron and unlike with He-Man/Skeletor, where it's weird and problematic, you can absolutely make a case for that pairing, because Optimus and Megatron were "like brothers" before it all fell apart.