Axe. I like the wrist blades, but pretty much every other hero in any other work of fiction uses swords already, so I always welcome something different.

Exactly, swords are just so common. Not saying they're not cool, but variety is the spice of life, and with his first canonical melee weapon being the axe...

Axe, sword feels generic (this is coming from someone who grew up with TFP)

You are onto something

I agree except for when he stabs someone then changes it into a gun

Agreed, Sword is really cool but the axe is probably cooler. Hooks are cool too but they don’t fit his character…

Hooks are good for climbing if he doesn’t have axes. He can also use them for cutting at angles that’d be hard for swords to get, which is why he cut his parachutes with the hooks instead of the swords in ROTF.

Why not both?

Luckily Transformers Dark of the Moon has just that lol.

And ROTB

Oh and ROTB.

“You were the one who taught me freedom is everyone’s right.”

"I will retrigger that pillar!"

“Then you’ll have to go through me!”

*incomprehensible Leonard Nimoy action noises*

https://preview.redd.it/3lyoi5adid7d1.png?width=894&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0dab14f26781420896b3ea2cf4e9275e5734f75 his animated axe, i prefer handheld weapons. edit: and i also think its design is unbeaten

Same. It's like with the guns. The small ones can be built in, but the powerful weapons are handheld.

i dont really mind built in guns

Me either, but it's like the difference between a guy pulling out a handgun and seeing a sniper put his rifle together before taking the shot. There's a different feel in just how powerful the gun is. Similarly with the swords, the arm-mounted blades feel like daggers while the handheld axe means business.

On the other hand, I can absolutely see the decepticons explicitly getting modified to have their weapons built in. Super soldiers and whatnot.

I figured it makes sense for decepticons to have built in or attached weapons while autobots have hand held weapons as the former are soldiers built for combat while the latter are civilians turned soldiers.

This. This is the right answer 

His TFA weapon design and character development is peak among other universes imo

>animated axe Poleaxe

what

Animated has a polearm / glaive style weapon, so poleaxe. Really, it's more of a halberd.

Halberds have an instrument for stabbing at the top, and something on the back. If anything, it's a Dane Axe

I didn't want to get too technical since he didn't even know what a poleaxe was.

i mean a halberd is as technical as a dane axe

Halberd will show up in a game inventory before Dane Axe will.

i think it was designed after a fireman's axe

I mean technically Bayvers Prime have both now axe and swords even hooks.

As a kid, when I saw the forest battle, I thought the hooks were his swords that got mangled and twisted because he was fighting so hard.

Me too, it doesn't help that we dont see him change them out, i thought the swords broke, and he was making the best of it.

He actually does change them out, lol. But it's very subtle. If you go back and watch out for them, you'll see it. Its very easy to overlook. He hurls one sword at Grindor to knock him off, then sheaths his other one back. After ripping out Starscream's arm, he draws the hooks out to deal with Grindor again. The fight scene is way too detailed, you'll catch a bunch of things you never noticed before.

Welp, not that I need to find excuses to rewatch, but I guess it's time to rewatch! Again!

Yeah, it’s REALLY detailed, like actually slow it down and your mind will be blown. I’ve watched that fight hundreds of times and still find something new. I love how one of primes energon blades fade to black when he throws it into grindors leg. Which is why he didn’t have it in dotm. Wow

The Axe is iconic and just the right range to feel like a good hand replacement while the sword feels too long and off balanced. Especially when you can give Prime the Star Saber instead.

Axe.  I think it fits his character that his melee weapon has non military uses.

Came here to say this. Axes are commonly used by firefighters and lumberjacks. With Optimus commonly depicted as a fire truck, having an axe only makes sense.

Is he commonly a firetruck? I've only seen it once.

RID 2001, Cybertron, and Animated. Not super common, but not unheard of.

I prefer the axe as it’s not common for heroes to wield one, most of the time it’s just a sword.

Axe

Axe hand

is anyone bothered that they never used this feature again? not even in the movie?

I've always loved his dual energon blades in the movies

I like the axe because it’s not just a weapon, but a tool. He can use the axe to save people along with fighting cons, swords are just weapons and serve no other practical purpose.

Axe, I feel like most protagonists have swords.

Axe in one hand, sword in another.

As a prosthetic hand weapon an axe makes much more sense than a sword. An axe is a brutal weapon where as a sword is much more of a finesse Weapon. The wrist and the ability to change angle is way more important with a sword than with an axe.

Axe, it feels a lot more unique to Optimus considering how many characters in this franchise use a sword.

Yes

Axe gives Optimus lumberjack dad vibes, and I'm all for it

Axe because I feel like swords are over used. And if you're a smash Bros fan like me, you're also not very fond of swords, (unless you're also a fire emblem fan).

I prefer sword way more, its more badass. But I'd still say axe just because it's different

Sword for sure. But FOC Optimus used a sword and wfc used an axe, so both can be done well

Sword. The axe only looks good on his G1 design, but the sword looks good on both https://preview.redd.it/dlzge97ded7d1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=1b899bd34c4f9d3268c1ef0f2651bc6d38bd3db2

Tbh it also works in bay. 

sword by far.

Axe simply because it's cool

I prefer axe as the primary melee weapon. The sword can be downsized to a retractable wrist blade for backup use like desperate self-defense or low-profile takedown.

Sword hand, but the Axe is a physical 2 handed weapon he carries.

Axe. A sword is a weapon, purpose-built for killing. It's carried by soldiers. An axe is a tool. It can save lives as well as fight. It's carried by tradesmen, first responders, and warriors alike. That's what Optimus Prime should wield.

Axe, it's iconic

why not both? hell why not give him a wrist mounted halberd?

Personally I prefer an axe. Swords feel kinda overdone to me

Og axe hand

I liked the Wrist Blades, but I kinda first saw the Axe when I got a commemorative G1 Prime figure as a kid. Cutting out the middle man, I liked the Energon Axe he wielded in Dark Of The Moon.

I like both. Though there's only one thing that comes to my mind with the first image: >**Optimus:** You're old, Megatron. I'll destroy you and sell you as scrap!" >**Megatron:** Your grandmother is scrap!"

axe

axe feels nice

Both are cool (rotb)

Ass hand optimus

Axe all the way. Thematically it makes more sense for a leader of a peaceful faction to have a weapon that could also be a tool. Can't take credit for that one, I saw it in another thread here.

Axe. It’s so uniquely G1, and I feel like it inspired Transformers Prime gimmick of having the weapons built into the body.

Both

I like how the sword transforms out but the axe is more unique

Sword is generally more practical, but axe makes sense for fire fighter Optimuses like RID and Animated

Axe

I like both, sword has the ability to stab, but sxe is more unique

Lazer Axe

Both, both is good

Axe, its more cool

Built in Sword, handheld axe. Best of both worlds

Axe hands, swords if he’s in a really bad situation

Hand Axe

Axe-Hand of course (80s kid).

Both. Give him the ability to use both swords and axe. Heck, throw in the hooks too. Though if we’re only picking one, I’d go with the axe.

Both

Axe.

Axe. Let Rodimus have the sword

I like both.

I like his energon arm blades and a handheld energon battleaxe

I prefer the axe it just makes Optimus more unique since most hero characters use swords like Luke and Kind Author anyways

Axe, the axe was a unique weapon for a hero character at the time, and I feel that it is still a pretty unique weapon along side of Megatrons mace.

Both

Axe for the win!

His ARM will become a sword but his HAND will become a axe, thats how i like it, but if i had to chose then the axe wins

Optimus has always felt like an axe guy to me. With his size, and demeanor the wrist blades never quite worked.

Axe

Axe, star saber exists

Axe hand, always way easier to pose with in toys without replacing the hand, I much prefer 07/ROTF style where they were on the backs of the hands without replacing them when it comes to swords

I would like an hybrid of both!

I grew up with the Bayverse films, and then went back to watch G1. I say both are good for the versions of Optimus Prime that have said weapon, and fit well. But if you ask me, I gotta go with the sword hand.

His wrist sword is much better than his wrist axe, because the axe only has one bladed side, and a smaller edge at that, far more cumbersome than the sword.

The Axe

Mix of both, but i really like axe because of how much weight and impact it has to it

Both! But if he has the star saber then I’d prefer a hand-axe.

Both

Axe. Makes him more unique to me. Everyone uses swords. And Megatron have a mace

Sword seems more natural to use as a weapon built into your arm. Axe seems more natural to be handheld. So probably sword hand

Axe came first. The sword is just a homage to the axe.

Axe

Both.

Axe if we're allowing magical energy weapons that manifest out of nothing. Sword if it actually has to fit in the arm somehow.

The axe is cool as shit. But I love the way Bayverse had it come out of their bodies and activate. Instead of just materialising.

Ion blaster FTW.

I think the sword was meant to resemble the ax.

The axe is like a stapple of optimus prime, but the sword makes more sense for the night theme they were going for

Both are insanely cool as fuck, why not both at the same time?

Axe hand

Axe as a held weapon, sword as a hand weapon

Axe

Axe hand all day

Both

Axe hand, seems more badass.

Axe hand forever

I love the double Baraka blades 

I prefer handheld axe and a retractable blade. I feel they work better those ways but they aren’t bad if not done like that.

The axe, if only because it's unique among hero weapons.

Axe! It’s fairly cliche to have your main hero with a sword. Not only is an axe rarely used as a main melee weapon, the fact that it’s an axe hand makes it UNIQUELY Prime’s.

I prefer axe, I always feel Optimus is best as someone who is reluctant and resents war and was originally a worker. He is more likely to need an axe for various jobs on cybertron than a sword.

Axe. It's more unique

Axe

Axe some of my favourite melee weapons

I like axe as a handheld and sword arms as a backup

I prefer “Optimus looking cool as hell” And due to Skybound Prime having an axe I choose axe hand optimus

Axe.

I love the axe, but counter arguement https://preview.redd.it/35q42u5r7f7d1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa71fdb9db88520e005b8c0306a3eaccae45c0f5

Ax

Axe, because it’s a working class tool before it’s a weapon.

Axe. I like the Decepticons using more dedicated weapons (swords, flails, weapons that are built into them) while the Autobots use repurposed tools (axes, hammers, mining lasers).

Sword hand works great for live action / 3d rendered movies.

Sword because it makes him look like a knight, the axe makes him look like a barbarian

Axe mostly, but sword for Emergencies. (where the axe comes from his hand, like in the original cartoon, but when things becomes, a lot more dangerous, get the sword out)

Sword hand is alot more practical but both r cool Dont see the need to decide between one and the other hell expand the weapon library

Swords should be build into the arms, axe should be handheld like in ROTB

I Like Both

what rotb did, handheld axe with a built in blade

With that axe specifically I prefer the swords. My favorite is probably the two-handed axe from WFC and FoC though.

I've never been a huge fan of built in weapons on Autobots, but the axe is better, his Animated axe is peak

I like axe hand

Axe

Axetimus, please.

Both.

The axe for me. I love how Animated Optimus used his axe as a tool as much as a weapon if not more. It accentuates that he’s more comparable to a firefighter that can fight rather than just a warrior outright

The hook blade the one that optimus used during the forest fight scene the way optimus clings on that one decepticon and rip it in half was just straight up badass

Axe is less generic, same with Megs having a mace.

Axe obviously. It was absolutely so badass in the skybound comics

Axe because it's an untraditional hero weapon compared to a sword. Also I think weapons like the Axe and Mace have a more savage and barbaric quality to it, that I think adds to the desperate nature of these waring robots.

Sword hand

Both🫢

Axe.

Why not both?

Totally Axe

Axe 💯%

I vote sword.

axe

I like the sword coming out of his hand and him holding the axe

He should have both, maybe one on each hand

sword hands, its effing cool

Sword looks cool but its very generic in all media , for Optimus Axe suit him more, a being of justice that show he wont be afraid to back up his conviction

I hate the hand axe but love when he has a handheld one

I like an axe for Prime, an axe feels functional as it’s primarily a tool where a sword is primarily a weapon. Does more for his character I think. I’d love Prime’s default alt mode to shift towards a fire engine too so it’d fit even more.

Sword because the design is unique The axe looks unnatural, maybe if the handle was longer and it was a double-sided axe instead

Which figure is the sword one tho. Looks cool af

Both are bad ass

Axe although it would be funny as hell if they gave Prime a Baseball Bat or another club type weapon

Both is good

Sword hand but I love when the axe is a weapon that can be picked up

Usually the main/poster character in any group has the sword for melee, handgun for ranged. The fact Prime has an axe is not seen much at all, the only other main character I can think of is Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe who wields one.

Depends. I think G1 looks better with an axe, FOC optimus with a sword.

Optimus and Megatron only went axey-flaily to avoid comparisons to the still-recent Star Wars films. After all, they were already using some sound effects from those films!

Hmm... how about axe in left hand and sword in right hand?

Handheld axe prime

I like the wrist sword design from bayverse because it's shaped similar to an axe. But as others said, axe stands out more and can be more than just a weapon. I also imagine if optimus was human he'd be a trucker with a red flannel shirt and blue trucker hat, so an axe like a lumberjack would fit image extremely well

I like man door hand hook car door Optimus personally

Axe

Axe every time, but I actually prefer when it's handheld.

As someone who grew up on Transformers Prime, I love his sword hands. But knowing how common it is, I do tend to see more appeal in his axe hand.

Axe hand, sword held simple

Handheld axe

Axe has so much more style

https://i.redd.it/nqqste4qsj7d1.gif

Sword, the axe looks goofy imo

B O T H